LEMON TREE FOREST: February 2011

Yorkshire Terrier

Looking for small cute dogs this year

The naked truth about "Giving and Sharing"

Revolution signals new dawn for Egypt's women

A couple of days after the fall of Hosni Mubarak, 24-year-old Nawara Belal was driving in Cairo when she was verbally abused by an army officer. "I got out of my car, opened the door of his car and slapped him in the face," she said. "I realized he wouldn't do anything about it, and it gave me the power to do what I wanted to do to every harasser in my past. "I would never have been able to do that before the revolution."Belal and many women like her, energized by the visible part they played in the protests that led to Mubarak's fall, feel they no longer have to suffer in silence the sexual harassment that has been part of their lives for so long.A survey in 2008 by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights claimed that 98% of foreign women and 83% of Egyptian women in the country had been sexually harassed.CBS reporter Lara Logan was attacked in Cairo's Tahrir Square after Mubarak stepped down, and other women reported incidents ranging from mild harassment to violent attacks. But many women now feel a change in this culture is possible. Nehad Abolkomsan, chair of the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights, said: "I believe sexual harassment in Egypt had a political reason. Political frustration was a big reason."I believe now it can be eliminated. It won't just be like pushing a button, we have to continue to work on it, but women will not be silent anymore." Doaa Abdelaal, a council member with the international solidarity movement Women Living Under Muslim Law, agreed that a more open society would lead to less harassment of women in the streets. "In an oppressive society, people oppress each other," she said. "It's a justification for everyone to be unjust. Under a more open society these things can be discussed, I think changes will happen."Belal, a project coordinator for the feminist organization Nazra, said: "Under Mubarak, it was a police-led country and police had a heavy presence in our lives. "If you were sexually harassed, you wouldn't have much faith that if you went to the police they would support you." Although the attack on Logan might suggest otherwise, many women involved in the protests said they were struck by the lack of harassment.Farida Makar, 24, an Egyptian student at Oxford University in the United Kingdom, traveled back home to take part in the protests. "The sexual harassment that happened on the streets was a sign that society was unwell," she said. "In Tahrir Square during the protests, although there were a lot of young men and women crowded together, and you would assume women would be harassed -- generally they weren't. I don't know why that was, maybe because of all the hope and optimism."The wave of optimism is felt in many other areas of women's lives.Five years ago, the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights closed its program helping young women get involved in local politics, because of lack of interest. Today, the organization says it is inundated with young women wanting to get involved in its campaigns. Women's groups feel their role in bringing about the revolution has given new momentum to their campaign for equality.Abolkomsan said: "I am so happy and so proud about the role young women played in the revolution. "Before the revolution they were depressed and disappointed and felt there was no value in their participation. "Now we have hundreds of women coming to our organization wanting to get involved. They made a change by being in Tahrir Square and now they want to continue making a change."Abdelaal, 35, said: "I was very happy to see all the generations of women's rights activists, poor, rich, middle class, all types of women, there every day and every night. "We have been doing everything we can to make ourselves visible, writing, talking, sending out information, because we didn't want it to be called an Islamist revolution. "We needed to be seen in blue jeans and T-shirts as well as in veils and scarves."Despite the optimism, women are conscious that they still have a long way to go. The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights led a petition signed by more than 60 organizations complaining that Egypt's new Constitutional Committee has no female members. "They say this is not the time to talk about women's rights, but when you are building a new society is exactly when you should talk about it," Abolkomsan said. "I want to see women active in every level of society."We need to continue lobbying for better participation of women, to show that it's not acceptable to ignore us." Abdelaal added: "We have walked a very long way and we are not going to stop now. We now have an open country where people have learned their rights and can protest peacefully."It's not going to be easy, it's going to be a difficult road, but I'm quite optimistic. There is now a new door open for women, and we are ready to use this opening."

UN Security Council slaps Libya with sanctions

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously Saturday to impose sanctions on Libya amid Moammar Gadhafi's escalating attacks on anti-government protesters.The approved resolution includes an arms embargo, asset freeze and travel bans for Gadhafi and several of his key associates. It also refers the violent crackdown to the International Criminal Court."The text send a strong message that gross violations of basic human rights will not be tolerated and that those responsible for grave crimes will be held accountable. I hope the message is heard, and heeded, by the regime in Libya," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.Ibrahim Dabbashi, Libya's deputy ambassador to the United Nations who earlier voiced opposition to Gadhafi's government, said after the vote the resolution would provide moral support to the people resisting in Libya. He urged officers in the armed forces to renounce Gadhafi.One point of contention revolved around language in the resolution that referred to adopting "all necessary measures to enable the return to Libya of humanitarian agencies and to secure the prompt and safe delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need."There was concern that the language could be interpreted as including military intervention. That section of the resolution was softened in the approved version to call on member states to work together to "facilitate and support" the return of humanitarian agencies. Gerard Araud, France's ambassador to the United Nations, described the pace of the resolution proceedings earlier in the day as "an earthquake."The United Nations estimates that 1,000 people have been killed since the Libyan uprising began last week. Ban had urged the Security Council to come up with immediate actions against Gadhafi's regime. "In these circumstances, the loss of time means more loss of lives," Ban told the 15-member body Friday.The session Saturday comes the day after Libyan Ambassador Mohamed Shalgam made an impassioned appeal to his United Nations counterparts. "I hope within hours, not days, that they can do something tangible," he said. Some, however, were skeptical of the sanctions and said they would not have teeth.Fouad Ajami of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies told CNN that Gadhafi had survived sanctions once before, in the aftermath of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland."The sanctions never worked," he said. "Anyone with money can break these sanctions."

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Middle East protests: Country by country

EgyptProtesters call for President Mubarak to step down The military has been running the country since President Hosni Mubarak, in power for three decades, resigned on 11 February following weeks of protests in the capital Cairo and other cities. The Armed Forces Supreme Council is meant to keep charge for a transition period of six months, or until new elections are held.An estimated two million people gathered in Cairo's central Tahrir Square on 18 February to celebrate a week since Mr Mubarak's departure from office, but also as a show of strength to remind the military to keep their promise of a swift transition to democracy.The Islamist and conservative Muslim Brotherhood would be expected to do well in any free and fair elections, but fears of a lurch towards Islamist rule is the main worry for Western powers and Israel. Much of the unrest was driven by poverty, rising prices, social exclusion, anger over corruption and personal enrichment among the political elite, as well as a demographic bulge of young people unable to find work.The new authorities have arrested three ex-ministers for corruption including former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly and steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz. But the military government has said it will not tolerate any more strikes which disrupt the country's economy.TunisiaPresident Ben Ali fled after weeks of protests Protests have continued in Tunisia since President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali's decision to step down in January. He fled the country following weeks of anti-government demonstrations and clashes between protesters and police.The trigger for the protests was a desperate act by a young unemployed man on 17 December. Mohamed Bouazizi set fire to himself when officials in his town prevented him from selling vegetables on the streets of Sidi Bouzid without permission.Mr Ben Ali is now in a coma at a Saudi hospital after suffering a stroke, reports say. Tunisia has formally requested his extradition, saying he is wanted for serious crimes including inciting killing.Parliamentary Speaker Foued Mebazaa has been sworn in as interim president and has asked Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi, head of the government since 1999, to form a national unity government. The prime minister has also pledged to step down after elections in about six months' time.Some analysts believe that Islamists have been organising in the country, pointing to a rally outside the interior ministry in Tunis on 18 February to demand the closure of a brothel.Morocco Morocco has seen a spate of protests in recent weeks Thousands of Moroccans joined nationwide protests on 20 February to demand that King Mohammed hand over some of his powers to a newly elected government and make the justice system more independent.The main opposition group has warned the "autocracy" will be swept away unless there are deep economic reforms. Morocco has been facing severe economic problems. It has announced an increase in state subsidies to try to counter commodity price rises. Earlier this year, the country's reputation was damaged after Wikileaks revealed allegations corruption involving the royal family and the people close to King Mohammed. The king says the fight against poverty is a priority, earning him the name "guardian of the poor". Economic liberalisation has attracted foreign investment, and officials point to better basic services in shanty towns and rural areas. But some non-government groups say little has changed, with poverty still widespread and unemployment remaining high. Morocco is dogged by strikes by both private and public. Morocco, like Egypt and Algeria, does allow limited freedom of expression and has so far been able to contain protests. Like Jordan it is a monarchy with strong support among sections of the public.AlgeriaThe funeral of an anti-government protester Sporadic protests against the rule of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika have been continuing since early January.Recent attempts to march through the capital Algiers were broken up by huge numbers of riot police. Protest groups united in their opposition to the government include small trade unions and minor political parties.The trigger for the unrest appears to be mainly economic - in particular sharp increases in the price of food.Mr Bouteflika has promised to lift the country's state of emergency - in place since 1992 - in the "near future". Algeria's government has considerable wealth from its oil and gas exports and is trying to tackle social and economic complaints with a huge public spending programme. LibyaPro-Gaddafi supporters out on the streets during a ceremony to mark a prophet's birth Protests against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's rule have left an unknown number of people dead and injured since 16 February.Eastern Libya, including the second city, Benghazi, has fallen to anti-government rebels. Gaddafi loyalists still control the capital, Tripoli, and parts of the west. In two TV addresses, Col Gaddafi blamed drugs and al-Qaeda for the uprising. On 22 February, he warned that anyone who played games with the country's unity would be executed, citing the way the Chinese suppressed protests in Tiananmen Square as an example. Government blocking of the internet and curbs on foreign media make it difficult to establish a full picture of the scale of the unrest.Protests of any kind are prohibited in Libya but the latest unrest was triggered by the arrest of a lawyer who is an outspoken critic of the government. In power since 1969, Colonel Gaddafi is the longest-serving ruler in Africa and the Middle East, and also one of the most autocratic. JordanProtesters in Jordan celebrate the success of protests in Egypt There were clashes in the capital Amman on 18 February when anti-government protesters were confronted by demonstrators loyal to King Abdullah.Stones were thrown and eight people were injured in the scuffles, activists said. Thousands of Jordanians have taken to the streets over the past five weeks, demanding better employment prospects and cuts in foods and fuel costs.In response, King Abdullah II sacked Prime Minister Samir Rifai over the slow pace of reform and appointed Marouf al-Bakhit, a former army general and ambassador to Israel. A new 26-member cabinet was sworn in on 10 February.The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a small country with few natural resources, but it has played a pivotal role in the struggle for power in the Middle East. The death of King Hussein, who ruled for 46 years, left Jordan still struggling for economic and social survival, as well as regional peaceSyriaCalls for a "day of rage" to coincide with the fall of Egypt's President Hosnic Mubarak failed to materialise into a demonstration and so far the country has remained calm. President Bashar al-Assad has promised to push through political reforms after inheriting power from his father, Hafez, in 2000, after three decades of authoritarian rule. The country remains under emergency law, in place since 1963. Following the death of Hafez al-Assad, Syria underwent a degree of relaxation. Hundreds of political prisoners were released. But the granting of real political freedoms and a shake-up of the state-dominated economy have not materialised.Saudi ArabiaOne of the most devout and insular countries in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has emerged from being an underdeveloped desert kingdom to become one of the wealthiest nations in the region thanks to vast oil resources.But its rulers face the delicate task of responding to pressure for reform while combating a growing problem of Islamist violence. It has always been in the ruling Al Saud family's interests to preserve stability in the region and to clamp down on radical Islamist elements. Opposition movements are banned within the country.Regionally, the country is important with King Abdullah Bin-Abd-al-Aziz Al Saud regarded in the Arab world as a supporter of wider Arab interests. It was to Saudi Arabia that Tunisia's ousted leader, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, fled in January. BahrainShia protesters demand change The Sunni Muslim monarchy has offered talks to representatives of the country's disaffected Shia majority following days of unrest which saw the main square of the capital Manama occupied by protesters.After using troops to clear the protesters from the Pearl Square on 17 February, in an operation which left four people dead, the government appears to have stepped back, allowing demonstrators to re-occupy it after initial resistance by police. US President Barack Obama has appealed for restraint in Bahrain, which is strategically important to America. King Hamad has asked his eldest son, Crown Prince Salman, to start a "national dialogue" to end the unrest.Senior members of the main Shia political group, Wefaq, have called for the government to resign. Other demands are believed to include the release of political prisoners and talks on a new constitution. Shia protesters complain of economic hardship, lack of political freedom and discrimination in jobs in favour of Sunnis.IranProtests in the Iranian parliament against opposition to the government Long-simmering unrest over the disputed 2009 presidential election boiled up again on 14 February.Thousands of people heeded calls by the two main opposition leaders to rally in the capital Tehran in solidarity with pro-democracy protests across the Middle East. Security forces cracked down on the protest and two people were killed and others injured.Supporters of the government have been calling for the opposition leaders, Mehdi Karoubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, to be executed. Iran's complex and unusual political system combines elements of a modern Islamic theocracy with democracy. The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is the highest power in the land. He appoints the head of the judiciary, military leaders, the head of radio and TV and Friday prayer leaders. He also confirms the election of Iran's president. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, elected in 2005, is a hardliner who has vowed to put down any protestsYemenAnger on the streets in Yemen At least five people were killed on 18 February during widespread anti-government demonstrations in Yemen.Four people were killed in the southern port city of Aden by gunfire as police moved to disperse protesters, medical officials and witnesses said. In the city of Taiz, one person was killed and many injured when a grenade was thrown from a car at protesters.And in the capital Sanaa, supporters and opponents of President Ali Abdullah Saleh clashed on the streets.Yemen's president announced on 2 February that he would not seek another term in office, after three decades in power.He also told parliament that he would not hand over power to his son, saying: "No extension, no inheritance, no resetting the clock."Yemen is the Arab world's most impoverished nation, where nearly half of the population lives on less than $2 a day

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Beyonce under fire for blackface cover

Beyonce graces the March issue of L'Officiel Paris, but it's a controversial photo of the superstar inside the French fashion magazine that's getting the most attention.In a statement, L'Officiel describes the Feli-inspired photo of Beyonce -- sporting blackface, tribal paint and a dress designed by her mom -- as a "return to her African roots, as you can see on the picture, on which her face was voluntarily darkened." Not everyone is a fan of the editorial vision and tribute to Kuti; the image simultaneously inspires and provokes. Writes Jezebel's Dodai Stewart: "It's fun to play with fashion and makeup, and fashion has a history of provocation and pushing boundaries. But when you paint your face darker in order to look more 'African,' aren't you reducing an entire continent, full of different nations, tribes, cultures and histories, into one brown color?""It's one thing to feel moved by Fela Kuti, and quite another to treat blackness as a fashion accessory, like a pair of glittery heels you put on because it looks cool," Stewart adds.Charing Ball, a writer at the Atlanta Post, blasts the fashion industry's recent obsession with blackface as an accepted form of racism passed off as art. "Blackface is not fashion forward or edgy and, in my opinion, it is just flat-out offensive," writes Ball, incriminating Beyonce in perpetuating the offense. Blackface has been particularly trendy among European fashion titles; in October 2009, French Vogue featured a white model in blackface a year after the Italian edition of Vogue ran a much-hyped issue with all-black models as a response to the lack of diversity within the industry. Meanwhile, Beyonce and other black stars have had their skin lightened on the cover of glossy women's mags and in advertisements; (see Beyonce's 2008 L'Oreal ad) compared with a real photo of the singer. See also: (Actress Gabby Sidibe's 2010 Elle magazine cover) wherein her dark skin appeared several tones lighter."The message we're getting from the fashionistas," Stewart writes, "is that it's bad to actually have dark skin, but totally cool to pretend you have it."Beyonce will no doubt maintain a diplomatic stance on the photoshoot. But, for once -- for once! -- it would be refreshing to hear her speak her mind and have a stance on something beyond her music.

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Charges initiated against Pope for crimes against humanity

TWO GERMAN lawyers have initiated charges against Pope Benedict XVI at the International Criminal Court, alleging crimes against humanity.Christian Sailer and Gert-Joachim Hetzel, based at Marktheidenfeld in the Pope’s home state of Bavaria, last week submitted a 16,500-word document to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court at the Hague, Dr Luis Moreno Ocampo.Their charges concern “three worldwide crimes which until now have not been denounced . . . (as) the traditional reverence toward ‘ecclesiastical authority’ has clouded the sense of right and wrong”.They claim the Pope “is responsible for the preservation and leadership of a worldwide totalitarian regime of coercion which subjugates its members with terrifying and health-endangering threats”.They allege he is also responsible for “the adherence to a fatal forbiddance of the use of condoms, even when the danger of HIV-Aids infection exists” and for “the establishment and maintenance of a worldwide system of cover-up of the sexual crimes committed by Catholic priests and their preferential treatment, which aids and abets ever new crimes”.They claim the Catholic Church “acquires its members through a compulsory act, namely, through the baptism of infants that do not yet have a will of their own”. This act was “irrevocable” and is buttressed by threats of excommunication and the fires of hell.It was “a grave impairment of the personal freedom of development and of a person’s emotional and mental integrity”. The Pope was “responsible for its preservation and enforcement and, as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of his Church, he was jointly responsible” with Pope John Paul II.Catholics “threatened by HIV-AIDS . . . are faced with a terrible alternative: If they protect themselves with condoms during sexual intercourse, they become grave sinners; if they do not protect themselves out of fear of the punishment of sin threatened by the church, they become candidates for death.”There was also “strong suspicion that Dr Joseph Ratzinger, as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of his church and as Pope, has up to the present day systematically covered up the sexual abuse of children and youths and protected the perpetrators, thereby aiding and abetting further sexual violence toward young people”.Wow!!..What this world is coming to, the ICC is now being interprated otherwise, let religion remain as it is.

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The top 10 reasons to walk?

1. Walking prevents type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program showed that walking 150 minutes per week and losing just 7% of your body weight (12-15 pounds) can reduce your risk of diabetes by 58%.2. Walking strengthens your heart if you're male. In one study, mortality rates among retired men who walked less than one mile per day were nearly twice that among those who walked more than two miles per day.3. Walking strengthens your heart if you're female. Women in the Nurse's Health Study (72,488 female nurses) who walked three hours or more per week reduced their risk of a heart attack or other coronary event by 35% compared with women who did not walk.4. Walking is good for your brain. In a study on walking and cognitive function, researchers found that women who walked the equivalent of an easy pace at least 1.5 hours per week had significantly better cognitive function and less cognitive decline than women who walked less than 40 minutes per week. Think about that!5. Walking is good for your bones. Research shows that postmenopausal women who walk approximately one mile each day have higher whole-body bone density than women who walk shorter distances, and walking is also effective in slowing the rate of bone loss from the legs.6. Walking helps alleviate symptoms of depression. Walking for 30 minutes, three to five times per week for 12 weeks reduced symptoms of depression as measured with a standard depression questionnaire by 47%.7. Walking reduces the risk of breast and colon cancer. Women who performed the equivalent of one hour and 15 minutes to two and a half hours per week of brisk walking had an 18% decreased risk of breast cancer compared with inactive women. Many studies have shown that exercise can prevent colon cancer, and even if an individual person develops colon cancer, the benefits of exercise appear to continue both by increasing quality of life and reducing mortality.8. Walking improves fitness. Walking just three times a week for 30 minutes can significantly increase cardiorespiratory fitness.9. Walking in short bouts improves fitness, too! A study of sedentary women showed that short bouts of brisk walking (three 10-minute walks per day) resulted in similar improvements in fitness and were at least as effective in decreasing body fatness as long bouts (one 30-minute walk per day).10. Walking improves physical function. Research shows that walking improves fitness and physical function and prevents physical disability in older persons.

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Health benefits of Apples

I have been eating a whole load of apples lately, it was once my worst fruit ever but i have grown to appreciate them. So i decided to find out what health benefits they have, and here they are:

Bone ProtectionFrench researchers found that a flavanoid called phloridzin that is found only in apples may protect post-menopausal women from osteoporosis and may also increase bone density. Boron, another ingredient in apples, also strengthens bones.Asthma HelpOne recent study shows that children with asthma who drank apple juice on a daily basis suffered from less wheezing than children who drank apple juice only once per month. Another study showed that children born to women who eat a lot of apples during pregnancy have lower rates of asthma than children whose mothers ate few apples.Alzheimer's PreventionA study on mice at Cornell University found that the quercetin in apples may protect brain cells from the kind of free radical damage that may lead to Alzheimer's disease. Lower CholesterolThe pectin in apples lowers LDL ("bad") cholesterol. People who eat two apples per day may lower their cholesterol by as much as 16 percent.Lung Cancer PreventionAccording to a study of 10,000 people, those who ate the most apples had a 50 percent lower risk of developing lung cancer. Researchers believe this is due to the high levels of the flavonoids quercetin and naringin in apples.Breast Cancer PreventionA Cornell University study found that rats who ate one apple per day reduced their risk of breast cancer by 17 percent. Rats fed three apples per day reduced their risk by 39 percent and those fed six apples per day reduced their risk by 44 percent. Colon Cancer PreventionOne study found that rats fed an extract from apple skins had a 43 percent lower risk of colon cancer. Other research shows that the pectin in apples reduces the risk of colon cancer and helps maintain a healthy digestive tract.Liver Cancer PreventionResearch found that rats fed an extract from apple skins had a 57 percent lower risk of liver cancer. Diabetes ManagementThe pectin in apples supplies galacturonic acid to the body which lowers the body's need for insulin and may help in the management of diabetes. Weight Loss*A Brazilian study found that women who ate three apples or pears per day lost more weight while dieting than women who did not eat fruit while dieting.

Exam Week

Green Card Lottery Email Scam Alert

Recently, U.S. Embassy has seen a sharp increase in email-based “Green Card” scams. These emails claim that recipients have won a U.S. Green Card and instruct them to fill out forms and send money for a “processing fee,” usually directing payment to a Western Union account. Some of these emails look very realistic, and sadly, many Kenyans have been fooled into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to these fraudsters.These emails refer to a Green Card Lottery, known officially as the Diversity Visa lottery, which the U.S. holds each year. We want to alert that the US government never notifies winners of the Diversity Visa lottery by email.Also, any email that does come from the US government will come from an email address that ends in “.gov”, such as nairobifraud@state.gov .These phony e-mails have originated from email addresses such as: dv.states.gov@usa.com, us.states.gov@usa.com, or usagreencard2010@aol.com . The fraudsters work hard to make their email addresses and documents look convincing.The American Embassy urges you to simply delete such messages. Again, successful Diversity Visa lottery applicants will never be notified by e-mail. The following are additional tips to help you avoid being tricked: Those who won the 2011 Diversity Visa lottery have already received a paper letter informing them that they are eligible for an interview for a Diversity Visa. They can also check if they have won at www.dvlottery.state.gov until June 30, 2011. Those who entered the 2012 Diversity Visa lottery program will not receive any direct notification; they will be given a user name and password in order to check for themselves at www.dvlottery.state.gov on or after May 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. There is no charge to enter the Diversity Visa lottery. Any fees would be paid at the embassy on the day of the interview. E-mails originating from a U.S. federal agency will end with the domain name “gov”. In other words, the last three letters of the e-mail address should be “gov”, or it is a fraudulent message. If you did not already apply for the Diversity Visa lottery on-line, you cannot win. To learn more, please see the Federal Trade Commission Warning at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt001.shtm .The only way to apply for the DV lottery is directly through the official U.S. Department of State Website (http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1322.html) during the specified and limited-time registration period.

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Celebrity Whitening: Did you know?

How skin-whitening all started

History of Skin Whitening Asian, African, Latin American and Middle Eastern cultures cherish fairness stemming back to ancient Japan and China. Whiter skin was a noble status for beauty and social rank. Japanese Geishas painted their skin white for their graceful profession as entertainers.The Chinese ground pearls from seashells and swallowed them to lighten their skin. And during the Achaemenid dynasty in Persia (now Iran), farmers used hydroquinone lightening creams to offset the tanning they get from baking under the sun. Pale skin fashion reigned among men and women. In 1901, the Lions of Women used whitening Cuticura Soap and Ointment. Skin whitening soaps, 500 years ago, were marketed as "Antiseptic Soaps" with toxic mercury and hydroquinone in them. Lemon and dandelion have been used in skin whitening recipes, and toxic arsenic and mercury were rampant in creams as they bleached the skin of innocent users. It Got Ugly. The 1950s recorded casualties from using skin whitening soaps with mercury, carboxylic acid and phenol-hydroquinone. Despite the ban, this soap emerged as the Intra-Africa national brand. It is believed that for the past 50 years, over US$100 billion worth was sold in the African continent alone! In 2002, the first recorded case of mercury poisoning from the use of skin lightening cream was a 34-yr old Chinese woman. In 2005, almost a dozen bleaching skin products with mercury made in the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong and China were apprehended by the US FDA. Some of these were Miss Key Crema Blanqueadora, Santa cream, and Dermaline skin cream.On another note, in some nations like Vietnam, Dominican Republic, Brazil and India, bleaching skin has created an enormous societal pressure where chances of being hired for a job was better if lighter-skinned. It started to become a controversial topic, and stirred issues of racial supremacy, self-identity, on top of the dangers of bleaching skin. But it was a big market. Since the 1990s, skin whitening soaps, lotions, creams and pills sales has increased exponentially especially in Asia, because of the growth of the middle class population. It’s worth $432 million in India and $7 billion in China. It grew bigger as endorsed by the celebrities looked up as beauty icons, became a household trend. While the tanning fashion came into the picture for white westerners, the other side of the world preferred skin whitening. So, Can Bleaching Skin Be Safe? We cannot blame the modern society for criticizing skin whitening. What transpired in history is not easy to forget, and the quest for whiter beauty is still misinterpreted for racial alteration and disapproved for health hazards. Therefore, we hope the same but open-minded modern culture also sees a major transformation in the way skin whitening is being applied nowadays – as a corrective measure for hyperpigmentation and dark spots. After all, who wants dark acne scars or dark underarms? The beauty industry needs a makeover. The good news is, there are skin whiteners without the dangers of hydroquinone, mercury or steroid. Whitening, lightening, or bleaching skin or dark spots can NOW be safe. Gone are the days for mercury-based products, though there are a few scrupulous sellers who are selfish for the money. Still, a majority desires lighter skin because of their background and tradition. They feel better that way. It’s their culture, and not to imitate another race’s color.

LEMON TREE FOREST

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