Things to Consider When Buying Electric Scooters For Kids
By Gerald Potratz

The author is a father of two and has two grandchildren. He is safety conscious and believes in shopping wisely. He writes about issues that affect parents.

7 Sure Ways To Straighten Your Hair

thebeautybrains.com

Straight hair is in. And people with curly or wavy hair will pull, blow, iron, treat or do practically anything else to get straight hair. That can’t be good for your hair health, right? Some treatments aren’t even good for your personal health as Del over at Are You A Beauty recently reported in her piece about the Brazilian hair straightening system.

We here at the Beauty Brains thought it would be helpful for you to know the 7 most common ways to straighten your hair and the pros and cons of each.

Seven Ways to Straight Hair

1. Hairdressings & Silicone Creams. This is a classic hair product based on oily materials like petrolatum, mineral oil, and lanolin. Silicone creams work the same way but contain materials like dimethicone or cyclomethicone. Apply the product all over your damp hair and comb straight. The oils coat your hairs preventing them from curling up when they dry. The most famous of these types of products is VO5 Hairdressing.

Evaluation: Incredibly effective on all types of hair. Non-damaging and relatively inexpensive. The downside is that your hair will feel greasy, get dirtier faster, and can look weighed down. The effect will last until you wash out the product.

2. Brushing and blow drying. As hair dries, it tends to curl up. This is a direct result of the water content and the chemical bonds existing in the hair fiber proteins. If you can hold your hair straight with a comb and blow dry it, it will hold that position. It’s a bit like using an iron to straighten the wrinkles in clothes.

Evaluation: This method is simple, moderately effective but depends heavily on the skill of the person doing it. It’s much easier for a stylist to do than for you to do it on your own hair. It is slightly damaging, will not work on extremely curly hair, and frizzes out in humid weather. It will leave your hair feeling more natural than hairdressings or styling products. So, if you don’t want to spend much money, get a good hair dryerand trying combing out those curls. It may take some time but it should work.

3. Flat Iron. If you have really curly hair and the blow-drying + combing method doesn’t work, try using a flat iron. After washing your hair, you comb it and use a flat iron to get it dry and straight. It uses the same principle to get your hair straight but it is more intense and effective on nearly all hair types. Here’s a short video showing how to straighten hair with a flat iron.

Evaluation: Flat irons will work with almost any hair type. If you know what you’re doing it can be done relatively quickly. Unfortunately, it is more damaging to your hair than a blow dryer and will frizz out when humidity is high. Once you’ve bought your flat iron it’s a relatively inexpensive way to get a straight hair style.

4. Styling products. If you don’t like the greasy feeling of hairdressings and don’t want to take the time required for flat ironing, then styling product straightening might be for you. These products coat the hair with polymers that rigidly hold the hair straight. Things like hairsprays, gels, mousses, and putties can all be used.

Evaluation: Styling products are effective but require some skill in applying and shaping your hair. They will hold the hair straight better than the blow drying or flat iron methods. The effect will last only until the products are washed out. The primary downside is that your hair may not look and feel natural.

5. Brazilian Hair straightening. This method is the hottest new hair styling treatment in salons. It even made it into a story in the New York Times. Your stylist applies a keratin protein formula and uses a flat iron to get your hair straight. Theoretically, the protein will crystalize on your hair and keep it in a straightened state. You are then encouraged not to wash your hair as frequently because you’ll reverse the effect.

Evaluation: This procedure works but at $150 it hardly seems worth it. If you wash your hair a few times the protein will come right off and your hair will return to it’s natural, curly state. There’s also the issue of a significant amount of Formaldehyde being included in the formula. It shouldn’t be a problem for you but I certainly wouldn’t want to be the stylist who gets exposed many times a day. This procedure works but you can get the same effect using a flat iron, styling products and less frequent hair washing.

6. Japanese straightening system. This is a more permanent way to remove the curls from your hair. At >$500 per treatment, it is the most expensive of all the methods outlined here. For the Japanese straightening system the stylist applies a special formula all over the hair. Then they use a flat iron and neutralizing solution to get the hair straight. With proper care the effect should last for 6 months.

Evaluation: The high price of this procedure has kept most people away from repeat procedures. While we haven’t been able to see the exact formula the description of how it’s applied sounds suspiciously like a hair relaxer. The fact that a neutralizing solution has to be used suggests a bond-breaking, chemical reaction. Kudos to the inventor for convincing people to spend that much money on a less harsh version of a hair relaxer. This procedure will permanently get rid of those curls but it’s expensive and incredibly damaging to your hair.

7. Relaxer. If you want straight hair there is no more effective method than getting your hair relaxed. In this procedure a caustic chemical is applied to your hair and a chemical reaction occurs. The hair is then physically straightened and a neutralizing formula is used to reform the chemical bonds in the new straight shape. You can even do this to your own hair at home using a product like Affirm relaxer. Careful because the chemicals in these formulas can be dangerous.

Evaluation: There’s no doubt about it that this method will permanently take the curls out of your hair. It will also be more effective and cheaper than either the Brazilian or the Japanese systems. However, it will also be the most damaging treatment you can do to your hair. Your hair will break more easily and will feel dry. Eventually, your curly hair will grow back so you’ll need to continue to relax hair if you want it straight.

15 Muscle Building Rules for Skinny Guys and Gals!
By Anthony Ellis

WHY CAN'T YOU GAIN WEIGHT?

Though there may be many reasons why you may be thin, the most apparent reason is because of your genetics. If your parents are naturally thin or have a small body frame, then you will most likely have the same small body type.

To some degree, your size can also be controlled by your metabolism. If you have a difficult time gaining weight of any kind (fat or muscle) then you most likely have a fast metabolism. That simply means that your body burns calories at a faster than normal rate. You must take this into account whenever you are considering a particular diet or training program. Is it geared towards someone with your metabolism and goal?

Now as you know, there are many ways to train. Hundreds, thousands even. Some work and some do not, but for the specific goal of gaining weight, there are a few UNIVERSAL things that all skinny guys must do.

Though much of the information I cover here is not as "magical" as you may like, I consider these rules to be the basics with regard to weight gain. These are not all of the answers, but they are definite elements that MUST be addressed in any successful weight gain program.

You should be able to easily integrate these rules into your current program to make it more suitable for your particular body and goals.

GENERAL RULES

1.Get the proper information that pertains to your SPECIFIC condition and goals.

The first big problem I find in most people is the lack of correct information. Yes you are motivated and doing things, but your effort is wasted on incorrect dieting and training information. Basically, skinny guys are taking advice from people who have never had a weight gain problem. Want to know how to gain weight? Then find someone who has walked your shoes. Someone who has been where you are.

2. Set a specific goal and create a plan of attack.

If you were to drive cross country to another city, would you just start driving randomly, or would you plan a route that would get you quickly and efficiently?

Think of your plan as a road map and your goal as your destination. Without a plan and a specific goal you will be without focus and can easily get lost or side tracked. This happens more often than you know. I see many people in the gym just doing whatever, or just eating whatever -- no plan or specific goal. They wonder why they don't make progress. They have no focus.

Having a specific program to follow allows you to take action each day. This action is focused on specifically getting you to your destination quickly. There is no thinking, debating or guessing. You just do it. A specific plan provides necessary daily structure that not only keeps you on the road moving forward, it also helps to develop good eating and training habits that will benefit you long after you have reached your destination.

3. Have confidence in yourself and belief in what you are doing.

Let’s face it; we live in a cruel world. Hate and jealously is everywhere. For most people who begin a fitness program to improve themselves, getting started will be half the battle. The other half will be staying motivated throughout the constant onslaught of negativity from others. A few negative words can do serious damage if you allow it.

The most insulting things you hear may be from friends, co-workers and acquaintances at the gym. People hate change. It makes them insecure, because they suddenly discover there’s more to you than they were probably willing to admit. They fear that you may actually achieve your goal. It makes them look less “superior”.

Once you have begun your plan, you must have faith and believe in what you are doing. Stay focused and avoid overly critical or negative people. If you have to, keep your business to yourself. When I first began my program, I stopped talking about what I was doing because I got tired of hearing things like “you can’t do that”, “that’s impossible”, “you’re wasting your time and money”. Funny thing is, now those people are constantly bugging me for advice.

It’s your life. It’s your body. It’s your dream. Don’t allow your success or failure to rest in the hands of others.

WORKOUT RULES

4. Stop listening to every ridiculous piece of advice you hear in the gym or read on a message board.

Recently a client of mine informed me that someone in the gym stated that he was training all wrong and he needed to train 5-6 days a week, and aim for more reps during his workout. Somewhere in the range of 15-20 reps per set.

The person giving the advice was quite confident about his recommendations, and he had an impressive physique that typically elevates him to the elusive "listen to me if you want to look like me" level in the gym. He was bigger than my client, so even though my client's "intellectual" mind knows that advice is absurd; his "unrealistic dreamer" mind took this information very seriously. So seriously that he changed his program and didn't inform me until a week or so later. This particular person had been making great progress on his current program, yet he allowed this one person’s comment to overshadow that progress and convince him that his program was inadequate. This is a mistake and it showed in his lack of further progress.

In addition, don't judge the validity of what a person says by how they look. Just because the guy is huge doesn't mean he is spewing pertinent advice for you. Many people that have big physiques are big despite of their training, not because of it. I know some huge guys that know very little about training and dieting correctly. They can do whatever and still gain muscle; unfortunately we are not that way, so we much approach things in a more intelligent way.

5. Workout Infrequently

This is the most difficult concept for many to grasp simply because it involves less action, instead of more. When we get motivated and start a new program, it’s natural to want to do something. We want to train and train and train. Thinking all along that the more you train, the more muscle you will build. Unfortunately, this could not be farther from the truth.

More training does not equal more muscle growth. Understand that the purpose of weight training is to stimulate muscle growth. That takes very little time. Once that has been done, the muscle needs to be repaired and new muscle needs to be built. That only happens when you are resting. You do not build muscle in the gym, you build muscle when resting! If you never give your body any essential “non active” time, when will it have a chance to build muscle? Think about that.

Now, add in the fact that you have a difficult time gaining weight and the importance of rest increases. Individuals who are naturally thin and have difficulty building muscle tend to require less training and more rest.

6. Focus on Multi-Jointed Lifts

Multi-jointed exercises are those that stimulate the most amounts of muscle fibers. Unlike isolation exercises which only work individual muscles, multi-jointed lifts work many different muscle groups simultaneously. For those needing to gain weight, this is ideal because these lifts put your body under the most amount of stress. This is the stress that will shock your nervous system and cause the greatest release of muscle building hormones. This results in increased muscle gain all over the body.

You can still do some isolation work; however it should not be the focus of your workouts, and should only come after your multi-jointed lifting is complete.

7. Focus on Using Free Weights

Free weights are preferred over machines for many reasons, but most importantly because they allow the stimulation of certain supporting muscle groups when training. Stimulating these stabilizer and synergistic muscles will allow you go get stronger, and ultimately build more muscle faster. Yes, some can most likely still build large amounts of muscle using machines, but why make it more difficult if you already have a difficult time gaining weight?

8. Lift a weight that is challenging for you

Building mass involves lifting relatively heavy weight. This is necessary because the muscle fibers that cause the most amount of muscle size growth (called Type IIB) are best stimulated by the lifting of heavy weight. A heavy weight as one that only allows you to perform 4-8 reps before your muscles fail.

Using a lighter weight and doing more reps can stimulate some Type IIB fibers, but again if you have a difficult time gaining weight, why make it more difficult? You need to try and stimulate as many as you can with the use of heavy weights.

9. Focus more on the eccentric portion of the exercise.

When you lift a weight, it can be divided into three distinct periods. The positive, the negative and midpoint. The concentric or “positive” motion usually involves the initial push or effort when you begin the rep. The midpoint is signaled by a short pause before reversing and returning to the starting position. The eccentric, or “negative” portion of each lift is characterized by your resistance against then natural pull of the weight.

For example, when doing push-ups, the positive motion is the actual pushing up motion. Once you have pushed all the way up, you hit the mid point. The negative motion begins when you start to lower yourself back down. Most would simply lower themselves as fast as they pushed up, but I recommend extending and slowing down this portion. Slowing down the eccentric part of the lift will help to stimulate more muscle growth. It actually activates more of the Type IIB fibers mentioned about in Rule 7.

10. Keep your workout short but intense.

Your goal should be to get in, stimulate your muscles and then get out as quickly as possible. It is not necessary to do large amounts of exercisers per body part trying to target every muscle and hit every “angle”. This should only be a concern of someone with an already developed, mature physique who is trying to improve weak areas.

If you have no pec, don’t concern yourself with trying to target inner, outer, upper, lower or whatever. Just work your chest. You should do no more than 2-3 exercises per body part. That’s it. Doing more than that won’t build more muscle, faster. In fact it could possibly lead to muscle loss. Long training sessions cause catabolic hormone levels to rise dramatically. Catabolic hormones are responsible for breaking down muscle tissue resulting in MUSCLE LOSS. While at the same time, long training sessions suppress the hormones that actually build muscle.

If you don’t want to lose muscle during your workouts, I suggest limiting your sessions to no more than 60-75 minutes MAXIMUM. Less if you can.

11. Limit your aerobic activity and training

Honestly, I do not do any aerobic activity when I am trying to gain weight. This is mainly because it interferes with the important “non-active” time my body needs for muscle building and recovery. I do understand that people have lives and other activities that they don't want to give up, so it must be kept to a minimum. It won’t hurt your progress as long as you don’t over do it. If you find that you are doing more aerobic activity weight training, that’s overdoing it.

I also don’t recommend it because people tend do it for the wrong reasons. Many start aerobic activity because they believe it will help them to lose fat. While that is true, it won’t do so on a high calorie mass diet. To lose fat, you need to be eating fewer calories.

12. Don’t program hop

Here’s how it usually happens. You’ve just read about a new exercise or workout that is supposed to pack on the mass. Now, even though you had already started another training program a few weeks ago, you are tired of it and really want to start this routine instead because it sounds better.

I call these people, “program hoppers”. They are very enthusiastic when starting a new program, but they never follow it long enough to actually see any results. They are easily distracted and love to drop whatever they may be doing to follow the latest "hot" workout or exercise.

My advice is don’t do it. This is a bad habit that never leads to a positive outcome. Understand that it takes time for any program to work. To be successful, you must follow your program consistently. Yes, there are many different training methods and interesting routines out there, but you can’t do them all at the same time and jumping around won’t allow enough time for any of them to actually be effective for you. Pick one that is focused on your current goal and stick with it. There will be plenty of time to try the others later, but NOT NOW.

EATING RULES

13. Eat more

This rule is pretty simple, but usually the one that is not done correctly. If weight gain is your goal, then you will need to eat more food. Period. In most cases, you will need to eat more than you are normally accustomed to.

One large problem that I had when starting out is I just had no appetite. I knew I needed to eat more, but I just did not want to. I had to force myself to eat at each meal. Thankfully, after about 2 weeks, my appetite grew. I was becoming hungry before each meal, and if I didn't eat my meal at the normal time, my body knew it.

If you have this problem, you still must eat something, no matter how much. Start off making yourself eat something small like fruit every few hours. Then, as your appetite becomes more active, gradually move into more real food.

What this will do is gradually get your body accustomed eating at regular intervals. Eventually you will be hungry before each meal time.

When eating more, you will need to make sure that you are getting plenty of good quality protein. Protein is a nutrient that is essential for building muscle. Every meal that you eat should contain some form of protein. Meal Replacement Powders like Myoplex are excellent for this purpose. They enable you to eat large amounts of good quality protein in a very convenient manner.

14. Eat more often

In addition to eating more calories, you should also strive to eat more often throughout the day. Eating infrequently, or going long periods without eating, will cause your body to breakdown muscle tissue for the calories it needs. This is especially true for those with fast metabolisms.

Spreading your meals throughout the day will give you more manageable meal sizes, improve nutrient assimilation, and make sure that your body always has the calories it needs for muscle building and repair. I recommend eating a high protein meal every 3 hours. During normal waking hours, that usually equals about 6 meals.

Now, I know what you are saying, “I’m too busy to do this”, or “how can I do that with a full time job and school?” Don’t let the thought of this being too difficult keep you from doing it. It may seem very inconvenient at first, but once you get in the habit of doing it, it becomes second nature and you don’t have to give it much thought. Trust me, I’ve been doing it for years and do not feel that it’s limiting or time consuming.

15. Use Nutritional Supplements.

Before you buy any product, remember that supplements are not magic. Too many people think that just because you buy the latest product, it guarantees that you will automatically begin to pack on the pounds. The truth is that supplements are only there to enhance an already solid diet and workout program.

They can give you the extra edge by:

* Adding More Convenience: Using food supplements like Myoplex or Designer Protein help to eliminate the common problem of 'not enough time', by providing you with a quick, efficient way to get your required nutrients each day. They make eating large amounts of calories and protein easier for people with low appetites.

* Increasing Strength Levels: Products that contain Creatine, like Phosphagen HP or Cell-Tech enable you to swing the odds of gaining more weight in your favor by increasing your strength output. Creatine enables you to lift heavier weights, which will stimulate more muscle fibers and cause more muscle growth.

* Decreasing Recovery Time: Vitamin C is essential to prevent free radical damage, which is accelerated after the heavy trauma of weight training. It is also essential is helping to repair connective tissue. All of this helps decrease the amount of time you are sore.

* Enhancing Your Immune System: Weight training increases the body's need for many minerals like magnesium and selenium. I always use a good multi-vitamin ensures that I am not deficient in any major essential vitamin or mineral. Deficiency symptoms include muscle weakness and suppression of the immune system, muscle cramping and fatigue.

I can honestly say that I could not have built the body I have today without the convenience and enhancements supplements provide. I simply don't have the time or desire to do it any other way. This is a choice that you must decide for yourself. You will be spending your money on these products, so make sure that you know their place in your program.

IS THIS POSSIBLE?

Yes, but I have to be honest and say that from my experience, gaining weight is much more difficult than losing fat. Even if you are doing everything right, it will still be difficult because you are fighting against what your body naturally prefers. If you are naturally thin, building an impressive physique involves persistence and determination, but no matter what anyone says, it is well within your ability.

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Buying Toys to Nurture Your Children’s Interests

Every kid has their own thing. In the long run, a kid’s thing might just be a phase they’re going through, it might be a fleeting fancy that’s here today gone tomorrow. On the other hand, even the most basic understanding of human nature will let you know that playing is how children first begin attaining necessary skill sets for their adult life. The things that kids are most passionate about tend to be those interests that will stay with them their entire lives.

Making sure that you nurture those interests, as a parent, can be the difference between a kid who realizes his or her dreams, and a kid who holds down a boring job while daydreaming about what could’ve been.

Sorry, we don’t mean to paint such a grim picture, but it’s true that positive encouragement can really play a huge role in children following their dreams later in life.

The first step to buying toys to encourage your kid’s interests is, well, to know what those interests are! But really know. A kid who wants to collect all the superhero action figures might not have an interest in superheroes so much as an interest in storytelling, because that’s really what kids are doing, in a way, when they play with action figures; coming up with new adventures for the characters. So it may be a good idea to look into some toys that encourage the imagination. Legos are an obvious choice, of course.

Let’s get one thing straight, though; buying your kid a toy cash register doesn’t mean they’re never going to be anything but a cashier! If your kid takes an interest in managing money, who knows, you might have the next Steve Forbes on your hands. Wherever a kid’s interests take them, it’s positive encouragement that can help them take it to the top, no matter what that interest is. It’s that encouragement that turns an interest into a passion, and a passion into a lifelong ambition.

It’s important to be open minded. Whatever your kid is into, it’s your approval, your encouragement, that can see them really making an impact on whatever field they go into. Sure it’d be great to have a doctor in the family, but being a great carpenter, a great novelist, a great plumber even, anything you put your heart into is a noble ambition.

It’s a little hard to recommend specific toys in this article, because it’s up to you to find out what your kids love doing, but we’ll try our best anyways!

MUSIC

You know those little plastic toy guitars where you hit a button and it plays a song? Those are great for little kids, but after age of seven or so, the maximum amount of time you’re going to be able to have fun with something like that is about the same as the length of the pre-recorded song! There are real, child-sized guitars available that can be surprisingly affordable, as well as keyboards, drum kits, and other musical toys available that can have your kids composing their own songs before long.

SPORTS

Even if your kid’s not too into sports, a quick game now and then can be important for getting the exercise you need in a day, and that’s something everybody should be passionate about. Just playing along with your kid with some outdoor toys can be incredibly encouraging and spark a real interest in staying healthy.

EXPLORATION

There’s only one toy you really need for a kid who likes the outdoors, The National Geographic Explorer Kit. With a flashlight, binoculars, a magnifying glass, a manual, and a compass, the whole kit is perfect for future paleontologists, entymologists, geographers, archaeologists, scientific researchers… basically, it’s a catch-all kit for any kid with an interest in making new discoveries.

A Brief History Of The Christmas Tree And Ideas To Keep The Traditions Alive

A Brief History Of The Christmas Tree And Ideas To Keep The Traditions Alive
By Dana Plazyk

We may think the tradition of the Christmas tree started with Christmas, but factually, different cultures have been placing evergreens in their homes and on their doors and windows during their winter solstice for thousands of years. Evergreens had special significance to ancient peoples. They offered protection from evil spirits and the guarantee that warmer weather and green plants and crops would always return. 16th century Germans are credited with the first Christmas trees, but, however, it didn’t become fashionable in the United States until 1846, when Queen Victoria and the royal family were sketched standing around a decorated Christmas tree. In the need to be fashionable, wealthy East Coast Americans followed suit and the tradition was embraced in America.

When you trim your tree this year, consider paying homage to the old, old traditions. German “tannenbaums” held real tin “tinsel” and fruits of all kinds, especially apples which referenced the tree as the “tree of knowledge” in the Garden of Eden. Since fresh fruit won’t stay that way for long (and unlike old Germany, we tend to decorate our trees long before Christmas Eve), look for high quality artificial and decorative fruit from a floral supplier. Marzipan is a fruit shaped German confection (you can get these artificially as well) that looks great on a tree. Place it next to gingerbread cutouts, and blown glass ornaments-also German originals. Since today’s tinsel can look a little stringy, try finding punched-tin garland or ornaments to represent the original tin decorations. Before electricity German families used candles to represent the light of the night sky shining through the tree branches. Today, you can find many authentic looking candle-shaped lights that clip on the branches, just like the candles of old.

And you may think that artificial trees are a late 20th century phenomenon, but you’d be off by about 100 years! The Goose Feather tree was originally invented in the 1880’s in Germany to combat the damage being done to fir trees in the name of Christmas. Now of course, we have Christmas tree farms, but consider using decorative feathers in your tree or make a festive feather tree as a table topper. Fast forward to 1930, where in America the Addis Brush Company created the first artificial “brush” trees, using the same machines that made their toilet brushes! Now that’s multi-purposing! These trees had a definite advantage over feather trees as they would hold heavier decorations and ornaments. Today, there’s an array of artificial Christmas trees, often pre-lit than can be used from year to year.

So whether you go traditional or modern, real or artificial, it’s always good to have an appreciation for the origins and history of this icon of the Christmas season.

Adapted from an article in the Portland, ME Times Record. The Moose and Lobster Preservation Society, winners of "Best Ribs in New England" at the KCBS sanctioned Pig and Pepper 1996 competition in Carlisle, MA, describe their technique for slow-cooking ribs on a Weber kettle style grill.

Buy one or more whole racks of ribs (end-on or "St. Louis Style" -- ask your butcher) and coat lightly with olive or vegetable oil using your hand or a brush. Sprinkle lots of "rub" on both sides and ends, patting and slapping it firmly into place. Surface of meat should be completely covered with a layer of rub. Wrap each rib in two layers of plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours.

Bank a small amount of coals on one side of the grill and let smoker warm up for 20-30 minutes. Stick a meat thermometer in the top or side of the grill (you may need to drill a hole), and work the fire to stabilize the temperature around 200-300 degrees. Hotter fires will significantly shorten cooking times and not allow slow-cooking of the meat.

Soak hickory, mesquite, cherry, apple or other wood chips in a bowl of water for 20 minutes or more, and sprinkle small amounts on the coals every 20-30 minutes or as often as desired.

Optional: Partially fill a small disposable aluminum pan with water and place at the bottom of the Weber or partially over the coals. Fill as necessary during the cooking process.

Place ribs away from the heat source, on the side opposite the banked coals. If you have two or more racks of ribs, use a 'rib rack' purchased at your local hardware store for $10 to help stand the rib racks on their side next to each other. Place rib racks thick side up/bone-end down, so the small ends stay moist.

That's it! Sit back for 4 to 6 hours, watch the smoke rise, and drink your favorite beverage. Don't forget to add soaked wood chips every so often, and keep the water pan half full. You may want to turn the meat in-place to give each rib end or side equal time nearest the heat source. If you're curious whether the ribs are done, try cutting one off and eating it (cook's privilege). The meat should be pink around the edges (called a 'smoke ring'), pull cleanly from the bone and taste nice and smoky.

Before serving or for the last 10 minutes of cooking, lightly brush each rack with your homemade barbecue sauce. Cut between each rib, brush again with sauce if desired, and serve. Make sure you save a few ribs for yourself -- they'll go quickly! You're now a real, slow cookin', wood smokin' barbecue chef

Playskool Busy Ball-Tivity Center

Treat your baby to some poppin’, droppin’ funtime with the Busy Ball-Tivity Center Assortment from Playskool. Designed for ages nine months and up, this air-powered activity center will delight babies with its high-rolling balls, exciting sounds, and adorable toys. This fun, stimulating, and durable set entertains baby, while also encouraging hand-eye coordination and healthy auditory and visual development.

The Ball-tivity Center encourages hand-eye coordination and visual and auditory development.

Hours of Interactive Fun
The Ball-Tivity features cute jungle animals and a ladybug that entice little fingers to grasp and explore. Mom or baby can press down on the ladybug to start the action and keep things moving. As the air starts to flow, lively music plays and animal sounds seem to bring this activity set to life. Parts appear to magically move, making this exotic adventure pure delight for a curious child.

The bright colored balls swirl around the pool.

Stimulates the Senses and Encourages Healthy Development
The Ball-Tivity engages all of baby’s senses, and encourages hand-eye coordination while introducing your child to the relationship between cause and effect. Colored balls swirl around the pool, inviting little hands to reach in and pull them out, then drop them back in to watch them swirl around and around again. You or baby can also place a ball on top of the volcano and see it hover. Stackable palm tree, elephant and alligator pieces all spin, twirl and chomp when placed on their separate ports, or they can be stacked for a different perspective.

The Ball-Tivity Center requires four “D” batteries (not included), and comes with monkey and palm tree snap-in pieces, three balls, three stacking pieces, and instructions. For your child’s safety, all plastic fasteners should be removed and discarded before play.

What’s in the Box
Ball-Tivity Center, monkey and palm tree snap-in pieces, three balls, three stacking pieces, and instructions.

Product Description
So much to do in this musical “air-tivity” activity center! Tots will have a ball stacking and learning how to “put and take.” The center includes three jungle stackers that stack on the table or on each other. Kids will be delighted as they watch each stacker magically come to life when powered by air. The center also houses a swirling ball pool and live “ball-cano” to encourage put-and-take play. A peek-a-boo monkey hiding in the palm tree adds to the jungle surprises and fun. Great for hands-on exploration and discovery. Requires four “D” batteries, not included. Measures 14″L x 18″W x 6.75″H.

Is Shapewear Comfortable?
By Nina Pucillo

Bakugan is a trading card game, miniatures game, and marbles game based on the television series Bakugan Battle Brawlers. The game is played with cards and magnetic spring-loaded marbles which open and depict a Bakugan. It was developed by Sega Toys and Spin Master.

Object of the Game
The Object of the game is to capture 3 of your opponent’s gate cards. The game play involves rolling the magnetic marbles in an area set up with the magnetic cards. If the marbles hit correctly, they open to depict a little monster.

To Play you need: 3 Bakugan, 3 or more Gate Cards (both players need the same amount) 3 Ability Cards
After you use a bakugan, gate card, or ability card, it goes in your used pile.
During the game, you can play ability cards from your hand which can help you. Do what the Ability says, and listen to when you are allowed to use it.(Play Before You Roll, Play During a Battle, Play at the start of a battle)
If a player has no more Bakugan to shoot, they bring all their bakugan back from their used pile.
Play continues until 3 Gate cards have been captured.

The winner is the player that captured 3 of their opponent’s gate cards.

Each players brawlers should closed up into a ball this is called Sphere Mode. When it is rolled onto the metal card if it hits the card at the right spot it will pop open into Battle Mode. When the Battle Brawler is in battle mode you will see it’s G-Power. If an opponents battle brawler lands on the card that your brawler is sitting on they go into battle and the battle brawler with the higher G-Power rating wins the battle. The G-power boost on the card that your brawler lands on will determine if you your brawler G-power will decrease or increase in that battle.

Each card should be facing down so that no player knows the ability of the card they are using. There are four types of cards and they are Normal Cards, Character Cards, Command Cards and Ability Cards. All the cards are metal accept for the ability cards. The metal cards are the ones that are placed in the battle field and are the only cards that can make a Bakugan Battle Brawler pop open for battle.
Each metal card has a G-power boost rating on it. When a card is in battle there may be a command on the bottom of the card that effects the battle. This G-power boost is on the left side of the card. The boost will be determined by the color of your brawler that lands on the card.

Each card has a HSO on the lower right of the card. This is the Holo Sector Point which represents the number of points you win if you capture this card.
If you do not have a battle arena its ok. The game begins with each player placing a card face down on the battle field on the side closest to their opponent. If there are only two players in the game then each player needs to put a second card down to form the battle field. So basically if there are two players before you can roll a Bakugan Brawler onto the field you will have four cards on the field forming a rectangle.

Before you can begin battle each player must take the remaining cards they have in hand and measure the distance from their opponents card that they placed nearest you. This becomes your shooting spot for the the rest of the game. Bakugan Battle Brawling Time! Each player takes turns from their shooting spot and no player can skip a turn shooting if they have any Bakugan Brawlers in their hand. Youngest player shoots their ball first.

Winning The Game
The battle is over once there are no more Bakugan left over to play or all the cards have been won from the battle field. The winner is determined by the adding up the HSP points of each card that the player has won.
Players that have won Bakugan from their opponent get an extra 100 HSP points to add to their score along with 100 HSP points from the Bakugan they still have left standing.

Bakugan Battle Brawlers is an anime series about the lives of Bakugan and the battle brawlers who have the deep power to wield them. Bakugan (”blast circular”) is a strategic card game played with magnetic, spring-loaded marbles created by Sega Toys and Spin Master. The series debuted in Japan on TV Tokyo on April 5, 2007.The show had its North American debut in July 2007; 2007 on Teletoon in Canada. The show had its USA debut on Cartoon Network on February 24, 2008. “Bakugan” airs on Fried Dynamite Saturday and Sunday mornings. The show is a co-production from Nelvana Limited, Spin Master, Sega toys,Sega Corporation, TMS Entertainment, and Japan Vistec, the last two of which provide the show’s animation.

Bakugan is a card game that is played with magnetic morphing marble. It was developed by Sega Toys and Spin Master. It is a TCG (Trading Card Game) game? It’s a little bit different because Bakugan Pack also includes miniatures and marbles. However the cards themselves are still collectible and have some rarity, so by definition, the game is considered a TCG.

The game is based on a television show. The Bakugan Battle Brawler are the group of kids who play the game of Bakugan. The Bakugan toys work on the same principle as the television show. Each marble have a character (Preyas, Juggernoid, Hynoid, Seige, etc), an attribute (Aquos, Darkus, Haos, Pyrus, Subettra, Ventus, etc), a color and a G Power (250G to 450G). You can have a lot of combination with all these specifications. Recently, they release Bakugan Series 2. In this release, a bunch of new characters for more exciting battle.

Play Bakugan
Put one game card face down in the center of the battle arena. Players take turns shooting Bakugan Battle Brawlers. The youngest player going first, from two card lengths away. Players shoot until any two opponents Bakugan stand on the card, meaning magnetically fasten and open, and battle.
To battle: Compare the “G Power” of the battling Bakugan (it’s showed on the sphere). Flip the card over and each player adds or subtracts the G Power Boost shown on the card.
The player with the highest G Power wins the battle, capturing the card and the defeated Bakugan. The winner shoots next.
Players battle until all the cards are captured. Each player then counts the total Holo Sector Points, or HSP, of his captured cards (HSP are marked on each card) and adds 100 HSP for each captured and not played Bakugan, plus for spheres that missed cards when they were shots but opened. The player with the most HSP wins.
If you stand two of your Bakugan on a card, you automatically capture that card. If players tie in a battle, each player keeps his Bakugan and the card is removed from play. You cannot shoot captured Bakugan.

Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized ZoomFrom Canon

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Manufacturer DescriptionDiscover a new inspiration. The PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph is a digital camera that will really get your creative juices flowing. It starts with a high-resolution 8-megapixel CCD, a 4x optical zoom with Canon’s exclusive UA Lens and an Optical Image Stabilizer for steady zooming. There’s also a DIGIC III Image Processor with Face Detection and red-eye correction, an ISO 1600 setting for sharper images in low light, 5 Movie Modes and a 2.5-inch PureColor LCD with scratch-resistant, anti-reflective coating for easy viewing.PowerShot SD850 Highlights

4x optical zoom in action

Advanced 8.0-megapixel Digital Elph with 4x optical zoom and exclusive UA lens Count on the PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph for images that will make you say "wow" every time you shoot! Equipped with a high resolution 8-megapixel CCD, this Digital Elph is just what you need to capture life’s greatest inspirations as you’ve always wanted them. You’ll get every exquisite detail in dazzling, eye-popping color. And you can print big. Plus, the SD850 IS Digital Elph is equipped with a 4x optical zoom that features Canon’s exclusive UA lens with ultra-high refractive index glass to enhance your pictures while significantly reducing total lens size. Just imagine the possibilities!Optical Image Stabilizer technology for steady, long zoom shooting Life doesn’t give you second chances to capture special times. That’s why the elegant PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph is equipped with Canon’s acclaimed Optical Image Stabilizer Technology that automatically detects and corrects camera shake -- one of the leading causes of fuzzy or blurred shots. So now even when you’re zooming in tight you can get the steady, crisp, brilliant images you’ll be proud to shoot and share. And Canon’s Optical Image Stabilizer Technology is so convenient to use. Just turn it on, it functions perfectly with or without a flash.DIGIC III Image Processor with improved Face Detection Technology and Red-eye Correction With DIGIC III, you get images of superior quality, the camera functions at top efficiency and battery life is significantly enhanced. What’s more, DIGIC III enables Canon’s newly improved Face Detection Technology and Red-eye Correction to give you better, more true-to-life people shots. Simply press the Shutter Button halfway down, and the PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph automatically pinpoints the faces in the scene and chooses the ideal focus point. To keep every face looking bright and natural -- without scary red eyes -- the camera controls exposure settings and flash, so every shot is just what you were shooting for.

Find multiple faces with Canon's improved Face Detection technology

DIGIC III features Face Detection AF/AE, which finds multiple faces in the frame and sets the most suitable focus point, when the shutter button is pressed halfway. And an additional new feature, Face Detection FE adjusts the flash, based on a person’s face on the screen. Exposure and flash are controlled to ensure proper illumination of both the faces and the overall scene, eliminating the common problem of darkened or overexposed faces.Red-eye Correction detects and automatically corrects red-eye during playback for both regular and flash photography. In unusual cases where red-eye is not automatically detected, it can easily be corrected manually during playback mode.iSAPS technology is an entirely original scene-recognition technology developed for digital cameras by Canon. Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS works with the fast DIGIC III Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.Vivid, high-resolution 2.5-inch PureColor LCD The camera’s 2.5-inch LCD screen gives you the big picture, whether you’re shooting, reviewing or showing off your images. This extra-durable, high-resolution screen with tough scratch-resistant coating on the anti-reflective, PureColor LCD screen offers a crisp, clear picture to make shooting, playback and using the camera’s menu functions especially convenient. Clear and bright, it also features Night Display for easy viewing in low light.Sensitivity range expanded to ISO 1600 The PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph features new ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto settings that reduce the effects of camera shake and sharpen subjects in low-light situations, giving you greater flexibility for shooting.

ISO 80 v. ISO 1600

Creative Light effects, and five movies modes A new Special Scene Mode "Creative Light Effects" brings you a new pleasure of capturing night scenes! You can select ant effect before shooting, then it transforms background bright spots to stars, hearts, music notes and more.Shooting movies have also five options. With a highly flexible movie mode, you can create the movie that’s perfect for any application. Select from VGA (640 x 480 pixels) and QVGA (320 x 240 pixels), with frame rates of 30 fps and 15 fps for recording up to 1 hour or 4GB. Also choose from Fast Frame Rate (QVGA; 320 x 240 pixels) recording at 60 fps for up to 1 minute, Compact Movie Mode (QQVGA; 160 x 120 pixels) recording at 15 fps for up to 3 minutes, and Time Lapse (640 x 480) recording at 1 or 2 sec. intervals. The PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph supports the USB 2.0 Hi-Speed standard, so you’ll enjoy the fastest possible data transfer speeds when using a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed compatible computer.18 Shooting Modes including 11 Special Scene Modes

    
• Auto The camera chooses all the settings so you can concentrate on your subject.
    
• Manual The ultimate in creative control, you set ISO speed, exposure compensation and white balance.
    
• Color Accent Choose to retain a single color in your image while other colors turn monochrome.
    
• Color Swap Select a color and replace it with a color you specify for special effects.
    
• Digital Macro Shoot larger-than-life close-ups with one-button simplicity.
    
• Stitch Assist Build awe-inspiring panoramas by neatly aligning sequential images.
    
• Movie Shoot in VGA and QVGA (30 fps/15 fps for up to 1 hour or 4GB), Fast Frame Rate (60 fps for up to 1 minute), QQVGA (15 fps for up to 3 minutes) or Time Lapse (640 x 480 for 1 sec./2 sec. intervals).
    
• Portrait The camera sets a large aperture, focusing the subject and artistically blurring the background to make your subject "pop."
    
• Foliage Capture brilliant shots of autumn foliage, greenery and blossoms.
    
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• Aquarium Achieve proper flash-free exposure and natural hues at indoor aquariums.
    
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• Kids & Pets Reduced focusing time freezes fast-moving subjects, so you won’t miss those special shots.
    
• Night Snapshot Get natural-looking pictures with brighter backgrounds and subjects lit by flash.
    
• Creative Light Effects Transform background bright spots to stars, hearts, music notes and more.

The Complete Print SolutionPrint/Share Button for easy direct printing and downloading The PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph's Print/Share button makes direct printing easier than ever. Simply connect the SD850 IS Digital Elph to a Canon CP, SElphY or PIXMA Photo Printer or any PictBridge compatible photo printer, press the lighted Print/Share button and print! Also use the Print/Share button to transfer images to a computer (Windows and Macintosh).Print your own ID photos in 28 different sizes or use the Movie Print function to output multiple stills from a recorded movie on a single sheet with a Canon SElphY Compact Photo Printer.Direct Photo Printers For desktop large-format printing, try one of the Direct Photo Printers that allow you to print without a computer in one of two ways: plug your compatible PowerShot camera into the Direct Photo Printer using the supplied USB interface cable, or simply insert a memory card into the supplied adapter. You can also connect the printer to your computer for more options. Print high-resolution, borderless images as postcards or 8.5 x 11-inch sheets within minutes.Compact Photo Printers Compact Photo Printers let you produce versatile, fun 4 x 6-inch postcards, 4 x 8-inch wide greeting cards or credit card size prints in just two easy steps: connect and press/print. Control the printer right from your camera's LCD screen. You get durable, dye-sublimated prints quickly with or without borders. Assorted paper types let you create mini or credit card size labels. You can even take select Compact Photo Printers to a party or an outdoor picnic using an optional rechargeable battery.PictBridge The PictBridge standard enables any digital camera that supports PictBridge to connect and print to any PictBridge compatible printer.What's in the boxPowerShot SD850 IS Digital ELPH body, Lithium Battery Pack NB-5L, Battery Charger CB-2LX, SD Memory Card SDC-32M, Wrist Strap WS-700, Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, USB Interface Cable IFC-400PCU, AV Cable AVC-DC300