Every minute of every day wars rage within our bodies. The combatants are too tiny to see. Some, like the infamous virus that causes AIDS, are so small that 230 million would fit on the period at the end of this sentence.

Of all the body’s enemies, the virus is both the simplest and the most devious of all. A virus contains instructions for making copies of itself. When a virus enters one of our cells it issues its own instructions. The cell becomes a virus factory, producing identical viruses. Eventually they may rupture the cell, killing it. Viral clones fan out to invade nearby cells.

About one trillion strong, our white blood cells constitute a highly specialized army of defenders. The phagocytes, which are soldiers in this army, are the first to attack viruses. When they come upon a cell that has burst, they eat up the wreckage and in the process consume the viruses. But they aren’t able to destroy these foes enough to keep them from infecting nearby cells.

The T cells are a more sophisticated part of our immune system. They are trained to recognize invaders. They then send urgent chemical signals to killer T cells. The message is to multiply quickly. The killer T cells puncture the cell membranes bacteria or destroy infected cells before viruses have time to multiply.

During stress the body releases large amounts of a steroid called cortisol. When our soldiers the macrophage recognize and encounter cortisol they can no longer respond to infection.

Exercise may enhance the immune system. It stimulates the brain to release chemicals called endorphin and enkephalin. They also seem to reduce anxiety and cause a sense of well being.

Even more startling, some studies suggest that they affect macrophage and T cells. Exercise may also result in increased levels of interleukin-1 and interferon, both of which strengthens our defenses.

As we grow older, we start to lose calcium and bone and under the skin are fat pads which lessen. Two protein strands elastin and collagen are produced at lesser quantity. Those wrinkles come about because without enough of these two proteins the skin is not as smooth and elastic as it once was and therefore sags.

A product named AHA causes stimulation of mucin, which is a substance that fills in between collagen fibers. Over the counter creams with AHA help remove the outer layer of skin which has become dried and has damaged cells.

Botox when injected prevents the muscles from moving and therefore wrinkles are stopped. Wrinkles disappear for about four months. Not enough studies have been done to determine the long term effects of this treatment.

90% of all skin changes associated with ageing are really the result of sun exposure. Smokers are five times more likely to have wrinkles. Smoking reduces the blood supply and oxygen to the skin and it may affect collagen and elastin. Fast weight loss will be very noticeable as sagging skin in the face. Exercise works because it relieves stress and increases blood supply. Moisturizers will keep the skin from dehydrating although they will not lessen wrinkles.

Born 480 in a tiny village near Spoleto, Nursia, a son of a wealthy nobelman of Rome and had a twin sister named Scholastica,(St.Scholastica). When he died in 543 it is written he was aware it was his time and was standing with arms reaching upward in prayer; and was buried along with his sister in St. John the Baptists’ oratory that he had built on the spot that he had overthrown the Alter of Apollo at Monte Cassino. While it seems that the life of his sister had been dedicated as a small child to our Lord, his own calling and doctrines were formulated later in his life. His boyhood was spent in Rome, in a life of studies at the great libraries and in preperation of a career as a Roman nobelman, but took an abrupt turn in his late teens or early twenties. Leaving and taking his nurse as a servant along he settled in some mountains near a church dedicated to St. Peter some 70 or so miles from Rome where he is said to have worked his first miracle, the first of many.It is said he was gifted with prophesy,as well as having the ability to stop the attacks of satan. It is written than monks once tried to poison him, yet he blessed the cup rendering the poison harmless. His influence is still strong today, as well as his sisters’ with schools and monastories named for them. Different from the Franciscans’, the Benedictines’ do not take a vow of poverty, yet vow obediance according to the words of our lord. He is know for the writing of St. Benedict’s Rule which were written for the people, the laymen and not so much for the clerics. His memorial day is celebrated on July 11th. Said to be the Patron Saint for Monks, schoolchildren, farmers and farmworkers, and against temptations, witchcraft, poison, and fever, The Medal of St. Benedict, a sacrament, is the only medal that has an exorcism prayer on it. Wearers of the medal have made claims of a calming feeling and tranquility.

Las Vegas, Nevada attempts to change itself and be a peddler of family-friendly activities caused it to stumble. The MGM Grand replaced its amusement park with two nightclubs with a third one opening soon.  All of the Las Vegas hotels are following suit.

Vegas has reinvented itself by returning to the biggest, nicest place to sin ever imagined. People come to Vegas to do what they can do at home but to do it in a more ostentatious way. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas is their town logo. The fact is that “What happens in Vegas” is bragged about at home for months afterward.

The reinvented Vegas has room rates up 40% in 2004 from the same period last year. It’s the fastest-growing major U.S. city. 7,000 people move to Clark County each month. The population is 1.6 million.

Vegas is the top tourist and convention spot with the city taking in $6.5 billion in conventions, which is more than the $6.1 billion taken in gambling.

A good chunk of this gambling money is received from the under 30 crowd. Young people seem to be better educated, have more disposable income and are less averse to travel than the typical Vegas customer.

If you haven’t been to Vegas within the year odds are you won’t recognize the place because Vegas literally transforms itself while you are away.

Instead of throwing away old vegetable and fruit cans, use them as a substitute for a treat bag at your next birthday party. After cleaning the can, let it dry thoroughly. Cut a string, yarn, or small rope the size of 5 lengths of the can. Fold the string in half and holding it by the fold, dip about two-thirds of the way into white glue, then let the excess drip off. Let the two ends of the string down into the can, using a stick or whatever you can find to arrange the strings to where they draw a line across the center bottom of the inside of the can. The two ends should be touching, or very close. Then, let the string pieces come up each side of the inside of the can. Finally, let the string hang out over the can and allow to dry.

When dry, you should be able to pick up the can with the string handle. Spray paint the inside of the cans, allow to dry. Spray the outside of the cans, allow to dry. Or, spread glue on the outside of the can and attach construction paper or cloth. Braid 3 colors of pipe cleaners together, and glue them around the edge of the can. You can then place stickers or stamp prints on the outside of the can. You can also paint each child’s name on the can exterior. Now you can put shredded paper and foil into the can, and drop in suckers, balloons, etc.

You can also have the cans prepared with the string and paint, then allow the kids to decorate their own cans. The same basic craft can also be done with a 1 or 2 liter soda bottle, after cutting it in half.

Other ideas for these cans are pencil holder, new baby gift, kitchen utensil holder and night stand jar. Other decorative exteriors: glitter, scrunched up foil, wrapping paper or photos.

It all started with Frank Mars back in 1911 when he and his wife Ethel started making and selling a variety of butter-cream candies from the spotless kitchen of their home in Tacoma, Washington. In Tacoma, Washington, back in 1911, Frank Mars and his wife Ethel began a candy business by making and selling a variety of butter cream candies.

Then in 1920, Forest Mars and his son went to a local drugstore and Forest had an idea. Why not manufacture a candy bar using malted milk and a version of chocolate? This idea became the MILKY WAY bar.

In 1920, after visiting a local drugstore with his son Forrest, he thought what a good idea it would be if they could produce a version of chocolate, malted milk that could be enjoyed anywhere. The result was the MILKY WAY bar – known in Europe as the MARS bar. It was an immediate success.

In the 1930’s while working in Europe, Forest came up with another winning idea which was to prevent chocolate from melting by giving it a protective coating. The idea became M&M’s candies. Their famous slogan “It melts in your mouth not on your hands” solved a problem for the US forces of candy they provided in their rations melting before it got to the mouths of soldiers. Purchase of his M&M candies by the US government to be part of the rations of the forces during the war ensured the success of this new non melting candy.

In the same depression years of the ‘30s, Mars was the pioneer in the pet food industry in Europe. He employed nutritional science and modern manufacturing techniques to pet food. Fast forwarding to the present another innovation has been developed by Mars which was to put meat petfood in pouches. This product is sold under the brands of Pedigree and Whiskas

Modern manufacturing techniques were also employed for the first time to parboil rice in large quantities. In 1946 the new rice product Uncle Ben’s was launched and it became America’s top selling brand of packaged long grain rice.

Mars has a direct presence in over 60 countries over 100 countries have the Mars products available for sale.

After the death of Charles II, his brother became James VII of Scotland and James II of England. Due to his high handed despotic policies as well as conflicts over religion, the English parliament invited his son-in-law, William of Orange, to become King of England. William of Orange accepted the invitation and arrived in November 1688, forcing James to flee the country. William became William III of England. At this time England and Scotland were two separate countries that shared only a common monarch. In Scotland it took until April 1689 for a Convention of the Estates to decide to recognize William as William II of Scotland. William’s shrewd behavior and understanding of political matters gave him an edge over the outraged, yet ineffectual, James. Those who supported the claims of James VII and tried restore him to the throne became known as Jacobites. Thus began a series of uprisings, mostly in Scotland and Ireland, which eventually led to the defeat of not only James VII, his eldest son James Francis Stewart (the Old Pretender) and his son Charles Stewart (Bonnie Prince Charlie or the Young Pretender) and their goal of reinstating their claim to the thrown, but also led to the effective destruction of Scotland as an independent state, and some would say a free people.

The First Uprising was in 1689. John Graham, Viscount of Dundee, raised a small army and won a smashing victory in July 1689 at Killiecrankie only to be killed just as the battle was won. However, at the battle of Dunkeld, the Jacobite resistance in Scotland was suppressed. In Ireland, William personally defeated the Jacobites at the Battle of the Boyne in July of 1690. James fled back to France along with over 10,000 Irishman who became known as the Wild Geese.

In 1707, England and Scotland were united (the Union) causing a great deal of dissatisfaction in Scotland. The Jacobites effectively used nationalist sentiments to win support in Scotland when in reality they were seeking to reinstate their claim to England as well as Scotland. The Second Uprising occurred in 1708, and was nothing more than an aborted invasion from France. In 1715, the Third Uprising took place. It was a bungled affair led by an unscrupulous Scottish politician, John Erskine, Earl of Mar, who ended up changing sides after he had convinced everyone to revolt. The rebellion was put down after a few sharp engagements. The son of James VII, James VIII (the Old Pretender), landed in Scotland too late to do anything, and was forced to retreat back to France. In 1719, the Fourth Uprising, involved a small number of Spanish troops which failed to bring about any active support.

It was not until 1745, that the Fifth (and last) Uprising took place. Charles Stewart (Bonnie Prince Charlie or the Young Pretender) landed in Scotland and met with mixed results. He eventually mobilized a large and well organized rebellion. The English commander General John Cope was defeated at Prestonpans, and Charles and the Jacobites took control of Scotland. They then marched into England proper with the hopes of raising the English countryside in support of their cause. Instead they were forced to retreat in the face British forces that vastly outnumbered his own. On Christmas Day the Jacobite army entered Glasgow and forced the pro-government city to re-supply them. On January 17, 1747, the Jacobites defeated another government army at Falkirk, but were unable to get any real benefit from the victory. Time was against the Jacobites. Low on supplies and without funds, the Jacobites and Charles were becoming desperate. In April 1746, against the advice of his commanders, Charles personally led his troops in a hopeless charge at Culloden. Outnumbered, half starving, and short on supplies, the Jacobites charged the cannons of the fresh and well supplied government forces. Few of the Jacobites even made it to the government lines. After the Battle of Culloden, the Jacobite cause was dead, and the Highland culture and way of life were virtually destroyed.