Friday, March 22, 2013

BREAKING NEWS: Chinua Achebe is Dead!

Tragedy has befallen the land. The iroko has fallen. The Eagle On The Iroko, Prof. Chinua Achebe, is dead.
photo
Chinua Achebe, one of the world’s most celebrated writers and author of the classic novel Things Fall Apart, is dead.
He died last night in a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Professor Achebe had been sick for some time.
He was 82, having been born on November 16, 1930, and had been in hospital in recent days.
Achebe is best known for his classical novel Things fall Apart. His last book, There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra, is still making waves.
Until his death, Prof Achebe was the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor and Professor of Africana Studies at Brown.
Below is how the university profiled him.
“Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe is known the world over for having played a seminal role in the founding and development of African literature. He continues to be considered among the most significant world writers. He is most well known for the groundbreaking 1958 novel Things Fall Apart, a novel still considered to be required reading the world over. It has sold over twelve million copies and has been translated into more than fifty languages.
“Achebe’s global significance lies not only in his talent and recognition as a writer, but also as a critical thinker and essayist who has written extensively on questions of the role of culture in Africa and the social and political significance of aesthetics and analysis of the postcolonial state in Africa. He is renowned, for example, for “An Image of Africa,” his trenchant and famous critique of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Today, this critique is recognized as one of the most generative interventions on Conrad; and one that opened the social study of literary texts, particularly the impact of power relations on 20th century literary imagination.
“In addition, Achebe is distinguished in his substantial and weighty investment in the building of literary arts institutions. His work as the founding editor of the Heinemann African Writers Series led to his editing over one hundred titles in it. Achebe also edited the University of Nsukka journal Nsukkascope, founded Okike: A Nigerian Journal of New Writingand assisted in the founding of a publishing house, Nwamife Books–an organization responsible for publishing other groundbreaking work by award-winning writers. He continues his long-standing work on the development of institutional spaces where writers can be published and develop creative and intellectual community.”

Friday, February 15, 2013

Home remedies for oily skins

Home Remedies for Oily Skin Having oily skin can be big trouble for anyone, with unruly sebaceous glands piling sebum (oil) onto your skin. Furthermore, over-activeoil glands make it more likely that your skin will develop the dreaded acne. But over-active glands aren't the only reason why acne pops upon your face/body since changes in hormone activity and added stress also create imbalanced sebaceous glands. Both pregnancy and some birth control products can cause your oil glandsto get a little out of whack too. Luckily there are safe, organic, and easy-to-do home remedies that people can use for oily skin. But before we get into these home remedies, it's worth discussing a few general tips first. General Tips for Dealing with Oily Skin A valuable tip for those with oily skin is to cleanse the dermis only as often as it's needed. For some this will betwice daily, while others can get away with only cleansing once a day. It should be mentioned that women who wear makeup need to cleanse before they apply makeup and before going to bed to remove any dirt, excess oil, dead skin cells, and debris left on the skin. Use a homemade cleanser to ensure that you're not addingany harmful chemicals to your skin. Here are a few homemade cleansers for you to try tonight: Scented Face and Body Cleanser Try using castile soap to make a face wash that also doubles as shampoo or body wash so you can combat an oily scalp and acne-prone body. Here is what you'll need: *. an empty pump bottle, *. liquid castile soap, *. a small funnel, *. and essential oils like tea tree, rosemary or lavender.All three oils are antibacterial and smell great, which provides another benefit for using a homemade cleanser suitable for both your face and body! 1. Pour the liquid castile soapinto the clean pump bottle using the funnel; this keeps you from creating amess. 2. Next, add in your choice ofessential oils; you can combine them or just use one. We suggest adding 10-15 drops of tea tree oiland 10-15 drops of rosemary essential oil, butthose are only suggestions. 3. Shake the bottle before pumping the soap onto your hand. Use this on your oily scalp or body, but don't use this cleanserto remove eye makeup. From-the-Cupboard Face Cleaner This is an easy face cleanser recipe for oily skin. You probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already, and if you don't, it'll only cost a few dollars to get the ingredients. Check your cupboards for baking soda, a small mixing bowl, and fresh lemon juice ; tomato juice willalso work well for this cleanser too. 1. Take 2 tablespoons of baking soda and enough lemon or tomato juice to make a paste. 2. Massage the paste gently onto your face, neck, arms, chest, or any other areas of your body that tend to be oily. 3. Rinse the paste off by using warm water and avoid using overly-hot or too cool of water since these temperature extremes tend to irritate the skin. Betsy Jabs, share one great, homemade natural facial cleanser recipe , you should try, please be aware it's for combination skin, please check the variations for oily skin just under. Homemade Toner for OilySkin Adding a toner to your face routine can help maintain oil production on your face. The toner can soothe skin and aide in the cleanup of bacteria that may be left overafter cleansing your skin. Toner also shrinks pores and helps to keep skin firm. Here is how you can make your own toner at home with natural herb essential oils: 1. Combine 1 cup of witch hazel, 3 drops of palmarosa essential oil, 3 drops of Petitgrain essential oil, 3 drops of lemongrass essential oil, 3drops of tea tree essentialoil, and a single drop of rose geranium essential oil in a dark glass bottle. 2. Shake the bottle up well tocombine all of the ingredients. Let the bottle sit for a day so that the mixture melds together. 3. Shake the bottle before saturating a cotton round with the toner and gently dab it over your face and neck areas. Use Oats to absorb Oil onSkin Make a quick paste using dry oats and witch hazel to clear bogged pores and remove dead skin cells. 1. Grind 2 teaspoons of dry oats and then sift them. Use a very small amount of witch hazel to create a paste. 2. For this to work, you'll need to gently use your fingertips to massage the paste onto your skin. 3. Rinse with warm water, and then cool water to close and tighten your pores. Tip: Instead of rinsing with warm water after cleansing, try using buttermilk to rinse your skin. Buttermilk helps clear away dirt, as well as tighten pores when left on the skin for a minute or two before rinsing it off with cool water. Draw out Impurities in your Skin Facial masks are wonderful for oily skin. Mud and clay masks both lower the oil that builds up on skin while firming and drawing out impurities. Find facial clay at your local health foods store or purchase them online to make your own face mask to remedy oily skin. 1. Use 1 teaspoon of facial clay and 1 tablespoon of witch hazel and mix them together. 2. Leave the clay mask on your face until the mask isdry, then rinse it off. Raw Foods for reducing Oil on Skin Make an egg mask to tone, tighten, and moisturize while also controlling stubborn oily skin. 1. Separate the egg white from the yolk and set the yolk aside. 2. Stir together 1 raw egg white, 1 teaspoon of applecider vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of raw honey; this mixture can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. 3. Apply the mixture to your skin while avoiding your lips and eyes. 4. Let the mask dry on your face until your skin feels tight. 5. Rinse the mixture off of your face using water. Patyour skin dry, then apply the yolk – letting it stay on until your skin feels tight. 6. Rinse away with warm water to reveal healthy-looking skin. Apples keep the doctors away and the oily skin at bay . 1. Peal and chop an apple and place both the apple and peelings with a few tablespoons of water in a pot; allow it to simmer until the apple is soft. 2. Remove the peelings and throw them out. Mash the apple and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of dried sage; if you don't have sage, use lavender or peppermint. 3. Apply the mask to your face, letting it lay for 5 minutes before rinsing themask off with warm water. Assuming you regularly followthis regimen along with someof the aforementioned techniques, you'll have a much better chance at reducing oily, acne-filled skin.

Home remedies for oily skins

Home Remedies for Oily Skin Having oily skin can be big trouble for anyone, with unruly sebaceous glands piling sebum (oil) onto your skin. Furthermore, over-activeoil glands make it more likely that your skin will develop the dreaded acne. But over-active glands aren't the only reason why acne pops upon your face/body since changes in hormone activity and added stress also create imbalanced sebaceous glands. Both pregnancy and some birth control products can cause your oil glandsto get a little out of whack too. Luckily there are safe, organic, and easy-to-do home remedies that people can use for oily skin. But before we get into these home remedies, it's worth discussing a few general tips first. General Tips for Dealing with Oily Skin A valuable tip for those with oily skin is to cleanse the dermis only as often as it's needed. For some this will betwice daily, while others can get away with only cleansing once a day. It should be mentioned that women who wear makeup need to cleanse before they apply makeup and before going to bed to remove any dirt, excess oil, dead skin cells, and debris left on the skin. Use a homemade cleanser to ensure that you're not addingany harmful chemicals to your skin. Here are a few homemade cleansers for you to try tonight: Scented Face and Body Cleanser Try using castile soap to make a face wash that also doubles as shampoo or body wash so you can combat an oily scalp and acne-prone body. Here is what you'll need: *. an empty pump bottle, *. liquid castile soap, *. a small funnel, *. and essential oils like tea tree, rosemary or lavender.All three oils are antibacterial and smell great, which provides another benefit for using a homemade cleanser suitable for both your face and body! 1. Pour the liquid castile soapinto the clean pump bottle using the funnel; this keeps you from creating amess. 2. Next, add in your choice ofessential oils; you can combine them or just use one. We suggest adding 10-15 drops of tea tree oiland 10-15 drops of rosemary essential oil, butthose are only suggestions. 3. Shake the bottle before pumping the soap onto your hand. Use this on your oily scalp or body, but don't use this cleanserto remove eye makeup. From-the-Cupboard Face Cleaner This is an easy face cleanser recipe for oily skin. You probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already, and if you don't, it'll only cost a few dollars to get the ingredients. Check your cupboards for baking soda, a small mixing bowl, and fresh lemon juice ; tomato juice willalso work well for this cleanser too. 1. Take 2 tablespoons of baking soda and enough lemon or tomato juice to make a paste. 2. Massage the paste gently onto your face, neck, arms, chest, or any other areas of your body that tend to be oily. 3. Rinse the paste off by using warm water and avoid using overly-hot or too cool of water since these temperature extremes tend to irritate the skin. Betsy Jabs, share one great, homemade natural facial cleanser recipe , you should try, please be aware it's for combination skin, please check the variations for oily skin just under. Homemade Toner for OilySkin Adding a toner to your face routine can help maintain oil production on your face. The toner can soothe skin and aide in the cleanup of bacteria that may be left overafter cleansing your skin. Toner also shrinks pores and helps to keep skin firm. Here is how you can make your own toner at home with natural herb essential oils: 1. Combine 1 cup of witch hazel, 3 drops of palmarosa essential oil, 3 drops of Petitgrain essential oil, 3 drops of lemongrass essential oil, 3drops of tea tree essentialoil, and a single drop of rose geranium essential oil in a dark glass bottle. 2. Shake the bottle up well tocombine all of the ingredients. Let the bottle sit for a day so that the mixture melds together. 3. Shake the bottle before saturating a cotton round with the toner and gently dab it over your face and neck areas. Use Oats to absorb Oil onSkin Make a quick paste using dry oats and witch hazel to clear bogged pores and remove dead skin cells. 1. Grind 2 teaspoons of dry oats and then sift them. Use a very small amount of witch hazel to create a paste. 2. For this to work, you'll need to gently use your fingertips to massage the paste onto your skin. 3. Rinse with warm water, and then cool water to close and tighten your pores. Tip: Instead of rinsing with warm water after cleansing, try using buttermilk to rinse your skin. Buttermilk helps clear away dirt, as well as tighten pores when left on the skin for a minute or two before rinsing it off with cool water. Draw out Impurities in your Skin Facial masks are wonderful for oily skin. Mud and clay masks both lower the oil that builds up on skin while firming and drawing out impurities. Find facial clay at your local health foods store or purchase them online to make your own face mask to remedy oily skin. 1. Use 1 teaspoon of facial clay and 1 tablespoon of witch hazel and mix them together. 2. Leave the clay mask on your face until the mask isdry, then rinse it off. Raw Foods for reducing Oil on Skin Make an egg mask to tone, tighten, and moisturize while also controlling stubborn oily skin. 1. Separate the egg white from the yolk and set the yolk aside. 2. Stir together 1 raw egg white, 1 teaspoon of applecider vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of raw honey; this mixture can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. 3. Apply the mixture to your skin while avoiding your lips and eyes. 4. Let the mask dry on your face until your skin feels tight. 5. Rinse the mixture off of your face using water. Patyour skin dry, then apply the yolk – letting it stay on until your skin feels tight. 6. Rinse away with warm water to reveal healthy-looking skin. Apples keep the doctors away and the oily skin at bay . 1. Peal and chop an apple and place both the apple and peelings with a few tablespoons of water in a pot; allow it to simmer until the apple is soft. 2. Remove the peelings and throw them out. Mash the apple and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of dried sage; if you don't have sage, use lavender or peppermint. 3. Apply the mask to your face, letting it lay for 5 minutes before rinsing themask off with warm water. Assuming you regularly followthis regimen along with someof the aforementioned techniques, you'll have a much better chance at reducing oily, acne-filled skin.