Everyone wants great skin ! In today's world, supple skin, a healthy glow and a blemish free complexion are a great asset and diet plays a major role. Introducing a new class of foods to protect and improve skin. Here are the six skin care secrets that can rejuvenate and revitalize your skin……the natural way.

WATER – THE MOST IMPORTANT SKIN NUTRIENT Water is a very low-cost way to improve your skin quality, and the effect is fast. Just one week after increasing your water intake you can see fewer wrinkles and minor blemishes. Water has two functions that lead to better looking skin. First, it helps flush toxins out of your body which can show up as blemishes on the skin. Second, it plumps up the skin so wrinkles don't form or are less noticeable. Drink plenty of water.

VITAMIN C – THE SUPERSKIN VITAMIN. Vitamin C rich foods such as citrus fruits (oranges), strawberries, tomatoes and cabbage, and this vitamin is critical to the formation of collagen - a key element of the connective tissue that keeps skin firm and prevents it from breaking. This leads to more resilient skin. This is something simple you can try at home - toss in a few sliced pieces of oranges, pears or strawberries in a little lemon juice and sweetener for a refreshing slush. Combine with some yoghurt in a blender and you get the world's best smoothie!

VITAMIN B3 – NIACIN.- THE SKIN REJUVENATOR Meat, fish, poultry, legumes and grains are rich in Niacin, an essential nutrient for skin. Chicken in particular, provides a complete array of amino acids to fuel the growth of fresh new skin cells.

VITAMIN A FOR A+ SKIN TEXTURE

Papaya's and yellow-dark green vegetables such as carrots provide a nice beauty boost because vitamin A is one of the vitamins that most directly contribute to keeping skin's texture youthful. You could say that a carrot a day - loaded with fiber and beta carotene (precursor to vitamin A), plays an important role in maintaining smooth, healthy skin and keeps blemishes away! Try carrot juice, instead of orange, at breakfast once in a while.

FIBER – SUPER SKIN IS ALWAYS STRESS FREE. Studies suggest that oats and some cereals include fiber help to balance blood sugar level and even control stress levels. And any stressors can precipitate skin eruptions. Less stress helps in improving skin tone. Choose oatmeal or oat-based cold cereals for breakfast a few times a week, and wheat / oat enriched breads and muffins. Here is a great tip - Tomatoes are year round skin helpers, because they provide all of the above mentioned nutrients in one easily available source.

MORE FOODS FOR SUPER SKIN.

One cup of low-fat yogurt is enriched with an ample amount of protein, zinc, folacin, B12 (important for healthy blood and skin tone) and riboflavin, important for providing energy to skin cells. A single serving of potatoes (6-8 oz) provides an ample amount of vitamin C, B vitamins, especially folic acid, iron, copper, niacin, and fiber. Whole-grain breads, available at health food shops are rich in fiber, zinc and B vitamins.

So now that you know all the facts, start eating healthy today! Beauty doesn't lie in the hands of the beholder, it lies in the hands of the smart eater !

Weather vanes, which are devices for measuring wind direction, are one of the oldest geographic tools used by man. They have an ornamental value in many American homes, giving a classy and artistic look to the house. They are used on all kinds of buildings: residences, farmhouses, barns, garages, offices, and churches. They are available in several designs shaped like simple arrows, animals, birds, humans, crests, exotic figurines, or combinations of some of these.

Weather vanes are also available in several models like: deck or fence weather vanes, lawn weather vanes, table top weather vanes, roof top weather vanes, and more and are provided with the accessories like cupolas, mounting shafts, and roof mount bases. Modern wind vanes are also mounted with an anemometer for measuring the wind speed and may be connected to a remote reading station. Modern weather vanes are rust free and maintenance free.

Though weather vanes are generally shaped like arrows, designs have become quite ornate over time. The white horse weather vane is one of the most popular designs. The white horse carries a certain symbolism, which makes it a favorite among many. White horses are associated with fertility, empathy, travel, power, freedom, peace, sincerity, wealth and loyalty. They are referred in the bible and their tradition dates back to the Celtic mythology. In the bible, they are used to represent virtues like righteousness, holiness and purity and also stand for salvation. White horse weather vanes hold very strong symbolic messages. They are also particularly relevant for Irish people since their folklore and fairy tales consider white horses to be very majestic. Arabian horses represent peace, friendship, sincerity and honor.

White horse weather vanes are available in a wide range of shapes, sizes and finishes. Whitehorse weather vanes are also designed with one horse, a group of horses or horse with a carriage, etc. These vanes are ideal for horse lovers. They can be made of copper, wrought iron, bronze, aluminum, and stainless steel. White horse weather vanes still hold a lot of appeal for townspeople and country folk alike.

Skin tag removal can be done quite conveniently at the dermatologist or physician’s clinic. But before you head straight to the clinic for your treatment, it would serve you well to know what the skin tag removal options available for you are. Since the skin tags are attached to your skin, you must be prepared for some level of discomfort or pain during the removal. This can be quite unbearable for some if the number of skin tags is just too many. In such instances, the dermatologist or doctor would usually apply local anesthetic on the surrounding skin to numb and alleviate the pain. In this article, you will read about the different common removal methods that are used to get rid of those ugly skin tags.

Cyrotherapy

This describes the freezing of skin tags to “kill” and remove them. This is often done using ligation and application of liquid nitrogen. Basically, a suture/copper wire is wrapped around the peduncle or stalk before freezing the skin tags. At times, the dermatologist may use forceps instead. But bear in mind that while this method is effective, there is always the risk of suffering from dsychromic lesions if the dermatologist is not careful.

Excision

Excision using scissors or scalpels is normally more suitable for larger skin tags. Aluminum chloride may be applied to arrest the bleeding.

Cauterization

This skin tag removal method involves burning off the skin tags using electric current.

Tying the Skin Tags

You may not be aware but small skin tags can be tied up with threads. The intention of tying is to stop blood supply to the skin tags, and let them die off slowly. After some time, normally several days to a week, the skin tags would darken and slowly dry up. Once that happens, they can be easily removed. One setback of this method is it can be rather tedious if you have numerous skin tags. It is also rather unsightly.

These are the few common skin tag removal treatment that your dermatologist could offer you. You may wish to first consult him/her if the skin growths on your body are skin tags and not other malignant skin tissues. He/she would be able to advise you on the appropriate removal method for your skin tags. However, before you decide on removing those skin tags, you must be prepared to fork out the entire medical bill. Skin tags are benign and are removed mostly for cosmetic reasons, ie to improve one’s appearance. Insurance companies would not cover such expenses.

Playgrounds a source of fun and recreation for all kids. An ideal playground should contain proper equipment that would not only entertain children but also provide a place for parents to relax. Besides being fun, playground equipment also develops kids' physical strength, dexterity, agility and concentration. And the playground is a place for kids to make friends.

Wooden equipment is very common in most playgrounds. This is because of the strength, sturdiness, and durability of wood. These days, wooden playground equipment is being made from conditioned wood that is pre-treated to provide lasting durability and strength. Wood is also non-polluting easily bio-degradable. Wooden playground equipment last for 20-30 years and do not need much maintenance. Wood treated with copper azole lasts even longer as it deteriorates slowly. It is also more resistant to adverse weather conditions like sun, rain or snow. Wooden playground equipment also have a natural look to them. Since wood is a renewable resource, wooden equipment is also a great benefit to the environment as compared to plastic equipment. Wooden playground equipment should meet industry standards set by the American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC) as well as the AWPA.

Wooden playground equipment is generally made from pine lumber, solid California Redwood or recycled plastic lumber. However, the smaller and accessories may be made of steel, aluminum or plastic.

Wooden playground equipment should be checked for unsafe conditions such as objects protruding that might poke, or hanging ropes that can strangle or cause a child to trip or fall. For the most part, wood is easy to maintain and durable enough even for harsh outdoor weather conditions.

There are many providers of wooden playground equipment. Information about these companies can be accessed online. The Internet is also a good way to shop for wooden playground equipment since the range is greater than that in a conventional store. Besides, some websites also allow interactive designing of the products online. You can also know about the latest offers of prices, discounts and warranties and compare them with other companies' stock.

Continuing my theme of looking at the diversified ETF's(Exchange Traded Funds) coupled with my belief that we are in the midst of a secular Bull Market for commodities(who am I to argue with Jim Rogers !!) then I wanted to expand on my recent post around China and Taiwan and take a look at Australia.Since 2001 Australia has benefited from the boom in commodities especially the Metals such as Gold,Silver and Copper mined by companies such as BHP Billiton (NYSE : BHP) and the agricultural commodities-which some would argue are only recently starting to catch up with the rest of the booming Natural Resource Mkts-(witness Corn and Wheat over the last few months.)

If you believe as I do that we have a good few years to go before the Natural Resource boom tops out then the Australian Mkt should do very well in the next 5 or so years.Even although the ASX 200 broke out from its all time high in the last few weeks I still believe that we will see it higher in the years to come.It climbed 19% in 2006 topping its 2005 performance of just over 17%. If that was not reason enough to look more closely at the opportunities in Australia the fact that the Australian Dollar has strengthened against the US dollar is another good reason for any American Investors or those who hold substantial amounts of their portfolio in dollars to consider the Australian Markets. In order to benefit from the boom "down under|" then we could look at individual companies such as BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP ) or Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) up 220% and 150% respectively over the last five years, but I prefer the diversification of a fund-especially when companies can be as volatile as BHP and Rio Tinto.I would therefore take a close look at iShares MSCI Australia Index Fund (AMEX: EWA).This will give you a broad exposure to Australian companies and also will give you the benefits of some protection against the potential of a falling US dollar.This ETF is up 180% since 2001 and put in a performance of nearly 30% last year-that being said I think there is still some more upside particularly if you take a 3-5 year view. I currently hold some of the EWA but would be looking to add some more on any weakness or pullbacks.