When people first started jailbreaking their iPhones, it caused quite an uproar at the Apple headquarters. These software alterations had to be illegal, right?

Other iPhone users quickly caught wind of the goings-on. Some were intrigued and most were hesitant. Before they would take the plunge they wanted to know, “Is jailbreaking legal?”

The Uproar and The Resolution

Apple has had a closed business model since the iPhone was first released in 2007. That’s allegedly the reason why the iPhone has been so successful. When jailbreaking came on to the scene, Apple’s business model was threatened. They claimed that jailbreaking is illegal and that it puts all jailbroken iPhones at a high risk of being hacked.

The federal government put an end to the uproar and accusations in July 2010 when they finally answered the question, “Is jailbreaking legal?”

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1996 forbids, “circumventing encryption technology to copy or modify copyright works.” However, in 2010 the US Copyright office ruled in favor of jailbreakers when they concluded that a copyright owner cannot use copyright laws to restrict jailbreaking software.

Why Jailbreak?

With the legal question out of the way, the real question is why would you want to jailbreak your iPhone?

Back in the day, prisons weren’t as accommodating and comfortable as they are now. So attempts to break free from captivity and the poor conditions were common. Many iPhone users also feel restricted and frustrated, and the incentives to do an iPhone jailbreak abound.

Jailbreaking an iPhone gives users a lot more flexibility. They have access to better coverage everywhere they travel or live. In the past, you had to buy an iPhone from designated providers. With jailbreaking, you can choose whichever provider you want.

Want access to restricted apps? You can get that and more when you have a jailbroken iPhone. You can also block contacts, download hundreds of ringtones, and transfer files via Bluetooth.

Another perk of jailbreaking that has intrigued thousands of users is free tethering. By downloading the MyWi app onto your jailbroken iPhone you can turn the device into a Wi-Fi hotspot for free.

To Jailbreak or Not to Jailbreak

Is jailbreaking legal? Absolutely! Is it something you should do? Well that depends. If you like the software restrictions, app bans, limited options and coverage that come with your iPhone; you really don’t have any reason to do a jailbreak. Most people do have a problem with those restrictions and that’s why jailbreaking companies have no shortage of customers.

Breaking out of jail is frowned on by most of society, but jailbreaking an iPhone is not. In fact, it is completely legal, affordable, and there are several good reasons to do it. So why are you still waiting in captivity?

A lot of on-the-clock workers and even salaried employees tend to discount vacation time, preferring instead to save money and stay at home during holidays. In fact, more than 30 percent of Americans didn’t use all of their vacation days in 2009.

If you’re one of these practically-minded people, you may want to think again. It turns out that taking proper vacation time is strongly linked with a variety of positive health benefits, both physical and mental. And vacation time is good for the economy, too.

Mental Health Benefits of Taking Vacation

The biggest benefits of taking time to recharge your batteries are observed in your mental health. According to one study, people who went on vacation reported lower stress levels, better quality of sleep, and heightened mood. These improvements were even still present five weeks after the holiday ended.

Vacations can even elevate the moods of the most severely depressed. According to a study done on more than 1,000 breast cancer and heart disease patients at the University of Pittsburgh’s Mind Body Center, leisure activities like going on holiday can ease depression and lead to higher positive emotional levels.

Taking vacations appears to be especially important to women. One study performed at the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin revealed that suburban and rural women who took vacations at least twice a year were significantly less likely to suffer from depression and high stress levels than their peers who stayed at home. And in another study from the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services, researchers found that women who took vacations reported greater satisfaction in their marriages.

Physical Benefits of Time Off

Because people who take vacation are generally less stressed than their peers, they have shown positive physical side effects like lower blood pressure levels and smaller waistlines.

Too much stress can lead to a variety of physical ailments, including obesity, heart disease, hair loss, diabetes, and ulcers. According to one report, as many as 90 percent of doctor’s visits are at least partially related to stress-induced conditions.

Taking periodic time off can help to counteract these negative side effects and keep you healthy.

Workplace Benefits of Using Vacation Time

Most people who reported not using all of their vacation time in 2009 cited fear of losing their jobs as their biggest deterrent to getting away. However, multiple professional studies reveal that workers who take vacation time are actually more productive than their co-workers who labor year-round.

According to Robert Kreigel, author of “How to Succeed in Business Without Working So Damn Hard,” most workers get their best ideas away from their desk. Without the pressure to respond to every workplace scenario, employees can have time to consider the big picture and think of more innovative approaches to dealing with long-term problems, Kreigel says.

That also means lower rates of burnout and better job performance.

Truth: You Need a Vacation

In all likelihood, you need to be taking out your passport and packing up your suitcases more often. Find a stress-free vacation spot, get your mind off work, and rejuvenate both your body and your mind.

Go visit a friend across the country. Book a flight and rental car on hubs like Orbitz or Expedia. Find thousands of houses for rent on RentalAds.com.

Wherever you go and however you choose to vacation, make sure you’re getting the most out of your time off.

We all believed him because he was in charge of our playing time, but was there any real logic behind his warnings? Researchers don’t think so.

Going outside in the cold is not a way to decrease your immunity any more than going outside in the heat will. You will not lower your immune system or magically get sick because your hair was wet when you went outside. My guess is that you were just miserably cold.

Why Are Colds Common in Winter?

You have to actually be exposed to a cold virus to catch a cold. So, why do people think that catching a cold is due to the cold weather? It is most likely because during the cold winter months, people stay inside more often. Being coped up all day inside with other people who also don’t go outside much either is a great way to spread germs. Germs love to spread in warm, enclosed spaces.

Avoid Sickness

One way to help yourself avoid getting sick during the winter months is to wash your hands often. Washing your hands often and avoiding contact with contaminated surfaces is really the best way to avoid catching a cold in the winter. Eating a healthy diet and exercising are also ways that you can avoid catching a cold.

It is likely that no matter what you do, you will eventually catch a cold. Do us all a favor and stay home in order to prevent your cold from spreading.

Despite what you may hear all the time, the answer to that is no. It is most likely the belief that sugar creates hyperactivity that creates the hyperactivity.

The Study

There was a study that included a group of children. They were divided into two groups and both given a drink that was sweetened with Nutrasweet. The parents of one group were told that their child had been given a drink sweetened with sugar. The other children’s parents were told that the drink their child received did not contain any sugar at all.

The parents who were told that their children were given a sugary drink reported more behavior problems and hyperactivity that the parents who were told that their children received a non-sugary drink.

Other Possibilities

Another reason why we may think that sugar makes us and children hyper is that we allow ourselves and our children to eat sugary treats on special occasions like birthday parties, family gatherings, or social events. It is not abnormal to be a little excited about attending these events and it may be our excitement about the gathering that is making you hyper, not necessarily the sugar.

Sugar also gives us a little energy spike. With this extra energy we may be more apt to act hyper and use up our energy, but it isn’t the sugar that is making up act crazy.

Conclusion

The myth has been busted. You can no longer appropriately blame your hyperactivity on the amount of sugar you consume. You will now have to take the blame for your craziness, unless others around you still believe this myth.

I had a friend that would pop every single joint in her hands all of the time. People would always tell her how unhealthy that was for her. The real question is does popping your knuckles really have any negative effect on your hands? Does it really cause arthritis?

Why Do People Crack

Most people, including my friend who popped all of the time, say that they pop their knuckles because they hurt. After their knuckles have been popped, they feel no more pain, have more movement, and they feel looser.

In my opinion, some people also crack their knuckles because it’s funny to watch everyone around them get grossed out buy the sound.

What Causes the Sound

Every joint in your body is surrounded by a joint capsule, also called a synovial capsule. This capsule, whatever you decide to call it, if filled with synovial fluid which acts as a joint lubricant. This synovial fluid also contains nutrients necessary for your joint health.

When you crack your knuckles, you lower the pressure within this capsule which creates a vacuum which if filled with some of the gasses that were previously dissolved in this fluid. This creates a bubble which then pops therefore creating the knuckle cracking sound you hear.

Does This Cause Arthritis?

According to research, including some done by the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, there is no evidence that people who crack their knuckles are destined to have arthritis. Some research does state that knuckle crackers may have loser joints later in life and reduced grip strength though.

Myth Busted

The next time someone tells you to stop cracking your knuckles because you are creating health problems down the road, you can politely (or impolitely) tell them that they have no idea what they are talking about. So crack away! There is nothing to worry about.

You can find tips to keep your eyes healthy all over the internet, but which ones are true? Here is a look at a few of the common myths and the real truth about your eyes.

Myths Debunked

Myth: Reading in the dark with cause damage to your eyes.

Truth: There is no real evidence that reading in a dark room will cause permanent damage to your eyes. Your eyes will most likely get tired though. Reading in a bright room will help prevent fatigue.

Myth: “Don’t cross your eyes. They will stay that way.”

Truth: Did your mom ever tell you this when you were younger? She probably just told you this to get you to behave. The fact is that our eyes come closer together often throughout the day when we try to focus on things up close. Crossing your eyes is just exaggerating a natural tendency.

Myth: Eye drops help dry eyes.

Truth: Eye drops, like Visine, can actually have the opposite effect. The drops that “get the red out” for example can hinder the circulation in the eye area. This will in turn decrease your natural production of tears – this leads to drier eyes.

Myth: You don’t need to go to the eye doctor unless you are having eye or vision problems.

Truth: Just like other diseases of the body, you can have the virus or disease without any physical symptoms. Some eye diseases may only display symptoms after they have become very advanced. It is important to go see your eye doctor before you have any symptom so that they can be caught early.

Our eyes are a very important part of our body that most people neglect, but they shouldn’t. Don’t forget to wear sunglasses in the sun and go visit the eye doctor. These are east things that may save your eyesight later on.

Today, there is still some residual fear floating around society, and I think it’s about time to clear it all up.

Glycemic Index

First, it is important to understand that not all carbs are created equal. Usually, carbohydrates fall into one of two categories: complex or simple.

One example of simple carbs is anything that is made primarily with sugar. Sugar is a carb, but a very simple one, molecularly speaking. This means that energy you get from sugar is released very quickly, meaning that it has a high glycemic index (GI).

Complex carbohydrates are foods that are made with whole grains, some vegetables and fruits, and legumes. These are much more molecularly complex, meaning that the body takes longer to break them down for energy. This means that energy is released very gradually, even over the course of several hours. This “long burn” that you get from complex carbohydrates means that it has a low GI.

Notice that while foods with High GI’s will give you more initial energy, they will also cause your energy levels to drop farther and faster than foods with low GI’s.

What Foods have Low GI’s?

I already mentioned a few examples of complex carbohydrates, or foods with low GI’s, but I’ll offer a few specific examples as well.

Whole Grains
• Millet
• Rye
• Oats
• Quinoa
• Wheat germ
• Barley
• Sorghum
• Wild rice
• Brown Rice
• Buckwheat
• Oat bran
• Cornmeal
• Corn
• Teff
• Triticale
• Amaranth

Fruits & Veggies (Low GI)
• Cherries
• Grapefruit
• Apricots
• Apples
• Pears
• Plums
• Peaches
• Oranges
• Grapes
• Kiwi
• Bananas
• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Spinach
• Green Beans
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Zucchini
• Peppers

Legumes
• Kidney beans
• Black beans
• Chickpeas
• Lentils
• Haricot beans

Clearly you can see that these foods are all fantastic for your body. If you tried to cut carbohydrates out completely, you would be seriously missing a major source of nutrition in your diet. Try to stick to foods on these lists as well as other examples of low-GI foods.

How Many Carbs Should I be Eating?

This depends on many factors, including age, gender, height, weight, and lifestyle. Generally, most experts recommend receiving between 50-70% of your calories from carbohydrates. Very active individuals should be sure to eat closer to 70% of calories from carbs because this is where the body goes for its primary source of energy.

If you are one of the many who have seen advertisements for weight loss products that promise to target belly fat, lower body fat, or (fill in the blank) fat and thought “Hey, that’s a good idea,” this post is for you!

Here are the real facts about fat loss:

1. First, it’s important to understand that when you work out, your body burns calories. Only a precious few of these calories come from your fat stores. This is because most of the calories come from the fuel that you have eaten during the day.

2. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine where the body will burn fat. I feel like I should write that again and then scream it from the rooftop. I will exercise restraint though. Where your body stores and burns fat is completely determined by your genetics. No pill or diet can change this.

3. A lot of diets claim that they can make it so that you don’t develop tummy fat, but like burning fat, you have no control over where your body stores fat. This is also decided by genetics. Women typically store fat in their lower bodies and men usually store it in their midsection.

Interestingly, where your body stores fat first is where it also burns fat last. That is why certain fat stores are more “stubborn” than others. They really do last longer than others.

4. If you see someone with a six-pack, it is because they have worked their booty off (literally). If they have lost enough weight in their midsection to see the muscles underneath, you can be sure that they lost the same amount of weight through the rest of their body.

5. So what does this mean to us? If you want a six-pack and are even 10 lbs. overweight, all of the crunches in the world won’t get you the abs that you want. The only solution is to do cardio to burn fat and do resistance training to develop muscles.

So the moral of all of these dry facts is that if you want a killer body, all the diet pills in the world won’t get you there. Hard work is the only thing that will help you lose your stubborn fat stores that seem to never diminish.

If this happens to you often, you should seek professional help as it may be an indication of a more serious condition. If you just get migraines occasionally and are looking for ways to relieve this temporary pain, we have researched the most effective solutions for you.

1. Be aware of your sleeping habits. If you can, try to lie down when the headache occurs and try to establish a sleeping routine. Doctors say that in terms of migraines, oversleeping can be just as bad for you as not getting enough sleep. To minimize the possibility of future migraines, try to sleep 6 to 8 hours a night.

2. Avoid bright lights. If possible, go to a dark room. Light can sometimes irritate the condition, as many find that their eyes are more sensitive when they are experiencing a migraine. If you are prone to migraines, specialists suggest that you carry a thick, dark cloth with you to place over your eyes if you are unable to find a dark place to rest.

3. Try relaxation exercises. This can be yoga, muscle relaxation, or meditation. These are low-impact exercises that increase blood flow and decrease tension. If that is not possible, then at least try to spend a half hour every day doing something that relaxes you and is purely enjoyable.

4. Use a cold compress. You can either put the compress on the back of your neck or directly on your head. If you put the ice pack on your neck, apply gentle pressure to the aching areas with your fingertips. One doctor recommended, for those who dislike the cold compress on their face, that migraine sufferers put their hand on cold water for as long as possible, then make rapid fists, increasing blood flow. He claims that this is just as effective as a compress on the head.

5. Keep a migraine journal. Not exactly a fun read, but research has shown that those who write down the conditions in which their migraines occur are much more likely to figure out what triggers them and thereby eliminate or greatly reduce migraines. Also record which treatment worked and which didn’t – it will save you the trouble next time.

If you regularly experience signs and symptoms of migraine attacks, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your headaches and decide on a treatment plan. Bring your migraine journal and be prepared to discuss the conditions of your migraines and how you have treated them. If these tips do not eliminate the migraine, we would suggest that you see a doctor for more long term solutions.

Food Preferences

Men and women like different foods, and that had much to do with the type of weight they gain and how quickly they can lose it. Katherine Tallmadge, RD, the author of Diet Simple says that “Men love their meat, and women are attached to carbohydrates.” This doesn’t inherently make men more likely to stay fit, but meat generally contains more protein. This means that when a man starts exercising, he may build muscle more quickly and effectively. Carbs are burned quickly during a cardio work-out or a marathon, but they do not convert into muscle like protein does.
Tallmadge says that extremes of both of these preferences lead to excessive weight gain and poor health. She says that both groups should seek healthy alternatives. For men, she frequently recommends lean meats such as turkey rather than rare steaks. For women, she replaces starches with grains.
Additionally, men tend to be less informed about calories and fat content. As soon as the men start paying attention to healthier food choices, they tend to get quick results.

Physical Differences

In short, men are larger and have more muscle than women due to the hormone called testosterone. They are genetically designed to have a higher percentage of muscle and less fat. Muscle burns calories, so they can typically consume more calories than a woman can and not see as many negative consequences. This is a disadvantage that can surely be overcome. The key is to build muscle and exercise regularly.
One advantage in terms of weight loss is that women tend to put on weight on the hips and thighs, while men put on weight in their middle area. The “pear” shape is much healthier for cardio health.

What’s for dinner?

Women, in general, tend to spend more time in the kitchen than men do. They plan meals, menus, do grocery shopping, and food preparation. All that exposure to food is sure to lead to nibbling and tasting, the kind of snacking that nutritionists advise us to avoid. If this seems to be a problem, try to equalize the workload and minimize the temptations by getting your husband and/or the kids involved in preparing quick and healthy meals. They will all benefit, and so will you.

Positive attitude.

Many men are simply problem solvers. When they see that their weight has gotten out of hand, they cut back. They go for a run. They solve the problem. Women tend to take it personally, letting their self-worth get tied up in both their weight gain and weight loss. We suggest getting the support you need, celebrating the little victories, and staying positive. For some, weight loss is a long process. But it’s worth it when you feel healthy and look your best.