This weekend is going to rock, and this raspberry brownie is only going to sweeten the deal. But before you dismiss this dessert as a simple combination of brownie and sherbet, let me say a few things. First off, it is much more than meets the eye. Something happens to this dessert in the freezer, the brownie basically turns to fudge. We’re not exactly sure how, but our guess is that during the sherbet application, some of it melts and soaks into the brownie and continues to do so slowly in the freezer. When you serve it, it’s the most amazing combination of textures and flavor: a rich combination of creamy raspberry sherbet with a decadent fudgy brownie that is simply irresistible. Through our experimentation over the years, we have determined that any brownie mix will work, but the lower fat mixes seem to work best.
Ingredients: 1 package brownie mix (preferable low/non-fat brownie mix) 1 quart raspberry sherbet (not sorbet) OR any flavour of ice cream. sprinkles or other decoration (optional)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the brownie mix according to instructions on the box.
2. Let the brownie cool completely, about 3-4 hours. Remove sherbet from the freezer and let it soften for a few minutes. Take a large serving spoon and scoop out layers of sherbet about 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick, or about the same thickness as the brownie, and place on top of the brownie. Repeat until most of the brownie is covered, and use the back of the spoon to smooth it all out. You should use close to a full quart of sherbet. It will start coming together when the sherbet softens to a specific point where it becomes very creamy and easily molds together.
3. Top with sprinkles or other decoration, cover with tinfoil and freeze for 4-6 hours, but preferably at least 1 day. Using a spatula, cut and serve the frozen brownie. Enjoy immediately. Stores well for at least 4 months.
A centenarian is living proof that laughter is the best medicine, and a happy heart adds zest to life.
TERESA Hsu Chihis one unforgettable character. The 112-year-old sends her audience into fits of laughter whenever she addresses a crowd. She simply loves to crack jokes. When questions are thrown at her, out come her wisecracks. She doesn’t give you predictable answers and may even raise a question as a challenge to make you ponder.
How does someone who has attained the ripe old age of over 100 cope with losing loved ones?
“At your age, you’ve lost many good friends. How do you feel?” Hsu was asked.
Thrust with such an emotional question, Hsu could still come up with her wisecracks.
“I’ve got tissues but not enough to share with all,” said the Singaporean.
Bubby and jovial, Hsu is no ordinary centenarian. Known as Singapore’s Mother Teresa, Hsu has an illustrious career dedicated to serving the destitute, sick and elderly. Perhaps her early exposure to poverty had helped her empathise with the poor and needy.
Born in Shantou, China, in 1898, Hsu remembers vividly the struggles of her childhood.
“We were very poor. Once, I was so hungry I could barely walk. I stopped by the roadside and pulled out some grass and put it into my mouth. Eating grass didn’t remove my hunger. I was about five or six then,” Hsu related in an interview.
“I decided then that if it was within my power, I would see to it that no one should have to eat grass. So my work now is to beg for money (to give to the poor and needy). Now I am stopping people from eating grass.
Love keeps her going
In 1927, the family migrated to then Malaya, and settled down in Penang where they worked as cleaners in Convent Light Street. Hsu studied part-time and passed her Senior Cambridge Examination in 1931. Two years later, she left for Hong Kong to work as a clerk.
In 1937, she went to Chongqing, China, to work as a secretary at a German news agency. Later, she quit her job to become a volunteer to help the wounded during the Sino-Japanese War.
“I saw a lot of suffering during the war. The bombings … one head, one leg (severed from the body of war victims) hanging on a tree. People were crying. Women were crying for their husbands (Japanese women married to Chinese men).”
Having seen the ravages of war, Hsu went to London to take up nursing in 1945, to better equip herself to help the injured. Hsu worked in hospitals in England, before she went to Paraguay in 1953 to help start a hospital and homes for the sick and elderly.
In 1961, Hsu returned to Penang and later served as sister-in-charge of the Assunta Foundation in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
In 1963, she moved down south to Singapore where she served as matron of Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital and founded the Heart to Heart Service which distributes basic necessities to the needy. Two years later, she started another charity, Home for the Aged Sick, and retired as its matron in 1985.
Hsu has a bagful of awards to show for her tireless charity work.
She was honoured with the Guinness Stout Effort Award (1988), the Life Insurance Association Award (1994), Her World Woman of the Year 1999 Special Award, Special Recognition Award at Singapore’s National Volunteerism and Philanthropy Awards 2005, and the Public Service Star award in 2009.
In 2003, Hsuwas given an Honorary Doctorate Degree by the University of South Queensland, Australia. That same year, she was honoured with the Active Senior Citizen of the Year Award in Singapore.
"This woman has only $39 in her bank account.Yet she 's completely fearless.She's the most powerful person i 've ever met." A reporter asked ;" How do you start living a fearless life?"Instead of giving an answer, she asked a question in turn."What are you afraid of?That is the first question you must ask yourself. Does fear help anybody?No,So why spend so much time on fear?""Fear is crippling. Fear takes all the joy out of living."
So does Hsu have any plans to retire from social work?
“I am not retiring as long as there are poor people who need help. They are my brothers and sisters,” said Hsu.
“I go and beg for food and money for all my people,” she said, “I sit and chat with them like friends; we laugh and cry. And they feel much loved.”
Asked about the secret of her youthfulness, Hsu quipped: “It happened by chance. So everybody has a chance, too.”
Secret to good health
People are curious how healthy she is, having lived over a century.
Do you take any medicine?
“I don’t because I forget to be ill,” came her wisecrack.
Her personal aide and co-social worker Saranan Rao who accompanied her on her recent trip to Malaysia, clarified: “I seldom see her sick and her blood pressure is normal. She had an insulin test and when the result came back, everything was OK.”
Hsu quipped: “Very disappointing.”
Laughter is obviously Hsu’s best medicine.
Hsu is an avid reader, Rao disclosed. “Her mind is alert. In her house, there are books everywhere. She sleeps very little. Give her a good book and she forgets to sleep. But she takes short naps very often. Cat naps.”
All that reading has not strained her eyes. She does not wear glasses and has not undergone any laser treatment for her eyes.
How does she keep jovial and happy all the time, someone asked.
Her reply: “I don’t know how to shut my mouth and laughter runs out.”
Once she visited an old lady and found her crying as her uncle had passed away.
“I held her hand and sang her a silly children’s song. Halfway, she was laughing,” said Hsu.
Hsu meditates in the morning and evening for “a peaceful mind and a happy life”. She took up yoga at 67, and still practises it. However, she avoids the difficult moves because she has suffered a few falls.
“My body forgets to feel pain. I have no chance to complain,” she said.
What’s the most valuable lesson she has learnt in life?
“To always love people. Love them even when they’re nasty because they’re unhappy. Send out loving-kindness to them to counter their nastiness. Love conquers all,” said Hsu.
Rao shared a story of how Hsu wanted to visit someone in prison.
“A popular sifuin Singapore had had a big fall. (Hsu clarified: ‘Not physical fall. Done something wrong.’) A friend told Hsu about the monk. The next morning, she wanted to visit him and said to me: ‘Whenever a brother or sister falls down, we must clean the sand from the knee and comfort them, not condemn them.’”
Rao related this to his friend and the latter was moved to tears. He was so touched that Hsu had so much compassion and love.
“We spent a good time with the sifu,” Rao recalled.
At present,
Hsu is still actively involved in charity work. An advocate of healthy living, Hsu often gives public talks at schools, welfare homes, and hospitals in Singapore and overseas about health and service to the needy. When asked about the secret of her good health and longevity, Hsu attributes her good health to a spartan lifestyle, vegetarian diet, and to her positive attitude towards life:
‘I prefer to laugh than to weep. Those people who cry to me, I always tell them it is better to laugh than to use tissue paper, as laughing is free but tissue paper still cost five cent. 'Ha ha ha' cost no cents.’
She starts her day at 4 am with calisthenics, meditation and an hour of yoga exercises. At night, she does yoga again, then reads until midnight. She picked up yoga at age 69. She also teaches yoga to the young and old at temples, associations, hospitals and schools. She eats sparely; her breakfast is a glass of water or milk. Lunch is often milk and salad and it is milk or yogurt for dinner. At home, she has a 2,000-volume private library she calls Prema, which in Sanskrit means "divine love". Today, her days are kept busy with trips to help needy senior citizens, reading and yoga practice at her sparsely-furnished single-storey house attached to the Society For The Aged Sick
Hsu’s parting message:
'The world is my home, all living beings are my family, selfless service is my religion.’
It takes a minute to get into it, but the judges expressions say it all. It’s just absolutely unbelievable what these kids are able to do at such a young age. It’s being called Baletaci (whatever that really means) Check out the video of Baletaci:
This has to be the most adorable and amazing thing I've seen. Those kids are extremely good and very flexible. They'll be brilliant dancers when they're older. FAMOUS even. bravo! That kind of strength & flexibility is more than just training! those kids are insanely talented!
Screen, chicken wire, or ‘hardware fabric’ from your local home improvement store
Wire cutters
Box cutters or craft knife
Foam board
Hot glue gun
Staple gun
Hooks (optional) for screwing into wood frame
Step One: Trim your wire mesh with wire cutters to fit inside your recycled frame.
Step Two: Trim your foam to the exact internal measurements of your frame. You can use the cardboard that often comes with a frame, but since I didn’t have any, I used foam board, available at any craft store.
Step Three: If you don’t like the color of your frame, then spray paint your frame in the color of your choice. I chose a Rosewood tint by Rustoleum. You can also spray paint your wire mesh for a cohesive look, if you don’t like the rustic quality of the metal. I also spray painted the little hooks I used to screw into my frame for additional jewelry display so it would all be the same color.
Step Four: While your spray paint dries, staple your fabric to your foam.
Step Five: Once your paint is dry, use your hot glue to secure your wire mesh to the inside of your frame. Then use more hot glue to secure your fabric covered foam to the backside of your picture frame.
The confusion about 'fruit' and 'vegetable' arises because of the differences in usage between scientists and cooks. Scientifically speaking, a tomato is definitely a fruit. True fruits are developed from the ovary in the base of the flower, and contain the seeds of the plant (though cultivated forms may be seedless). Blueberries, raspberries, and oranges are true fruits, and so are many kinds of nut. Some plants have a soft part which supports the seeds and is also called a 'fruit', though it is not developed from the ovary: the strawberry is an example. As far as cooking is concerned, some things which are strictly fruits may be called 'vegetables' because they are used in savoury rather than sweet cooking.
The tomato, though technically a fruit, is often used as a vegetable, and a bean pod is also technically a fruit. The term 'vegetable' is more generally used of other edible parts of plants, such as cabbage leaves, celery stalks, and potato tubers, which are not strictly the fruit of the plant from which they come. Occasionally the term 'fruit' may be used to refer to a part of a plant which is not a fruit, but which is used in sweet cooking: rhubarb, for example. So a tomato is the fruit of the tomato plant, but can be used as a vegetable in cooking.
You're late. At first you figure it's just nerves. After all, you took precautions. I mean, you were always careful, except maybe that one time...
So you buy one of those home pregnancy tests. You sneak it into the house and spend one crazy, long night reading the instructions over and over again. The next morning, your entire being becomes fixated upon that unmistakable, red POSITIVE circle sitting at the bottom of a plastic tube.
For the first time in your life, you understand the full meaning of the word "panic". Your heart drops into a deep, dark place you had no idea existed in your body, but you know it's not moving until you get yourself out of this mess.
The crazy thing is that while your world is falling apart, some neighbor down the street took that same test and also got a positive. Only she's running down the hall to tell her husband the good news.
A teenage girl may become pregnant as a result of many different situations. Some teenage girls become pregnant while involved in long-term dating relationships. Other girls become pregnant after hooking up. And, some girls may become pregnant as a result of a rape situation.
Effects of Pregnancy on Teens
Facing an unplanned teen pregnancy can be hard. The effects of teenage pregnancy are not limited to having to decide whether or not to keep the baby, how to cope with motherhood or whether to make an adoption plan. One of the most immediate effects of teen pregnancy is how the growing baby changes a teenager's body as well as their lifestyle.
Because a teen's body immediately begins the process of carrying a child and preparing for childbirth, a teenager needs to consider the effect that her physical activities may have on her developing baby. A variety of activities common to teens may have a negative effect on a developing baby:
Drinking alcoholic beverages
Smoking cigarettes or marijuana
Lack of sleep
Unhealthy eating patterns
Other physical changes that take place as her uterus expands may impact things as simple as clothing choices or her ability to safely participate in sports. This means that an average teenage girl will need to speak with her doctor about what activities need to be limited during her pregnancy as well as what changes she might need to make to her diet.
Emotional Effects of Teen Pregnancy
Dealing with an unplanned pregnancy can be scary and confusing. Some of the emotions that you may encounter when facing an unplanned pregnancy are:
Initial excitement
Confusion
Fear
Resentment
Frustration
It's a natural response for you to think about and want to protect the baby that is growing inside you. It is also natural for you to be scared and confused about how to deal with this unplanned pregnancy.
There's no magic bullet to boost IQ or make you smarter -- but certain substances, like caffeine, can energize and help you focus and concentrate. Found in coffee, chocolate, energy drinks, and some medications, caffeine gives you that unmistakable wake-up buzz -- though the effects are short term. And more is often less: Overdo it on caffeine and it can make you jittery and uncomfortable.
Sugar Can Enhance Alertness
Sugar is your brain's preferred fuel source -- not table sugar, but glucose, which your body metabolizes from the sugars and carbohydrates you eat. That's why a glass of something sweet to drink can offer a short-term boost to memory, thinking processes, and mental ability. Consume too much, however, and memory can be impaired -- along with the rest of you. Go easy on the sugar so it can enhance memory, without packing on pounds.
Fish Really is Brain Food
A protein source associated with a great brain boost is fish -- rich in omega 3 fatty acids, essential for brain function and development. These healthy fats have amazing brain power: higher dietary omega 3 fatty acids are linked to lower dementia and stroke risks; slower mental decline; and may play a vital role in enhancing memory, especially as we get older. For brain and heart health, eat two servings of fish weekly.
Add a Daily Dose of Nuts, Chocolate
Nuts and seeds are good sources of the antioxidant vitamin E, which is associated with less cognitive decline as you age. Dark chocolate also has powerful antioxidant properties, and contains natural stimulants like caffeine, which can enhance focus and concentration. Enjoy up to an ounce a day of nuts and dark chocolate to provide all the benefits you need without excess calories, fat, or sugar.
Get Ready for a Big Day
Want to power up your ability to concentrate? Start with a meal of 100% fruit juice, a whole grain bagel with salmon, and a cup of coffee. In addition to eating a well-balanced meal, experts also advise:
What is a phobia? What are the different kinds of phobias?
A phobia is defined as the unrelenting fear of a situation, activity, or thing that causes one to want to avoid it. The three kinds of phobias are social phobia (fear of public speaking, meeting new people or other social situations), agoraphobia (fear of being outside), and specific phobias (fear of particular items or situations). Phobias are largely underreported, probably because many phobia sufferers find ways to avoid the situations to which they are phobic. Therefore, statistics that estimate how many people suffer from phobias vary widely, but at minimum, phobias afflict more than 6 million people in the United States.
Other facts about phobias include that these illnesses have been thought to affect up to 28 out of every 100 people, and in all western countries, phobias strike 7%-13% of the population. Women tend to be twice as likely to suffer from a phobia compared to men. Some of the most common kinds of phobias include fears of public speaking or other social situations (social phobia or social anxiety disorder), open spaces (agoraphobia), closed-in spaces (claustrophobia), clowns (coulrophobia), flying (aerophobia), blood, animals (zoophobia), commitment (commitment phobia), driving, spiders (arachnophobia), needles (aichmophobia), snakes (ophidiophobia), math, heights (acrophobia or altophobia), germs (mysophobia), and having dental work done (dentophobia). Fears of midgets, haunted houses, helmets, pickles, and feet are just a few of the less common phobias and may be considered strange by some but can be just as debilitating as those phobias that are more common. Agoraphobia often coexists with panic disorder.
What are the effects of phobias?
If left untreated, a phobia may worsen to the point in which the person's life is seriously affected, both by the phobia itself and/or by attempts to avoid or conceal it. In fact, some people have had problems with friends and family, failed in school, and/or lost jobs while struggling to cope with a severe phobia. There may be periods of spontaneous improvement, but a phobia does not usually go away unless the person receives treatments designed specifically to help phobia sufferers. Alcoholics can be up to 10 times more likely to suffer from a phobia than those who are not alcoholics, and phobic individuals can be twice as likely to be addicted to alcohol than those who have never been phobic.
What are the causes and risk factors for phobias?
While there is no one specific known cause for phobias, it is thought that phobias run in families, are influenced by culture, and can be triggered by life events. Immediate family members of people with phobias are about three times more likely to also suffer from a phobia than those who do not have such a family history. Phobia sufferers have been found to be more likely to manage stress by avoiding the stressful situation and by having difficulty minimizing the intensity of the fearful situation.
What are the signs and symptoms of phobias?
Symptoms of phobias often involve having a panic attack -- in that they include feelings of panic, dread, or terror, despite recognition that those feelings are excessive in relationship to any real danger -- as well as physical symptoms like shaking, rapid heart beat, trouble breathing, and an overwhelming desire to escape the situation that is causing the phobic reaction. Also, extreme measures are sometimes taken to escape the situation.
Anorexia nervosa, commonly referred to simply as anorexia, is one type of eating disorder. More importantly, it is also a psychological disorder. Anorexia is a condition that goes beyond out-of-control dieting. A person with anorexia often initially begins dieting to lose weight. Over time, the weight loss becomes a sign of mastery and control. The drive to become thinner is actually secondary to concerns about control and/or fears relating to one's body. The individual continues the endless cycle of restrictive eating, often accompanied by other behaviors such as excessive excersing or the overuse of diet pills, diuretics, laxatives, and/or enemas in order to reduce body weight, often to a point close to starvation in order to feel a sense of control over his or her body. This cycle becomes an obsession and, in this way, is similar to any type of addiction.
For people with anorexia, it really is true that one can never be too thin. Despite being dangerously underweight, anorexics see a fat person when they look in the mirror. What they don’t see is the tremendous physical and emotional damage that self-starvation inflicts, so they continue to diet, fast, purge, and over-exercise.
While people with anorexia often deny having a problem, the truth is that anorexia is a serious and potentially deadly eating disorder. Fortunately, recovery is possible. With proper treatment and support, you or someone you care about can break anorexia’s self-destructive pattern and regain your health and happiness.
“Anorexia Almost Killed Me” Pint size mogul Mary-Kate Olsen has stayed mum about her battle with anorexia since she was diagnosed just after her 18th birthday, but she's speaking out now and says the illness nearly killed her.
She looks even skinnier than Nicole! "Eyes have been so glued to skeletal Nicole Richie that no one's noticed until now that Mary-Kate Olsen has dropped to 80 lbs! Now friends are worried she may be headed back to rehab!" Star, January 8, 2007
Is it a Diet or Anorexia?
Healthy Dieting
Anorexia
Weight loss is viewed as a way to improve health and appearance.
Weight loss is viewed as a way to achieve happiness.
Self-esteem is based on more than just weight and body image.
Self-esteem is based entirely on how much you weigh and how thin you are.
Is an attempt to control weight
Is an attempt to control your life and emotions
The goal is to lose weight in a healthy way.
Becoming thin is all that matters; health is not a concern.
materials: 1. tin cans w/ plastic resealable lid or plastic liter soda bottles 2. a wire hanger (like from the dry cleaners) 3. fabric scraps 4. scissors and an exacto knife 5. hair dryer (if using plastic water bottles) 6. can opener (if using tin cans) 7. plants (herbs work well for these, also tomatoes and some flowers) 8. duct tape 9. spray adhesive (optional) 10. drill (or a hammer and a nail will work – this is for making small holes) 11. potting soil 12. coffee filters or landscape fabric scraps 13. wire cutters and pliers
cost: soil/plants: $10 duct tape: $5 containers: free, on hand
time: 2-3 hours
instructions:
for can planter:
1. peel labels off the can, then wash and dry the can thoroughly.
2. use a can opener to remove the bottom of the can.
3. make holes in the disc that was the bottom of the can. you can use a drill with a tiny bit, or a hammer and nail. use the hammer to flatten any loose bits of metal that pop up from the holes, for safety. also make two holes in the sides of the can 1/4″ from the bottom, equidistant from each other, and on opposite sides of the can. these are for hanging the planter.
4. put your hand up through the tin can and hold the bottom inside it, and inch down from where it was originally attached. use duct tape to tape the bottom firmly in this position. when you are done taping, you will have a can with the bottom recessed an inch into the can and with little holes in it.
5. flip the can over and put some soil in. place your plant in next and fill the can with soil around your plant. pack firmly so the soil is pretty tight, filling up to the top of the can.
6. trace the bottom of the can on a coffee filter or landscape fabric and cut out the circle. fold the circle in half, and cut a small hole in the center of the circle. this hole should be the diameter of your plants main stem. cut one slit in the circle from the outside to the hole in the center.
7. slide this circle around the plant stem and rest it on top of the can. this will prevent soil from spilling out when the planter is flipped over.
8. trace a circular object with an approximately 2″ diameter in the center of the plastic lid of the can. cut this circle out with an exacto knife.
9. gently maneuver your plant through this hole, sliding the plastic lid towards the rim of the can, pulling leaves gently through the hole. close the can tightly with the plastic lid. put a ring of duct tape around the top rim of the can, sealing the connection between the lid and the can.
10. cut a piece of fabric to wrap around the circumference of the can with 1/4″ overlap. make this piece of fabric 1/2 inch longer than the height of the can.
11. spray the inside of the fabric with spray adhesive and wrap it neatly around the planter, starting flush with the bottom of the planter (where the plant comes out), hiding all the duct tape. fold the extra 1/4″ of fabric over the top lip of the planter (which used to be the bottom) into the recessed portion, adding extra adhesive to keep it stuck down if necessary.
12. find the two hanger holes with your fingers and use a needle or a nail to poke through the fabric to reopen the holes. cut a 5″ piece of wire from the wire hanger and bend the two ends into small u-hooks. bend the wire into a “c” shape and hook the ends through the two hanger holes, creating a handle for hanging the planter.
for the bottle planter:
1. clean, wash, and dry the bottle.
2. use your exacto knife to cut the mouth of the bottle, leaving a hole with a 2-3″ diameter at the top of the bottle neck. also cut the bottom of the bottle off where the bottom of the label line would be. keep the bottom and throw out the bottle mouth and cap.
3. use your hairdryer to soften the plastic at the top of the bottle neck. with your hairdryer on high, wave it near the top of the bottle for a few seconds, until you see the plastic warping. then use your fingers (the plastic will be hot but not burning) to push the top of the bottle inward, inverting the conical part into the body of the bottle. the bottle should fold inward so that by pushing in the curved neck, you have created an even cylinder on the outside.
4. use a drill or a hammer and nail to poke small holes in the bottom piece of the bottle, which you had just removed.
5. trace the bottom of the bottle on a coffee filter or landscape fabric and cut out the circle. cut a small hole in the center of the circle, the diameter of your plant stem, and cut a slit from outside to the center hole.
6. remove most of the surrounding soil from your plant, leaving only roots. place the filter around the stem of your plant (like your plan is wearing a bib). feed your plant gently from the opening in the bottom of the bottle through the hole in the top of the bottle.
7. now fill the planter through the bottom with soil, packing it tightly against the roots of the plant. fill it almost to the top, then tuck the bottom of the bottle back inside the planter, packing the soil in. put a ring of duct tape around the lip of the bottom and the bottle, so now the bottom is recessed into the planter. the inset lip of the top of the bottle allows water to drip down the sides, and not spill out the hole.
8. poke two small holes across from each other down 1/4″ from the top rim (by the top i mean the old bottom, because now the planter is upside down).
9. follow steps 10-12 from the can planter to cover your bottle planter with fabric and attach the hanger handle.
10. hang your planters somewhere with good light. the great thing is that they are easy to relocate if they are getting too much/too little sun.
Step Four: While your spray paint dries, staple your fabric to your foam.
