Toothpaste to buy

BEST FOAM
Aquafresh Iso-Active Whitening Fresh Impact
This gel's plentiful bubbles froth up when they hit your tongue and penetrate deep between teeth, leaving behind a well-scrubbed feel.
Suggested retail price: $4

BEST INNOVATION
Arm & Hammer Whitening Booster Plus With Enamel Strengthening
If you already have a toothpaste that you love, top it with this liquid-calcium concentrate. It lightens stains and can help fill in tiny cracks.
Suggested retail price: $5.50

BEST OVERALL
Colgate Total Enamel Strength
The gel-paste hybrid keeps your mouth feeling clean and fights germs for 12 hours. Plus, it protects enamel from acids found in foods and drinks.
Suggested retail price: $3.50

PRO'S HEALING PICK
Tom's of Maine Clean & Gentle Care
"It soothes bitten cheeks, sore gums, and even an achy throat with licorice root," says New York City periodontist Greg Diamond.
Suggested retail price: $5, tomsofmaine.com 

BEST BOTANICAL
Burt's Bees Fluoride-Free Natural Whitening Toothpaste
This herbal wonder fights plaque with cranberry extract, polishes with silica, and it contains no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners.
Suggested retail price: $5, burtsbees.com

BEST WHITENING
Luster White 7 Toothpaste
With—you guessed it—seven polishing agents, including bamboo, silica, and peroxide, this stain blaster can brighten teeth in one week. Testers loved its mild, sweet flavor, too.
Suggested retail price: $7, lusterpremiumwhite.com

BEST FOR SENSITIVE TEETH
Crest Pro-Health Sensitive Shield
It forms an imperceptible barrier around teeth to calm delicate nerves that are agitated by pain triggers, like hot and cold drinks.
Suggested retail price: $3

BEST ON-THE-GO
Supersmile Quikee
Squirt a dollop of this no-rinse paste onto your tongue, then run your tongue over your teeth to fade stains with calcium peroxide and freshen breath in an instant.
Suggested retail price: $6, supersmile.com

Remember TODAY! Remember LXB.

Today is 10/08/2010, he (LXB) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He has been nominated several years before. Last several days, I had a wild dream that he will be awarded. Last night, I had a dream he won it. Now it's true. Unbelievable. Congratulation. Hat Off to him. Good Luck to him.

5 Home repairs not to ignore

1. Runaway rainwater
"If there are 10 things that can go wrong with a house, 15 of them have to do with water." Gutters水槽, downspouts落水管, and leader pipes collect rainwater and channel it away from the house. In very wet regions, leaders should extend at least 5 feet from the house. Check the entire gutter system seasonally for proper pitch and for clogs, corrosion, broken fasteners, and separation between connections and where gutters meet the fascia board. When inspecting gutters, extend straight ladders 3 feet beyond the roof at a 75-degree angle to the ground.
The soil around the foundation should slope away from the house at least 1 inch per foot for 6 feet or more. If you have planting beds along the foundation, make sure the grading of the bed, its edging, or the edge of the lawn isn't keeping water from draining away from the house.

2. Roof and siding
Roofs are the most vulnerable to water infiltration, given their exposure to the elements and the laws of gravity. On a sunny day, use binoculars to spot cracked, curled, or missing shingles, which are signs that the roof is near its end of life. Also check flashing around chimneys, skylights, and roof valleys, and the rubber boots around vents for cracks.
Siding is also susceptible to leaks, especially where it meets windows and doors. A $5 tube of caulk might save you thousands of dollars in structural repairs. If you live in a cold climate, check the siding under the roof eaves for water stains, which could be a sign of ice damming. Adding attic insulation and sealing gaps around pipes, recessed lighting, and ducts into the attic might help prevent future damming and lower your heating and cooling bills.

3. Pest infestations 虫害
Termites and carpenter ants gravitate to moist soil and rotting wood, another reason to make sure your gutters are in good shape and soil around your foundation is graded properly. Also keep mulch, firewood, and dense shrubbery away from your foundation.
Once termites infiltrate a home, they can bore through the structure in a few short years. Formosan termites, which are prevalent throughout the South, have been known to rip through studs and floorboards in a matter of months. To detect termites, probe the sill plate (also called a mudsill) that sits on top of the foundation with a screwdriver to check for rotted wood. To check for carpenter ants, look for piles of sawdust along baseboards. Regular termites also shed wings along windowsills, walls, and other entry points.
Rodents gravitate toward disorder and debris, such as leaf piles around the foundation. Plug holes in the siding and the foundation walls with expandable foam. Don't forget to look up for signs of birds, bees, or squirrels in soffits and attic vents.

4. Mold and mildew 防霉
Even houses in arid climates aren't immune. Hot outdoor temperatures can drive even small amounts of water trapped in the structure to condense on colder interior surfaces, leading to mold. Musty odors, dank air, and family members with chronic runny noses are warning signs. Check under carpets and around windows for visible mold or mildew. Also remove cover plates for cable-TV, phone, and Internet connections, and use a flashlight to peer behind walls and wallpaper for mold.
Avoid mold tests sold at home centers and online. Each of the kits we tested in the past had significant flaws that were serious enough to not recommend them. If indoor mold covers less than 10 square feet, treat it yourself by scrubbing mold off hard surfaces with a mixture of detergent and water. Then dry completely. Be sure to don an N-95 disposable respirator, goggles, and heavy-duty gloves. Professional remediation is required for larger outbreaks, if the ventilation system is contaminated, or if an allergy sufferer lives in the home. What's more, absorbent or porous materials, such as ceiling tiles and carpet, may have to be thrown away if they become moldy.

5. Foundation cracks
Some cracks are harmless, but others can mean trouble. James Katen, a home inspector from Gaston, Ore., suggests walking around the house with a No. 2 pencil in hand. Hairline cracks are probably the result of concrete curing or minor settling, he says, and can be filled with an epoxy-injection system. "But if the pencil can go into the crack up to the yellow paint on the pencil, that's a pretty wide crack and might be a sign of a major problem," Katen says. A ruler is another handy tool: Cracks wider than 3/16 inch, even vertical ones, can be a problem. Mark smaller cracks with tape and monitor their progress over the coming months. Also be on the lookout for horizontal cracks or bulging or buckling. Along with expanding cracks, those conditions require the attention of a structural engineer. The longer you wait to correct a problem, the more costly it will probably be.

More red flags
• Cracks at upper corners of windows and doors (uneven foundation settling)
• Mushrooms or fungus growing out of siding (moisture in the walls)
• Soft boards or loose rails on outdoor decks (decaying deck structure)
• Soggy ground and lush vegetation around septic tank or leach fields (overfilled or failing septic tank)
• Missing or torn insulation in attic (pest infiltration)
• Scratches or algae on siding (overgrown trees or plants)

NO SOUL NO CHARACTER NO HOPE

今天是10月1号，打开中文频道，看到一个大广场上，到处是鲜花，红地毯，军乐队，层层的警察护卫着，一群人，应该是位高权重的人，他们梳着一样的头 （60多岁的人了，没有一个白发！ -奇迹）， 穿一样的西装，打着同样的领带，迈着同样的步子，在广场上搞活动。他们唯一的区别是前后位置，非常精确，一点差错也没有，没有谁越雷池半步的。
好奇怪，怎么那么像机器人一样。哪怕是在卡通电影里，人物也会有鲜明个性的。