3 Tips for White Teeth

Whitening is a very popular trend in today’s world. I’ve noticed that it has become a lot like coloring your hair- everyone has standing appointments prior to big events. Any why shouldn’t they; after all, white teeth are beautiful and can make your face seem brighter. Keeping your gums healthy is just as important as any other organ in your body. I have a few tips and tricks for you to whiten your teeth and keeping your gums healthy.

Stop Stains at the Source:
Stains come from a variety of places. One of the sneakiest culprits that stain your teeth is your morning coffee or tea. We all have that habit, you know the one. We go to Starbucks or any local coffee shop for our “morning jolt of coffee” and rush off to work. The stain from the coffee stays on your teeth and builds up, eventually turning them dark. What can you do for a quick fix? Rinse your mouth out with water right after your morning coffee so that the dark stains are washed away.

Whiten At home:
For a cheap, at home alternative to bleaching, you can us my “special mix” of a little baking soda and hydrogen peroxide blended into a paste to brush your teeth for about two minutes; spitting is ok if necessary. Be careful because this can be abrasive so use it sparingly and only once per week. This mix will help remove the stains left behind by coffee, tea and red wine.

Visit Your Dentist
Your dentist can help you decide on the whitening procedure that would be best for you and your teeth. One long term solution that has become popular is porcelain veneers. For those whom have bleached and are still not pleased, porcelain veneers can transform crooked, yellow, or poorly shaped teeth to perfection. Veneers are fabricated from porcelain so they won’t change color or stain. The process involves removing about .5-1.5 mm off the front surface of the tooth to make room for the custom fabricated thin porcelain sheets that are placed on the front surface to create the “perfect & natural” smile.

An accomplished leader and innovator in cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry,
Dr. Sherri Worth is one of the top dentists in the country. Dr. Worth uses her expertise in the field to create “smile makeovers” for celebrities, models, professional athletes, and everyday people alike. Specializing in porcelain veneers, crowns and bridges, implants, and reconstructive dentistry, Dr. Worth’s perfectionism is demonstrated not only in her patients’ flawless teeth but in her state-of-the-art dental facility. Located in Newport Beach, CA, her facility fuses the latest technology and equipment, including digital imaging and x-rays, with a team of enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff. For more information, go to: www.drsherriworth.com

Source  http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Dental_330/3_Tips_for_White_Teeth.shtml

President Obama, Mitt Romney compete for underdog status in debates

It’s the debate before the debates: Who gets to play the role of underdog, President Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney?

Neither candidate wants to be labeled the favorite and with a week to go before the first rhetorical rumble of the general election, each campaign is -- in a dramatic departure from its usual negativity -- praising the opposition.

“Mitt Romney had many, many debates, and he was very good in them,” Obama adviser David Axelrod told Reuters last week, referring to Romney’s 20 debates during the Republican primary. “By and large, when he needed to bring it, he did. He memorizes his set pieces, and he delivers them well.”

Another Obama adviser, Robert Gibbs, was more direct during an appearance on CNN Sunday.

“Mitt Romney, I think, has an advantage,” Gibbs said.

Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, who has played Obama in Romney’s debate preparations, responded on Monday: “One thing that I think has been missing in some of the discussion I’ve heard is that Barack Obama is a very effective debater,” Portman told Politico. “He’s articulate; he’s smart. He did a great job in 2008 during that campaign as a debater.”

The same candidates who have spent months trying to convince voters of their superiority on everything from the economy to foreign policy now are attempting to relieve the pressure to win arguments on those very subjects.

“Why do they do it? Because if you don’t do as well, you have an excuse,” said Allan Louden, chair of the communications department at Wake Forest University and an expert on political debates. “If you exceed expectations, everyone’s elated.”

The strategic lowering of debate expectations goes back at least as far as the 1980 presidential race between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and GOP nominee Ronald Reagan, Louden said.

A Globe story published on the day of that year’s second debate quoted Reagan press secretary Lyn Nofziger as saying “there’s minimal risk for Reagan. There’s enormous risk for Carter.” Another Reagan aide said that “if Reagan gets a draw, Carter loses.”

After setting his standard of success at a mere tie, Reagan was more brazen after a good performance in Cleveland, declaring he had won before flying to Texas. Polls backed up his claim: An ABC News/Harris survey showed voters overwhelmingly believed Reagan won, 44 percent to 26 percent. An Associated Press poll gave Reagan the victory, 46-34.

This year, there will be three 90-minute debates between Obama and Romney, each of which will be televised between 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. The first is next Wednesday at the University of Denver, where the focus will be on domestic policy. 

The second debate is Oct. 16 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. and will feature questions from undecided voters in the style of a town hall meeting. The final debate is Oct. 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. and will cover foreign policy.

Vice President Joe Biden will debate Romney’s running mate Paul Ryan on Oct. 11 at Centre College in Danville, Ky. on both foreign and domestic topics.

The goal for each campaign, Louden said, is to control the media narrative before and after the debates. There are explicit and implicit arguments on both sides.

The explicit argument from the Obama campaign is that Romney should be expected to fare well because of his recent debate experience and reportedly intense preparation. The implicit argument is that for the same reasons, Romney should be pilloried if he fares poorly.

Romney’s explicit argument is that he is well-practiced, yes, but has not debated a Democrat in a decade and that Obama has the advantage of being president -- dealing with the foreign and domestic duties of the office every day. The implicit argument is that a debate defeat would be embarrassing for the incumbent.

“Who’s really the underdog? I think it’s pretty irrelevant,” Louden said.

Source  http://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2012/09/25/president-obama-mitt-romney-compete-for-underdog-status-debates/LnZbZDZeXn7cDsVkqUxesJ/story.html

Golf tips to help your wallet and health

The few things in golf that don’t go up in-season are the cost to practice or the cost to take a lesson.

With the shorter days it can be a challenge to find the time. However, you will get more out of your practice if you are not sweating to death and can actually hold onto the club.

If you look around and are willing to travel, you may even find greens fees that won’t break the bank. Don’t forget that most courses will let you walk at certain times and there is no better way to play this great game than walking the course.

Not taking a cart will help your health, wallet and game.

Now you have a few ideas to help not only your finances but your overall well being and some great family time. Excuses be gone!

Source  http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20120909/SPORTS/309090020/Golf-tips-help-your-wallet-health?nclick_check=1

Obama Skipping AIDS Conference for Campaign Draws Activists’ Ire

For all the dignitaries on the schedule at the International AIDS Conference this week in Washington, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates and former President Bill Clinton, it’s the absence of one that has activists talking. 

With the conference being held in the U.S. for the first time in 22 years, President Barack Obama is out of town campaigning and raising money for his re-election. His only presence is a 50-second cameo in a three-minute video welcoming delegates. Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s only appearance is in a video message to a meeting on the sidelines of the conference on the role of the faith community.

“It’s a huge missed opportunity,” said Matthew Kavanagh, head of policy for Health GAP, an advocacy organization on AIDS. “The people who are touched by HIV in this country and who care about HIV are potential core constituents for the president.” 

Adding to the ire of activists is Obama’s proposed 2013 budget, which would cut funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, an initiative started by President George W. Bush, by seven percent compared with 2010 levels. 

Part of the calculus for Obama is that the economy, the federal budget deficit and the cost of health care are the dominant issues in his race with Romney. At the same time, public concern about HIV/AIDS has waned.

Pressing Issues

A survey by the Washington Post and the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation found 10 percent of Americans identified HIV/AIDS as the most urgent health problem facing the U.S., behind cancer, which was mentioned by more than a third, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, insurance and health costs. In 1995, 44 percent named it as the most pressing health issue. 

Obama’s stops this week, at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention on July 23 in Reno, Nevada, and the National Urban League Conference today in New Orleans, give him a chance to address issues that will loom larger in November. 

HIV/AIDS is “not high on the list of what most voters care about,” said Wendy Schiller, a political science professor at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. “But those that would be sympathetic to the movement to reduce AIDS, whether it’s the increase in African-American men or how it affects young children in Africa, are the same people he needs to get out the door and vote for him in November.”

‘Loyal Troops’

Still, she said it makes sense for Obama to spend his time in front of broader constituencies, including the National Urban League, a century-old civil rights organization. 

“The National Urban League is going to be like President Obama’s army, so if you have to make a choice between the Urban League and the International AIDS Conference you go with your solid, loyal troops,” Schiller said. 

For many activists, the bigger issue than Obama’s attendance at the conference is his administration’s commitment to funding global treatment for the disease. 

Bush more than tripled U.S. funding for global treatment during the last five years of his administration through the program known as Pepfar. With that increase, the U.S. accounted for about 59 percent of all donations for international AIDS relief, according to Jennifer Kates, director of global health and HIV policy for the Kaiser Family Foundation, of Menlo Park, California. 

The U.S. has spent about $46 billion since 2003 combating the disease internationally through Pepfar, which primarily funds the purchase and distribution of antiretroviral drug treatments for people in developing nations.

AIDS Budget

In 2010, the Pepfar budget was $6.9 billion, including money to combat tuberculosis, the leading killer of AIDS patients. If Obama’s current budget plan is enacted, the funding will fall to $6.4 billion in fiscal 2013.

“It’s ironic but Bush, I think, when it came to HIV/AIDS, understood the public health issue better than Obama,” said Jessica Reinhart, a grassroots manager with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a Los Angeles-based group that provides AIDS treatment. “The fact that Obama’s going to cut funding for Pepfar could possibly increase new infections.” 

Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, causes AIDS. The virus attacks the immune system and leaves the body vulnerable to a variety of life-threatening infections and cancers. 

A record 34.2 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS according to the World Health Organization. In South Africa alone, a country where almost 1 in 3 people survive on less than $2 a day, 18 percent of those ages 15 to 49 are infected, the data shows.

Enthusiasm Gap

Wearing a tee-shirt emblazoned with a stop sign and the message “Stop Pepfar Cuts,” Reinhart, who led a protest from the convention to the White House on July 23, said she’ll continue supporting the president. Her enthusiasm has diminished, though. 

“He’s upset a lot of the AIDS community, and it could be detrimental to his candidacy,” Reinhart said.

Still, total spending on HIV/AIDS programs has increased during Obama’s term. It would rise to $28.4 billion in fiscal 2013, up from $27.7 billion in 2012 and $27 billion in 2011, according to data from the Kaiser foundation. 

Administration officials defended the president’s priorities and his attention to the issue.

Eric Goosby, Obama’s Global AIDS Coordinator, said the U.S. wants other countries to carry a larger portion of the financial load. 

“The United States can’t be ministries of health for all of these countries,” Goosby said in an interview. “Our best chance at not having the United States be the predominant resource motor for HIV treatment and HIV/TB treatment on the planet is to bring others to the table to put their resources to it.” 

Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for Obama’s National Security Council, said in an e-mail that “the most important metric for Pepfar is lives saved, not dollars spent, and through smart investments we are delivering results.” 

Source  http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-07-25/obama-skipping-aids-conference-for-campaign-draws-activists-ire

Tips to stay healthy in the water

Oxford County Public Health and Emergency Services is asking local residents as part of its yearly prevention campaign on recreational water illness to stay healthy in the water by not swimming when they are ill with diarrhea.

According to public health, it takes only trace amounts of fecal matter to make others sick and some of the germs can survive for days, even in swimming pools with good filtration and disinfection systems.
One of the most common parasites Cryptosporidium can survive up to eleven days in a chlorinated swimming pool.

According to public health swallowing water contaminated with feces is still a leading cause of recreational water illness because germs from stool can easily contaminate the water in a large pool or water park.
“Children love visiting the beach, pools and water parks in the summer, but children are also one of the groups most vulnerable to recreational water illness because their immune systems are maturing and they are more likely to swallow water,” said Peter Heywood, Oxford public health program supervisor.

Public health’s campaign features “Swimming and diarrhea don’t mix” and “Wash your baby” posters at public pools to remind people to stay out of the pool if they have diarrhea and to wash babies thoroughly before swimming.

“Even if you think you’re well enough to swim, to help protect everyone’s health, we’re asking people to wait until they know their diarrhea has completely subsided before stepping foot in a public swimming area,” Heywood said.

Swimmers can also protect themselves by using the showers at public pools to rinse off before swimming, washing their hands after using the bathroom or changing a diaper, taking children on bathroom breaks and changing swimming diapers often and avoid swallowing pool or beach water.

Recreational water illnesses can cause skin, ear, respiratory, eye and wound infections, and are responsible for more serious health complications in children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.

Public health’s said their role in helping to prevent recreational water illness includes inspecting pools and splash pads in the community to ensure health procedures are followed.

Public Health also samples beach water weekly from mid-May to Labour Day to check bacteria levels. Area beaches with high levels of bacteria are posted on site as not safe for swimming. Beach water updates are available online at www.oxfordcounty.ca/health or by phone by dialing 2-1-1.

Source  http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2012/06/26/tips-to-stay-healthy-in-the-water

The Best Golfers Never to Win the U.S. Open: A Fan's Take

Many great golfers have claimed the United States Open title. On Father's Day a new champion will be crowned at the 112th U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, California. Yet there are many great golfers throughout history that have never had their name engraved on the trophy. As always lists are quite subjective by their very nature. That being said here is my list of the greatest players (in alphabetical order) never to claim the United States Open Championship. 

Seve Ballesteros

Spanish golfing legend Seve Ballesteros won five major championships in his career. Arguably one of the greatest players that continental Europe has yet produced, Ballesteros claimed three British Open titles and two green jackets. In addition to his success in the United States Ballesteros won 50 titles, including his major wins, on the European Tour. This remains the European Tour record. Ballesteros' best U.S. Open finish came in 1987 when he placed third. 

Nick Faldo

Englishman Sir Nick Faldo claimed six major championships in his career but never the United States Open championship. Faldo also enjoyed substantial success of the European tour claiming 30 victories. Faldo's best U.S. Open finish was second place in 1988. 

Bobby Locke

Bobby Locke was one of the great golfers in history and yet many American fans likely know little about him. Locke is most well-known for winning four British Open titles and for being one the greatest if not the greatest putter that ever lived. Locke's famous quote, "drive for show, putt for dough" is known by most every golfer. A native of South Africa, Locke was also the first great golfer that was neither British nor American. In only six U.S. Open appearances, Locke recorded five Top Five finishes. 

Phil Mickelson

It is difficult to place Phil Mickelson on this list because his career is not complete. Yet I think his career to this point warrants his inclusion. Phil Mickelson has won four career major championships; three Masters titles and a victory at the 2005 PGA Championship. In total Mickelson has 40 career PGA Tour titles which places him in the Top 10 all-time. While he cannot lay claim to being the greatest player of his generation, he is certainly no worse than number two. He has had many chances to hoist the U.S. Open trophy yet he is been relegated to runner-up status five times. Unfortunately for Phil his time to claim the U.S. Open title is running short. 

Sam Snead

Sam Snead was a legendary figure in the world of golf. He won seven major championships in his illustrious career. In all Snead won 82 career PGA Tour titles. That is still a record that stands to this day. It's not that Sam Snead did not have some success at the U.S. Open because he certainly did. Snead finished as the runner-up to the U.S. Open champion four times in his career. 

Source  http://sports.yahoo.com/news/best-golfers-never-win-u-open-fans-001800381--golf.html

No. 1 again! Luke Donald wins Transitons playoff, reclaims top ranking

Luke Donald is thinking about what might be, Ernie Els can only think about what might have been Sunday in a dramatic finish that saw Donald walk away with the Transitions Championship and reclaim his No. 1 ranking in the world of golf.

Els had the tournament firmly in his grasp, he was 14-under par through 15 holes at Innisbrook’s Copperhead course and had just hit his second shot within five feet for birdie at the difficult 16th. He missed that short putt then suffered bogeys on each of the final two holes.

He hit a poor tee shot at the 218-yard 17th that left him short right and he had no shot at saving par. Then Els shot himself in the foot on the 18th green when he missed a three-foot par putt that would have put him at 13-under par and in a playoff with Donald, Jim Furyk, Robert Garrigus and Sang Moon Bae.

Instead, it was Donald who went back to the 18th to take on those three. Donald was first to hit his approach to the 425-yard par four and he stuck it within six feet. Garrigus matched him, landing just outside Donald’s ball from 116-yards out after a monster drive.

Disappointing second shots left both Furyk and Bae with lengthy birdie putts they both failed to convert.

Garrigus missed his bid for birde and Donald calmly found the inside left of the cup and walked away with his fifth PGA Tour win and returned to the top of the World Golf Rankings, jumping over idle Rory McIlroy, who moved into the spot two weeks ago at the Honda Classic.

Donald shot 66 for his final round and had to wait for about an hour while Els, Furyk and Bae finished. Garrigus shot 64 and had a four-hour wait to learn that he was in the playoff.

Another trio besides Els finished one out of the playoff. Scott Piercy posted a spectacular 62 and was done four hours before the leaders teed off. Overton shot 66 and Ken Duke a 68 to finish 12-under.

The win had Donald looking forward to his next appearance and that will come at the Masters in three weeks.

“It’s another step in the right direction,” Donald said of his victory. “It’s a perfect preparation for Augusta.”

Was Donald contemplating regaining the No. 1 ranking? “No, I was focused on trying to win this tournament,” he said. Donald played steady early. “I had my eye on the leaders,” he recounted. “I birdied 11 to get to 13-under. I had a good chance for another birdie at 14 but didn’t make it.”

His run of seven straight pars to close out his day was good enough for him to post 13-under, 271. He then watched and waited and saw the misfortunes that cost Els the tournament and an invitation to the Masters.

Els was in the left center of the fairway at the final hole, 165 yards out. He pulled his approach but he was just off the green on the fringe and putted three feet past the hole. “I pulled my putt,” Els said as he stood near the 18th green, head down.

Source http://gantdaily.com/2012/03/18/no-1-again-luke-donald-wins-transitons-playoff-reclaims-top-ranking/