T: Is for Tips to improve life.

Trying to find products that are good for you home but also the environment is not as easy as on would think. Here are some tips for going green.

The Nest Store was an idea hatched in 2007 by Robin Wilson. She also runs Robin Wilson Home and has created a platform to introduce the consumer marketplace to eco-friendly and eco-healthy products. We have worked to identify unique products that are beautiful, yet eco-friendly, in a variety of materials including concrete metal, soy, bamboo, organic cotton, microcotton and mango wood, among others. Nest is also a nonprofit organization with a social mission to support women in developing countries by way of helping them to turn their artistic ideas and creative dreams into real life money-making entrepreneurial businesses that can stand the test of time. Nest funds the efforts primarily through the sales of unique home decor items, jewelry, and accessories created for the Nest store by a group of volunteer artists and artisans. So by shopping (either online or in one of their shop locations) you can both indulge your own love of art and beauty and be helping women around the globe to reach their dreams. www.theneststore.com

With the amount of plastic mounting and not breaking down, here are reasons Innova is the answer. Reducing other contaminants, tastes and odors. Convenient - travels with you “anywhere, anytime, all the time”. Economical - reduce the cost of "bottled water” to pennies a gallon. Personal Safety - removing more than 90% of lead & chlorine in tap water. Purifies - Innova Biological Products remove 99.9999% bacteria and protozoa to EPA and WHO standards. Long Lasting - obtain 100 bottles of treated water from "one" Innova filter bottle. Environmentally Friendly - Reduces the burden of plastic bottle disposal by at least 100 fold. Freed - from the need to find & purchase bottled water. Cleaner - Innova Water Filter products are better for all your water needs. For $12.99 you can clean up to 20 gallons of water. Replacement filters are the same. Log onto http://www.waterfilters.net/SB-2-Water-Bottle-w-Filter_p_0-265.html to buy

Biopro is a company that has saved my body from pain. Several scientific studies, have been conducted studying the impact of cell phone radiation exposure on the human body. These studies have been published, reporting that cell phones emit harmful radiation and exposure to this harmful radiation could lead to health problems such as headaches, fatigue and memory loss, to name a few. More serious are the reports of brain cancers linked to cell phone radiation exposure. We are exposed to harmful radiation by the use of wired and wireless appliances in our homes, such as computers, cordless phones, televisions and many other tech-gadgets and devices we use daily. Using a technology known as ERT (energy resonance technology) and patented "MRET" (molecular resonance effect technology, an innovative invention of scientist, Dr. Igor Smirnov, PHD.)- To neutralize harmful radiation you can reduce the effects. I know as I have had this on two of my cell phones. $34.95 is a cheep answer to a troubling problem. log onto www.sharevlight.com after Monday to get these get tools

These are just three ways to protect you, the environment and those you love and these are great F.A.C.T.S

C: is for Cosmetically Enhanced!

This weekend at the Javits was the International Beauty Show and girls this is where your stylists learns how to make you look like you jumped off the pages of Vogue. Here is a review of somof the product lines in store for you.
Mommy Makeup was created by ward-winning makeup artist Debra Rubin-Roberts when she became a mom. After giving birth she realized she no longer had time to apply the 13 items she used to get a basic polished look. She needed makeup that was quick and easy and if she needed it, surely other moms did too! With over 15 years of experience as a professional makeup artist she had worked with the top brands available. She got it down to 6 minutes and added a "Paint by Number" Instruction and Face sheet to create the perfect look without the guess work. These fantastic make-up kits shorten your get-ready time, while making you look polished, allowing for the chic care free mom on the go look. Everything is included, and there's no need to scrounge around to determine the who, what, where and why's. Of course this all comes with a pricy tag and I think hiring a babysitter and going and playing at Sephora for an hour is less expensive and a lot more fun.

Starting with a skin care line that sets the pallet, Baronessa Cali began in the 19th century, on an olive grove, on the outskirts of Rome by the Mediterranean Sea. There the Roman nobles discovered the Cali Beauty Farm. Their philosophy has been to treat the outside and the inside of our bodies with the same care while using the finest ingredients. Used by some of the top spa's and bed and breakfasts around the world it is now available at fine drugs stores. I recommend Oliva Corpo which replenishes and revitalises your skin's tones. It contains arnica montana (antiseptic, astringent, anti-inflammatory, circulation-stimulating and healing properties, promotes new tissue growth) and kelp (stimulating, revitalising, nourishing and anit-inflamatory properties, reduces moisture loss). These products will not only keep your skin looking radiant but are reasonably priced.

Belegenza ExtraOrdinary Hair Care makes hair and skin feel young again, with patent-pending formulas that are silicone-free giving you shine from within. Frizz control, incredible body with organic, technologically advanced ingredients are the other highlights of these products. Go to www.belegenza.com to get free samples Free Shampoo & Conditioner. When you arrive on their site scroll down to the bottom of the page and request free trial size samples of ILustrious shampoo and dramatic daily volumizing conditioner. They will ask you to enter a license number, enter the words FREE SAMPLE. The shampoo adds incredible body, extra shine and soothes the scalp. The dramatic moisturizing conditioner penetrates your hair, controls natural curl and permed curl while keeping you hairs' natural beauty and shine. They also have a shampoo meant to grow your hair faster and thicker now that's something to be excited about!

The most interesting product at the show was by Formulary for Physicians, Inc. Their microdermabrasion formulas, Crystal Peel and Men’s Microdermabrasion and Close Shave actually deliver. Crystal Peel is state-of the-art technology which without bleach turns your skin white, youthful and flawless. They rubbed some on my right hand and my skin showed a noticeable difference it lasted until I took a shower, which is impressive. I can't wait to see what it does when I use it on my face. Much better than a chemical peel and quicker.

We live in an age where new products bombard us faster than we can make up our minds. It is our hope we just shed some F.A.C.T.S to help your beauty regime.

A: Is for Art that is a stage!

Friday night I went to see the Philip Glass opera "Satyagraha" at the Met. This productions scenic backdrop and staging for me was enthralling. Huge puppets loomed ominously, some more than 20 feet tall. Reminiscent of Julie Tamor mating with Pilobolus, grotesque, images depicting the politicians and those in power lunged, their heads bobbing like doddering old men. The figures of German Expressionist artists Otto Dix and George Grosz were reincarnated. "Satyagraha," is about Gandhi's years in South Africa and this production utilizes simple materials to create it's world. Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch, , are the director and the designer of the opera. In act 1 puppets created from newspaper along with wicker baskets and brooms become a crocodile, and a knight engaged into battle. Chairs held over faces become symbolic barriers. Coated newspapers paper become screens for which words come to life. Balled up pages become an arsenal of stones. News pages are once again manipulated into a Hindu goddess as long strips of attached pages represent a printing press. It's an ordinary object that, when transformed, becomes magical. Ordinary simple actions, when done with commitment, become powerful and thus Gandhi's idea of "satyagraha," a Sanskrit term that can be translated as "truth-force" stands for nonviolent resistance. Aerialists and puppeteers bring this work to life in a way that is thrilling. This production is like a Christmas present and keeps you waiting to see what will be unveiled. Never once was I disappointed or not awed. The dominant set is a huge curved backdrop of corrugated iron, that periodically breaks apart with doors and windows that form multiple mini-stages within the principal space. Just when you think what else can they do giant birds and amphibious monsters appear. Characters are suddenly pulled up like marionettes; household materials like clothes hangers and rolls of scotch tape are used in magical, unexpected ways. This production is an illustration that art does not just live on walls, or is found in galleries or museums but can be transformed anywhere and that is a F.A.C.T.

F: Is for food in crises

To preach doom and gloom at the beginning of a week is typically not my style, but with the headlines and articles coming across the airwaves it is impossible not to write about this on a F day. There is a shortage of food that is causing need for concern and shortly a crises. The hottest issue at the UN's conference in Ghana this week was the world food shortages and rising prices. The escalated price of food, especially staples have increased by more than half in the last six months. The ban on rice and wheat exports by some countries threatens to exacerbate the problem. There is a call out to the wealthier nations to come to the aid of poorer nations, but can someone tell me who this is? Because if you think it is us, think again. More importantly with the seed banks holding hordes of seeds, who are we saving them for? The call should be to the corporations that have stashed this valuable commodity away to open the vaults and feed a soon to be starving world. This problem is not just globally but also at home. Developing countries must be allowed to defend their food security and small farmers, should be given a way to quickly expand food production through sustainable agriculture. Land for biofuels should be turned back to farming for food. For those of you who don't know there is a shortage on wheat and rice, Costco's and Sam's customers are limited to 5 bags per purchase. We need to be prepared. Think of this column as a girl or boy scout lesson in preperation. I will be giving out hints and hope on how to solve the problem we are in and more importantly how keep you and your family safe. AeroGarden a NASA tested technology that grows plants in water, nutrients and air so simply and easily that anyone can succeed. Choose from over 20 different seed kits. This fully automated garden requires no green thumb and if there is little food or the price has made it impossible in your house fresh tomatoes, herbs fruits and vegetables will keep you healthy. Another solution is sustainable gardening that can be either pre-grown or planted on the roof and walls of buildings. If we had these gardens on our buildings, roofs and inside our houses we could all not only be growing food but help and improve our air quality. The world would turn just a little more beautiful with a purpose of greatness. To learn more log onto www.agreenroof.com. It is coming down to the wire and there are those who will listen and help themselves and others who will not. There is an old story of the grasshopper and the ant and it is time to follow that parable and learn the moral of the story and that is becoming a necessary F.A.C.T.