Wednesdays are usually the day Dabbler.ca features a new Beau Nelson Essential Make-up Tip. However, Beau’s next segment will be postponed by a week to bring you information on a new book for all you make-up lovers out there. Check out Carmindy’s “The 5-Minute Face: The Quick & Easy Makeup Guide for Every Woman.”

Please note that Beau’s feature segments will resume next Wednesday, July 11th!

In addition to buying the proper hardware to ensure the safety and security of your home and family, it’s also very important (and inexpensive!) to take some simple precautions. Here are some tips that will help deter burglars from breaking into your house. Those of you who are leaving for your Summer vacation will want to check them out. You’ll also find some innovative lock suggestions after the tips:

* Going on a trip? Leave a car parked in the driveway as it gives the appearance that someone is always home.

* Going away for summer vacation? Don’t use your home address on your luggage tags. Instead, use your office address or a cell phone number.

* Work late? If so, get into the habit of having your house key ready so you won’t fumble with them at the door. A keyless entry is also an option.

* Is your home well lit? An intruder’s greatest fear is being seen. Good exterior lighting around your perimeter creates a psychological barrier.

* Got deadbolts? Most burglaries are the result of forced entry. Make sure all exterior doors have deadbolts with at least a 1” throwbolt.

There are a lot more tips so read on!

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Reena’s Tip of the Week:

Psst! Here’s a secret for your kitchen: Perk up wilted vegetables by soaking them in 2 cups of water and 1 tbsp of vinegar!

All solutions are to be used at the risk of the user.

Reena Nerbas is the author of the two National Best Sellers, “Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions & Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets,” available in stores across Canada. Reena is a columnist and Home Economist in a lab coat (and she’s not afraid to use it). She can be heard on CBC radio programs across Canada.

To learn more about Reena, click here.

You don’t need a black belt or years of kickboxing experience to be able to defend yourself. As Sensei Anthony Britton explains, if you know what vital points to strike on an aggressor, it doesn’t matter if he or she is 200 lbs or 6 feet tall. We’re all human and have the same weak points. In this video, you’ll learn in three minutes all of the areas that can take down someone who is stupid enough to attack you.

IMPORTANT: Please use extreme caution when practicing these moves. Remember that with the right amount of force, you can severely hurt somebody. These techniques are to be used for self-defense purposes only. All self-defense moves and tips are to be used at the risk of the user.

For the entire month of July, Sensei Britton will share a new Essential Self-Defense Tip each week, so tune in every Monday!

Last night, I watched the Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. film Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang where this exchange took place:

Kilmer: If you open a dictionary and look up the word “Idiot,” do you know what you find?
Downey: A picture of me?
Kilmer: No, stupid. You find the definition of the word “Idiot!”

That reminded me of something. When I was studying philosophy, my Greek professor told me the true meaning of the word “Idiot,” and based on that definition, over half of us are exactly that.

The title of this entry was originally “You’re an Idiot” because based on the last election, there is more than a 50% chance that you are one. Being called an Idiot is insulting isn’t it? It should be. Today, being an Idiot means you have bad judgment – that you are stupid. But that wasn’t always the case.

As in present day, the word “Idiot” was an insult to the ancient Athenians. The word stems from Greek and literally means “person lacking professional skill,” “a private citizen” or “individual.” The Athenians used it to label those who chose not to participate in the political decisions of their city – those so concerned with themselves they didn’t take the time to focus on the common good. The selfish. The egoists. The politically disinterested. And it is from this definition we find a label that fits more than half of us because over 60% of those eligible to vote, don’t.

There are many reasons for this, but most prevalent is the argument that it’s pointless; a waste of time. “One vote doesn’t make any difference” is the classic excuse. How horribly misinformed. In the 2000 US Presidential election, a couple of thousand votes were enough to set in motion what will go into the history books as the most disastrous political reign in the country’s history. In that election, the majority of US citizens stayed home, leaving others to decide their future. As a result, when George W. Bush put his hand on the Bible to take the office for the people, by the people, he was really only there representing half of one third of them. The remaining majority’s political views were ignored, not because they were black or poor or old or Democrats, but because they chose not to vote.

Our society and political system is built on the principle that instead of everyone participating in all political decisions, we elect representatives to do it for us. This is what’s called Parliamentarism – a group of people elected by the people are put in power to represent the views, ideals and principles of the people and make decisions on their behalf. But what happens when those in power are elected by a minority? We get a situation where the majority feels disconnected from the political decision making. This is what we have today. At the core of this problem lies not political corruption or apathy, but the simple fact that when the majority refrains from voting, the minority rules. And the minority usually has an agenda.

Choosing not to vote is like handing a wad of cash to a complete stranger and expecting a good return on the investment. An act only an Idiot would ever consider. Yet the majority not only do this, but feel that their action (or rather their lack of action) is justified. They claim that politicians are corrupt, that they don’t represent the people, that they do stupid things no matter what you vote for. Of all these claims, only one is true, and only because people are too self absorbed or ignorant to make their voices heard. What would happen if the entire adult population showed up at the polls and voted for the person they thought would do the most good for the country? It’s hard to say. But one thing is for sure: The political landscape would not look like it does today.

Mad Morten has no political affiliations and is in no way, shape or form, an Idiot. In an effort to convert all those who are, he will be offering a weekly step-by-step guide to full de-Idiotization.

If you have kids, you know that travelling with them is hardly a piece of cake. It’s simply not feasible to pack all of a child’s necessities, yet it’s just not possible to do without. Until now, there have been few options for parents, so to accommodate their needs, Wee Travel rents baby equipment to people visiting Toronto, Vancouver, and Victoria.

Launched by Shana Cherry and her Toronto-based sister Lesley, Wee’s mission is to make it easy for parents to travel lighter by providing a full range of hard-to-pack baby equipment and supplies. In other words, they provide everything that parents could possibly need when travelling so that they don’t have to bring it all with them.

The idea was hatched after Lesley and her son visited Shana in Vancouver a couple of years ago. Shana’s son had outgrown his cot, stroller and other kid-size equipment, so Lesley had only to pack some clothes. But when Lesley and son visited a friend in New York, things weren’t so easy. Her hosts had assured her they had everything, but Lesley discovered that meant poorly maintained equipment that had obviously been in storage for some time. She ended up buying a new stroller.

Many people have very old equipment which is inadequate and likely doesn’t meet current safety standards, so in addition to travellers, Wee also caters to local grandparents who have small children visiting. Hotels frequently use this type of service, as do big budget film and production companies, airlines, car rental companies…pretty much anyone who has a baby or toddler coming.

The rentals offer temporary solutions for newborns to children up to eight years of age. These include car seats, cribs, Pack ‘n Plays (fold-up playpens that infants can also sleep in), ExerSaucers, swings, bags of toys, high chairs, change tables, rockers, beach packages, strollers and joggers (double and single), backpacks for hiking and snugglies for newborns out for a stroll with their parents…virtually anything you require for your child when you’re away from home.

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Movie Review by Perry Pannu:

This is the kind of movie that theatres are made for. It’s what I like to call a ‘Crash! Bang! Boom!’ movie, and it delivers on all three. Live Free or Die Hard is the fourth installment in the Die Hard Trilogy (well, I guess they can’t call it a trilogy now). Bruce Willis reprises his role as John McClane, but this time, he has Justin Long (from the ‘Hi, I’m a Mac’ commercials) as a sidekick. Watching the first three movies is not a prerequisite to see this film; it stands alone.

I thought this movie had great action, with little barbs of humour thrown in every so often. The chase scenes are amazing, and you have to see how he gets a car to crash into a helicopter (I’m not ruining anything; it’s in the movie trailer). And I see why it’s called Die Hard. Willis must have Superman as a guardian angel, because he is really hard to kill. Nothing can stop this guy. I recommend that everyone go see this movie on the biggest screen you can find (there is a drive-in theatre called Twilight Drive-In just off the Fraser Highway – 260th St & Fraser Highway, Langley) and don’t forget the super, mega-mondo sized container of popcorn (buy two…you don’t want to miss a second of the adrenaline-inducing action). After watching this movie, I realized that I have to add Willis to my list of favourite actors.

But here is a question for post movie discussion (or PMD as I like to call it): Do you think this could actually happen? I mean, I just learned how to do this: ♥ on the computer (I used to type the word ‘heart’ ). I know some people are more computer literate than others, but do you think that it would really be that easy/hard (depending on your computer savvy-ness) to do that? Click here to leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

You’ve all been waiting for this! Beau Nelson, Creative Director of Beauté Cosmetics, takes on Smokey Eyes and shows how easy it can be to achieve that smouldering look. Don’t be afraid to tackle this challenge. As Beau shows in Part III of his Essential Makeup Tips series, it can be done in just five minutes. What surprised me was learning that you don’t have to be too neat when applying the makeup. As long as you have the right tools and know how to use them, you’ll have no trouble achieving that perfect look. And you know Beau! He’s got all sorts of tricks from the trade. You’ll be working very close to your eyes for this so you’ll likely tear up the first few times, but our makeup artist has some useful tips to avoid that. Click on the image above to find out more!

For details on what tools to use, read on…

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Based on the funky dance that players do when they manage to advance a Football to the end of a field, everyone knows what the object is. What seems to defy explanation is everything else that happens during one of these games. Why do players only stay on the field for mere minutes before switching with other teammates? Why are there so many referees when there are only about a dozen players per team on the field at any given time? Why is it so damn hard to get that ball just ten yards down a field?!

To help me understand why so many fans voluntarily slap on the face and body paint, and why Football sends men’s testosterone levels through the roof, the man who does the play-by-plays for the BC Lions was generous enough to speak with me and give me some pointers before a home game. Team 1040‘s Rick Ball generally doesn’t have to deal with amateurs such as myself so needless to say, the introduction was much appreciated.

I don’t dare to claim that I know a heck of a lot more about the sport now but at least I’ve got the gist of it and can actually enjoy a game. I don’t know if it’s because I’m too preoccupied trying to figure out the rules to notice time passing or if I have a genuine interest in Football but I have to say, I was at the game for two hours and didn’t even notice. I had a good time and now understand why fans get so riled up whenever there’s a touchdown; they’re so rare! Read on to find out more about the game…
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As you learned in Part I: Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Cure for What Ails You, Chinese herbs are very rarely taken as single herbs. As Dr. Maryam Mahanian explains in this video, they are taken as combinations of many different herbs. Sometimes you’ll have up to twenty or so herbs in one prescription to treat a single ailment.

To give you an idea, we take a look at the common cold. In Western medicine, there’s actually no treatment for it, even though it’s the most common illness in the world. Western medicine relies on antibiotics, which don’t treat the virus and can actually weaken the immune system even further. It may surprise you to find that there are dozens of Chinese herbs with antiviral properties. This segment introduces some of them.

The second concoction Dr. Mahanian introduces is recommended for people with eczema and psoriasis. Those who suffer from such a condition know very well that finding a cure for this problem is very rare. If this is you, then you may be happy to find out that you don’t have to resort to taking cortisone (a steroid hormone) creams to relieve the symptoms. Click on the image above to learn more and read on for further details!

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