Two more online dates; two more online dating horror stories.The advice from my trusted advisor to meet women in this new state via the internet was not looking to be very helpful. So far the only thing that had come from it was two embarrassing stories that my friends got a kick out of (thanks, guys). In the meantime, I was stuck being the third, fifth, and even seventh wheel on their dates, which on the fun scale, falls somewhere between a root canal and a colonoscopy.Anyways, I searched out a few more potential matches and had some dates set up. I would do anything to get away from being the charity case that tags along on other people's dates. So I had a date with a Hispanic woman around my age who was a police officer. This intrigued me - I had never dated a cop, nor did I know anyone who had. We seemed to hit it off pretty well, and I really enjoyed our conversations online and on the phone. At one point we talked about our "wilder days" which turned into a heated debate about who could out-drink who. Here's a little background on me: I am six foot three, two hundred forty pounds, and just about 100% Irish. Needless to say, I can put away a few drinks before I start doing something completely crazy, like dancing or cleaning my apartment. Either way we joked about finding out some day down the road, and left it at that.We decided to meet at a Mexican bar and grill in a nice part of town on a Friday night. An hour before the date she called to inform me that her car had broken down. Not a problem. I had just bought a brand new, fully loaded pickup truck and was more than happy to show it off. So I picked up from her place, which was about a half hour from the bar and grill, and we drove down together.We arrived at the bar and grill where we were greeted and seated by a very attractive hostess (hey, it's the first date... I can look). The waitress came by to take our drink order, and since the drive had gotten me over the jitters, I went with a glass of water to start. After ridiculing me, she opted for a long island iced tea. Wow.She finished her first drink before I got halfway through my water and ordered another one. Then another one. And finally, one more. After a while her speech became impaired and I had a twisted fantasy in my head of putting a cop through a sobriety test. Soon the possibility of the date lasting much longer dropped significantly: she laughed hard and fell right out of her chair.So much for her passing that field sobriety test.So I helped her to her feet and a woman at another table helped her to the bathroom. I asked for the bill and checked my watch: 40 minutes into the date. This was a new record. She came back from the restroom looking rather green in the face. In case you have never had a long island iced tea (or 4 of them), they are rather strong - I drank a few not too long ago and puked up things I had eaten in high school. The bill paid, I picked her up and carried her to the parking lot.As we approached my truck, something hit me: this was my brand new truck. Here I was about to drive a half hour with an intoxicated woman in it who had already thrown up once horror short stores. Not good. I set her down and was about to voice my concern when she collapsed, out cold. I caught her and tried to wake her up, but to no avail.The night just kept getting better.Suddenly an idea hit me: it was a warm night, the truck bed was squeaky clean, and the drive to her place was only a half hour. Horrible, horrible thought, but at the time, I found it to be brilliant. So, before I could let my conscience get the best of me, I lifted Officer Boozehound into the bed of the truck, covered her with a blanket, and drove her home. It didn't take very long before I was carrying her to her apartment.The perfect end to a "perfect" evening.I knocked on the door and her roommate answered, who helped me carry her to her room, and who was also quite attractive (I'm a guy - I notice these things). She informed me that this was not the first time my date had been brought home this way... as if the idea of seeing her again was even a possibility. As we struggled to get my intoxicated date to her room, she started to come around, and asked me in a slurred voice, "I didn't throw up in your new truck did I?""No, you did not, and I appreciate that."Since she was awake, I decided to call an end to this horrible evening, jumped in my truck, and peeled out leaving her parking lot. I went home, poured myself a scotch on the rocks, and fell asleep watching a rented action movie. At least the evening wasn't a total bust.In any case, being the pessimist (realist) that I am, I already had a date lined up for the next night. She was fun and interesting to talk to (good), she loved my sense of humor (great), and she was a professional massage therapist (yes!). She wanted to take food out of the question and just meet at a bar, which I was not too thrilled about after the previous night's experience. But I decided that I was bound to have a good date eventually, so I headed down to the bar with an optimistic attitude.I took a seat at the bar after arriving early, so I left it up to her to find me. It was a good thing too, because she had somewhat changed her appearance since that photo on her profile: four visible tattoos, a pierced lower lip, a pierced eyebrow, and several earrings in each ear. Having been raised in a rather strict, Roman Catholic household, the first thought to enter my mind was "My mom would flip out if I brought this one home to meet her!".My second thought was, "I can't wait to bring her home to Mom!"Anyways, despite an appearance that I wasn't usually attracted to, I found this woman to be rather beautiful in her own way. The tattoos she had were tasteful and in all the right places, and oddly I found the piercings to be attractive. We immediately hit it off and spent at least an hour slowly sipping our drinks and getting to know each other. Perhaps my quest to find a normal woman online was over.As usual, the joke was on me.After a while I noticed something that I should have noticed earlier. She had her cell phone on the table and casually checked it quite often. She had a daughter, so I dismissed it as her checking to see if her babysitter had called. But after about ten more times checking the phone, I finally asked in a joking manner, "Hey, do you have somewhere to be?". She chuckled, then hit me with a verbal punch to the gut: "This guy I have been seeing now and then keeps text-messaging me. He's so hilarious."Sorry, Mom. I guess I'll have to find another one to freak you out...Unfortunately, my facial expressions allow people to read me like a book, and she could see that I was both irritated and disappointed. I became even more so when she decided to send the guy a message back with a big goofy grin on her face. But I had every right to be upset; that was possibly the rudest thing anyone had ever done to me on a date (even topping the one from the night before). I had even gone to the trouble of turning my phone, mostly because I didn't want Officer Boozehound calling me, but I wasn't about to this one that.After that, the conversation all but stopped. She didn't understand why I was irritated and I didn't understand how someone so stupid was managing to raise a child. So I paid for my half of the drinks (sorry Sugar, no free rides) and headed home to finish that action movie... and that bottle of scotch.I checked my cell phone and found a voicemail from my favorite officer. She apologized profusely for acting the way she did and said she really hoped she did not throw up on the seats of my new truck. She even offered to have it cleaned if she did.Oh well... at least the evening ended with a laugh.

Horror has always been a part of our lives through urban legend stories about ghosts. Horror movies are also considered as a very popular mode of entertainment. However, in recent years, there has been a growing craze for horror literature.It is a human desire to know the unknown especially that is creepy and raises their curiosity. will speak are full of such stuff and keep readers glued in their plot and mystic characters. This is one of the major factors behind the popularity of this genre in literature. These have the power to help the readers escape to a bizarre world where they forget about the troubles of life, although temporarily.

No doubt, horror stories have been around since the times of yore, but terrifying horror became popular as literature in the 1960s. Their readership has increased immensely in 2000s. This has lead to the emergence of horror books about twins stores in many major cities in the world and ultimately motivated many to become authors.The aim of view it is not to scare people but to engage them in a way that they enjoy every moment of reading. These increase the power of visualization in readers. It is a natural tendency with humans to visualize what they hear, feel or read. The heart beat of the reader increases with every incident in the plot and he yearns to know what is about to happen.

The level and intensity of horror element in horror books differs depending upon their target audience. For instance, there are books meant for children that are aimed at developing their imaginative power. These are written in simple English and also depict horror scenes in pictures to help children visualize better. However, it is the tonal aspect of these books that sets them apart from other forms of literature that the books typically revolve around character and plot development. Readers are able to hear every little sound while reading, be it the movement of a shadow or footsteps.Writing this type of book is an extremely challenging task as the success of a these book depends upon whether it is able to keep the reader's attention from start till end or not. During the nineteenth century Mary Shelly and Ann Radcliffe have won the hearts of their audiences with Frankenstein and The Mysteries of Udolpho, respectively.

Some popular horror books that have successfully managed to create a frightening input in reader's senses include 'The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon', 'The Alibi Man', 'Different Seasons', 'Horror: The 100 Best Books', 'Deadlands' and 'Skeleton Crew'. You can find then in almost every horror book store.The flourishing horror books market and intense competition has lead to a considerable reduction in their prices enabling the audiences to enjoy them without burning a hole in their pockets. Horror books are also available on the Internet. However, before making a purchase online ensure to check the authenticity of the online retailer and payment modes. This will ensure that your money is reaching the right hands.

There are researchers that have elaborated on the diseases caused by the chemical components of cosmetics and skin care products debut novels. Baillie- Hamilton an environmental health specialist at Sterling University in Scotland details how the toxins can cause problems as serious as immune system diseases, neurological disorders, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, hypersensitivity, cancer, obesity, child health problems and musculoskeletal disorders etc.

Pesticides are specifically identified as a cause of immune suppression across the world. Neurotoxins also contained in these products are a root cause of increased incidence of brain disease. Make up and body care products can even cause birth defect allergic reactions and cancer. It is owing to the fact that our body absorbs a significant amount of what we put on our skin. However what is dangerous is that there is no government regulation on this $35 million industry which regularly launches products that are potentially risky to the human body.

Following are some of the products that are known to have repercussions which can be fatal.

Skin Lightening Products- These products cropped up in the market owing to the popular belief that lighter and paler skin tones signify beauty. Melanin produced by melanocytes is scattered within the basal layer of the skin. This factor determines how dark a person?s skin is, if the amount of melanin produced is more then it means that person will be of darker skin tone. It has another important function for the skin that is to protect it from the harmful ultra violet rays of the sun.

Working of the skin lightening product-
Its contents- mercury or hydroquinone ? it works to reduce the production of melanin in the body thereby making the person appear fare.

The long term harm that these products cause is what is important to us. The melanin that is now produced in limiting quantities makes the skin vulnerable to skin cancer as the natural protection against UV rays is gone.

The next case that we will consider is of the side effects of acne cure products.

Acne is a very old problem and combating it has resulted in a struggle between the face and the products claiming to cure it available in the market. Acne is caused due to over production of oil in the glands of the body and the trapped bacteria are root causes of acne.

If we want to believe it or not most acne cure products have a lot of side effects. There is definitely a temporary cure of acne but the troubles that start after it range from diseases of liver, eyes and intestines. The chief cause is the drug accutane that although highly effective but can cause adverse effects on remission. So this problem although pertinent in adolescents should be handled with care. There are natural substitutes for these off the shelf solutions which could cause lasting damage.

According to a Cancer coalition press release in June 2000, typical cosmetics and individual sanitation products pose the maximum danger to cancer. As opposed to the company?s claims of all natural ingredients a closer examination puts forward an altogether different scheme.

This is very harmful as discussed above as the body absorbs a significant amount of what is applied on the skin so when artificial ingredients are ingested, the body has to spend immense amount of essential energies in fighting off them to eradicate them from the body. It is the liver that takes the maximum brunt of disposing these toxins from the body. The liver is a very important part of the body and if it is damages then the body becomes weak and diseases of all kinds plague it. So it is best to be very attentive when you choose skin care products and it?s always beneficial to find a natural solution as opposed to a cosmetic one.

The independent press is rising again! Yes, we can all celebrate, for it is long overdue. Smaller time books publishers are receiving attention never once possible thanks to a particular medium that has opened countless doors for countless people: the internet. Truly, the internet has given us access to the talents (or lack there of) to any individual with a computer, a keyboard and an internet connection. Some may try to suggest that it's also a cause of over saturation for debut novels, but those individuals miss the very evident upside to the internet revolution.While it's true the internet does allow people with less talent and experience to receive recognition for their books, this is not such a bad thing! Over saturation in actuality raises the bar, it forces writers to create more original, interesting and well written stories. Thus, in the realm of books, the bar has been raised for everyone. You know, despite many of our strong urges to resist intertwining business with the art world, no one can deny: competition is good for everyone.

It forces good writers to become great writers, and boy, do the readers benefit. We're seeing books and stories come out in such high caliber and in such high abundance that many avid readers like myself have a back log of works they're anxious to read! This, my friends, is an excellent sign.Sure, everyone has dreams of becoming the next Stephen King, and while competition being so high makes that difficult for many writers, it also means that the industry will boom. Why? With higher quality work and a larger market, there will undeniably be more consumers. This, in my opinion, will launch the books industry into a new state of success. Further, no one can deny the success of recent horror films like Stephen King's "1408" and "The Mist" have boosted sales of books. With a film based on Clive Barker's story "The Midnight Meat Train" in the works and a "Dark Tower" movie being created, it's clear that Hollywood is very enthusiastic about the horror genre.

What does this mean? It means that more and more individuals will become interested in the horror genre, and when they pass by that bizarre looking books section they'll become drawn to it. It's undeniable that Hollywood, however grudgingly, will contribute to the sales of books.So in the end, the internet really has become a positive force for the independent press. No longer do smaller publishers need to struggle to get into the bookstores and eventually more than likely fail. Especially with the emergence of ebooks and ebook readers, horror books paperbacks publishers are likely to see a success that would not have been possible otherwise. Indeed, I think we should all be thankful to the doorways that the internet has opened for us all, and what it will bring in the future.