What to name the baby?  As parents look for new and different names for their babies, many are finding inspiration in traditional names that have not been used for many years.  One example – Micah.

Micah is an ancient Hebrew name meaning “who is like God.” The Hebrew Bible includes the Book of Micah, based on the teachings of the minor prophet Micah of Moresheth.  The name came to the United States with the early Puritans, but it did not spread in popularity until recent years.  According to the Social Security Administration (SSA) , Micah was ranked as the 108th most popular boy’s name in the United States.  The name is becoming more common, moving up considerably from its ranks of 186 in 2000.  Micah is used as a girl’s name, though rarely, and that practice is losing popularity.  In 2000, Micah was ranked 639 on the SSA list of girls’ names.  By 2010, it had fallen to 847.

I first encountered the name as I suspect many people did, with Micah Rains, a character in the Wonder Woman comic books.  More recently, the television series Heroes featured a character named Micah and a husband to one of the Real Housewives of Orange County shares the name.  There have been athletes, actors, musicians, politicians and even a Confederate general named Micah, but no one that could be called well-known among the general populace.  As the name grows in popularity, it is only a matter of time before we all know someone named Micah.

bareMinerals®, launched in 1995 and sold through ubiquitous television infomercials, spawned a wave of mineral-based cosmetics. You can now find mineral-based cosmetics at all price points from popular drugstore brands to high-end boutique lines. Most of these products contain mica, a silicate mineral found in rocks. Mica in this form is a white, shiny powder that gives the makeup a sparkly quality in its container. Mica adheres well to skin and reflects light, making skin appear more luminous. Producers of this kind of makeup claim that mineral-based cosmetics are better for skin than synthetic makeup. Is it true? Is mica safe to use on your skin?

Mica often replaces talc as an ingredient in powder. Detractors claim that talc clogs pores and irritates skin, in addition to being bad for your lungs and the environment. Most of the claims against talc are overblown and without scientific grounding, but talc certainly can be a problem for some people. Is mica any better?

Mica is sourced from rocks, so it can contain trace levels of dangerous heavy metals. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the levels of heavy metals in consumer products and regulates the level of mica in products as well. The minute amounts of heavy metal in the small amount of mica in face powder does not pose any known health risk.

The FDA only regulates the most basic elements of cosmetic safety and labeling. The FDA threshold is quite low for cosmetics, only stepping in when a product is dangerous or unsanitary. As we all have experienced, a product that is neither dangerous nor unsanitary can still cause adverse reactions to certain individuals. There are no studies linking mica with any health problems, though as with any loose powder, mica may cause respiratory irritation especially to those with asthma. There have been a limited number of claims that the mica in mineral makeup can be quite irritating to sensitive skin, particularly those suffering from rosacea or eczema, but none have widespread or scientifically collected data to back up their statements. Mineral-based powders do appear to perform better than talc-based makeup for acne-prone skin.

Mica is certainly safe. Will it work better for you? This appears to be a personal preference. Give it try – mica may give your skin that beautiful glow you have been searching for.

Sure, not everyone has their ears pierced, but they are the most common piercings, with nose piercings a very far runner up. If you have them, why not change up your accessories with some mica? This versatile stone can be polished, but looks great in it’s natural form of thin sheets. The best part? Mica comes in lots of different colors, so you can have different pairs for different occasions. This particular pair of earrings are dyed the purple color.

Catmacdesign, Cat McAlister, on Etsy does a lot of designs for earrings with Mica. The one pictured above is called “Dabs of Purple Mica” and would be a great accessory for a night on the town. These pieces are truly unique as the designer hand collects each piece of mica in her area with her children. Each piece is thoroughly cleansed and the edges are treated with several layers of glue and acrylic seal to prevent peeling (with mica has a tendency to do). Each piece is unique as they are collected not store bought and will add a flair to any outfit.

Check out Cat’s store on Etsy for other great pieces!

Introduced in 1983 as part of the Creme Riche Lipcolour® line, L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick® in Mica has become a bestseller for the French cosmetics company.  Mica is one of those lipstick shades to which women remain loyal for years and years, passing the shade down from mothers to daughters.  As recently as 2008, the readers of Allure magazine voted Mica a Readers’ Choice Award winner as a favorite lipstick shade.  L’Oreal says “Because You’re Worth It.®”  But is Mica lipstick worth it?  I bought a tube of this perennial favorite to check it out.

The MSRP is $8.95, but if you look around you likely will not have to pay that much.  I bought my tube as part of a “buy one get one free” promotion at my local Rite Aid and using a manufacturers coupon.  L’Oreal products are available in drug stores and big box retailers like Wal-Mart and Target that often charge less than the manufacturers suggested retail price.  I regularly spot manufacturer coupons for L’Oreal products in my local newspaper insert.

The color (or colour as L’Oreal seems to prefer) is described by the company as a rose/mauve.  I would describe it as more medium plum with a significant silver shimmer.  The color was flattering to my brown eyes, but not to my skin.  I have light but yellow-toned skin and the strong blue undertones of the color proved too jarring for my taste.  Though other people did not have the same impression and thought the color would be universally flattering.  I think it would be especially nice on blonds or those with darker skin tones.

I am not a big fan of shimmery lipsticks especially in the daytime.  However, that is a personal preference.  If you like shimmer, this lipstick has a nice sheen to it without being too metallic and it has a good balance between color coverage and shimmer.  Be careful about blotting this lipstick though.  Blotting seems to remove color but not shimmer, leaving lips looking too sparkly.

The best thing about this lipstick is the feel – very soft and smooth.  The coverage is opaque without being thick and goopy.  It wore well, though not as long as the new long-wearing lipsticks.  On the other hand, it had a much nicer feel than those lipsticks and did not dry out my lips like some long-wearing formulas can.

I cannot accurately describe the smell of this lipstick.  Part flower, part fruit, I have never smelled a lipstick quite like it.  Though strong, the smell was not unpleasant or off-putting nor did it correspond to a lingering odor or strong flavor.  I only noticed the smell when I was applying the lipstick or otherwise had the full tube right under my nose.  I would not be surprised if some of the biggest fans of this lipstick love it specifically because of its distinctive scent.

Overall, L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick® in Mica is a great product for the price.  Interestingly, there is no actual mica in Mica.

Mica is a mineral well-known for its unique texture and glittering composition – though its practical uses in construction and electricity may be relatively modern, in actual fact, human use of mica dates back thousands of years. When crumbled, mica produces a fine powder that shines when the light hits it; little wonder, then, that the Paleolithic peoples sought to use it in their Stone Age cave art.

Lascaux in southwestern France is the home to a collection of ancient caves which, in turn, play host to almost 2,000 Late Stone Age cave paintings. The breathtaking hand-painted art, estimated to be over 17,000 years old, contains incredible depictions of humans, abstract signs, and animals. Discovered by four teenagers (and their dog) in 1940, by 1955 the cave had over 1,200 visitors per day. Unfortunately, the popularity of the singular designs within the cave led to its eventual closing in 1963, as the art, adversely affected by the carbon dioxide, was in distinct danger of being completely destroyed. The sheer numbers of those interested in seeing the cave paintings, however, led to the opening of ”Lascaux II” in 1983, a similar cave located about 200 meters from the original, which contains faithful reproductions of two of the larger Lascaux cave halls (“The Great Hall of the Bulls” and “The Painted Gallery”). The Centre of Prehistoric Art in Le Thot, France also contains a number of excellent reproductions of the original cave art.

Named a UNESCO world heritage site in 1979, the paint used in the art is mostly mineral-based - mica is used in particular for the beautiful glittering grey-white colour it produces. Though the site was officially closed in 1963 – fears continue to this day as to the safety of the art; serious problems such as fungi growth constantly endanger the preservation of the paintings - the reproductions are well worth the visit. Such art has more than antiquarian or aesthetic value - it shows that human creativity and a love of beauty was present even over 17,000 years ago; after all, who would have thought that grinding up mica could have resulted in such amazing works of art?

Mica is a rock forming mineral that is generally flexible and brittle and can withstand high temperatures and pressure, as well as erosional environments. Mica is closely associated with clay minerals and when the two combine they form crystals. Many artists and jewelry makers have discovered the potential of this unique mineral and have used it to create beautiful jewelry. One such artist is Keith Lewis.

Keith Lewis grew up in Europe, and learned to create jewelry in South Korea. He has a Masters of Fine Arts in Goldsmithing from the University of New York. He has been making jewelry for over 25 years and has perfected the skill, as well as added his own unique touch to his work. All his jewelry is handmade so he can exert control over the movement and look of each piece. Each set is unique and utilizes an ancient Japanese treatment that gives the pieces a “Raku” effect. This effect is unpredictable, and that is what he is after. Keith also places, or “sets”, precious stones such as pearls in his pieces to give them a high quality and prestigious look. His work is highly sought after and cherished because of the one of a kind look the jewelry portrays. As people discover this unique form of jewelry, they are redesigning their way of thinking about fashion.

Keith attends many jewelry shows around the United States and in other parts of the world to display his work. Look for him the next time you are in attendance at one.

image copyright Keith Lewis

When is chalk not chalk? When you’re playing billiards. Billiards players use chalk on the tips of their cue sticks to prevent the tip of the cue from sliding on the ball when it’s hit. This is especially important when a player isn’t hitting the dead center of the ball.

In the 1800s players did use real chalk on the leather tips of their cues. In a 1923 article in Billiards Magazine, Edmund F. Hoskin explains that while chalk kept the leather tip dry, it didn’t do anything to make the tip’s surface gritty, which meant that players still frequently missed their shots. Chalk also discolored and rotted the fabric that covered a pool table.

In 1892, professional billiard player William A. Spinks went to France and discovered that European billiard players were using a different substance on their cue sticks that had better results. He brought a sample back to America, and with the help of a chemist figured out how it was made.

Spinks and Hoskin became partners and developed a new type of cue tip chalk made of compacted pulverulent silica. The abrasive quality of this product meant that pool cues would grip to the ball better when they came into contact. They made their chalk green because they found it to be the least damaging pigment to a pool table. The partners patented their idea in 1897, giving billiards players an easy way to greatly improve their game.

Today, more colors of cue stick chalk exist, but the World Pool-Billiard Association recommends just blue and the original green when playing.

Photo by: niseag03

Kids love sidewalk chalk.  I drew all over the sidewalk in front of my apartment building when I was a child, and now my daughter fills our driveway with her artistic creations.  Parents love sidewalk chalk because it is easy to clean both from property and children.  Many children can play with it at once leading to less sibling conflict.  It gets kids out of the house and away from computer screens and televisions.  Most of all, sidewalk chalk allow children to express their creativity.

If you go to any store in the summer, you will find a wide selection of sidewalk chalk – thick, thin, short, long, one-colored, striped and polka-dotted.  You can find small boxes and huge tubs and the prices range just as widely.  Is there any difference between all the different types?  My daughter and I tried out two different kinds of sidewalk chalk to find out if price makes a difference in quality.

The first question is what size of chalk do you want.  Younger hands will appreciate fatter sticks.  Longer sticks also protect little fingers from scraping against the pavement.  The second question to answer is how many sticks you need.  If you have more than one artist to accommodate, make sure you have at least one stick of every color for each child.

We purchased the Crayola® Giant Sidewalk Chalk 5 count pack, list price $5.99 and  Rose Art Washable Sidewalk Chalk 5 count, list price 99¢.  Both packs contained five sticks of chalk in the same colors: pink, blue, yellow, green and orange.  The chalk in both brands are shaped like crayons with one pointed end and one wide end.

The Crayola® chalk really lives up to its name; it is giant.  The Crayola® sticks were twice the size of the sticks from the Rose Art package.  In fact, it may be too big for some children.  The bottom age limit on the box is 4 and I would agree that children younger than that would not be able to manage these pieces.  The Crayola® chalk also seemed to be less dusty.  By that I mean there was fewer bits of chalk flying the in air when we drew.  Both brands produced bright colors with good staying power and both washed off easily with water from skin, clothes and pavement.  Because the Crayola® chalk was so much thicker it seemed less likely to break though both brands lasted through our afternoon of drawing.

But is the Crayola® worth five times the price?  Clearly it will last much longer, both because of the amount of chalk and its ability to resist breakage.  However, we did not have five times more fun with the Crayola® than we did with the Rose Art chalk.  It really depends on the kind of artists you have.  If the giant pieces will be more fun because they are so big, than the Crayola® will be the one for you.  If you need a lot of pieces to satisfy a lot of artists, save your money and just buy more of a less expensive brand.

If you have ever chewed on an antacid tablet, you know the flavor – chalky.  It feels dry and crumbly in your mouth and leaves a pasty coating on your tongue.  There are several medical conditions that can cause all to food to taste chalky, but most of the time the cause is an off-taste from the food itself.  You can put up with it for a minute or two when you have heartburn, but what if the chalky taste is coming from your daily health shake?  Or from your homemade ice cream?  Here are a few causes of chalky flavors in different foods and what you can do about it.

Protein Shakes

Protein shakes and other high-nutrition drinks are all the rage.  Their popularity, however, cannot be attributed to their taste.  You need to remind yourself how good for you these drinks are just to get them down.  The unpleasant texture and chalky taste is caused by the added nutrients, often coming from powder form.  What can you do?  If you are mixing the drinks yourself, leave them in the blender a little longer and whip the drink at a higher speed.  The additional air may help the texture.  You can also add a tablespoon of plain yogurt or crushed banana that greatly improves the flavor and texture without significantly altering the calorie content.  Start experimenting with different brands and flavors.  Chocolate seems to cause the most problem, while vanilla and strawberry appear to suffer from less chalkiness.

Homemade Ice Cream

You buy a fancy ice cream maker and collect all the freshest, highest quality ingredients.  You follow the recipe to the letter and wait hours for your creation to freeze.  You dig in to your first scoop and, bleh!  Chalky taste and even chalkier texture.  What went wrong?  First, experienced ice cream makers recommend half-and-half or a combination of milk and cream in your recipe.  A recipe with only cream has too high a fat content and can cause an inconsistent texture.  Be sure not to over churn your mixture.  Leaving the mixture too long in the machine has the same effect as over mixing a cake batter.  Last, do not allow the finished product to hard freeze.  If the ice cream hard freezes, the resulting ice crystals can cause both a chalky taste and mouth feel.

Yogurt

It is always a healthier choice to buy plain yogurt and add your own flavors and sweeteners.  But what do you do when your plain yogurt tastes like chalk?  This is often a complaint lodged against organic brands and is likely related to the feed given the cows from the which the source milk is derived.  If adding fruit and sweeteners does not eliminate the unpleasant taste, try another brand.  There are so many available, you are sure to find one that is more appealing to you.

Foods That Should Be Chalky

There are times when you want food to taste like a stick of schoolhouse chalk.  Sweet Tart candies, marshmallow circus peanuts, and meringue cookies are all delicious because of that rough, crumbling texture and dry taste.  If you are a fan of these foods, chalkiness can be something to be savored.

Often, when we think of chalk, we think of the small pieces we hold in our hand to write on a chalkboard or the powder we use to create a chalk line. What we don’t often think of is chalk as a large landmark. What you might not be aware of is that the White Cliffs of Dover get their distinctive white color from the chalk that makes them up. The dark stripes seen in the cliffs are flint, which commonly coexists with chalk.

The cliffs are on the British coast and face France over the Strait of Dover. The cliffs reach heights of more than 300 feet and span about ten miles. The strait of Dover is the narrowest part of the English Channel, and the cliffs can actually be seen from France on a clear day.

Because of the the striking color of the cliffs and their position at the narrowest part of the English Channel, they have a lot of historical significance. The cliffs were often the last thing that travelers saw when leaving England and the first thing they saw when returning. This has lead to the cliffs having sentimental value as a sign of leaving and returning to England. Because of the size of the cliffs, they were also often involved in many attempted invasions of England.

The cliffs have also inspired a number of artists. The Cliffs are mentioned by Shakespeare in “King Lear”. Rudyard Kipling’s “The Broken Man” mentions the Cliffs. A number of movies have scenes that include the Cliffs including the James Bond film “Moonraker” and Kevin Costner’s “Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves”. Musicians have also been inspired by the cliffs. Among the songs inspired by the Cliffs is one of my favorites, Eric Johnson’s Grammy winning “Cliffs of Dover”.

If you would like to see the White Cliffs of Dover yourself, you have a number of options. The cliffs can be seen by boat tour or self guided walk. Many of these originate in and around the town of Dover which you can reach via train from London or ferry from Calais, France. There are also local volunteers called “Greeters” who can show you around. These Greeters share information about the history of the Cliffs with visitors.

The White (chalk) Cliffs of Dover, and other chalk landmarks have served as a source for inspiration for artists and nations. Maybe one day they will inspire you as well.