MS Maze

Chicago-based pastry chef and restauranteur Malika Ameen grew up in a home where the focus was on food made from scratch. Chef Ameen especially enjoys preparing dessert, and says there are five ingredients she always has on hand to give her desserts that extra something special. Ameen was gracious enough to share with Care2 the reasons she always stocks these ingredients.

Read it: Chef Shares 5 Must-Have Ingredients for Dessert Lovers

Please make my Mother’s Day by voting my son up in TNA’s Gut Check Challenge. He’s the hardest working wrestler on the independent circuit, appearing as both Justin Reno and Judas Yorick. This is his chance to take Judas Yorick to the big time. Take a moment to cast your vote — go on, make my day!

Voting is limited to Friday, May 10 through Sunday, May 12 — one vote per email address.

Vote Judas Yorick in bracket 10 of TNA’s Gut Check Challenge

VOTE NOW: www.challenge.tnagutcheck.com

Do you really want your tissue box to bless you after you sneeze? Apparently, some people like the idea. We’ve accepted the smart phone, but how are we ready for a house full of smart objects? That’s what researchers from Penn State wanted to find out.

Read it: Are you ready for talking tissues?

In addition to physical and psychological affects of the Boston Marathon bombings, survivors face steep medical bills for immediate and long-term care. Even those with health insurance may find it is not enough to cover expenses, especially for those who have lost limbs.

Read it: One Fund Boston: How to Help Boston Marathon Victims

Writers write, editors edit, and publishers publish. Despite the ease of self-publishing these days, we need each other. As a writer, I adore editors. I wish I had one to look over all my work before it sees the light of day, but that’s not very practical. I also adore publishers, for without them much of my work would never see the light of day at all. That doesn’t mean all is well in writer-editor-publisher land.

Sometimes editors manage to edit errors into a piece. Last month I submitted a 1,000-word article to a publication I hadn’t worked with previously. I was expecting feedback, but the article was published. My elation quickly turned to disappointment as I discovered multiple grammatical errors, one spelling error, and one sentence that was restructured so that it contained a factual error. Horrors! None of these errors appeared in the draft I submitted. I manage enough mistakes on my own, thank you. This wouldn’t be a problem for a ghostwritten article, but this story included my byline. The editor/publisher answered my desperate plea and two days later, the article was corrected.

Another publication often replaces my titles and I appreciate that because it’s not my strong suit, as you may have gathered by the title of this post. Titles need pizzaz and if no one clicks on the title, no one will read the article. Sometimes those new and improved titles — and I daresay, sensationalistic titles — make incorrect implications about the article. Sometimes they even anger readers who expected one thing and got another. It’s all in a day’s work. The editor has done his or her job, which is to generate pageviews for the publisher. It’s not my call.

In addition to misleading titles, I’ve been taken to task for advertisements that appear next to my articles (“You support ___. I’m ‘unfollowing’ you!“) and photos I did not choose (“Was it really necessary to use that sexy shot?“). Please understand this — unless you are visiting a writer’s personal website or blog, those things are largely out of his or her control.

Writers, editors, and publishers. We’re a co-dependent, dysfunctional family. We need each other, but we have our fair share of spats.

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Every day, about 79 people in the United States receive organ transplants and another 18 die for lack of an available organ. Did you know that one organ donor can save up to eight lives? Organ recipient Alonzo Mourning calls it, “a gift beyond compare.”

Read it and watch the video: Alonzo Mourning on Organ donation

The American Red Cross is on the job all across the United States this week, providing shelter, food, water, and comfort to people affected by the Boston marathon bombing, the Texas explosion, and Midwest flooding. Find out what they’re doing — and how you can help.

Read it: Red Cross Responding in Boston, Texas, Midwest: How You Can Help

Beyonce is asking you to skip a meal, but it’s not the latest fad or celebrity weight-loss scheme. Why does she want you to miss a meal?

Read it: Beyonce says Miss a Meal

Tips on Natural Skin Care: Get prepared now in order to look the best for the seasons to come. Our experts present an holistic approach from direct skin care to dietary support and natural treatment.

Read it: 8 Skin Care Tips for Spring and Summer

Those pretty little shoes may look adorable, but are they supporting your hard-working feet? When your feet hurt, it’s hard to concentrate on anything else. Summer is just around the corner, so here are a few feet-friendly tips to help you avoid foot pain.

Read it: Tips to Avoid Foot Pain

A California sea lion is groovin’ to the beat, bobbing her head in time with the music. It’s the first empirical evidence of an animal incapable of vocal mimicry that can keep the beat, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Watch it: Sea Lion Grooves to the Beat

When we think of kids and substance abuse, our thoughts turn to alcohol and illegal drugs, but there’s another danger lurking in your medicine cabinet. It is called, “skittling,” “dexing,” or “robotripping.” It’s the abuse of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Misuse of OTC drugs can also lead to serious health consequences and physical and psychological addiction.

Read it: How to Talk to Your Kids About OTC Drug Use

Half a million times every year, a child gets into medicine or is given the wrong dose. Every minute of every day, a poison control center gets a call about potential medicine poisoning involving a child five years old or younger. About every eight minutes — or 67,000 times a year — a young child is brought into an emergency room due to medicine poisoning. This represents a 30 percent increase over the past 10 years.

Read it: Tips to Keep Kids Safe from Medicines (video)

If you ever get the chance to spend some time with Michelangelo, I suggest you take it. I recently had the pleasure of attending Michelangelo: Sacred and Profane, an exhibit at The Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary. The collection of 26 drawings in all media is one of the most important and awe-inspiring displays of the master’s work the United States has seen in decades.

Read it: What Michelangelo Can Teach Us

Read it: 7 Ways to Maximize Your Time in the Gym