Get Glue

Do you like STICKERS? I do! And they're free and based on the movies, tv-shows, music, and books that you watch/listen/read. 

Get Glue is an entertainment-based social networking website for mobile devices. Users "check-in" to the entertainment that they consume using a website, mobile website, or a device-specific application.

I really like it because it keeps me aware of how much TV/Movies I watch - how often and what I really watch! Also, you can let your friends know what you do and you can see what they watch/listen too. And it's FREE STICKERS. I freaking love stickers. BEST THING EVER! 

getglue.com

Love, 

ALPHA

Four More Years!

That's Right :)

President Obama has won the re-election! 

Congrats Mr. President

*****

This brings me to another thought. How rude and horrible people can be....Like honestly, yes people were upset that the President was re-elected but how could you possible use words like "sickening" and  "disgraceful" about a PERSON. The President is a person. A Human Being. Just because he and his party have differing views does not give reason to be cruel and just mean! Really. It's really is tragic and sad. If America is planning to move forward, we really do need to take steps being NICE and KIND to each other. Of course people will always have differing views but there is no reason to be just a horrible person. 

Please. Be kinder and you know what if you have nothing nice to say - yeah, keep it to yourself. I'm tired of hearing people's poison. Just deal with it. 

ALSO Sorry I'm not sorry that I care more about human rights than about other political issues like economics. BOOM. I love my gays and women. 

YEY PRESIDENT OBAMA

Love, 

ALPHA

Fun (but scary) Halloween Recipes

Witch's Fingers Recipe

Halloween Cupcake Recipe

Halloween Sugar Cookies Recipe

Eyeball Cakeballs Recipe

Witch Hats Recipe

Ghost Cake Recipe

RIP Mousse Recipe

Devils Cupcake Recipe

Love,

ALPHA

Makeup Brushes For Dummies

 

Love,

ALPHA 

Amazing Paris Fashion Week Dresses

These are 5 of ALPHA's favorite Paris Fashion Week dresses! What do you think?

Elie Saab

Louis Vuitton

Maiyet

Love,

ALPHA

Foods To Never Eat

Artificial Sweeteners

Since sweeteners are sweeter than sugar, they can reset your taste buds to crave sugary foods. As a result, you end up eating more junk. 

Margarine

Margarine has loads of trans fats, which increase your cholesterol. And it contains a lot of ingredients vs butter's one or two. The calorie count is also similar to butter, but we tend to eat more of it because we think it's healthier. Stick with small does of butter or use heart-healthy olive oil.

Soy Protein Isolate (don't know why people would eat this in the first place)

All soy isn't bad, but the isolate (a refined, often genetically-modified form of soy that pops up in a lot of soy-based products) resembles estrogen, which is iffy—some research has shown that it can increase the risk of cancers and infertility in women. If you want to go vegetarian, opt for veggie burgers with quinoa, chickpeas, or black beans as a base, and eat protein bars that are based on nuts and seeds. And for meat subs, go for beans, nuts, seeds, nut butters, and natural sources of soy like edamame, tofu, and tempeh.

Diet Foods

"Diet" or "low-fat" doesn't mean low-calorie. Diet bars and low-fat foods usually have more sugar, salt, and unhealthy fillers to make them taste okay. Even worse, we typically eat double the serving we should because we're not satisfied or think that it's okay to eat more because it's "healthy."

Frozen Foods

These are often heavily processed and filled with fat and salt. Instead of going this route, make a big meal at home when you have some downtime, portion it out, and freeze the servings. 

More information on Cosmo

Love, 

ALPHA

Foods That Fight Fat

Salmon

Research suggests the omega-3s in salmon and other fatty fish help build muscle—and the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. Omega-3s may also help reduce fat storage by lowering cortisol levels.
Go for: Two 3-oz servings of fatty fish per week.

Yogurt
Calcium-rich foods have slimming superpowers. Get too little of this mineral and your body's more likely to pack away calories as fat, according to a review of studies. With up to 50 percent more calcium per ounce than milk, yogurt is a potent source. Better yet, its probiotics may help keep belly fat under control.
Go for: At least two servings a day.

Avocado

For a speedy metabolism, you need to keep inflammation in check and blood vessels clear and supple. Avocado's unique combo of essential fatty acids, monounsaturated fats, and antioxidants helps you do just that. Plus, one avocado's 14 grams of fiber kicks up your calorie burn.
Go for: One to two daily servings of foods high in healthy fats.

Beans

High in resistant starch and fiber, beans force your system to use extra energy (as in calories) to break them down. Research suggests that if you choose foods high in resistant starch—it's also found in whole grains and not-quite-ripe bananas—you can increase your calorie-burning power by up to 24 percent over the course of the day.
Go for: One serving of a resistant-starch food per meal.

Chili peppers
Chilies' heat signals the presence of capsaicin, a compound that, along with capsiate, can propel the body to scorch an extra 50 to 100 calories following a spicy meal.
Go for: Chilies as hot as you can stand. 

Green tea
This packs caffeine and antioxidants called catechins, a dynamic duo believed to stimulate your nervous system and increase fat-burning. Studies suggest that drinking green tea can help you drop pounds and trim your waist.
Go for: Several cups a day (keeping in mind how caffeine affects you).

Coffee
The caffeine in one cup of joe temporarily perks up your metabolism by as much as 15 percent. Caffeine also helps mobilize the forces that burn stored fat.
Go for: One to two cups a day, especially before exercise.

Love,

ALPHA

Birth Control Methods

The Shot

How It Works: This shot contains progestin, a hormone that stops your ovaries from releasing eggs (and keeps you from getting pregnant). Women who use this get the shot every three months.

How Effective It Is: More than 99 percent, if used correctly

An Implant

How It Works: This is a tiny rod that's inserted under your skin, which releases hormones that stops your ovaries from releasing eggs. 

How Effective It Is: More than 99 percent—and you don't have to remember to do anything but get it replaced every three years.

An IUD

How It Works: This hormone-free, T-shaped piece of plastic is inserted in your uterus, where it prevents sperm from fertilizing an egg. It lasts for five to 12 years, depending on the brand. 

How Effective It Is: More than 99 percent

The Patch

How It Works: Users stick this beige piece of plastic on their skin once a week for three weeks. It gives off hormones that prevent your ovaries from releasing eggs. 

How Effective It Is: More than 99 percent, if used correctly

The Ring

How It Works: You insert this small ring into your vagina once a month and it stays there for three weeks at a time. It gives off hormones that prevent your ovaries from releasing eggs. 

How Effective It Is: 99 percent, if used correctly

The Pill

How It Works: Users take a pill which prevents your ovaries from releasing eggs at the same time every day. 

How Effective It Is: More than 99 percent, if used correctly

A Diaphragm

How It Works: This latex or silicone dome-shaped cup is inserted into your vagina, where it covers your cervix and keeps sperm out of your uterus. You also need to use it with spermicide 

How Effective It Is: 94 percent, if used correctly

Male Condoms

How It Works: One of the most popular forms of birth control out there, these slip over a man's penis and keep sperm from entering your vagina. 

How Effective It Is: 98 percent, if used correctly 

Bonus: It helps prevent STDs.

The Female Condom

How It Works: This is condom that you insert into your vagina. It looks and works like a male condom, but you wear it instead of him—and you need to insert it every time you have sex. 

How Effective It Is: 95 percent, if used correctly 

Bonus: It helps prevent STDs.

The Sponge

How It Works: Kind of like a wide, short tampon, this piece of plastic foam is inserted into your vagina before you have sex. It blocks sperm from reaching your cervix and releases spermicide. 

How Effective It Is: 81 to 91 percent, if used correctly

Spermicide

How It Works: These gels, creams, foams, and suppositories contain chemicals that prevent his boys from moving. You insert it deep into your vagina to keep sperm out of your uterus. Experts recommend you use it with other forms of birth control. 

How Effective It Is: 82 percent, if used correctly

Emergency Contraception

How It Works: This pill can stop a pregnancy before it starts by blocking hormones your body needs to get pregnant. Users can take it up to five days after they have unprotected sex. 

How Effective It Is: This is extremely effective, but experts don't recommend that you use this as a regular method of birth control (it can cause heavy bleeding, vomiting, and other unpleasant side effects).

Love,

ALPHA

7 Foods Worse Than White Bread

MOVIE THEATER POPCORN  Popcorn is already
 about 1,200 calories, almost all from carbohydrates
 and a whopping 580mg of sodium for a large-sized bag.
That's before you add the butter. (this broke my heart
a little)

YOGURT WITH FRUIT AT THE BOTTOM 
It's the ultimate chick pre-workout/afternoon/late-night snack.
Problem is, that fruit is sugar central. All yogurt contains lactose,
which is a naturally occurring carbohydrate, but when you
 add the jammy fruit you end up with nearly 30g of carbs, half of
which is the processed.

BAKED GOODS AT COFFEE SHOPS Muffins used
 to be a baseball-sized treat. Now they're more like softballs,
with some containing nearly 64g of carbs and more than 30g
of sugar. 

CHEESE CRACKERS  While the carb count isn't necessarily
 through the roof (about 18g per serving), these orange snacks are
 particularly cringe inducing because there is literally no other
redeeming nutritional factor. 

JUICE DRINKS & SMOOTHIES A 16oz fruit-heavy
 juice can have as many as 75g of carbohydrates and 64g
 of sugar. If you can't start the day without juice, stick to about 4oz,
which has a reasonable 15-20g of carbs.

BAGELS Depending on the size, a bagel is only
recommended to someone who is going on a 2-3 hour
 run afterwards. Many deli bagels can have 250-300 calories
 and more than 50g of carbs each.

FANCY COFFEE DRINKS These can have as many
 calories as a meal, (sometimes upwards of 400). Add in sugars,
 saturated fats in whipped cream, and chocolate flavorings,
 and you've got dessert in a very large plastic cup.


Love,
ALPHA

Verbal Flirting - Parting

Parting
Your approach to leave-taking after a flirtatious conversation is of critical importance, as it will determine your future relationship with your companion.

Many flirtatious encounters are of naturally short duration – where it is understood that there are no serious intentions, merely an ego-boosting acknowledgement of mutual attraction. These light-hearted 'brief encounters' are part of normal social interaction, and only the pathetic or desperate would imagine that every passing exchange of flirtatious banter is a prelude to matrimony.

Flirting would not, however, be such a universal feature of human interaction if it did not occasionally serve some more long-term purpose – such as sex, reproduction, the survival of the species, etc. While there is no harm in practising our flirting skills just for the fun of it, there will be some occasions when we wish to pursue the relationship, and a cheery, unconcerned "Bye, then" or "Nice meeting you" will not do. This is when parting words and gestures take on greater significance.

Every salesperson knows that there is little point in establishing a great rapport with potential customers, attracting their interest, gaining their trust and so on, if you fail to 'close' – 'closing' being sales-speak for actually making the sale, securing the contract, getting the customer to hand over money or sign on the dotted line. Sales staff are specifically trained in 'closing techniques' to help them achieve this all-important goal.

In the same way, if you are genuinely attracted to your flirting partner, and want to see him or her again, none of the flirting skills in this Guide will be much use unless you can 'close' effectively. In this case, your goal in 'closing' is to secure not a contract or a sale, but the chance to meet again.

At the risk of rejection, this is the moment when you must be explicit about your wishes. Subtle hints and positive body-language will help you to get to this point, and careful observation of your partner's reactions will tell you whether your 'closing' is likely to be successful, but these techniques cannot, by themselves, get you a phone number or a date! You have to ask. And the most effective strategy is simple honesty. You don't have to declare undying love, just ask: "Would you like to meet for a drink sometime next week?" (or some equivalent, the exact words are unimportant, but it must a be a clear request). If making a date on the spot would be awkward or inappropriate, say something like: "Perhaps we could meet again sometime – could I have your phone number?"

Some American 'dating manuals' recommend that you precede this request with a statement such as "I've really enjoyed talking with you and I'd like to see you again". You are welcome to do this if you wish, but it would seem to be already implicit in the request for a date or phone number, and therefore somewhat superfluous.

Dating manuals and articles in glossy women's magazines also constantly insist that it is perfectly acceptable nowadays for women to take the initiative in asking men out. In fact, they never fail to exclaim, men love it when women take the initiative. This is quite true, and if you read the more scientific research on the subject, you will find out why. The studies and experiments show that men perceive women who take the initiative in asking a man out as more sexually available. To put it more bluntly, if a woman asks them out, they think they have a better chance of 'scoring'. Naturally, they are delighted.

If you are female, and wish to avoid giving this impression, there is a simple solution. Instead of asking for his phone number, offer your own. Say something like: "Maybe we could have a drink sometime? – here's my number". This makes it perfectly clear that you are interested, but still requires the man to take the initiative in asking for a date.

You are of course free to dismiss this suggestion as hopelessly old-fashioned, sexist, pandering to double-standards, etc. It is not the place of this Guide to make moral judgements about flirting, merely to provide information on the latest scientific findings. Flirting has been part of human behaviour for thousands of years, and whether we approve or not, the latest findings show that not much has changed. Males have always tended towards an over-optimistic interpretation of female signals, and females have always adjusted their signals to encourage only selected males.

Despite the disapproval of 17th-century Puritans, Victorian moralists and their modern equivalents in both the 'moral majority' and 'political correctness' camps, these basic flirting instincts persist, and the human species survives.

That's the end of the Flirting Series :) 

Hope you enjoyed/learned something new!

Love, 

ALPHA

New Apple Products

We all know the biggest part of Wednesday's presentation was the introduction of the iPhone 5 which you can learn more about in the post The iPhone 5 Has Arrived. However, Apple also released a handful of other updated products as well.

Updated iTunes

Apple unveiled an updated version of iTunes, which will be available in October. iTunes will have a new edge-to-edge design, iCloud integration, and a number of other features and enhancements such as the ability to manage playlists and see upcoming songs from the app’s mini player. Facebook is also going to be integrated into iTunes — including the mobile version of the app — allowing you to see at a glance what apps, songs and books your friends have liked. 

iPod Touch With Siri

The most notable update to the iPod touch is adding Siri support to the device. It uses Apple’s dual-core A5 processor, and has a new 5-megapixel camera that can take pictures and record video at 1080p.The iPod touch will be available in multiple colors — black, white, blue, yellow and red — with each coming with a matching camera loop. The 32GB version of the player will be $299, and the 64GB version $399.

New iPod Nano

The new nano has a 2.5-inch multi-touch display and is 38% thinner than its predecessor. It has built-in Bluetooth support, and an FM tuner that allows users to pause and start the radio as well as built-in fitness tracking. The updated iPod nano will be $149, with pre-orders starting Sept. 14.

EarPods

Apple has redesigned earphones for its mobile products. The headphones have sound ports built into the stem and the sides. The vents on the side of each EarPod "allows air inside the stem, which acts as an acoustic chamber, to flow out,” according to Apple. “So you hear deeper, richer bass tones.” Apple says it 3D-scanned hundreds of ears to create the perfect fit for the EarPods so that they rest in your ears, but don’t create a seal like traditional headphones.

Love,
ALPHA

The iPhone 5 Has Arrived

Here is what you need to know about the new iPhone 5;

• It has a larger screen than previous versions at 4 inches and a 1,136 x 640 retina display

• The thinner and lighter phone will have a faster processor

• There is an upgraded 8-megapixel camera with built-in panorama mode and improved low-light performance

• It will support LTE data networks, which is 4G

• Apple is ditching the 30-pin connector and replacing it with a new "lightning" connector, which
 will allow you to use it with any accessories you already own.

• The A6 chip that allows graphics to perform twice as fast without cutting battery life

• The iOS 6 includes exciting new features such as
• Turn by turn directions in the Maps application
• Facebook integration
• Improvements to Siri
• Shared photo streams
• Full-screen viewing in safari

• Apps that are designed for the current iPhone screen will still work on the iPhone 5, however, they’ll appear with a black bar on either side of the screen to compensate for the changed screen size

• It is starting at $199 for the 16GB version of the handset, Apple will also be offering a 32GB version for $299, and a 64GB version for $399.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 5 will start on the 14th, and it officially goes on sale in stores Sept. 21.

Love,

ALPHA

Verbal Flirting - Humor

Humor
Humor is a powerful flirting tool. It is almost impossible to flirt successfully or enjoyably without it, and yet it can easily backfire if abused or misused.

On the positive side, studies have shown that people who use humour in social encounters are perceived as more likeable, and that both trust and attraction increase when a light-hearted approach is used. Judicious use of humour can reduce anxiety and establish a relaxed mood which helps a relationship to develop more rapidly. A slightly risqué joke can help to escalate the level of intimacy in a flirtatious conversation.

On the negative side, inappropriate use of humour can kill a promising flirtation stone dead in a matter of seconds. Making a risqué joke or comment too early, for example, before a reasonable degree of intimacy has been established, is the verbal equivalent of a bum-pinch. Men are generally more likely to make this kind of fatal mistake than women. Women, however, need to be even more cautious in their use of sexual humour, as men will be inclined to interpret this as a sign of sexual availability.

While it is clearly important to avoid causing offence or giving misleading signals, humor is an essential element of flirtation. Flirting is by definition a light-hearted, playful form of interaction. A flirtatious encounter may eventually lead to a 'serious', long-term relationship, but too much seriousness in the early stages is off-putting. Even in the longer term, a capacity for light-hearted playfulness is important. It is no accident that so many single people seeking partners through the personal ads include 'gsoh' (good sense of humour) in their requirements.

Humor can clearly help to reduce tension and awkwardness in the early stages of a flirtatious encounter. In the section on opening lines, we advised the use of phrases which are universally recognised as 'conversation-starters', such as comments on the weather. A touch of humor can make these openers even more effective. There is no need for elaborate attempts at wit: a simple twist such as "Lovely day, isn't it?" during a torrential downpour will raise a smile if your target finds you attractive. (If your target does not find you attractive, more elaborate efforts will be no more effective.)

Once some degree of mutual attraction has been established, the use of humor in flirtatious conversations tends to come naturally, as both parties are motivated to keep their target amused and interested. Our natural instinct is to try to make the other person smile. We need constant reassurance that we are liked and appreciated by the object of our attraction, and smiles and laughter provide that reassurance.

One particular form of humor, playful teasing, is particularly common in flirtatious encounters. This is because playful teasing allows partners to increase the 'personal' content of the exchange, while keeping the tone light-hearted and non-serious, thus escalating the level of disclosure and intimacy in a non-threatening manner. Men respond particularly well to this form of humor, as it closely resembles the 'mock-arguments' and good-humored exchanges of insults which are their normal means of expressing friendship among themselves.

The most common mistakes in flirtatious use of humor involve opposite extremes. Men are more likely to over-use humor or monopolise the joke-telling, and fail to notice that their companion is bored or frustrated. Women sometimes have a tendency to under-use humour – to adopt a serious tone when their companion would be more comfortable with light-hearted banter. There are many exceptions, of course: we've all met heavy-going men and raucous women, but most studies show that women are generally more cautious in their use of humour, while men are more inclined to avoid heart-to-heart seriousness.

If you feel you may sometimes be guilty of either excessive or inadequate use of humor, watch your companion carefully for signs of boredom or embarrassment – such as feet or body turning away from you, forced smiles, reduced eye-contact, reduced verbal attention-signals, fidgeting, defensive arm-crossing, etc. If you are overdoing the humor, these would be your cues to tone it down a bit. If you are being too serious, lighten up!

Don't miss the final wrap up of the flirting series!

Love, 

ALPHA