Jason Mraz memutuskan berpisah dengan wanita yang baru bertunangan dengannya bulan Desember lalu, Tristan Prettyman.
"Kesalahan terbesar saya saat ini adalah saya begitu mencintai seni. Saya menang dalam seni, tapi kalah telak soal hati. Saat ini, saya tidak lagi bertunangan," ungkap Jason seperti dikutip Popeater, Kamis (9/6/2011).
Segala upaya telah dilakukan Jason untuk mempertahankan hubungan dengan wanita berusia 29 tahun itu. Namun, upaya itu gagal dan tidak menghasilkan apa-apa.
"Dalam hubungan saya, saya sudah berusaha untuk membuat hubungan lebih baik. Tetapi kenyataannya, saya tidak melakukan hal yang lebih baik," sesalnya.
Meski memutuskan tak lagi bertunangan, pelantun If It Kills Me itu mengaku tetap menjalin hubungan baik dengan Tristan.
"Kami tetap berteman baik. Kami pergi ke tempat yoga bersama. Kami juga masih berselancar bersama," tandasnya.
Kepala Ryan Giggs, gelandang Manchester United, benar-benar pusing setelah kasus perselingkuhannya dengan istri sang adik, Natasha, terkuat ke publik. Karena sangkin pusingnya, rambut Giggs dikabarkan mulai mengalami kerontokan.
Surat kabar The Sun menyebutkan Giggs mulai menjalani pengobatan di sebuah studio pengganti rambut di Manchester untuk mencegah kepalanya menjadi botak.
Tidak hanya itu. Giggs rupanya menghabiskan 14.000 poundsterling untuk membeli mesin Tricostym. Mesin ini menggunakan 20 laser untuk pijat kulit kepala. Kegunaannya meningkatkan pertumbuhan rambut sehingga Giggs bisa mengobati sendiri di rumah.
Gadis-gadis pecinta keluarga kerajaan Inggris ini datang jauh-jauh dari rumah mereka di Amerika, demi mengejar pangeran tampan yang masih membujang, Harry
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Antrian selalu terlihat di depan klub malam Mahiki, di daerah Mayfair, London, Inggris. Tempat itu ternyata favorit Pangeran Harry yang biasa ia kunjungi dengan kekasihnya yang selalu putus sambung, Chelsy Davy.
Para gadis berpakaian rapi dengan dress code tertentu. Sementara pria yang mengantri mengenakan celana jeans yang dipadu kemeja sopan, terkadang dengan jas. Mahiki memang bukan sembarang tempat, ini klub malam bagi kalangan terhormat di Inggris.
Bagi para sekelompok gadis asal Amerika yang ingin bertemu Pangeran Harry, tak perlu heran jika melihat mereka antri. Alex Blom (20), Samantha Shrager (20), Megan Hartman (21) dan Corinne Fish (21) datang dengan satu tujuan: bertemu bujangan paling diburu di Inggris.
Keempat gadis ini berkuliah di Binghampton University New York dan mereka terikat oleh satu hal, yakni kecintaan akan keluarga kerajaan Inggris. Mereka sedang berada di London untuk belajar dan tentunya, menjadi gelombang baru gadis-gadis Amerika yang memburu Harry.
Mereka bagian dari komunitas yang dikenal sebagai ‘Harry Haunts’. Adik kandung Pangeran William ini makin disorot publik Amerika sejak pernikahan William dan Catherine. Bahkan, ada grup di Facebook dengan nama ‘I want to marry Prince Harry’, dengan 16 ribu lebih pengikut.
Meski sulit memburu Harry, keempatnya terus melakukan kegiatan ini dan bersumpah takkan menyerah hingga bertemu sang pangeran idaman. Memiliki kekasih juga takkan menghalangi mereka. “Akan saya sudahi hubungan saya demi Harry. Kekasih saya mengira ini candaan, tapi saya serius,” kata Hartman.
Tak suka masak dan jarang ke dapur? Mungkin setelah Anda membaca tulisan ini, Anda akan berubah pikiran. Pasalnya, banyak benda di dapur Anda yang ternyata bisa membuat kita cantik. Apa saja?
1. Timun
Sari timun sangat baik untuk dijadikan toner bagi Anda yang memiliki kulit berminyak. Atau, campurkan dengan susu, dan jadikan pembersih wajah.
2. Madu
Selain bisa membunuh kuman, madu juga bisa kita campur dengan lotion atau sabun cair untuk membuat kulit jadi ekstrahalus. Campurkan madu dengan susu, jadilah lotion yang akan membuat kulit kita bercahaya.
3. Kol
Bingung dengan jerawat yang selalu saja muncul di wajah? Main saja ke dapur, ambil kol, haluskan, dan jadikan masker pada bagian yang berjerawat. Kandungan asam amino dan vitamin C-nya bisa membantu mengusir jerawat.
4. Bawang putih
Haluskan bawang putih, oleskan sarinya ke wajah selama 5 menit, dan wajah yang berjerawat takkan lagi jadi masalah. Tapi ingat, jangan cukup diamkan 5 menit saja di wajah, karena bila terlalu lama, wajah akan terasa panas,
5. Lemon dan putih telur
Campurkan dua bahan ini dan jadikan masker wajah. Lemon baik untuk Anda yang memiliki kulit berminyak, dan putih telur berfungsi mengencangkan kulit dan mengecilkan pori-pori.
6. Wortel
Jika kulit Anda "dihiasi" noda dan flek-flek hitam, gunakan wortel untuk mengatasinya. Haluskan wortel dan oleskan pada bagian kulit yang berbercak.
Anda sering diganggu oleh sakit kepala yang tidak tertahankan? Ada beberapa hal yang dapat menjadi penyebab, diantaranya stres atau perut yang sedang tidak bersahabat. Kerap kali Anda butuh solusi, namun segan terus-terusan minum obat pereda sakit kepala yang dijual bebas.
Untuk itu, Anda bisa mencoba beberapa cara berikut ini, agar bisa meredakan sakit dan segera kembali beraktivitas.
Teknik rileksasi
Mengambil nafas mendalam beberapa kali dan melakukan peregangan di area leher dan bahu dapat merilekskan otot yang kaku, yang berkontribusi pada sakit kepala. Sheena Aurora, MD, direktur Swedish Headache Center, di Seattle, menganjurkan solusi ini untuk meredakan sakit kepala yang terjadi karena Anda sedang stres. Selain itu, peregangan tubuh juga dapat memperbaiki postur tubuh yang buruk, yang juga merupakan salah satu penyebab sakit kepala.
Terapi panas atau dingin
Sensasi panas atau dingin cocok bagi jenis sakit kepala yang sifatnya ringan (bukan migren). Caranya mudah, Anda hanya perlu menempelkan kompres panas atau dingin (sekarang tersedia dalam kemasan praktis dan bisa dibeli di apotek retail) di bagian yang terasa sakit, lalu biarkan selama 15 menit.
"Pilihan kompres panas atau dingin itu tergantung pada preferensi Anda," kata Jason Rosenberg, MD, direktur Johns Hopkins Headache Center, Bayview, Baltimore. Para ahli masih belum menemukan mengapa terapi ini bisa efektif, namun diduga kompres dingin dapat memperlambat aliran darah dan mengurangi inflamasi. Sementara, kompres panas meningkatkan aliran darah dan meredakan nyeri.
hehehhehehehehe ucing
Minum kopi
Untuk sakit kepala skala ringan, menyesap kopi yang mengandung kafein bisa jadi "obat" yang manjur. Kafein dapat menghambat adenosine, sejenis neurotransmiter yang dapat menyebabkan pembuluh darah melebar dan menciptakan tekanan. Minum minuman mengandung kafein sesaat setelah sakit kepala datang dapat membantu meredakan rasa nyeri. Namun, sayangnya ini hanya berlaku bagi mereka yang jarang minum kopi, atau konsumsinya tidak lebih dari 1 cangkir sehari. Bila Anda memang peminum kopi berat, bisa jadi "obat" ini kurang responsif.
Teh peppermint
Sakit kepala datang bersama dengan perut yang tidak nyaman? Minum saja teh peppermint untuk meredakannya.
"Peppermint terbukti dapat meredakan ketegangan di saluran gastrointestinal, sekaligus meredakan gejala sakit kepala," kata Audrey L. Halpern, MD, direktur Manhattan Center for Headache and Neurology.
Selain itu, perubahan neurokimia di otak akibat serangan sakit kepala juga dapat memengaruhi bagian otak yang menciptakan rasa mual, lanjut Halpern. Nah, teh peppermint akan juga membantu meredakan rasa tidak nyaman itu. Penting: Bila Anda sedang hamil, sebaiknya tidak mengonsumsi peppermint tanpa berkonsultasi dengan dokter.
Greenpeace mengumumkan hasil investigasi yang mengejutkan. Barbie, boneka mainan paling terkenal di dunia, terbukti terkait dengan perusakan hutan hujan. Kemasan yang digunakan oleh boneka ini ternyata menggunakan bahan baku yang berasal dari hutan Indonesia yang menjadi rumah dari spesies langka seperti Harimau Sumatra.
Menggunakan uji forensik, para peneliti Greenpeace menemukan bahwa kemasan Barbie berasal dari perusakan hutan Indonesia. Selain uji forensik, peneliti Greenpeace juga melakukan investigasi lapangan langsung, pemetaan data dan menelusuri sertifikat perusahaan untuk menguatkan bukti bahwa Mattel, pembuat Barbie, juga perusahaan-perusahaan mainan besar lain termasuk Disney, menggunakan kemasan yang diproduksi oleh Asia Pulp and Paper (APP).
"Sudah seringkali APP terungkap melakukan aktivitas perusakan hutan Indonesia untuk membuat produk seperti kemasan ini. Barbie merusak hutan alam dan menyebabkan satwa langka seperti harimau ke arah kepunahan. Ini terjadi karena kemasan Barbie berasal dari perusakan hutan di Indonesia yang menjadi rumah bagi satwa langka seperti harimau sumatera," ujar Bustar Maitar, Kepala Kampanye Hutan Indonesia Greenpeace dalam rilis yang diterima Tribunnews.com, Selasa (8/6/2011).
Bustar menyatakan Mattel, perusahaan pembuat Barbie, harus berhenti membungkus mainan paling terkenal di dunia ini dengan bahan yang berasal dari perusakan hutan. Ia mendesak agar Mattel berhenti membeli kemasan dari APP, yang sudah terkenal sebagai perusak hutan.
“APP adalah kabar buruk bagi hutan Indonesia. Perusahaan ini memperlakukan Indonesia tidak lebih sebagai tempat pengerukan sumberdaya yang dengan mudah dihabiskan, merampas hutan yang sangat penting bagi masyarakat lokal. Mattel dan perusahaan mainan lain seperti Disney, mempunyai tanggung jawab untuk mendukung pembangunan bersih dan rendah karbon. Mereka harus menghentikan hubungan dengan APP sekarang juga dan beralih kepada produsen produsen kertas Indonesia lain yang lebih bertanggung jawab,” jelas Bustar.
Atas hasil investigasinya tersebut, sejumlah aktivis Greenpeace di Los Angeles berjas tuxedo menyerupai Ken, kekasih Barbie, membentangkan spanduk raksasa di Kantor Pusat Mattel bertuliskan “Barbie: Kita Putus. Aku Tak Sudi Memiliki Kekasih yang Terlibat Deforestasi”. Demonstrasi tersebut menandai diluncurkannya kampanye Greenpeace secara global untuk menghentikan industri mainan menjadi penyebab perusakan hutan di Indonesia.
Indonesia di mata Green Peace adalah satu di antaranegara dengan laju deforestasi tercepat di dunia. Diperkirakan lebih dari satu juta hektar hutan dihancurkan setiap tahunnya. Meski pemerintah baru-baru ini telah mengumukan moratorium (penghentian sementara) pemberian ijin baru perusakan hutan, data memperlihatkan bahwa moratorium ini tidak bisa melindungi 45 juta hektar hutan alam dan lahan gambut.
“Greenpeace menyerukan kepada pemerintah Indonesia untuk mengkonkritkan upaya yang lebih kuat untuk melindungi hutan alam dan lahan gambut Indonesia yang masih tersisa – termasuk di hutan yang izin konsesinya telah diberikan. Hal ini hendaknya diikuti dengan pengkajian ulang semua ijin konsesi yang telah diberikan untuk memastikan apakah konsesi itu diperoleh sesuai dengan hukum Indonesia atau tidak. Saat ini, hutan, lahan gambut dan satwa yang hidup di dalamnya terus dihancurkan oleh perusahaan seperti APP.” demikian Zulfahmi, Jurukampanye Hutan Greenpeace Asia Tenggara menambahkan.
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Calls for Representative Anthony Weiner's resignation, including from some fellow Democrats, mounted on Wednesday, two days after he confirmed details of an online sex scandal.
Word also emerged that the wife he has publicly humiliated is pregnant.
Democrats in Congress, distancing themselves from the once rising liberal Democratic political star, are becoming increasingly concerned about the political fallout.
A House Democratic aide said late on Wednesday, "There are strong signals coming from members that represent a growing concern in the caucus about his actions and you see members speaking out."
Allyson Schwartz, a member of the House of Representatives Democratic campaign committee, made it clear she had seen enough of the scandal that was tarnishing the party's image.
"Having the respect of your constituents is fundamental for a member of Congress. In light of Anthony Weiner's offensive behavior ... he should resign," Schwartz said.
Weiner, 46, who many had seen as the next mayor of New York, is resisting calls he step down for sending lewd photos of himself to women with whom he had held steamy online chats.
"I think his hope and instinct is that he can stick it out," said a senior New York Democrat, asking not to be identified. "We'll see."
But there were deeper questions about Weiner's political future after an explicit photo of the congressman reportedly surfaced on the Internet on Wednesday.
"As Representative Weiner said on Monday when he took responsibility for his actions, he has sent explicit photos," a spokeswoman said in a statement.
"To reiterate, he has never met any of these women or had physical contact with them. As he said, he deeply regrets the pain he has caused. With the full support of his wife, he is working on righting these wrongs with his family and his colleagues," the statement added.
Huma Abedin, 35, an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who married the congressman a year ago, is in the early stages of pregnancy with the couple's first child, The New York Times reported, citing three unidentified people with knowledge of the situation.
The Times said the couple had disclosed the pregnancy to close friends and family.
HAS VOWED TO REMAIN IN POST
After vehemently denying for more than a week that he sent a picture of his bulging boxer briefs to a woman in Seattle, claiming he was the victim of hacking, Weiner tearfully admitted to lying about the scandal on Monday.
He also vowed to remain in his post and preserve his marriage to Abedin. Former President Bill Clinton officiated at their wedding last July amid much fanfare that Washington's newest power couple was made of a Muslim, Abedin, and a Jew, Weiner.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate whether Weiner violated any of the chamber's rules, and former Democratic Party Chairman Tim Kaine, now running for the Senate from Virginia, said Weiner should step down.
House Republican Leader Eric Cantor on Tuesday became the first top lawmaker to say Weiner should quit.
Dan Ripp of Bradley Woods, a private firm that tracks Washington for investors, said he expected Weiner to quit within days.
"I think he's history," Ripp said. "Democrats aren't giving him the time of day. He has no clout. His own party is looking at him like a bozo. He is dragging them down."
Back in New York, his constituents were split.
Howard Witz, a real estate broker in Brooklyn, part of Weiner's district in New York City, said he would support Weiner again should he remain in politics.
"It's a shame because he's a very effective politician," Witz said. "Disappointed? Maybe. But does it make me quit on him? No it doesn't. As long as he didn't commit a crime."
Another New Yorker, Joe Mele, was more blunt.
"Mayor? I don't think he should be dogcatcher," Mele said.
(Additional reporting by Richard Chang and Richard Cowan; Editing by Xavier Briand and Peter Cooney)
Although the national unemployment rate ticked up slightly in May, some large cities are seeing an increase in private-sector hiring. In fact, more than 90 percent of the country's largest metro areas saw a drop in unemployment in April, according to the US Department of Labor.
And one reason for this improvement is likely seasonal summer hiring. The Labor Department reports that regions that see a large influx of tourists during the summer showed the steepest month-over-month declines in unemployment. But summer hiring doesn't tell the whole story. Using data pulled from Monster.com's vast number of job postings and other sources*, we’re seeing an increase in job postings in cities on both coasts as well as in the heartland.
And while not everyone can relocate to where the jobs are, we think the story here is encouraging -- and many job seekers seem to agree. Although the economy's improvement remains slow, we're seeing a dramatic increase in the number of employed workers who have ridden out the recession and are now job searching again.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the top 10 metro areas for jobs:
1. Washington, DC-Arlington-Alexandria
Industries to Watch: Demand is strong in architecture/engineering, as well as in the related categories of construction/extraction and installation/repair and maintenance.
2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont Industries to Watch: Private-sector hiring is robust, with especially positive trends in management, IT, business/financial and architecture/ engineering, among other industries.
4. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington Industries to Watch: Look for lots of opportunities in healthcare (practitioners, as well as technical and support workers), business/financial and IT.
5. Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor Industries to Watch: Consumer-driven sectors (food preparation/serving and personal care) are trending well, as are industries such as management and IT.
6. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy Industries to Watch: The data shows strong growth in healthcare and architecture/engineering (among other industries) and fairly positive trends for computer/mathematical (IT) and business/financial.
7. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Industries to Watch: There's a high demand here for blue-collar or skilled-labor workers in transportation, construction, installation/repair and production.
Industries to Watch: Look to the private sector here for management, IT, and administrative/support jobs. Construction and protective-services jobs are also on the rise.
Industries to Watch: There's high demand here for people in the area of creative/marketing (arts, design, sports and entertainment, for example), as well as for workers in office administration and healthcare support roles.
* Methodology: To determine the top 10 areas, Monster used data from Wanted Analytics (job posting volume, last 30 days) and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (March 2011). The top 10 metro areas are those that showed the highest number of open positions per worker
The World At Night, or TWAN, recently announced the winners of their 2011 International Photo Contest. A full collection of photos can be viewed at http://twanight.org. This photograph by Stephane Vetter won first place in the Beauty of the Night Sky category; it displays the northern lights and the Milky Way above the arctic landscape of Iceland. (Photo: Stephane Vetter/www.nuitsacrees.fr/TWAN)
First prize in the Against The Lights category went to photographer Thomas Kurat for his photo “Alps at Night”. It shows the starry sky above a misty Alpine valley and village lights in Austria. The Against The Lights category highlights photos that show people how bad the problem of light pollution has become. (Photo: Thomas Kurat/www.tkfotos.at/TWAN)
'Isfahan Milky Way' by Mehdi Momenzadeh won second price in the Against the Lights category. The photo shows the arc of the Milky Way rising above central Iran, and fades away in the northeast because of light pollution in the historic city of Isfahan. (Photo: Mehdi Momenzadeh/www.photographyblog.ir/TWAN)
"Galactic View from Planet Earth” by Alex Cherney from Australia is the second prize winner in the Beauty of the Night Sky category. The central bulge of the Milky Way, the brightest band of the galaxy, is captured in a starry night sky of Australia. (Photo: Alex Cherney/www.terrastro.com/TWAN)
Lisbon Sky Lights' by Miguel Claro won third prize in the Against the Lights category. Stars and the crescent Moon trail toward the western horizon above the 25 April Bridge in Lisbon, Portugal. There are also many trails by airplanes to or from the Lisbon airport , including the bright light crossing the moontrail. (Photo: Miguel Claro/http://miguelclaro.com/TWAN)
Photographer Luc Perrot won third prize in the Beauty of the Night Sky category with this photo. The band of the Milky Way arcs above Piton de la Fournaise, a very active volcano on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. (Photo: Luc Perrot/www.lucperrot.com/TWAN)
'The Great Wall at Night' by Xiaohua won 4th prize in the Beauty of the Night Sky category. The constellations Scorpio and Sagittarius stand above the Wu Saint Gate in the Great Wall of China. (Photo: Xiaohua/mr_wxh@hotmail.com/TWAN)
Home sellers are solely their own kind of client. While my career in real estate brought me in contact with many home sellers who all had different expectations and varied reasons for selling their home, they all had one thing in common: They shared the same spiel. I'm not sure if they all read from the same "home seller handbook" or if there was a secret website that gave them a scripted dialogue, but if I heard these things once I heard them a thousand times. Before signing a listing agreement, there were five things almost every seller would say that they knew weren't necessarily true. Regardless, we savvy and experienced agents are on to these sellers. From my years of experience, I knew how to persuade a seller to tell the truth.
'My house is the best in the neighborhood'
Indeed, in their mind, it may be the best house in the neighborhood. The truth is that they haven't been in every house in the neighborhood, so there is no possible way that they know this. As attached to a home as a seller might be, it's been my professional experience that once you take them to see other properties in the area, they start seeing their home in an entirely new light. It's an eye-opening experience, and they realize there is stiff competition.
'I've done more improvements than any of the neighbors'
This tiny fabrication ties in to the seller professing that he has the "best" house in the neighborhood. Honestly, he doesn't know what the Joneses and the Smiths have done to their homes. The more homes that I took a seller to see in the general neighborhood, the less he said that his home was the most improved in the neighborhood. In fact, in many instances, sellers found their home right on par with improvements, if not under-improved. This not only brought down the seller's expectations for his property, it also usually got me the price reduction I needed.
'I won't take less than...'
Many sellers begin the process with a dollar amount that they want to make on their property. They are unwavering in the fact that they won't take less than "X" amount for their property. They have no problem vocalizing it loudly and often. For many sellers, however, I found this to be an all-out lie. The fact is that a seller will "take" a fair amount for his house, and that ultimately the amount he will "take" is in direct proportion to what a buyer will pay. Unfortunately, this usually isn't the highest-dollar amount that he wanted when starting the sales process.
'I'm not going to give my home away'
For many sellers "giving" their house away ties in to the "I won't take less than X" speech. Sellers believe anything less than what they "want" for the house is giving it away for next to nothing. As a real estate agent, I knew this was the time to hammer the seller with market data. After explaining the sales facts in their neighborhood, I could usually get sellers to see the light
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'I'll do whatever it takes to sell'
Admittedly, I was always suspicious of these folks. Sure, they say that they will do "whatever it takes," but they are not entirely prepared for the stress associated with selling a home. When meeting with these sellers, I would explain the factors that go into a successful sale. The "I'll do whatever it takes to sell" speech was usually quickly replaced with admissions of "I didn't know that."
This list is of the utmost importance for sellers to review, before putting their house on the market. I have seen many a seller lose many an excellent agent because he didn't do this homework before his listing appointment. If you want the best agent, as a seller, you have to know the ins and outs of being the best seller for that agent. One way to be the best seller on the block is to avoid these all-too-common lies that so many sellers so often tell.
*Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Do you have a real estate story that you'd like to share? Sign up with the Yahoo! Contributor Network to start publishing your own finance articles.
