marijuanaRecently, LA city voters passed a proposition that will shut down roughly one thousand law-abiding, tax-paying businesses in its greater metro area. Business which contributed roughly 2.5 Million dollars to the local economy in taxes ALONE over the past year, not to mention the contributions made via payroll, mortgage/rents, suppliers, and the like. As you may know, Los Angeles is grossly in debt and has one of the worst school systems in the country. So why would they spit in the face of much needed tax dollars and entry-level jobs in a tough market? Because those one thousand stores are amongst the city's legal medical marijuana dispensaries, and if L.A.'s total and complete failure to effectively manage or capitalize on this booming seventeen-year-old industry is any indication, stigma always wins.

If you're following the tale of SoCal's epic Weed Wars it would be easy to believe that the City of Angels exists under a looming cloud of pot smoke. Media images covering the story

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The Alkaline DietELLE editors tested out the most extreme diet plans. Find out who will lose the most (without losing her mind).

1. The Alkaline Diet
The plan: According to Honestly Healthy, a book by British nutritionist Vicki Edgson and vegetarian chef Natasha Corrett-about which Victoria Beckham enthusiastically tweeted in January-eating a diet of predominantly alkaline foods (veggies, mostly) and avoiding those that create acidity in the cells (carbonated drinks, red meat, dairy, bread) will balance the body's pH, for better skin, digestion, and immunity.
Editor's take: Eating the recommended 80:20 alkaline-acid ratio was easy (typically, salad with a side of fish), and I never craved sugar, a high scorer on the evil-acid index. However, I failed to give up coffee and wine, so I drank lots of superalkalinizing fresh-squeezed lemon for balance. To check that my pH never dipped below the optimum 7.35, I tested it daily with a saliva-activated strip. Like science class!
The payoff: Turns out

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Find out what's causing your flake and how to fix it.

We Asked: Paradi Mirmirani, M.D., is a practicing dermatologist in Vallejo, Calif. who specializes in hair disorders.

MORE: Stress and Your Scalp

The Answer: First, let's explore where the flakes come from. Doctors aren't sure why some people get dandruff-itchy, dry, scaly scalp-and others don't. It's something of a headscratcher (pardon the pun) but is most likely a combination of genetics and colonies of mites that live on your skin.

MORE: The DIY Dandruff Solution

These mites, called Demodex , aren't something you need to worry about in and of themselves. Most, if not all, people have them on their skin, especially in areas that have large oil glands, like around your hair follicles. It's thought that some people are more sensitive to Demodex , or host a larger population of mites, resulting in inflammation that causes seborrheic dermatitis. That's science-speak for redness, itching and scaly skin that flakes off your head and onto your black sweater.

MORE: The Connection

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Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland OR, June - Early Nov
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a stunning showcase of pantaloons and farthingales, draws 400,000 visitors. The action centers on the Elizabethan stage, an eye-popping ode to the playwright's Globe Theatre.

Your theater weekend doesn't have to extract a pound of flesh--Read up on Ashland on the cheap.


SFJazz Summerfest
SFJazz Summerfest, Palo Alto and San Francisco, CA, June 14 - Oct 10
Get ready for all the funky, soulful, smooth music you can handle. At SFJazz Summerfest, top local musicians from the Bay area delight crowds every Thursday for ten weeks at a time in three separate locations. In past years, greats like the Scott Amendola quartet have played.


Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Telluride, CO, June 20-23
Mornings at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival begin with a blast of bagpipes, as campers flood the gates in a landgrab. Roughing it does have its advantages, though: Fingerpickers like Tim O'Brien are known to sneak into the

Read More »from Top 15 Summer Events of 2013

Photo: ThinkstockBy Jenna Pincott

Keep a Messy Table

A meal's carnage--for instance, leftover bones, fatty scraps and rinds--acts as an "environmental cue" to stop eating. When diners at an all-you-can-eat chicken-wing buffet chowed down at unbussed tables, they ate significantly less food than those whose tables had been cleared between courses. The sight of empty beer cans and wine bottles may also reduce alcohol consumption, say the study's authors, Cornell University's Brian Wansink and Collin Payne.

Dine with a Man

Eat a meal with a male companion, and you'll likely consume fewer calories (720 versus 833 for women), found a study led by Molly Allen-O'Donnell at Indiana University. "Unconscious scripts" drive women to eat less in the company of men because they want to appear "more feminine," and men eat more with women to appear more "masculine," Allen-O'Donnell writes.

Inflate Your Calories

Feeling full depends on "mindset--what one believes and expects to be eating," write

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Kate Hudson has perfected the over-the-shoulder smile while posing on the red carpet in backless gowns. While you're practicing your check-me-from-behind smile, here's a great workout to get your back in the best shape for summer.

Circuit Works LA trainer Mariko Virchis takes us through through the routine so we can be looking great from all angles as part of OK!'s 12 Week Countdown to Summer.

Exercise #1: Superman Swimmers
Laying face down on the floor with your arms straight out next to your ears, and the tops of your feet on the ground lift your arms, head, chest, and legs off the floor. From here bring the right leg and left arm down lower (but still off the ground) and switch to the opposite leg and arm. Release to the floor and repeat 15 times.

Exercise #2: Bent Over Pulsing Rows
Stand with feet hip distance apart, knees bent, fold forward so that your chest is parallel to the floor and your back is flat. Keep your chest slightly lifted and your core engaged. Hold a Read More »from Look Great from Behind like Kate Hudson with These Fab Back Exercises

Green TeaBy now, we know that drinking green tea is undoubtedly good for our bodies. The antioxidant and free-radical scavenging properties of green tea have made it a must-have for the health conscious and numerous studies highlight the potential benefits of green tea including cancer prevention and weight loss. But green tea isn't just a delicious and healthful drink; it can also be used as an at-home health and beauty remedy. Read on to find out 7 surprising things you didn't know about green tea. By Rona Tison

1. It can reduce puffy peepers: Stayed out too late last night? Soaking a cotton pad in green tea and placing it over eyes for 10 minutes can reduce the puffiness of tired eyes, making you look revitalized and refreshed.

Related: 10 Must-Make Low-Cal Summer Snacks

2. It can soothe skin: Spent a little too much time in the sun? Use the naturally calming properties of green tea to soothe sunburned skin. Place green tea in a spray bottle and mist on sunburned areas for

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Brad Taylor and Dylan Meehan: The cutest couple at Carmel High School. (Photo: singing-showtunes.tumblr.com)After all of the recent stories about yearbook bullying, this stands out like a ray of light: Two gay teens have been voted the cutest couple at a New York high school.

Also on Shine: Teen Comes Out to Parents With Cake, World Cheers

That's Cutest Couple. Not "cutest gay couple" or "cutest same-sex couple."

Carmel High School student Chelsea Blaney posted a snapshot of the yearbook photo featuring her friends, Brad Taylor and Dylan Meehan, online late last week.

Also on Shine: Dad's Love Letter to Gay Teenage Son Goes Viral

"Two of my best friends won Cutest Couple of our senior class," she wrote on Tumblr. "First time in my school history a same sex couple has even been able to run for this category, not to mention winning it. So proud of them, and my school."

More than 100,000 people shared the photo within a few hours, and news of the win quickly spread online, drawing both admiration and ire from around the world.

"Heartwarming! Having said that, I hope to see the day when something

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