Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy

From the 2007 movie Spider-Man 3, a Spiderman costume worn by Tobey Maguire is displayed during a media preview for the 'Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy' exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York May 5, 2008 and will run from May 7 to September 1 with an opening red-carpet gala on Monday night that was to include former "Batman" star George Clooney and actress Julia Roberts.

The superhero mania that is invading American cinemas this summer has taken hold at one of the country's most distinguished art museums with an exhibit on how their colorful costumes have influenced fashion.

The exhibit examines how Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and others have influenced big-name fashion designers. The feminine figure is represented by characters such as Wonder Woman and Catwoman.

Some costumes on display are the ones worn by the late Christopher Reeve in the 1978 version of "Superman," two versions worn by Tobey Maguire in "Spider-Man 3" from 2007 and the "Catwoman" suit worn by Michelle Pfeiffer in 1992's "Batman Returns."

Celebrities and top designers lined the red carpet at the event to celebrate the opening of a fashion show exhibition. Attendees included Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, David and Victoria Beckham, and Giselle Bundchen and Tom Brady. Fashion Designer Donatella Versace was among the top names from the fashion world.

Model on Focus: Selita Ebanks

Selita Ebanks was born on February 15, 1983. She is a British (Caymanian) model. Selita is best known for her work with Victoria's Secret and is one of the Victoria's Secret Angels.

At 17 years old, while walking through the turnstiles at Six Flags Great Adventure, Ebanks was scouted by an agent from Elite Model Management. Selita Ebanks worked with some of the world's most noted photographers, including Peter Lindbergh, Bruce Weber, Steven Klein, Carter Smith and Mikael Jansson, and for some of the most quintessential American fashion campaigns, including Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, Levi's and Tommy Hilfiger.

Ebanks is currently working as a model for Victoria's Secret. She had previously done work for their Ipex Bra line, before being signed. She and fellow up-and-coming model Izabel Goulart made their major début in the 2005 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. She is now officially one of the Victoria's Secret Angels. The contract has afforded Selita the opporunity to enhance her breasts and is the only noted VS model who has done so-although she has been noted as sometimes denying the claim. She views Tyra Banks as a mentor. In 2005, Tyra Banks said she was proud of Ebanks to be representing for black women at Victoria's Secret.

Ebanks was engaged to rapper, actor, and comedian Nick Cannon. On October 4, 2007, People magazine announced that the couple has ended their engagement. Selita also dated her ex-manager Marc Chamberlin and allegedly moved on quickly to a more strategic relationship to her career with Nick Cannon.

What is Green Herbal Tea Diet Pills?

People want to make themselves look nice. These days, television, magazines and newspapers are constantly feeding us with ideas on the perfect body. But truth be told, majority of us do not have the model figures to make it to the cut. It is not a shocker then when a multi-billion industry could spring from weight loss products like diet pills.

Too many diet pills, herbal tea and products are available in the market today that it is hard to determine which one really works. Several manufacturing companies specializing in diet pills and other weight loss products are quick to claim the effectiveness of their diet pills even without proper scientific backing. Some diet pills even contain substances that have harmful effects to the body.

Diet pill ingredients like ephedra have been to known to cause complications from cardiovascular palpitations to hypertension and diarrhea. Several cases have been reported by the FDA of the harmful effects of diet pills and other weight loss products. But even then, people continue to buy and use diet pills.

Good Diet Pills

Though some diet pills contain harmful elements, not all diet pills are bad. Diet pills made from herbs can have several benefits aside from weight loss. Some of these herbal diet pills come from plants such as nettle, green tea, and dandelion.

Green herbal tea is an herb popularly used in making diet pills. Green herbal tea is derived from the plant Carmellia sinensis, the same plant made in concocting black and oolong tea. The process of making green herbal tea makes it different from the other Carmellia sinensis teas. Because green herbal tea is only mildly steamed and then dried, a majority of the beneficial antioxidants present in green herbal tea remain intact.

Green herbal tea has been known to have several health benefits. Certain substances in green herbal tea can effectively stop cancer cells from going. Green herbal tea’s catechin polyphenols also acts as effective antioxidants that can kill harmful free radicals that cause aging. Green tea has also been known to boost the immune system.

At the University of Geneva, American and Swiss scientists were able to find that green herbal tea has several weight loss benefits like increasing metabolism, thermogenesis, and suppressing fat intake. The results of their study became the basis for using green tea as a diet pill ingredient.

Diet Pills from Green Herbal Tea

Dieticians say that weight loss is achieved in two ways: reduce the intake of calories and increase energy expenditure. Green tea can perform both these functions quite well.

Green herbal tea diet pills contain a small amount of caffeine in them. This makes green tea diet pills the perfect candidate for an appetite-suppressant. Aside from suppressing the appetite, green tea diet pills also have diuretic properties that help reduce excess water in the body. Extra water contributes to extra weight and by ridding the body of these, green tea diet pills contributes much to weight loss.

Green herbal tea diet pills contain a high amount of antioxidants that helps burn fat faster. This claim of green tea diet pills is back by several scientific studies, including the one conducted in Geneva, Switzerland. Green tea diet pills can effectively increase metabolic rate and energy expenditure, helping the body purge out any excess calories.

The herb green tea is also compatible with other herb extracts. In fact, it is said that the weight loss benefits of green tea are enhanced when used in combination with other herbal remedies. This is what makes green tea an ideal component of diet pills.

Claire Danes Promotes Gucci Jewelry

Claire Danes is having a famous name in the entertainment industry has agreed to help promote Gucci's fine jewelry. The movie star has been signed on by the top brand to be the new face for its fine jewelry ad campaign which is slated to roll out this fall.

Frida Giannini, Gucci creative director explained Danes' choosing as their celebrity model, saying "She is very natural, fresh and has a carefree attitude that is reflected in the roles she has chosen. Claire's sensual, confident beauty and her passionate, independent and strong character embodies today's Gucci woman." Danes herself admitted to feel "honored to be working with Gucci on their jewelry campaign," adding that "Frida Giannini is a very inspiring and creative woman. Her vision is extraordinary and I am excited to be a part of it."

Danes' upcoming Gucci ad campaign will soon be shot by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, WWD reports. Further details were unavailable thus far.

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10 Ways to Effective Communication

"A Piece of Blarney Stone" 10 ways to effective communication

The Blarney Stone is a historical stone, or actually part of the Blarney Castle in Ireland where it was believed that kissing the stone can grant you the gift of gab. Yeah, it seems strange in this day and age, but who are we to question tradition? It's not like I'm saying that Santa Claus doesn't exist (OOPS!).

There is so much to know about effective communication that anyone, even I, could ever realize. You can go though watching talk shows; radio programs; clubs dedicated to public speaking; ordinary conversations; certain rules still apply when it comes to interaction through words. It may sound tedious, I know, but even though it's your mouth that's doing the work, your brain works twice as hard to churn out a lot of things you know. So what better way to start learning to be an effective communication is to know the very person closest to you: yourself.

1. What you know.
Education is all about learning the basics, but to improve your communication skills is to practice what you've learned. My stint as guest at every Toastmasters' meeting I go to taught me that we all have our limitations, but that doesn't mean we can't learn to keep up and share what we know.

2. Listening.
It's just as important as asking questions. Sometimes listening to the sound of our own voice can teach us to be a little bit confident with ourselves and to say the things we believe in with conviction.

3. Humility
We all make mistakes, and sometimes we tend to slur our words, stutter, and probably mispronounce certain words even though we know what it means, but rarely use it only to impress listeners. So in a group, don't be afraid to ask if you're saying the right word properly and if they're unsure about it then make a joke out of it. I promise you it'll make everyone laugh and you can get away with it as well.

4. Eye Contact
There's a lot to say when it comes to directing your attention to your audience with an eye-catching gaze. It's important that you keep your focus when talking to a large group in a meeting or a gathering, even though he or she may be gorgeous.

5. Kidding around
A little bit of humor can do wonders to lift the tension, or worse boredom when making your speech. That way, you'll get the attention of the majority of the crowd and they'll feel that you're just as approachable, and as human to those who listen.

6. Be like the rest of them
Interaction is all about mingling with other people. You'll get a lot of ideas, as well as knowing what people make them as they are. Doing this can also develop your leadership skills.

7. Me, Myself, and I
Admit it, there are times you sing to yourself in the shower. I know I do! Listening to the sound of your own voice while you practice your speech in front of a mirror can help correct the stress areas of your pitch. And while you're at it you can spruce up as well.

8. With a smile
A smile says it all much like eye contact. There's no point on grimacing or frowning in a meeting or a gathering, unless it's a wake. You can better express what you're saying when you smile.

9. A Role Model
There must be at least one or two people in your life you have listened to when they're at a public gathering or maybe at church. Sure they read their lines, but taking a mental note of how they emphasize what they say can help you once you take center stage.

10. Preparation
Make the best out of preparation rather than just scribbling notes and often in a hurried panic. Some people like to write things down on index cards, while other resort to being a little more silly as they look at their notes written on the palm of their hand (not for clammy hands, please). Just be comfortable with what you know since you enjoy your work.

Synthetic Diamonds

The first synthetic diamonds were produced by General Electric in 1954. A synthetic diamond is basically a rock that has the durability, refractive index and hardness of a natural diamond – but it is made by man. A synthetic diamond should not be confused with stimulant diamonds, such as glass, cubic zirconia, or moissanite.

Although the technology for synthetic diamonds came into play in 1954, no synthetic diamonds were ever seen on the market until the 1990’s. This was due to the fact that it took many years for General Electric to produce a synthetic diamond that could compare with the quality of a natural diamond – and when they figured out how to do it, they found that it cost more to produce a synthetic diamond than it did to mine and cut natural diamonds.

Finally, a small company by the name of Gemesis Corporation figured out a way to produce synthetic diamonds that were of the same quality as natural diamonds or loose diamonds, at a cheaper price. Today, Gemesis produces synthetic white diamonds, and colored diamonds as well. These diamonds sell for about 1/3 of the cost of a natural diamond, but there is a shortage of them, and they are hard to find. In fact, it seems that synthetic diamonds are rarer than natural diamonds!

Importance of Vitamin C

Vitamin C is one of the most important vitamins for your body. It prevents a lot of diseases, and increases your body’s immune system. You can take this vitamin with or without any food, as it can be found in supplement form or in many different juices. Along with being found in supplement and vitamin form, you can find vitamin C in broccoli, peppers, oranges, lemon juice, mustard greens, cauliflower, papaya, and parsley.

Research in the past has shown that there really aren’t any advantages to taking excessive amounts of this vitamin. Even though you shouldn’t take excessive amounts of vitamin C, you shouldn’t have a deficiency in the vitamin either. The most common signs of a deficiency in vitamin C serum include swollen gums, an unexplained weakness, and nosebleeds. Deficiency is common these days, with the most common reasons being alcoholism and a poor diet.

Tendons and ligaments throughout your body need vitamin C serum in order to remain healthy and strong. Depending on your current health situation, it may be in your best interest to take vitamin C supplements along with vitamin E. Together, the combination of the two will work side by side, and enhance their overall impact on your body and your health.

Vitamin C is well known as an antioxidant, protecting your skin from the harmful damage of UV rays. If you skin suffers from radiation damage, vitamin C can actually help your skin to recover and reverse some of the harmful effects. If you include vitamin C in your diet and take it every day, you’ll notice that your skin will benefit, a good vitamin c skin care. If you use vitamin E and C together, you’ll notice that scars and other harmful defects on your skin will start to heal as well.

You can find vitamin C in many fruits and vegetables, although oranges will give you the most amounts. Orange juice is a great way to get your daily dose of vitamin C, as all you need to do is drink a few glasses of it a day. Even if you drink a glass of orange juice in the morning with your breakfast then eat a few oranges during the day, you’ll get more than enough vitamin C.

If you want to get more vitamin C in your diet, you can use vitamin supplements. When you look for supplements at the store, you should read the labels and see how much vitamin C is in the supplement, and how it works. You should avoid time released supplements of vitamin C, as they haven’t been proven to work as well yet. As long as you monitor your intake of vitamin C and use it on a daily basis, you’ll find that your health and immune system will be better than ever.