BlogCatalog Community Organ Donation Awareness Campaign

Patty Grasso, a recipient of a kidney and pancreas transplant lives by the philosophy, “Life is beautiful pass it on.” This is just one story among thousands of recipients of organ donations who have been given a second chance at life. Most recipients tell their story with a smile and a tear in their eye. A transplant recipient, like Patty Grasso is “so happy to be alive!”

According to the New York Organ Donor Network there are over ninety-six thousand men, women and children who are waiting for an organ for transplantation. These numbers are for just the United States and do not even begin to tell the global need for organs used in transplant surgery. These men, women and children wait every day to receive that phone call that says an organ has been located. Sadly, many do not live long enough to receive this call.

Donate by Losing Weight: A Fun-Racing Event by Fresh Air Fund

Yes! It is possible to get rid of your flabby abs and shed those extra pounds on your body while at the same time help children from disadvantaged communities in New York City by joining the Fresh Air Fund-Racer Team’s event dubbed as “New York City Half-Marathon“.

Fresh Air Fund - Marathon 2008

After the success of last year’s NYC Half-Marathon as Presented by Nike, Fund-Racers are once again summoned on August 16th 2009 to gather-up on the track and get ready on their marks for yet another fun and fruitful activity for the children of Fresh Air Fund.

The Fund-Racer Team is also calling out to companies who would be glad to sponsors this summer’s major event and help carry out the campaign for free and fun summer vacations to New York City’s less fortunate children.

New Attraction – Cervical Cancer Screen – HPV Test

Cervical cancer has been one of womankind’s most lethal banes, and fortunately for decades now, the Pap test has stepped in its way. Now here comes the latest in cervical cancer screens: the HPV test. With results far more reliable than the average Pap, the HPV test has elicited not a few second looks from doctors. A look at the new kid in oncology town.

HPV test vs. the Pap

HPV or the human papillomavirus is the main culprit of cervical cancer. Women can get any of 100 HPV strains, 40 of which are contracted through sexual intercourse. The worst of these strains trigger malignant tumors in the cervix.

Grape Seed Extract Can Prevent Skin Cancer

Chemicals found in grape seeds may help ward off skin cancer due to regular exposure to the sun, according to the results of an animal study reported in Chicago at the recent 223rd annual meeting of the American Chemical Society.Researchers from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, exposed hairless mice to ultraviolet light. Some of the mice they fed a standard diet supplemented with grape seed proanthocyanidins, or GSPs, while control mice were fed a standard diet without this supplement.

Dietary supplementation with GSPs inhibited light-induced carcinogenesis, study chief Dr Santosh K Katiyar told the conference.

UV Rays, Sunblock and You!

There are three kinds of invisible ultraviolet (UV) rays in the sun that reach the earth: UVA, UVB and UVC.UVC

UVC does not reach us as it is absorbed by the upper levels of the atmosphere.

UVA

UVA is the most dangerous as it penetrates deep into the skin. It degrades the elastic fibers in the skin, causes skin aging and darkening.

UVB

UVB penetrates the top layers of the skin, resulting in sunburn and the formation of wrinkles, dark spots and freckles.

Daily exposure to UVA and UVB rays has a cumulative effect on our skin. The more our skin is exposed to the sun, the higher the risk of potential skin damage.

The 4 C’s Of Choosing Diamonds

Choosing a diamond – four words: carat, cut, color and clarity. These are the absolute measure of a diamond’s value.

Carat

Refers to the weight of a diamond. More carats means a bigger diamond, but not necessarily more expensive one; a good cut will enhance the brilliance of the stone. No mater what it’s size or shape.

Color

The closer to the colorless it is, the more valuable it is.

Clarity

Indication of purity, invariably, tiny traces of other natural elements are trapped inside the diamond as it is formed. Called inclusions, they can often be seen by using a loupe.

Cut

The only C that we can control, as all other characteristics of the diamond had been determined millions of years ago. However, it is also the single most important characteristic in determining a diamond’s value.

The Look Of Beauty – Slim Waist

The feminine beauty has been celebrated across the ages, but an enduring belief is this: what constitutes attractiveness in a woman cannot be pinned down – it depends on the prevailing fashion, culture or ethnicity and on the eye of the beholder.

For instance, in Victorian England, a tiny, puckered mouth was the zenith of pulchritude.

Today, the rosebud look has been replaced by what has been called the trout look, as women in Western cultures strive to make their mouths look as wide and full-lipped as possible.

In many societies, the focus of secondary erogenous zones has roamed over ankles, necks and knees, and makeup and hairstyles change according to the mode.