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Now that youre pregnant, it seems everyone you know is adding something new onto that mile-long No-No List. Take, for instance, chocolate. For goodness sake! Unless shes allergic to it, what woman can possibly live without chocolate? Then theres soda. You cant drink regular soda because its full of caffeine, sugar, empty calories and has no nutritional value. So what about diet soda? You look on The List, and sure enough, someones added it, too!

The truth is, studies have shown that aspartame, better known as Equal, the artificial sweetener used in many diet sodas is not harmful to most pregnant women or their fetuses. Aspartame is proven to not penetrate the placental barrier to the fetus. The exception to the safety of aspartame for use by pregnant women is for those who have a family history of PKU (phenylketonuria). These women are unable to digest certain amino acids found in aspartame, and should avoid using it unless its OKd by their doctor after a simple blood test.

Another artificial sweetener found in diet drinks is saccharine. In restaurants, its the sweetener in the pink packet. In laboratory tests, the offspring of rats who had been given very high doses of saccharine had significantly higher rates of certain birth defects. Using saccharine during your pregnancy is something you may want to carefully consider.

Sucralose (Splenda) is the newest artificial sweetener on the market. Its made from regular table sugar, and has not yet been extensively tested for effects on pregnant women. So far, it appears to be safe, but many experts recommend limited use of Sucralose.

There are two reasons diet soda is on The No-No List. The first is caffeine content.

Caffeine is a stimulant that raises the heart rate and blood pressure. Not good. Because it also causes more frequent urination, it can lead to dehydration. Also not good. Caffeine passes through the placental barrier to your fetus, having the same effects on him or her as it does in you. Fetuses cant metabolize caffeine as you can, so any amount of caffeine can interrupt your babys sleep pattern and affect its normal movement patterns. So definitely not good!

But theres still hope! Most clear diet sodas contain no caffeine at all, and colas and other dark diet sodas also come in caffeine-free versions.

The other reason experts give for not drinking diet soda is that pregnant women often use it as a substitute for water, juice and milk. Both you and your baby need for you to drink at least 6 8 full glasses of water per day, and thats in addition to any milk, fruit juices or other liquids you may drink. Yes, teas and coffee are made with water, but they arent water, and dont count toward your water intake. Most experts will concede though, that drinking one 12-ounce serving of diet soda per day probably wont harm you or your babyas long as you drink at least the prescribed amount of water!

In the end, the decision whether to drink diet soda, and how much of it, is up to you. If you do choose to use any product containing artificial sweeteners, be sure to check the label for the type of sweetener used and caffeine content. If youre good, your doctor might say its OK to strike diet soda from The No-No List and add one diet soda per day to your Thank Goodness I Can Have This! List!

Staying healthy during your pregnancy isnt as difficult as it may seem. You really can have a healthy pregnancy without pounds! You can look and feel better, have less stressful labor and delivery, and a quicker recovery time, with better muscle tone and less weight to lose after your baby is born! So get, and stay, healthy! I promise you wont regret it! Want to know the exact steps that will accomplish these goals? Click Here To Access Your Step-By-Step Fit Pregnancy Guide.

Hair loss and male-pattern baldness is an affliction suffered by thousands of men, and can be a real source of insecurity and embarrassment for those not ready to lose their hair or shave their head. Even worse, and more devastating are the younger cases where the hair loss process begins long before a man even reaches his thirtieth birthday. So what are your options if you are one of these men, uncontrollably losing your hair before your time?

Well, you can do what many others do shave your head for the sake of uniformity. Lots of men look great with a shaved head it just fits their personality and style, and they seem comfortable that way. For those unwilling to give up on their hair, there are hairpieces or plugs, neither of which have been perfected to the point of being undetectable, and both having a societal stigma as being somewhat tacky and undesirable.

The other option, of course, is to try one of the hair loss products that several reputable manufacturers now offer, both in prescription and nonprescription form. While there is still no magic pill that can unflinchingly promise every man (and woman) who takes it will re-grow their hair, there are some very promising and effective hair loss products and treatments currently on the market and also in development.

Propecia, Rogaine (Monoxadil), Avacor and Proxiphen are just a few of the top prescription and nonprescription hair loss products on the market today, and theyve all had varying degrees of success in re-growing their clients hair. Since the demand for hair loss products is so great, there have been many non-prescription hair loss alternatives recently introduced in an effort to offer men (and women) a more economical and convenient alternative to re-grow hair and prevent further hair loss.

There are also several vitamins that have been specially formulated both for thinning hair and to promote the speedy growth of healthy, shiny hair. Vitamins for thinning hair and faster hair growth and re-growth are usually a varying combination of several key amino acids, biotin, vitamins B6 and E, and zinc. Many who take vitamins of this nature do report thicker, more lustrous and healthy hair, but if your goal is to actually re-grow hair and not just thicken thinning hair, then you would probably want to consider a more serious hair loss supplement or treatment that specifically targets balding and hair loss.

Here's a little tip to help stimulate hair growth massage the scalp. This is an age-old hairstylist tip to help stimulate the hair follicles, unclog any blocked oil glands in the scalp, and help promote a healthy scalp and new, healthy hair growth. Plus, its relaxing and it feels good, so its not such a chore!

Hair loss supplements can range from pricey to reasonable, tested and untested, and clinically proven vs. not clinically proven. You have to use good judgment and do a little homework on the internet, or by reading consumer reviews, testimonials and surveys to see what really should work best for your situation. Some even offer money back guarantees or some sort or money back for unused portions.

Now, lets talk about being proactive in preventing future hair loss. Many times, the underlying cause for premature hair loss and male pattern balding is hereditary, but it can also be brought on by a hormonal imbalance of the male or female hormones, known as androgens and estrogens. Correcting a hormonal imbalance many times can stop hair loss. This example can be seen in women who notice hair loss shortly after theyve had a baby. The cause for this is a drop in hormones that kept much more hair on the head than normal during pregnancy because the levels of this hormone are unusually high at this time.

Some medications can also cause or aggravate hair loss. Typically these medications are blood thinners, gout medication, chemotherapy medications for cancer, too much vitamin A, birth control pills and antidepressants. Avoid tight or pulling hairstyles like high or tight ponytails and cornrows, and also stay away from harsh chemical treatments such as perms and other potentially volatile, damaging hair treatments.

Typical hair loss treatments, prescription and nonprescription, usually take about six months before you can tell they are working, so patience is a must. There is no overnight fix to hair loss unfortunately. As long as you are comfortable with your chosen hair loss remedy, and have planned a preventative and maintenance course of action, thats really all that matters.

Visit Herbal Hair Loss Remedies for more information on how you can naturally regrow hair and keep your existing hair. Danna Schneider is the webmaster of Herbal-Therapeutics Effective Herbal Remedies.

A number of the personal data gathering methods like reverse lookup phone number directories have recently been an origin of a lot of anxiety and skepticism. Lots of people are worried about the fact that the government could utilize these type of methods to take a look in every single part of our lives, causing us to lose our confidentiality.

Needles to say you should not worry about it. Government organizations of technologically highly developed countries like for instance the US, Australia, Japan or the EU countries have a great deal more advanced ways of gathering all sort of information then to use reverse lookup phone number services.

Besides, if you are not involved in some form of illegal action what value can the government organizations have of tapping in on your mobile phone calls, there is no government anywhere in the world, that has limitless resources, and that is the reason why governments use those resources with care.

Nevertheless the actual trouble are the huge international corporations that are not simply interested to know about your credit score or have you filed all your taxes. Actually they would like, if they can get away with it, to use reverse lookup phone number services and get a hold of every single piece of information about you, and then they can gather it and sell it.

Naturally these kind of information can then be exploited for any number of goals, from stealing your identity to bothering you with all kind of marketing materials you actually have no use for or did not sign up for. Things like these can make reverse lookup phone number directories seem like your number one privacy concern.

Nevertheless information harvesting services like these are perfectly legal, permitted and checked by various federal laws. In fact, reverse directories are rather similar to the regular assistance directories, just presenting larger number of private information.

What is different concerning the reverse lookup phone number services is that a large amount of people regard their cellular phones as very much private possessions, and the risk that somebody could in some way take out private information from them makes many individuals feel threatened.

In addition, a lot of people prefer to hide their identity when utilizing their cellular or standard phones, and nowadays when we control the technology to snatch that information they believe that their privacy rights are at risk because of this.

In fact, no more info can be collected about you by employing reverse lookup phone number then it can be by utilizing the standard assistance directories, unless someone wants to use paid reverse directories and except you were quite nonchalant about giving it out.

That being said I must stress out that the sheer amount of information available through paid reverse phone directories is simply amazing. In most cases you will get far more information from it, then you have hoped for.

But to continue, the major portion of your most sensitive private information is restricted and defended by privacy laws imposed by federal government. If you worry that someone could possibly capture your personal info and utilize it in a harmful way, make certain to have both your cellular and standard telephone unlisted.

Make also sure to avoid handing over your phone number, name, address, email or any other kind of private information over the internet. Just forget free rewards, nobody will give you something for nothing, what they would like to have is your private information. You can always sign up for a free web based email service such as Yahoo mail or Hot mail and if really needed provide that email address.

Ultimately, the security of your private information is mainly in your own hands, anyones identity can be stolen far easier by employing the information from your credit card, drivers license or your social security card, so be careful in keeping them safe. Assistance services such as reverse lookup phone number directories are growing in popularity, and all of us are going to use them to a great extent more in the following years.

Luka Zimmerman is an internet based publisher and editor of http://www.reverse-phone-lookup-info.com a site where you can get a hold on all the reverse lookup phone number information.

You walk over to the first row of shelves and touch the velvety texture of the newest creamy eye shadows. Next testing a lip plumper beside the new shadows, your taste buds tingle with a rich vanilla flavor. You hear the beautiful song of beauty advisors offering their best advice and knowledge to customer questions and concerns.

Sephora appeals and tickles your senses throughout the longevity of your stay, which can be a mere five minutes to pick up a favorite product to an hour or more - browsing, testing, tasting, smelling and loving every second of your stay in this beauty mecca.

Sephora offers free makeup consultation from extremely knowledgeable beauty advisors who take into account your skin tone, textures and products that you adore and come up with a gorgeous face that you will be able to recreate on your own. The best part is you can scoop up the product they used and take it straight away to the counter, glowing and excited to try the items at home.

The company website offers not only fantastic makeup, skincare, fragrance, bath and body, hair, smile and mens goods but it other grand features that have yet to be mimicked elsewhere in the beauty world. There are the beauty solutions, which answer any questions on sun, skin, fragrance finders and more. Beauty school has a video section so you can replay until you learn to master a specific look on your own.

The latest addition to the fabulous Sephora is a beauty insider card. Although it is not available at the moment, you can sign up early to reap the beauty benefits that come with the card. Sephora appeals to all the senses to help you look, feel, taste, and smell your best with an overabundance of out of this world products and all the best beauty assistance and advice a company could ever offer.

Joel Smith www.flickurpic.com

Joel Smith writes on the side when he is not webmastering http://www.flickurpic.com

You too can build a money making site from home, that will earn you extra money for that vacation you want to take, for that car you need to purchase or those inflating credit card bills.

First step: you need to pick a Niche market. What is a Niche market you may ask? It is a topic that is more focused, and does not take the general aspect of a topic. You want to pick something that is out there, but is focused so you can get up there in search engines and build traffic to your site.

Want an example of a Blog with Niche Marketing?

Mesothelioma Info and Updates at http://mesotheliomainfoupdates.blogspot.com. This site taylors to Mesothelioma, a rare disease caused by Asbestos, and the site goes in depth about the Niche Market of "Peritoneal Mesothelioma". Asbestos would be more of a General Blog without Niche marketing, while drilling down to "Peritoneal Mesothelioma" is a niche market.

Another example of a blog that is not Niche Marketing is the Domain Names and Web Design Info blog at http://domainnamesatretail.blogspot.com. This blog is maintained in a general sense that it discusses topics from Web Design, Web Hosting and Domain Names to Money Making strategies. It is not focused to one single topic.

Once you have picked your Niche market, you have to find out if it pays well through advertising, and has actual advertisers willing to pay you to advertise the site!

The Overture bidding tool will tell you just that! Go to: http://uv.bidtool.overture.com/d/search/tools/bidtool/

Type in your niche market term, and it will tell you how much people on overture are willing to pay for each term. If it pays well, and is worth your while, then that will be your niche market you want to pursue.

Now you need to find the keywords you want to target and rank high for in Google. The suggestion tool located at will help you find just that: http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/suggestion/

Type in a keyword and it will show you what people search for and how many times per day. Pick a keyword that has a good daily search, but does not have too high of a number. This will allow you to have a fighting chance to cracking the top position for this search term. For example you may want something with about 100 searches per day.

Once you pick one, go to http://www.google.com, and search for that term and see how many results show up. If you have less than 1 million results, then that is ideal. Now take a look at the current #1 spot. See their page rank and how many links they have. If you think you can outrank them, then you are good to go. Target that keyword with your Niche market, and your site research is done.

Once you have the research complete, you set up a blog or web site.

To Set up a blog, go to one that I use Blogger at http://www.blogger.com. Set up your blog and begin posting in no time. This is a good and quick setup for getting your site started and getting searched by Google. However, your own site with its own domain name and hosting, tends to come up higher in search rankings. Also, having your own unique Blog Design as opposed to using a Blogger template, will help your site stand out from the rest. Emenki Web Solutions can provide you with such a custom template.

To set up your web site, purchase a domain name and web hosting. Download the Web Site Startup Handbook Ebook to learn more at http://www.domainsatretail.com/DomainsAtRetail.pdf. Then get free Blogging software and begin to run your site. Search on http://www.hotscripts.com to find Blogging software that you can use for Free.

Run your said Blog for about two weeks with at least 1-2 posts per day to develop enough content for search engines to consider placing you site in its rankings and for you to build traffic.

Once you have done this, set your site up for Google Adsense (http://adsense.google.com). Remember to follow the Google Adsense Terms of Service.

Once your site is approved for Google Adsense, place the AdSense code and begin to market your site through SEO software like Traffic Blazer and One way Link Building Strategies!

Read up on SEO techniques to get your site to the top! Once you are there, you will generate traffic and if you have enough click through on your ads, you will make money!

Thanks for coming out and learning how to become an AdSense money maker!

Purchase your Blog Domain Name and Web Hosting at Domains at Retail (http://www.domainsatretail.com).

Learn what else you may need to start up your Adsense Money Making Web Site in the Web Site Startup Handbook (http://www.domainsatretail.com/DomainsAtRetail.pdf)

Need a custom Blog Template for your Money Making Site? Contact the professionals at Emenki Web Solutions (http://www.emenki.com)

Smoke & Heat Detectors- Smoke detectors are available that will interface with your security system. The smoke detectors that are already in your home cant be tied into your security system. The device that the builder put in your home is either electrical, battery operated, or in some instances both, if you have the better quality detectors. Lifesaving smoke detectors should be in every home. If you elect to add some to your system, your existing detectors should be left in place, as they are still able to help give early warning in case of a fire.

If you add a smoke detector to your system it should be placed in the highest point of your home as possible, as smoke will rise no matter where it originates. Some homeowners elect to place one in the basement and top floor, and some want one added to every floor.

The technology that makes most of these devices work is photoelectric technology. This means that the detector basically takes a snapshot of the density of smoke that enters its chamber, and wants to see a density increase as it samples every few milliseconds. This technology makes the detector much more discriminating then its inexpensive counterparts.

Many of these devices also detect temperature change with their built in heat detectors. This means that the device will go into an alarm condition, if the temperature in its area of coverage is rising rapidly, even if there is no smoke yet. Independent heat detectors are also available, if you would like an added degree of protection in areas such as kitchens, furnace rooms, attics and fireplaces. (Required to meet code, in some municipalities)

There are many advantages to adding fire devices to your security system. Some of them are:

* Your detector is on all the time, even if your alarm is disarmed.

* The devices work off the power from your alarm system and use its backup power supplies should power fail.

* The siren will emit a tone that is audibly different then a burglary siren, so that you can differentiate.

* Your dispatch is being made without you having to call for help yourself. This gives you more time to gather your loved ones and pets for immediate exit.

* A dispatch will take place even if you are not home. Typically flames will be coming through your roof, by the time your neighbors see them, and call for help. This early response may save your pets and a good portion of your home.

* Insurance companies often give an additional discount, off your homeowners insurance, for having a fire system. These devices could effectively pay for themselves, after a few years.

(INSIDE SCOOP!) Some municipalities will not dispatch their limited resources to an automatic fire alarm, unless it is designed completely to local code. This is a very expensive endeavor that, many homeowners in those areas cant justify. Businesses will have to do this, in order to get an occupancy permit. Check with your local fire authority before investing in smoke or heat detectors that will not get a response.

Matthew Francis Alarms@expertsknow.com

22 year veteran of the alarm industry Installer, salesman, licensed alarm company owner, monitoring station designer, promotions and marketing director with one of the worlds largest security dealers. He now works as a consumer advocate, teaching consumers how to buy or get systems for free (without being taken). He is committed to being unbiased. His web site is http://www.expertsknow.com

Looking for a Garmin Forerunner? I outline each of the 5 choices and some of their benefits and weaknesses. These are the main features of the models, but by no means do I cover every feature!!

Rechargeable? The Garmin Forerunner 101 is the only one that is not rechargeable, it uses 2 AAA batteries. All others have a rechargeable lithium ion battery that lasts between 10-15 hours depending on usage.

Waterproof? All the Forerunner units have a IEC 60529 IPX7 rating, which means the GPS case can withstand accidental immersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. Notice it says ACCIDENTAL....do not use these devices for the swimming leg in triathlons, they will not hold up for long!! Running in the rain will not cause issues that I have found, they are not immersed.

Computer downloadable logs? Again, the 101 is the only device which does not have a computer interface, so the information that is kept must be deleted at some point. All the devices are capable of holding approximately 5000 laps, which equates to around 2 years of data.

Size & Weight? The 101, 201, & 301 are virtually identical in size and weight. The 101 is slightly larger at 3.3"W x 1.7"H x .9"D compared to the 201 & 301 at 3.3"W x 1.7"H x .7"D. Believe it or not these are extremely lightweight. The 101 weighs in at 2.6 ounces with batteries, the 201 and 301 both weigh in at 2.75 ounces. The 205 and 305 have a different design which looks more like a watch. They both have the same measurements at: 2.1"W x 2.7"H x .7"D and 2.7 ounces in weight. I have used both designs and they are very comfortable and lightweight. My opinion....there is not enough difference in weight or designs to make a decision from.

GPS Signal Strength The Forerunner 101, 201, and 301 all have the same antenna and the 205 and 305 share a antenna design. Between the 2 groups, the 205 and 305 have the stronger signal strength with an improved antenna design which points at the sky while running. I have noticed the 101, 201, and 301 all will occasionally lose signal while running under dense tree cover or around large buildings. The 205 and 305 don't seem to have this behavior.

Heart Rate Monitor: Only the Forerunner 301 and 305 have a heart rate monitor option. This allows you to display and track your heart rate and configure audible alarms if your heart rate goes above or below certain thresholds.

Cool things: All 5 devices have AutoLap, AutoPause, Virtual Partner, Pace Alerts, Time or Distance Alerts, and Interval training options. AutoLap creates a lap for you at an interval you define (1 mile, 1 minute, 30 minutes, etc...). Auto pause will pause the timer if your pace falls below a threshold you specify. This is a nice feature if you have to cross a lot of streets and are waiting a lot. The Virtual Partner feature is for those of us competitive types who have to have the sense you are beating something!! You set up a predefined time/pace and it shows this 2 little people on the screen, one is you, one is the computer. It then tells you who is ahead of who and by how much! Talk about motivation....can't let a stinking computer beat you!!!

Specific features for the Forerunner 301 and 305: As already mentioned, the 301 and 305 have a heart rate monitor capabilities. They also have the ability to have multi-sport profiles (biking, running, one other sport) and advanced workout features. The advanced workout features allow you to set up workouts with specific durations and targets (speed or heart rate) so you can follow them. Things like 4 1 mile intervals at a 8:30 pace with a 1 minute rest period between intervals. It then beeps to alert you on your intervals.

Do they tell time? Believe it or not, this is one of the most asked questions and yes, you can configure one of the screens with many different pieces of data. Time of Day is one of them.

Foreign Language and Units of measure? All units allow to change the language on the console and the unit of measure to meters if so desired. The manuals only come in English however.

The Forerunner 305 also has an optional GSC 10 speed cadence sensor you can purchase for bicycling.

All 5 of the Forerunners are extremely valuable in your training and you can't go wrong no matter which one you choose.

More GPS information and resources can be found at 4Runner Sports.