Health Benefits Of Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar benefits are plentiful. Its wide-ranging uses (rivaling the number of uses of tea tree oil and other nifty natural helpers) include everything from curing hiccups to alleviating cold symptoms, and some people have turned to apple cider vinegar to help fight diabetes, cancer, heart problems, high cholesterol, and weight issues. Read on for more reasons to keep apple cider vinegar handy in your pantry.

Adapted by Alyssa Jung from Kitchen Cabinet Cures (Reader's Digest Association Books)

Apple cider vinegar helps tummy troubles.

Sip some apple cider vinegar mixed with water. If a bacterial infection is at the root of your diarrhea, apple cider vinegar could help contain the problem, thanks to its antibiotic properties. What's more, some folk remedy experts contend that apple cider vinegar contains pectin, which can help soothe intestinal spasms. Try mixing one or two tablespoons into water, or clear juice like apple juice.

Apple cider vinegar cures hiccups.

Take a teaspoonful of apple cider vinegar; its sour taste could stop a hiccup in its tracks. One teen took the hiccup remedy further and created a lollipop that includes apple cider vinegar, which she says "cancels out the message to hiccup" by overstimulating the nerves in the throat responsible for the spasms.

Apple cider vinegar soothes a sore throat.

As soon as you feel the prickle of a sore throat, employ germ-busting apple cider vinegar to help head off the infection at the pass. Turns out, most germs can't survive in the acidic environment vinegar creates. Just mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 1/4 cup warm water and gargle every hour or so.

Apple cider vinegar could lower cholesterol.

More research is needed to definitively link apple cider vinegar and its capability to lower cholesterol in humans, but one 2006 study found that the acetic acid in the vinegar lowered bad cholesterol in rats. Also, a Japanese study found that half an ounce of apple cider vinegar a day lowered cholesterol in people who participated in the panel.

Apple cider vinegar prevents indigestion.

Sip before eating, especially if you know you're going to indulge in foods that will make you sorry later. Try this folk remedy: add 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to a glass of warm water and drink it 30 minutes before you dine.

Apple cider vinegar clears a stuffy nose.

Next time you're stuffed up, grab the apple cider vinegar. It contains potassium, which thins mucus; and the acetic acid in it prevents bacteria growth, which could contribute to nasal congestion. Mix a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and drink to help sinus drainage.

Apple cider vinegar aids in weight loss.

Apple cider vinegar can help you lose weight. Here's why: The acetic acid suppresses your appetite, increases your metabolism, and reduces water retention. Scientists also theorize that apple cider vinegar interferes with the body's digestion of starch, which means fewer calories enter the bloodstream.

Apple cider vinegar gets rid of dandruff.

On his website, Dr. Mehmet Oz recommends apple cider vinegar as a dandruff treatment. The acidity of apple cider vinegar changes the pH of your scalp, making it harder for yeast to grow. Mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 1/4 cup water in a spray bottle, and spritz on your scalp. Wrap your head in a towel and let sit for 15 minutes to an hour, then wash your hair as usual. Do this twice a week for best results.

Apple cider vinegar clears acne.

Apple cider vinegar makes a great natural toner that can leave skin looking healthier. Its antibacterial properties help keep acne under control, and the malic and lactic acids found in apple cider vinegar soften and exfoliate skin, reduce red spots, and balance the pH of your skin.

Apple cider vinegar boosts energy.

Exercise and sometimes extreme stress cause lactic acid to build up in the body, causing fatigue. Interestingly, the amino acids contained in apple cider vinegar act as an antidote. What's more, apple cider vinegar contains potassium and enzymes that may relieve that tired feeling. Next time you're beat, add a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to a glass of chilled vegetable drink or to a glass of water.

Apple cider vinegar cuts down on nighttime leg cramps.

Leg cramps can often be a sign that you're low in potassium. Since apple cider vinegar is high in it, one home remedy suggests mixing 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and one teaspoon honey to a glass of warm water and drink to relieve nighttime leg cramps. Of course, by the time you walk to the kitchen to put the drink together, your cramp is likely to be history—but maybe that's the point.

Apple cider vinegar banishes bad breath.

If proper brushing and mouthwash doesn't do the trick, try the home remedy of using apple cider vinegar to control bad breath. Gargle with it, or drink a teaspoon (diluted with water if you prefer) to kill odor-causing bacteria.

Apple cider vinegar whitens teeth.

Gargle with apple cider vinegar in the morning. The vinegar helps remove stains, whiten teeth, and kill bacteria in your mouth and gums. Brush as usual after you gargle. You can also brush your teeth with baking soda once a week to help remove stains and whiten your teeth; use it just as you would toothpaste. You can also use salt as an alternative toothpaste. If your gums start to feel raw, switch to brushing with salt every other day.

Apple cider vinegar fades bruises.

Apple cider vinegar has anti-inflammatory properties; dabbing or laying an apple cider vinegar compress on a bruise can help fade the discoloration.

Apple cider vinegar helps control blood sugar.

A few swigs of apple cider vinegar could help keep your blood sugar levels balanced, according to several studies that have shown a link between the two. One study of people with type 2 diabetes who weren't taking insulin found that taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bed resulted in lower glucose levels by morning. Another study at the Arizona State University found that insulin resistant people who drank a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water before eating a high carbohydrate meal had lower blood sugar afterward. Scientists think the antiglycemic effect of the acid is the key.

Source: rd.com / readersdigest.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does Drinking Water Help Lose Weight? And 8 Other Hydrating Questions

Water does a body good, but is it really the miracle cure that some people claim? Here’s how drinking water really affects your body and your brain. 

By Lauren Gelman

Do I need 8 glasses a day?

Don’t go crazy refilling your Sigg; let thirst be your guide. How much water you need daily depends on your diet, size, and body chemistry, according to Women’s Health. Nobody really knows where 8 glasses came from, according to a 2008 paper about water myths in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Keep in mind that exercise blunts your thirst mechanism, Lesli Bonci, RD, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, told the magazine. She recommends drinking 20 ounces before working out to avoid dehydration. 

Does drinking water help lose weight?

Sipping water before meals may make you eat a little less and that can contribute to weight loss, although it’s certainly no magic bullet. However, Virginia Tech researchers found that people ate 75 to 90 fewer calories when they drank two cups of water right before a meal. In another study, dieters who drank water before meals three times a day lost about 15.5 pounds after 12 weeks; those who didn’t increase their water intake shed about 11 pounds. Swapping sugary beverages for water is also a good ticket to a thinner waistline.

Can drinking water give me more energy?

In a 2012 Journal of Nutrition study, women found everyday tasks more difficult, had more trouble concentrating, and were more fatigued and irritable when they were mildly dehydrated. Bottom line: If you need a mental pick-me-up, go for a glass of the water before you sample a snack.

Can you prevent headaches with water?

Some evidence suggests that not drinking enough water could trigger migraines, or make them last longer. One small study in the European Journal of Neurology found that migraine patients who were assigned to drink more water experienced fewer headaches over a two-week period than a control group. Researchers say more research needs to be done; but if you’re prone to the excruciating headaches, it can’t hurt to drink more water with or between meals.

Can water prevent heart disease?

Maybe. In a classic study of Seventh-day Adventists, those who drank five or more glasses of water had about half the risk of fatal heart disease than those who consumed two or fewer glasses. Researchers suspect even minor dips in hydration could make blood thicker and stickier, which may make it more prone to clotting. However, with studies like this, be careful about association versus causation, notes Reader’s Digest columnist Joel K. Kahn, MD, a cardiologist and author of The Holistic Heart Book. It’s possible that water drinkers had other habits in common that also lowered their risk, he notes.

Does drinking more water prevent constipation?

Skimping on fluids is frequently blamed for slowing down digestion, but evidence suggests that drinking more only gets things moving for people who are very dehydrated, according to a 2010 paper in the journal Nutrition Review. In one study, the paper points out, increasing water intake by 50 percent didn’t have any effect in a group of children with chronic constipation, for example. While people with low fluid intake are at greater risk for constipation, it may be that other underlying factors—like a low-fiber diet—are the real issue.

Can water help your body naturally detox?

If drinking more water helped us detox, it would likely be through improved kidney function. But this common claim doesn’t really hold up when you look at the science. “In fact, drinking large amounts of water surprisingly tends to reduce the kidney’s ability to function as a filter,” Stanley Goldfarb, MD, a University of Pennsylvania kidney expert, told NPR.

Will drinking water give me glowing skin, like supermodels claim?

Unless you’re severely dehydrated, drinking extra water is unlikely to affect your complexion. “If you get dehydrated, your body is going to pull water from your skin to maintain the concentration in your blood,” Richard Besser, MD, told ABCNews.com. This can make your eyes look sunken, and your skin appear older and more dry. “If you’re not dehydrated and you drink a lot of water, it’s just going to send you to the bathroom,” he said. Although one study in 2007 found that drinking about 16 ounces of water increases blood flow to the skin, it’s not clear whether these changes are something you’d actually notice. As for people who swear by water’s anti-aging effects, drinking more of it likely means cutting out soda and other sweetened beverages that can age your skin.

Source: rd.com / readersdigest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

26 Secrets Of Happiness: Quotable Quotes

Find inspiration and joy from these leading thinkers.

The Dalai Lama

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."

Brad Pitt, actor

"I think happiness is overrated. Satisfied, at peace—those would be more realistic goals."

John Barrowman, actor

"I've always thought people would find a lot more pleasure in their routines if they burst into song at significant moments."

Drew Barrymore, actress

"I think happiness is what makes you pretty. Period. Happy people are beautiful. They become like a mirror and they reflect that happiness."

Joan Rivers, comedian

"People say that money isn't the key to happiness, but I always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made."

Gretchen Rubin, author

"I think self-knowledge is a key to happiness. We can build happy lives only on the foundation of our own natures, our own values, and our own interests."

J. K. Rowling, novelist

"Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a checklist of acquisition or achievement. Your qualifications are not your life."

Stephen Fry, actor and writer

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself and you will be happy."

Richard Bach, author

"If your happiness depends on what somebody else does, I guess you do have a problem."

Marianne Williamson, spiritual teacher

"Children are happy because they don't have a file in their minds called 'all the things that could go wrong.'"

Rita Mae Brown, feminist author

"One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory."

Paul Simon, musician

"I've got nothing to do today but smile."

The Dalai Lama

"I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe."

Sarah McLachlan, musician

"Happiness is like a cloud—if you stare at it long enough, it evaporates."

Harrison Ford, actor

"Being happy is something you have to learn. I often surprise myself by saying, 'Wow, this is it. I guess I'm happy. I got a home I love. A career that I love. I'm even feeling more and more at peace with myself.' If there's something else to happiness, let me know. I'm ambitious for that, too."

Keira Knightley, actress

"Be happy in your body. It's the only one you've got, so you might as well like it."

Steven Kloves, screenwriter

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

Daniel Gilbert, social psychologist

"The good news is that going blind is not going to make you as unhappy as you think it will. The bad news is that winning the lottery will not make you as happy as you expect."

Leslie Caron, actress and dancer

"In order to have great happiness, you have to have great pain and unhappiness—otherwise, how would you know when you're happy?"

Audrey Niffenegger, writer

"Don't you think it's better to be extremely happy for a short while, even if you lose it, than to be just okay for your whole life?"

Ann Brashares, author

"Maybe happiness didn't have to be about the big sweeping circumstances, about having everything in your life in place. Maybe it was about stringing together a bunch of small pleasures."

Joanne Harris, author

"Happiness. Simple as a glass of chocolate or tortuous as the heart. Bitter. Sweet. Alive."

Jodi Picoult, author

"A mathematical formula for happiness: reality divided by expectations. There were two ways to be happy: improve your reality or lower your expectations."

Steve Maraboli, speaker and author

"Happiness is not the absence of problems, it's the ability to deal with them."

Lauren Oliver, author

"You can't be really happy unless you're unhappy sometimes."

Russell Baker, humorist

"A solved problem creates two new problems, and the best prescription for happy living is not to solve any more problems."

Source: ReadersDigest.com

A Touching Story

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant.

It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around.."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper That he got from a grocery bag Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume.. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left, she cried for at least an hour.

On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets.."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling* her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer.... The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for* believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

(For you that don't know, Teddy Stoddard is the Dr. at Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)

Warm someone's heart today. . . pass this along. I love this story so very much, I cry every time I read it. Just try to make a difference in someone's life today? tomorrow? Just "do it".

Random acts of kindness, I think they call it?

"Believe in Angels, then return the favor."

Source: Facebook / Internet

My Daughter Made A WWII Veteran Cry

She was five years old, just about to turn six and she made a World War II Veteran Cry. She didn’t mean to do it.

In Washington D.C., there is a monument built largely with private funds. It’s not as tall as many of the monuments, it’s not as audacious as those erected for past presidents and founders of our country. It’s really sort of a simple monument, the Monument for WW II Veterans in Washington D.C.,. That’s where it happened.

My Daughter had been on the mall with me and my wife, she played, walked through the congressional hallways and contemplated the height and meaning of the Washington Monument. She still believes in her Nation and her flag. Forgive us for being sentimental–we’re old. That’s her, on a warm day, in little girl clothes, looking up at the tower we built to honor General Washington. Then, we walked to the World War II Monument.


When we arrived at the Memorial, there were families walking about it. The wind was blowing softly and the day was unusually mild for D.C. Then the bus arrived.

World War II may be unique among wars in which our country has fought. The young men and women who fought it are no more brave or good than the young men and women who fought in any of our wars. But, the scope of the war was unique: the entire world was truly at risk of being run over by a man who believed in the supreme power of the “science” of his day; in Hitler’s twisted mind he—like, Stalin, the man with whom he pad partnered before he betrayed him–read in Eugenics, the great “science” of his time, that there we grades of human beings, some “races” ahead of others. Some “races” of human beings were so far behind, indicated the “science” of Eugenics, that Hitler and Stalin would be doing the world a “favor” by wiping out men and women and children and little babies … even little girls who stare at the sky and see in it possibilities for love and hope and happiness. Mad men are not unique—Saddam Hussein was a mad man, Mao was insane—but the world had allowed a stink-breathed psychopath named Adolph to roll over human beings and, because of appeasement, the risk of his winning half the world was real.

Then our boys and girls got into the battle.

The bus I mentioned unloaded old men, some women, but mostly old men. They leaned on canes, they rode in wheel chairs, a few walked, but they were in the minority. Even in the warm weather they wore coats and hats.

Oh, their hats! They had emblems on their hats: some were ball caps, some were cowboy hats and others were the hats from their old uniforms, taken from drawers or trunks for just this occasion. The emblems on the hats told the stories of people who survived what their brothers and sisters had not, they had the names of battles and units and ships that faced walls filled with machine guns and bombs. They told the stories of fighting tanks in the desert and submarines at sea. That is when my daughter saw one particular man, in a particular wheel chair, who gave my little girl a particular sort of wink—not a purposeful one, an accidental one, a smidgen of joy on his face even as he remembered his fallen friends.

The old soldier had come to see the monument built to honor not himself, but his brothers and sisters.

My daughter gripped my hand and asked me, “Daddy, is that man in the wheel chair a soldier?” I told her he was. “What is the jewelry on his shirt and hat?” I told her they were medals and what they meant and what he had probably seen and done to rescue the world from pure evil.
“Is he a hero?”

“Why don’t you go ask him?”

She released my hand and walked over to the old soldier—the WWII Veteran—I followed, but not too close. This was her moment with this man, with this history.

“Hi.”

The man smiled at her. “Hello there”, he said.

She pointed at his medals: “my Daddy says you are a soldier.”

The man looked up at me and I smiled. He looked back at my Daughter.

“I was, yes, I was.” He took my Daughter’s hand and patter her head.

“Are you a hero?’

How do you answer that? My dear friends who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan—Bryan, Kelly, Ben, David, Dennis, Mark, Sonia and many more—tell me that they don’t feel heroic, they just did their jobs. But, how do you answer a little girl, her eyes filled with admiration and a sense that you—the old man in the wheel chair—are something more than a guy who did a job?

That’s when he cried and, with all the might he could muster, picked her up and set her on his knee. She touched his ball cap filled with emblems. “Little one”, the man spoke,” I am not a hero, I am just an old soldier … these men …” he sobbed a little and rubbed her back and then looked at her again, “my friends were heroes and soldiers and I came here for them.”

My Daughter looked into this man’s eyes and did something only a little one would ever do. She put her finger inside her sleeve and she wiped the man’s cheeks.

He laughed and I walked over.

She got down and said, “he says he is not a hero, but his friends are.”

What do you say to that? To your little girl with the tears of an old soldier on her bright pink and white sleeve? You know what you don’t do? You don’t ruin the moment snapping pictures, you absorb it into your being.

I looked the old soldier in his green eyes and said, “Honey … that’s what true heroes always say and we just have to tell them thank you.”

The old man nodded and mouthed thank you.

Thank you to everyone who served and to everyone who died serving. We hold you in our prayers. We offer our sleeves, we offer our hearts, we thank you for the safety in which our children will sleep tonight.

Source: Buzzpo.com

A Dog’s Purpose According To A 6 Year Old

Author Unknown

“Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping
for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker ‘s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few
minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said, ”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life – like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The Six-year-old continued, ”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

•

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you’re not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.”

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!”

- Thegreenman,

Source: Internet

If God Can Get Us Through This..,

John Edward photo

Saw this on Facebook and thought it has a great message...worth the read and definitely the share!

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence.

It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout.. We all stood there, under the awning, just inside the door of the Wal-Mart.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day.

I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

Her little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, 'Mom let's run through the rain,'

She said.

'What?' Mom asked.

'Let's run through the rain!' She repeated.

'No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit,' Mom replied.

This young child waited a minute and repeated: 'Mom, let's run through the rain..'

'We'll get soaked if we do,' Mom said.

'No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning,' the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

'This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?'

'Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, ' If God can get us through this, He can get us through anything! ' '

The entire crowd stopped dead silent.. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain.. We all stood silently. No one left. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.

Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

'Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe we just need washing,' Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They got soaked.

They were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories...So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories every day.

I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.

If you've read this all and it's touched you... share it.

Plastic Bottle Green House

Ever wonder what to do with that pile of plastic bottles that just keeps growing and growing? Here is a fantastic step by step tutorial to make a green house out of plastic bottles. Have a look through this tutorial and get inspired to be creative with your recycled projects and start planning your green house today.

Click Here for the tutorial. 

Source: ana-white.com

13 Natural Ways To Keep Mosquitoes Away

I’m sure everyone reading this right now has experienced the redness, the swelling and the uncontrollable itching that comes with a mosquito bite. It’s enough to ruin any barbecue or picnic!
Many people turn to store bought insect repellents to keep mosquitoes away, but these insect repellents often contain a toxic pesticide that is dangerous to human health. This pesticide is known as DEET.
Heavy exposure to DEET has been linked to memory loss, headache, weakness, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, tremors and shortness of breath in humans and is particularly toxic to children.
Needless to say, this is a pesticide we do NOT want to be using – especially when there are so many more effective ways to keep mosquitoes away using natural remedies and ingredients.
This article will reveal 13 of the best ways to repel mosquitoes so you can enjoy a mosquito free summer!

Homemade Citronella Candles

Citronella essential oil is one of the most effective natural mosquito repellents in the world and one of the best ways to take advantage of this wonderful oil is in citronella candles. These candles are easy to make, all natural and will release an aroma that keeps mosquitoes away. Place a few candles around your patio or garden and create a mosquito proof barrier!
Find out how to make these citronella candles here at GardenTherapy.ca

A Few Drops Of Lavender

Lavender is loved by humans all over the world, but mosquitoes hate it! To keep mosquitoes out of your home, add a drop of lavender to ribbon and place around open windows. The mosquitoes will certainly think twice about entering!

Simple Lavender Body Oil

Add 30 drops of lavender essential oil to two tablespoons of vegetable oil – such as olive oil – and rub onto exposed skin. Not only will you smell beautiful, but it will stop mosquitoes from landing on you!

“Bug Off” Mosquito Repellent Spray

Stevie from GardenTherapy.ca has devised a fantastic “Bug Off” spray recipe that includes mosquito repelling essential oils such as citronella, lemongrass and eucalyptus. Spray this on your skin before heading outside.
Get the full tutorial for this “Bug Off” spray from here.

Bug Repellent Sunscreen

This sunscreen is multi-purpose – it protects from harmful UV sun rays like any good sunscreen, but it also repels bugs, including mosquitoes.
On top of that it’s all natural and contains none of the toxic chemicals found in many over-priced store-bought sunscreens.
Find out how to make this bug repellent sunscreen here.

Throw Rosemary On The Barbecue

Mosquitoes often strike while we are barbecuing, but this simple trick will turn your barbecue into a natural mosquito repellent, while also adding delicious flavour to your food!
Throw a few stalks of rosemary on the hot coals to give off a mosquito repelling aroma.

Plant Mosquito Repellent Plants

There are a number of plants that have mosquito repellent properties – for example feverfew, citronella, catnip and lavender are four of the most effective. Plant these in flower beds or containers placed around your garden and keep mosquitoes away.
Here is a great article revealing 11 of the best mosquito repelling plants.

Eat More Garlic

Note: While this may repel mosquitoes, it may also repel fellow humans!
After eating lots of garlic, garlic oil is gently released from your pores. This garlic oil acts almost like a barrier between your skin and the mosquitoes.

Apply Neem Oil

Neem oil is a vegetable extracted from the Neem tree native to the Indian sub-continent – it is sometimes referred to as “the tree of life”.
Neem oil is a natural insecticide used on plants to keep harmful insects away, and it works the same way on humans. Apply neem oil to the skin and keep mosquitoes away.
Neem oil is available to buy from this page on Amazon.

Mosquito Repellent Drink

I’ve read a number of anecdotes which suggest that drinking apple cider vinegar is an effective mosquito repellent. Add one or two tablespoons of ACV to 16oz of water and consume. Sweeten with one tablespoon of honey to counteract the bitterness if you wish.

Attract Bats

Bats can reportedly eat 1,000 mosquitoes per night. Attracting bats to your garden can help to significantly reduce the number of mosquitoes and reduce your chances of being bitten.
Here is a great article sharing some ideas to attract bats to your garden.

Eliminate Standing Water

Mosquitoes lay eggs in standing water. Getting rid of standing water will cut down the number of mosquitoes in the immediate vicinity. Standing water can include bird baths, puddles and pet water bowls. Make sure gutters are draining well and empty any garden items that collect water.

Make A Mosquito Trap

A homemade mosquito trap is another way to reduce the number of mosquitoes in the area. This trap uses CO2 to attract mosquitoes into a soda bottle from which they can’t escape.
Find out how to make this mosquito trap and how it works here.

 ————————————-

There we have thirteen natural ways to keep mosquitoes away from your home, your garden, and from you this summer – and most importantly, we’ve done it without the use of any harmful chemicals!

Source:   naturallivingideas.com

Turtle Kiwi Fruit Cake

 

Make this Turtle Kiwi Fruit Cake – Click HERE

Source: thewhoot.com.au

An American Is....,

THANKS AUSTRALIA THIS
THIS IS AWESOME

Written by an Australian Dentist

To Kill an American

You probably missed this in the rush of news, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper, an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.

So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is . So they would know when they found one. (Good one, mate!!!!)

'An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish , Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.

An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is Christian , or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan . The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.

An American is also free to believe in no religion.. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world. 

The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence , which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.

An American is generous.. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.

When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!

As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan ...The national symbol of America , The Statue of Liberty , welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America

Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11 , 2001 earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo , and Stalin , and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world.. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself . Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

Summer Serenade

Summer Serenade

I hear the song of Summer,
It hums with every breeze.
And robins sing with ecstasy
High in the fruitful trees.



The spice bush spreads it's fragrance
By bluebells etched in sunlit glow.
The dogwoods bloom in ruffled white,
Velvet roses blend in radiant row.

Lambs sleep in meadows of moonbeam clover,
On hilltops bright with Queen Anne's lace.
Across the dusk, gleam firefly wings,
As night drifts down in God's silver grace.

Elisabeth Weaver Winstead

Source: mamarocks.com

Notes For The Milkman

 (back in the good old days!)

These are actual notes left for the Milkman

"Dear Milkman, I've just had a baby, please leave another one."

"Please leave an extra pint of paralyzed milk."

"Please don't leave any more milk. All they do is drink it."

"Sorry not to have paid your bill before, but my wife had a baby, and I've been carrying it
around in my pocket for weeks."

"Sorry about yesterday's note. I didn't mean one egg and a dozen pints, but the other way 'round."

"When you leave my milk, knock on my bedroom window and wake me because I want you to give me a hand to turn the mattress."

"Please knock. My TV's broken down, and I missed last night's SOPRANOS. If you saw it, will you tell me what happened?"

"My daughter says she wants a milkshake. Do you do it before you deliver, or do I have to shake the bottle?"

"Please send me a form for cheap milk, for I have a baby two months old and did not know about it until a neighbor told me."

"Milk is needed for the baby. Father is unable to supply it."

"From now on please leave two pints every other day and one pint on the days in between, except Wednesdays and Saturdays when I don't want any milk."

"My back door is open. Please put milk in 'fridge, get money out of cup in drawer and leave change on kitchen table, because we want to play bingo tonight."

"Please leave no milk today. When I say today, I mean tomorrow, for I wrote this note yesterday...or is it today ?"

"When you come with the milk please put the coal on the boiler, let dog out, and put newspaper inside the screen door. P.S. Don't leave any milk."

"No milk. Please do not leave milk at No. 14 either as he is dead until further notice."

Old Friends

Old Friends

Friendships that have stood the test
Time and change....are surely best.
Brows may wrinkle, hair grow gray,
Friendship never knows decay.

 Cherish friendship in your breast

New is good....but old is best.
Make new friends, but keep the old,
Those are silver, these are gold.

There's happiness in little things

There's joy in passing pleasure.
But friendships are, from year to year,
The best of all life's treasure.

Joseph Parry

Do You Have What It Takes To Pass The U.S. Citizenship Test?

Sure, you're patriotic. But do you have what it takes to pass the United States citizenship test?

Click Here to take the quiz and find out if you have what it takes.

These questions were taken from the 100 civics questions about U.S. history and government given to applicants for naturalization by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Department. A USCIS worker asks each applicant up to 10 of the 100 questions for the naturalization test, and applicants must earn a score of at least 6/10.

 

Source: huffingtonpost.com

The Amazing Hidden Secrets Of The Dollar Bill

Click Here to watch the video.

You probably look at a dollar bill every single day and yet, I guarantee you didn't know half of these facts. Learn how to figure out when your bill was designed and where it was printed, who painted the unfinished portrait of George Washington at the center and, of course, where to find a random hidden owl on the front of every dollar bill. There are also an unlimited amount of references to the number 13 on both sides of every buck. (Do you know why?) You will never look at that crumpled up bill in your pocket the same again after watching this.

Source: Mandatory.com

The Largest Company By Revenue In Each State

Alvin Ward

filed under: The Afternoon Map

Image credit: 

Broadview Networks

 

Mike Simmons created today's map with data from Hoover's. It shows the highest revenue-generating company headquartered in each state, excluding subsidiaries and government agencies (see larger here). Note that we're talking revenue, not profits. If you're confused about any of these selections, there's an explanation on the data-gathering process and a list of included companies here.

The Afternoon Map is a semi-regular feature in which we post maps and infographics. In the afternoon. Semi-regularly. Thanks to Mike at Broadview Networks for sending this one over.

Source: mentalfloss.com

Bodyweight Exercise Is Perfect For Everyone, Everywhere, on Every Budget And Every Fitness Level

 By Dr. Mercola

Many exercise systems often sound great at first glance, but in reality simply will not make a good fit for your life. Thankfully, there is something else you can try called bodyweight exercise, which is so flexible that it answers every possible concern you might have, including time constraints, prohibitive cost, and location concerns. 
It got its name because your own body provides all the resistance needed to take you to the peak of fitness... and it does so at your own pace, without requiring a personal trainer to design the perfect system for your lifestyle and fitness level.
You likely already know that exercise is necessary for good health and a long life. What is not always clear is how you should go about it. There are a countless number of different plans and theories about how to exercise. 
Of course researching and careful reflection is important, but it's confusing.  What's the best plan? How hard or easy should your workout be? Then, there's the day-to-day reality, and the inevitable challenges of implementing an exercise regimen: 
Not enough time… The equipment is too expensive … Traveling to the gym or other facility … You like outdoor exercising, but it's snowing.
Bodyweight exercises resolve all of these problems! You can do them anywhere, anytime, at your own pace and level, alone or with a friend—even if you and your friend are at different levels. It doesn't cost a single penny. 
Yet, you can get a perfect workout as if it had been designed just for you.  That's because it has—you will have designed it yourself!
It is not a newfangled idea. It's well researched, so you do not need to be concerned that you might hurt yourself. Bodyweight exercising uses your own body to provide resistance, so you do not even need weights—though you can use them if you wish. The method is not only effective, allowing you to train every muscle in your body, but is simple and let's you work out at your own pace.

Health Benefits of Bodyweight Exercise

In the Huffington Post Greatest series, Dave Smith discusses some of bodyweight exercising's benefits.

• Workouts are highly efficient. As Dave points out, the goal is fitness, not to look like "Arnold circa 1977." No equipment means that there's minimal time transitioning from one exercise in your self-defined set to the next, so your heart rate is boosted quickly and keeps pumping.
• You get both cardiovascular and strength training. It is not necessary to do two separate workouts to achieve both types of fitness.  Simply alternating exercise sets from cardiovascular to strength training keeps your pulse up.
• Your core strength is improved. The Mayo Clinic tells us that 29 muscle pairs located in the pelvis, abdomen and lower back form the core that's needed to support your body and maintain balance. Your athletic ability, posture and all the little things you do every day—like just plain sitting or doing the laundry—will be improved when your core is strengthened and stabilized.
• You'll be more flexible. Increased strength without improved flexibility won't do you much good. Good posture and athletic performance require good flexibility. Inability to stretch and bend is related to lack of flexibility.
• Your balance will improve. As you progress into more difficult variations of exercises, your ability to balance is trained. Better balance helps give better body control. Since age and infirmity do not usually hinder performance of bodyweight exercises, they can be a great way for the elderly to maintain and improve balance.

Almost Anyone Can Improve Fitness Health

Bodyweight exercise can be done by just about anyone. A study has documented that it benefits stroke patients. In fact, if bodyweight exercise can help someone who's suffered a major stroke and has difficulty walking, it's apparent that nearly anyone can benefit. Adaptability is what makes this system so good: It's adjustable to almost anyone, from the least fit to the professional athlete. Just learn the basics and try different approaches until you find what works best for you. If you get bored doing the same thing all the time, you can vary your workout. As your strength and endurance develop, you can modify the program. It's the ultimate personalized system—as if you had your own personal trainer. In fact, you do... yourself!

With Bodyweight Exercising, You Can Become Your Own Personal Trainer!

So how do you do it? Just watch this video of Jill Rodriguez, one of the personal trainers at Mercola.com, as she demonstrates basic exercises and how to add levels of difficulty as you're able:
You can do the exercises almost anywhere... at home, outdoors, or in a gym. If you and a friend like to exercise together, you can do the same basic program, but work out at your individual levels. It doesn't take a lot of time. There's no equipment to buy. Exercise to music or while watching television. Make it part of the transition from your work day to your personal time. You can just make it fun!

Personal Benefits of Bodyweight Exercise

Aside from the improvements to your physical state, bodyweight exercise provides some other goodies:

• Fat is burned quickly. If you want to shed a few pounds, bodyweight training can help simply by including some burpees—which I'll tell you more about a bit later. You'll be amazed at how the metabolic increase will help melt the pounds.
• It's convenient. So often, the reason people do not exercise is simply that it's inconvenient. You have to go to a gym, or go outside when it's raining, or stay inside when it's beautiful outdoors. You do not need to pull equipment out and get set up. You do not need to fit exercise into a particular schedule. You just do it when it's convenient and fits your schedule.
• It's cheap. There is no equipment required. Your own body is all the equipment you'll need.
• It's fun! There's no boredom because you can vary your workout if doing the same old thing makes you want to quit. As the above video of demonstrates, there are all sorts of variations that you can try... and keep in mind that the video doesn’t show every possible exercise you could do.
• It's satisfying. You'll see and feel results quickly. Your mind will be sharper. You'll feel better. If overweight, you'll probably start losing weight quickly. You'll look better. Your energy levels will increase.

Do the Burpee for a Concentrated Workout

The burpee is a bodyweight exercise developed by Dr. Royal H. Burpee. It's both aerobic and anerobic, and provides both strength and cardiovascular workouts in one exercise. Doing burpees can shorten exercise time because it burns 50% more fat in short bursts. Like other bodyweight exercises, there are burpee variations that can make it easier or harder, depending on your requirements. All you need to know about it, including step-by-step instructions and a video demonstrating the burpee and variations can be seen here, along with all sorts of fun facts about it.

Technology to Support Bodyweight Workouts

Okay, it does seem a bit contradictory to suggest that these workouts, which do not require any more equipment than your own body, can be helped with technology. In today's world, though, we do have technological allies in fitness.
With prices ranging from free to $3.99, a previous article brings you information about six bodyweight apps for your iPad or phone. One helps you work out your own customized workout for your skill and fitness level. Another can keep your body challenged. Other non-bodyweight training apps help you track your progress in jogging or running, keep track of your workouts, or calculate heart rate with a range of tools to keep you on track. Technology lets you bring your own personal trainer along on every workout!

Proper Form for Maximum Benefit and Injury Avoidance

Bodyweight exercise is effective and frees you from the expenses and restrictions of most other exercise programs. However, it's critical to understand that you shouldn't just go slinging your body around or acting as if you're immune to injury. If you obey proper form, you will gain the most benefit and avoid injuries.
Two of the best strength-producing exercises are pull-ups and push-ups. To gain the most out of either one requires performing them properly. Men tend to focus on pull-ups and push-ups, but women, who often lack upper body strength, should give them a go, too.
Pull-ups are not the same thing as chin-ups. They're not as hard, but if you do them correctly, they're more beneficial. Not only do they build strength in upper back muscles, but they're also good for the central body core. Be sure to watch a recent video we did that shows you the proper form for doing pull-ups. If you aren't able to do full pull-ups yet, the article also gives information on how to work your way into them.
Believe it or not, if you want to strengthen your midsection, a great exercise is push-ups. They do, of course, increase upper body strength, but when done properly, you must keep your abdominals still, which requires keeping them taut. We also have a video that shows you how to do push-ups correctly. You'll learn how to target other muscle groups while doing perfect push-ups.

No One 'Correct' Way to Exercise

Every person is different, so there's not just one "correct" way to exercise. With all the exercise plans out there, it can be confusing and zap your motivation to even try to get started. So when you learn about the bodyweight system, which resolves all those excuses for not exercising, it can still be difficult to overcome the inertia to get started. To help you get through that difficulty and start making exercise a regular part of your life, Chris Freytag has offered 12 Steps to help you get going.
Because we're all different, what works for one person does nothing for another. You may need to set aside the same time every day, while your co-worker does better by keeping the time flexible. It will require, though, that you make a real commitment to exercise regularly and make it a routine part of life.
Bodyweight exercising is terrific for many with tight time or financial budgets or schedules—but it isn't right for everyone.  Some people do better exercising in gyms with trainers. Some do not care what the weather is like. Cold or hot, wet or dry, they want to be outside on a regular basis, so they can best bring exercise into their outdoor activities.

 Source: Mercola.com
 

11 Problems Music Can Solve

Image credit: 

REUTERS/PETR JOSEK/LANDOV

 

Music is a splendid thing. It can cheer you up when you're sad, make you dance like a fool, and allow you to drown out the world when you need to. But music has its scientific uses, too. The documentary Alive Inside details how dementia patients react positively when given iPods filled with their old favorite songs. The music seems to help them "come alive" again. While listening to familiar songs, many of the documentary's patients can sing along, answer questions about their past, and even carry on brief conversations with others.
"Music imprints itself on the brain deeper than any other human experience," says neurologist Oliver Sacks, who appears in the film. "Music evokes emotion, and emotion can bring with it memory."
The documentary follows recent studies showing that music can improve the memories of dementia patients, and even help them develop new memories.
Here, a look at some other things music has been known to "cure":

1. Low Birth Weight

Babies born too early often require extended stays in the hospital to help them gain weight and strength. To help facilitate this process, many hospitals turn to music. A team of Canadian researchers found that playing music to preemies reduced their pain levels and encouraged better feeding habits, which in turn helped with weight-gain. Hospitals use musical instruments to mimic the sounds of a mother's heartbeat and womb to lull premature babies to sleep. Researchers also say that playing calming Mozart to premature infants significantly reduces the amount of energy they expend, which allows them gain weight.
It "makes you wonder whether neonatal intensive care units should consider music exposure as standard practice for at-risk infants," says Dr. Nestor Lopez-Duran at child-psych.org.

2. Droopy Plants

If music helps babies grow, can it do the same thing for plants? Dorothy Retallack says yes. She wrote a book in 1973 called The Sound of Music and Plants, which detailed the effects of music on plant growth. Retallack played rock music to one group of plants and easy listening music to another, identical group. At the end of the study, the 'easy listening' plants were uniform in size, full and green, and were even leaning toward the source of the music. The rock music plants had grown tall, but they were droopy, with faded leaves, and were leaning away from the radio.

3. The Damaging Effects of Brain Damage

Of the 1.5 million Americans who sustain brain damage each year, roughly 90,000 of them will be left with a long-term movement or speech disability. As treatment, researchers use music to stimulate the areas of the brain that control these two functions.
When given a rhythm to walk or dance to, people with neurological damage caused by stroke or Parkinson's disease can "regain a symmetrical stride and a sense of balance." The beats in music help serve as a footstep cue for the brain.
Similarly, rhythm and pitch can help patients sing what words they can't say. A study of autistic children who couldn't speak found that music therapy helped these children articulate words. Some of these kids said their first words ever as a result of the treatment.
"We are just starting to understand how powerful music can be. We don't know what the limits are." says Michael De Georgia, director of the Center for Music and Medicine at Case Western Reserve University's University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland.

4. Teen Loitering

Public libraries, malls, and train stations already know this: Teenagers typically don't like classical music. In fact, they dislike it so much that "it sends them scurrying away like frightened mice," says the LA Times. The theory is that when the brain hears something it dislikes, it suppresses dopamine, "the pleasure chemical." And as teenagers' moods fall, they go elsewhere to find something to bring it back up.
So if you want the neighbor kids to get off your lawn, turn up the Tchaikovsky.

5. Hearing Loss

OK, maybe music can't cure hearing loss, but it may help prevent it. A study of 163 adults, 74 of them lifelong musicians, had participants take a series of hearing tests. The lifelong musicians processed sound better than non-musicians, with the gap widening with age. "A 70-year-old musician understood speech in a noisy environment as well as a 50-year-old non-musician," explains Linda Searling at the Washington Post.

6. A Broken Heart

Not the kind caused by rejection, but the kind caused by a heart attack. Music can help patients who are recovering from heart attacks and heart surgery by lowering blood pressure, slowing the heart rate and reducing anxiety. As a preventative, try listening to "joyful" music, or songs that make you feel good. Research says listening to songs that evoke a sense of joy causes increased circulation and expanded blood vessels, which encourages good vascular health.

7. Poor Sport Performance

In 2005, a UK study found that listening to music during sports training can boost athletic performance by up to 20 percent. That's roughly equal to the boost some athletes get from illegal performance-enhancing drugs, except music doesn't show up on a drug test. For best results, try music with a fast tempo during intense training and slower songs during cooldown.

8. Grumpy Teens

In a 2008 study, researcher Tobias Greitemeyer wanted to study how lyrics impacted teenagers' attitudes and behavior. To do so, he exposed one group of teens to "socially conscious" songs with a positive message, like Michael Jackson's "Heal the World." Another other group listened to songs with a "neutral" message. The researchers then "accidentally" knocked over a cup of pencils. The group listening to positive songs not only rushed to help more quickly, but picked up five times as many pencils as the other group.

9. Illiteracy

A 2009 study comparing two groups of second graders from similar demographics suggests learning music boosts reading abilities. The only major difference between the two groups was that one learned music notation, sight-reading and other skills, while the control group did not. Each group was tested for literacy before and after the school year. The end-of-year scores for the control group improved only slightly from their beginning of the year scores, while the kids with a music education scored "significantly higher," especially on vocabulary tests.

10. Sluggish Alcohol Sales

Are you a wine store owner suffering from an overstock of German vino? Try pumping some German tunes through your store. A 1999 study showed that doing so boosted German wine sales, and similarly, playing French music boosted French wine sales. Customers said they were completely oblivious to what music was being played.

11. Wine Snobbery

Ever purchased a bottle of wine with recommended listening printed on the bottle? Well, makers of cheap wine may want to consider that tactic. A group of researchers say certain types of music can "enhance" the way wine tastes by up to 60 percent. In a study, wine-drinkers rated white wine as 40 percent more refreshing when it was accompanied by "zingy and refreshing" music ("Just Can't Get Enough" by Nouvelle Vague was their go-to zingy song). The taste of red wine was altered 60 percent by "powerful and heavy music" like Orff's "Carmina Burana."

"The tongue is easy to dupe." says Jonah Lehrer at Wired.

Source: mentalfloss /

Jessica Hullinger