With warmer spring days and cooler nights upon us, plus summer vacations (hopefully) in the not-too-distant future, it's officially hot tub season. (Not to mention The Bachelorette starts back up again on Monday, meaning a summer full of steamy hot tub moments awaits on reality TV if not in actual real life.)

But while a soak in the hot tub may sound relaxing, is it hygienic? Does shaking in a few chemicals actually do the trick? We turned to a couple of experts -- Michele Hlavsa, RN, MPH, an epidemiologist and chief of healthy swimming for the Centers for Disease Control of Prevention and Charles Gerba, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology and environmental studies at The University of Arizona -- to find out.

Be careful what you feed your dog.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued another warning abouttoxic jerky treats, and it seems the poisonous pet snacks are still a problem.

As of May 1, more than 1,000 dogs have died as a result of the toxic treats. The FDA has received 4,800 reports of pet illnesses since 2007, 1,800 of which were submitted in the months following the agency's last warning in October 2013. Even though 25 percent of these complaints were "historic" claims -- meaning the illness occurred some time in months or years past -- the jerky products appear to be an ongoing source of sickness for both cats and dogs.

So far, the FDA has been unable to pinpoint why so many pets are getting sick anddeveloping kidney-related diseases. However, the majority of cases appear to derive from consumption of a jerky treat that was imported from China.

Though pet owners could avoid Chinese-made nibbles, that's not a surefire way to avoid the toxic treats since ingredients in the product could still be produced abroad, Fox 5 News reports.

Since there is not one particular brand that has been singled out as the main culprit, the agency is asking owners who feed their dogs jerky treats to keep a close eye on their pets. (The Humane Society keeps a running list of recalled pet food and treats on its website.)

If symptoms such as decreased appetite, increased water intake, vomiting or diarrhea show up and persist for more than 24 hours after a dog or cat has consumed a jerky treat, pet owners are urged to contact a veterinarian immediately.

Pet owners who have a cat or dog may have consumed a toxic jerky treat may report their findings to the FDA by calling 1-888-INFO-FDA.

The Environmental Working Group, a public health nonprofit organization, reviewed the nutrition labels of more than 1,500 cereals, including 181 marketed to kids. Cereals with cartoon characters on the box were found to have the most added sugar. In fact, two thirds of the products analyzed by the EWG contained more than a third of the sugar kids should consume in an entire day in just one serving. The average serving packed about as much sugar as three Chips Ahoy! cookies, according to the EWG.

All that sugar first thing in the morning is likely to just leave you hungry again as soon as your blood sugar levels crash. Unsurprisingly, cereals with more fiber -- at least 3 or 4 grams per serving -- can keep you full for longer, as can other breakfast options higher in protein.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/15/most-sugary-cereals-2014_n_5317771.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

The stress and strain of constantly being connected can sometimes take your life -- and your well-being -- off course. GPS For The Soul can help you find your way back to balance.

GPS Guides are our way of showing you what has relieved others' stress in the hopes that you will be able to identify solutions that work for you. We all have de-stressing "secret weapons" that we pull out in times of tension or anxiety, whether they be photos that relax us or make us smile, songs that bring us back to our heart, quotes or poems that create a feeling of harmony, or meditative exercises that help us find a sense of silence and calm. We encourage you to look at the GPS Guide below, visit our other GPS Guides here, and share with us your own personal tips for finding peace, balance and tranquility.

Once you notice the size of the Asian giant hornet—nearly as big as one’s thumb—you’ll know why it needed to be included on this list. The hornet’s wingspan is bigger than that of some hummingbirds, and can fly at an impressive 25 miles per hour–even faster when in a hive. This huge hornet, also referred to as the Japanese giant hornet, is responsible for numerous deaths in Japan every year.

To fully grasp the size of the Asian Giant Hornet, check out this video of a man’s “pet” hornet:

Here are 30 important things I learned by the time I turned 30 this year:

Read More :

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susie-moore/life-lessons_b_5324178.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

By Theopolis Waters

CHICAGO, May 19 (Reuters) - A Michigan meat processing plant has recalled 1.8 million lbs of ground beef for possible contamination with the E.coli bacteria, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on Monday.

USDA said Wolverine Packing Co in Detroit is recalling the 1.8 million lbs of ground beef products produced between March 31 and April 18 after FSIS was notified of a case of E.coli 0157:H7 illness on May 12.

FSIS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traced the case to the Wolverine Packing Company. Further investigations identified 11 people in four states sickened by the potentially deadly bacteria.

The product in question bears the establishment number "EST.2574B" with a production date code marked "Packing Nos:MM DD 14" between "03 31 14" and "04 18 14."

USDA said some of the recalled products were shipped to distributors for restaurant use in Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio.

They said none of the potentially contaminated ground beef made its way to the Department of Defense, the National School Lunch Program or catalog/internet sales. (Reporting by Theopolis Waters; Editing by Chris Reese)

In the Andes Mountains of Peru, living in extreme poverty, Filomena Taipe Mendoza, 116 years old, is in the running to become the world's oldest living person.

If her claim proves to be true, it would make her three months older than Misao Okawa of Japan, who currently holds the record for the oldest living person according to Guinness World Records and the Gerontology Research Group.

Mrs. Mendoza lives in the tiny village of Huancavelica, one of the poorest cities in Peru. Her age was reportedly discovered when she left her village to pick up a new type of retirement check for seniors living in poverty. BBC News reports that Peru's National Identity Register claims that her ID card indicates that she was born on December 20, 1897.

"I am not of the past century, young man, but the other one... I am very old," she told an official accompanying her to cash her first check according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Eat From the Garden, Don't Eat Processed Food

What is Filomena Taipe Mendoza's secret to such a long life? According to BBC News, she attributes it to the following:

Opposites may attract, but when your sleep styles don't match, you could have an unexpected kind of bedroom drama going on.

Kylie Brusch, a public relations professional in California, has met some obstacles to falling asleep since moving into a new place with her boyfriend. "He is an incredibly heavy sleeper and falls asleep almost instantly and anywhere," she said. "I am an incredibly light sleeper and need to use ear plugs and an eye mask." It doesn't help that he snores, loudly, which keeps her from falling asleep, or that his alarm goes off before hers, ending her slumber all too soon.

As described in the Book of Joshua, Rahab (a heroine nonetheless known as “Rahab the Harlot”) assisted two Israelite spies in escaping down the city wall of Jericho. Was Rahab a Biblical prostitute? While the Biblical text identifies her as a zônāh, a prostitute (Joshua 2:1), Josephus reports that she kept an inn. Anthony J. Frendo critically examines the textual evidence.

Read about Anthony J. Frendo’s conclusions on Rahab the Harlot.

http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/scandalous-women-in-the-bible/

There are hundreds of passages in the Bible that describe food, drink and dining. Many Biblical stories are set within the context of a meal. While most of these are about regular meals, others refer to more bizarre, extreme or supernatural cases of eating and drinking.

Here are 10 of the most notable examples (in no specific order):

As a rule, previous jobs of celebrities are noticeably different from their current occupations. They take great pains to hide their past experience, but I don`t understand why. It`s understood that before their fame came they were ordinary people and had to earn money for living as all people do. But, I must admit, some of the professions, that celebrities were busy with, are really strange and unexpected, so here are some of them.

Photo: xfinity.comcast.net
Can you imagine that the most handsome man in the world was advertising fast-food at El Pollo Loco? It`s hard to believe but it is true. Every morning he put on a chicken suit and nobody could recognize his face. But that was just a period in his life and only few people know about it, including you

Read More :

http://celebs.amerikanki.com/weirdest-previous-jobs-of-celebrities/

Would you like to watch some interesting and entertaining movie? If you have such desire but still you can’t choose from a great variety of new films that come out every year, I will gladly help you to make a decision. No matter how old a girl is, she should certainly see one of these teen movies at least once in a lifetime. By watching them you can get a great pleasure and entertain yourself. Here is the list of the best teen movies. If you discover you haven’t watched any of them, make it sure to choose the one for this evening.

If you are a great fan of Paul Rudd, this movie is exactly for you. Here you can see him in his young years. Lots of people find him extremely adorable in this movie. The main character of the movie is a pretty girl whose name is Cher. Boys and fashion are the first priorities for her. Paul Rudd’s character is the step-brother of this girl. At the beginning of this story we can see Cher as a haughty and materialistic girl, but finally she realizes the most valuable things in her life.

I’m sure there are a lot of people who want to come back to high school after graduating at least for one day. If you also miss your school years, this cute film will give you a perfect opportunity to remember those unforgettable moments one more time. In this film, you will see one of the most outstanding actresses Drew Barrymore, who plays a journalist here. Having received a special assignment, she enrolls in classes. It happens so that during the story the main character falls in love. That definitely gives a romantic touch to the film. I must say it is really worth seeing!

Read also – 9 New Disney Movies I’m Looking Forward to Watch

If you watch this movie at least once, you will love it forever. This film shows us the life of a home-schooled girl, who is played by Lindsay Lohan. One day this girl enters high school, but it turns out to be a big problem for her as she doesn’t know about the social hierarchy. Before entering this school she was a shy and an innocent girl. But life changes her greatly. She tries hard to become one of those beautiful and popular girls in her school. The girl makes a decision to reach her goal by all means no matter how dangerous it can be for her. This film teaches us that popularity isn’t the most important thing in our life. We should find friends among those people who appreciate us for our individuality. This is one of the teen films I would recommend you to see.

Teenagers’ life is represented in this movie and Mark Ruffalo acts in it. This is a story of a 13 year old girl who goes through time and becomes a 30 year old woman. In her adult life she gets a job and even has a boyfriend. The girl faces various problems as she doesn’t know how to deal with lots of things. When we are young we usually have a strong desire to grow up very quickly. But we should value our life as it is. This is the message of the story.

Have you ever met such a boy who can flirt with all the girls around? If you haven’t, this film will show you the best example of a womanizer. The main character of the story is John Tucker. He is dating with several girls and lies to each of them. Having discovered his deceit, the girls unite their efforts together to give him a lesson. Later Tucker falls in love with a new girl, who can break his heart. The most famous actors in this movie are Brittany Snow, Penn Badgley and Sophia Bush.

Read also – 9 Сelebrities Who Look Great without Makeup

This story has certain similarities with The Scarlet Letter. No doubt those who read it will highly appreciate the film. It reveals us the negative effect of people’s lie on their life. Here we can observe Emma Stone in her teen years. The girl is eager to gain popularity at school and nothing can stop her. As a result she lies to everybody around. The movie helps us to understand that every lie can lead to big troubles in our life.

All the stereotypes are broken in this film. It tells us the story of the teenagers sentenced to detention. At first sight, they seem to be absolutely different, but when the movie finishes, they appear similar in the eyes of others. Do you feel like watching a classic film with big stars? This one is right for you! Get ready to have a lot of fun and laugh.

Despite some silly episodes in these films, they are extremely entertaining and funny for lots of people. Watching one of them is a great way to relax and spend your free time. Would you like to see any of these movies?

An Iowa woman jokingly calls it "Satan's handiwork." A California mom says she's broken down in tears. A Pennsylvania parent says it "makes my blood boil."

What could be so horrible? Grade-school math.

As schools around the U.S. implement national Common Core learning standards, parents trying to help their kids with math homework say that adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing has become as complicated as calculus.

They're stumped by unfamiliar terms like "rectangular array" and "area model." They wrestle with division that requires the use of squares, slashes and dots. They rage over impenetrable word problems.