Bet you didn’t know there’s a World Smiley Day! Well, now you know. There is a special day of the year at the beginning of October for us all to celebrate the little yellow smiley face we all know and love. It is just a circle with two dots in the middle, to represent eyes, and a half circle for the mouth. The smiley is everywhere today. How many times do you use a smiley in your text messages? How often do you quickly scribble a smiley on a memo or draw one with your finger on a bathroom mirror? Even tiny children can and do do this. The happy little face is now one of the most recognizable images on the planet. And what a great image it is. If we could all follow this simple little symbol, what a wonderful world this would be.

Bet you also didn’t know that the smiley was the design of an American artist. His name is Harvey Ballwell, but he died in 2001. He created the smiley face in 1963. In 1971, two businessmen used it in a campaign to sell novelty goods. They produced badges, coffee mugs, t-shirts and bumper stickers and suddenly smiley was worldwide. The Smiley name and logo is registered in over 100 countries to produce many different goods and services. Harvey Ballwell wanted to use his creation for a good cause. He decided that the first Friday in October each year would be World Smiley Day. The theme for this day is: “Do an act of kindness; help one person smile.” It’s a shame this day isn’t every day of the year.

1 sheep, 2 sheep, 3 sheep, 4 sheep, 5 sheep……………………749 sheep. You’re counting and counting and your herd of sheep keeps getting larger and you still can’t sleep. The same scenario every night at bedtime and every morning when you wake up: you struggle to get asleep only to wake up in the morning dizzy with fatigue and unrest. Insomnia is one of the most common affections of our days brought on by the increasing stress, by all the worries and responsibilities, by the bills that keep on piling up. Let’s see if we can discover together a few tips on how to successfully fall asleep. Read more …

„Mommy, please can we have a dog?” „Daddy, will you get me a little cat, please?” As a small child you have asked these question in hopes of getting a barking or meowing partner to love, to care for and to play with. Unfortunately, you haven’t convinced your parents to fulfill your dream. But now, you are a grown up and your old wish has never completely perished. So you go „hunting” for your dream animal friend. But, whether you want a dog, a cat, a parrot, a hamster, a turtle, a snake or whatever else you dreamed of, you have to give serious consideration to your motives and your possibilities of having an animal. Read more …

We eat to stay alive, first and foremost. We also eat for fun, we eat because we like it, we eat to discover new cultures, we eat as part of a social ritual. And sometimes we eat because we are homesick, because we are just sick, because it reminds us of better times. This is comfort eating. Everyone has a food which, in times of need, makes him feel better just by smelling and eating it. This is a personal choice and it can be either a main dish, an hors d’oeuvres or a dessert. But there are, too, those foods, representative for a whole country, that in time and by tradition have become national comfort foods. Before you tell us what your comfort food is, let me rapidly guide you through some of the national comfort foods. Read more …

“Honey, you’re doing great.” “Shut up, you did this to me. I can’t stand it anymore. Give me something for the pain!” Sounds familiar? In real life or in movies this conversation is very often heard through the doors of the delivery room. In nowadays, it seems that even though women are getting more and more powerful in every aspect of their lives, they also get more and more afraid of having a baby the natural way and going through the labor pains. Read more …

Do you like steak, particularly beef steak? Then you can’t miss going to Argentina. The Argentine beef is said to be the best in the world and the most expensive (their cattle eat grass, not grain) and Argentines sure know how to take advantage of their cuts. Here they eat the largest quantity of red meat in the world. Read more …

You clean your face, apply tonic, cream, then once or twice a week you have yourself a facial mask. You wash your hair, you dry it, then you style it. You wash your body, shave, apply a lotion. All these cleansing and beauty rituals are part of your daily routine and you wouldn’t dream changing any of them. But are you sure you are doing the correct things or do you just think so? Here are some of the most common beauty sins we make. Read more …

Forget about great legs with no cellulite – everyone has it and if we don’t like them they can hide under a great pair of jeans. Forget about a great complexion from mom – with the current pollution everyone has problems and they just go to the dermatologist and Spas and take care of the skin. But what do we do about our tummy? This is one part of our body that can’t be so easily forgotten about and so easily solved. But, though not easy, there are solutions to obtain a flat belly. Read more …