I AM TRULY SURROUNDED BY MY work: My computer runs on megabytes and RAMs; my car moves because of sparks and subsequent combusion, and sports more digital equipment than I care to imagine; and even my gym has the latest techno-gizmo to tell me just how many calories I've used up on a five-mile (albeit stationary) "bike ride." I cannot seem to get away from science and technology--but as a science writer, I do not mind, because it is more fuel for my science articles.
Science and technology encompass all our lives. If you find your hands sweating during the latest Space Shuttle launch, or you enthusiastically tell your friends the reasons why tsunamis crash along a coastline, you may be a potential science writer. And you do not have to be another Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, or Isaac Asimov to succeed at it.
I became a science writer through the back door. I was a professional scientist who analyzed water samples and plotted flooding along sinuous river systems. A side trip back to college changed my life: The day my professor handed back the first draft of my thesis and said, "This reads like...well...an article for the general audience," sealed my fate. I have thanked her insight for ten years now.
You do not have to be a scientist or have a science background to write articles and books about science and technology. In fact, it may be helpful for you not to have a science background, because then you won't be caught up in the science jargon. If you are interviewing an astronomer on interstellar objects who says that MACHOs are found at the periphery of our galaxy, you would not just nod your head. You would ask him or her to explain--not only the acronym (Massive Compact Halo Objects)--but why MACHOs are important to your article.
The best part about science and technology writing is the range of topics from which you can choose--and each of those subjects can be further broken down into narrower topics for other articles. Topics include the physical sciences, (geology, chemistry, etc.); biology (plant, human, viral, bacterial); space science; or medical science. Many science writers also delve into technology: computers, robotics, and electronics. Under technology, a science writer may describe remote sensing techniques used to detect and track volcanic eruption plumes across the planet; or under medical science, show how using supercomputer modeling can help us understand how drugs react within the body.
Science writing does not have to be about current scientific developments; it can also be about science in the past or future. Science past had its wonderful moments of serendipity; science future has its promise of a better life. And do not overlook science fiction for article ideas. After all, most people know about "warp drive," an idea often referred to on "Star Trek." A science writer might ask, "Can we go faster than the speed of light? If we could, what type of propulsion would be needed to catapult a spaceship to such speeds?"
Although there is a myriad of topics to choose from, all science and technology writing must apply to and excite the readers. Will they be able to use the discovery in the present or future? Will it help their children to live happier lives? Does the topic stimulate their imagination, and is it enjoyable to read? Or will the story tell them about a person, place, or thing that they never knew about before?
Now that you have decided to try your hand at writing science, you will need the following:
* Intense curiosity. When you are curious about a subject in science, you are more apt to dig deeper, ask for more explanation--and your enthusiasm will show in your writing. An editor once told me, "The attention span of the reader is directly proportional to the writer's interest in the story."
* An interest in research. You may have all the curiosity about a subject, but you also need the tenacity to do the research. Science writers today have it easier than they did in the past: We have access to tremendous amounts of information, not only in libraries, but through computer communication services, where you can find articles on your subjects and leads to help you find other sources.
* Ability to recognize a good idea for a science article. A good idea for a science article is not "DNA"; a good science article idea is how DNA is being used as genetic "fingerprints" in crime investigations--and how it is also under fire because the technique is so new. Article ideas are everywhere, but the science writer has to know how to focus on that one kernel of interest.
* Contacts and sources to interview. A science writer's most valued possession is his or her contact/source list: past interviewees (experts in the fields you are writing about), reference librarians, earlier contacts from science conferences, public information offices of science-oriented institutions, organizations, and universities--and, of course, other science writers.
* Insistence on accuracy. The science writer's creed, to borrow from Thoreau, should read, "Simplicity, simplicity--not to mention accuracy, accuracy."
* Good interpretative skills. Science writers have a serious responsibility to their readers: They must interpret and present what they uncover in their research and interviews in a clear and interesting way. This interpretation is not always straightforward. I have heard it compared to translating Japanese into English: There are nuances of the Japanese culture integrated into their language that cannot be translated into English. It is often the same with explaining science to the general audiences, and as Nobel physicist Richard Feynman once said, not all science can be explained in a basic way. But do not use this as an excuse; a science writer must do the best he or she can to get the subject across to the reader.
Coming up with a good science article idea is not as difficult as it seems. There are many sources that spark ideas: newspapers, science journals, news releases, computer communication services (the ubiquitous "information highway"), and numerous publications from universities and science-oriented organizations--also other people's conversations: I began to research my article on microrobots (for Sky Magazine) when I overheard two people joking about "minimachines" taking over the planet Mars. The real microrobots may never take over the red planet, but the suggestion triggered the idea. It also started me on the trail of just how far we have come in space-oriented microrobotic research.
After you come up with a specialized science topic, your first stop should be the library to check on magazines. Read through current magazines and explore magazine topics in the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature (and similar indexes) from the past year or so. This will help you avoid writing about an idea whose time has come and gone; also you will not send a query to a magazine that has just published an article on the same subject with the same angle. If your idea seems to be on track, then gather basic information on the subject from science magazines, brochures, encyclopedias, or books.
Next comes the query, usually a less-than-one-page "outline" (in text form) of your proposed article. The query persents your idea, sources, and credentials to the editor. A word of caution: Know your magazine. Do not send a query on industrial robotics to Woman's World, or an idea on the future of the American/Russian cooperation on the Space Station to Sailing; but also remember that certain non-science magazines will take science or technology topics, including some inflight and general audience magazines. Know your science magazines, too: Articles for Omni have a different slant from those for Popular Science.
The day the editor says, "Go for it," is the day you take all your basic information and outline-query letter, and get to work. Now is also the time to call on your sources for interviews. Some science writers write a sketchy first draft to their story before the interviews--a way to organize their thoughts and frame the questions to ask the interviewee in some semblance of order; other writers do a first draft after the interview. In either case, you will need a list of questions to ask your experts. Always remember that the only dumb question is the one you did not ask.
Writing a publishable science article takes the ability to explain complex concepts without baffling or confusing readers. One of the best approaches is to discuss the subject or idea in terms the reader can relate to. For example, in my article on agriculture in space (for Ad Astra) I wove familiar gardening terms (and references to many gardening problems) into the piece so the readers could relate to growing plants in the Space Station and beyond.
Another strategy to give your science article life is to use anecdotes. Usually, your interviewees have interesting stories to tell, such as how their discovery was made, or about the first patient to use their new drug. Since the general public often thinks of science as another world, descriptions of the scientists and their surroundings will "humanize" your article, showing that the expert has the same idiosyncrasies that we all have--right down to worries about money or celebrations of victories.
Of course, there are two more qualities that keep all science writers going: patience and perseverance. It takes patience to get an interview with a busy scientist (and sometimes you will not get the interview at all); and patience to see your words in print. Plus, it takes perseverance to understand the intricacies of your science article--and to keep up with the new science discoveries that pop up every week.
There is more than enough science to provide you with subjects for science articles. As a science writer just remember that the universe is now your beat.
Abstract: Science and technology affect our daily lives and provide a broad range of opportunities for potential science writers. Such writers should bring to their work a curiosity, interpretative skills, accuracy, research interest, and the skill to recognize a good idea.
Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition)
Barnes-Svarney, Patricia. "Science writing today and tomorrow." The Writer Nov. 1994: 15+. General OneFile. Web. 24 May 2013.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA15812453&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A15812453
Showing posts with label computer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label computer. Show all posts
Friday, May 24, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Ordinary People
Though violence has dipped since June, Iraqis are still a sad and fearful bunch
ON THE last day of 2012, a year after the last American troops left Iraq, ending nearly nine years of military occupation, at least 36 Iraqis perished in a wave of bombings and shootings across the country that targeted policemen, government officials and ordinary people of varied sects. According to Iraq Body Count (IBC), a meticulous mainly American and British monitoring group, the overall toll in deaths of civilians due to political violence last year was 4,471, slightly more than the year before. On average, there were 18 bombings and 53 violent deaths a week. Iraq is hardly a country at peace.
Yet the monthly toll in 2012 fell steadily and markedly after June. The violence was also increasingly concentrated in a few areas: 43% of the deaths counted by the IBC were in two of the country's 18 provinces, Baghdad and Nineveh, which abuts Syria and has Mosul at its hub. The rest of the country may be more peaceful than at any time since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Iraq's main oil-producing areas, in the south, are generally free of trouble, with exports boosted to 2.8m barrels a day, the highest rate for three decades.
Yet few Iraqis are celebrating. That extra money has yet to improve public services or to raise family incomes appreciably. The underlying violence still amounts to what the IBC terms "an entrenched conflict". Worse, the factors that feed the strife are still at play. In particular, Nuri al-Maliki, the tough Shia Muslim who has been prime minister since 2006, shows increasingly authoritarian, sectarian and democracy-sapping tendencies, ruthlessly ousting or outmanoeuvring rivals, and using underhand methods to impose his will. He is widely viewed as a would-be dictator, tolerant of corruption, reliant on the backing of Iran and willing cynically to stir up strife between Iraq's minority of Sunni Arabs and its Shia majority, or with Iraq's fiercely autonomous Kurds in the north, to maintain his grip on power in Baghdad.
A recent wave of protests across the mainly Sunni areas to the north and west of Baghdad, including strikes and sit-ins, has sharpened sectarian strife. Sunnis were particularly outraged last month when the bodyguards of the Sunni finance minister, Rafi al-Issawi, were arrested.
That provoked memories of a similar episode a year ago, when Mr Maliki's men jailed, tortured and sentenced to death the guards of the vice-president, Tareq al-Hashemi, another leading Sunni, accusing them of being part of a death-squad that was targeting Shias. Mr Hashemi fled to the Iraqi Kurds' capital, Erbil, and now resides in Turkey. He was later sentenced to death in absentia. A serious illness that has recently befallen Iraq's mainly ceremonial president, Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who has sometimes acted effectively as a mediator above the sectarian fray, has further jangled Iraqi nerves.
Sunni grievances go deep. Long dominant until Saddam Hussein's fall (he was executed in 2006) and having suffered the brunt of violence during America's occupation, Iraq's Sunni Arabs reckon they are now deliberately marginalised. Addressing a crowd in the town of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, Mr Issawi complained that Sunnis were being "ghettoised". Districts where they still predominate in Baghdad had, he said, been turned into "giant prisons ringed by concrete blocks."
The civil war next door in Syria, with its increasingly bitter sectarian flavour, has not helped. While Iraqi Sunni groups, including some tied to al-Qaeda, lend arms and fighters to Syria's rebels, Mr Maliki's government quietly aids Bashar Assad's embattled regime. Sunni Iraqi insurgents who once attacked Americans are targeting Iraqi Shias and people connected to Mr Maliki's government. The recent Sunni protests have also gained sympathy from Muqtada al-Sadr, a fiery Shia cleric whose powerful popular movement has grown increasingly critical of Mr Maliki.
Perhaps in an effort to win backing across the Arab sectarian chasm, Mr Maliki has been raising the stakes with the Kurds, who claim areas, including the city of Kirkuk, that have large non-Kurdish populations. The oil ministry in Baghdad fiercely opposes the increasingly successful efforts of the Kurds to persuade foreign companies to exploit oil in their own region.
Iraq is still a violent mess. Its democracy, imposed by the Americans, looks fragile. And the prospect of real harmony between the three main ethnic and sectarian components--Arab Shias, Arab Sunnis and Kurds--looks as distant as ever.
Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition)
"Still bloody; Iraq." The Economist [US] 5 Jan. 2013: 36(US). General OneFile. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA313779087&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A313779087
ON THE last day of 2012, a year after the last American troops left Iraq, ending nearly nine years of military occupation, at least 36 Iraqis perished in a wave of bombings and shootings across the country that targeted policemen, government officials and ordinary people of varied sects. According to Iraq Body Count (IBC), a meticulous mainly American and British monitoring group, the overall toll in deaths of civilians due to political violence last year was 4,471, slightly more than the year before. On average, there were 18 bombings and 53 violent deaths a week. Iraq is hardly a country at peace.
Yet the monthly toll in 2012 fell steadily and markedly after June. The violence was also increasingly concentrated in a few areas: 43% of the deaths counted by the IBC were in two of the country's 18 provinces, Baghdad and Nineveh, which abuts Syria and has Mosul at its hub. The rest of the country may be more peaceful than at any time since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Iraq's main oil-producing areas, in the south, are generally free of trouble, with exports boosted to 2.8m barrels a day, the highest rate for three decades.
Yet few Iraqis are celebrating. That extra money has yet to improve public services or to raise family incomes appreciably. The underlying violence still amounts to what the IBC terms "an entrenched conflict". Worse, the factors that feed the strife are still at play. In particular, Nuri al-Maliki, the tough Shia Muslim who has been prime minister since 2006, shows increasingly authoritarian, sectarian and democracy-sapping tendencies, ruthlessly ousting or outmanoeuvring rivals, and using underhand methods to impose his will. He is widely viewed as a would-be dictator, tolerant of corruption, reliant on the backing of Iran and willing cynically to stir up strife between Iraq's minority of Sunni Arabs and its Shia majority, or with Iraq's fiercely autonomous Kurds in the north, to maintain his grip on power in Baghdad.
A recent wave of protests across the mainly Sunni areas to the north and west of Baghdad, including strikes and sit-ins, has sharpened sectarian strife. Sunnis were particularly outraged last month when the bodyguards of the Sunni finance minister, Rafi al-Issawi, were arrested.
That provoked memories of a similar episode a year ago, when Mr Maliki's men jailed, tortured and sentenced to death the guards of the vice-president, Tareq al-Hashemi, another leading Sunni, accusing them of being part of a death-squad that was targeting Shias. Mr Hashemi fled to the Iraqi Kurds' capital, Erbil, and now resides in Turkey. He was later sentenced to death in absentia. A serious illness that has recently befallen Iraq's mainly ceremonial president, Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who has sometimes acted effectively as a mediator above the sectarian fray, has further jangled Iraqi nerves.
Sunni grievances go deep. Long dominant until Saddam Hussein's fall (he was executed in 2006) and having suffered the brunt of violence during America's occupation, Iraq's Sunni Arabs reckon they are now deliberately marginalised. Addressing a crowd in the town of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, Mr Issawi complained that Sunnis were being "ghettoised". Districts where they still predominate in Baghdad had, he said, been turned into "giant prisons ringed by concrete blocks."
The civil war next door in Syria, with its increasingly bitter sectarian flavour, has not helped. While Iraqi Sunni groups, including some tied to al-Qaeda, lend arms and fighters to Syria's rebels, Mr Maliki's government quietly aids Bashar Assad's embattled regime. Sunni Iraqi insurgents who once attacked Americans are targeting Iraqi Shias and people connected to Mr Maliki's government. The recent Sunni protests have also gained sympathy from Muqtada al-Sadr, a fiery Shia cleric whose powerful popular movement has grown increasingly critical of Mr Maliki.
Perhaps in an effort to win backing across the Arab sectarian chasm, Mr Maliki has been raising the stakes with the Kurds, who claim areas, including the city of Kirkuk, that have large non-Kurdish populations. The oil ministry in Baghdad fiercely opposes the increasingly successful efforts of the Kurds to persuade foreign companies to exploit oil in their own region.
Iraq is still a violent mess. Its democracy, imposed by the Americans, looks fragile. And the prospect of real harmony between the three main ethnic and sectarian components--Arab Shias, Arab Sunnis and Kurds--looks as distant as ever.
Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition)
"Still bloody; Iraq." The Economist [US] 5 Jan. 2013: 36(US). General OneFile. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA313779087&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A313779087
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Returning to Myron
Spa and health centers , originally uploaded by YASSER AMMAR.
"Lost Books" is a weekly series highlighting forgotten books through the prism of Tablet Magazine's and Nextbook.org's archives. So blow the dust off the cover, and begin!
Remember Me To God, Myron Kaufmann's debut novel, came out 54 years ago this month. As Josh Lambert noted on the 50th anniversary of the novel's publication, the book has fallen out of favor, though it had been initially heralded by the likes of Norman Mailer and Alfred Kazin and appeared on New York Times bestseller lists. "Even excellent books fall into obscurity all the time," Lambert explained, "no matter how popular they've beenparticularly when, like Kaufmann's, they spill out over nearly 700 pages of fine print."
The novel tells the story of a Jewish family, the Amsterdams, in 1941, a year during which the older son, Richard, manages to ascend the social ranks at Harvard and earn a coveted spot on The Harvard Lampoon and induction into the Hasty Pudding Institute. His subsequent proposal to a Radcliffe-attending society girl (named Wimsy Talbot, no less) wreaks the expected havoc within his familymaking the novel, in Lambert's comparison, the emotional equivalent of an excruciatingly slow-motion car wreck, and inspiring Jewish leaders in the late 1950s to denounce the book as a literary documentation of Kaufmann's own Jewish self-hatred.
Yet, Lambert argues, it actually offers a thorough analysis of the phenomenon of Jewish self-hatred, rather than simply serving as an example of it. "It is as an unusually evenhanded entry into this rich tradition that Remember Me to God deserves to be remembered," Lambert wrote, "and as a finely wrought triumph of midcentury realism so precise in its observation that it captures perfectly the incline of streets in Harvard Square and the musty smell inside the Lampoon castle."
Read Regatta Land, by Josh Lambert
Stephanie Butnick
Source Citation
Butnick, Stephanie. "Returning to Myron." Tablet Magazine 9 Sept. 2011. Religion and Philosophy Collection. Web. 17 Sep. 2011.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA266607064&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A266607064
(Album / Profile) http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=10031&id=1661531726&l=cf90f7df9c
Email: leonard.wilson2009@hotmail.com
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
"Look sharp! No one wants to look like a dullard. That's why MF polledour style council--experts in fashion, grooming, fitness, health, andnutrition--to come up with this hot list (62 strong!) of ways to polishyour appearance."
MAYBE YOU LOST OUT ON THE GOOD-GENES SWEEPSTAKES. You've got a schnozz with its own seat in Congress. Or you've got a lace and bod like Brad but a fashion sense that is truly the Pitts. Maybe you wish you could look half as good as Danny DeVito. Whatever. You can still move from not to hot without having the Queer Eye guys ripping you to pieces like hyenas on Animal Planet.
Start with these tips, our definitive list of everything you need to do to improve your looks: from what to wear and how to work out to what to eat and health dos and don'ts. In three months, when the paparazzi are hounding you 'cause you look like a star, just turn toward the camera and wink. We'll take that as a "Thank yon."
CLOTHING
SUIT YOURSELF: When shopping for suits, worry more about fit than price: A $400 suit that fits perfectly flatters you better than a $4,000 ensemble that doesn't.
GET SHORTY: If you're under 5'10", stick with suits and jackets that have a "short" cut. They're better proportioned and won't make you look like David Byrne in Stop Making Sense.
PLAY YOUR HEAVY HITTERS. Better to own a few swanky clothing items you love than a closet full of cheap, ridiculous items you won't even wear.
MAKE AN UNDER STATEMENT: Wear a white undershirt in the office (under your outer shirt, Einstein). It soaks up sweat, plus that little bit of white poking out helps you look more put-together.
GET LOOPY: Wear a belt. Always. It's the follow-through in your backhand, the whipped cream on your Frappuccino. Plus, it gives the gals something to do (or undo) while you're kicking off your shoes.
TEE OFF YOUR WARDROBE: Everyone's real impressed by your muscles. But outside the gym, an armless muscle tee says "Clueless" before it says "Call me."
STRIPE A POSE: It's still true: Vertical stripes make you look slimmer, Fact: Rockers Jack and Meg White are actually 240 and 370 pounds, respectively.
COLOR SCHEME: Never pair a brown belt with black shoes (and vice versa). You're not a Doberman pinscher.
HANG UP YOUR TIGHTS: When your tighty-whities are no longer white, burn them. (That goes for your pit-stained tees, too, Casanova.)
PLEAT GUILTY: Take your pleated pants and donate them to the Salvation Army. Same goes for ones that taper at the bottom. They make you book top-heavy, fat, and, well, like you're trapped in 1985.
GET A LOOK: Pick a clothing style and stick with it. Don't dress like you're in Glee Club one day and like you're going to a Marilyn Manson concert the next.
PULL YOUR DAMN PANTS UP: When Britney Spears' undies stick out of her jeans, it's cute. When yours do, it's pathetic. If you've got bunching issues, wear boxer briefs--women eat 'em up.
COVER UP: Don't let chest shrubbery blossom from your undershirt. No need to hire a gardener to manicure your lawn. Just stick with a crew neck.
DON'T BAG OUT: When it comes to leather jackets, windbreakers, and winter outerwear, err on the small side. Don't be afraid to buy a fitted jacket: A baggy leather bomber is not "do bomb."
GROOMING
YOU GO, GIRLY: Dip into your girlfriend's I bag of tricks: Exfoliation and moisturizing aren't just for chicks--they'll help your skin glow. Man brands include Gillette I and Nivea for Men.
TAKE A POWDER: Use Gold Bond for your private areas--the powder cuts down on ugly red chafing. Just don't overuse or you'll puff clouds like a gymnast.
NOSE YOUR LIMITS: What's more embarrassing: plopping that nose-hair trimmer down at the checkout counter or having wheat grass protruding from your nostrils?
IT'S OK TO FLIP-FLOP: Fungus ain't fun. To avoid it, keep your bare feet from touching anything in the locker room. That means wearing flip-flops in the shower stall and standing on a towel while drying off.
MAP OUT YOUR HAIR BORDERS; When your neck hair starts to meet your back hair, it's called an "ape drape." Let your barber have at it, Kong.
GET ORGAN-IZED: Trim the hair "down there" to make it look bigger. Hey, it's far less painful and expensive than penis enlargement. Trust us.
WHO'S THE FLOSS? Think flossing once a week is OK? Try after every meal You'll keep your gums healthy and prevent receding. Bonus: free leftovers! Yum.
TELL THE TOOTH: Think about making your pearly whites even whiter. Bleached teeth brighten your whole face in a not-too-obvious, soap-actor kind of way.
ZAP YOUR ZITS: To tame acne outbreaks, use a cleanser with salicylic acid, such as Clearasil. Playing mirror hockey (squeezing them) seems like a solution, but it can leave permanent scars.
TRIM YOUR TALONS: Clip your fingernails as soon as you see the whites. Unless you're going for that '70s pimp--or worse yet, Nosferatu--look.
DON'T BE A MEISTER-BROW: One reason Sesame Street's Bert has been a bachelor for so many years may be that unibrow. All Ernie's pal needs is tweezers and as steamy bathroom, A separate bedroom wouldn't hurt either, by the way.
WAX OFF: Wanna show off your muscles and lose the Dr. Zaius look? Then don't shave your body--wax it. Shaved hair grows in at different cycles and looks uneven. Waxing keeps you stubble-free longer, which she'll appreciate.
FITNESS
UTILIZE PEDAL POWER: If it's feasible, commute on a bike. You'll get leg definition, cardio, and a healthy glow when you arrive at the office. We surest the iXi bike. It has a rubber drive belt (substituting for that greasy chain), an iPod compartment, and can fold down flat. ($1,28g @ ixibike.com)
CHART YOUR PROGRESS: Log your fitness advancements: At specific intervals, have photos taken (clothing optional) and get a trainer to tape*measure your muscles. "It shows the fruits of your labor," says former Mr. Universe Lee Labrada, founder of Labrada Nutrition, That gives you motivation to go back for more.
FOLLOW THROUGH WITH EVOLUTION: Don't get no respect? Get erect. A guy with good posture "stands taller and walks prouder," says trainer Craig Ballantyne. Practice on the seated-row machine: Use a wide overhand grip on a wide-grip handle. As you pull the bar back toward you, pinch your shoulder blades together while pushing your chest out.
GET PUMPED: Get a quick pump before a big date. No, we're not talking about cleaning out your pipes, pal. Repeating upper-body exercises like biceps curls causes fluid to temporarily increase the size of your veins and muscles, says Ballantyne. It lasts about an hour--just enough time for you to work your mojo.
BE EVEN-STEVEN: Pay attention to symmetry and proportion. If you're working lust your chest and biceps, you'll get top-heavy. "A balanced body is beautiful to the eye," says Labrada.
WATCH YOUR ASS: "Most guys ignore everything behind them, training-wise," says Alwyn Cosgrove, owner of Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, Calif., "especially what they can't see in the mirror." Cosgrove recommends stepups on a bench for booty-ful balance.
STICK IT UP: The transverse abdominis (the muscle you contract when you suck in your gut) can be trained merely by holding in your stomach--the first step to a six-pack, Tie a string tight around your belly, instructs Cosgrove, and pull in your tummy every time you feel tension from the string. You should see results in a week--even if you're already ab-ulous.
BECOME TAN-TASTIC: Bring out muscle definition with a fake (non-premature-aging, non-cancer-causing) tan (we like Clinique Skin Supplies for Men Bronzer). Darker skin brings out muscle definition better than a pasty casing. Just be sure to rub in the self-tanner carefully--streaks are for freaks.
GROW SHOULDER AND WISER: Atlas had a pretty good look, carrying the world on his shoulders and all. So take a page out of his book and work on your cannonball delts, says Cosgrove. "It makes your arms look better and your waist look thinner."
HEALTH
AVOID WET T-SHIRT CONTESTS: Change clothes after your workout, Your soaking-wet T-shirt and shorts not only smell bad, but the moisture also breeds fungus. Plus, sweat clogs pores and can lead to body zits, a.k.a. backne, chestne, and yes, the dreaded assne.
TEST NEGATIVE: Anabolic steroids cause greasy skin, acne, and premature balding. Unattractive Bonus: They make you as volatile as Tony Soprano.
EXPAND YOUR SOLE: If your shoes are tight around the toes, get them stretched. Narrow dress shoes can give you bunions, which is not another name for onion rolls but, rather, for nasty looking sores.
SLEEP IT OFF: Not getting enough sleep may contribute to obesity. While you're sleeping, your body peaks in producing hormone called leptin, which regulates fat stored in the body. Not sleeping throws your leptin production out of whack and disorients your fat monitors, leading your body to store fat instead of burning it.
STEER CLEAR OF THE SUN: Apply sunscreen--always. Even when you're skiing, the snow reflects the sun's rays and amplifies them up to 80%. And the higher the altitude, the greater the UV exposure. Look what happened to Robert Redford after years of his sun dance.
BANG A GONG: Get laid. A lot. A Scottish researcher found that sex helps slow the aging process by reducing stress, increasing contentment, and bettering sleep. Which means, get some at least three times a week, and you'll look better longer. (Yeah, it's our favorite study, too.)
THE SALINE SOLUTION: Keep your salt intake low, especially late at night. Too much puffs up the circles under your eyes. And retaining water not only sounds feminine, it gets in the way of looking ripped.
IGNORANCE IS BLISTERS: If you're prone to blisters, invest in some double-layer socks. And once the painful little suckers pop, apply antibiotic ointment like Bacitracin for your sake. Then cover the mess with a bandage for everyone else's.
UNCOVER THE MOLE: Frequently check your body for new freckles and moles (or have your woman do it). Larger or raised, ones should be monitored to make sure they're not risk factors for melanoma, Unattractive Bonus: Find a third nipple and become a documentary subject.
GRAPE ADVICE: Take grape-seed extract, which significantly speeds up wound recovery for bruises or cuts by allowing tissue to repair itself more quickly.
DRY UP: Take fewer, faster showers. Water--especially hot water--robs your skin of natural oils, which help keep you looking natural and young.
DOG YOURSELF OUT: You'll never be as cute as Desmond, your dachshund. But owning him makes you that much more attractive. A study conducted by the U.K.'s University of Warwick found that women are much more likely to talk to a man walking his dog than one walking himself.
NUTRITION
STIFF DIET: Eating the right foods contributes to a healthy sex life. A diet rich in fruits, veggies, legumes, and grains keeps your arteries clear, increasing blood flow to you-know-where. And you don't have to be Ozzy to know that an Iron Man is more impressive than Mr. Softy.
WASH AND WEAR: Look shampoo-commercial fabulous by loading up on B vitamins, especially one called biotin. (Make sure your multivitamin includes it.) Your 'do will shine like the top of the Chrysler Building.
COMBAT FREE RADICALS: Sounds like a call to arms against anarchists, no? But those nasty free radicals actually kill cells and age you. Fight them by ingesting antioxidants, such as lycopene, which you can find by juicing a grapefruit or a tomato. Hey, who wants lycopene-a-coladas?
TASTE THE RAINBOW: The more colorful your grub, the more packed it is with essential vitamins and nutrients. So load up on orange peppers, blueberries, and red snapper (just kidding about the fish). But careful on the preparation: Cook the hell out of them and you lose some important ingredients. The best advice? Steam veggies to maximize their powers.
STAY REGULAR: We're not advocating a daily bowl of Colon Blow, the Saturday Night Live cereal that clears your innards and more. But do have a daily dose of fiber. Familiar with the Michelin Man? Never had a gram of fiber.
DON'T DO THE DEW: A study found that canned sodas and teas--even diet versions--damage tooth enamel. If you must go that route, root beer--with the fewest additives--does the least harm.
BONE UP: Unless you're chugging milk or crunching sardine bones, you may not be getting enough calcium. This raises your risk for osteoporosis, which will wreck your posture and make you shorter. (Ed. Note: Men's Fitness does not recommend ingesting milk and sardines simultaneously, if only for the awful breath consequences.)
REEL-A-MEAL: Eat more fish--especially salmon and tuna. They're high in omega-3 fatty acids, which improve blood flow, giving you better color. Omega-3s also boost your mood, which will make you smile more. (Fish can't smile, can they?)
Five things you could do ...
1. Stop hogging the remote.
2. Lose that ugly posse of yours.
3. Figure out why you've lost interest in giving me oral sex.
4. Buy me something expensive.
5. Shut up. Seriously.
POLL SOME CHICKS: Ask your girlfriend, wife, or coolest gal pal for five suggestions on how to look better. They'll give you the most honest, up-to-date advice. (But don't call Mom. She means well, but she thinks Dad's suspenders look "neat.")
HAVE BALD AMBITION: If your hair's thinning, take a tip from Air Jordan, Vin Diesel, and Mr. Clean--shave that chrome dome. Unless you have a head like Freddy Krueger, you'll come off cool, confident, and bad ass. And a sweet 'stache never hurt nobody nohow, Geraldo.
GO NATIVE: Planning a trip abroad? Leave the baseball caps and ironic T-shirts at home--unless you want to be easily identified as an SUV-driving, Toby Keith-listening tourist from the Land of the Great Satan.
GET INTO THE GROOVE: Find gear that inspires you to work out longer. The Nike MP3Run by Philips plays music and also wirelessly tracks your time, distance, and pace. You'll know when you're done running--and when you've earned the right to play "We Are the Champions." ($299 @ nike-philips.com)
LAY OFF THE CANCER STICKS:
Seriously, dude don't smoke. Lung damage aside, it causes premature wrinkles and yellow teeth, making you look like those old ladies who play the slots in Atlantic City. Ditto for chewing tobacco, which may appear enticing when baseball players chomp on it, but seems less cool when your gums are rotting. Unattractive Bonus: Nothing in the world a woman loves less than spittle juice on your chin!
ACID TEST: Lack of linoleic acid can give you lizard skin. Scrap the scales by munching on nuts and seeds or drizzling some safflower oil on your chow.
SAY YES TO JOE: This ain't no java jive. A recent study says coffee's high antioxidant content (four times that in green tea!) makes it one of the best sources for fighting wrinkle-producing free radicals. Drink too much, though, and you'll never get off the pot.
New York Daily News fashion editor Amy Diluna always looks great.
Diluna, Amy
Source Citation
Diluna, Amy. "Look sharp! No one wants to look like a dullard. That's why MF polled our style council--experts in fashion, grooming, fitness, health, and nutrition--to come up with this hot list (62 strong!) of ways to polish your appearance." Men's Fitness Nov. 2004: 94+. Gale Power Search. Web. 30 Aug. 2011.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA124007835&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A124007835
(Album / Profile) http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=10031&id=1661531726&l=cf90f7df9cEmail: leonard.wilson2009@hotmail.com
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