9 Soothing DIY Facial Masks

from Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things

Banana
Who needs Botox when you have bananas? That’s right: You can use a banana as an all-natural face mask that moisturizes your skin and leaves it looking and feeling softer. Mash up a medium-sized ripe banana into a smooth paste, then gently apply it to your face and neck. Let it set for 10-20 minutes, then rinse it off with cold water. Another popular mask recipe calls for 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1 medium banana.

Who knew that bananas were as good as botox?! Click on the link above for more DIY masks that your face might love you for!

Opium Wars

Opium Wars

A key step to securing peace will be to wean Afghan farmers off growing poppies.

By Robert Draper

Photograph by David Guttenfelder

The chief of police has a memorable way of demonstrating that he’s not afraid of the drug smugglers. He holds up his right hand, revealing the absence of his middle finger. Four years ago, Brig. Gen. Aqa Noor Kintuz was hired as provincial chief of police in the northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan and charged with destroying its plentiful poppy fields. “After I finished one of the first eradications,” he says, “my vehicle was blown up by a remote-control bomb.” He rolls up his right shirtsleeve. His forearm is badly mangled. In the years since, he has received innumerable death threats. Women and children of poppy farmers have hurled stones at his policemen. One of his eradication tractors was torched.

Interesting essay… click on link for the rest of it.

There *is* no correct formula because each child is unique and therefore the parenting techniques must be customized for each one separately.

Click on the link right below the picture to see the full article.