Musings About People, Places & Things Intriguing !

The "Twitter" Phenomenon ! Are you in? 10 Reasons why you too will LOVE Twitter

2009-04-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

According to Wikepedia..

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them.

Did you know :

Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can send and receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS, RSS (receive only), or through applications such as Tweetie, Twitterrific, Twitterfon, TweetDeck and feedalizr. The service is free to use over the web, but using SMS may incur phone services provider fees.

Did you know :

Twitter, created by Cornell student Jack Dorsey, has received extensive visibility and popularity worldwide. It is often described as the "SMS of Internet", in that the site provides the back-end functionality (via its APIs) to other desktop and web-based applications to send and receive short text messages, often obscuring the actual website itself.

Ok now that you get the picture I want to tell you why you too should join the phenomenon. I love twitter and am a twitterholic @Medini. I had to pause my twittering to write this post.

You too will LOVE twitter if :

You like to make friends
You like to see what someone else is doing
You like to say something you are passionate about
You like to network with like minded people
You like to keep a tab on how your industry twitters
You like to engage in conversations
You like to waste time - time that you could be working ! :)
You like having fun
You like to increase your friends circle beyond your zip code

and Lastly # 10 You are a voyeur !

Happy Twittering ! Say hello to me at @Medini

Pilates - What's all the fuss about? I asked a Fitness Guru and A Good Friend

2009-03-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

Geeta Wagh - A very good friend of mine and fitness guru first introduced me to Pilates. I remember all she talked about was the "core". I patiently listened and asked her a few questions. Intrigued by the simple looking movements I participated in a beginners session with her. It was an amazing experience. After a few introductory mat exercises I felt longer and more flexible. I was hooked. I went home and ordered a home pilates reformer.

I asked her a few questions.....Here they are, for those of you who are curious about Pilates.

What is Pilates? : Pilates[PIH-LAH-TEEZ] is a full body system of specific sequenced exercise, performed on the mat, and on spring driven machines more aptly called the apparatus. Pilates exercises are designed to Strengthen, Stretch and Stabilize.

What are the benefits of Pilates? Benefits are innumerable and varied........it improves core strength, flexibility and stamina. More importantly it realigns the body thus improving posture and gets rid of hidden weaknesses. It is also great for rehabilitation and prevention of injuries.

How many times a week do I need to do Pilates? Ideally,2-3 times a week for about 45mins -1 hr OR as little as 10 mins 3-4 times a week.

Can a person lose weight by doing Pilates? Certainly, in 10 sessions you'll start feeling the difference, in 20 you'll see a difference and in 30 you'll have a totally new body. It's a Pilates promise.

Who can use this method of exercise? Just about anyone from 12yrs and above.

Will I develop big bulky muscles with Pilates? No.Only lean, toned muscles.

Model Fitness: Lorie Baker's Pilates Routine

Geeta Wagh is a Pilates instructor in NJ and comes from a fitness family in India. Her family has been instrumental in "reshaping" the young and the old alike at their state of the art gyms at Talwalkars.com.

Honeybell...a new generation of fruit

2009-01-22T11:46:00.000-08:00

Making a debut in the fruit arena is a new hybrid...the HONEYBELL!

My mother in law decided to send me a case of “honeybells” for our anniversary....Opening the cardboard box was the easy part. There beneath the deep green wax paper lay 24 of the most perfectly bright orange honeybells I had seen. I did not want to disturb their comfortable abode. But I could not resist as any fruit is a weakness of mine, especially any fruit of the citrus or orange-yellow variety.

Convinced that they were oranges I felt for one that was just right and started to peel it, but it resisted like an angry lover. The skin was smooth to touch and had no rough edges. It fit in my hand like a baseball would fit into a weathered glove. It was heavier than a regular orange and had a unique bell shape on the top. It looked plump and ready to eat. It did not have a very citrusy smell but had a quiet reassurance that said “open me up and I wont disappoint”.

Seeing its resistance to peeling, I quickly read the card that it came with and was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were meant to be juiced. The card made promises of it being one of the sweetest and juiciest of citrus fruits. The card also said that the HoneyBells were an extraordinary hybrid of the Dancy tangerine and the Duncan grapefruit. Having never tasted a sweet combination of fruit like that I ran excitedly to my drawer to get my hand juicer and cutting board. Down went the knife right in the middle of the honeybell giving way to an attractive and generous interior. The sections looked deep orange, succulent and ready to be juiced. Placing my juicer above a glass I twisted the half honeybell deliberately. The juice flowed down into the glass as if I was pouring it from a can. This little half honeybell worked until it was limp in my hand and all the delicious juice was in my glass. I could not wait to take a sip but I patiently waited to juice the other half. After a quick and easy squeeze, I looked at my glass in astonishment....so much juice from this one honebell !!!

I could not wait any longer, to delve into the incredible medley of flavors as promised by the card – tangerine and grape fruit One sip and I was in heaven. The cold crisp flavor of the tangerines was layered with a slight lemony flavor of the grapefruit. Unlike a regular orange juice it had a delicate flavor yet was robust and filling. It held its sophistication of being a honeybell. Ok I am glad there are 23 honeybells still in the case!

Unique Thanksgiving Invitaions...

2008-11-20T07:08:00.000-08:00

Make your event a little more bountiful and fulfilling! There are several ways to invite your gang for Thanksgiving !

Ok lets see :

A traditional mail in invite is very formal and for those who get together with people on a formal basis. Real Simple has some already printed cards.
Of course phone calls to your friends and family is fun as you can plan the menu and plan on who is getting what.
Nowadays with Facebook being so the way to keep in touch -plan your Thanksgiving day on Facebook.
Of course, Evites and other online party planning sites are popular too.

But have you heard of this one : from Thanksgivinghistory.net : Another great idea for top quality Thanksgiving invitations is to write them on the side of a turkey and send your prospective guests the whole bird. Tree bark is another media on which to write the perfect Thanksgiving invitation. Most people don't know that you can put a stamp and an address on just about anything and the post office will deliver it. In fact, the more Bohemian you can make the Thanksgiving invitations, the better.

So, Thanksgiving was traditionally a time to give thanks for bountiful harvests. Today, it is a time to gather with family and friends and to give thanks for our many blessings.

5 Great bbooks for Thanksgiving

Here is a Thanksgiving joke !

Why do you eat a turkey rather than keep it as a pet?

Because otherwise it will use fowl language on you.

The Ugg Boot Craze..sheepskin ugg boots from down under!

2008-11-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

The shopping season has just started and whether you are in the hottest part of the planet or in the coldest UGG Boots are everywhere !

The term ugg boots is derived from “ugly boots” ! Aussies love to abbreviate every common term used everyday. They were considered ugly because they were different, bulky and plain...but there is no denying that these Aussie ugg boots are great for comfort and warmth.

Uggs, or Ughs!, as some fashion critics call them, really took off in the spring of 2003, after Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Hudson were photographed in them and demand soared. Today they are still just as popular and you see everyone from Oprah to Victoria Beckham sporting them.

So if you want fashion and comfort....get a pair for yourself !

8 Ways to REUSE Plastic and Paper Bags

2008-06-05T04:29:00.000-07:00

Living Green is easy when you stretch your mind to use regular everyday items for unusual things. Here are 8 ways you never thought you could use plastic and paper bags.

According to the Sierra Club reusing a bag meant for just one use has a big impact. A sturdy, reusable bag needs only be used 11 times to have a lower environmental impact than using 11 disposable plastic bags. When 1 ton of plastic bags is reused or recycled, the energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil are saved.

Paper or Plastic?

The energy and other environmental impacts embodied in a plastic grocery bag is somewhat less than in a paper grocery bag. But paper is easier to recycle, being accepted in most recycling programs. The recycling rate for plastic bags is very low.

So, which is better for the environment? Neither! The fact is that the difference between paper and plastic RECYCLING is small compared with the REUSING bags.

Plastic Grocery bags

1. Cover your car’s side mirrors and windshield wipers plastic grocery bags, if you park outside in winter and you won’t have to scrape ice off in the a.m.

2. To protect small outdoor plants from frost at night, cover them with plastic grocery bags and tie the handles tightly around the pots. Be sure to take the bags off in the morning.

3. Don't buy fancy bags for travelling...When packing a suitcase, use the plastic grocery bags to keep shoes from soiling clothes and dirty things from clean ones.

4.Wrap drinking glasses and other fragile items when you’re moving. A layer of three or four plastic grocery bags around each piece provides enough protection and won’t leave nasty newspaper ink or annoying pieces of Styrofoam all over everything.

Paper Bags

1. Place unripe peaches, plums, or green tomatoes in a bag. The closed bag traps ethylene, the natural gas released by the ripening fruit (while still allowing a little ventilation), which helps it ripen faster.

2. To add an extra layer of weed deterrence to your garden, place plain bags, with no dye, on the soil around plants before adding mulch.

3. Save paper bags from the grocery store and use them to wrap parcel packages. That brown paper costs a lot more when you buy it in a roll.

4. Instead of throwing away your brown paper bags, reuse them. Cut them into squares about the size of paper towels. When you need to drain fried foods, line a plate with one or two of the squares. Top the squares with a paper towel to prevent the food from coming in direct contact with the paper bag. The paper bag squares will absorb an amazing amount of grease, and the toweling will last incredibly long.

Have you gotten taken yet? April Fools Day 2008

2008-04-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

2008 April Fools Jokes

Google does it again !
The Dotcom is at it again with "Gmail Custom Time" and (which purports to let users send e-mails into the past and consequently never miss important deadlines again) and "Virgle", a faux collaboration on an "open-source" Mars expedition between Google and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic.

No Chair Fare
The Herald Sun, an Australian tabloid, published an advertisement by Virgin Blue advertising the 'No Chair Fare' offering standing room for half the price of the regular fare and free calf massages for flights longer than two hours. Visiting Virgin's website reveals the offers to be an April fools joke. Still hundreds tried to purchase standing tickets by contacting Virgin by phone.

Celebrating the 29th of February - Leap Year 2008

2008-02-27T05:34:00.000-08:00

Were you born in a Leap year? I am sure you don't know. The Leap Year Calculator is a great place to find out whether you were born in a Leap year. It is so much fun. Here is what you can do to remember this special day. Write to an old friend then bring it to the post office and ask them to hand stamp it with the date.

The Leap Day - 29th of February !
The 29th of February, or the Leap Day has been associated with age-old traditions, superstitions and folklore. It occurs every four years in years evenly divisible by four except for centenary years not divisible by 400. A leap day is more likely to occur on Mondays or Wednesdays. Leap Day and the events because of Leap Day, are often mistaken for Sadie Hawkins Day, but that is in November. The only similarity is in the fact that the woman has the opportunity to do the asking. February 29 is NOT Sadie Hawkins Day. It is Leap Year Day, or simply, Leap Day.

Leap into the depths of your brain with a Leap Year Quiz

When did the idea of Leap Year begin?
What’s the Leap Year capital of the world?
When was the last Leap Year?
February 29th is also called Sadie Hawkins Day—True or False?
People born on Leap Day are called _______________?
When do these people celebrate their birthdays each year?
What are the chances of actually being born on Leap Year Day?
People with leap year birthdays are what percent of the population?

Answers:

45 BC
Anthony, Texas
2004
False
Leapers
Either February 28th or March 1st, it’s their choice
The odds are 1 in 1,461 8. Less than one percent

So what ARE you going to do with this EXTRA day ? How do people celebrate the Leap Day?
Here are some Leap year traditions.......

Wedding Proposals
It's an old Irish tradition for women to ask men to marry them on Leap Day. In Scotland, if a man refused a lady's proposal, he had to either give her a kiss, a pair of gloves or a silk dress. As the story goes, the tradition of women romantically pursuing men in leap years began in 5th century Ireland, when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about the fair sex having to wait for men to propose. Patrick finally relented and set February 29 aside as the day set aside allowing women the right to ask for a man's hand in marriage.

Leap Day Cocktail
This one was created at London's Savoy Hotel for a Leap Day party in 1928.

2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
1/4 ounce
fresh lemon juice
1 lemon twist, for garnish

Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add the garnish.

Leap Day Smoothie

1 scoop of vanilla ice cream or plain yogurt
1 banana
1 tablespoon of
peanut butter
1 cup of ice

Blend till frothy. Enjoy !

Where's the coldest spot in the universe?

2008-02-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

Where's the coldest spot in the universe? By Tom Shachtman
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/12359501.html
Smithsonian magazine, January 2008

This week it felt like Chicago was the COLDEST SPOT in the universe ! But Physicists in Massachusetts come to grips with the lowest possible temperature: absolute zero

Where's the coldest spot in the universe? Not on the moon, where the temperature plunges to a mere minus 378 Fahrenheit. Not even in deepest outer space, which has an estimated background temperature of about minus 455°F. As far as scientists can tell, the lowest temperatures ever attained were recently observed right here on earth.

The record-breaking lows were among the latest feats of ultracold physics, the laboratory study of matter at temperatures so mind-bogglingly frigid that atoms and even light itself behave in highly unusual ways. Electrical resistance in some elements disappears below about minus 440°F, a phenomenon called superconductivity. At even lower temperatures, some liquefied gases become "superfluids" capable of oozing through walls solid enough to hold any other sort of liquid; they even seem to defy gravity as they creep up, over and out of their containers.

.......for more go here

A good read !

Hope ! Dream & Change !

2008-01-30T17:52:00.000-08:00

Someone once said, There is not telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream ! Dream you should.... dream big and dream the impossible! Did you know that dreams are only thoughts you didn't have time to think about during the day. Dreams are what makes life worthwhile. Without dreams we would have no hope. And without hope there would be no reason for waking up in the mornings !

I think of all these things as I hear the candidates give us hope for a better future, a hope that they will bring about change. Arent you intrigued? Intangible words like hope, dream and change can inspire us and make the most sense. These words somehow give us direction and purpose.

Coupled with the tangible things that we do these intangible words can actually make the most difference in our lives.

Just a thought !

$200,000 buys you a Ticket to Ride in SPACE !

2008-01-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

The SpaceShipOne Project, the "First Private Manned Space Program" was unveiled today, 24th January, 2008, by noted design wizard Burt Rutan and his company, Scaled Composites, Inc. British billionaire Sir Richard Branson hailed the "year of the spaceship" as he unveiled the designs of two crafts which could help take the first tourists into space. Work on SpaceShipTwo, and its mothership White Knight Two, is nearing completion and flight tests will begin later this year. Sir Richard said this "historic occasion" could help "to answer key questions about Earth's climate and the mysteries of the universe".

Wow, I did not think that this would happen in my lifetime...what else can man do?

News feed and Video from : Reuters

Reaching new heights of Political Correctedness...Ho Ho Ho to Ha Ha Ha !

2007-11-16T04:42:00.000-08:00

It is more than amusing no I mean it is ridiculous !

Australia has now banned the use of "Ho Ho Ho" - the news of an Aussie recruitment firm Westaff, replacing "ho ho ho" with "ha ha ha" has travelled fast, with people in New Zealand, the UK and the US amazed at the "extreme" political correctness. It all started when Westaff told its Christmas trainees that the "ho, ho, ho" phrase could frighten children and possibly be derogatory to women.

Well, I don't think kids relate the ho ho ho to anything other than Santa getting them presents. It remains to be seen how this Christmas will turn out ! Ha Ha !

Sasha Cagen's To-Do List - From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us

2007-11-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

So almost everyone at one time or another in their life time has had a to-do list...right ? Well, Sasha Cagen has collected to-do lists for 7 years from thousands of people. People mailed their To-Do-Lists to her or emailed her the jpegs.

Sasha was so fascinated by the variety and depth of these lists that she started a magazine called - yup - To-Do Lists. Her new book To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us is a compilation of these fascinating lists. From ordinary grocery lists to life goals these lists satisfy the voyeur in each of us. I just ordered the book and can't wait to get it.

It will be a great conversation starter for all those holiday get togethers.

Here is an interview about the book.

42 % of us here in the US make to-do lists. And according to Sasha our to-do lists reveal something about us. Voyeuristic and interactive, To-Do List will show you just how much -- and what -- your lists say about you.

10 Ways to Create Your Own Luck !

2007-10-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

Lisa Haneberg who writes 4 blogs - Management Craft, 2 Weeks 2 a Breakthrough, Chile Pepper High, and Essay a Smile has a great style of writing....she thinks its laconic....but I say its not tooooo wordy :) but just right. Although I do like Ayn Rand who does get very non-laconic in her writing which i do like to indulge once in a while. Lisa is a a small business owner of Haneberg Management, and the author of H.I.M.M.: (High Impact Middle Management): Solutions for Today's Busy Managers, Organization Development Basics, Coaching Basics,Focus Like a Laser Beam and several short e-books.

Here are her 10 ways to create your own luck !

10. Get real. If you are on a computer, surfing the net, and reading blogs, you have a lot to feel lucky about. Your life is great already.
9. Determine who you should know. They say it’s not what you know but who you know. So get to know the right people!
8. Be more observant. Luck is all around you.
7. Take a chance every now and then. S-t-r-e-t-c-h yourself.
6. Do your research. Master a topic so that your brain can get into the nitty gritty of the inner workings where the tiniest of advantages can be discovered and utilized.
5. Say you are lucky and you are (Pygmalion).
4. Be more curious and ask lots of open ended questions that open doorways to new conversations and opportunities.
3. Notice the habits and disciplines of lucky people around you. Learn from what they do.
2. Share your dreams until you are blue in the face due to lack of oxygen.
1. Play more to win more (in life that is, I am not advocating gambling).

Tired of iTunes and the fact that you can only download the songs on an iPod?

2007-10-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

Tired of iTunes and the fact that you can only download the songs on an iPod?

I found that, Amazon now has 2 million songs from more than 180,000 artists represented by over 20,000 major and independent labels, Amazon MP3 complements Amazon.com's existing selection of over 1 million CDs. I thought this was really cool since most of the songs are 10 cents less than on iTunes.

Also, every song and album on Amazon MP3 is available exclusively in the MP3 format without digital rights management (DRM) software. This means that you are free to enjoy your music downloads using any hardware device, organize your music using any music management application, and burn songs to CDs.

The top 100 best-selling songs are 89 cents. Every song on Amazon MP3 is encoded at 256 kilobits per second, which gives you high audio quality at a manageable file size.

This is great for those who dont want to spring for an iPod !

10 Rarest Animals..opps - 11 Rarest Animals in the world !

2007-10-02T08:46:00.001-07:00

Pinta Island tortoise
Baiji (Yangtze River Dolphin)
Vancouver Island Marmot
Seychelles Sheath-tailed Bat
Javan Rhino
Hispid hare
Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat
Tamaraw (Dwarf Water Buffalo)
Iberian Lynx
Red Wolf
Dwarf Blue Sheep

Here is the link :
http://www.greenexpander.com/2007/10/01/the-10-rarest-animals-in-the-world/

10 Rarest Animals

2007-10-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

http://www.greenexpander.com/2007/10/01/the-10-rarest-animals-in-the-world/

Sexy isn't a look...it's a state of mind ! 5 ways to bring "Sexy Back"

2007-09-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

Live by that mantra you can charm anyone ! Seduction is a whole lot more than being primped and perfumed in a killer pair of pumps....its about being charming and confident in yourself !

Here are 5 ways to bring "sexy back" into your life.....Women only !

Be mysterious - A little secretiveness can go a long way to keep them guessing !
Shower your body with love - Take care of those curves and those curves will take care of the rest.
Reach out and touch someone - Boost your confidence by doing something extraordinary in your community. Find out who needs help and help !
Make something of yourself - Don't neglect your career and/or role in life. Don't put yourself in the back seat for too long because of family. Go out there and make a difference.
Highlight your best attributes - both physical and emotional....each woman is different and so be proud of what you are and who you are. Make those work for you.

Self assured women make great mates ! Self confident women can lift anyone's spirits..and in life there are many people who need their spirits to be lifted. I always have believed in - what Bambi's mom said - "if you cant say something nice don't say nothing at all" Charm, poise and good manners make you very "sexy" !

Have you seen the "Upside Down House" to Protest Poland's Communist Era & Today's Troubled Times

2007-09-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

This upside-down house was created by Daniel Czapiewski, a Polish businessman and philanthropist, to describe the former communist era and the present times in which we live. It took 114 days to build this structure. It is said that the construction workers took breaks as they felt dizzy and disoriented with all the weird angles of the house.

This attraction is in the village of Szymbark, and in the Kaszuby area (by the Baltic sea, North of Poland) - A ceiling instead of a floor and furniture above your head - a feeling of dizziness, is the feeling visitors have upon entering the house, after just a few seconds of walking around the structure, which is also tilted sideways to add to the effect.

Czapiewski had the idea to build his house when Poland was still under communist rule. It was then that he realized practically all decisions of the ruling communist party were detached from reality. Today the house is a symbol of every wrong doing against humanity. "This house is a warning about the path we are taking," Czapiewski said.

Here is a video clip of the upside-down house in Poland.

Czapiewski's corperation which specializes in wooden houses, would normally
take 21 days to construct a wooden house. He remembers that his workers had to take an hour's break every three hours while working inside the house because they were feeling disorientated and confused from the strange angles of the walls.

The upside down house is not the first unusual structure made or devised by Czapiewski. He is infamous for making the longest single piece of wood in the world - a Guinness World Record.

Source : Reuters

Did you know how many Hot Dogs are consumed on July 4th?

2007-07-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

Interesting statistics compiled by Andrea Dickson of Wisebread:

Number of hot dogs to be consumed on July 4th: 150 million
Amount of chicken purchased in the week leading up to July 4th: 700 million pounds
Amount of red meat/pork purchased in the week leading up to July 4th: 190 million pounds
Percentage of American households with outdoor grills: 87
Amount of fireworks sold to individuals for personal celebrations in 2006: 252 million pounds
Amount of fireworks sold to cities and municipalities for public celebrations last year: 25 million pounds
Amount of fireworks sold to individuals for personal celebrations in 2000: 102 million pounds
Total dollar amount spent on fireworks in 2007: 900 million dollars
Total dollar amount spent on fireworks in 2000: 350 million dollars
Percentage of fireworks sales that take place in late June and early July: 80
Number of people injured by fireworks in 2006: 9,200
Dollar amount of fireworks imported to the US from China in 2006: 212 million
Dollar amount of American flags imported into the US from China in 2006: 5 million

Phew....wow a lot of number crunching !

HAPPY JULY 4TH !

What movie should I watch this weekend? Try Online Services - via Mail or Download !

2007-06-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

DVD Internet Rentals are the way to go for the millions who still deal with aging computers.

You can rent movies from Netflix via the internet. Plus Netflix has lowered its monthly fee for one its most popular prescription plans by $1, to match a reduction made by rival Blockbuster earlier this month. The service mails another DVD after subscribers return one of their other discs in pre-paid envelopes.

One thing I do like about Netflix is the NEW "Watch It Now"in addition to receiving DVDs by mail, you will be able to watch movies online instantly. This new feature is included in your Netflix membership at no additional charge.

Basically, the program transforms your browser window into a complete movie-viewing interface with DVD-like functionality, like

Fast forward and rewind
Browse by chapter
Double-click to make the movie play in full-screen
Add movies to your Netflix Queue
Rate movies
Find similar movies through Netflix

Here you can read / see more about the feature http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/05/01/netflix-shows-off-new-and-improved-watch-now/ It explains the features very well.

Netflix has also joined us bloggers and now have their blog up to interact with its members. http://netflixblog.blogspot.com/ So there you have it ! Get ready for your weekend without leaving your house !

MIND YOUR THOUGHTS by By Anil Bhatnagar

2007-05-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought about the fact that there is never a moment when you are not thinking—that whatever happens in this world begins with a thought? Here are five simple steps to help you manage your thoughts and achieve success and happiness in life

BE AWARE OF YOUR THOUGHTS
Start watching your thoughts, without identifying with them. Watch them as a detached observer.

You may even get carried away by your thoughts. Never mind. It is natural—especially for a beginner. What you need to do, whenever you detect this, is to take yourself out of your thoughts immediately and get back to the process of thought-watching once again as a detached observer.

Do not get perturbed by your thoughts. Don't condemn or justify them. Don't try to control them. Just watch them. After some time, you will come to know what your negative thoughts are about. Now concentrate on all the positive thoughts that you can replace these thoughts with, in order to switch over to a more positive attitude towards them. Our attempt should be to cut down the quantity of unnecessary thoughts and to improve the quality of the necessary ones. Keep yourself busy. Simple food, deep breathing and relaxation exercises also help manage your thoughts easily. Expect less from others.

IDENTIFY NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
Keep a logbook. Jot down your thoughts. Write down happenings of the day. Were they positive, appropriate and adequate or were they confused, superfluous and negative? Could you notice the interval between the happening and your response? If yes, could your foresee your negative thoughts? If not, what can, you do to notice this interval? Was there any discrepancy between words and thoughts? If yes, was it justified—could you find a better way of harmonizing your words and thoughts? Was the verbal response necessary, appropriate and adequate?

Sometimes we talk to others, or simply to ourselves, or think about something just like that. Ask yourself what provoked you to take the initiative to start a conversation. Was it essential? What was the purpose? Did it serve the purpose? If no, then why not? Did it use any unnecessary and emotionally charged negative words? Were the words used in thinking, inner dialogue or in talking to the other person, precise, appropriate, adequate and positive? Did you feel happy or satisfied after the interaction with the other person or with your inner self? Can you find ways of improving your performance as a thinker or a speaker?

Keep in mind that logbooks are meant to get you started and make you aware of your negative thoughts. It is far more important, however, to be aware of these thoughts when they are just taking birth, rather than leave them for later analysis.

Be conscious of the interval that separates the event from thoughts with which you respond to the event.

NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
Imagine a strong sun radiating a powerful light. Use this mental sunshine to kill your negative, undesirable thoughts, emotions and images as and when these are detected. Take this sun as a mighty weapon which is always on the alert and which automatically chases any negative thought and kills it with a flash and then withdraws. Don't forget to imagine that this sun is your faithful friend and is extremely kind to you.

Keep a note of how many times you need to call the sun for its services. There will be a gradual increase, followed by a drastic fall. This is so because initially the number of times you call on your mental sunshine increases gradually as your awareness of your thoughts grows.

The drastic fall is because what we do not use (the negative thoughts, in this case), we tend to lose.

REPLACE WlTH POSITIVE THOUGHTS
A vital step in this process is the immediate replacement of all negative thoughts by the positive ones. The shorter the interval between the disinfecting and the replacing stage, the better it is. Longer intervals between these two events weaken the impact of the positive thoughts. Our success and happiness depend on identifying our goals precisely and chasing them effectively, both of which, in turn, depend on how well we manage our thoughts. The quality of our thoughts decides the quality of the outcomes we land up with. Thoughts have the power to materialize themselves because they are instrumental in channeling energy towards the physical or mental condition they are about.

External situations and the remarks of others can harm us through our thoughts—but only to the extent our thoughts allow them to. So think positive. Talk positive. Read positive quotable quotes of great people. Surround yourself with posters and cards bearing positive messages. Keep them on your table. Hang them on the walls. Paste them near the bathroom mirror and on the doors. Stick them on your watchstrap. Keep them on the refrigerator. Have them on the dashboard of the car. Slip them under the glass of the table in front of you. Slide them in the inner side of the briefcase you carry. Find other suitable places where you are bound to look at them every day.

Remember that these messages will stale with prolonged use. So keep changing their position and contents. Do not let the momentum of these thoughts get weaker.

Use them appropriately in response to specific negative thoughts. The replacing thought must be positive in every sense. Apart from being inspiring and assuring, it should also be suggestive. For example, if you confront a negative thought, "I can never succeed", it will not suffice if you replace it with "Sun! Attack! I can succeed". This kind of replacement may not be effective, for it sounds like wishful thinking and lacks assurance, depth and penetrating certainty. It is better to break your replacing thought down into more definite and specific steps or instructions.

The replacing thought in this case may be: "I can succeed. By earlier failures I have become rich in experience and have come to know specific areas that require special attention. I will jot them down and systematically think of the ways in which I can improve. I shall plan. And then stick to it. There is absolutely no reason why I should not succeed. I will assess, plan, execute, monitor, modify and carryon with the plan, and finally succeed. In fact, I think that success has already been achieved and only time separates my thought of success and its transformation into reality. I am committing myself to all that is required to achieve success. I am a river that knows no obstacles. I shall find my way anyhow—and if there is none I shall make one."

REINFORCE
Thoughts like these can be further reinforced with emotions and images. All this may take longer than one single replacing thought, but these are far more effective since they allow you to divide the desired target into workable units. Focus on a pleasant event that took place in the past. This way your thoughts will turn positive and your emotions and images will reinforce each other, resulting in an overall positive attitude.

Happy Half Birthday To You ! - Find your half birthday !

2007-04-22T05:59:00.000-07:00

Shock & Awe ! Deadliest Shooting in US History - 33 dead in massacre in Virginia Tech

2007-04-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

History was made yesterday when , CHO SEUNG-HUI, 23, a South Korean native took 32 lives as well as his own at Virginia Tech on Monday April 16th 2007. Cho was enrolled as an undergraduate student in his senior year as an English major. The rampage consisted of two attacks, more than two hours apart, which took place at around 7:15 a.m. Monday morning when two people were killed at West Ambler Johnston Hall dormitory. Later that morning, the remaining victims were killed in Norris Hall, the engineering studies building.

The massacre Monday, took place almost eight years to the day after the Columbine High bloodbath near Littleton, Colo. On April 20, 1999, two teenagers killed 12 fellow students and a teacher before taking their own lives.

Previously, the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history was a rampage that took place in 1966 at the University of Texas at Austin, where Charles Whitman climbed the clock tower and opened fire with a rifle from the 28th-floor observation deck. He killed 16 people before he was shot to death by police.

About Virginia Tech :

Founded in 1872, Virginia Tech is nestled in southwestern Virginia, about 160 miles west of Richmond. With more than 25,000 full-time students, it has the state's largest full-time student population. The school is best known for its engineering school and its powerhouse Hokies football team.

I am watching TV and President Bush console the family of Virginia Tech. The convocation that is taking place has been appropriate and will bring a feeling of comfort and unity in the community. I pray for all the victims and their families.

People Asks "What Do You Think of Idol's Sanjaya?"

2007-04-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

The Indian American teenage singer has enjoyed superstar success so far, receiving the judges’ criticism with a big broad smile on his face each time and everytime thus becoming even more endearing to the viewers at home.

He’s not taking himself that seriously and he seems to enjoy his time on stage. With this tenacity Sanjaya has ganied legions of genuine fans and among them are the 3 million Indian-Americans, who feel proud that one of their own is knocking on the door of mainstream commercial success. Now news flies that even Senator Hilary Clinton loves Sanjaya.

Sanajaya is the now the most talked about contestant on American Idol. And when it comes to generating buzz about Sanjaya , Reality TV Magazine is at the top of the list according to a recent study by Nielsen BuzzMetrics. After analyzing blog links since January 1, 2007, Nielsen BuzzMetrics ranked Reality TV Magazine as the most cited by blogs discussing Sanjaya.

The Los Angeles Times has explained that that Sanjaya’s success resides in the fact that “he's such a good sport.”

Here is what some celeb's are saying about Sanjaya Malakar - American Idol's newest star....

Mary J. Blige: I don't think he's horrible, but everybody's making it where he's just horrible. I've heard worse.
Diana DeGarmo: I believe more power to him. If he can do it, go for it.
Joel Madden: I'm hoping he wins, because Howard Stern's been trying to get him votes, and I love Howard.
Kevin Nealon: I'm not a 'Fanjaya,' but I like that he's still in there. It's fun seeing how long Sanjaya will stay.

For more go here tot he entire article on People Magazine Article : What Do You Think of Idol's Sanjaya? Also see Carson Daly: I'm Voting for Sanjaya

Also : SANJAYA MALAKAR MAKES IDOL HISTORY !

10 Foods Your Skin Will Love

2007-04-14T10:09:00.001-07:00

Great Advice !

You want to have a brighter complexion that’s free from fine lines, dry, flaky bits, spots, acne and red blotchy patches; skin that doesn’t feel as though it’s dying a slow and painful death from exposure to all manner of evil elements.

Carrots
Originally uploaded by Papa Razzi1.

Yes, you can nurture your skin with products designed to protect it on the outside, but it’s the internal nurturing you do that will really help make a difference. We have known for some time that our skin is a reflection of our nutritional status. What’s really exciting, though, is that we are beginning to understand much more about the best foods to consume to improve the health, functioning and beauty of our skin. Remember, you only get out of it what you put into it.

Here’s my guide to beautiful, healthy skin you’ll be proud of.

1. CARROTS: help protect against skin cancer

Carrots are an excellent source of the antioxidant group called carotenoids, the most common being Beta carotene. During prolonged exposure to UV rays, blood levels of B-carotene decrease. which can increase the risk of skin cancer. Studies have shown that consuming 30mg of B-carotene per day (that’s the equivalent of about four carrots) for two weeks before, as well as during, a “holiday in the sun”, prevents the drop in B-carotene associated with increased cancer risk. It may also increase the reflective capacity of the skin. The combination of increasing the amount of carotenoids in the diet, and using sunscreen, appears to enhance the protective effects of both.

2. FISH: involved in calming inflammation of the skin

Fish contains dietary compounds valuable for the skin. It’s a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids that combat free radicals that damage collagen networks within the skin. Omega-3 is a substance that will invade areas with infected pimples, helping to reduce inflammation. Some studies also confirm its benefits for reducing inflammatory skin conditions such as dermatitis and psoriasis. Oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and tuna, are excellent omega-3 sources and need to be consumed about three times a week to ensure a good intake of omega-3. If you are allergic to fish or don’t like it, see the list below for some alternative sources of omega-3.

OMEGA OPTIONS
If you are not a fish eater, add one of the following for the same amount of omega-3 fats as a 150g salmon fillet:
2 tablespoons (40g) walnut oil
2 tablespoons (40g) wheat germ oil
2 tablespoons (40g) soy bean oil
1 1/2 tablespoon (30g) canola oil
3 1/2 tablespoons (18g) linseed
4 tablespoons (60g) walnuts
1 1/2 cups (300g) soy beans, uncooked

3. DARK-GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES: rejuvenate skin

Nutrients in dark-green leafy vegetables such as spinach, silver beet, Asian greens and dark-green salad mix have many skin rejuvenating properties. These foods contain the anti-oxidant B-carotene (that is also found in carrots), which has the capacity to destroy cell-damaging free radicals. Iron is also present in these vegetables, and together with the vitamin C they contain, ensures that oxygen is transported to the skin’s cells. An iron deficiency can result in large dark circles forming under the eyes. Broccoli also contains the anti-oxidant vitamin C, which helps to cross-link collagen fibres and prevents collagen from being destroyed by free radicals. Collagen networks support the skin, help promote elasticity and stop it from becoming loose. Collagen also reduces bruising. To enhance the absorption of B-carotene, drizzle a little nut, olive or seed oil over raw or lightly steamed vegetables. Remember that overcooking will destroy the vitamin C.

4. CITRUS FRUIT: keeps your skin elastic

These fruits, which include oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, mandarins and tangelos, contain two compounds that are beneficial for skin health: vitamin C and limonene. Vitamin C works to preserve collagen. Short-term supplementation, under medical supervision, with high daily doses of vitamin C (3g), together with vitamin E (2g), has been shown to reduce the effects of acute sunburn. Limonene, an anti-oxidant found particularly in the peel, may help to reduce the risk of skin cancer.

5. SOY: keeps your skin looking youthful

Phytoestrogens in soy foods, such as soy drinks, tofu, soy and linseed bread, have been found to act like the hormone oestrogen. They help to delay the onset of dry skin and the wrinkling associated with the ageing process. Another important component which is present in soy products is vitamin E, which boosts new cell growth. The exact quantities of phytoestrogens that need to be consumed in order to reap the benefits are unknown. However, including soy products in your diet several times a week is probably a good starting point.

6. WHOLEGRAIN CEREALS: eliminate toxins

The skin is a reflection of your internal health, and toxins within the body can result in unhealthy looking skin. Fibre found in whole grains acts like a purifying system by filtering wastes out of the body. This helps to boost the skin’s potential to be healthy and clear. Calcium may also have a role to play in the removal of toxins. So the combination of a wholegrain breakfast cereal and calcium-rich milk or soy may offer additional benefits. Isovitexin, which is an anti-oxidant found in wild rice, in particular, has been touted as having anti ageing properties for the skin and is also found in some skin creams.

7. TOMATOES: fight collagen damage and premature wrinkling

Tomatoes are the richest source of lycopene, which has the potential to decrease collagen damage deep within the skin’s tissue, which is where wrinkles are formed. Many skin treatments and creams now contain lycopene, but there appear to be enhanced benefits from eating foods containing lycopene, such as tomatoes, watermelon, guava and pink grapefruit. The redder the tomato, the higher its lycopene content. Cooking tomatoes increases this level.

8. BERRIES: slow down the ageing process

Anti-oxidants called anthocyanins have anti-ageing abilities, as they are believed to protect the body against chemical carcinogens and ultraviolet light. They are found in berries such as strawberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, raspberries and cranberries. These fruits also contain the anti-oxidant vitamin C, which helps to reconstruct damaged collagen. Berries can be eaten all year round. But if fresh berries are not available, try buying them frozen from supermarkets or drink blackcurrant juice to boost your anthocyanin intake.

9. PLANT AND SEED OILS: healthy glow, reduced dryness

Oils from olives, nuts and avocados provide the skin with a healthy glow. The essential fatty acids found in these foods reduce clogged pores by thinning out the oils secreted by them. It has been suggested that people affected by eczema have an abnormal essential fatty acid metabolism and may benefit from an adjustment of the types and quantities of the fat in their diet. However, this sort of dietary manipulation is complex. The presence of vitamin E in these oils ensures the production of new cell growth, keeping the skin supple, smooth and moist. The combination of this antioxidant vitamin with others such as Beta-carotene is believed to protect against redness of the skin and therefore may be useful for diminishing sensitivity to ultraviolet light and the effects of sun damage. How much do we need? Including small amounts of these healthy oils in your diet every day would be advisable for healthy skin.

10. SHELLFISH: promotes clear, smooth skin

The acne terminator zinc, found in oysters and other molluscs, decreases acne flareups. It also plays a major role in helping break down damaged collagen, allowing new collagen to form which, in turn, makes the skin look youthful. One of the clinical signs of zinc deficiency is dry, flaky skin. Most people need 12mg of zinc per day, so try some of these foods: ‘/2 dozen oysters (19mg), 100g lean lamb (Smg), l bowl of fortified breakfast cereal (2mg), 1 cup of baked beans (1.Smg), 1 cup of cooked spinach (lmg), 1 slice of wholemeal bread (0.4mg).

Source : http://www.womendiary.net/2007/01/23/10-foods-your-skin-will-love/

Wanna live like a Spanish King or in a Nudist Colony? Try these websites...

2007-04-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

After years of vacation and business travel, we're sure of one thing: Hotels are a little boring. Some boast spas and indoor pools. Others leave cute twisted-towel animals on your bed after tidying up.

Live like a Spanish king in a circular lighthouse designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Situated off the coast of La Manga, Spain. Baron Island was once a royal hunting reserve of King Amadeo of Saboya.

Or live like the real Robinson Crusoe on the real Robinson Crusoe island off the coast of Chile. This remote island allows you to live a life unburdened by today's materialist pressures. Try a tree house built 100 ft above the ground deep in the jungles of the Western Ghats, India with electricity, mosquito nets, running water and your own shower room.

Or you may fancy the Royal Tents of Rajasthan, they come equipped with twin beds, ensuite bathrooms, custom made furniture, mosquito nets, electricity, hot water and even room service.We have also included ice hotels in Sweden, mud huts in Indonesia, period elegance in Cuba, an Art museum hotel in Japan, royal tents of the Raj in India, native American hogans in Arizona, private islands in the pacific, water tower accommodation in England and even a nudist colony in Australia.

So whether it's a tree house vacation in the jungle or a Native American teepee this website
http://www.whereintheworld.co.uk/index.php has somewhere that will inspire you.

But when have you ever considered sending your family a postcard of your hotel?

This site encourages you to find unique places to stay based on location, budget, theme, or the elusive "wow!" factor. With categories ranging from igloos to lighthouses to caves, it can be easy to plan a vacation around unusual hotels।

If you're looking for the ones that'll really make your postcard stand out, check into these:

Dog Bark Park Inn — Stay inside the world's largest beagle.
Ice Hotel Quebec — Wear your parka!
Creek n Crag's Wild Canopy Reserve — Spy on a tiger from the treetops।
Utter Inn — Sleep with the fishes, and wake up the next morning।
The Old Jail — A different kind of bed and breakfast

Websites
Cuisine Cuisine.com, LLC
Food is Culture . . . Culture is Food !
Elegantly Expressed Gift Baskets
Memorable Gifts . . . Lasting Impressions !

Blogs
Musings About People, Places & Things Intriguing
CuisineCuisine.com's BlogoRama
Life In Digital Pixels
Career Tips N Tricks
The Gift Gazette

Shops
Bazaar! Bazaar! Indian Gift Shop
Indian Gift Baskets, Indian Cookbooks & Indian Spices

Getting the Skinny on Weight Loss Supplements !

2007-04-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

Weight loss supplements may work in three ways:

One is by helping the body to break down body fat. This involves releasing it from fat cells, where it enters the bloodstream as free fatty acids that are then transported to muscle cells where they may be burned.
The second action of weight loss supplements is to suppress appetite, which is a complex process. Many hormones and neurotransmitters are involved. We don't have all the answers in this area, but research continues. The human body's instinct is to survive, and once appetite suppressants are stopped, people become hungry.
The third way weight loss supplements may work is by inhibiting the body from absorbing fat during digestion. Fat blockers don't work if a person isn't eating fat in his or her diet. They also won't prevent weight gain if a person is overeating protein or carbohydrates. The negative side effects of these supplements include stomach discomfort, diarrhea, and inability to absorb many important fat-soluble vitamins and other nutrients. In addition, they may interfere with the effectiveness of certain medications, especially birth control pills and estrogen.

Often, weight loss supplements contain more than one substance to generate weight loss from more than one angle. The ingredients are available alone, or with other substances. The following is a partial listing of some of the weight loss supplements you may see:

Carnitine

Promoted as a fat burner, carnitine naturally occurs in the body, and people can obtain it through eating meat, fish, poultry, and some dairy foods. Carnitine helps transport fatty acids to the muscle. In theory, it makes sense that more of it would help people get more fatty acids into the muscles, burning additional fat. Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to expectations, because taking its supplemental form doesn't result in increased fat burning.

Chromium Picolinate

Although this mineral helps metabolize carbohydrates and fats, it has not lived up to claims of increasing lean body mass and decreasing fat. As a matter of fact, the majority of the research done on this supplement shows it is not effective as a weight loss supplement. Some research showed damage to DNA with excess chromium picolinate that is exacerbated with Vitamin C. Taking in more than the body requires can actually reduce the binding capacity of iron in the blood, potentially resulting in iron deficiency and decreased ability to carry oxygen in the blood. This could negatively impact one's ability to exercise and expend calories.

Ephedrine

This is probably the most popular substance in fat-burners on the market today. It acts like a hormone the body makes — norepinephrine. The action of this substance is associated with increased fat release from adipose (or fat) tissue, increasing free fatty acids in the bloodstream. Also increased are heart rate, heart contractility, body heat production, and metabolic rate. Ephedrine may also be able to suppress hunger. Studies have demonstrated that dieters were able to lose slightly more weight when taking ephedrine vs. placebos — but not nearly the amounts referenced in TV and magazine ads. It has been shown that ephedrine is even more effective when combined with caffeine — but so are the side effects, including tremors, dizziness, insomnia, heart arrhythmias, headaches, and increased blood pressure.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported numerous adverse incidents and a number of deaths from taking supplements containing ephedrine or its precursors, ephedra or ma huang. Anyone with high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes, and pregnant women need to avoid this supplement. The National Football League (NFL) has listed it as a banned substance, and Canada prohibits its sale. Although ephedrine may help some people lose an extra few pounds, it doesn't seem worth the risk.

When a supplement touts "proven in clinical trials," you need to dig deeper. If the manufacturers are citing animal studies, it may have no merit in terms of human outcomes. For one reason, fat metabolism in rats is different than in people. Often, preliminary research is done on these animals, but the same results often don't pan out in humans. We are learning that fat burning and some hormonal responses are not the same between the two species. Some supplement manufacturers jump the gun before substances can be proven in humans, often in the name of big bucks. Another caveat is that when research is done, sometimes amounts of the ingredients or the ingredients themselves that the scientists use are not available to the public. Scientists may use substances in large amounts when studying them — not what is generally available at your local health food store. The supplement you find may contain additional components that alter the effect of the main ingredient. In addition, there is no guarantee that the supplement you buy has exactly what the label indicates.

Once again, there is really no safe short cut or quick fix to losing weight, no matter how slick the ads! And fat burners, despite the hype, do not work as advertised.

Rodents...Pest or Delicacy ?

2007-03-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

Yuck ! When I read this article I almost threw up !

Apparently, in a region of Venezuela, rodents are a true delicacy. In other South American countries, capybara, the world's largest rodent is hunted for its hide.

If you are planning a visit to Venezuela, keep in mind that rodents are prized as a holiday treat.

In Venezuela, the meat of the capybara can get prices that are almost double that of beef. Part of that price is how difficult it is to hunt the capybara, and part of it is the flavor, which is "more like rabbit than chicken, though when dried with sea salt in Venezuela it acquires a fishy flavor."

To catch them, they are often hit with clubs or harpooned. This makes many visitors to the country resist eating the rodent, if not for the other long list of reasons. If you can get past the first wave of fear, you might like it. Many people in the United States claim, “Tastes just like rabbit, or chicken”.

OK HERE IS AN ACTUAL RECIPE - NOT KIDDING !

Creamed Mice

Skin, gut and wash some fat mice without removing their heads. Cover them in a pot with ethyl alcohol and marinate 2 hours. Dice a piece of salt pork or sowbelly and cook it slowly to extract the fat. Drain the mice, dredge them thoroughly in a mixture of flour, pepper, and salt, and fry slowly in the rendered fat for about 5 minutes. Add a cup of alcohol and 6 to 8 cloves, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Prepare a cream sauce, transfer the sautéed mice to it, and warm them in it for about 10 minutes before serving.

Visiting Venezuela ? Anyone ?

The Gross-Out Quiz

2007-03-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

Source : MSN ENCARTA

Warning: This quiz contains information that you might rather not know.

How much do you really know about gross things? And we're not talking about things that try to gross you out, like horror films or Fear Factor episodes. We're here to see how well acquainted you are with some of the "grosser" corners of the natural world. Good luck.

1 The giant rafflesia, a type of lily, is the largest flower in the world. However, it is better known for smelling like
a) Cheese
b) Dirty socks
c) Rotting meat

2 In a single year, how many descendents can a pair of rats produce?
a) 15,000
b) 1,500
c) 150

3 Tapeworms, a type of intestinal parasite, can grow to be how big?
a) 10 inches
b) 30 feet
c) 70 feet

4 2,200 acres is the size of
a) The biggest spider web ever found
b) The biggest individual mushroom ever found
c) The biggest bat cave ever found

5 Ambergris, an essential ingredient of certain types of perfume, is
a) A fatty substance produced in the intestines of sick whales
b) An oil found in the core of rhinoceros horns
c) The earwax of elephants

6 True or false: Venus flytraps, a carnivorous plant, eat frogs.
a) True
b) False

7 Approximately how much dung does an adult elephant produce each day?
a) 30 lbs
b) 130 lbs
c) 330 lbs

8 "Good night, sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite." True or false: Bed bugs really exist.
a) True
b) False

9 The regal horned lizard isn't too big, but it repels predators in short order with what gross behavior?
a) It skewers them with its horn.
b) It spits a lethal poison.
c) It shoots blood from behind its eyes.

ANSWERS

1. Rotting meat: The giant rafflesia, which can weigh 15 lbs and measure up to 3 feet wide, smells like rotting meat. The flowers emit the odor in order to attract carrion flies, which pollinate the flower.
2. 15,000 : As horrifying as it may be, a pair of rats can multiply so fast, they can have as a many as 15,000 descendents in a single year.

3. 30 feet : Tapeworms range in length from about .5 inches to about 30 feet.

4. The biggest individual mushroom ever found, an Armillaria mushroom, takes up more than 2,200 acres of underground space! Like all mushrooms, this one is a kind of fungus, and it is considered one of the largest known multicellular organisms on Earth. It was found in Oregon.

5. A fatty substance produced in the intestines of sick whales. Ambergris*, an essential ingredient of certain types of perfume*, is a fatty substance produced in the intestines of sick sperm whales. An extremely valuable natural product, ambergris prevents the evaporation of volatile oils used to make expensive perfumes. In 1955 a chemist developed a synthetic, much less expensive form of ambergris.

6. True : Venus flytraps do eat frogs! The plants, native to North and South Carolina, feed on insects and other small animals. The creatures are lured by sweet fluids exuded by the plant, which snaps blade-like leaves around its prey. Flytraps then digest their prey with glands located inside their leaves.

7. 330 lbs : Adult elephants poop about 330 lbs each day. Elephants don't have particularly efficient digestive systems, so about half of the food they consume ends up being passed through their body. Not only do they produce a lot of dung, but they do it frequently: Elephants go to the bathroom approximately 15-18 times per day, which works out to each dung pile being about 20 lbs.

8. True :Unfortunately, bed bugs* do indeed exist. They are tiny little flat bugs that hide during the day and come out to feed at night (when people are in bed--hence their name), sucking the blood of humans and other animals. Perhaps they should be called "vampire bugs" instead.

9. It shoots blood from behind its eyes. The well-camouflaged regal horned lizard* remains motionless if approached, but if picked up, it may attempt to disconcert its attacker by puffing up its body and squirting blood, sometimes as far as a few feet, from a reserve behind its eyes.

Did You Know What The 10 Most Commonly Misspelled Words Are?

2007-03-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

Many otherwise intelligent and talented people have trouble spelling correctly, and yet a single misspelled work on a letter or important document creates a bad impression, and can even damage job prospects or networking opportunities. English can be a language full of spellings that look right but are dead wrong. Toss in those infuriating sound-alikes (they're/their/there, its/it's, except/accept), which computer spell checkers usually don't catch, and it's no wonder that 99% of us are often embarrassed and undermined by unwitting typos.

Here are the 10 Most Commonly Misspelled Words !

Incorrect — Correct

Independant — Independent
Accomodation — Accommodation
Definately — Definitely
Recieve — Receive
Opportunites — Opportunities
Thier — Their
Occured — Occurred
Infomation — Information
Offical — Official
Acitives — Activities

Spelling matters - if you want to create a good impression in your writing and get the right meaning across, it's important to spell correctly.

HERE IS A LIST FROM THE OXFORD DICTIONARY

accessory noun
Spell accessory with a double c and a double s; the ending is -ory.
Rule: Change the -y to -ies to make the plurals of words which end in a consonant plus -y (as in berry/berries): accessories.

accommodate verb
Spell accommodate with a double c and a double m; remember that there is an o before and after the m's.
Related word: accommodation noun

address noun and verb
Spell address with a double d.
Tip: please add your address.

aggression noun
Remember that aggression is spelled with a double g and a double s.
Related words: aggressive adjective aggressor noun

alcohol noun
Spell alcohol with alco- at the beginning.
Tip: drink a large cold orange juice, not alcohol.

allege verb
Remember that allege has a double l and is spelled with -ege at the end.

amend verb
Remember that amend and the related word amendment are spelled with a single m at the beginning.

apologize or apologise verb
Spell apologize and the related word apology with -olo- in the middle.

apparent adjective
There is a double p in apparent but only one r; the ending is -ent.

argument noun
There is no e after the u in argument, even though it comes from argue. It does not follow the usual rule that the final silent e is kept when adding endings that begin with a consonant.

average noun and verb
Spell average with an e after the v; the ending is -age.

beautiful adjective
Remember that beautiful and the related words beauty and beautify are spelled with beau- at the beginning.
Tip: bare elegant arms are usually beautiful.

belief noun
Rule: Belief and the related word believe follow the rule i before e except after c (as in thief).
Related word: believable adjective

burglar noun
Spell burglar with -lar at the end.
Related word: burglary noun

business noun
Remember that business begins with busi-.

cemetery noun (plural cemeteries)
Remember that cemetery ends with -ery.

changeable adjective
Rule: Keep the final silent -e when adding endings which begin with a vowel to words which end in -ce or -ge (here, change), if this is needed to preserve the soft sound of the first part of the word: changeable.

committee noun
Spell committee with a double m, a double t, and a double e at the end.

consensus noun
Remember that consensus and the related word consensual are spelled with -sen- in the middle.
controversy noun (plural controversies)
Remember that controversy is spelled with -ro- in the middle.
Tip: controversy arouses really opposing views.
Related word: controversial adjective

deceive verb
Rule: i before e except after c (as in receive).
Related word: deceit noun

definite adjective
Remember that definite ends with -ite.
Related word: definitely adverb

desperate adjective
Spell desperate with -per- in the middle.
Tip: perhaps he was desperate to escape.

disappoint verb
Remember that disappoint and the related word disappointment are spelled with one s and a double p.

eighth adjective
Remember that eighth is spelled with -hth at the end.
Tip: Sam hoped that he wouldn't finish eighth.

embarrass verb
Remember that embarrass and the related word embarrassment have a double r and a double s.
Tip: embarrassed, she was rosy red with severe shame.

extraordinary adjective
Spell extraordinary with extra- at the beginning (it is made up of the words extra and ordinary).
extreme adjective and noun
Remember that the ending of extreme is spelled -eme.

fascinate verb
Remember that fascinate and the related word fascination are spelled with an s before the c.

fluorescent adjective
Remember that fluorescent and the related word fluorescence begin with fluor-.

friend noun
Spell friend with -ie- in the middle.

fulfil verb
Spell fulfil with one l in the middle and one at the end (the spelling fulfill is American).
Rule: Double the l when adding endings which begin with a vowel to words which end in a vowel plus l (as in travel): fulfils, fulfilling. fulfilled.
Related word: fulfilment noun

gauge noun and verb
Spell gauge with -au- in the middle (the spelling gage is American).

grateful adjective
Remember that grateful begins with grate-.

guarantee noun and verb
Rule: Although most verbs ending in -e drop the final e before adding -ing (e.g. bake, baking), verbs ending in -ee, -ye, and -oe keep the final -e: guarantees, guaranteeing, guaranteed.

harass verb
Spell harass and the related word harassment with a single r and a double s.

hypocrisy noun
Remember that hypocrisy begins with hypo-; the ending is -isy.
Related words: hypocrite noun hypocritical adjective

humorous adjective
Rule: When adding certain endings, such as -ous and -ist, to words that end in -our (in this case, humour), change -our to -or before adding the ending: humorous; humorist.

immediate adjective
Spell immediate and the related word immediacy with a double m.
Related word: immediately adverb

independent adjective and noun
Remember that independent always ends with -ent.
Tip: she's an independent agent.
Related word: independence noun

instalment noun
Spell instalment with one l (the spelling installment is American).
Rule: Drop the last l when adding suffixes (endings) which begin with a consonant to words which end in a double l (here, install): instalment.

itinerary noun (plural itineraries)
Remember that itinerary ends with -erary.

liaise verb
Remember that liaise is spelled with two i's, one before and one after the a.
Tip: you must liaise with colleagues in Italy and Ireland.
Related word: liaison noun

licence noun
Do not confuse licence with license. Licence is a noun which means 'a permit to do something' (a driving licence), whereas license is a verb meaning 'give a permit to someone: allow something' (the loggers are licensed to cut mahogany trees). In American English, both the noun and the verb are spelled license.

maintenance noun
Remember that maintenance is spelled with -ten- in the middle; the ending is -ance.

manoeuvre noun and verb
Spell manoeuvre with -oeu- in the middle; the ending is -re (the spelling maneuver is American). Related word: manoeuvrable adjective

millennium noun
Spell millennium with a double l and a double n. The plural can be spelled either millennia (like the original Latin) or millenniums.
Related word: millennial adjective

miniature noun and adjective
Remember that miniature begins with mini-.
Tip: a miniature minibus.

minuscule adjective
Remember that minuscule is spelled with a u after the n.

mischievous adjective
Rule: i before e except after c (as in thief). Remember that mischievous ends with -vous.

misspell verb
Spell misspell with a double s. The different forms of this verb are: misspells, misspelling; the past tense is misspelt or misspelled.

naive adjective
Remember that naive is spelled with -ai- in the middle. It can also be spelled naïve, with two dots over the i, as in the original French.
Tip: she was naive, with an appealing innocence.
Related word: naivety noun

necessary adjective
Remember that necessary and the related word necessity are spelled with one c and a double s.
Tip: it's necessary for a jacket to have one collar and two sleeves.
Related word: necessarily adverb

negligible adjective
Remember that the ending of negligible is spelled -ible.
Related word: negligibly

niece noun
Rule: i before e except after c (as in thief).

occasion noun and verb
Spell occasion with a double c and a single s.
Tip: a ceremony celebrating a special occasion.

occur verb
Rule: Double the last consonant when adding endings which begin with a vowel to words that end with a single vowel plus a consonant, if the stress is at the end of a word (as in refer): occurs, occurring, occurred.
Related word: occurrence noun

omission noun
Spell omission with one m and a double s.
Tip: the book has many serious and significant omissions.
Related word: omissible adjective

original adjective and noun
Spell original with an i before and after the g.

outrageous adjective
Rule: Keep the final silent -e when adding endings which begin with a vowel to words which end in -ce or -ge (here, outrage), if this is needed to preserve the soft -ce or -ge sound: outrageous.

parliament noun
Spell parliament with -ia- before the m.
Tip: I am a member of parliament.

perceive verb
Rule: i before e except after c (as in receive).

possess verb
Spell possess and the related words possession and possessive with a double s before and after the e.
Related word: possessor noun

potato noun
The plural of potato is made by adding -es: potatoes.

practice noun
Do not confuse practice with practise. Practice is a noun meaning 'the action of doing something rather than the theories about it' (putting policy into practice), whereas practise is a verb meaning 'do something repeatedly to improve your skill' (they were practising for the Olympics). In American English, both the noun and the verb are spelled practice.

presence noun
Remember that presence ends with -ence.
Related word: present adjective

privilege noun and verb
Remember that privilege ends with -ege.

questionnaire noun
Remember that questionnaire (a French word) is spelled with a double n and ends with -aire.

really adverb
Remember that really is spelled with a double l.

receive verb
Rule: i before e except after c.

recommend verb
Spell recommend and the related word recommendation with a single c and a double m.
Tip: he recommended that I cut out milk and meat from my diet.

restaurant noun
Remember that restaurant is spelled with -au- between the t and r: it is a French word.

restaurateur noun
Although restaurateur (a French word) is related to restaurant, it is not spelled with an n before the second t.

rhythm noun
Remember that rhythm is spelled with rhy- at the beginning, then -thm.
Tip: rhythm really has your two hips moving.

secretary noun (plural secretaries)
Spell secretary with an e after the r; the ending is -ary.

seize verb
Remember that seize and the related word seizure are spelled with the e before the i: they do not follow the rule of i before e except after c.

separate verb and adjective
Remember that separate is spelled with -par- in the middle.
Tip: the rock split into two separate parts.
Related word: separation noun

similar adjective
Remember that the ending of similar is spelled -lar.
Related word: similarity noun similarly adverb

skilful adjective
Remember that skilful is spelled with one l in the middle (the spelling skillful is American).
Rule: Drop the last l when adding suffixes (endings) which begin with a consonant to words which end in a double l (here, skill plus -ful): skilful.

success noun
Spell success and the related word successful with a double c and a double s.
Related word: successor noun

sufficient adjective
Spell sufficient with a double f; the ending is -cient.

suppress verb
Spell suppress with a double p and a double s.

surprise verb and noun
Remember that surprise has an r before and after the p. Unlike most verbs ending in -ise, it cannot be spelled with an -ize ending.

threshold noun
Remember that threshold is spelled with a single h.

tomato noun
The plural of tomato is made by adding -es: tomatoes.

tomorrow adverb and noun
Spell tomorrow with a single m and a double r.
Tip: tomorrow morning, rise refreshed.

truly adverb
Rule: Truly is formed from true plus the ending -ly; it is one of a group of words in which the final silent e is dropped before adding -ly.

twelfth number
Remember that twelfth has an f in the middle.
Tip: go to the twelfth floor of the building.

unfortunately adverb
Spell unfortunately with -ately at the end (it is made up of the adjective unfortunate plus the ending -ly).

until preposition and conjunction
Spell until with a single l.

vegetarian noun and adjective
Remember that the beginning of vegetarian is spelled vege-; the ending is -arian.

vehicle noun
Spell vehicle with -icle at the end.

vicious adjective
Remember that the beginning of vicious is spelled vici-.

weird adjective
Remember that weird is spelled with the e before the i: it does not follow the usual rule of i before e except after c.
Tip: a weird, eerie, inhuman sound.

wilful adjective
Remember that wilful is spelled with one l in the middle (the spelling willful is American).
Rule: Drop the last l when adding suffixes (endings) which begin with a consonant to words which end in a double l (here, will plus -ful): wilful.

withhold verb (withholds, withholding, withheld)
Remember that withhold is spelled with a double h (it is made up of the words with and hold)

For a longer list of words and hundreds of spelling tips see the Oxford A-Z of Spelling

Amazing Books That touch your Heart and make you Think & Reflect !

2007-03-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my ALL TIME FAVES !

The Prophet
Kahlil Gibran

The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream

Paulo Coelho

The Bluest Eye

Toni Morrison

Go Tell It on the Mountain

James Baldwin

Why don't Hollywood actors dance?

2007-03-16T05:59:00.000-07:00

Regarding the dancing talent of Hollywood actors... well, arguments have gone on for years, in classrooms and coffee houses alike, about the bewildering inability of Hollywood stars to dance well or at all. The only thing we're all certain of is that at one point, they did know how!!!!!!

Just consider Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the famous duo whose flashy prancing shot them to fame. Bewildered Hollyfans who expect more of their highly-paid stars did feel encouraged by the announcement that Moulin Rouge and Chicago would include dance numbers, but the hyperactive cuts during said dance numbers made it clear that even those Hollywood actors who would *like* to be able to dance can't manage to do so for periods any longer than two to three seconds.

Happily, Hollywood has finally come to terms with its own ineptitude; Farah Khan, Bollywood dance master extraordinare, has been hired to choreograph a number in the Reese Witherspoon vehicle Vanity Fair. Perhaps this marks a new era for Hollywood, in which it will demand that its actors actually do something in return for their multi-million dollar paychecks.

Source :www.bollywhat.com

Bizzzaro Bento Boxes

2007-03-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

I loved Japan and the Bento boxes that had rice, sushi, eggs, and a variety of Japanese food bites.

Bentō is a single-portion takeout meal common in Japanese cuisine.

A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables as a side dish. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquer ware. While bento are readily available at convenience stores and bento shops throughout Japan, it is still considered an essential skill of a Japanese housewife to be able to prepare an appealing boxed lunch.

Bento can be very elaborate, aesthetically pleasing cuisine arrangements. Often the food is arranged in such a way as to resemble other objects: dolls, flowers, leaves, and so forth.

Here is a Justin's website with some amusing Bento Boxes. He has a selection of the craziest Bento boxes made by Junko Terashima on his website.

Websites
Cuisine Cuisine.com, LLC
Food is Culture . . . Culture is Food !
Elegantly Expressed Gift Baskets
Memorable Gifts . . . Lasting Impressions !

Blogs
Musings About People, Places & Things Intriguing
CuisineCuisine.com's BlogoRama
Life In Digital Pixels
Career Tips N Tricks
The Gift Gazette

Shops
Bazaar! Bazaar! Indian Gift Shop
Indian Gift Baskets, Indian Cookbooks & Indian Spices

Ladies, 2 cups of mint tea a day will help you reduce this

2007-03-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

For centuries, mint has been enjoyed for its wonderful aroma, its great taste, and its healing power.and has been a part of both the cuisine and the medicinal cultures of eastern societies. Mint is used in a variety of ways, but the most common is through the brewing of mint tea. According to a new study Mint Tea is a cure for hairy girls !!!!

MINT tea helps women lose unwanted body hair, docs have discovered. Millions suffer from hirsutism — hair on the face, breasts and tummy — caused by high levels of male hormones called androgens. But a study of 21 women in Isparta, Turkey, found drinking two cups of mint tea a day reduced the hormone’s impact and lessened hair growth. Dr Mehmet Tamer said: “It could be a good natural alternative.”

One of the Coolest Coca Cola Ads !

2007-03-08T05:38:00.000-08:00

Every 18 hours, one of these opens up in the United States, What is it?

2007-03-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

Walgreens is opening one store every 18 hours across the country.

"That's not unusual," Walgreens' Carol Hively said. "The demand for prescription drugs is increasing constantly and steadily, and will for years as baby boomers age."As baby boomers age, the rate of hospital and medical treatment climbs.That means more prescription medicines.Thus, we have another factor to marketability."What really impacts the number of stores in the area are medical services," Hively said. "If there are hospitals or medical treatment centers nearby, then that can increase the number of drug stores because the demand for prescriptions increases."

Go here for the whole story

A BIG Thumbs Down to Dolce & Gabbana

2007-03-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

Barcelona-based womens-rights group Institute Català de Les Dones issued an open letter to the designers Dolce & Gabbana, asking them to pull their latest advertisement. The institute explained that the photography was inciting violence towards women. The ad features a bare-chested man pinning a scantily clad woman to the floor while four other men look on with detached expressions.

Child pornography is rampant on the web and this kind of irresponsible behavior by materialistic designers is pathetic. They need to go back to see whether they forgot their brains in the dumpster. Advertising watchdog, Reuters, has metaphorically knifed coveted fashion house Dolce & Gabanna.

Although, the fashion design house of Dolce & Gabbana has announced it will stop running an ad in Spain that shows a man holding a woman down by her wrists. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, announcing the decision to pull the ad, blamed Spain for being "behind the times." They suggested that if the Spanish feminists had their way most of the world's major museums would be closed.

I feel they need to give a public apology for their advertising.

Dial-up Frenzy as 50 BMW M6's sell out in 92 seconds flat !

2007-03-02T07:08:00.000-08:00

The BMW M6 convertible may be capable of 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds, but luxury retailer Neiman Marcus sold its entire stock of 50 limited edition M6 convertibles in a record-breaking 92 seconds in October 2006.

Source PR NEwswire

The holidays are coming early for 50 Neiman Marcus customers who managed to place their calls intoBMW to order the new 2007 BMW M6 Convertible that was featured in thisyear's Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, as it went on sale today at 12 PM,EDT.

As the clock struck noon, the 1-866-303-2696 phone lines werecompletely lit up with buyers who wanted to be sure they were among thefirst in the U.S. to own the just-introduced Limited Edition M6. TheConvertible sold out in a mere one minute, thirty-two seconds.

Billed as the "must-have" automobile for the person who has everything,the luxury convertible made its U.S. debut at the unveiling of the NeimanMarcus Christmas Book in Dallas on October 3rd, 2006

Only 50 of these new U.S.limited-edition models, built especially for Neiman Marcus, are beingproduced in the inaugural year. They feature custom Ruby Black exteriorfinish accented with Piano Black trim elements, and power sports seatswrapped in a custom Gold Brown shade of supple BMW Individual Merinoleather. The car can launch you from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.5 exhilaratingseconds, and features a powerful 5.0-liter V-10 engine that produces 500horsepower.

The Limited Edition 2007 BMW M6 Convertible is featured on pages 96-97of the 2006 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, and retails for $139,000.

The Neiman Marcus edition M6, the star of NM's 2006 Christmas Book, featured a custom Ruby Black exterior finish accented with Piano Black trim elements, and power sports seats wrapped in a custom Gold Brown shade of supple BMW Individual Merino leather.

At $139,000 each, the ever-so-special BMWs rang the register at a rate of $75,543 per second, if only for a minute and a half.

"The Secret" - Oprah's new thing ! Revealed !

2007-02-21T09:09:00.000-08:00

Have you caught up with the new Internet rage? Yes I am talking about Oprah's "Secret"

The Secret the book & DVD which is all bout "the secret to creating the life you truly want,” the basis of a self-help book and DVD movie called, not surprisingly, "The Secret". If you haven’t heard about “The Secret” yet, my guess is you soon will. Well you are surely reading about it now !

In my opinion, "The Secret" has been around for centuries. Dreamers and Entrepreneurs live it ! It is the same as "dream it, wish it, want it and it will come true...as, your thoughts, your actions will lead you to make it happen" With all this hullabaloo about this so-called The Secret DVD that Oprah’s been talking about.....it is nothing more than the latest new-age gimmick to sell books and DVDs.

“The Secret” is based on something its authors call “the law of attraction.” That is, that humans are walking magnets. "If people think about death, they'll attract death. If they think about abundance, they'll attract that,"

Secret co-founder Bob Proctor explained to Ellen DeGeneres on her show last December. "Your thoughts are really dictating what you attract," Proctor preached to Ellen. "Start to see what you want, rather than what you don't want."

"The Secret” seemingly exploded onto the scene two weeks ago, when Oprah featured its two co-founders and the film’s creator on her show. But 10 months before then, news of “The Secret” began bubbling up from the Internet, just as its founders had intended.

Its nothing more than "Positive Thinking" so don't get sweep ed off your feet by this rage....follow your heart, do good karmas and good will happen to you. Yes don't forget to wish and dream it !

AGLOCO Growing STRONG! - Viewers get paid !

2007-02-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

If you have not heard of the next big thing, here is a quick explanation; Agloco is the re-birth of AllAdvantage, which paid out over $100,000,000 to its members.

Agloco costs you nothing. It's free. And it always will be.

Agloco pays you by the hour to have their small Viewbar open.

Agloco pays you by the hour to have your friends have their Viewbar open.

Once you start using the Viewbar, you'll get a check every month in the mail.Once you sign up, you'll get your own referral URL that your friends can use to sign up.

Every 5 people that you refer to Agloco will double your income. CLICK HERE TO JOIN NOW! After you join thru this link, leave me a message under this post.

Talking gadgets....and now talking "Urinal Cakes" !

2007-02-16T06:44:00.000-08:00

Ok you've heard of talking dolls, talking gadgets ok so how about this one....TALKING URINAL CAKES ! yes, its come to that now.

The state Transportation Department recently bought about 500 talking urinal cakes to put in men's restrooms at various bars and restaurants.

New Mexico aims to keep bar-hopping drunks off the road by nagging them at a place they're likely to visit just before getting behind the wheel: the men's room urinal. (AP Photo/Jake Schoellkopf)

Link

For the Ro-MAN-tic in him on Valntines Day !

2007-02-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

Men hate Valentine's Day ! The flowers, the last minute reservations scramble, the need to be the forced romantic .... so what do you get for HIM that shows him that you really care !

Hmmmmm let me think ! Here is one gift he with "blush" (flush) over !

Tee Time Toilet Potty Puter

This miniature putting green and golf club are specifically designed for lengthy toilet sojourns (as if he didn't take long enough already).

Comes with "Do Not Disturb" sign; last shred of dignity sold separtely !

Product details : Golf While You Go TeeTime the game for the Golf Fanatic. Comes complete with putting green, 2 balls, golf club, cup with flag, and occupied sign.

Cha Ching !!! US Mint Will Issue New Gold Presidential Dollar ! History in the making !

2007-02-12T07:05:00.000-08:00

Despite of all the controversy surrounding the use of the dollar coin, I think coin currency lasts for a very long time and paper money, crumbles, fades and disappears. Although we are already in the age of paperless currency with all the electronic banking, I think this is a great way of preserving history.

The U.S. Mint in 2007 will start producing dollar coins with portraits of former presidents, according to legislation sent to President Bush on Thursday, February 15th, 2007. Four coins will be issued each year in the order in which the presidents served.

Here is the release schedule

These artist renderings show the designs for the new presidential dollar coin program. Starting in February, the first of the coins will be released, followed by a different president every three months.

The quarter program has been widely successful, introducing millions of people to coin collecting for the first time. The Mint hopes the presidential program will enjoy similar success, in part because of the bold designs on the new coins.The coins will be the same size as the Sacagawea dollar -- a little larger than a quarter -- and the same golden color as the Sacagawea.

According to tradition, no living presidents will appear on coins.

The image of the president will be on one side and the Statue of Liberty on the other.
The Mint will make commemorative coins of the presidents' spouses. They will be 24-karat gold, the highest quality ever used.
The images will be slightly larger than those on a quarter, because space was freed up by moving some of the traditional wording such as "In God We Trust" to the edge of the coin.
Grover Cleveland will be on two coins because he served non-consecutive terms.

Contemporary American Slang ! Learn it ! Use it !

2007-02-07T07:53:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder about the new words that pop up in our daily language and become a norm? Do you know what they mean? Nowadays it is hard to keep up with the online and offline slang words used in blogs, newspapers and more. What's in a word you ask? Lots, according to Urban Dictionary, which proclaims to be "a dictionary with your definitions" on thousands of words, has some fascinating, scathing and sometimes hilarious definitions.

Here are some words to chew on !

As If : I would rather not, thank you !

Bitchin' : Excellent !

Take Chill Pill or Chill: You need to relax or to relax

For those who are interested in contemporary American slang, Urban Dictionary provides an excellent place to start. Please note, that this web site is not for the faint of heart. And if you're easily offended....don't visit !

But remember that you will surely be caught up with and understand the language of today's youth !

Take this quiz on THE WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL made from words in the UrbanDictrionary.com and see how hip YOU are !

10 BEST SUPER BOWL ADS OF ALL TIME - Watch Now !

2007-02-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

According to ESPN Page2 Here are their Best Super Bowl commercial picks of all time !

1. Apple: "1984" (1984)

Macintosh's sledgehammer hurls toward Big Brother.The first Macintosh was introduced in this 60-second Orwellian spot done by "Blade Runner" director Ridley Scott. An auditorium full of spiritless drones watches as "Big Brother" (IBM) prattles on about the anniversary of the "Information Purification Directives" on a gigantic television screen. Suddenly, from the back of the hall, a blonde woman in shorts and a headband comes running toward the screen, hurls a slow-motion sledgehammer (the new Mac) and shatters it. "On Jan. 24, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh," the voice over says. "And you'll see why 1984 won't be like "1984."

Even now, it's amazing to look at, and has the added bonus of -- get this -- actually having something important to say about the product being plugged.

2. Budweiser: "Frogs" (1995)

A sleepy little backwater swamp on a warm summer night, crickets chirping, fireflies flaring and frogs croaking. Slowly, unless your mind is playing tricks on you, the frog croaks are starting to sound familiar. "Bud." "Weissssss." "Errrrrr." "Buuuuud." "Weeeeiiiiissss." "Er." It's advertising in the round and just like that, a cold, clear Bud is the easiest, most natural thing in the world.

It's easy to make a cute, cuddly animal commercial that folks will love, but a frog commercial?! In the peace and quiet of the swampy summer night, the slimy little critters come off witty and charming.

3. Pepsi: "Apartment 10G" (1987)

A beautiful woman moves in across the hall from Michael J. Fox. When they first meet, she innocently asks for a Diet Pepsi. Eager to oblige, Fox checks the refrigerator, but he's out of luck. He then jumps out his window into a driving rain, dodges traffic to cross the street and reach a vending machine on the other side. Sure enough, there's a Diet Pepsi in it, so he buys it and returns to offer his new friend the drink. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble," she says. Pepsi brought the ad back in 2000 for Fox's final episode of the sitcom "Spin City."

The scenario was a push-button yes -- what guy hasn't had a lovely girl ask him for a trifle, and gone way way out of his way to get it?

4. Xerox: "Monks" (1977)

Brother Dominic finishes duplicating an old manuscript, only to learn that the head monk needs 500 more sets. Dominic heads through a secret doorway to a modern-day copy shop where the Xerox 9200 (which can copy at an amazing rate of two pages per second!) does the job for him. He returns to the monastery and delivers the sets in no time. "It's a miracle," the father says. Brother Dominic smirks skyward.
Once an ad has fun with monks, the flood gates of irreverence are open. This spot is the prelude to every boundary-pushing pitch you see now.

5. McDonald's: "Showdown" (1993)

MJ and Larry Legend go head-to-head in a game of "Horse." The winner gets a Big Mac. Each shot is more spectacular and improbable than the one before. "Off the floor, off the scoreboard, off the backboard, no rim," Bird says, and then does. "Over the second rafter, off the floor, nothing but net," Jordan counters -- it's good. The ad ends with the two of them sitting on top of the Hancock Building and Jordan sinking one "off the expressway, over the river, off the billboard, through the window, off the wall, nothin' but net."

The off-the-scoreboard, off-the-expressway shots are amusing, but the ad works because, given that we're talking about Michael and Larry, they're almost believable.

6. Pepsi: "Diner" (1995)

Two cola truck drivers, one hauling a load of Coke and one a load of Pepsi, meet in a roadside diner. They share a love for the Youngbloods' tune "Get Together," which is playing on the jukebox, share photos of their kids, and then share sips of each other's drinks. The Pepsi guy looks sheepishly around to make sure nobody's looking, sips his new buddy's Coke and passes it back. The Coke driver samples the other guy's Pepsi, but won't give it back. Things get ugly from there.

The perfect antidote to feel-good holiday schlock. Greed is funny.

7. Monster.com: "When I Grow Up" (1999)

Fresh-faced kids look directly into the camera and share their dreams for the future. You're expecting "fireman" and "doctor" and "astronaut," but instead they say, "When I grow up, I want to be a brown nose," and "When I grow up, I want to be in middle management." The ad's a perfect fit for both late-century American ennui and rampant optimism about the Internet. Ah, those were the days.
Horrifying and hilarious at the same time. The kids look smart and ironic while the rest of us come off like dopes.

8. Budweiser: "Cedric" (2001)

Cedric the Entertainer is romancing a very hot date. When it's time to cool off just a little, he eases into the kitchen to grab two bottles of Bud Light from the fridge. Cedric's, um, shall we say, "excited" at the prospect of where the evening might be headed, so he does a little happy dance in the kitchen, accidentally shaking up the bottles in the process. The end of the evening comes too soon when he opens the bottles and the shaken beer explodes all over his date.
This one is actually a public service announcement: Never, ever dance with a bottle in your hand.

9. Electronic Data Systems: "Herding Cats" (2000)

Rough and tumble cowboys tell stories of riding herd on the plains. They don't herd cattle, though, they herd cats, hundreds and hundreds of them. They drive the furballs across streams, rescue them from trees, and rein them in when they stampede. One catpoke rolls a ball of yarn, another shows off his scratches, a third takes a lint brush to his coat. A voiceover at the end says that managing data in the everchanging world of information technology is like trying to herd cats. EDS claims they're experienced wranglers.
Great use of computer imaging, fun spoof of Marlboro Man-style macho. The ad everybody talked about the next day.

10. Master Lock: "Marksman" (1974)

A goggle-eyed sharpshooter takes aim at a padlock hanging in the center of a target and blasts a bullet right through it. The lock absorbs the blow and holds fast. Better, more simple brand building you'll never see. The ad runs, with only slight variation, during the next 21 Super Bowls -- the lock never breaks.

The ad was so convincing it made you want to put locks on everything in the house.

See the Master Lock Ad here on MSNBC

GO BEARS ! Superbowl 41 ! Tailgating Tips !

2007-02-04T08:36:00.000-08:00

Whooo hooo ! Go Bears ! Wish I was in Miami today...its freezing here in Chicago !

Tonight the game stars around 5pm CST. But get your gear ready to party like never before !

Watch the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XLI -- Sun., Feb. 4 at 6:25 p.m. ET on CBS

Official site of Super Bowl 41

http://www.superbowl.com/

Official Site for Super Bowl XLI Host Committee

http://www.superbowlxli.org/

Tid Bit : A well-preserved 1978 ticket went for $16,464 during the same auction. And, more recently, a full set of 40 tickets sold for about $100,000. So if you have a Super bowl ticket...hang on to it and u will be rich one day !

Here are 3 great and unique recipes to have for the party

Toffee Popcorn Crunch

Makes about 1-1/2 pounds popcorn
1 - cup whole almonds
10 - cups popped popcorn
1-3/4 - cups (10-ounces package) English Toffee Bits
2/3 - cup light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Grease large roasting pan (or two 13x9x2-inch baking pans).
Place popcorn and almonds in prepared pan. In heavy medium saucepan, add toffee bits and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until toffee is melted (about 12 minutes). Pour over popcorn mixture and stir until evenly coated. Bake 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from oven and stir every 2 minutes until slightly cooled. Allow to cool completely. Store in tightly covered container in cool, dry place.

Grilled Chicken Salad Boats

4 packages of Perdue chicken tenders - Marinate in fat free zesty Italian dressing (1 large bottle)

2 bags of hot and crusty Pepperidge Farms hard rolls. - Cut the center out of each hard roll but don't go through the bottom. Make a boat out the rolls.

3 cups of celery chopped finely

1 medium onion chopped finely

4 tablespoons of Duke's mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix celery, onion and mayo together. Grill the chicken and then add to mixture - cut up chicken into fine pieces before adding to mixture and pepper to taste. Fill each roll and top with provolone cheese.Place rolls in a lightly buttered pan and place back on the grill. Melt cheese and brown the rolls. Serve hot. Serve with the grilled tomatoes and a glass of wine. Makes 18 rolls

Mexican Style Refried Bean Dip

1 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1 package Taco Seasoning

1 can Refried Beans

Tomatoes & Scallions, chopped

Shredded Cheese (such as Cheddar)

Mix together Taco Mix, Sour Cream and Mayonnaise. Layer (in order from bottom to top)

Refried Beans, Taco Mix , Shredded Cheese , Chopped Tomatoes & Scallions

For larger gatherings, double the recipe. Hint: when spreading the refried beans in the bottom of your serving dish, you may find this hard since it's just out of the can. Try spooning the beans into a bowl first, then microwave for a short time. This will soften the refried beans, making it easier to spread in your dish.

Can you imagine shopping without "shopping carts"?

2007-02-02T06:41:00.001-08:00

I love shopping ! And I cannot think of going to any store....except ofcourse the high-end stores or in the Mall without my trusty shopping cart.... It gives me time to put the tiems that sometimes I think I want and maybe put away if I don't, at a later stage. I was surprised to find out that it was only 69 years ago that the "SHOPPING CART" was born !

Sylvan Goldman, the owner of the Piggly Wiggly supermarkets in Oklahoma City, noticed that his shoppers had to struggle to carry their heavy hand-held shopping baskets. He wanted to make shopping easier for his customers, so that they would buy more. In 1937, he and his mechanic friend, Fred Young, mounted folding chairs on wheels and set the shopping basket down on the seat of the chairs. This was the first of all shopping carts.

Goldman’s poster campaign that featured a tired-looking woman
clutching her purse in one hand and a heavily loaded market basket
in the other.

Goldman's customers generally did not accept the shopping carts immediately. Everyone seemed to have a problem with them; the elderly did not want to appear helpless, women did not want to look unstylish, and men did not want to seem weak. Models were hired by Goldman to pretend to shop, using the shopping carts. (I don't think I would have needed convincing !) These models were both female and male, across the full spectrum of ages. He also hired a store greeter to explain to interested customers exactly how shopping carts worked. Advertisements pointed out the benefits of not having to carry heavy shopping baskets or balance items precariously in small baskets.

At the end of the year, Goldman was manufacturing shopping carts. These proved to be wildly popular, and by 1940, he had a waiting list of 7 years for his shopping carts. He called these shopping carts "folding basket carriers." They consisted of a metal frame with wheels and handles, which could fold up. Hand-held baskets could be placed on the frame and removed when it came time to check out. These early shopping carts had to be assembled before each use.

Goldman continued to improve his shopping carts, and in 1947, formed the Folding Basket Carrier Co. to produce the "nest cart." This type of shopping cart was designed for easy storage by nesting one inside the other. A decade later, there were many varieties of the nesting cart.

Goldman received royalties on all shopping carts sold until his patent expired in 1961. He became a multimillionaire with his idea which enabled people an easier way to shop for their groceries. Approximately 1.25 million new shopping carts are manufactured each year in the United States alone.

Of couse, today the virtual shopping cart has changed everything ! The symbol is still the same of the "authentic shopping cart" !

HEADLINES FROM THE YEAR: 2029

2007-02-01T12:17:00.000-08:00

Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions in the seventh largest country in the world, Mexifornia, formerly known as California. White minorities still trying to have English recognized as Mexifornia's third language.
Spotted Owl plague threatens Northwestern United States crops and livestock.Baby conceived naturally. Scientists stumped.
Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage.
Last remaining Fundamentalist Muslim dies in the American Territory of the Middle East (formerly known as Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Lebanon).
Iran still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least 10more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.
France pleads for global help after being taken over by Jamaica.
Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking.
George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2036.
Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only.
85-year $75.8 billion study: Diet and Exercise is the key to weight loss.
Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs.
Japanese scientists have created a camera with such a fast shutter speed, they now can photograph a woman with her mouth shut.
Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.
Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights.
Average height of NBA players is now nine feet, seven inches.
New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, flyswatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2036.
Congress authorizes direct deposit of formerly illegal political contributions to campaign accounts.
IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.Florida voters still having trouble with voting machines.

FUNNY !

Ever wonder where the best seats are on any given commercial airliner?

2007-01-31T02:02:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder where the best seats are on any given commercial airliner? SeatGuru.com provides you with detailed plane models from various airlines and color coded seat layouts so you can decide which seat is best on a particular plane. It is much more detailed than the official websites of the various carriers its references.

This site is loaded with intelligent information.

which type of multimedia will you have
does your seat have an electrical outlet for your laptop
what kind of food
children accommodation
Internet capacity.

You can chose from most major airlines: "for detailed seat map graphics, in-depth seat specific comments on seats with limited recline, reduced legroom, mis-aligned windows. Color-coding to help identify superior and substandard seats. In-seat power port locations. Galley, lavatory, Exit Row and closet locations."!

There is also a guide for "Guide to Booking the Best Airline Seats"

SeatGuru goes mobile

Mobile SeatGuru is a version of the website that is optimized for handheld devices. This new version of the site simply requires a device with an HTML capable browser such as the popular BlackBerry 7000 series, TREO, Dell Axim, HP iPAQ, or various advanced mobile phones. This service is free! Just visit the following website from your PDA: http://mobile.seatguru.com
Though you'll still need to visit the site for the full breadth of seat comments, Mobile SeatGuru includes the following features to help travelers on the go:

Coverage of all our domestic and international airline carriers; over 200 aircraft!
Seat map graphics with color-coding.
Seat Pitch and Width measurements.
In-flight entertainment and Power Port availability.
Location of Power Ports and adapter type.

The Mobile SeatGuru version covers all the domestic and international airlines found on SeatGuru.com and will be updated to reflect any changes that are made to the SeatGuru.com site to ensure that the information provided is always current and accurate.

How did it all start?

In October 2001 frequent flyer Matthew Daimler launched SeatGuru.com with a single color-coded interactive airplane seating chart. Having realized the vast differences between airline seats, he was determined to build a repository of this useful information and share it with other travelers. Over ten million visitors later, SeatGuru has enjoyed incredible success and has expanded to over 275 airplane seatmaps from over 40 different airlines.

Blogging Goes Mobile

2007-01-30T08:55:00.000-08:00

Although blogging has become extremely popular among all types of users from all around the world, mobile blogging was close to inexistent not so long ago.

But in a world where mobile phones can do pretty much everything, the mobile blogging service is also expanding and is already starting to become increasingly crowded. Cingular Wireless has already announced that in the future it will offer the MySpaceservice on mobiles to subscribers.
Mdog.com is also joining in with a portal for mobile phones that is meant to enhance mobile browsing experience as well as optimize websites for viewing on mobile devices. Also, as of now, you can freely post and read blog entries, upload photos or leave comments on any blog, by simply using your web-enabled mobile device.

Blogs on all major services including Blogger, Wordpress, Typead, Xanga, Blogs.com, AOL Blogs and Livejournal are formatted for web-enabled mobile devices through the portal for mobile blogging. In fact, with mdog, you will be able to do everything you can do with your internet browser on your computer, which, of course includes reading and updating your blog in real-time, from anywhere, with the help of your web-enabled mobile phone, without needing to download or install any additional applications.

"The major blogging services helped make blogging a mass phenomenon by making it easy for non-technical bloggers to get up and running quickly. We believe we can do the same thing for mobile blogging," Mr. Gerard said.

I tried the demo by typing in this address http://elegantly-expressed.blogspot.com/ and it is pretty cool. It does what it says !

Do You Believe in Magic, Superstitions and Good Luck Charms ?

2007-01-25T11:13:00.000-08:00

I do believe in good luck charms, superstitions and in a higher power....
So the Chicago Bears are going to the SUPER BOWL and I hear on the radio about all these superstitions and they really crack me up...but then it could be true !

According to the definition :
superstition, an irrational belief or practice resulting from ignorance or fear of the unknown. The validity of superstitions is based on belief in the power of magic and witchcraft and in such invisible forces as spirits and demons. A common superstition in the Middle Ages was that the devil could enter a person during that unguarded moment when that person was sneezing; this could be avoided if anyone present immediately appealed to the name of God. The tradition of saying “God bless you” when someone sneezes still remains today.

From Benedict Carey NEW YORK TIMES.com:

Psychologists and anthropologists have typically turned to faith healers, tribal cultures or New Age spiritualists to study the underpinnings of belief in superstition or magical powers. Yet they could just as well have examined their own neighbors, lab assistants or even some fellow scientists. New research demonstrates that habits of so-called magical thinking — the belief, for instance, that wishing harm on a loathed colleague or relative might make him sick

For more here is the link

This is a great site to look for superstistions..
http://www.oldsuperstitions.com/

Wedding Superstitions
http://www.weddings.co.uk/info/tradsupe.htm

20 THINGS YOU DON'T SAY TO A COP

2007-01-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

The Top 20 things not to say to a cop when he pulls you over:

20. I can't reach my license unless you hold my beer.
19. Sorry officer, I didn't realize my radar detector wasn't plugged in.
18. Aren't you the guy from the village people?
17. Hey, you must have been doing 125 to keep up with me, good job.
16. I thought you had to be in relatively good physical shape to be a police officer.
15. I was going to be a cop, but I decided to finish high school instead.
14. Bad cop. No donut.
13. You're not going to check the trunk, are you?
12. Gee, that gut sure doesn't inspire confidence.
11. Didn't I see you get your butt kicked on cops?
10. Is it true that people become cops because they are too dumb to work at McDonalds?
9. I pay your salary
8. So uh, you on the take or what?
7. Gee officer, that's terrific. The last officer only gave me a warning.
6. Do you know why you pulled me over? Okay, just so one of us does.
5. I was trying to keep up with traffic. Yes, I know there is no other cars around, that's how far they are ahead of me.
4. What do you mean have I been drinking? You are the trained specialist.
3. Well, when I reached down to pick up my bag of crack, my gun fell off of my lap and got lodged between the brake and the gas pedal, forcing me to speed out of control.
2. Hey, is that a 9mm? That's nothing compared to this 44 magnum.
1. Hey, can you give me another one of those full cavity searches?

Using Gmail as Your Universal Email Account

2007-01-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

Do you have a multitude of email addresses? Do you waste too much time checking up your emails from various places? Use Gmail to consolidate...

Gmail “send from” feature : Gmail has a “send from” or “send as” feature that lets you send from any address you’ve proven to be your own. Theoretically, you can make use of your Gmail address to be your universal inbox, and also the account from which you send email from any of the other addresses you own.

Here’s how to do it step-by-step.

How do I customize the 'From:' address on outgoing mail?

If you'd like your outgoing Gmail messages to display another one of your email addresses in the 'From:' field (instead of your Gmail address), just follow these easy steps:

Log in to your Gmail account.
Click Settings along the top of any page, and then select the Accounts tab.
Click Add another email address in the Send mail as section.
Enter your full name in the Name field, and the email address you'd like to send messages from in the Email address field.

*Keep in mind that each time someone replies to a message you send using a custom 'From:' address, the reply will be delivered to the 'From:' address rather than your Gmail address. If you'd like replies to be delivered to another account, you'll need to enter a 'reply-to' address. Just click Specify a different reply-to address to enter this information.

Click Next Step >> and then click Send Verification to complete the process. Gmail will send a verification message to your other email address to confirm that you'd like to add it to your Gmail account. You'll need to click the link in that message, or enter the confirmation code in the Accounts section of your Gmail account, to complete the process. Once you've verified that you'd like to add the address to your account, you can start sending messages using your custom 'From:' address.

Note: your Gmail address will still be included in your email headers in the sender field, to help prevent your mail from being marked as spam. Most email clients do not display the sender field, though some versions of Microsoft Outlook may display "From customaddress@domain.com on behalf of yourusername@gmail.com."

WORD SPY: The Word Lover's Guide to Modern Culture

2007-01-10T18:21:00.000-08:00

I read about Paul McFedreis in Time magazine. I was flipping through the pages and came across the section called NoteBook. It was interesting to read about he the words and phrases that are coined every single day which are actually influenced by our outrageous Pop Culture.

Here is the list....

BROKEBACK MARRIAGE n. Thanks to Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal and their celebrated screen tragedy, there's now a term to describe a union between a gay man and a straight woman or a gay married man having an affair.

CELEBUTARD n. A celebrity widely perceived as unintelligent. We're not naming any names, Paris Hilton.

CIVIL WAR n. Not a new term, but Iraq's deteriorating "sectarian violence"--to use President George W. Bush's preferred phrase--had people asking, Is it or isn't it?

FED-EX n. So long, K-Fed. The tabloids found a new name for Kevin Federline after his breakup with Britney Spears.

LIQUID TERROR n. After terrorists plotted to board planes in London with liquid explosives, this term was coined for the latest suspected terrorist tactic.

MACACA n. A racial slur? A kind of monkey? Virginia Senator George Allen, who used it at a campaign rally when he spotted an Indian-American volunteer from his opponent's camp, might define it as "the end of my re-election campaign."

MCSTEAMY n. He's no McDreamy, but Grey's Anatomy's newest character, Dr. Mark Sloan, usually known by his nickname, had fans buzzing.

SEASON CREEP n. Spring seemed to come early this year--and summer lasted a bit longer. What's to blame? Most scientists say global warming.

THE DECIDER n. A self-coined sobriquet for Bush, who bestowed the label on himself when explaining his initial rejection of calls for Donald Rumsfeld to step down as Secretary of Defense.

WIKIALITY n. Wikipedia + reality = truth based on consensus rather than fact. The growing popularity of the online encyclopedia, for which the public writes and edits entries, gave rise to the term.

Wow....I finally bought his book - ie...Paul McFedreis' s book - Word Spy: The Word Lover's Guide to Modern Culture - Here is what Paul says about his book..

This book is a series of cultural snapshots, with the lens focused on new words and phrases that tell us something about our world. These snapshots cover various slices of modern life, including relationships, business, technology, war, aging, multiculturalism, and even fast food. I define each word, tell you when it first appeared in print, provide a citation from the media that shows how the word is used, and give you some cultural background — stats, stories, trends, and tidbits — that put the word into context. Taken together, I hope these snapshots form a larger picture of our modern culture. Have you ever seen one of those images that, when examined closely, turns out to be made up of thousands of smaller pictures? It's called a mosaic, and that's the metaphor that underlies this book. It's a mosaic of new words.

Stretch Your Mind with these fun Tests online !

2007-01-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

Queendom.com has been one of my favorites for a while. I love giving my brain a run for its money ! It is fabulous to challenge yourself once in a while. Try these you will love them. http://www.queendom.com/mindgames/mindstretching/index.html

Here are some resolutions that you can actually accomplish!

2007-01-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

Are you sick of making the same resolutions year after year and yet you never keep them?

Here are some resolutions that you can actually accomplish! Enjoy! :-)

10. Read less.....So you are already not keeping this one ! :)
9. I want to gain weight. Put on at least 30 pounds.
8. Stop exercising. Waste of time.
7. Watch more TV. I've been missing some good stuff.
6. Procrastinate more.
5. Drink. Drink some more.
4. Start being superstitious.
3. Spend more time at work.
2. Stop bringing lunch from home: I should eat out more. and last but not least...
1. Take up a new habit: maybe smoking!

OK JUST KIDDING !

Holiday Gift Guide - Hurry for the best deals !

2006-12-19T07:07:00.000-08:00

SHOP FOR THE BEST GIFTS RIGHT HERE ~ Here are some great deals if you are looking for last minute gifts. Have a great Holiday Season ! Merry Christmas ! Happy Hanukkah ! Happy Kwanzaa ! & A Very Happy New Year 2007 !

I have done my shopping & I am ready to go and enjoy my vacation ! See You Next Year !

Enjoy the spirit of the Holidays with these wonderful screen savers

2006-12-18T08:16:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the spirit of the Holidays with these wonderful screen savers.

American Greetings has some very nice, unique and even contemporary screen savers.Best of all they are free. I think its a great way to celebrate the Holiday Season, especially if you work on the computer all day.

Here is the link

2006 Weblog Awards - Voting open until December 15th 2006

2006-12-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

The Weblog Awards are the world's largest blog competition, with over 1 million votes cast in the last three years for nearly 1,000 blogs. This year's edition is the biggest ever with 45 categories to choose from. Nominations ended November 24, and voting began December 7 and will end December 15

Don't forget to vote ! Be heard !

If you love reading blogs, if you love writing blogs you gotta vote here !

Blogs I voted for..so far !

Best Blog : Huffington Post
Best New Blog : WIMM's Voices
Best Individual Blog: Majikthise
Best Humour Blog : My Brain Hates Me But I Hate It More
Best Comic Strip : Being Five
Best Online Community : FARK
Best Liberal Blog : Think Progress
Best Conservative Blog : Little Green Footballs
Best Centrist Blog : The Moderate Voice
Best Media Blog : On Deadline (USA Today)
Best Technology Blog : Life Hacker
Best Sports Blog : Deadspin

Top 15 Inspirational Quotations

2006-12-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

Get inspired and lift your spirits with these positive quotations that will surely stimulate your soul and perhaps motivate your mind...

"No bird soars too high if he soars on his own wings."-- William Blake
"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."-- Les Brown
"Genius is 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration."-- Thomas Edison
"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labour in freedom."-- Albert Einstein
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within."--Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Act as though what you do makes a difference. It does."-- William James
"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing that you will make one."-- Ellen Hubbard
"One can make a day of any size, and regulate the rising and the setting of his own sun and the brightness of its shining."-- John Muir
"It is impossible to win the great prizes of life without running risks."-- Theodore Roosevelt
"Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."-- Harriet Beecher Stowe
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, Live the life you've imagined."-- Henry David Thoreau
"If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it!"-- Jonathan Winters
"What does not kill me makes me stronger. "-- JohannWolfgang von Goethe
"We all have ability. The difference is how we use it."--Stevie Wonder

Top 10 Mobile Battery Saving Tips

2006-12-06T07:33:00.000-08:00

Aalaap Ghag of Tech2.com writes about Top 10 Mobile Battery Saving Tips. Well, I am always worried about not having my phone charged when I will need it the most. OK so my phone has the MP3 player which I love using. So how do I make sure that I have a battery that lasts. I do charge it while driving in the car but Alap tells us about the 10 things you can do to save your battery !

I am going to highlight them for you.

Close Background Applications
Turn Down Screen Brightness
Don't Use Animated Wallpapers or Screen savers
Turn Off Keypad Lights
Decrease Screen Standby Time Out
Turn Off Vibration
Turn Down Ringer Volume, Keypad Tones and Speaker During Calls
Disable Voice Clarity / EFR / Voice Privacy
Turn off 3G / GPRS / EDGE
Use Bluetooth and WiFi Only While Transferring

Finally he says : "the last tip is not very recommendable, but it is something to consider if you've tried everything else above: don't use the phone too much" Hmmmmm I possibly cant agree with that one Alap !

But great tips !!!! For detailed explanations visit the link.

A hot cuppa tea & biscuits...to build an entire city !

2006-11-29T08:05:00.000-08:00

Bite-size city takes the biscuit said the BBC UK on February 20th, 2006

Song Dong - a Chinese artist built a huge city in miniature out of biscuits at Selfridges department store in London. An estimated 72,000 biscuits, including digestives, chocolate digestives, rich tea, hobnobs, caramels and fruit shortcake, were used during the week-long project. The public was allowed to chow down 2 days after the exhibit! Free tea was provided by Selfridges.

Listen to an interview with the biscuit builder Courtysey BBC UK

More Pictures Here

Mr Dong has also built biscuit cities in Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai and Paris.

Ok so this was old news....but I thought it would be great to bring out
this story for hose who missed it, especially with all the rain and tea kinda
weather !

For a great cup of spiced chai...I would recommend Twinings Tea. You can also learn to make a fabulous cup of chai or to learn about Indian Chai ...go here !

Masala Chai

1 ½ cups water
2/3rd cup whole milk
6 tsp. sugar (or to taste)
3 teaspoons any un-perfumed loose black tea or
4 single tea bags (Lipton)
1/4th teaspoon Masala Tea mixture
OR
A 2" piece of fresh gingerA pinch of Cardamom powder

Put 1-1/2 cups water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the masala tea spice mixture. Let it boil for a minute. Add the milk and sugar and bring to a simmer again. You may avoid adding the sugar and add a sweetener in the end while serving. Throw in the tea leaves or bags. The tea mixture will rise and many spill over the top, so be aware and remove from the heat (electric stove) or turn off the heat (gas stove). Let it sit for 2 minutes. Strain the tea into two cups and serve immediately. Sip and enjoy!

For a good DUNK MUG !!! Firebox has a fabulous idea for a gift to a biscuit dunker ! I love the traditional Digestives !

Happy Thanksgiving & A Poem ~ In My Dreams !

2006-11-23T08:14:00.000-08:00

In My Dreams

by Steven Robert Heine

In my dreams
all wrongs are righted,
all sins are forgiven
all wounds are healed.

In my dreams
all lost friends are found
all loved ones are united
all pain is forgotten.

In my dreams
laughter replaces anger
smiles replace frowns
and love replaces hate and fear..

But then I awaken
and I realize that I cannot fix
everything that is broken in the World.
And I decide to try to make it just
a little better somehow.

Heard of Heritage Turkeys? What are you eating this Thanksgiving ?

2006-11-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

A small flock of exclusive birds, called "Heritage Turkeys,'' is making an impact on Thanksgiving for serious foodies.
These birds are not just free range, drug free and organically grown. These birds have papers, going all the way back to Christopher Columbus. They are farm-raised, naturally inseminated and have their own reality TV show on the Internet.

Heritage Foods USA, the mail-order business founded by Martins and Todd Wickstrom in 2001 say that people willing to spend $200 for a fully-traceable turkey.

What is a heritage turkey?

To be classified as a heritage turkey, the bird must meet the following criteria:

• Reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating. Expected fertility rates should be between 70 percent and 80 percent.
• A long productive lifespan. Breeding hens are typically productive from five to seven years, breeding toms from three to five years.
• A slow to moderate rate of growth, reaching marketable weight in 26 to 28 weeks. This gives the birds time to develop strong skeletal systems and healthy organs before building muscle mass.

For information about Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch or heritage turkeys, visit the farm's Web site at www.reeseturkeys.com.

New Gadget to Stop Snoring !

2006-11-21T01:17:00.000-08:00

Snoring occurs when the muscles of the throat, tongue and soft palate relax during deep sleep. The tissue sags, narrowing the air passage and causing one to inhale more forcefully. This in turn causes the tissue at the back of the throat to vibrate. There are a number of contributing factors, including smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption, or physical characteristics like a narrow airway or an elongated soft palate. In some cases, finding a way to quit snoring will require a specific diagnosis of the cause.

Seeking a simple and effective solution to snoring has been a major concern for the 37 million American sufferers and their loved ones. Snoring has become an everyday occurrence, much more common than many care to admit. For many of those who struggle with snoring problems, finding an effective snoring product can prove to be extremely challenging. For many who snore, constantly being the butt of jokes can be humiliating. For their partners, continual interruptions during the night can have a dramatically affect their mood, job performance and general outlook on life. In serious cases, health problems that are related to interrupted breathing patterns associated with severe snoring may arise. One such disorder is Obstructed Sleep Apnea (OSA), which is when a person stops breathing because the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep.

A 1993 National Commission on Sleep Report revealed that chronic sleep disorders affect 60 percent of Americans. The result: "Sleepy individuals are less ambitious and less productive. Sleep loss impairs performance É and decision making." Numerous studies have shown that REM sleep is necessary to recharge our mental functions, and non-REM sleep is necessary to repair our physical functions. While the current national average requirement is 7ð hours, "short sleepers" (6% of the population) require less than six hours to feel fully rested, and "long sleepers" (4% of the population) require nine hours or more.

Sleep medicine specialists suggest that you're getting adequate sleep if about 85% of your total time in bed is spent asleep. Snoring can prevent you and those sleeping with you from getting the vital deep and REM sleep.

Your snoring problem could be a thing of the past, and you never again will have restless nights because of your snoring, get up tired in the morning, worry about your partner leaving the bedroom, or worry about snoring surgery or dental implants. You won't have to undergo expensive snore surgery to solve the problem. And there's no need to take pills.

This revolutionary product will solve your snoring blues and save your marriage. (that's what the people who sell it say) Just strap it to your wrist and, thanks to its sensitive micro-sound detector, it will detect your snoring and send a mild harmless electric signal without waking you or disturbing your sleep. Eventually, your body will learn to avoid the electrical signals by not snoring during sleep. $59.95 Link

Anyone try this yet?

NEW Toys for the little ones.....this winter !

2006-11-20T06:36:00.000-08:00

Have toddlers running around the house? This is a great gift.

Bring their favorite carnival ride home with Razor's Bumper Buggie. Certainly safer than the bumper cars at amusement parks, this cute little buggy is made of shatter-resistant plastic and features seat belts and a breaker switch for added security. Speeds up to 2 mph make the Bumper Buggie safe for ages 3 and up.

Its available at Target and Walmart for $99.

Ok so if you want o have fun....get 2 !!!

Alarm clocks that fly !

2006-11-14T06:40:00.000-08:00

Ok so lets face it, waking up in the morning is gruelling for some of us lazy bones. I know my husband twists and turns and then physically slams the snooze button a gazillion times before he rolls out of bed !

The Flying Alarm Clock has certainly will make you fly out of your bed.....proven it’s mettle as a formidable device that is more than capable of waking up even the most battle hardened sleeper, as it literally takes to the skies (or as far as your ceiling permits), flitting around with the noise of an annoying mosquito in it’s efforts to jolt you out of your slumber.

To keep it silent, all you need is a fly swatter. Nah, I’m kidding - you will first have to get up and catch it. There really isn’t any point turning on the Snooze mode as it will take off from it’s base after a designated amount of time, repeating the irritating process all over again, hence it is advisable to just get up and greet the new day with enthusiasm. Those who sleep with their windows open might be distressed to find out that their alarm clock has literally flown out of the window, leaving them no avenue to wake up.

Of course, you could be stubborn and refuse to get up, letting the Flying Alarm Clock grace the ceiling space in your room until it’s battery is exhausted, where it will then drop to the ground with a spectacular crash. I doubt that anyone would want that to happen as you wouldn’t want to fork out £19.95 for a replacement each time it crashes and burns.

Montage-a-google

2006-11-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

This is a project done by Grant Robinson a Digital Designer from Wellington New Zealand, seen here on the left. His website is very interesting and he has many impressive projects under his belt ~ like the Quizoo, Quiz Rooms which he did for the BBC UK. The one that I loved playing the most was the Hard Spell game ! Pretty cool stuff ! Way to go Grant ! Love it !

What is Montage-a-google?

Montage-a-google is a simple web-based app that uses Google's image search to generate a large gridded montage of images based on keywords (search terms) entered by the user. Not only an interesting way of browsing the net, it can also be used to create desktop pictures or even posters.

TIP:If you want to print or save your montage you can take a screen grab of it ('Prt Sc' key on PC) and paste it into you favourite photo or paint application to print or save it from there.

View photos tagged with 'Montage-a-google' in Flickr to see some examples of what other people have made.

Go Ask Alice ! Huh ?

2006-11-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

A health question-and-answer site run by Columbia University's Health Promotion Program,

Go Ask Alice! is a great place to ask embarrassing medical questions anonymously.

Go Ask Alice! is a health Q&A Internet service. It works to provide readers with reliable, accessible information and a range of thoughtful perspectives so that they can make responsible decisions concerning their health and well-being.

Alice! Health Promotion Program
Phone 212 854 5453
Office Hours Monday - Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm

Check out their Archives as Go Ask Alice started in 1994 and has a lot of information to browse.
Categories include : Alcohol and Other Drugs; Fitness & Nutrition; Emotional Health; General Health; Sexuality & Sexual Health and Relationships. They also have a weekly poll.

SorryGotToGo.com ~ Warding Off Pesky Unwanted Phone Calls

2006-11-05T04:03:00.000-08:00

I do feel for the people behind the scenes just making a living with the Telemarketing jobs. Yes, their job is important but my time is precious at the end of a very busy day ! Most of us, like myself, are polite enough to listen to most of what they want to say.....

But we all have enough things to do at the end of each day without having to be polite to listen and then say no...every few minutes? Well, now you can fight back with these handy little "sound bytes," providing a medley of perfect excuses for cutting off unwanted conversation.

Wanna know more? Take your self to Sorry, gotta go for some ready made audio clips with some of the most creative excuses. Some are downright funny! Download the audio clips and put the phone up to the computer when that unwanted call comes and this time you will be armed with an excuse to put the phone down politely. You can use classics such as "There's the doorbell," "My other line is ringing," and "I can't hear you over the crowd noise" will have you thrilling to a peaceful dial tone in no time.

Link

How to keep up with stuff on the net?....social bookmarking, social pics, social news and more !

2006-11-02T04:19:00.000-08:00

The blogosphere is EXPLODING with blogs, widgets, social bookmarks, webtools, ...I could go on and on...I am just thinking of the new words that are going to be included in the English Dictionary.

Gosh we can hardly keep up with the news from DIGG, NEWSVINE, TAILRANK, SLASHDOT, TECH CRUNCH and more....ok so you are going to ask what am I going to tell you?????????? BTW.... Did you know how many SPELLING ERRORS I get just by mentioning these new things on this blog :)

Ok let's get to it. I just installed the new WEB2.0 TOOLBAR !

The toolbar is great. I dont have to go visit all the websites and check on the latest diggs, news and pics anymore...I just click on the toolbar for example the LINKS tab has - Delicious, Meta filter, Stumble buzz, Furl, Squiddo and more. I get to read the headlines all in one click of the tab. Yes you can go the site that interests you. Its a great time saving tool if you are trying to keep up with or learn the Web 2.0 space.

What they (the people who made this plugin ) say......

It’s a small plugin for your browser that contains all of the most popular content from the web 2.0 sphere in one spot…your browser. The best Social Bookmarking, Pictures, Videos and News all one click away.

My recommendation...Install it if you have space up there on your toolbar......its def worth it !~

Haunted Mansion Fireworks Display....AWESOME ~

2006-10-31T03:50:00.000-08:00

A Haunted Mansion themed fireworks display won this years Pyrotechnics Guild International competition. The Pyrotechnics Guild International, Inc., founded in 1969, is an independent worldwide nonprofit organization of amateur and professional fireworks enthusiasts.

According to Danny Clark "Although it is hard to see in the video, the sparkling prop in the beginning is a miniature mansion. "

He says on Google groups - "The choreography is done in a couple of steps. First, we peice together the soundtrack using a product called Adobe Audition. Then we use a program called SmartFire to mark where in the show we want effects. The trick is to pick effects that last the right amount of time and fit the peice of music. We do that by going to demo nights of fireworks importers."

"Most of the product in the show came from a company in Pennsylvania called Kellners Fireworks (www.kellfire.com). Once we have a map of the fireworks we want to use, we install what is called an ematch into the device which converts it from handfire to electric fire. We then run wires from each firework to a module in the field. It is similar to a computer network. Then we go back into the software and make sure that each devices location on the network is set to fire at certain times to match the music. A show like you saw would have about a 1000 lines. "

Ever heard of Cakesicles ??? - Baking time is here !

2006-10-29T05:15:00.000-08:00

Cakesicles!! That is so cool ! My kids would love this. Ok here is an idea. Bake the cakesicles. Cool. Then dip them in your favorite melted ice-cream and then melted chocolate. It would be ice-cream and cake all in one. Yummmm !!!!!!!

What is it about children and snacks on a stick? Lollipops, popsicles, and now, "cake-sicles"! Bake them, then frost and decorate. You can also use the pan to make Crispy Rice Treats on a Stick.

The Cake-Sicle Pan !

Cuba's Oldest Person dies at 126, October 13th 2006

2006-10-28T03:49:00.000-07:00

Benito Martinez Abrogan, Cuba's oldest person and star of the government's efforts to promote healthy lives for its oldest citizens, died in Central Cuba. He was said to be 126, but there was no definitive proof of his age, as he had no birth certificate.

Martínez claimed to have come to Cuba via steamship in the 1920s, whereupon he initially found employment on the family ranch of Cuban president Fidel Castro. He was nicknamed, “El Avión” (the aeroplane), for the speed at which he worked. He later settled in a small farming community outside Ciego de Avila, where he lived out his days as a perpetual bachelor. He attributed his longevity to a healthy diet of rice and fresh vegetables and the occasional alcoholic beverage. Mr. Martínez also said the secret to his long life was that, "he had never cheated a man or said bad things of other people."

Benito lived alone, although a local helper cooked and cleaned for him. He has never been married and never had any children. He never owned a car. He always walked, rode a bike or took the bus. Hobbies included breeding fighting cocks, growing bananas and dancing. He rarely over ate as food was rationed. He ate mostly starchy cassava and sweet potatoes cooked in pork fat. Only in the last twenty years of his life did he give up smoking. His first doctor's visit was not until he was around 115. The only time he went to the hospital was a few days before he died.

Video Link

Google Rank Cake - Bake and reap the profits !

2006-10-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

Ok this is funny ! With Google being in the news each and everyday....I thought we could bake a cake. I found this recipe online. Hope you like it. Bake it and Serve me a slice ! :) This one is for all you bloggers, techies and webbies out there !

6 cups thick content mix
1 jar word of mouth, whipped
2 tablespoons meta tags
1 cup creativity
In a bowl, stir content mix with 1 cup creativity. Stir. If hard, let sit overnight
Stir in meta tags.
Heat server to 100 degrees. In a 1024x768 pan or two 800x600 pans, pour mix. Beat in meta tags.

Let bake for one year. While baking, prepare word of mouth. Pagerank and Linkback will start to form on cake. Spread with a spoon of new content batter every 1-3 weeks. Bake until done.

FAQs / Comments

Q. Should I buy content batter from the box or attempt to make it myself?
A. Content batter usually tastes best homemade. Although some people might want to get it over with and buy the mix from a box, its all according to your taste. I, personally, believe homemade is more rich and adds your own personal touch.

Q. What if I'm out of creativity?
A. There are many, many people making these cakes and I'm sure they won't mind if you took a taste for inspiration. Sometimes the batter just needs a little beating. On the other hand, there are many people willing to give you free content batter in exchange for credit.

Q. I have baked for a year and pagerank nor linkback will grow!
A. Is the server set to the right temperature? Did you check it frequently? Several factors can contribute to lack of pagerank and linkback growth. Make sure you didn't do anything to make your cake stale.

Q. What brand of meta tags do you recommend?
A. Honestly, it doesn't matter. The generic ones are just as good as the expensive ones. So I wouldn't worry too much about spending tons of money on them. Actually, the best way is to make them yourself. Get creative. Mix meta tags and jot down relevant words that go with your content mix. Slice and dice, mix and match. It also helps to use a mix of creativity and scripting.

Q. I heard word of mouth was hard to come by. So how am I supposed to get 1 jar!
A. Easy. Give them something to talk about. You'll have the whole jar in no time.

Q. I do not have the patience to wait a whole year for Google Rank Cake! I have money and I will buy the biggest one there is!
A. Good luck and see you at the unemployment line. Google Rank Cake cannot be bought. Ever! While its true you can purchase the sprinkles which appears next to the Google Rank Cake, however you can never purchase the cake itself.

Q. Is it okay to let my Google Rank Cake bake longer than a year?
A. Yes. In fact, the more you let it bake, the richer it will get. Just as long as you remember to spoon on fresh content batter every so often to prevent dryness.

Q. My friends cake is the biggest I've seen and mine is the second biggest. But I've used more content batter and meta tags than him!
A. Boy, I remember the day when having a cake that was one layer too small was something to truly fuse about. You'll have your day too, just remember to keep adding content batter and creativity.

I'd love to hear how your Google Cake Rank turned out! And remember, its not the size of the server that matters, but the person behind it!

About The Author : "Ignore what other people think you like and listen to your heart, its your passions in life no one can rightfully criticize." Tia is CEO of Client Centers, LLC, an Internet and graphic service business based in Florida since 2000. She also owns and maintains NerdByte.com

Ever heard of the "FART" Tax ???

2006-10-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and sure enough the rest of the world thinks so too....as tourism has doubled since the popularity of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which was filmed in its entirety in New Zealand. Against the scenic backdrops of mountains and the sea, it seems it is "God's Country" !

So how does the NZ government protect this pristine land? Hmmm how about imposing a FART tax ! Livestock produce tons and tons of methane, which really adversely affects the environment. Pollution is an externalized cost -- meaning that gas released in the air represents damage to other parties created by a method of doing business -- and the farmers should be responsible.

I ask, How does the New Zealand government come up with a breakdown of how much should be charged per species or per fart?

Wanna "SHOOT" your rubbish into a dustpan?

2006-10-22T03:10:00.000-07:00

Stephen Reed of http://www.stephenreed.net/ - Industrial Design studio is based in Deptford, London has innovation combined with some cool designs. Recently his scrabble sofas were featured on Boing Boing

Well besides the scrabble table I thought the SWEEPER KITCHEN BROOM was funner ! Although I love to clean....it would be great making it disappear while shooting a goal. I used to be a field hockey player in high school, so this one is going to be perfect !

One of the world's smallest legible dictionaries I have seen!

2006-10-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

The Junkers English - German Dictionary was my father's - Jagdishchandra Govindrao Kulkarni. He used it in his travels to Germany and Europe. It is one of my prized possessions !

It has 704 pages and as you can see it is SMALL ! It is 1 3/4 th inch wide, 2 1/4 inch high and 3/4th inch deep.

It was printed in Germany in October 1953.

300 Million and counting !

2006-10-18T03:21:00.000-07:00

US population reaches 300 million at 7.46 am October 18th 2006.

"It took the nation 139 years to get to 100 million mark in 1915. And another 52 years to reach 200 million in 1967. But it will have taken just 39 years to hit the 300 million mark, which means that the country is getting bigger and much bigger much faster." said Anderson Cooper on his show on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360

Want to know the WORLD POPULATION as of today?

The US Census Bureau's Web site has a POP CLOCK that shows up to the minute the population of the US and the World.

According to the US Census Bureau there is

One birth every.................................. 7 seconds
One death every.................................. 13 seconds
One international migrant (net) every............ 31 seconds
Net gain of one person every..................... 11 seconds

Ask.com releases the new Moblie search

2006-10-17T04:42:00.000-07:00

From the Ask.com blog straight to you. Emanuel Bettelheim, Product Manager, Mobile Ask.com announced on October 12th their brand new search for mobiles. It makes searching on the road a lot easier. Well, I have not tried it yet but sounds really good. You can search for directions, images, business listings, weather, bloglines and more.

Blogging 5 year old ! Huh !

2006-10-17T04:27:00.000-07:00

George Sfarnas' comic Being Five is about Georgie, a 5 year old kid who blogs about anything and everything, using voice recognition software. Well, he sure can't type you know ! Sfarnas has a five-year-old son, and he is the inspiration for the comic strip. Just like Georgie, Sfarnas is a blogger. George Sfarnas uses his blog to publish his cartoon about a little boy who blogs. The blog entries are funny little snippets that sound very much like some of the things my kids used to say. He blogs on the soccer field, from treetops, during kindergarten, and in his own bedroom.

Here is his recent blog about Google & You Tube!

Have you met Ms. Dewey yet? Search Something !

2006-10-17T04:02:00.000-07:00

Google is still the best search engine there is ! Here is a new search engine that making search fun for a bit. Ms. Dewey is a new, interactive, Flash based search engine. To assist you in your search, the website is hosted by smoking hot model/actress/vocalist, Janina Gavankar, who is guest starring in upcoming new episodes of Showtime's "The L Word". See what she and the site are capable of by typing into the search field, or just leave it blank and watch.

Janina, is an American actress and musician of Indian and Dutch descent. Gavankar is a classically trained pianist, vocalist, and orchestral percussionist. She majored in Theatre Performance in Chicago during her college years. At one point, Gavankar was part of a singing group, Endera. They were signed to a subsidiary label of Universal Records and did one album, including a brief tour, before finally disbanding. Gavankar has appeared in theatre, commercials, short films, independent films, as well as Barbershop and its sequel; Barbershop 2 - Back in Business.

In 2004, Janina moved to Los Angeles She can be seen in the upcoming Bull Run. Gavankar is also playing the role of Papi on the fourth season of The L Word.

New Dove Campaign ! Compliments are like - an apple a day !

2006-10-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

I love the new Dove campaign for Real Beauty But I do hope that Dove highlights men and boys too the same way ! They are as vulnerable as women and girls.

Postitive reinforcement in the day to day lives of our children is an essential part of making them confident young adults. One feels pretty when you are told that you are pretty.

Try saying it to anyone today ! And mean it ! You would have just changed their perspecive of themselves. Words can mean a lot and help raise self esteem !

Seeing Red - Not with ENVY...but CHARITY !

2006-10-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

The latest iPod Nano from Apple is RED !

Apple is giving $10 from the sale of every RED IPod ($200) to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. U2's Bono's Product Red project raises money for AIDS research. Oprah's show on friday 13th Oct was a stunner. She along with Bono hit Chicago downtown's "Magnificent Mile" on Thursday for a shopping spree to promote a new line of clothing, accessories and gadgets, including the special-edition RED iPod.

JoinRed.com(RED)™ was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver to empower consumers to shop and do good at the same time.

You can even check out the BLOG for Joinred

Participating Companies

Gap is introducing Gap (PRODUCT) RED™—a new, limited collection of clothing and accessories for men and women.

Armani is a proud partner of (PRODUCT) RED™.

Converse It's just a little, red eyelet,at the top of each pair of Converse sneakers signifies participation in (RED)™.

Motorola is introducing the new red MOTORAZR V3m.

Slide ! The widget geek strikes again :)

2006-10-14T04:59:00.000-07:00

Recently I saw this awesome slide show of Sam preparing an Indian meal on her blog Becks & Posh That inspired me to tell you about this wonderful widget.

Get Your Own! View Slideshow

Yup I am a widget geek ! Love them ! I think its great that we can make the web an interesting place with all these new widgets. So here is more about this one .... called the SLIDE !

You can add pictures from Flikr, My Space, Photobucket, Web URLs or upload from your own computer. I think its a neat way to showcase your pictures. Enjoy !

Colorizing Carrots !

2006-10-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

I have kids who really love those mini carrots but when I read this story I was intrigued !

"Shredded in salads and slaws, steamed, or just peeled and dunked in an herb-speckled dip, carrots are versatile veggies that add colorful zest to our dinner plates. These crunchy orange roots are also a well-known source of vitamin A. Just a single, full-size carrot more than fulfills an adult's daily quotient of the essential vitamin."

Source :"Carrots With Character" was published in the November 2004 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.

Haven't seen it yet ! White n Nerdy ! Funnnny !

2006-10-12T10:03:00.001-07:00

Rembrant ? Van Gogh ? or You?

2006-10-11T03:02:00.000-07:00

Ever wanted to be famous ? See a life-size painting of yourself or anyone else or any of your fabulous photographs showcased in the portrait gallery of famous museums around the world !

Museumr is a great little tool. It allows you to login to your Flikr account and place one of your pictures in the museum display .

You can choose between 3 museum gallery styles and the application will create an awesome piece of art displayed in a real museum gallery complete with admiring visitors.

So now you are famous. Save the picture by downloading it to your computer or you can even upload the newly created master piece to your Flikr album. Cool !

Eric & Kathy - One of the funniest shows on Radio !

2006-10-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

I listen to Eric & Kathy on The Mix - WTMX every morning and their pod casts are worth listening to. Here is their home page

I love the new podcast technology. Here is one show you must listen to !

Have a great day !

2006-10-06T20:05:00.001-07:00

On Sunrises ! Each day is a new day !

2006-10-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

All sunrises should be this beautiful and calm.

Barrington, IL - September 2006

Every sunrise is a present, a gift from God above, Gift-wrapped with scarlet ribbons and tied with bows of love

Each day's a new beginning, a time to start anew, While all the stars are sleeping, and the rose is fresh with dew

Every day's a new creation, too lovely to ignore, And we may find a blessing, just outside our door.

We cannot keep the past, like fireflies in a jar

Nor journey to the future by wishing on a star.

Every sunrise is a blessing, a gift for just today

Rejoice, my friend, embrace it before it fades away!

~ Author Unknown ~

Widgets ? Small, Fun & Useful Web Programs

2006-10-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

A widget is a little piece of content or a tool provided by a third party that you can place on your computer, web page or blog. Here is an article by Om Malik on Widgets !

Suddenly Everything's Coming up Widgets
Breaking down the Web into small, portable pieces is the smart trend that everyone from Nokia to Google is betting on. By Om Malik, Business 2.0 Magazine October 2 2006: 11:50 AM EDT
Ok here are some great sites to get widgets on your webpages for FREE ! Google is ofcourse the leader !

From Sudoku puzzles to Videos, to Calulators to News Feeds ! The web has now become more personal than ever ! So enjoy ! HERE ARE WIDGETS FOR YOU !

Google Gadgets Google Gadgets are miniature-sized objects that offer cool and dynamic content that can be placed on any page on the web. A directory of "Google Gadgets for your webpage" is now available for webpage owners everywhere to browse and select gadgets for their own pages, at http://www.google.com/ig/directory?synd=open

Yahoo Widget Gallery http://widgets.yahoo.com/gallery/

Apple - Mac Widgets http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/

Inside The World Of Google !

2006-10-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

As we rely upon search engines more and more each and every day I find that the story of the simplistic Google search page is...yup...intriguing. Here are some great sound bytes from BBC.com I really enjoyed listening to the 2 episodes. Hope you enjoy them too.

Inside The World Of Google Part One - 22.09 minutes

Inside the World Of Google Part Two - 22.07 minutes

More on More info: news.bbc.co.uk

I "URGE" you to look ! :)

2006-10-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

Did you know the new music download site that MTV just launched?
Its at urge.com
It is 99 cents per song or you can even do a monthly or yearly fee.

In their words:

URGE is the new digital music service from MTV Networks that makes it easy to enjoy, explore and get the music you want for your PC or portable music player. URGE gives you complete access to over 2 million songs, 18 music genres, countless styles and exclusives from MTV, VH1 and CMT. URGE also gives you hundreds of playlists and radio stations, music feeds, blogs, interviews and feature stories from leading music voices.

Technology intrigues me !

2006-09-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

This is so cool. Try out the Listen now icon as it is way cool.
Technology has gone so far and I am sure it is only the begining.
I just cannot imagine what life will be in the year 3000 !
Ok that's it for now !

Creativity is.......

2006-09-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

Creativity (or creativeness) is a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or concepts....Well I love to create...whether is "food"....from Indian food to all the yummy recipes I have tried and loved...yumminess or "gift baskets".......beautiful and elegant ! I love making my home gorgeous with color, creativity and style....while getting paint in my hair ! Lately I have been enjoying the fabulous food and other blogs and I thought that this might be a neat way to share and blog !

One Liners & Proverbs

2006-09-09T04:45:00.000-07:00

Words are fabulous creatures...Here is a website that proves it. Oneliners and proverbs provoking deep thoughts with a smile and a fabulous oneliner.... "Laughter is a smile with the volume turned up"