How to Make Lipstick with Leftover Eyeshadow

             Children tend to be creative and to do everything for fun. As children, they want to use their parents’ things. Sometimes they also want to look like an adult and if they are girls, they wish to grow up quickly to use things like their mother. I can say that because my sister and I used to take our mother’s things to play with and have fun, such as shoes, clothes, and makeup. But our mother did not like that behavior, mainly when we took her makeup. My sister and I used to take our mother’s lipstick and it made her angry. However it was funny. We were children and taking our mother’s makeup was a way to have fun. We believed that if we used her lipstick it would make ourselves older and gorgeous. Once, when she got tired of losing her lipstick to us, she decided to teach us a fun and useful way to know how to make our own lipstick.

            Many times you do not know what to do with leftover eyeshadow. But now, thanks to my mother, you can know how to make a lipstick from leftover eyeshadow. It is an easy and quick recipe.

To make your homemade lipstick you should follow these simple steps. First of all, you will need some ingredients. You can buy them in a supermarket or in a grocery. You will need three teaspoons of Vaseline or bee’s wax, one and half teaspoon of honey, three drops of oil and at last a little bit of eyeshadow.  It is relevant to know that the amount of eyeshadow depends on the intensity of color that you want. So if you want the color darker, you must add more eyeshadow

The next step is how to make the lipstick with those ingredients. First, you have to put the Vaseline with the honey and eyeshadow in a microwave, and melt then together. You must to do it in spans of thirty seconds until it melts completely. This recipe’s part is very important, so you should to do it carefully. Second, you must to mix the other ingredients until it smoothes. Finally, put the final mix into small containers and let it cool until the Vaseline reaches the desired consistency.  If you want, you can buy small containers to your lipstick with various shapes, such as star, heart, circle, animals, flowers and others.

A nice tip to this recipe is that you can add essence of chocolate or strawberry to give it a good smell.  You can also add glitter if you want lipstick with gloss. You can even make this same recipe with food dyes instead of eyeshadow.

As you can see, this is an easily way to make lipstick. It is also a way to reuse your eyeshadow. If you follow correctly those steps you will have a nice homemade lipstick. Anyone can make it, from adults to children.

 I thank my mommy for that. I had such a good childhood. Finally, my mother’s makeup took a rest after she taught that recipe to my sister and me. Try that one. I am sure that you can do it. It is cheap and you will love the final result.

 Camila Duarte

The invention of the electric light. 

When I saw the opportunity to write about an invention I immediately thought of something revolutionary. My first thought was the car, but I remembered that I had already done a little work while still a child about the invention of light bulb. I will then try with my words tell a little of this story so that in more detail.    Thomas Alva Edison was an inventor and scientist,  who in 1879 created the electric light and changed the history of the world. He owns 1903 patents including the phonograph, which was one of his most important creations when he was 30 years old. He lived in New Jersey, where he built his first workshop experiments. Edison then met his wife in one of his factories, where he donated all his time.His home was soon regarded as the first factory of inventions in the world. Edison got married in 1871 with one of his employees who worked at his factory. After his marriage, he did not take a vacation. However, Edison was invited by other researchers from the University of colorado to observe an eclipse, which soon led him to have the idea of creating something that made the night seem like day and eclipse that made ​​the day seem night. This revolution intrigued him, but he became nervous because other scientists were trying to discover the same thing. In studies of annotations of all researchers, Edison was the twenty-third to try this invention. Without knowing how to create the electric light in 1877, he announced to the world that he had discovered how to make electric light creating a higher starting race among inventors.   In 1879 Edison was almost blind to see both burnest filament lamps in front was with the help of mathematicians and other doctors of the season that came to be part of his team. On October 21, 1879, the electric light bulb was created, which is undoubtedly one of the greatest inventions in human history.  It is thanks to the light bulb that we have the convenience and safety into our homes.  Besides the great importance of the bulb to the life of man, the light bulb has contributed markedly to develop a branch of engineering of fundamental importance for the existence of virtually all current technology, electronics.   I believe that all inventions created during centuries the electric light was the largest contributor to other ares of science.

Invention of Credit Card

To buy something without money was too hard. If the owner knew you, it could be possible. However, if they had never seen you before? I do not have idea what will happen with you. For example, if you had eaten in a restaurant and you did not have enough money to pay. I guess that you could get out of there just after to wash all of dishes. It should be the minimum punishment.

The credit card is one biggest invention in modern life. It is an advanced technology in payments for all customers. In these modern times, when people are more and more consumerist, it is a main tool for payment since of the money invention. The majority of the people believe that credit cards is a modern way to pay for something, but the concept of using credit instead services dates back to the 1900s. The idea is older. The use of credit cards originated in the United States during the 1920s, when individual firms, like oil companies and hotel chains offer lines of credit to their customers. The first credit cards involved sales directly between the merchant offering the credit and credit card, and his customer.

The “Metal Money” was a credit system that was used by Western Union to give to their good customers a metal card that was used to defer payments. The General Petroleum Corporation saw the success in this system and he made his own metal money for gasoline and other automotive services. Then the credit system spread to other companies and it became popular and grew significantly.

In New York in 1950, the business man Frank MacNamara and his guests were meeting in a restaurant for a dinner. After he meal, he realized that he had forgotten his money. Nevertheless, the owner got his payment the next day, after he puts his name in his account. Later, MacNamara had a great idea. He created the Diners Club Card. At first, it was a paper card used just for few people, with owner’s name in front and behind establishment’s name that accept the card.

Credit cards are definitely useful to those who do not like carrying a lot of cash. It is not safe walk away with much money. Also, for people that want to more purchasing power. It is simply easy to purchase something that you desire, depending of your credit limit, even if you have not enough money in this moment. It is the better way to get something immediately.

Jeremias Serafim

The Invention of the High Heel

     High heel is undoubtedly one of the most important accessories at the women’s wardrobe. A good pair can make any woman feel great, elegant and very glamorous. Marilyn Monroe was quoted saying: “I don’t know who invented high heels, fellas, but women owe him a lot”. So, I decided to research and write about it. A thing that we use a lot but few people know about its history.

     One version of heels is portrayed in murals in Egypt, dated from 3500 BC. They were used by upper class people which leads us to believe that the height of the heel indicated their social status. In the Orient it had a sensual and sexual connotation. And in ancient Rome prostitutes were also identified by their heels.

     However, the high heels that we know today can attribute its discovery to Catherine de Medici. She was quite short and when she left Florence for went to Paris in 1533 to marry Henry, Duke of Orleans, she packed in her suitcase several types of high heels made by an Italian cobbler so she could look slightly taller on her wedding day. Her footwear was a sensation at the wedding. Suddenly they became really popular in the French Court and became mark of a social which wealthy men and women wore them. Louis XIV, King of France, who was extremely elegant wore very high, decorated heels.

     During the French revolution, when Napoleon became to power, the shoes was banned. This occurred because Napoleon want to people to be equal and the high heel was used only by rich people. At that time high heel was compared to the devil and whoever used them was compared to a witch.

     High heel arrived America by the mid-17th century when a few daring women imported them from Europe. Here they did not have the same success; readily the clergy said that the shoes were "scandalous" and the women used them for trapping men. However they reappeared in the United States around 1800 when a new prostitute under the direction of Madame Kathy, a famous brothel owner in New Orleans, walked with a pair that she brought with her. It was a success with clients.

     In 1900 their image still was not good due to their sensual side. After World War I it began to change. With the development of the economy they were produced more and were more seen in the street. Women had more access to different kinds of heels and they began to be used to dance. Year after year high heels were developing so nowadays women can easily appreciate a lot of different types and be glamorous without prejudice.

Édina Liara Schons

Female Hormone Detector in River Water

A team of researchers from Unicamp (State University of Campinas) in Brazil working with North Americans researchers from the University of Tennessee, have developed a yeast that can detect hormones in river water. I found this research when I took a class called Instrumental Analytical Chemistry in my university in Brazil. My professor asked me to do some research about a specific field of my major and I read this incredible article. As soon I started to read this article I found it fascinating. A research about the water quality is really interesting but also it is something needed in countries that do not have good sanitation.

When I started to read the research I didn't even know that the hormone was present in the water, especially in the water that we drink. I got very excited and kept reading more about it. I read that a high level of hormones in the water is dangerous for the environment, the animals and human health. But the thing that really made me want to read more was to know that my own country had a problem with hormones in the water and most of the people didn’t even know before this work was published. According to an article written by Yuri Vasconcelos and published in a magazine called PESQUISA FAPESB, scientists are worried because these compounds rapidly spread through the planet's reserves of water.

The goal of this research was to discover if the transgenic yeast that they created could detect hormones in the water. The detector works this way: first, the transgenic yeast has a human gene receptor and a gene of a luminescent bacteria. Then the yeast is introduced in the water. At this point the human gene receptor attracts the hormone called estrogen from the water into the yeast. Then while these molecules of hormones are inside the yeast they react with the gene of luminescent bacteria and emit a luminosity. This luminosity can’t be seen by the eye so they need to use a special microscope.

This detector can be the salvation of so many things. While we can detect these hormones in the water we can find a better way to take them off from our supplies of water. With this initiative we can prevent the feminization of fish and amphibians, as well as sexual abnormalities in shellfish. Finally, we can also prevent the premature menstruations of girls and the reduction in numbers of sperm in men.   

The Invention of Preservatives

I choose to write about this invention because most people guess that it is a recent invention. It could be, but it is not.  The preservative is an old invention.  But this invention went through many modifications to become what we know as a preservative today. I believe that it may have happened to many other inventions, because to make something really good and useful, it needs to go through numerous steps, including testing, review and improvement. As I said, the preservative is an old invention and was modified many times. So I will explain a little bit about it.

Around 1300 BC the Egyptians used a kind of preservative made of vegetable materials. We may realize that the people already worried about some diseases in the past. In the second century BC the Romans begin to use another kind of preservative made of lamb intestines and goat bladders to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases. The Romans believe these diseases were punishments sent by Venus, the God of love. Years after her name was given to these diseases, and nowadays they are called “venereal diseases”. Many centuries later in 1564, the Italian Gabriel Fallopius invented a wrap made of linen bag which was placed over the penis to protect against diseases. Gabriel found great success with this invention, because besides the protection against diseases, the linen bag also prevented pregnancy. This event became well known and the linen bag began to be very used, probably solving some social problems in that period. After Gabriel’s invention, it was made possible to have birth control in specific places. Around 1685, in England, the wrap was made of lamb intestine and lubricated with almond oil, and named Condom. Since the year 1700, this invention began to be enhanced, in order to make it thinner and less cumbersome. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, London opened the first shop of preservatives. It was made of sheep intestine or lamb with floral flavoring, it was sold in a customized way. In 1834, the preservatives began to be made of rubber by Hancock and Goodyear. Those preservatives were irregular and expensive. Because it was so expensive, people were using the same preservative more than one time. In 1960, with the invention of the Birth Control Pill, the preservative was no longer used. But in 1990, due to fear caused by the AIDS epidemic, it began to be used again.

Nowadays, the preservative is an item of extreme importance. It not only protects people of many kinds of diseases, but also enables us to control our own bodies. In other words, we can choose when to have children and how many kids we want to have. But, as I said before, to prevent unwanted pregnancy, we have other kinds of  contraceptives, such as Birth Control Pills, the Morning after-pill, some devices to put inside of a woman's body and surgical interventions.

In my opinion, nowadays the preservative is extremely necessary because it is the only contraceptive that may protect us from sexually transmitted diseases. And as we realized throughout history, this is an old problem.  In many countries, the government spends millions with campaigns to spread awareness about the use of preservatives. And also, many manufacturers everyday are looking for new ways to attract customers.

The Darling of my House.

The Darling of my House.

Today I want to introduce you guys to “the darling of my house”. I sarcastically call him like that, but his real name is Copper. First of all, let me tell you that my whole family loves him and they interact frequently with him almost every day since he has arrived at our home two years ago. It seems like he needs someone to look after him more than I need. I am not jealous, of course I am not. He was the gift my father gave to my mother to celebrate women’s day or something like that. Whatever, it is fine to me. Although I know some bad things he does sometimes. For example, there was time when he turned off, purposely, the electric power of my house exactly while I was taking my sweet morning shower. My mother said it was impossible and that he did not do that once he was with her at the moment it was happened. However, in my deeply heart feelings I have known he is a good guy.

In addition, let me explain how much my family likes him. To my sister, he is so helpful when she needs to talk madly to someone about her diet. She has problem with her weight and no one else in my house has patience to hear her carefully. Only Copper can do that. He helps her to make her chlorophyll juice so. This way she doesn't bother anyone else. The next on the list is my brother. He acts a little bit aggressively toward Copper sometimes if Copper does not do exactly what he wants him to do. I mean, he really slapped Cooper the other day. I hope my mother never realizes it. My brother likes a lot to go to the gym and he often drinks vitamin shakes. He usually does it in the kitchen and as Copper is always there they can spend a good time together.

I am also going to explain the amazing, affectionate and complicite relationship between my mother and Copper. It was love at the first sight. I remember clearly the moment my father gave her Cooper. I can say my father totally struck a chord in my mother’s heart. For you to have an idea of how kind my mother is to him, I can tell you, he got the best, most strategic and higher spot at the kitchen she could put him. He obviously cannot speak, but he knows every single secret that happens in that kitchen and I bet my mother wish he could tell them to her.  My mother loves to spend all mornings with him and doing stuff with him such as cooking or dancing at the same time she was sweeping the floor absentmindedly. That kind of stuff mothers do.

In short, I must say Copper is in fact pretty useful to my family and they really like him. Especially my mother, as you can see. However, he deserves to be called the darling of my house not only because it is a sarcastic joke but also, due to his literal meaning.  By the way, if you did not realize who or what Cooper is yet, he is an orange blender which stays on the top of the refrigerator in my kitchen.

How to Pack a Luggage with Things You Will Really Need

            First of all, these instructions are specially useful to women who never know what kind of clothes or accessories they have to take on their travels. In this indecision, most of the times we take many clothes and shoes that won't be useful for us. I will provide you some steps to pack a luggage by an efficient and practice way.

            First, you need to think about four important questions: Where are you going? How the weather is going to be? How long will you stay there? What kind of luggage do you need to use? If you think about the answers for these questions and follow the next instructions carefully I am sure you won't have problems packing your clothing and toiletries.

            First, be sure you know where you want to go. It is also important to know what is the best schedule to go in each destination. Then, according with each climate chose your clothes. Here is some advice. If you are going to formal parties more frequently than casual parties you should have more formal clothes than the others ones. But on the other hand, if you plan on going to the beaches several times you may have more than one kind of swimwear, but pay attention, swimwear even being thin and light them may take up much space in your luggage.

            Second, look at the weather forecast. You have to be prepared for it. I know it is better to pack a luggage when the weather is warm. In general, summer clothes are flexible so we can fold them easily. But don't be afraid, if you fold your warm clothes by curling them, they will seem like tubes, maybe it will help you to get less space in your luggage. Above all don't forget, the weather may change. Look for information that can help you to keep track of it, like news and websites.

            Third, bring enough clothes to use along your travel, but do not overdo it. First, think about how many times in one day you will change clothes. After that, separate the clothes and accessories that you will use in each day. Then, forget about the other things that you have.

            Finally, it is good if you leave an empty space in your luggage. We almost always we buy gifts, souvenirs and other things.  In short, is better to you to travel with only one luggage. I know that for long trips it is not possible. But, when you can do it try to bring everything that you have together. It is much more practice.

            As you can see, it is not hard to pack a luggage with things that you really need. I know many women who always have problems with their luggage. Sometimes they bring more clothes than they will really need. This has never happened to me, I don't know why I have this skill. I realized that I had it a while ago. Lastly I am sure you can do it in the way that I do. You just need to follow these instructions and to organize your ideas. 

                                                                                                                                             Simone Zulpo

A Recipe for Making Friends

A Recipe for Making Friends

Making friends is an important social ability that all people have done since they were little kids. People need to make friends all the time for different reasons, and in different places such as at school or at a job. However, it is not an easy task. For many people to know someone can be a daunting challenge. On the other hand it can be easy if you follow carefully the instructions bellow with three simple steps.

First of all, the most important thing that you need to have is a sincere and captivating smile. This is the first step. The smile is your business card. It is your gateway. When you smile your body transmits good vibes to everyone around you. A smiling person gives the sensation of well-being and happiness. It can be contagious and captivates whosoever. Also if you are funny it can be a good quality to attract friends. People usual like to make friend with who is playful and who make them laugh.

The second step is to build a relationship with the person. You should be friendly, loyal, sincere, nice and kindly. Also it is very important that you respect the differences from the other such as her/his culture, religion, beliefs and opinions. You need to be comprehensive in tough times. You should always be willing to help, and be useful and supportive even when someone does not ask you for help. Sometimes people can be proud or shy, so they do not ask anyone for help. These people will always prefer do everything by themselves. Thus it is your function as a friend to be empathic and realize it. A real friend should do things for the other without expecting anything in return. It is exactly the meaning of friendship. It means that you have someone with who you can always count when you most to need.

The last one step that you need to do is simply to take care of the friendship already built. Of course you and your friend will have disagreements with each other. Perhaps, this can happen many times, but it is totally normal because you are humans, so you have different thoughts, ideas and choices. It also depends on your mood of the day. Whatever what happens, you must always remember an important thing: dialogue. A good conversation between friends is the key to keep your relationship and makes it strong.

In short, to make friends you need to know and captivate the other person. Then you will be able to start a friendship. After you have done that, keep this relationship stable and strong. To make it works well, you should be ready to give a little piece of yourself to the other. Real friends are like family. They are always ready to be with you. It does not matter if it is a good or bad time.  This is a simple recipe that you can follow. But if you want, feel free to adapt it. The most important thing is to have friends.

Name: Debora Brito                                                                                              

Professor: Hannah Griggs

Class Name: Level 2 Reading and Writing

Date:03/14/2014