Follow these tips to turn your vacation acquaintances into lifelong friends

Making Summer Friendships Last - Summertime isn’t just about getting dirty, staying up all night, playing in the rain, and going off to camp--It’s about meeting new people. Follow these tips to turn your vacation acquaintances into lifelong friends. 

1. Summer Memory Book 

Make the summer last forever by preserving memories in a special book. Fill the plastic sleeves of a photo album with photos, ticket stubs, sections of road maps from summer trips, and other mementos. When you’re finished, exchange memory books with your closest summer buddy. 

2. Picture Postcards 

Keep in touch with vacation friends by sending picture postcards. Scan summer photos and print them on cardstock paper, 4 per page. Use scissors to cut individual cards. On the blank side, include your friend’s address, your return address, and a postage stamp. Don’t forget to write a cool message! 

3. Pen Pal Club 

Start your own pen pal club! Swap addresses with your new friends and make a commitment to keep in touch. Be creative— don’t limit yourself to writing letters. Send an inexpensive gag gift every so often, or an audiotape letter. Send lists of your favorite things. For instance, one month send your pen pals a list of your 20 favorite movies, and then compare your lists. 

No matter how you decide to keep in touch, don’t let summer friendships end when summer ends.

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Let's take a closer look at 5 of those branches of yoga

People have used yoga techniques for more than 2,000 years. Over these centuries, yoga has developed into a system of widely varied practices, much like an ancient tree with many branches. 

Each branch of yoga was developed to serve specific human needs. As a general rule, though, they all serve one primary purpose: to bring into equilibrium the human mind and body. 

Let's take a closer look at 5 of those branches of yoga. 

Hatha Yoga 

If enhanced well being is your goal, you should consider the practice of hatha yoga. In addition to meditation, which is a common technique in4 all yoga branches, hatha yoga teaches a series of postures (known in yoga terminology as asanas) and breathing exercises (called pranayamas). Hatha yoga is considered to be one of the primary antecedents of modern physical therapy. 

Karma Yoga 

Another popular branch is karma yoga, which operates under the principle that everything that happens to us in our life is a direct consequence of our past actions. As a result, karma yoga encourages practitioners to eliminate negativity and selfishness from their current lives, to avoid having to deal with future consequences. Karma yoga is practiced throughout one's day, including at work. Activities undertaken with the goal of helping other people, such as volunteering at a soup kitchen, are associated with the karma yoga path. 

Raja Yoga 

A branch of yoga which places an even greater emphasis on meditation is raja yoga. Known also under the name of classical yoga, raja is a more advanced discipline. Practitioners usually start with hatha yoga in order to prepare the body for this advanced training. Studies have shown that people attracted by this form of yoga are generally more introspective and more drawn to profound meditation. Various religious groups devote themselves to this yoga path, which is similar to a monastic or contemplative lifestyle. 

Jnana Yoga 

This branch of yoga is directed mainly to scholars. It involves development of the intellect through the study of yoga tradition, scripts and texts. It is also known to be the yoga of the heart and wisdom. Although it is described as the most difficult of all yoga practices, jnana yoga is also considered 1 of the most direct and rewarding paths. 

Bhakti Yoga 

Bhakti yoga promotes the ideal of devotion. The principle message of this yoga path is the presence of something divine in every form of creation. Hence, it is important to tolerate, accept and respect any form of life with which we come into contact. 

In Conclusion 

These are only a few of the numerous yoga branches and paths. Whatever your needs, you can find a suitable yoga practice and, through it, find equilibrium and inner peace.

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Wedding dresses are an expression of your personality, so don’t hold back; let your imagination run wild!

Wedding dresses are such an opportunity for any bride to show their unique sense of style and to really make a fashion statement. Gone are the days of the plain ‘meringue’ style wedding dresses with a little cute well-placed bow; now we are daring to be different! 

In fact, one of the latest trends is to offer wedding dresses that can be used again. Not only is this a great idea from a budget point of view, but it is also reflective of the simple lines that are part of the modern trend in wedding dresses. Arguably, this fashion is due to the ever increasing age of first time brides as well as the large number of second weddings. 

Wedding Dresses for the Winter Wedding 

Whenever we think about wedding dresses, we automatically think of a warm, summer’s day, with a crisp, wafting white dress to match. However, there is a growing trend towards winter weddings. Winter wedding dresses may not be pure white and are often the preferred choice for second time brides. 

Trends in winter wedding dresses include deep red colored dresses or dresses that include a large amount of black. Another great idea is to include a fur collar, or long fake fur coat. If you love a touch of luxury and you want something a little different, then winter wedding dresses may just be the thing for you! 

Wedding Dresses for the Summer Wedding 

The key to summer wedding dresses, this year, is color. Many wedding dresses are now using substantial amounts of colored fabric to add a classic touch to an otherwise traditional white or cream dress. 

Weddings are becoming much more sophisticated; generally, brides will select a theme that they will maintain throughout all aspects of their wedding. Wedding dresses must, of course, fit into this theme and as such colors and accessories are vital. Popular, seasonal colors for wedding dresses include lilac, pink, blue and yellow. Often, brides will choose a half-color theme where the bodice is colored or the skirt is colored, but the other half of the dress is kept in a plain cream or white. 

Subtle is the name of the game with modern wedding dresses. 

Wedding Dresses – Standing Out From the Crowd 

Today, wedding dresses are all different; no-one wants to look the same as the next bride and, naturally, brides go to extreme lengths to make sure that they stand out from the crowd. Of course everyone wants to do so in a classy and not trashy way! It seems that individually designed wedding dresses are the way of the future. By commissioning a made to measure dress you can make sure that it fits perfectly, is exactly what you want and above all, is unique. 

Wedding dresses are an expression of your personality, so don’t hold back; let your imagination run wild!

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The best way to find the right medical insurance plan for you is to assess your personal needs

Many people think that they do not need medical insurance or that they can’t afford medical insurance. Neither of these is actually true. Yes, medical insurance costs seem to be growing all the time, but the alternative is less than pleasant for people who don’t have medical insurance. Everyone needs medical insurance because one major illness or accident could completely destroy a person’s financial security if they have no medical insurance. For those that think they can’t afford it, there are lots of options for cheap medical insurance, especially online. Medical insurance is, quite simply, protection. It is something that everyone needs, regardless of his or her financial situation. 

If traditional medical insurance does not seem to offer the kind of insurance rates and coverage you are looking for, you can always look online. Online health insurance companies offer a variety of plans for complete coverage, partial coverage such as dental, eye or prescription insurance, or to supplement your existing medical insurance if it is not very good. Most online companies will offer you competitive quote based on the information you enter. Of course, the costs will vary depending on your medical background and other mitigating factors such as you being a smoker or having had any serious illnesses in your past. Online health plan quotes are easy to obtain and require no obligation to purchase a plan when you are shopping around the various companies to find medical insurance that is right for your health needs and your budget. 

It makes sense to check out any medical insurance company you are considering. Find out how long they have been in business, what their reputation is, and if they are licensed in your particular state. You don’t want to pay for insurance from an insurance company that is not going to be there for you after paying your premiums. Reliability is an important trait in these types of companies. 

It is also a good idea to decide what kind of coverage you need, such as travel insurance, prescription coverage, dental coverage, eye insurance, emergency care, etc. If you are of retirement age, you need to find out if the medical insurance you are looking at covers long term care, hospice care, pre-existing conditions, etc. The needs of individuals are so different. Medical insurance companies strive to offer reasonably priced coverage for every life stage. 

While medical insurance companies are not perfect, they can usually work out a plan that fits your needs. There are a lot of options in health care coverage these days. The best way to find the right medical insurance plan for you is to assess your personal needs, how much you can afford to pay for medical insurance coverage, and then shop around for the best deal.

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An insurance representative will be able to determine what type of policy best meets your needs

You and your landlord share a common goal: You both want to ensure the protection of your interests. Obtaining a security deposit from you -- usually ranging from $100 to a full month's rent, and averaging $250 -- is how your landlord obtains a degree of insurance from you. The deposit covers your landlord should you cause any damage to your apartment while you are a tenant. Your landlord, in turn, may keep the deposit if you fail to pay your rent or you leave before the end of your lease. However, if, as a tenant, you keep your end of the bargain -- following the terms of your lease and leaving your apartment in good condition when you leave -- the deposit is refundable. 

So how do you protect your own interests as a tenant? Renters' insurance. If you're an apartment-dweller, you're probably accustomed to brochures dangling from your door that advertise various renters' insurance policies. And if you're like many renters, you probably disregard them. But you may want to consider taking out insurance. Before you say, "But I'm not going to cause any damage to my apartment," remember that renters don't always cause damage themselves. Mother nature, or other tenants with little regard for your property, could prove to be the source of your problems later. 

According to Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, policies typically provide coverage for the following renters' pitfalls: 

• Damage to personal property from fire or wind 
• Theft 
• Personal liability in the event you are sued over accidental injury to others who are in your apartment 
• Accidental damage to property of others in your care 
• Living expenses if you are forced to live elsewhere while your apartment is being repaired 

This list doesn't begin to elaborate on the multitude of other possibilities for disaster: An electrical surge fries your computer, television, and/or stereo; while visiting your neighbor, you tip over his barbecue and start a fire; or you accidentally cause injury to someone away from your apartment; and the list goes on and on. And of course, as we've all discovered, we can never discount such crazy-sounding possibilities -- because they can and do happen if and only if we're not prepared (or covered) for them. 

Note that renters' insurance policies may differ according to the insurance company in question, as well as the laws in your state. An insurance representative will be able to determine what type of policy best meets your needs. If you've thrown away all of those brochures dangling from your door handle, the Internet is a good place to do your homework -- specifically apartment-search sites. Links to renters' insurance information will fill you in on the details, and you may apply online.

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Bear in mind that the bride will almost certainly wear her wedding ring alongside her engagement ring

Wedding Rings don’t tend to get the public airing that they deserve, in your average wedding celebration. However, wedding rings are likely to be worn for the rest of the bride and grooms’ living days, so they are, arguably, the most important element of the wedding accessories. 

Wedding Rings – The Basics 

Wedding rings are exchanged as part of the ceremony, normally as vows are said by both parties. The guests do not normally see the wedding rings until after the ceremony is well and truly over, so it can be tempting to skimp on this element and save money. 

Bear in mind that the bride will almost certainly wear her wedding ring alongside her engagement ring. It is essential, therefore, that they both rings work together well. This is particularly important if the engagement ring is of an atypical shape or with a particularly large stone. 

Always consider your everyday jewelry. Although it is possible to accessorize on your wedding day to complement you choice of wedding rings, this ring will be worn every day, for many years, so it must fit in well with your general style. This is equally important for the groom, as he too will have to wear the ring for some time, so he should also consider what would go well with his usual attire. 

Contrary to popular belief, it is not essential to choose golden rings. If you prefer silver colored rings but want to retain the quality, why not consider white gold? It is also possible for the bride and groom to have different styles of ring, so do not feel pressured into selecting matching styled rings. 

Wedding Rings – Ideas for Slashing the Budget 

Whilst you want the best wedding rings possible, you do not need to spend a small fortune! Often, wedding rings are passed through the generations, particularly on the male side, so find out whether this is the case so that you can avoid the time and energy of searching for the perfect wedding rings! 

When you are selecting an engagement ring, it may be possible to negotiate a discount on wedding rings, if they are purchased at the same time. Another possible option is to consider using cheaper wedding rings for the ceremony itself and to purchase the more permanent wedding rings, at a later day. The real point of this is to spread the major expenses – weddings do not come cheaply! 

A great way to make cheaper wedding rings look unique is to have them engraved with your wedding date and your initials. 

With a little imagination, wedding rings can truly look magical, without costing the earth!

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Memory would be considered the best gift you could ever dedicate to your dearly departed loved ones

Life has always been a journey, a journey of finding of one true self and happiness. As however destined, all journeys will eventually find its very own destination and it is inevitable that every one of us will eventually have to depart from this world. 

Many a times in our life, we have to experience the soreness of actually witnessing the departure of some of our very loved ones. With tears we bid them farewell, to a faraway land they go. Silently they might have left us, but spiritually around, we know they will always be. 

Lots and lots of wonderful memories and guidance they have left us with, making this world ever so beautiful. Thinking back now, don’t they just bring you smile again? These beautiful memories certainly deserve to live on and not to fade away slowly from our mind, sadly dying off as we eventually join them in that faraway land. Generations to generations they deserve to pass on down forever. 

Memory would be considered the best gift you could ever dedicate to your dearly departed loved ones. Don’t you like to share with your friends and family, all those wonderful memories you have and so dearly cherished? Telling the world how proud you are to have them, as your most dearly loved ones and how you will always remember them? Though they might not longer be with us anymore but deep down within our heart, we know that they will always be with us, staying alive forever. 

A dedication of a little memorial specially to your loved ones is always a nice way of remembering them. It could certainly bring about an ever-lasting memory to all those wonderful and nevertheless meaningful stories and guidance that deserve to live on. 

Putting them down in your most genuine words on a memorial page would definitely be a truthful and meaningful way of commemorating your loved ones. 

With today’s Internet, we could even further present it as an online memorial, making it possible to be sharing with friends and family from all around the world. Likewise, to nevertheless be able to also, include photographs of the dearly departed, creating an even ever-lasting memory for all. 

Well, you may not be the world best novel writer but your words for your loved ones, will definitely be the most truthful and touching gift ever to be dedicated to them.

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I think we all know where the answer lie for why the Children of the 21st century don't laugh any more

The good old days as I remember them were just that, the good old days. Children of the 21st century 

Playing hopscotch hide and seek even a game of rounders was all in a day's fun for a thirteen year old in the good old days. Of course all good things come to an end when called in against your will and ordered up the stairs to wash behind your ears before bed, while the children of the 21st century slap on war paint to disguise their identities for approval into many disco night clubs. . 

Succeeding in their mission to gain those added years they would then dance and party till dawn, while I remember back to my navy blue knickers and white vest hanging up to dry in front of an open coal fire for school the next morning. 

The nature and attitude of the Children of the 21st century is so different from the days long gone. Children today have a lifestyle not a childhood, whose fault is that I ask. Where do the answers lie? 

Remembering back to the words of Mother in the good old days, "There is your dinner"! Now it is "what you would like for dinner"? Another household saying of Mum's was "I can not afford that". Twenty first century mums can by doing an extra shift at work. 

And in the in the good old days the threats cast upon us from Mother, threats like, are you looking for a good hiding, No I was not looking for a good hiding, but you never dared to answer back unless of course you were looking for another clout. Nowadays it is the other way round, where a great many Mothers live under threat from their own flesh and blood. 

"Where do the answers lie" I ask myself once again. 

Drinking was strictly for the adults in the good old days not for teens on the street corner who are not long out of nappies. Drugs in the good old days were prescribed by a Doctor not a dealer, the only dealer we knew of in those days were the ones who dealt the cards in a game of snap. 

Will the Children of the 21st Century ever learn? Yes given the right teacher, that being Mummy and Daddy, then as your star pupil begins to grow up he learns to respect his/her elders, that now being Mum or Dad. 

Giving into your children's needs and wants is not helping them for the big bad world out there, teach them to stand on their own two feet and if that means going back to the good old days then so be it. Which isn't so bad just to hear the laughter of children growing up in their own time. 

I think we all know where the answer lie for why the Children of the 21st century don't laugh any more.

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I know the drugs work for some people, but they didn't work for me

A drug-free hair loss product, from a surprising source, may be the new answer to thinning hair, alopecia, and male pattern baldness. 

"You have no idea what it's like," says Joe Rice, a 60-year-old professional from Fort Wayne, Indiana. "I started losing my hair in my twenties. It's miserable. It has a way of shaping your whole life." 

Joe's worn a toupee for years. No one sees him without it, not even his closest friends. He's tried "just about everything" to stop hair loss, including Rogaine and Propecia, without success. But deep down, he still holds out hope. 

"I know the drugs work for some people, but they didn't work for me," he sighs. "Just show me one new hair, and I'm a customer for life." 

Joe is not alone. Millions of men and women suffer in silence from alopecia, baldness and thinning hair. And while hair loss isn't fatal, it is a serious condition with profound psychological effects. For many, hair loss brings feelings of shame, despair, and crippled self-esteem. 

Since 1999, a group of scientists in Japan, led by researcher T. Takahashi, has been studying botanical extracts looking for a safe, effective solution for hair growth. After testing over a thousand different extracts, they found three promising natural chemicals. One was from barley. One from Chardonnay grapes. And one- by far the most potent- was an extract from ordinary apples. 

One year later, the scientists announced even more striking findings to the international community. They compared the apple extract, known as procyanidin B-2, Their results seemed almost impossible: in head-to-head tests, the apple chemical proved to be twice as effective in stimulating new hair growth. 

In further experiments on mice, the apple procyanidins, repeatedly produced "extensive hair growth." 

In clinical trials on humans, the results were even more exciting. The procyanidins from apples consistently grew new hair in men with male pattern baldness, the most stubborn form of unwanted hair loss- and without any of the side effects of hair loss drugs. 

Scientists are normally conservative when it comes to conclusions. But the statements from the Takahashi group were unequivocal. "Procyanidin B-2 therapy," they wrote, "shows potential as a promising cure for male pattern baldness." 

For Joe, and 60 million other men and women, this research means new hope. "Of course I'll try it," he says. "Just show me one new hair..."

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Placebo effect is a factor in all types of medicine

The ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture has proven to be an effective treatment for tension headache. It not only relieves pain, but also cuts rates of recurrence by almost half, a recent study indicates.

Traditional Chinese acupuncture therapy involves insertion of needles up to 3 inches deep into the body at prescribed acupuncture points, according to licensed acupuncturist Rong Zeng of the New York Good Health Clinic in Manhattan.

However, a new, randomized blind study in Germany involving 270 patients with a similar severity of tension headache has shown that a minimal course of acupuncture works almost as well as the traditional method.

Fewer Headaches After Treatment

Researchers divided the patients into three groups. Over an eight-week period, one group was treated with traditional acupuncture, another received minimal acupuncture (needles inserted only superficially into the skin at non-acupuncture points), and the control group had neither treatment.

The subjects were monitored for four weeks after their period of treatment. Those who had received traditional acupuncture care subsequently experienced seven fewer headaches. The group that had been given minimal acupuncture therapy had surprisingly similar results -- 6.6 fewer headaches.

The control group did not fare as well, with only 1.5 fewer headaches.

Improvements in headache rates continued for months after the acupuncture treatment, though they began to rise slightly as time went on.

Results Subject to Interpretation

Such a negligable difference in results between traditional and minimal acupuncture treatments possibly indicates that the location of acupuncture points and depth of needle insertion do not make a major difference for treatment of tension headache, the authors of the study suggest.

However, they caution that the possibility of placebo effects should not be overlooked.

"Placebo effect is a factor in all types of medicine," Dr. Zeng noted. In western medicine, for example, blind tests may reveal placebo effects that are similar to responses to trial drugs, she explained.

In any case, it is clear that the patients who received acupuncture treatment experienced fewer headaches. The possibility that placebo effect plays a role in acupuncture does not detract from its efficacy.

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