Do YOu know :One Kiss between two may "transfer 80 million microbe"

One Kiss between two may "transfer 80 million microbe" Dutch scientists said.
The research work on the examination of 21 of the peer group, to come to the practice of kissing nine times a day, they are the most vulnerable to the transmission of microbes, including salivary glands.
Studies says the mouth contains more than 700 different species of bacteria, but the report reveals that the types of them move more easily than other types.
The study published in the journal "Maekeroubeyom."

Kiss intimate
The research of the organization, "TNT or" for scientific research and applied Dutch team may face a number of questions to 21 of peers to evaluate their habits in kissing, including the number of times exercised where kissing in the past year, including last kiss intimate.
They took bacterial samples from the tongues of volunteers in this study and their saliva, before Taqbilhm to each other for exactly ten seconds and then also.
He then one of them eating Catalyst syrup for microbial activity, contains a mixture of microbes that can be easily discerned.
In the second kiss, scientists were able to verify the number of microbes that have moved to the other partner, at a rate of 80 million bacteria in one kiss lasted for ten seconds.

However, it appears that bacteria found in human saliva are changing rapidly as a result of a kiss, the bacteria on the tongue concentrations remained more stable than others.

     source:http://ddailyhealth.blogspot.com/

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Met Office to offer daily space weather forecasts

The Met Office is to begin offering daily forecasts about the weather in space.
The 24 hour service will aim to help businesses and government departments by providing early warnings of solar storms that can disrupt satellites, radio communications and power grids.
The first forecast is expected to be available next spring.
The Department for Business will support the scheme with £4.6m of funding over the next three years.
The Met Office will aim to develop better ways of predicting space weather in collaboration with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
UK partners involved in the project include the British Geological Survey, Bath University and RAL Space.
Space weather is driven by energetic particles from the Sun.
Solar flares and eruptions in the Sun's atmosphere - known as coronal mass ejections - are powerful sources of potentially destructive solar storms.
They have the potential to damage sensitive satellite components and induce current surges strong enough to knock out power grids on Earth
A massive blackout in Quebec in 1989 has been attributed to a solar storm.
The Sun's activity peaks about every 11 years, when solar emissions become more intense. It is currently in a "solar maximum" phase.
Mark Gibbs, head of space weather at the Met Office, said: "Space weather is a relatively immature science but understanding is growing rapidly."
He said the Met Office collaboration aimed to "accelerate the development of improved space weather models and prediction systems to make more effective use of space weather data".
Mr Gibbs added: "This investment will enable the Met Office to complete the space weather forecasting capability that it has been developing over the past two years and begin delivering forecasts, warnings and alerts to key sectors to minimise the impact to the technology-based services we all rely on."
Andrew Richards, a risk analyst for the National Grid, said: "A round-the-clock UK forecasting service for space weather is essential as part of National Grid's procedures for running the electricity transmission network securely and safely."

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Oil spill control technologies

Overview
A number of advanced response mechanisms are available for controlling oil spills and minimizing their impacts on human health and the environment. The key to effectively combating spills is careful selection and proper use of the equipment and materials best suited to the type of oil and the conditions at the spill site. Most spill response equipment and materials are greatly affected by such factors as conditions at sea, water currents, and wind. Damage to spill-contaminated shorelines and dangers to other threatened areas can be reduced by timely and proper use of containment and recovery equipment
Mechanical Containment
Mechanical Containment and Recovery is the primary line of defense against oil spills in the United States. Containment and recovery equipment includes a variety of booms, barriers, and skimmers, as well as natural and synthetic sorbent materials. Mechanical containment is used to capture and store the spilled oil until it can be disposed of properly.
BOOMS 
Containment booms are used to control the spread of oil to reduce the possibility of polluting shorelines and other resources, as well as to concentrate oil in thicker surface layers, making recovery easier. In addition, booms may be used to divert and channel oil slicks along desired paths, making them easier to remove from the surface of the water.
Booms can be divided into several basic types.
Fence booms have a high freeboard and a flat flotation device, making them least effective in rough water, where wave and wind action can cause the boom to twist.
Round or curtain booms have a more circular flotation device and a continuous skirt. They perform well in rough water, but are more difficult to clean and store than fence booms.
Non-rigid or inflatable booms come in many shapes. They are easy to clean and store, and they perform well in rough seas. However, they tend to be expensive, more complicated to use, and puncture and deflate easily.
All boom types are greatly affected by the conditions on the water; the higher the waves swell, the less effective booms become.
When a spill occurs and no containment equipment is available, barriers can be improvised from whatever materials are at hand. Although they are most often used as temporary measures to hold or divert oil until more sophisticated equipment arrives, improvised booms can be an effective way to deal with oil spills, particularly in calm water such as streams, slow-moving rivers, or sheltered bays and inlets. Improvised booms are made from such common materials as wood, plastic pipe, inflated fire hoses, automobile tires, and empty oil drums. They can be as simple as a board placed across the surface of a slow-moving stream, or a berm built by bulldozers pushing a wall of sand out from the beach to divert oil from a sensitive section of shoreline.
Skimmers
A skimmer is a device for recovering spilled oil from the water's surface. Skimmers may be self-propelled, used from shore, or operated from vessels. The efficiency of skimmers is highly dependent upon conditions at sea. In moderately rough or choppy water, skimmers tend to recover more water than oil. Three types of skimmers--weir, oleophilic and suction--are described here. Each type offers advantages and drawbacks depending on the type of oil being recovered, the sea conditions during cleanup efforts, and the presence of ice or debris in the water.
Weir skimmers use a dam or enclosure positioned at the oil/water interface. Oil floating on top of the water will spill over the dam and be trapped in a well inside, bringing with it as little water as possible. The trapped oil and water mixture can then be pumped out through a pipe or hose to a storage tank for recycling or disposal. These skimmers are prone to becoming jammed and clogged by floating debris.
Oleophilic ("oil-attracting") skimmers use belts, disks, or continuous mop chains of oleophilic materials to blot the oil from the water surface. The oil is then squeezed out or scraped off into a recovery tank. Oleophilic skimmers have the advantage of flexibility, allowing them to be used effectively on spills of any thickness. Some types, such as the chain or "rope-mop" skimmer, work well on water that is choked with debris or rough ice.
Suction skimmers operate similarly to a household vacuum cleaner. Oil is sucked up through wide floating heads and pumped into storage tanks. Although suction skimmers are generally very efficient, they are vulnerable to becoming clogged by debris and require constant skilled observation. Suction skimmers operate best on smooth water, where oil has collected against a boom or barrier.
Sorbents
Sorbents are insoluble materials or mixtures of materials used to recover liquids through the mechanism of absorption, or adsorption, or both. Absorbents are materials that pick up and retain liquid distributed throughout its molecular structure causing the solid to swell (50 percent or more). The absorbent must be at least 70 percent insoluble in excess fluid. Adsorbents are insoluble materials that are coated by a liquid on its surface, including pores and capillaries, without the solid swelling more than 50 percent in excess liquid. To be useful in combating oil spills, sorbents need to be both oleophilic (oil-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repellent). Although they may be used as the sole cleanup method in small spills, sorbents are most often used to remove final traces of oil, or in areas that cannot be reached by skimmers. Sorbent materials used to recover oil must be disposed of in accordance with approved local, state, and federal regulations. Any oil that is removed from sorbent materials must also be properly disposed of or recycled.
Sorbents can be divided into three basic categories: natural organic, natural inorganic, and synthetic.
Natural organic sorbents include peat moss, straw, hay, sawdust, ground corncobs, feathers, and other readily available carbon-based products. Organic sorbents can adsorb between 3 and 15 times their weight in oil, but there are disadvantages to their use. Some organic sorbents tend to adsorb water as well as oil, causing the sorbents to sink. Many organic sorbents are loose particles such as sawdust, and are difficult to collect after they are spread on the water. These problems can be counterbalanced by adding flotation devices, such as empty drums attached to sorbent bales of hay, to overcome the sinking issue, and wrapping loose particles in mesh to aid in collection.
Natural inorganic sorbents consist of clay, perlite, vermiculite, glass wool, sand, or volcanic ash. They can adsorb from 4 to 20 times their weight in oil. Inorganic sorbents, like organic sorbents, are inexpensive and readily available in large quantities. These types of sorbents are not used on the water's surface.
Synthetic sorbents include man-made materials that are similar to plastics, such as polyurethane, polyethylene, and polypropylene and are designed to adsorb liquids onto their surfaces. Other synthetic sorbents include cross-linked polymers and rubber materials, which absorb liquids into their solid structure, causing the sorbent material to swell. Most synthetic sorbents can absorb up 70 times their own weight in oil.
The characteristics of both sorbents and oil types must be considered when choosing sorbents for cleaning up oil spills:
Rate of absorption -- The absorption of oil is faster with lighter oil products. Once absorbed the oil cannot be re-released. Effective with light hydrocarbons (e.g., gasoline, diesel fuel, benzene).
Rate of adsorption -- The thicker oils adhere to the surface of the adsorbent more effectively.
Oil retention -- The weight of recovered oil can cause a sorbent structure to sag and deform, and when it is lifted out of the water, it can release oil that is trapped in its pores. Lighter, less viscous oil is lost through the pores more easily than are heavier, more viscous oils during recovery of adsorbent materials causing secondary contamination.
Ease of application -- Sorbents may be applied to spills manually or mechanically, using blowers or fans. Many natural organic sorbents that exist as loose materials, such as clay and vermiculite, are dusty, difficult to apply in windy conditions, and potentially hazardous if inhaled.
Chemical and Biological Methods
Chemical and Biological Methods can be used in conjunction with mechanical means for containing and cleaning up oil spills. Dispersing agents and gelling agents are most useful in helping to keep oil from reaching shorelines and other sensitive habitats. Biological agents have the potential to assist recovery in sensitive areas such as shorelines, marshes, and wetlands. research into these technologies continues to improve oil spill cleanup. Subpart J of the National Contingency Plan (NCP) establishes the process for authorizing the use of dispersants and other chemical response agents, which includes the NCP Product Schedule, which is the federal government's listing of chemical countermeasures that are available for use during or after an oil spill response.
Dispersing Agents

Dispersing agents, also called dispersants, are chemicals that contain surfactants and/or solvent compounds that act to break petroleum oil into small droplets. In an oil spill, these droplets disperse into the water column where they are subjected to natural processes, such as waves and currents, that help to break them down further. This helps to clear oil from the water's surface, making it less likely that the oil slick will reach the shoreline.
Heavy crude oils do not disperse as well as light to medium weight oils. Dispersants should not be used on gasoline or diesel spills for example. Dispersants are most effective when applied immediately following a spill, before the lightest materials in the oil have evaporated, however, dispersant manufacturers have claimed that the "window-of-opportunity" to apply dispersants effectively is widening.
Environmental factors, including water salinity and temperature, and conditions at sea also influence the effectiveness of dispersants. Studies have shown that most dispersants work best at salinities close to that of normal seawater. EPA policy does not allow the use of dispersants in freshwater unless authorized by an On-Scene Coordinator to protect human health. The effectiveness of dispersants also depends on water temperature. While dispersants can work in colder water, they work best in warm water.
Some countries rely almost exclusively on dispersants to combat oil spills because frequently rough or choppy conditions at sea make mechanical containment and cleanup difficult. However, dispersants have not been used extensively in the United States because of possible long term environmental effects, difficulties with timely and effective application, disagreement among scientists and research data about their environmental effects, effectiveness, and toxicity concerns.
New technologies that improve the application of dispersants are being designed. The effectiveness of dispersants is being tested in laboratories and in actual spill situations, and the information collected may be used to help design more effective dispersants. Dispersants used today are less toxic than those used in the past, but long term cumulative effects of dispersant use are still unknown.
Gelling Agents
Gelling agents, also known as solidifiers, are chemicals that react with oil to form rubber-like solids. With small spills, these chemicals can be applied by hand and left to mix on their own. For treating larger spills, the chemicals are applied to the oil, then mixed in by the force of high-pressure water streams. The gelled oil is removed from the water using nets, suction equipment, or skimmers, and is sometimes reused after being mixed with fuel oil.
Gelling agents can be used in calm to moderately rough seas, since the mixing energy provided by waves increases the contact between the chemicals and the oil, resulting in greater solidification.
There is one drawback to the use of gelling agents. Large quantities of the material must often be applied, as much as three times the volume of the spill. For oil spills of millions of gallons it is impractical to store, move, and apply such large quantities of material.
Biological Agents
Biological agents are chemicals or organisms that increase the rate at which natural biodegradation occurs. Biodegradation is a process by which microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and yeast break down complex compounds into simpler products to obtain energy and nutrients. Biodegradation of oil is a natural process that slowly - sometimes over the course of several years - removes oil from the aquatic environment. However, rapid removal of spilled oil from shorelines and wetlands is necessary in order to minimize potential environmental damage to these sensitive habitats.
Bioremediation technologies can help biodegradation processes work faster. Bioremediation refers to the act of adding materials to the environment, such as fertilizers or microorganisms, that will increase the rate at which natural biodegradation occurs. Two bioremediation technologies that are currently being used in the United States for oil spill cleanups are fertilization and seeding.
Fertilization, also known as nutrient enrichment, is the method of adding nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen to a contaminated environment to stimulate the growth of the microorganisms capable of biodegradation. Limited supplies of these nutrients in nature usually control the growth of native microorganism populations. When more nutrients are added, the native microorganism population can grow rapidly, potentially increasing the rate of biodegradation.
Seeding is the addition of microorganisms to the existing native oil-degrading population. Sometimes species of bacteria that do not naturally exist in an area will be added to the native population. As with fertilization, the purpose of seeding is to increase the population of microorganisms that can biodegrade the spilled oil.
Other Response Techniques
Physical methods are used to clean up shorelines. Natural processes such as evaporation, oxidation, and biodegradation can start the cleanup process, but are generally too slow to provide adequate environmental recovery. Physical methods, such as wiping with sorbent materials, pressure washing, and raking and bulldozing can be used to assist these natural processes.
Scare tactics are used to protect birds and animals by keeping them away from oil spill areas. Devices such as propane scare-cans, floating dummies, and helium-filled balloons are often used, particularly to keep away birds.

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33 Surprising Things That Ruin Skin

Healthy, glowing skin is usually beauty priority number one for women, so we've rounded up the most surprising bad skin habits you need to kick to the curb.

Chlorine Criminal

Your post-pool regime is vital when it comes to your skin. Even after a shower, chlorine can cling to skin reacting with topical medications, cleansers, even lotions. To effectively remove chlorine, always use an extra sudsy soap or body wash after you take a dip.

Makeup Mayhem

Falling asleep with your makeup on can lead to bacteria infections, clogged pores which can cause acne (hello, morning pimple!), and residue that can stay on your pillow and cause you to get sick. Keep makeup removing wipes next to your bed so you’ll never make this beauty mistake again.

Coffee and Your Mug

Caffeine is a major culprit when it comes to dry skin. Avoid the magnification of wrinkles and instead, quench skin by drinking lots of H2O. To make sipping on water more enticing, add fruit slices like orange or lemon to enhance the flavor.

Pimple Popper

Ask any girl if she’s ever been tempted to pop a pimple on her face and she'll reply yes, in fact, most have probably done it. To those that don’t, we applaud you. Popping and picking at the skin on your face will only push dirt and bacteria deeper into pores, resulting in more breakouts – as hard as it is, keep your hands away from your mug!

Skipping the Scale

While dropping those last few pounds may be number one on your priority list, make sure you do it the right way. Skipping meals can cause skin to age faster and dry out more quickly. Always try to include vitamins C (oranges), B3 (peanuts), E (avocados), and A (sweet potatoes) in your meals to build up your skin’s health.

Shower Power

While many of us love super hot, long showers, unfortunately they strip away the outer most layer of epidermis causing scaly and dried skin. When your skin starts to turn red and itch in the shower, you know its time to step out.

Tester Terror

If you’re like us, you love trying the latest and greatest new product out there. Whether it’s cosmetics, lotions, or cleansers… we’re addicted. However in order to avoid a skin nightmare, always test a product out on small patch of skin (like your arm) to avoid an unexpected allergic reaction, say on your face.

Water Wellness

It’s true, 8 glasses a day will keep your wrinkles away! Hydrating yourself daily will not only help to fight off aging, but also gives your skin a healthy glow. Skip the water, and you’ll be stuck with rough and ‘shrunken’ skin.

Chatty Kathy

Hours spent talking on your cell phone can lead to breakouts and rashes along your jaw line and cheek. Think about it, most of the time, we leave our phones sitting on counters or in the bottom of our purse where bacteria hangs out. Make sure to keep antibacterial wipes with you to swipe your phone clean and keep skin clear.

Hair Scare

Can’t seem to kick your facial breakouts even though you’ve tried everything? Next time you apply hair spray, use a clean towel to cover your face, protecting your skin. Also, always make sure to use a sweatband when you hit the gym so no hair products drip down when you begin to perspire.

Shady Shocker

We’re all for wearing big sunglasses on sunny days, but remember to wipe them clean! Build up and bacteria on your glasses can get into the pores around the bridge of your nose where your glasses sit all day, causing breakouts and irritation.

Yo-Yo Dieting

Sticking to a diet is not an easy task. Between work, social life, and down time it’s not always easy to maintain one weight. However constant yo-yo dieting can negatively impact your skin--frequent weight gain and loss can cause the fibers in skin to loosen over time creating stretch marks and sag.

Sound Asleep

Need an excuse to feel better about pressing the snooze button? Getting the recommended 8 hours of sleep a night will not only help you look refreshed, but it will also replenish and rehydrate skin. Not getting a good night’s sleep can result in dull skin and clogged pores.

So Long to Salt

If savory snacks are your weakness, you may be experiencing dehydrated skin. Excess sodium in your diet can suck the moisture out of skin leaving it dry and dull. To avoid this, cut back on salty treats and invest in a hydrating facial moisturizer.

Squinty Peepers

Skipped your annual optometrist appointment? It‘s time to pencil it into your calendar. Wearing outdated contacts and glasses will cause you to squint more, and in turn, lead to fine lines and wrinkles around your eyes. To avoid unnecessary ageing, make sure you visit your eye doctor at least once a year.

Wax Attack

Resist running to your waxer at the first sight of any new hairs. While we adore that feeling of zero stubble, too much waxing can result in raw skin and increased bumps. Give your skin at least three weeks to regenerate, especially in sensitive areas.

Shower Surprise

The heat from prolonged showers can lead to dry skin, but so can your shower head! With all the purifying agents used these days to filter public water, chemical build up on skin over time is very common. Invest in a shower head filter to fight off dry skin caused by chlorine and other elements.

Pucker Up

With three to five cellular layers of skin that rest upon lips, make sure your beauty regime includes them too! Dried out lips not only look bad, but also causes them to age faster. Look for lipsticks and lip balm that contain petrolatum, dimethicone, and glycerine to help keep your smackers hydrated!

Sleeping Beauty

At night your skin gets a chance to rest and shed its dead cells in order to build new ones. While this is all fine and dandy, those dead cells can build up over time on your pillowcase leaving behind bacteria and toxins. In order to keep skin healthy, make sure you change your pillowcase at least once every two weeks.

Exfoliation Emergency

You know when you can’t put down the loofah and scrub because it just feels so gosh darn good? We won’t lie, we’ve been there. We love a refreshing scrub every now and then, but over exfoliating can strip your skin of its necessary oils it needs to maintain your natural glow. Exfoliate skin once a week to keep it healthy.

Frown Faux Pas

Constant movements of the muscles in your skin from facial expressions are what lead to frown lines. To give your skin a rest, try avoiding scrunching and pouting of the face which will cause permanent wrinkles and lines in your skin.

Don't Sweat It

Consider stress the heavy weight knock out when it comes to your skin. Not only can it cause blemishes, acne, dullness and rashes… but stress lines from facial movements will also ingrain in your skin over time. Best way to avoid stress? Take time to do something you enjoy like yoga, read a book, cook, or take a walk.

Candy Girl

Dear Sugar, it’s not you, it’s me… I’ll miss you! We know breaking up is hard to do, but keep in mind when you intake excess sugar it hurts the collagen nestled in your skin leaving you with sag. Fight your sweet tooth with organic fruits like pineapple or mango.

Time to Hit the Gym

Exercise seems to be the cure for almost everything these days and rightfully so! Exercising helps to increase blood flow and give your face a healthy glow. In addition, it also cleans the body of toxins which are expelled during perspiration and cleanses dead skins cells allowing new ones to grow. Without regular exercise you may see an increase in age spots, so lace up those sneakers and hit the pavement.

Clean as a Whistle

With all the harsh chemicals and toxins out there these days, it’s hard to know when you're safe and when you're not. To avoid skin irritation, take the plastic off your dry cleaning as soon as you get home, allowing the clothes to breath. The longer the plastic stays on your threads, the more chemicals are absorbed.

Left Arm Letdown

The seat-belt tan may be a girl’s biggest pet peeve in the summer months, but what you don’t know is that those sunburns on your arm add up! Since your left arm is always exposed to more sun when driving, make sure to lather up with extra sun block on that side. The same rules apply to those who are riding in the passenger seat with their right arm exposed.

Put a Cork In It

Just one more reason why you’ll want to put the bottle down — You know how being hung-over makes you want to chug a huge water bottle? Well it does the same for skin. Drinking too much alcohol can dehydrate your skin leaving it quenched for moisture. Without that moisture you are more prone to wrinkles and dryness.

Steamy Surprise

Bad news for all your spa buffs out there. Keep your sauna and steam room usage to a minimum. These spa treats can cause sagging (as they break down elasticity and natural collagen in the skin) over time.

Breezy Bummer

If you’re an ‘AC’ junkie like us during the summer months, this tip will probably catch you off guard. Instead of cranking up the cool air, turn your air conditioner down, giving your skin extra moisture. If your cooling unit is always blaring, you’re stripping the air of humidity and moisture your skin needs.

Shady Smoke

We all know smoking is bad for you… make that very, very, bad for you; but did you know second hand smoke can be harmful to your skin? While you may not smoke, being around smokers can cause skin sagging and speed up the wrinkle process? Just one more reason to steer clear of nicotine.

Makeup Overload

Leaving the house without makeup on may feel like you’re walking around naked for a few minutes, but after awhile it’s kind of refreshing! Allowing your skin to breathe will help prevent clogged pores and breakouts while avoiding premature aging. So take a walk on the wild side - ditch your makeup every now and then.

Brow Control

Over tweezing brows can cause major damage to your skin, not to mention the overall shape and look of your face. When tweezing, always remember to wash tweezers with antibacterial soap before hand. Prep skin by placing a hot towel over the area to open up your pores and soothe post tweeze by using a cleansing aloe lotion to avoid ingrown hairs.

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20 Great Jobs Without a College Degree

By CareerCast.com 

This is our report for 2012. For the 2013 Best Jobs Without A College Degree report, click here.

As millions of college graduates prepare to walk across the stage to receive their diplomas and join the workforce, they face an economy with high unemployment rates, increasing competition for jobs and mounting debt from their college expenses.

Compare that to currently working employees who didn’t attend college but have spent the past four years making money and honing their workplace skills while amassing little to no debt. Not going to college certainly doesn’t jive with what our parents and teachers drummed into us growing up. But it begs the question: does it really pay to go to college? Is it worth earning a minimum of a four-year college degree, at least financially speaking?

There’s no simple answer. In fact, there’s much more to consider before taking the position that college no longer is worth the investment.

Let’s Look At The Numbers

The annual cost for undergraduate tuition, room and board is estimated to be $12,804 at public institutions and $32,184 at private institutions for the 2010 academic year, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. That means that even a modest education—a bachelor’s degree from a public university or college—will cost at least $50,000. That expense can quadruple if you attend a top-level private university. Add to this the “opportunity cost,” meaning what you could earn over four years of working at a job instead of studying full-time, and you’re talking real money! So how long, if it all, does it take new graduates to recoup all those college costs?

Assuming you have no degree but are willing to do some advanced training, such as attending a technical school, you could earn around $30,000 a year as a beginner, if you are sharp. That means that over four years, you’d earn about $120,000, while your counterpart who’s in college earns little or nothing, and may even carry the same amount in debt by graduation.

In fact, the average debt for student loans is about $25,000, according to the Institute for College Access & Success' Project on Student Debt. Debts of $100,000 or more isn’t unheard of either, especially for those going to prestigious schools or those earning advanced degrees.

The table below compares the incomes of the top jobs in the Jobs Rated report, based on educational attainment required to get hired.

AVERAGE INCOME LEVELS, TOP 20 JOBS
No College Degree vs. Jobs Requiring 4-Year Degree or Higher

	Beginning	Midlevel	Top
No College Required	$28,350	$47,200	$79,150
4-year degree or higher	$51,250	$85,300	$130,600

When it comes to the facts and figures, however, an advanced degree really does pay off even though grads will carry some debt into their new careers. The math is all there. In fact, the average American worker with a four-year degree will earn over one million dollars more than their non-degreed counterparts during their career.

That is, except for those college grads that opt for short careers (i.e., stay-at-home parents who begin families just a few years after graduation) where a degree doesn’t pay. It takes several years in the workforce, armed with a college degree, to make it worthwhile. And when it does pay off, it’s worth the effort.

Unless you’re Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs, the only way it doesn’t pay to have a four-year degree is to have a career in one of the following highest paying jobs available for non-college grads:

TOP 20 JOBS REQUIRING NO COLLEGE DEGREE*
_{* RANKED IN ORDER OF OVERALL SCORES WITHIN “NO DEGREE-REQUIRED” CATEGORY}

• 

  1. Dental Hygienist

  Income Average:$68,000

  Income Growth:109%

  Employment Growth:37.70%

  Overall Rank:4

  Find Dental Hygienist Jobs

  1 of 20
• 

  2. Online Advertising Manager

  Income Average:$87,000

  Income Growth:255%

  Employment Growth:25.00%

  Overall Rank:8

  Find Online Advertising Jobs

  2 of 20
• 

  3. Web Developer

  Income Average:$76,000

  Income Growth:179%

  Employment Growth:21.70%

  Overall Rank:15

  Find Web Developer Jobs

  3 of 20
• 

  4. Medical Secretary

  Income Average:$31,000

  Income Growth:114%

  Employment Growth:41.30%

  Overall Rank:39

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5 Easy Ways to Get Even More from Your Smoothie

Written by Matt Frazier

A year and a half after posting the Perfect Smoothie Formula (and probably three years after I started using it), the smoothie is still an everyday habit of mine. Even when I’m sick of smoothies, my wife still wants hers, so we make ‘em. And vice versa.

I have to be honest; I don’t change it up too much. Even with the limitless possibilities afforded by the formula, it’s pretty much the same most days: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and banana are the mainstay ingredients, augmented by a rotating cast of characters like whatever protein powder I like at the time, a green vegetable, a combination of seeds and nut butters, and sometimes virgin coconut oil or an omega blend.

But over time, I do discover new ways to get just a little more nutrition from my daily smoothie, or a way to make it a little quicker to prepare (because when you’re putting 15 different ingredients in and it’s every single day, it adds up to a lot of time).

And that’s what today’s post is about. Below are five biggest changes I’ve made to my smoothies over the past few months. I hope you’ll be able to use one or two of them in your own. And if you’re still not making smoothies, I highly recommend you check out the formula and get started. Like, today.

Here we go …

1. Include raw pumpkin seeds as a terrific source of iron and protein.

I stole this idea from Rich Roll, who I believe mentioned it in his book Finding Ultra. I use about a tablespoon or two of pumpkins seeds (without shells) per smoothie; any more and the taste is too strong. I grind them into a powder in the Blendtec before adding any wet ingredients, but if your blender won’t do this, you could probably grind up a bunch in advance in a food processor or coffee grinder and then store the powder in the fridge or a few days.

I do the same with flax seeds and chia seeds, which brings me to tip #2, a huge time-saver …

2. At the beginning of the week, divide all your dry ingredients into single-serving containers.

Over the years, I’ve added a lot of dry ingredients to my smoothie. I usually use at least two kinds ofprotein powder (hemp, rice, and pea make for a good amino acid blend), the aforementioned pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and chia seeds (about a tablespoon each per smoothie) and often a superfood powder or two (Navitas Naturals makes some really good ones).

Needless to say, this is a lot. When you have to reach for, open, scoop from, and close seven different containers just to get the base for your smoothie, it takes way too long.

Finally, the solution hit me: buy 6 little Rubbermaid containers, and once each week, load them up with all the dry ingredients. Then each day, just dump one into the blender to grind up before adding the wet ingredients. I store mine in the refrigerator since the chia seeds say to do so; otherwise the pantry should be fine.

3. Chop and freeze your fruit and vegetable scraps to throw in your smoothie later.

In my house, we produce a lot of broccoli stems, strawberry tops, and leafy greens that are approaching their end. They used to go to waste (compost at best), but once we got the Blendtec we started a container in the freezer for each one. Each day when we add frozen fruit to the smoothie, we also add a handful of these things.

I’ve always been a fan of getting some greens in my smoothie, but I never consistently did it until we started keeping these frozen scraps on hand. Even with something like spinach, which works fine when it’s fresh, I find that I more consistently have it on hand this way since it keeps so much longer in the freezer. I also think frozen vegetables are a little less flavorful than fresh, a good thing when they’re going in a smoothie.

4. Buy the brown, spotted bananas (at a discount!) and peel and freeze them.

The fruitarians and 30 Bananas a Day crowd always talk about their “dinosaur weiners” — the brown, spotted bananas that look to be a little past their prime (and how archaeologists universally agree that dinosaur dongs looked). Apparently though, this is when bananas offer the most nutrition — so when you’re getting them at a discount and freezing them, it’s a double score!

It’s much easier to peel them before they’re frozen than it is after. But if they’re really ripe, you’ll need to keep them separated so they don’t stick together once they freeze. Just lie them on a tray on some parchment paper in the freezer, then once they’ve frozen, you can transfer them to a bag or container and use them one at a time as needed in your smoothie.

5. Pick one superfood each day to add.

I know, I’m over the word “superfood” too. But I don’t really have a better word for “fruit or vegetable with some amazing nutritional properties that you never really find an excuse to eat otherwise, especially not raw,” so superfood it is.

A little bit of ginger is great (not to mention cheap); so is almost any dried or fresh berry (except poison ones), cacao nibs, dried or brewed tea, hemp seeds, chlorella … the list goes on and on and depends largely on your nutritional philosophy. But the point is that the smoothie is such an excellent vehicle for delivering the foods that are normally tough to find a place for in your diet, and just picking one and rotating every week or two can add a lot of nutrition, variety, and fun to what you eat.

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