Come Celebrate Alaska: Places to See in Juneau

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"North to the Future" is Alaska's state motto and the next 50-years celebration is underway. January 2009 began festively, as Alaska marked its 50th anniversary of official statehood. As Alaska celebrates the next 50-years Juneau's Green Angel Gardens invites visitors to come see and experience their natural Alaskan gardens.

The coastal gardens are defended by a lush rain forest of Sitka Spruce (the state tree), Mountain and Western Hemlock, Red Alder and Black Cottonwood.

Green Angel Gardens with its inspiring wilderness setting was created to protect the natural land and native plants of our 49th state. During a stroll through the gardens, visitors view up close a diverse luxuriant rain forest botanical environment representing Southeast Alaska. Shore pine and Sitka Spruce crowd in on either side of the pathways. The gardens are definitely tranquil and infinitely distinct.

Visitors to Alaska are sweep away by the sheer beauty, the mountains, the rivers and forests. Planted solely with native plants, Green Angel Gardens is a capsule of this land with labeled native plants offering food, medicinal and traditional uses: cow parsnip, wild berries such as blueberry, elderberry, strawberry and raspberry along side tiny wildflowers like the state flower, forget-me-not, poke through the mossy ground under the forest canopy overhead.

Numbered markers allow visitors to cross reference plants with a descriptive pamphlet and placards placed along Green Angel Gardens pathways present information about the native plants. Many from "the lower 48" ask if there are still remote villages in Alaska today. The answer is "yes."

Alaska's entire population, of less than 700,000, is no more than that of Austin, Texas. There are more than 250 rural communities and most rely on a subsistence lifestyle, people who are both very skilled and challenged by their environment. Native plants contributing food, medicinal and traditional uses are especially important to this populations continued existence.

Besides Green Angel Gardens, Juneau has an interesting state capitol and Juneau is home to Mendenhall Glacier, an arm of the 1,500-square mile Juneau Icefield. Five percent of Alaska, or 29,000 square miles of the state is made up of breathtakingly beautiful glaciers and ice fields. Glacier silt, the soil here, is so fine in texture, it is known to locals as "glacier flour."

With interesting topography, majestic glaciers and breathtaking scenery found no where else, Alaska is one of the best locations in the country for outdoor recreation, wilderness adventure and down-to-earth sight-seeing.

"Alaska is the last place in the nation, maybe even the last place on the planet, that still looks like it did in the beginning" Dana Stabnow, Alaskan novelist.

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Fashion Trends Followed by Hip Hop Celebrities

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The lifestyle of the rich and famous personalities determines how much fashion trends they follow. Most of these celebrities get famous for their unique style of their own clothing line and accessories they wear. Apart from music and dance talent, they are considered as the all-around entertainment personality and an eventual fashion image at the same time. Hip Hop celebrity is a combination of fashion with a classy style, attitude and sophisticated music performer.

The fashion line they follow has a unique collection of ultra stylish accessories, shoes and clothing with exclusive patterns, radiant colors, and fabrics. These urban wear can be chosen from wide range of variety for both men and women. The best trendy clothes are more preferable by the people which make them stand apart and can be easily recognized with their choice of clothes. They simply show an attitude with a style in comfort.

The clothing wear by today's youth is the most of the clothing worn by celebrities. Such clothing is inspired by music and fashion. Whether they are spending holidays or just relaxing, youth love to be in such fashion. Celebrities clothing gives cool looks and sheer comfort. The celebrity wear consists of entire range of clothing. It includes jackets, t-shirts, hoodies, jeans, shirts, track pants, thermal wear etc. They all are available for both men and women in its unique style and cut.

Hip hop artists prefer to have sport flashy design watches which exactly suits the glamorous and funky style of the famous personalities. They are designed exclusively for superbly looking men and women. These cool, sporty and branded watches match the outfits of the celebrities. You can even find these artists with an exclusive collection of fashionable watches.

The hip hop celebrities can never be seen without their accessories. The number of well-known hip hop artists has always received a lot of attention and enjoy getting noticed for their diamonds watches and stainless steel accessories. They are considered as their favorite materials and seem perfect with their personality.

If you want to know about the happenings in the celebrity world, just have a look on the numerous websites available exclusively to join celebrity gossips. At such places, you can enjoy and get information about latest fashion, celebrity news, entertainment news, rap music news and gossip on celebrity. They are loaded with free listening songs, new songs, new rap songs, their reviews and cover all latest hip hop news. These websites are updated frequently and tightly focused on the hip hop lifestyle. Whatever detail you want for your favorite celebrities, just click and get satisfied answers related to your questions. They are actually a one stop shop for albums, music videos, events, fashion, gossips, TV shows and plenty of pictures for every celebrity.

Whatever your clothing style is, but the stylish and trendy urban wear of celebrities will surely give you a new look and attitude!

The Shocking Truth About Celebrity Endorsed Diets

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There is no doubt that we love our celebrities.

Just look at the number of tabloids at the checkout line of any market.

Consider the entertainment magazines available including People, Us Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Star Magazine, and so many more.

Entertainment TV shows include E! Entertainment Television, Entertainment Tonight, and others.

Then you have shows all about the Kardashians and similar "celebrity" oriented programs.

We seem to love watching "stars" shine and stumble with shows like Dancing With The Stars.

The list seems never-ending.

And, if you still have doubts about how much we love - even idolize - celebrities, consider how much you're willing to shell out for tickets for live performances or even just to go a movie these days. To do what? Watch celebrities.

What Do You Have In Common With Celebrity Dieters?

What on Earth do you think you have in common with those celebrities?

How do they go about losing weight?

Are you really the same as the them when it comes to health and nutrition and dieting?

Are they good role models for your weight loss efforts?

Here are just a couple of differences between you dieting in real life and them dieting as "spokesdieters" for mega million dollar dieting programs.

I suppose the biggest difference between your real life and their celebrity life is that they have entourages and staffs and chefs and personal trainers at their beck and call to help and support them to stick to their diets and exercise programs.

You, on the other hand, have yourself. OK, maybe, if you're lucky, you may have one or two family members supporting you, and maybe a friend or two. But your supporters are not being paid by you, are not there for you 24/7, and let's face it, at the end of the day, they aren't truly invested in your success.

In reality, the celebrities are surrounded with support and encouragement and you are pretty much alone.

The second huge difference between you and your favorite spokesdieter is that the famous celebrity is getting paid handsomely not just to endorse the diet, but also to try to convince you it actually works - their "job" is to lose weight.

You, on the other hand - unless you are incredibly unusual - don't have a soul on Earth who's going to pay you millions to lose a few pounds.

The celebrities have a huge incentive to stick to the diet beyond good looks and good health. An incentive that you'll never have. A massive financial incentive.

We could go on with this list of differences between you and the celebrities endorsing diets, but I think you get the idea.

But one truth to take away is that they have a level of support and a huge financial incentive that you'll never have.

What You Can Do

There are 2 big things you can do - as a mere mortal not a celebrity - to help yourself in your weight loss efforts.

First, don't delude yourself. Of course you're exactly like the celebrity spokesdieters in the sense that you're human and so are they.

But just because they can make a diet work with all the paid support they get and all the pay they receive for doing it, doesn't mean it's actually any easier for them than it is for you. That's a good truth to keep in mind.

And, another important truth is that even with the paid support and the pay they receive, even they can't or don't always make it work.

Case in point: Kirstie Ally as the celebrity spokesdieter for Jenny Craig a few years back.

If you remember, Ms. Ally lost something like 80 pounds right before our very eyes on television.

And then, after quitting Jenny, every one of us saw her all over the tabloids, entertainment magazines, and entertainment television shows 80 or more pounds heavier within about a year.

The truth and the lesson is that celebrities are human, too. And, if you don't stick with your diet and healthy eating, of course it's not going to do you a bit of good any more than it will do them a bit of good if they don't stick with it.

Sticking to it. That's the key. That's the truth.

Which brings us to the second big thing you can do for yourself. Follow these 6 simple Guidelines to help you stick to your diet, weight loss, and healthy living plan.

6 Guidelines

1. The More Natural The Better.

When I say "more natural" it's about 2 things.

First, what you eat and drink.

Simply knowing that the more fruits and vegetables as opposed to packaged goods and salty snacks, the better. The more water as opposed to sodas, beer, wine, or anything else, the better. The more "healthy" oils/fats (olive, canola, salmon, avocado, nuts) and the less trans fats (shortening and margarine) and saturated fats (red meat and high fat dairy) the better.

It's pretty simple when you break it down and become just a little bit conscious and aware of what you're doing. You don't need to become a health food fanatic. Just a health minded eater.

The second thing I have in mind when I say "more natural" is YOU. You being more natural. You following your natural tendencies more.

We'll look more in detail about this as we go along, but for now, just keep in mind and that you are not Valerie Bertinelli, Carrie Fisher, Sara Rue, or Jason Alexander on Jenny Craig's payroll. You are not Jennifer Hudson or Charles Barkley being paid by Weight Watchers. You aren't Marie Osmond, Dan Marino, Janet Jackson, or Terry Bradshaw raking in a bundle to endorse Nutrisystem.

The truth is that you are you. The more you get tuned in to your personal strengths, weaknesses, preferences, likes, and priorities, and the more you diet in ways that are comfortable for your natural self, the better.

2. Listen.

Listen to you. It's not about listening to what others have to say, certainly not the celebrity spokesdieters with whom you have almost nothing in common except being human. It's not about listening to the advice of others who don't know or "get" the real, natural you. It's certainly not about listening to the criticism of others. And naturally it's not about listening to the marketing hype that surrounds the entire weight loss industry.

The point here is to listen to yourself.

Listen to you when you are feeling good about how you're managing your weight loss and health goals. Listen to your natural personality. The truth is that it will tell you how you should go about doing what you're doing to manage your weight and health and looks and lifestyle in ways that will help you accomplish your goals.

At the end of the day, you are your own weight loss guru and it is your responsibility to listen to yourself if you want to be effective. And, if you listen to yourself, any diet can and will work for you just fine.

3. Eating Is Complex.

We Americans have many, varied, and complex reasons to eat what we eat. And way too many choices.

Here are a few reasons that you may have to choose to eat a particular food:

Curiosity - you just want to know what that huge piece of Aunt Sue's homemade chocolate pie tastes like.

Emotions - we've all experienced emotional eating whether it's to sooth hurt feelings, work ourselves out of depression, or celebrate a nice promotion at work.

Pleasure - you just feel like treating yourself to something sweet and gooey - to spoil yourself - for the sheer pleasure of it.

Nutrition - this is where you make the choice to eat something more nutritious and healthy in order to lose some fat or maintain a healthy weight, improve your energy, enhance your long term health, look better, feel better, and live longer.

As you are getting ready to make a food or drink choice (and remember, it's always a choice) just take a split second to ask yourself if you're going to choose out of curiosity, to soothe some emotional turmoil or to reward yourself for some emotional victory, just for the pleasure of it, or are you going to choose something to promote your health and good looks?

By the way, these food choice motivations are not mutually exclusive.

As you do this on a conscious basis for a little while, and if you're serious about losing weight, you'll notice that you will automatically start making choices that are more oriented toward good nutrition. It just happens naturally. Your body wants to be healthy if you just get out of its way and let it.

This as a another example of being your own weight loss guru - first asking yourself what you're doing and then giving yourself the right answers. The truth is that you know the answers. Sometimes you just get distracted from them.

4. It's Your Life & Your Personality.

The truth is that there is no diet on Earth, no matter which celebrity is acting as it's spokesdieter, that is going to fit you perfectly.

Diets are designed in general. None is designed exactly for you. None is personalized precisely to match your unique personality, temperament, and behavioral preferences.

The problem most people have when trying to lose weight is an inability to stick with the diet long enough to achieve their goals.

Why don't people stick with their diets? Why don't you stick with yours?

Because you try to change yourself to fit the diet. That puts the diet, which was not designed specifically for you in the first place, in charge of you. And it gives you a ton of dieting related stress. Who wants that?

The solution is simple. Personalize the diet to fit you. Instead of changing your natural self to fit the diet, change the diet to fit your natural self. Personalize it.

That doesn't mean you should change the diet fundamentally. It encourages you to use the diet as guidelines rather than a set of laws that you have to follow perfectly or you'll be arrested and go to jail or something.

Here's another truth. No matter what you are doing in life, including dieting, the more you do it in ways that are consistent and compatible with your own unique personality and behavioral preferences, the easier those things are for you to accomplish, the more fun they are for you, and the more successful you will be at them. It's a law of nature. You do best at what you like best. You like best those things that are most natural for you.

5. Moderation.

Moderation is interesting.

Mark Twain said, "...it has always been my role never to smoke when asleep, and never to refrain from smoking when awake."

And for many of us it seems we have the same philosophy when it comes to food...we never eat when asleep and never refrain from eating when awake.

If you're overweight now, as 70% of Americans are so you're certainly not alone, one thing you're not used to is eating in moderation.

I suggest you go back for a moment and review our 3rd Guideline - Eating Is Complex.

If you become aware - consciously at first evolving into automatically - of what the purpose of your food choices are with an emphasis on nutrition whenever possible, you'll automatically develop the moderation habit without having to use a lot of will power. It will lead you, without a lot of conscious effort or stress, to your weight loss and fitness goals.

6. Reasonableness - Common Sense.

Going hand-in-hand with the idea of moderation, is your desire and ability to face the reality that you are not going to be a super model and are not likely to ever become a highly paid celebrity spokesdieter for any diet program.

That does not mean that you cannot easily be as slim, trim, fit, healthy, and active as you want to be.

You can be. You have a right to be. And you deserve to be as healthy and as happy as you want at any healthy weight without ever appearing on national television, without ever adorning a magazine cover, without enviable, photogenic six pack abs, without bulging biceps, and without ever fitting into your skinniest ever jeans.

Don't get me wrong.

I am an advocate of lofty goals.

I am also an advocate of realistic goals.

I am an even bigger advocate of using common sense in all things, especially in how you manage your weight which is directly related to how you manage your health which is directly related to how you look and feel.

The Bottom Line

So yes, we Americans love our celebrities. But let's not give them god-like status. They are just people. If they do not stick to their diets, they will get fat just like you and me.

The truth is that Valerie Bertinelli, Jennifer Hudson, Marie Osmond, and all of the others smile their celebrity smiles and in 60 second spots make it seems like it's easy. But they have to work at their diets like you and I do.

However, they have staffs that are paid handsomely to help and support them and they are being paid ridiculous sums to stick to their diets.

If you are serious about losing weight, you have to do the same thing as the celebrities. Stick to your diet. Unfortunately, you have to do it more on your own than they do and without making millions in the process.

Instead of having a cash payment from a big diet company as an incentive to stick with it, your main incentive is to look in your mirror and feel proud of yourself. It's to look your best, feel your best, and be your best as you accomplish your goals, achieve a healthy weight, and maintain that healthy weight and lifestyle forever. No cash. Just a sense of accomplishment.

Use the 6 Guidelines outlined above and you'll find that your weight loss success will be easier and more successful than you have ever experienced before.

Whether you like Valerie Bertinelly, Jennifer Hudson, Marie Osmond, or one of the celebrity spokesdieters, you are not them. You will not diet like them. You will not lose weight like them.

Luckily for you, you are you. You are unique. You have an individual personality, strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and behavioral preferences. The more you use those traits and characteristics to your advantage to personalize any diet you choose, the more successful you will be at weight loss and long term weight and lifestyle management.

The way you attack your diet plan, your weight loss efforts, and your long term weight management is up to you and you alone.

No matter what diet you choose and no matter what celebrity may currently be endorsing that diet, the truth is that that celebrity's job is to try to get you to buy their diet instead of a different one. Period. He or she is not going to jump out of the TV or off the magazine page to actually help you lose even a pound in your real life.

Whether or not you actually lose weight, personalize your diet, and stick with it is entirely up to you.

The better you get at being natural, listening to yourself, sorting through the complexity of food choice motives, using your own natural personality, relying on your own common sense, and having realistic goals, the more likely you are to get exactly what you want from your weight loss efforts.

With zero help from any celebrity spokesdieter.

How to Remain in Fashion by Wearing Celebrity Outfits

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We are living in the scientific world today which is packed with exciting and attractive materials. These days, you can easily access anything you desire to lift up your persona and make your appearance look completely different than others. This can easily be done by the help of Hollywood industry. Since this place is recognized for its spectacular styles, both for the blockbuster movies as well as top celebrities; we can receive complete benefits for all our fashion requirements from this lavish place. There are numerous top-notch names in Hollywood who have achieved popularity not only from their super hit movie releases, but also from their outstanding outfit styles.

In the famous world of Hollywood, we cannot even imagine that there are numerous names that have made their path towards great success by their wonderful outfits. They have performed excellent roles in movies, and above all, they have constantly made their outfits as an ultimate source of dignity. One of the major names in the celebrity planet is of good-looking and handsome Tom Cruise. He is amongst the richest and top-rated actors who has acquired reputation through great acting as well as wonderful outfits. In his every super hit movie, Tom Cruise has worn amazing attires to maintain his position. Recently, I was watching his 2010 movie, Knight and Day. Here, he had worn astonishing leather jackets in his several scenes. I truly liked the amazing leather jacket which is of yellow color, which undoubtedly gave him a tempting look.

The inspiration that Michael Jackson left over the fashion world donned a great impact over his career without any hesitation. Michael Jackson had worn numerous stylish and glossy outfits on his physique in his every song. The luminous celebrity leather jackets he had been wearing during his life span left a remarkable remembrance to our lifestyles. His styles of leather jackets were very noticeable mainly for the bikers which are still well-accepted outfits for bikers.

Celebrity fashion and their movements vary from time to time and bring significant reformation to our lifestyles. Discussing the above two super stars of Hollywood, we can come to a decision that by wearing those outfits that any super star had worn, certainly escalates our personality to sky-high. In short, it is your clothes that represent your outlook towards the crowd. People always believe in what they see in real before they hear about you. Your outfit reveals your qualities and explains your features without any language. Celebrity stimulated fashion is something that will never go out of date and you can for eternity utilize it to enhance your persona.

The Celebrity Fit Club Diet

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The Celebrity Fit Club Diet was coined by Dr. Ian K. Smith's book, Fat Smash Diet. This is one of those diets in which the main focus is on lifestyle change, which will inevitably bring upon weight loss. It is based upon the principles of eating healthy, and exercising on a regular basis.

What the Celebrity Fit Club Diet Consists Of

This diet consists of four phases. The first phase is the toughest and strictest, and is focused on ridding the body of its toxins. This lasts for nine days, and limits the types of foods that can be eaten. It is during this phase that the rate of weight loss is at its fastest. The next three phases gradually reintroduce foods that you were not allowed to eat in the first phase, one phase at a time. This teaches the dieter how to eat properly, and promotes a gradual change in lifestyle which makes it easier to implement. Although this diet does not require any calorie counting, controlling your portion sizes is essential.

What You Can and Cannot Eat on the Celebrity Fit Club Diet

During the 9 day "detox phase" - or phase one - carbohydrates are pretty much limited to fruits and unsweetened oatmeal. In addition, you are permitted to eat vegetables, egg whites, beans and nuts. During the second phase - or "foundation phase" - you are allowed to add lean animal proteins, such as chicken and fish, which lasts three weeks. The four week long "construction phase" - or phase three - you will be adding whole grains and cereals to your diet.

The fourth phase is a lifetime-long phase. It shouldn't really even be called a phase because it is during this period that you integrate a complete lifestyle change. This is called the "temple phase", which allows you eat all the foods you have been consuming throughout the first three phases. In addition, you can gradually introduce small portions of white breads and pastas, as well as the occasional alcoholic beverage.

Exercise

Keeping active and participating in an exercise program is essential during the Celebrity Fit Club Diet. You are recommended to work out about 5 times a week, and incorporate 30 minutes of cardio during these sessions. After the first three phases, you are encouraged to perform one hour of exercise, 5 times per week.

There is no magic to losing weight. Eating sensibly, restricting calories, and exercising regularly are the keys to weight loss success.