F.R.I.E.N.D.S.H.I.P

France

During a conversation [a Survey] that took place at the airport during my way back to my home country LEBANON.

Skepticism

The demand of knowledge has always been the first concern of philosophy. It is related to the concept of truth, which in turn constitutes the basics of human life. However, questioning that truth has never been accepted by the great occidental philosophers until the Greek sophists and the skeptical schools appeared and shaped this idea. So liberating the mind from the ideas that maintained the indubitable knowledge of truth and cognitive certainty was by no means a modern theory presented by Descartes, and actually it formed the classical dogma of classical philosophy with Aristotle, and with particular emphasis in St. Augustine and all over medieval philosophy. (Seifert, Josef. "From Relativism and Skepticism to Truth and Certainty." Truth Journal. 2002). So how do we define skepticism, And what is the position of skepticism on the subject of truth and certainty of knowledge?

Skepticism

To be a skeptic is simply to doubt any sort of certainty about truth and reality. It is about rejecting any beliefs in things that have not been appropriately shown to exist or demonstrated to happen. Whether or not that assumption is accepted depends on whether or not you believe the thing in question, but this is not up to science to decide. Those truths that follow from the modern science are not necessarily illustrations of indubitable certainty.

The challenge of freewill

You wake up in the morning and you start making all kinds of choices: what to do, where to go, what to drink, what to eat, what to wear... If you forget one thing (let's say your laptop), you feel it was your fault and you are responsible for it (the act of forgetting) You start blaming yourself. Most of us consider that we have free will and we are certain about it. "YES IT EXISTS" It is known to be the power of choosing the course of action. But is it simply this power, which allows us to control our events, so what determines the free will, then?  Our brain ?! Our motives ?! Our entourage ?! 

The challenge of Freewill

This article gives a brief examination of how freedom of actions relates to free will. It also explores an argument for Libertarianism questioning the human actions and the subject of causality. It will then confront it with two arguments for hard determinism based on the relationship between human actions and prior events of the person.

Randoms

Type Ia supernova

On August 24, 2011, astronomers discovered a nearby Type Ia supernova--the earliest detection ever--with help from a machine-based real-time classification system. The early detection and close proximity of the stars set the stage for unprecedented observation of the initial stages of a Type Ia supernova.

Supernovae are extraordinarily bright stellar explosions that signal the death of a star and there are several different types. Type Ia supernovae have similarities that allow astronomers to use them as standards when comparing the distances of objects in the sky, however little is known about the stars that produce them or how they behave when they explode. Models of Type Ia supernovae assume they are formed from two-star systems in which a very dense, very small star called a white dwarf orbits a companion.

This supernova, named 2011fe, occurred in the Pinwheel galaxy, which is located in the "Big Dipper" within the Ursa Major constellation. Early detection gave astronomers the extraordinary opportunity to observe the evolution of the brightness and spectra of the energy emitted from the explosion over time. Based on these data, researchers were able to approximate how big the star was and when it exploded, in addition to details about the companion star in the system.

NSF's Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI) program, with the goal of building computational tools with concrete scientific returns in mind, supported the computational framework that enabled this discovery. The framework could form the foundation for applications in other fields with similar demands and constraints, such as high-frequency financial data, robotics, medical signal monitoring, geophysics, weather and particle physics.

Barney's

haha you sneaky mom ! Amazing challenge I Ate All Their Halloween Candy

fashal

Engineering For Change

Inside a water-pump repair shop in Kenya

The latest in the series The Fixers, a documentary project on electronic waste in Africa reported on The Atlantic's Web site, takes us inside a shop where a creative handyman fixes pumps with whatever is available.  _____________________________________________

AirDrop Irrigation wins the Dyson Award

A low-tech moisture harvesting device for drought-prone and otherwise dry farms took the James Dyson Award this month.

Mars Science Laboratory and the Curiosity Rover

Yes, I Remember ! What about you ?!

Giga Pets or the Virtual Electronic Pets. Other names are "tamagotchi", "digimon", "nano pet", "virtual pet", and I used to call it Zazou. "I really don't know why"

P.S. It died after One Week !

What is named after "Lomonosov" ?

Click on the photo to Enlarge

"Hail to Bermuda"

At 3:40 pm today, I got a visitor located in Bermuda (the territory). I asked myself: WHY ?! Then, I remembered one previous post discussing the famous (Bermuda Triangle).


Bermuda is a British Territory in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Population: 64,600 - 2010
Source: World Bank, World Development IndicatorsCurrency: Bermudian DollarArea: 53.2 km^2
The National Anthem: "God Save The Queen"

Kourou Space Center

The True Story Behind Samsung VS. Iphone WAR

Maybe, it is time to declare the new official war between Samsung and Apple. Apple has already won injunctions against Samsung devices in Germany and Australia. Samsung has vowed to fight back in those two countries, as well as pre-emptive filings in its home country of South Korea. So, the war is still taking place in Europe where Apple seems to be winning so far, and has managed retailers from selling Samsung products.
The new Samsung:
"They are trying to expand the Android market. The longer it's left the harder it will be for Samsung"   Justice Annabelle Bennett - Reuters
Click Here for the Samsung GT I9220 Hybrid Image
Read Also: Samsung plays dirty, ambushes Apple’s iPhone 4S launch in Sydney

We are the revolution: Paulo Coelho's Blog

My literature is totally committed with a new political attitude – human beings in search of their own identity.

My books don’t talk about the old and used up process of the right/left but there is a revolution that is slowly rising up which the press doesn’t seem to have detected yet.

If I had to sum up the whole idea in only one expression, I’d say that the new political attitude for our era is to “die alive and commited.”
In other words, being aware and participating in things until the day we die – something that does not occur very often – people end up dying for the world on the day they renounce their dreams.

We are the revolution taking place. We are responsible for the world in every sense – political, social, moral.
We are responsible for the planet. We are responsible for the unemployed.
Of course, we can blame the banks, the disaster that irresponsible people created in the financial system, the political repression, the inability of the Govts. to hear what people has to say.
But this will not help the world to become a better place. We need to act, and we need to act now.
And we don’t need permission to act.
We are much more powerful than we think we are. Let’s use this power, use the strength that everyone has when he/she is following his/her real Bliss, Personal Legend, you name it.
We are the dreamers, but we are also the revolution.
Dreams are not negotiable.

I outlined my declaration of principles in the links below. Do the same. And implement everything you think should be implemented.
Love
Paulo

The Co-evolution of Particle Science

Summary: Particle science, biology, nano science and materials science are in lock step. The working machinery of these sciences is particle analysis. This article looks at how the various disciplines interrelate.

The sciences don’t exist in isolation. Nowhere is this more obvious in than in particle analysis. The huge boom across the sciences in molecular science has been driving a virtual reinvention of a science which started as a mechanical process using very basic equipment like sieves. Today’s basic particle size analyzer is a far distant cry from those days, and the drivers for new forms of particle analysis are coming from across the scientific spectrum.

A short history of sciences in flux- How the new dynamics emerged

One of the new kids in science is molecular science. This rather precocious enfant terrible was the Big Bang for massive change in the physical sciences. Every other science from chemistry to physics has had to redefine its space and its ideas on the basis of molecular science. Not surprisingly, the materials sciences also had to reinvent themselves on the basis of this torrent of new information. For “materials”, read “particles”, and you’ll get some idea of the crucial role of particle analysis in modern sciences.

Particle analysis is now a distinct field in science, as well as a distinct function.

This is a very basic list of sciences and related areas of commerce which need ultra-efficient particle analysis:

Astronomy / Biology / Nano science / Toxicology / Entomology / Genetics / Mycology / Medicine / Pharmaceuticals / Manufacturing / Food science / Polymer science / Electronics / Space research / Geology / Mining / Physics

Pretty much everything, in fact. About the only sciences that don’t need particle analysis are history, economics and geography.

It’s an interesting study in interdisciplinary realities that the “insular” sciences of the past are now effectively co-dependent and highly inter-reactive. This is a multi-speed, multi directional process.

Turkey

Nothing like a little math geekery on Thursday Morning

What happens to the human body after drinking a can of cola

Product Design and Prototyping Basics

Summary: Discusses the issues related to prototyping in product design, including business and production model issues. How can you get your design into the prototype phase and onto production?

Keywords: product design, plastic injection moulding, industrial product design, precision machining services

Body:

Product design is a demanding, often extremely detailed process. At the early prototyping stage, it gets very picky for various reasons including operational and performance issues, and in the later stages production issues need to be addressed. This can be a rather traumatic time for product designers, because the information load often stacks up dramatically, and so does the level of detail.

This workload must be managed systematically. Anyone who’s ever waded through pages of CAD plans knows that even at the most efficient levels of professional performance, time is a major factor from both business and productivity perspectives during the prototyping phase. The core business issue is getting results; the main productivity issue is getting the work done ASAP with appropriate quality.

This situation creates some basic choices for product designers:

1. Try and do all the prototyping yourself:

Some product designers are so talented and so proficient that they can do a lot of the work themselves. Instinctively, they also prefer to be the ones working on “their baby”. Whether or not that’s a good move in business terms, however, is debatable. It’s unlikely in most cases except very basic prototype scenarios that they can do all of it in an economic period of time. The business and design ramifications can be major problems, if they can’t.

The risks here need to be very well understood- Time frames can easily blow out with design modifications, and the economics can get pretty rocky. Budgets can get in trouble with extra time issues, and diverting resources onto one project at the expense of others may also not be a great business move.

2. Best practice- Get professional services to do the prototyping hard labour- This approach costs money, but it also saves a lot of time and effort upfront, and allows the product designer to stand back from the project and focus on quality issues. That’s the situation where the product designer really can home in on design problems and solutions, and it’s likely to be a very productive option, particularly for complex designs.

The alternative here is obviously bottom line based, but with some very productive elements built in:

• Core functions like plastic injection moulding can be implemented- This is basic production, done to specifications which can be translated into future working models.

• Precision machining services can be used to ensure high quality components- This is a critical service, and eliminates the dangerous “ad hoc” approach to these vital parts of the prototype. Some things need to be done in a proper production environment.

• Other designers are good problem solvers- They speak the language of design, understand the issues, and perhaps most importantly of all, commercial services for industrial design have the resources in-house to really get at and solve the issues related to prototyping.

• Efficiency is always valuable- In this case, the efficiency of the product design service ensures time frames are under control, and that systematic management of the prototype build is assured. That eliminates a lot of the risk factors in product design at this very sensitive stage of development.

If you’ve put a lot of work into your product design, do yourself a big favour- When it’s at prototyping stage, get professional support. You’ll never regret it.

Men on Girder, 1930

These photos were taken on the 69th floor in the last several months of construction. Men on Girder  are REAL pictures of the same workers lying down on the beam taking a nap.

City Cosmetic Surgery

Summary: There are many different reasons why people get plastic surgery. If you can’t understand why, we’ve listed the reasons that have led to a dramatic increase in cosmetic

procedures the world over.

Body: The amount of people now getting plastic surgery is on the increase. What was once reserved for people who were victims of accidents or required surgery for functional reasons is

now available to the broader public. Cosmetic surgery like having a breast enhancement is on the rise in women with no sign of dissipating. So why are people now keener than ever to go under the knife?

Technology has grown in leaps and bounds

People always automatically assume that we’ve become vainer as a society which has led to the increase in cosmetic surgery. And while that may be a valid argument, we’ve also come so far

with the technology and advancements in medicine which has meant that what we could not do 100 years ago, is now a common place, day surgery procedure. This of course has meant the ability to perform plastic surgery with dramatically reduced risks using the latest technology with often times little fuss to the patient.

To rid excess skin after dramatic weight loss

Many people loose weight by sweating it out in the gym, but no amount of weight lifting can rid them of the excess skin that is left behind after dramatic weight loss. Thatʼs where plastic surgery comes in as a great option for trimming excess skin and tightening the appearance of the body in specific areas.

To resolve internal problems

Many people get plastic surgery to fix issues they are currently having with something internal. For instance people may have surgery done to their nose because they are having problems with breathing, or someone may have their jaw realigned to stop long-term effects of an overbite or other issues with the mouth and jaw.

Fast recovery and little to no scarring

As discussed earlier, technological advancements is one major reason why people are now more than ever opting for plastic surgery. They can get the look they want with little downtime, making it a serious option they can now consider.

To put things back where they were before pregnancy

Any woman who has had children will know that your body goes through dramatic changes when

you have a baby. Having cosmetic surgery to put things where they were is a great way to get your post baby body restored to its former glory. Often working out at the gym just canʼt get you the results you desire after having kids.

Boost in confidence

Although a breast enlargement is not something that should be decided upon lightly, many women find that after careful consideration and research, they decide on having the surgery to give them just the confidence boost they need. Let’s face it, if you have the money and time to have the surgery done, why not?!

There are many different reasons why people have plastic surgery. With all of the advancements in technology and the constant lowering of risks it’s no wonder why more and more people are opting for getting the body they’ve always desired.

Drugs: old and new threats

* For Educational Purposes ONLY !

How to Surf The Internet Without Any Browser

1. Open Calculator, Start> Program Files> Accessories> Calculator or press Windows+R and type 'calc' in the run box, click OK.

2. In Calculator, go to Help> Help Topics.

3. Right click on the left hand side of the title bar and click on 'Jump to URL'.

4. Type in the URL and make sure include the 'http://' at the beginning.

* Only for Windows XP

araabMUZIK Documentary (without the Documentary)

Euphoria

Twitter general etiquettes

About Twitter http://twitter.com/about

• It’s social media… not shouting media
• Listen to your audience and learn
• Create tweets that are interesting to “them”
• More informational than advertorial
• Provide a summarized and effective bio
• Building trust and authority builds relationships that will help you achieve your goals
• Be consistent 
• Spread your tweets out
• Do not send out multiple tweets at the same time
• Be social
• Follow back those that follow you
• Follow others proactively
• Ignore spam
• Target your content
• Track and retweet (RT) your influential followers content
• Use #hashtags to start and follow topical conversation streams
• Show personality… especially with your brands
• Think of your tweets as headlines
• Think of your tweets as short bursts of a relevant thought
• Follow back those that have listed you
• Establish a pattern of consistency in your tweeting strategy, tweet at least once daily
• Follow those that follow you but maintain low follower to following ratios – recommend 1.25 to 1 or less
• Email signature “Follow us on Twitter”
• Market Twitter outside Twitter (website, blog, newsletter)

#Source: American Marketing Association

Rest In Peace

Quotation #38354 from Laura Moncur's Motivational Quotations

Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Steve Jobs
US computer engineer & industrialist (1955 -  2011)

Myth 3: You Can't Do It All In-House - Neal Rodriguez - Forbes

Myth 3: You Can't Do It All In-House - Neal Rodriguez - Forbes
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Read More

Myth8 [BLOGGING IS A WASTE OF TIME!]: Why it's perpetuated: There is so much noise on the internet, why bother blogging? Here’s why: It gives you a voice and at least a modicum of control of your brand--especially if you really have something important to say and you say it on a consistent basis.

Action plan: Blogging is very easy. Download the Wordpress blogging platform from Wordpress.org. Install it on your server into a new directory (if you have Fantastico on your web server, it will load up like butter). Next, find some of the best questions your prospects have posed and write an article that responds to their inquiries. Add a question at the end encouraging people to post their comments. Share the content with your prospects, customers and on the social networks, and ask others in your network to share the content. Repeat.

Or Simply, go to blogger.com and sign up or use your own Google account ! :))

Camels ..

Sometimes, they do really stop in the middle of the road w "Bitayyso*"

*freeze

DSL (views)

My latest post about Lebanon DSL [FRIDAY, 26 AUGUST 2011] had 262 views which is the highest between all posts #Interesting

Excel

How Do You Set Computer to Print Freeze Panes on Succeeding Pages in Excel

http://shabab.assafir.com/

The idea that the internet is not a secure place has become ingrained in popular culture. Because of the increasing number of users, it has become more complicated for authorities to constrain the breaches of privacy that proliferate on a regular basis. The average user should remain prudent in the exchange of personal data over the internet.

Britney Spears - Criminal (Lyrics)

Google [100 000 000]

100 million searches a day in the MENA region.

Everyday, 100 million facebook users.

Youtube videos playbacks per day: 100 millions.

SMWeek Beirut

Social Media Readiness:

Technical Definition:
Websites and online tools used to publish, share information.

Websites are becoming blogs (Active - Everything is sharable)
More and more people are interested in communicating with brands.
Conversations are now bidirectional and lateral.

Social Business is built on three pillars: people, governance and technology.

Invest your effort in becoming an open Business [STOP WORRYING ABOUT THE LIKES!!]
Do your best to open your marketing, research and innovation to the World.

Statistics (Social Media Users in Lebanon):

500 to 1000 Active Bloggers.
1.2 Million facebookers.
20000 Twitterers.
7000 Linkedin profiles.

Japan HD の写真

Benefits of Seafood

Three guys hanging out decided to take dinner in a Seafood Restaurant in Al-khobar [Ammo Hamze]. However, it was interesting to note that, before having the menus, there were papers on the table stating the following facts about seafood, besides its physical benefits:


Fish consumption reduces suicide risk ...


Omega-3 fatty acids: the missing link? The major depression is characterized by a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids and that these acids possess powerful anti-arrhythmic properties.


Omega-3 fatty acid deficiency linked to depression: The composition of cell membranes has a profound effect on membrane-related proteins such as enzymes and receptors and there is considerable evidence that cell membrane structure is a significant factor in depression.


Fish oil supplementation helps schizophrenia patients


Enjoy your meal !

Lebanon New DSL speed & prices

#tayyar.org

Wikipedia: Egyptian Native Accent ...

المالاريا (Malaria) دى مرض بييجى للانسان لما بيتقرص من ناموسه اسمها انوفيليس فاروينسيس (الناموسه الدكر ما بتنقلش المرض بس النتايه) و بتنقل له واحد من 4 انواع م طفيليات وحيدة الخليه اللى بتسبب المالاريا.الطفيليات الاربعه بيتقال عليهم طفيليات المالاريا وهما:

§         بلازموديوم مالاريا (Plasmodium malariae)

§         بلازموديوم اوفالى (Plasmodium ovale)

§         بلازموديون فايفاكس (Plasmodium vivax)

§         بلازموديوم فالسيباروم (Plasmodium falciparum)

النوعين الاخرانيين (الفايفاكس و الفالسيباروم )هما اخطر الانواع و اكترهم فى الانتشار .المالاريا وباء منتشر فى المناطق المداريه فى اسيا و امريكا الجنوبيه و افريقا و بتقتل ما بين مليون لـ تلات ملايين بنى ادم كل سنه اغلبهم عيال صغيرين فى افريقيا.المالاريا مرض ممكن علاجه و الوقايه منه (Curable and Preventable) و المشكله الاكبر اللى بتواجه الحكومات و المنظمات الصحيه هى الفقر الشديد و عدم توافر الفلوس مع ان الادويه موجوده بس مش كل حد يقدر على تكاليفها.

http://arz.wikipedia.org/

In theaters this fall:

"You don't get to 500 million friends 

                without circles and plus signs"

Top 10 Favorite Childhood Games

1- Super Mario Bros.
2- Tank
3- Contra
4- Load Runner
5- Street Fighter
6- Mortal Combat
7- Sonic
8- Aladdin
9- MS Pac-Man
10- Tetris

Origin of Super Mario [Jumpman]

Jumpman is Mario's father and Pauline's boyfriend, and a character in The Original Donkey Kong. His outfit consists of a blue shirt, red overalls, and a blue cap. He is the game's main villain, and he tries to defeat Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr., as well as Donkey Kong. All four characters battle him at one point in the game, and he is the final boss. His attacks include jumping and using a steel hammer. He can only be defeated by having several Barrels thrown at him, followed by a hit by the Bammer. Once this is done five times, he is defeated. He also appears as a boss in Bowser and the Koopalings.

In canon, Jumpman is the Japanese name of Mario in his appearance in Donkey Kong.

Dangers of Chronic Dehydration

Could you be chronically dehydrated ? Many people are and never realize it. Our bodies require at least eight glasses of water per day, more during exercise, illness, and hot weather. People often think that even if they don't actually drink water, they are getting enough by drinking coffee, tea, soft drinks, juice or beer. The truth is that many of these beverages have a diuretic effect, encouraging the body to excrete water through urination, rather than retaining it. Think about a grape versus a raisin. The one is plump and full and juicy, containing all its natural water. The other is small, dry, shriveled, its water gone. Although a grape in dehydrated condition is still a good and useful fruit, the human body when dehydrated does not function at its best and may be at risk for many ailments.

The body is composed of nearly 75% water, and water is required for many of its essential functions. Water is utilized as a solvent. It also provides a means to transport nutrients, hormones and other elements. It is used to produce hydroelectric energy, especially in the brain. It is essential for maintaining cell structure. Water is also necessary to maintain a lower serum viscosity that enables proteins and enzymes to function more efficiently. Chronic dehydration can lead to a loss or decease in these functions and may ultimately result in disease or can exacerbate an existing condition. Contrary to popular belief, dry mouth or thirst is not the first sign of dehydration.

All life began in water; even the developing fetus is surrounded by water. When the body is deprived of water, a water rationing system takes effect. Histamine, a neurotransmitter becomes active and redistributes water throughout the body. The order of circulatory priority is the brain, lungs, liver, kidneys, and glands, then comes the muscles, bones and skin. During periods of dehydration, histamine insures that these vital organs have enough water to function properly. If enough water is not supplied, it must be taken from within the body. Chronic dehydration can cause histamine to become excessively active. This may result in symptoms that may be mistaken for other disorders such as allergies, asthma, dyspepsia, colitis, constipation, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic pains in various parts of the body such as migraine headaches.

Dyspeptic pain, which can range from simple heartburn to gastro-esophageal reflux disorder (GERD), may be one of the early signs of dehydration. During the early digestive process when food enters the stomach, hydrochloric acid (HCl) is secreted to activate the enzymes to breakdown the proteins found in meat and dairy. The acidic contents of the stomach, called chyme, is then pumped into the small intestine by passing through a valve, called the pyloric sphincter. This acid chyme must be neutralized before it damages the intestinal lining. The pancreas is responsible for secreting the bicarbonate ions to neutralize the acid. A large amount of water is required to produce this bicarbonate solution. If sufficient water is not available, the digestive process may be delayed and food may remain in the stomach longer than necessary. Over a period of time, the stomach acid may rise and if allowed to enter the esophagus, will produce the sensation known as heartburn. Ideally, water should be taken 30 minutes before meals, during meals, and again two hours after eating.

Another possible complication of dehydration is joint pain. The cartilage in your body, including your joints, is composed mainly of water. As cartilage surfaces glide over one another, some exposed cells become worn and peel away. New cartilage is normally produced to replace the damaged cells. Due to the lack of blood vessels in cartilage, water is needed to transport the nutrients required for maintenance and repair. Dehydration may increase the abrasive damage and delay its repair, resulting in joint pain.

Asthma and allergies can be another indication that the body has increased production of histamine. During chronic dehydration, the body will attempt to conserve water by preventing unnecessary water loss. A large amount of water is normally lost from the lungs as water vapor through expired air. Histamine, which also controls bronchial muscle contractions, may attempt to restrict water loss through expiration by constricting the bronchial muscles.

Another complication of dehydration can be constipation. When water is in short supply in the body, the colon will act to restrict unnecessary water loss through the stools. Colon muscles will contract to squeeze out and subsequently reabsorb water back into circulation. This can result in harder stools that are not only more difficult to pass, but may also irritate and weaken the walls of the colon, resulting in small pockets known as diverticuli. Since the water that the colon reabsorbs back into circulation is not filtered water, but wastewater, it must then be filtered by the liver and the kidneys. This may place additional strain on these overworked organs.

Depression may be another complication of chronic dehydration. The amino acid tryptophan is required by the brain to produce the neurotransmitter serotonin, which subsequently is needed to make melatonin. An adequate amount of water is required for tryptophan to be transported into the brain. Dehydration may limit the amount of tryptophan available to the brain and to complicate matters, the histamine levels may actually stimulate tryptophan's breakdown in the liver.

Most of the body's water is found within the cells, and the next largest amount is in the fluid surrounding the cells. If water is not replaced frequently, this surrounding fluid may continue to accumulate waste material and other contaminates. The pumps in your cell membranes may not work as efficiently because allowing dirty water into the cell can cause cellular damage or cell death. You wouldn't bathe in the same bath water without first cleaning the tub and adding fresh water. Why would you allow your cells to be surrounded by waste material?

In conclusion, water is vital to good health and there is no substitute for water. However, years of chronic dehydration can not be reversed overnight by simply drinking a couple of glasses of water. Rather water intake should be gradually increased. How do you know if you're drinking enough water? Your urine should be clear or lightly colored. A darker colored urine may be an indication that your kidneys are working hard to concentrate the urine.

Of course, under no circumstances should anyone discontinue taking any prescription medications without the close supervision of their physician.

By Albert Grazia, M.S., N.D.