Flower Power

I have long since debated doing a post on this topic, because I know for a fact many many many of my readers will no doubt take offense. But that is not my intent. I just want to make fun of you. Just kidding!!But really, this is something I feel strongly about, and when I see instances out in public or online, it just makes me cringe.The topic I speak of is flowered headbands on babies.I'm not sure just where this trend originated, although I'm guessing it's somewhere in the Salt Lake Valley. But now poor innocent children have had to be the brunt of a cruel fashion joke. Now, you all know I am a lover of all things handmade and crafty, but a simple 2 minute search on Etsy will reveal hundreds of images of babies forced to wear an entire artificial floral department on their heads.Now, I'm fortunate enough to have a daughter with plenty of hair. And I do use bows in her hair. Small bows. Bows proportional to the size of her head. Perhaps these users of gigantic flowers and bows feel the need to use them to make sure people know their bald babies are indeed girls. I don't know.When the size of the flower is bigger than your baby's head, there is definitely a problem. Am I the only one who sees it this way?? I think that I may be, actually. And I'm okay with that. If you are guilty of using bows big enough for an elephant, it's okay. I still like you. I'll still be your friend. But just know I think your adorable daughter looks a mite ridiculous.Oh, how could I forget the ostrich feathers???It's a wonder a swarm of bees don't come and attack the poor child.These Gals with Girls are some of the worst offenders.These parents really should be turned into the authorities...making her wear this thing while she eats?? I mean, she has no clothes on, but she has her flower on!Are we channeling Princess Leia here??She looks like a satellite dish, honing in on some good reception.This poor girl's head is being crushed by the weight of this thing.And look, soon her vision will be impaired due to her accessory.I tried to find reasonable examples of flowers and bows. They are hard to come by, let me tell you. I could only find 2.I guess I'm just conservative when it comes to my kid's hair accessories. Call me crazy, but I just don't want my daughter looking like Carmen Miranda! Now, some of these bows would look darling on an older girl, say 8 or 9 years old. But on a wee baby, I don't see her cute face, I see the silk plant staring back at me.Ok, that's all. Let me have it.

Chaos besets 9/11 court hearing

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is accused of masterminding the attacks on the World Trade Center and other US targets
Scenes of chaos have gripped a US military court in Guantanamo Bay where five alleged 9/11 plotters were due to appear together before a judge.

Solving the CD Storage Challenge

Do you have a serious CD collection - one you cherish and intend to keep? Do you want to keep the CDs in the jewel cases? Here are some of the nicest storage options I've seen. Note: Many of these companies also make DVD storage, but I'm going to focus on the CD options.Let's start with the shelves. This wall unit from Wood Technologies stores 1200 CDs; there's a smaller version for 600 CDs. Over in the U.K., Chris Sharp Cabinets makes this shelf which holds 296 CDs; a smaller version holds 148.Jeremy Barnes makes wall-mounted CD shelves that hold 330 CDs.And Wilkins & Kent in Australia makes CD cabinets in various sizes, storing 300 to over 1,000 CDs.Coming back to the U.S., and moving away from wood, Topdeq sells these Cubos CD racks that hold 40 CDs per shelf. They come in 6-shelf and 11-shelf versions.Prefer an enclosed cabinet? Lombok has CD cabinets in two styles, and two sizes; this one stores 480 CDs.Stan Pike is a furniture maker; one of his specialties seems to be apothecary cabinets, including CD apothecary chests.Charles Matts makes a different type of CD cabinet.If you like the look of steel rather than wood, you might consider the Can-Am cabinets, with two to four drawers, each of which holds 270 CDs. They come in a range of colors, too. And you can stack them, so you can start out with a smaller size and add on as needed.Finally, Bisley also makes cabinets designed for CDs; each drawer holds 120 of them, arranged in three rows.Related Posts:Saving Space: Storing CDs Without the Jewel Cases3 Unusual CD HoldersStoring the Vinyl Record Collection: What to Do with the LPsRecord Album Storage: A Stunning Cabinet and Other Options

Honey Bee Installation Day

Here's the hive in place with everything painted. We took a few days to observe and see what kind of sun it would get in this spot and it seemed the right amount from all we'd read... best sun/shade mix with appropriate wind breaks, via our trees.Of course as soon as you get anything built these days some pesky job site inspector shows up, in this case, Newt. She scented some plants in the area with a few face rubs, then pawthorized the new structure and moved on. Whew! While the hive has been ready for a bit, today was actually Honey Bee installation day! Carniolan honey bees to be specific. Carniolan's are the second most popular honey bee after the Italian. We went with Carniolan because they are more cold hearty, are good at defending themselves against insect pests, are resistant to some bee diseases, and are very gentle with bee keepers. Latter being very important to us newbies! The first thing we did was prep the hive zone, above. We brought the box of bees with their queen home in the back of the subaru, and left them there to stay warm, but out of the direct sun while we got setup. Here Doug is close to the fence checking out what we are doing. I am pretty sure he wanted to know, "What is all that buzzing???" Next we sprayed the bees well with sugar water, so they'd be full and happy when we set them free. One last thing before we released them was to change the cork holding the queen in her excluder to a mini-marshmallow. The queen and bees are shipped together, but with the queen in the excluder, so the bees will be exposed to her pheromones and accept her prior to release. If they don't have some time to get to know her first, then they might kill her. The bees actually eat through the candy plug to release her, taking a day... even two, or so we'd been told. The delay also gives the bees some time to draw out comb, so the queen can get right to laying when she does get eaten free.This is 3 pounds of honey bees in a shipping box. This is 3 pounds of honey bees, in the hive, on the hive, in the air, on the ground, in and on the shipping box, and on the photographer. The lighter color stick like object is an entrance reducer, which we had opened further so the bees could better find their way in the hive. After dark when the bees settled we put it in the opening to make it smaller for a time. This helps keep the new bee colony safer from pests and warmer, until they get established.Here's a video of the bees getting poured into the hive. The queen is in her excluder already hung in between frames as we pour them in. Please note that within a couple hours of installing the bees, we discovered the marshmallow [that should have taken the bees at least a few days to eat through] intact, discarded about 18 inches in front of the hives opening. Apparently the queen was released TODAY, and with author-i-ty! We have to wait almost a week, until we get to peak again to see if our queen made it out alive. Stay tuned! Last, but not least, some pictures of our baby Magnus, after his own tail. This is best done hanging upside down while on the cat tree. See that pesky tail... I'm getting you! Getting a bit plump these days, he soon lands with a thump on the shelf below. Usually not head first. Usually. That tail was probably sour anyway...

Climate change could sting allergy, asthma sufferers

Climate change isn't only bad for the Earth, it may be bad for your health especially if you have allergies or asthma.Global warming is making pollen seasons last longer, creating more ozone in the air, and even expanding the areas where insects flourish, putting more people with bee allergies at greater risk, experts say."Climate change will cause impacts in every area. Wet areas will get wetter, and drier climates are getting drier," said Dr. Jeffrey Demain, director of the Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Center of Alaska, and a clinical associate professor at the University of Washington.Those changes will mean more people with allergies and asthma will suffer. In wet areas, mold allergies will spike, while in drier areas pollens and other airborne irritants will become more of a problem, he said.Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it believes carbon dioxide and five additional greenhouse gases are dangerous to human health. This finding may eventually lead to environmentally friendly changes, such as regulations for cleaner energy and more fuel-efficient cars.But, right now, problems caused by climate change are already evident, especially in Alaska, Demain said."There's been a significant shift in the ecosystem because of the rises in winter temperatures," he said. "On average, Alaska's temp has risen 6.4 degrees in winter and 3.4 degrees overall. And, the earlier the snow melts, the earlier the pollen cycle begins."In addition to longer pollen seasons, the plant and tree life is changing along with the warmer temperatures. Demain said it's estimated that 90% of the Alaskan tundra will be forested by 2100, and that the types of trees that are most common are changing, too.The warmer temperatures are also attracting insects. In the past, Alaska hasn't had too many stinging insects. But, said Demain, northern Alaska has recently seen a 620% increase in the number of people seeking care for bee stings.Although Alaska's experience may be more dramatic than the rest of the United States, it's definitely not the only region that's experiencing change."We're having warmer, wetter winters, which lead to long springs and an increase in seasonal allergens," said Dr. David Peden, director of the Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.Peden also said that ozone levels are higher, which causes more asthma symptoms.So, what can you do to protect yourself? Both Peden and Demain said that just being aware of the problem is the first step. Next, is to be sure you know specifically what you're allergic to, and then be aware of pollen and mold cycles so you can properly adjust your behavior when those levels are high."Pollens are usually highest in the mornings, but grass is elevated in the morning and evening. If you're tree- or weed-allergic, plan outdoor activities for the afternoon or evening. If you're grass-allergic, you might want to plan to be outside midday. Warm, sunny, dry days are usually the ones with the greatest pollen," Demain said.Of course, it's not always possible to stay indoors, and treatments are available that can help you live with allergies and asthma."As mundane as this sounds, if you have allergic disease or asthma, consult with an allergist so that you have maximal therapy and information on seasonal concerns. If you're in an area with lengthy pollen seasons, allergy shots might be useful," Peden said."The climate is changing, and it's changing at an unprecedented rate. Whether it's a natural cycle, or whether humans are the cause, we have to recognize that this is happening," said Demain, who added, "Every small step [such as using compact fluorescent bulbs or driving less] is important. If we all take that step, we can have a big impact."

Commuter Challenge!

TRU is partnering with the local transit agencies, carpool groups, bike advocates and others to promote alternatives to driving solo with the Commuter Challenge. We’ll kick it off with a Transportation Information Fair and a week of mode-specific promotional activities.
Check out all these great events!!
Friday, May 8 – Transportation Choices Fair
Come to Cadillac Square in downtown Detroit between 11am and 2pm to learn about the wide variety of transportation choices available to southeast Michigan commuters. Check out SMART and DDOT buses. Learn about carpool and vanpool matching services. Talk with local bicycle commuters. Learn the latest from the People Mover. Find out about new transit options coming soon. Sign up for the Commuter Challenge to win prizes when you try out new ways to travel.
Saturday, May 9 - National Train Day
At the Detroit Amtrak Station, as at hundreds of stations around the country, rail supporters will celebrate the 140th anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Come by the station (at 11 W. Baltimore, just west of Woodward at New Center) between 9am and 12noon to witness the presentation of a proclamation presented to Amtrak's Wolverine train from the Mayor of Detroit, followed by train exhibits, trip planning, and much more. Hosted by the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers (MARP).
May 11 – 22 – The Commuter Challenge
The Commuter Challenge invites southeast Michigan commuters to Go Green and $ave Green with a contest and prize drawing for people who try new transportation options those two weeks. Participants can try riding the bus or People Mover, sharing a carpool or vanpool, biking, walking, or telecommuting. Each day of using a new commuting mode can enter participants in a drawing to win an Ipod, restaurant gift certificates, and much more. Learn more and sign up at www.SEMCOG.org/MIrideshare.aspx.
Monday, May 11 – Carpool / Vanpool / Flextime day
Explore your options about saving money with carpooling and vanpooling from 11am – 1pm in front of Compuware. Try your luck to win a gas card and other prizes with a kiddie “car”pool and by guessing the number of balloons in a MichiVan.
Tuesday, May 12 – People Mover day
The Detroit People Mover will hold its first ever "People Mover Midway - Lunchtime Carnival." Arcade games will be located at four People Mover stations from 11am - 2pm with a chance to win exciting prizes. The stations are: Renaissance Center, Cobo Center, Michigan Avenue and Financial District.
Wednesday, May 13 – Ride the Bus day
Ride the Bus day will provide commuters everything they need to try riding the bus for the first time, including guided morning bus rides, Bus 101 information sessions, and even some free bus passes.
Thursday, May 14 – Walking day - Dequindre Cut and non-motorized presentation
Join the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy and its partners in celebrating the official opening of the Dequindre Cut Greenway. A grand opening ceremony will take place at 10am at the Woodbridge St. entrance of the Cut followed by food, activities and entertainment taking place at all three entrances of the Cut (Woodbridge St., Lafayette St., Gratiot Ave.) until 2pm. Enjoy cooking demonstrations from Eastern Market, guided walking tours of the Dequindre Cut from Inside Detroit and much more.
Model D is talking Detroit Bikes and Trails at its speaker series that evening, with Todd Scott of the Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance and Bil Lusa of the Tour De Troit. The free event is at 5pm at the Green Garage in Midtown. Also check out the afterglow with Great Lakes Urban Exchange, Bureau of Urban Living, Inside Detroit and Motor City Brewing Works.
Friday, May 15 – Bicycle day - Annual Bike-to-Work ride
Join dozens of other cyclists and ride your bicycle to work downtown along Woodward (from Royal Oak or Ferndale) or Jefferson (from Grosse Pointe or Indian Village). A great way to get exercise and see the city in a new way, while commuting to work. Voted by the MetroTimes as "the best reason to ditch your car 2006"! All the details are at the Detroit Bikes! website.
These great events are jointly sponsored by SEMCOG, SMART, DDOT, MDOT, Compware's Commuter Assistance Program, the People Mover, the League of Michigan Bicyclists, MichiVan Commuter Vanpools, and Transportation Riders United.

Movylo: Create Your Own Mobile Site

Movylo is a cool online mobile cms platform that allows you to create your own mobile site and manage it online. The application is multifunctional and provides a variety of tools using which you can create mobile-friendly web pages with content (text, images, videos and tones), aggregate and publish feeds, write blog posts, create service promotions and video brochures, create and make surveys, create and manage e-mail and sms newsletters and much more.
Created mobile sites will automatically adapt the content style to the screen size of the users phone, be it a Smartphone, iPhone, Blackberry or some regular mobile phone.
Check out the demo videos below to see Movylo in action:
Features:
Create your mobile site, personal or business and publish it online.
Created site automatically adapts to any mobile.
Load and manage multimedia content i.e. video, wallpapers, games etc.
Build and maintain your own blog.
Send your newsletters both via email and SMS.
Make questionnaires and polls to gather votes and research market in real time.
Run competitions in real time.
Create your own mobile shop.
Analyze the stats in real time and see how your users navigate your site.
Free account is limited to 10MB of storage and shows Movylo logo.
Similar websites: Ubik, Mowser, Mofuse and Google Mobilizer.
Check out Movylo @ www.movylo.com
New on MakeUseOf ...
Now you can follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Recommended!
MakeUseOf 'Geeky Fun' - Hillarious Geeky Pics and Videos from different parts of web.
Movylo: Create Your Own Mobile Site
Categorized under: Mobile Browsing, website mobilizer
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OperaMini: The Mobile Browser Everyone should Know About. Free.

Annoyed

Audi, yes, the car company, has been using the serious crime of identity theft in a series of commercials. They're marketing their new car as "unmistakable." So to illustrate this, they're using identity theft. In one commercial, kids exit school to be confronted with a line of cars that are exactly the same...only the kid who's mom is driving the Audi is able to find her and confidently gets in the car while his classmates are stumped at identifying their moms. In another, a woman is confronted with line after line of identical cars in a parking garage, unable to find hers. Of course, the Audi is the only one that's different. You get the idea.Frankly, I find them disturbing, insulting, and they really piss me off. Everytime I see one of those commercials I want to throw something at the TV I get so angry.Identity theft is serious. VERY SERIOUS. I cannot stress that enough. You have to take it seriously, both to prevent it and if you are unfortunate enough to be a victim. It's much more serious than your car looking like someone else's car, thankyouverymuch. My identity is so much more important than a friggin' car. It determines whether or not I can buy that car. Or buy anything else, for that matter. As a victim of identity theft, seeing Audi use that serious crime for a car commercial only makes me want to never ever buy one of their products. Ever. They have permanently lost my business.I think that Audi take a long hard look at their use of such a serious crime to sell a vehicle and consider publishing an apology to those of us that have been victims. Not to mention fire their head of marketing for letting a campagin like that move forward. Poor taste. Very very poor taste, Audi. I am not impressed.

Denver Nuggets Team Report

While Cavaliers star and Akron, Ohio, native LeBron James grew up 40 miles from Cleveland, Denver point guard Chauncey Billups could be regarded as the NBA's true hometown hero during the playoffs. "We're maybe five miles away," Ray Billups said of the distance his son grew up from the Pepsi Center. "He's our hometown hero." Nobody is disagreeing these days with that. The first Denver native to play for the Nuggets has led them to the brink of their first Western Conference final since 1985. They lead Dallas 3-1 heading into Wednesday's Game 5 in Denver. Billups was acquired last November from Detroit, and immediately provided a boost to a team many had projected to miss the playoffs. Billups is best known for winning Finals MVP honors as the Pistons won the 2004 title, and also for leading Detroit to the 2005 Finals. But the way this postseason is going, it's not out of the question those two playoff rides could have competition. "The way we're playing, and me being able to do it at home in front of my folks and my fans that watched me grow up and watched me evolve into the man and the player I've become, it's like a storybook," said Billups, whose Nuggets dispatched New Orleans 4-1 in the first round. Bllups was raised in the gritty Park Hill neighborhood in northeast Denver. He cheered for the Nuggets and the Denver Broncos. Billups' idol growing up was legendary Broncos quarterback John Elway, which is why Billups chose to wear Elway's No. 7 when he returned to Denver. Before Game 1 against the Mavericks at the Pepsi Center, Elway introduced Billups as "the new No. 7 in Denver." "That was awesome, but there's only going to be one No. 7 in this town," Billups said. Nevertheless, Billups is still pretty popular in Denver these days. "There's an energy to the street," Nuggets coach George Karl said of having Billups back in his hometown. "I would say once a week somebody will come up to me and say, 'I was the scorekeeper for Chauncey in high school' or "I refereed him in high school."' Billups can't find a single negative about having returned to Denver. "Not one drawback at all," Billups said. "I'm having an unbelievable time." MAVERICKS 119, NUGGETS 117: So much for Denver's first-ever playoff sweep. The Nuggets went into Monday's game at Dallas trying to sweep a series in the postseason for the first time in their 33-year NBA history. But the Mavericks fought back to win, cutting the deficit to 3-1 in their West semifinal. The Mavericks trailed by as many as 14 points early in the second quarter and were down 90-85 entering the third quarter. But they stormed back to win behind 44 points from forward Dirk Nowitzki. The loss spoiled a career-high 41-point effort from Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony. Anthony drilled a three-pointer with 3.1 seconds left to cut the deficit to 118-117. With 1.1 seconds left, Mavericks guard Jason Terry made the first of two free throws before he missed the second intentionally. But Anthony was unable to get off a desperation length-of-the-court shot before the buzzer. "My only disappointment is we didn't try to win it with our defense," said Nuggets coach George Karl. "We tried to win it with our offense." Game 5 is Wednesday at the Pepsi Center, where the Nuggets haven't lost since March 9. The Mavericks trailed throughout much of the game. When Nowitzki hit a 17-foot jumper from the right side with 1:06 left, it gave Dallas the lead for good at 114-112. It was their first lead since 6-5. Karl wasn't sweating the loss too much. "We've come a long way, man," said Karl, whose team is 7-2 in the postseason. "At the end of March, nobody was talking about us. Now, everybody is talking about us."NOTES, QUOTESIt's been a banner postseason for Denver forward Carmelo Anthony. For the second time, he has set a career playoff scoring high. Anthony scored 41 points in Monday's Game 4. But the Nuggets lost 119-117, cutting their series lead to 3-1. In Game 5 of a first-round series against New Orleans, Anthony had scored his previous playoff career high of 34 points. He's averaging 26.7 points in the postseason. "He was Carmelo," Nuggets coach George Karl of his star's Monday showing. "Offensively, he was very balanced. He's a big-time scorer they have trouble matching up against." Despite Monday's loss, Anthony didn't seem too down after the game. With a win Wednesday at home, Denver can advance to the Western Conference final for the first time since 1985. "We still control this," Anthony said. "We're going home on our court, and I'm pretty sure we'll be ready for Game 5." Expect Anthony to be ready. His Nuggets are 7-2 in the postseason after they had gone 4-20 in his first five seasons, losing each time in the first round.Denver had a setback when it was learned before Game 4 Monday at Dallas that the Nuggets would be without energetic reserve center Chris Andersen. Andersen had an upset stomach when he arrived at the arena, and soon needed intravenous fluids. Without the 6-foot-10 Andersen, the Nuggets were undersized, having to go with 6-8 Linas Kleiza as a reserve in the post. Kleiza shot just 2-of-7 for seven points in 17 minutes, and grabbed three rebounds.Without Andersen, the Nuggets were badly beaten on the boards. "It was key. I think us missing Chris Andersen was a big loss," said Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony. "We got out-rebounded 50-36. That's rare for us. So it was out of character on a rebounding standpoint. Yeah, we missed Chris." Andersen is averaging 8.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in the series. It would appear he should be able to return for Wednesday's Game 5 in Denver. "He's big for them off the bench," Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki said of Andersen. "He's instant energy. He's all over the place."QUOTE TO NOTE: "We will learn from this game. I think you will see a very committed and angry team Wednesday." Nuggets coach George Karl, on what he expects from his team in Wednesday's Game 5 in Denver.ROSTER REPORT ROTATION: Starters Point guard Chauncey Billups, Shooting guard Dahntay Jones, Small forward Carmelo Anthony, Power forward Kenyon Martin, Center Nene. Bench Guard J.R. Smith, Guard Anthony Carter, Center Chris Andersen, Forward Linas Kleiza. PLAYER NOTES:C Nene might need a search party sent out for him. The Nuggets big man averaged 24.5 points in the first two games of a West semifinal against Dallas. Over the past two games, though, Nene has averaged just 7.0 points. Nene hasn't been as aggressive offensively as he was in the first two games. Perhaps seeing the home fans again in Wednesday's Game 5 in Denver will make a difference for him.G Chauncey Billups says he tries to be more aggressive on the road in the playoffs. That was very evident for a second straight game Monday at Dallas. In a Game 4 119-117 West semifinal loss, Billups scored 24 points, including shooting 10-of-10 from the foul line. In Game 3 at Dallas, Billups had scored 32 points. Despite looking to score, Billups also was able to hand out seven assists Monday.F Kenyon Martin wasn't his usual self as an enforcer in Monday's Game 4 of a West semifinal at Dallas. Martin's counterpart at power forward, Dirk Nowitzki, scored 44 points, and Martin fouled out in the waning seconds. Martin grabbed just two rebounds in 33 minutes, and did little on offense. He shot just 1-of-4 for two points.G Dahntay Jones has surprisingly raised his offensive output during the playoffs. Jones is averaging 7.6 points after putting up just 5.4 during the regular season. Jones usually plays just the first part of the first and third quarters. But he has been attacking the rim to start games. In Monday's Game 4 of a West semifinal against Dallas, Jones scored 10 points. MEDICAL WATCH:C Chris Andersen (upset stomach) sat out Monday's Game 4 at Dallas. Andersen was given intravenous fluids and missed his first postseason game this spring. He's expected to be available for Game 5 on Wednesday.C Steven Hunter (Nov. 14 right knee surgery) hasn't played since the first preseason game. He's ready to return, but it's not expected the Nuggets will activate him for a playoff game unless they have injuries.

Survive a Plane Crash while Refining Your Learning Skills

Now that pseudo-productivity is declared dead, let's go back to the drawing board. Start with art, disaster prevention and recoevery, some interesting research projects, and the latest news on how your memory works. The impossible art of Li Wei -- Li Wei states that these images are not computer montages and works with the help of props such as mirror, metal wires, scaffolding and acrobatics. How to survive an airplane crash -- According to the statistics, two-thirds of the people involved in air crashes survive. Approximately one-third of the third who do die could have survived if they had known what to do and almost all of these died from smoke or fire. If it seems certain the plane is going to crash, here's what to do while the plane is going down. 25 leading-edge IT research projects -- While universities don't tend to shout as loudly about their latest tech innovations as do Google, Cisco and other big vendors, their results are no less impressive in what they could mean for faster, more secure and more useful networking. Here's a roundup, in no particular order, of some of the most amazing and colorful projects in the works. The world in 2058 -- The consensus view is that we'll muddle through many of the issues that vex us today -- including climate change and terror threats. And we'll hit upon so many medical and technological wonders that today's 50-year-olds will have a fair chance of finding out firsthand how the world will look in 2058. Want to remember everything you'll ever learn? Surrender to this algorithm -- ... there is an ideal moment to practice what you've learned. Practice too soon and you waste your time. Practice too late and you've forgotten the material and have to relearn it. The right time to practice is just at the moment you're about to forget. Unfortunately, this moment is different for every person and each bit of information. Imagine a pile of thousands of flash cards. Somewhere in this pile are the ones you should be practicing right now. Which are they? Make this week yours. Even art is not impossible. Related Items Tales of Virtuosity: Excellence at its Best Free ebook Peer pressure, vanity and behavior, motivation tricks and hacks, success and pain, and how to excel, Celebrate Your Beauty.

Travle in UK

Drink proprely

Jen's Hungarian Mushroom Soup

I love it, but had never made it before last weekend. Almost absurdly simple and just about fail-proof, this soup will be added to my short list. I used plain white button and cremini mushrooms this time, but may jazz it up with some chantrelles, porcini or shiitake mushooms next time.Jen's Hungarian Mushroom Soupserves 41/4 c. butter2 c. chopped onions1 lb mushrooms, cut into quarters2 tsp. dried dillweed1 T. paprika1 T. soy sauce2 c. chicken stock1 c. milk3 T. flour1 tsp. saltpepper2 tsp. lemon juice1/4 c. parsley1/2 c. sour creamSauté onion & mushrooms in butter over medium heat about 5 mins.Stir in dill, paprika, soy sauce, chicken stock.Lower heat to simmer, cover for 15 mins.Whisk milk & flour together to make a slurry, add to soup, stir and cook 15 more mins, covered.Stir in salt, pepper, lemon, parsley & sour cream.Optional: use immersion blender to blend*Heat thru. Eat!*or, transfer to blender and blend, in batches.Couple things:I mistakenly added 2 tablespoons dillweed instead of teaspoons. It was a little more dilly than normal, but not in a bad way.Advice - use your fingers to blend the milk and flour; the whisk just makes it harder.We had the first bowls of soup unblended. I really, highly recommend blending it to combine flavors.No pictures - I can't find the camera battery charger!

UPDATED: Missing Local Girl: Tori Stafford

PLEASE SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM FOR THE LATEST UPDATESApril 9, 2009: It may not be such big news in big cities, but in a very small town like Woodstock, Ontario, when a little girl goes missing it's huge news.The little girl shown here is Victoria "Tori" Stafford, and she went missing yesterday afternoon after school. She left school to walk home and has not been seen or heard from since. This truly is every parent's worst fear, when their precious child goes missing.I was in town today running errands and going to appointments, and the town is quite literally crawling with local and provincial police, volunteers posting fliers literally everywhere, and constant helicopter air support. In one sense it was heartbreaking to see this happening, and yet in another it was comforting to know SO many people in Woodstock have come out to help Tori's family find her, and bring her home.I realize there aren't a lot of people reading this that are also in my local area, but there are still ways you can help. You can forward this link to others you know, you can begin praying for this family, and you can even copy this picture and information and just spread the news via twitter, facebook, myspace or wherever you hang out online. Someone has seen her, someone knows where she is, so it's just a matter of getting the info out in a BIG way.Let's help do that for Tori, okay?More information right here and a FB page here.HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL? IF YOU HAVE SEEN THIS GIRL, PLEASE CALL OCPS at (519) 537-2323 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Go here to watch the video the police have released to the media, that shows Tori walking with an unidentified woman. -----------------LATEST UPDATES:• CANS Missing Endangered Alert Issued for 8 Year Old Woodstock Girl• Mystery deepens in case of missing girl - Toronto Star• Help Find My Child - Victoria Stafford• Hundreds of Tips Pouring In • Police scour forests, lakes, ponds for missing Victoria Stafford• Missing girl: Woodstock community coming together for vigil with no sign of Tori• Family makes Facebook plea for girl's return • Family of missing Ont. girl living 'minute by minute'• Police use profilers in search for Ontario girl• Ground search called off for missing Woodstock girl • MISSING GIRL: As the ground search ends, a U.S. centre for missing children questions the policies of Oxford Community Police • Enhanced video of missing girl, mystery woman released• Case 'paralyzes' community • Missing Ont. girl's story featured on America's Most Wanted website• 'Strong beliefs' about suspect, Tori's aunt says• Sketch of Tori's abductor stirs flurry of leads• Mom spins 'crazy' tale of ransom, limo ride • New video, photos in Tori Stafford case--------------------------PLEASE DO TWITTER THIS INFORMATION, FB IT, MYSPACE, EMAIL, OR USE WHATEVER SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH. LETS DO FOR THIS FAMILY WHAT WE WOULD HOPE OTHERS WOULD DO FOR US, IF TORI WERE ONE OF OURS.--------------------------

Princess And The Frog Trailer Rallies Classic Animation

The Disney Channel unveiled the studios next animated feature Saturday, previewing the trailer for The Princess and the Frog. You can catch it below. Why should you care? After all, there isnt a single TIE Fighter in it. No killer robots. Not a single laser blast or skyscraper-shattering explosion. The princess isnt a scantily clad zombie, and the frog doesnt transform into a missile-laden Porsche. But theres also no all too familiar CGI, either. This is Disneys long-awaited return to hand-drawn animation  moving away (temporarily) from the Pixar-dominated CG era of Toy Story, Cars, Shrek and Madagasgar. Its the grand rally of the art form that brought us classics like Snow White, Dumbo, Fantasia and The Lion King. Its the chance for anyone under the age of 21 to discover what intricately rendered animation drawn by a human hand with pen and ink looks like on a big screen. Any movie lover should root for such a big comeback. The Pixar technique will take over full-time soon enough, and theres nothing wrong with CG-animated movies. In fact, its fair to say that Pixar hasnt made a bad movie yet. But theres a richness and a soul to hand-drawn animation that the more high tech art form has yet to match. Its easy enough to root against Disney on occasion, but heres hoping this movie scores big. See for yourself: As for the trailer itself, it looks great. But does it look good enough to get you excited about the return of classic Disney? Thanks to AICN for finding this new trailer (for as long as it lasts). The Princess and the Frog opens on December 11, 2009. You Might Also Be Interested In:New Image From Pixars Latest Short Film: Partly Cloudy WALL-E Director Talks John Carter of Mars Gort Is Angry In New 5-Minute Trailer Check Out A Full Minute Of Pixars Up Cool CGI Film You Havent Heard Of: 92 Final X-Men Origins: Wolverine Full Trailer!

19 de abril de 1810: ¿Los mantuanos se adelantaron a la revolución popular?

Autor: Carlos Balladares CastilloUna tesis que siempre me ha llamado mucho la atención, es la que señala como causa de la acción llevada a cabo el 19 de abril de 1810 por los mantuanos caraqueños de la Capitanía General de Venezuela, el tomar el poder para preservar la estructura social colonial en tiempos de fuerte inestabilidad. Es la idea de que el ejemplo de la revolución haitiana (gobierno de los negros y mulatos en detrimento del sector dominante blanco) se pudiera repetir en Venezuela; y más aun cuando se venían dando insurrecciones protagonizadas por las castas y de ideología ilustrada. El 19 de abril más que una gran acción patriota, emancipadora o autonomista; fue un cálculo “clasista” basado en el “miedo a la revolución” popular, tal como señala el historiador español Miguel Izard (1979), en su libro de igual título.El miedo se pudo haber dado por dos vías: la primera por la desconfianza hacia la Corona española, la cual desde finales del siglo XVIII venía realizando una serie de reformas (las llamadas reformas borbónicas) que no sólo pretendían una mayor centralización del poder y por tanto una pérdida de influencia y autonomía por parte de los mantuanos, sino también un proceso de reforma social que beneficiaba a los pardos (sector mayoritario), con medidas como por ejemplo la Real Cédula “Gracias al sacar”. El temor, por parte de los mantuanos, se debió incrementar al ver el acercamiento de España a la Francia revolucionaria, y mucho más cuando Napoleón invade la penínsual en 1808. La segunda vía pudo ser interna, al observar la sucesión de una serie de movimientos con proclamas igualitarias y liberales, como lo fueron los que empiezan a partir de 1795: José Leonardo Chirinos; Picornell, Gual y España; Miranda. Todos ellos protagonizados por personas pertenecientes a los sectores de las llamadas “castas”. Al agravarse la situación con la crisis de la Corona desde 1810, los mantuanos pudieron temer que el vacío de poder pudiera ser llenado por estos movimientos. Si no hacían la “revolución” los criollos, la harían las castas, con el posible peligro de lo que luego Bolívar llamaría la “pardocracia”. Sólo dos autores sostienen esta tesis: el politólogo Aníbal Romero (2001, “La Ilusión y el engaño: La Independencia Venezolana y el Naufragio del Mantuanismo”), aunque el mismo se basa en fuentes secundarias nada más; y el historiador Miguel Izard en el libro ya citado. Otros autores como Carrera Damas y Lynch, sostienen el mismo argumento pero sólo como hipótesis. Izard posee el problema que critica McKinley (1985, Caracas antes de la Independencia), que es ver cualquier señal de antagonismo entre castas y criollos previa a la guerra como un anuncio de la guerra misma. Es por ello que esta tesis, a pesar de lo atractivo de la misma, hasta ahora se mantiene en el estado de hipótesis y por tanto requiere de investigadores que se tomen en serio su investigación.De ser cierta esta tesis, el 19 de abril de 1810 podría reducirse a una acción meramente reaccionaria, que buscaba, tal como dice Aníbal Romero, una “acción preventiva” y nunca un acto revolucionario. Los principios de igualdad y libertad que luego defenderían en 1811 los próceres, se reducen entonces a un pequeño beneficio para calmar las tendencias igualitarias de las castas, mientras ellos monopolizaban el poder y conservaban su preeminencia social, en pocas palabras: una oligarquía.

Global Crisis: How Much Time do We Have?

by Adrian Salbuchi A good doctor is one who will tell his patient what ails him, no matter how bad the news& A good doctor begins by making a correct diagnosis of his patients condition. A bad doctor, however, either cannot make a proper diagnosis (because he lacks expertise) or, worst still, he hides the truth afrom his patient& When a dread disease patient is told what he is suffering from, before actually accepting the envitable he first goes through the stages of disbelief and denial. Theres disbelief when we hear the patient say this is not right: the doctors made a mistake!. But when the dignosis of his illness is confirmed, then in dispair he goes info full denial saying Impossible! This cant be happening to me!!. A good doctor helps his patient weather this painful process, guiding him towards acceptance of his predicament. Only then can the healing begin. Something similar happens - albeit more abstractly -, when the People are hit by social turmoil as a consequence of severe crises arising from what Carl G. Jung called epidemics of the mind and soul. Below, we address some key issues that we feel reflect the fact that a cycle is coming to an increasingly abrupt end in the whole world, even though the global media may be looking the other way (i.e., hiding the truth and generating smoke screens), most politicians hardly understand what is going on (on account of their ignorance), the bulk of the population in all countries see and feel this but cannot rationalize whats happening (disbelief), and some intelectuals may actually understand whats going on and where were being dragged, but find it too hard to accept (i.e., denial). In our communiqué No. 52 of October 3, 2008 dealing with the Global Financial crisis that had then just broken out, we said that there was no such crisis. Rather, what began Monday, September 15, 2008 was the beginning of a terminal and irreversible collapse of the global financial system, which is part of a controlled Model through which other objetives will be achieved. Those objective go far beyond merely financial goals: rather, they seek to advance towards the next geopolitical stage in the New World Order (NWO). And this is nothing more and nothing less than the enthronement of a WORLD GOVERNMENT. At that time, we also described the NWO Elites three basic Plans, i.e.,: - Plan A seeks to resolve the on-going financial crisis through merely financial measures. Its not working&. - Plan B will seek to resolve the crisis by a comprehensive overhaul of the global financial system, which among other factors will include introducing a New Dollar, backed by foolproof gold bullion. This will allow the global elites to transfer the bulk of Wall Street and European bankers losses to other geographies (amongst them, China, which is one of the focus of present crisis, as well as Latin America), and - Plan C that will seek to kick the chessboard, so to speak, triggering a planetary war. We believe that these three Plans are presently in different stages of implementation: Plan A is almost dead. Plans B and C are about to be activated. Lets see where we stand at present&. 1) WORLD GOVERNMENT - First, we must understand that New World Order (NWO) is not an actual stage in the global political structure but, rather, its a generic term. Thus, we had several New World Orders over the past century: - in 1919, when World War I ended and the Council on Foreign Relations (New York) and Royal Institute of International Affairs (London) were created, as geopolitical controlling and planning organizations bent on promoting Anglo-American-Zionist interests throughout the world. - in 1945, when the Post-World War II Bipolar World was designed: i.e., Bretton Woods, Yalta, the UN, the cold war. - in 1991, after the USSR was thrown into the dust bin of History to make way for NWO globalization, as announced by George HW Bush, Sr. (on 11-Sept.-1991!), and - in 2008, when now ambiguous and dying globalization begins phasing out, to be replaced by something far more ambitous: an authoritarian and mandatory World Government, as announced in the London Financial Times on December8, 2008 by Gideon Rachman. Today we are undergoing the violent stage just prior to imposition of World Government. Amongst its goals: - Disolution and destruction of all National Sovereignties (the demise of the Nation-State promoted by the CFR, Trilateral and Bilderbergers) - The Twilight of the United States of America as the indispensable superpower (ergo, Obama was allowed into the Oval Office) - Drastic depopulation of the world (pendemic hysteria) - Total electronic surveillance and control of surviving citizenry (Psywar drills that increasingly lower peoples resistance to inocculation), and - Monolithic centralization and strict comprehensive control over politics, the economy, finance, the military, culture, the media, technology and even religious activities. All of this CANNOT be achieved without war. Thus, Plan C has just been activated. 2) CONFRONTATION WITH RUSSIA AND CHINA - Over the past months, China has been looking at the US and the Wall Street parasites with an increasingly fixed and unblinking gaze& They want to know what is going to happen with the 1.7 Trillion Dollar-denominated Reserves that they are holding on to (some Washington observers call this The Chinese Nuclear Bomb). The US is not answering because they simply dont have any answer to give& Were China to make a strong move (such as changing their US Dollar-denominated Reserves into Euros on very short notice), the effect would lead to the collapse the US Dollar (for this Contingency they have Plan B as described). Actually, one of the main sources of financing of American public deficits is, in fact, China which until recently had been soaking up huge tranches of American Public Debt (today these needs are running as high as u$s 170 billion a week!!). The recent mysterious fly-over of Air Force One, low over Manhattan in New York City, triggering panic and the evacuation of the World Financial Center and other Manhattan skyscrapers, seems to be linked to this: it appears that Obama and some from his team had decided to meet with Trustees and representatives from China and other foreign powers to try to reach some agreement/solution. But Obama did not properly consult with those upstairs who have the final say, who then decided otherwise and ordered Air Force One to land in Washington DC, doing that with a more than threaterning demeanor. Fearing the worst, the Air Force One pilot decided to protect his plane by having it seen by millions over the skies of New York City, in such a way that the two F16 fighter jets escorting him could do nothing strange (see the incredible low fly-by videos on YouTube). Later on, the missions of these foreign creditors of the US - Chinese included - were involved in a confussing shoot-out with FBI operatives that left several agents dead& 3) THE ISRAELI DETONATOR - The State of Israel continues moving forward with its announced plans of unilateral attack on Iran. We have been informing about this for more than two years now. This will be a premeditated, unjustified, unilateral attack perpetrated by the State of Israel, the only country in the Middle East that wields Weapons of Mass Destruction - 400 nuclear artefacts ceded by the US -, and shows an unequivocable willingness to use them. Naturally, their excuse is Irans nuclear program. The London Times newspaper, in its April 18,2009 edition informs that the Israeli Air Force is fully ready to attack and are only waiting to receive the green light from the new ultra-right wing Israeli primer minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his even more ultra-right wing foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, and the IDF high command (see article Israel stands ready to bomb Irans nuclear sites). THAT will be the trigger for generalized war involving WMDs - biological, chemical and nuclear. Israeli sources say that they will attack Iran with or without the Obama Administrations green light, knowing full well that Zionist power in America is above any Administration, whether Democrat or Republican. Netanyahu will meet with Obama on May 18th. Either way, once Israel attacks and Iran retailiates, the Obama Administration will be FORCED by Zionist power structures in control of the US, to fight for them (see The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy, Stephen Walt  John Mearsheimer). This was just been ratified by The Daily Telegraph of 7th May. 4) GEOPOLITICS FOR A WORLD GOVERNMENT - This Israeli Detonator goes hand in hand with the repositioning of the US military along the lines suggested by Zbigniew Brzezinskis geopolitical strategic thought, which calls for the US detaching from the Iraqui mess and focusing on Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Taliban and the Caspian Sea oil fields. Afghanistan is in a horrific mess, with the Taliban having recovered the better part of that country. Today, they stand a mere 160 kms from Islamabad, in Pakistan, which too is in a horrific crisis. US bombs fall on Afghanistan and Pakistan daily without their puppet governments doing anything about it. From their respective viewpoints and interests and with varying criteria and levels of alarm, Iran, Russia and China closely observe these threatening maneouvers (supplemented by NATOs dangerous encircling strategy against Russia in Poland and other parts of Europe). The three, however, recognize that they have the same adversaries: The US (for Russia and China), Israel and the US (for Iran). A truly explosive formula, but a necessrary risk for the NWO elite bent on enthroning World Government. This ought to be a wake-up call for all countries around the world. Red lights should be blinking and alarm bells ringing in every nation, because World Government will not leave any country out; and any country not wanting to voluntarily join this World Government geared on US, UK and Israeli global interests, will be automatically branded a Rogue State, antidemocratic, contrary to humanity, anti-Semitic, and when that happens, we all know what comes next& 5) MORE AND MORE BANKRUPTCIES: UNEMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY FOR MILLIONS OF WORKERS - US and European banks are bankrupt, many major industries are bankrupt (Chrysler being the latest to fall), global insurers and reinsurers are technically broke, whilst most all financial institutions are technically unsound, at best, and unviable at worst. First World Governments must bail out company after company. Yet more proof that, when left to its own dynamics, Extreme Capitalism leads to a Soviet-like system in which the State takes over corporations (too large to fail, naturally) and runs the economy to protect the bankster Nomenklatura& Time and again, we see the same cycle: first come decades of privatizing huge profits which flow straight into the pockets of bankers, investors, speculators and parasites of all sorts, types and shapes, and then when the whole System comes crashing down as happens now, the ensuing and predictable gigantic losses are socialized by way of government funded bail-outs with taypayer money, and irresponslble money printing to save those who should sit in jail. Everybody else is left high and dry, and on their own. The US-Dollar has been technically hyperinflated, even though no one is saying the king is nude!!& Not yet, anyway& We now learn that recession in the US, Europe and Asia is much worse than thought and expected, so say the experts& Millions loose their jobs and livelihood, millions loose their homes and assets, millions loose their pensions and lifes savings, millions start taking to the streets: manifestations, tea parties& Social War& Reprisal and repression. 6) FRAUD AND MORE FRAUD - Wall Street Inversor Bernard Madoff (ex-president of NASDAQ y director of Yeshiva Univerrsity in Tel Aviv) has become a symbol of the white collar Banker Mega-fraud which is an integral part of the Extreme Capitalist system (using the Ponzi Scheme Pyramid as its basic model), with his 70 billion dollars stolen from other investors (ha!&they now seem to have fallen into a modern version of cannibalism, taking bites amongst themselves..!). We should, however, be kinder to Bernie Madoff because hes taking all the blame and getting all the bad Ponzi Schemer headlines, whilst the the truth is that the ENTIRE global financial system is one vast Ponzi pyramid. This is how CitiCorp (William Rhodes, Robert Rubin), Bank of America, Goldman Sachs (Henry Paulson, Timothy Geithner), Morgan Stanley, AIG (Maurice Greenberg) and most all other global banks and insurers operate all the time. To get a better idea of whats really happening behind the scenes, take a look at Freddie Mac whose recently appointed 41 year old Chief Financial Officer David Kellermann commited suicide. Russian intelligence sources, however, point to a more credible cause of death linked to the fact that Kellermann appeared to have discovered that Freddie Mac had syphoned over 50 billion dollars to Zionist and Israeli interests and organizations, and he was about to become a whistleblower going public with that explosive information& Bear in mind that when Freddie Mac collapsed late last year, one if its directors was Rahm Emanuel, today president Obamas dual-citizenship (Israeli and US) chief-of-staff, also suspected of being an Israeli Military Intelligence operative. 7) H1N1 SWINE FLU EPIDEMIC - This would seem to be yet another smoke screen imposed on the world medias headlines, in order to keep the above dramatic events as much out of the front pages and newscasts, as possible. So far, there are only around 2000 H1N1 cases globally; of the 160 Mexican deaths originally reported by FoxNews a couple of weeks ago, we are now down to around 30& The same goes for the rest of the world. The media have gone into Hysteria Over-drive, generating what one major risk consultancy has labelled pandemic hysteria, to the great joy of major Pharmaceutical Labs who are having near record sales of Tamiflu and other Influenza medications. The NWO people were also able to test and assess results of their PsyWar Operations, geared on controlling large masses of people by instilling fear, so they can be willingly inocculated. Face masks, quarantines, mass vaccinations, cancelled flights, the whole circus of a global drill& as occured with the Bird Flu scare, back in 2004 and 2005 (whatever became of that??). At some point, they will no doubt let loose some synthetic selective virus which will target increasingly focused social groups and types (was HIV a precursor?), because one of the key objetives of World Government is to trigger intensive depopulation of the world, as recommended by Henry Kissingers National Security Strategic Memoranum 200, back in 1974. Finally, the seven issues we address above should not be seen as isolated and unconnected. Rather, they are inter-related and should be viewed holistically, as part of a much vaster strategy geared on imposing World Government, one way or another& Addressing these and other factors jointly, and projecting their medium- and long-term effects will allow us to begin to understand what is really happening in the world; which is a very different story than what we hear on CNN, FoxNews, the BBC, The New York Times, Washington Post, Daily Telegraph, ABC, CBS or NBC& In short, the key question we must ask should become increasingly obvious to us all, everywhere: How much time do we have left? How much time do we really have in the US, in Europe, in Argentina, in the whole world? You be the judge& you make your own choice. You can either be a Homer Simpson-like couch potato, zapping on your TV remote control, or& we can all start getting a grip on this whole disaster - no matter where each of us is - and start doing something about it&. Whatever we do, we had better start doing it fast! Global Research.ca

Flu Pandemic?

The WHO has raised the alert regarding the H1N1 flu to the highest level -6, and I think that most of us probably saw this coming. What this means, they say, is that the flu is spreading rapidly and has reached pandemic proportions. It is expected to affect one third of the population in the early stages, with recurring outbreaks over the next several months. I find this whole thing to be scary(especially since I am just getting over probably the worst cold I've ever had in my life). Some people in my area have resorted to wearing surgical-type face masks. On the news a couple of days ago there was a concerned mother who had rushed to her daughter's school after learning that a student there had been diagnosed with this flu. She took her daughter a face mask, which I'm pretty sure might have embarrassed the girl if she was to be the only student wearing one. Do you think that measures like this should be taken to prevent the spread of the flu? I think that I might have had some kind of flu because it seemed to be much more than an ordinary cold.

Navy adapts laser cannons to chat with stealth subs [SciencePunk]

Talking to submarines is a very a tricky business - most communication systems are based on radio or acoustic signals, but neither travel very far in water. This means that to pick up radio signals, submarines must surface or raise communication buoys very close to the surface, neither of which are appropriate for nuclear-powered stealth submarines that remain deep underwater for months at a time. Radio operators can overcome the problem of poor signal penetration by using giant arrays broadcasting in extremely-low frequency ranges, but these are expensive, difficult to build, and massively energy-intensive. The Russian ZEVS system operates at 82Hz, corresponding to a wavelength of 3658.5km - more than half the radius of Earth! Normally signals are transmitted using an aerial corresponding to half the wavelength of the signal, but in the case of ELF systems, such an aerial would stretch from New York to Omaha. Instead, a site with extremely low ground conductivity is found and two electrodes sunk into the ground, some 60km apart, in effect using Earth as part of the aerial. Then a dedicated power station must be built to supply the array. The result - signal that can broadcast just a few characters per minute at several watts, heard the world over. The system is so expensive and impractical that only two countries have ever built ELF arrays - the Soviet Union and the United States of America. However, physicists at the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington are proposing a relatively cheap and portable alternative: laser cannons. A team led by Dr Ted Jones used flashes of intense laser light to superheat small packets of water. The resulting steam explosion generated a 210 decibel acoustic pulse - louder than a jet taking off at 25ft. The researchers hope to develop the laser cannon to encode information in the acoustic signal. Because the laser can travel hundreds of metres through clear air, the technology could be mounted on aircraft to talk to submarines below the surface. By studying the reflected sounds of the steam explosion, the technology could also be used by ships and submarines to gather information on underwater environments, from detecting mines to mapping the seabed. Jones will present the research later this month at the 157th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in Portland, Oregon. All of which leaves only one problem with both the ELF and laser communication systems: although the Navy can chat to their submarines, the submarines can't talk back. Any bright ideas, SciencePunk readers? Read the comments on this post...

Two Dogs, New Carpet

Hmmm. We've already torn around the house like a small tornado for the past two hours, bonked heavily into the coffee table fourteen times, permanently scared both Cats into the basement, pawed at the back door four seconds after being Let Out, tripped The Lady at every step and knocked over her tripod, fought over who gets to go first (repeatedly) up and down the stairs, and gone mental with jealousy every time one or the other Gets Petted, making it basically impossible for either of us to Get Petted at all. What should we do now? I know. I'll impress My Friend with My Rollover. Whaddya think? How awesome am I?!!!!? PRETTY AWESOME!!!!! Hey, her eyes are closed! She wasn't even watching!

Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear

c Waterloo Public Library 2007The fourth in the Maisie Dobbs series, Messenger of Truth is another chance to immerse yourself in the world of England in the early 1930s. Maisie Dobbs is an unusual young woman who served as a nurse in the Great War, was injured in an explosion at the field hospital where she assisted her lover in surgery, and now conducts confidential investigations for clients out of her London office. The story begins when a talented artist falls to his death; Nicholas Bassington-Hope was in the process of setting up an exhibition and while the death is declared an accident, his twin sister believes it is murder. Maisie gets the case and soon finds herself dealing with memories of the Great War, as she discovers that the source of inspiration for Nicholas was the war itself, since he had served as a war artist. Winspear's vivid descriptions of the pieces on exhibit, with their depiction of the mud, blood and destruction of the battlefield, serve to remind the reader again of the horrors of war.Throughout the book, Maisie endeavors to discover the truth, not only about the death of the artist, but also about his artwork, his family, and his circle of friends. There is a haunting quote at the beginning of the book; it was written by a man who served as an official artist in the Great War. It was his job to record what he saw. "I am no longer an artist interested and anxious. I am a messenger who will bring back word from the men who are fighting to those who want the war to go on forever. Feeble, inarticulate, will be my message, but it will have a bitter truth, and may it burn in their lousy souls." (Paul Nash, Artist. 1899-1946)Many of the characters found in the other books appear here, including Lady Rowan, who was Maisie's first benefactor and who is now a friend; Maisie's father, Frankie; her loyal assistant, Billy Beale and his family; and Inspector Stratton, a local police officer. Winspear's work is richly descriptive with wonderfully crafted characters, dialogue and action. This is not a quick, easy read; however, it is enormously satisfying to watch Maisie unravel the mystery and to feel her sense of engagement with the task. I cannot think of another series that is so steeped in historical research and yet so entertaining. You can find Messenger of Truth in the Adult Fiction area at the Waterloo Public Library.

You Say "Fate", I Say "Magical Ability"

People are blessed (or cursed) with many different abilities. Some are very talented with their hands, while others seem to be able to understand physics. Some people can sing beautifully and other people take lovely photographs. I too have a magical ability. My special skill is the ability to attract law enforcement officials ANY time I am driving my car.Part of this ability stems from my apparent aversion to paying my registration on time. I'm really not sure what that's about. I pay other things on time, most of them monthly. But this yearly forking over of the dollars to the State Of California seems to bring out my obstinate side.Side note - since taking pictures of law enforcement officials when they are dispensing tickets is a bit of a faux pas, please allow me to entertain you with other pictures throughout this tale.The Kitty Bed War ContinuesHowever, I have hit an all time record this year. I have been pulled over not once, not twice, but three times. And the year isn't over yet. In January I was pulled over for expired tags. Did this prompt me to run out the next day and pay my registration? No, it did not. I waited until March. Then in July, I achieved my all time personal best. Pulled over IN FRONT OF MY APARTMENT for expired tags, expired driver's license AND no proof of insurance. A veritable misdemeanor trifecta! Actually my license wasn't really expired. It was suspended! Yeah, April, you go girl! Why was my license suspended? Unresolved tickets for expired tags from 2004 and 2007. Can you see a pattern here?The Fish - They're Still Alive!This necessitated a trip to Traffic Court. That was fun, I kinda felt like I was on Law & Order. Well once that was done I went back to the DMV to get my driver's license reinstated and to get my registration current. SURPRISE!!! Two unresolved tickets for expired tags from 2003! I certainly wish that the DMV would get a little more current with their data entry.For Pete's Sake, Enough With The Granny Squares!So back to Traffic Court I went. Of course I had to wait until they went through everyone else because I was a "repeat offender" and was actually two cases in one. And as I was leaving the court room, the Court Deputy smiled at me and said, "Hey! Don't be a stranger!" Right. So after all of this, I figured I was done for the year. I mean, really, don't you agree that I've spent enough time in Traffic Court, talked to enough people at the DMV and been pulled over enough times to finally catch a break? No.As I was driving home tonight, NOT TWO BLOCKS FROM MY HOME, there were those old familiar red lights in my rear view mirror. A warning notice. Rear tail light out and no proof of insurance. Am I good or what?

Singstar Amped

Forget Singstar Hottest Hits. I've had some more time to consider the track list and it's still underwhleming. Not so for Singstar Amped. Spotted when I went to pick up Star Wars: The Force Unleashed last night, Amped has some tracks that'll really test your lung capacity & ability to hold a note: 1. 4 Non Blondes - What's Up2. Blink 182 - I Miss You3. Blue Oyster Cult - Don't Fear The Reaer4. Cheap Trick - I Want You To Want Me5. Choirboys - Run To Paradise6. David Bowie - Changes7. Divynls - Boys In Town8. Faith No More - Evidence9. Faker - This Heart Attack10. Fallout Boy - This Ain't A Scene.. It's An Arms Race11. Free - All Right Now12. Grinspoon - Chemical Heart13. Iggy Pop - Real Wild Child14. Judas Priest - Breaking The Law15. Judas Priest - You've Got Another Thing Comin'16. Kasabian - Lsf17. Mighty Mighty Bosstones - The Impression That I Get18. Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noise19. Regurgitator - Black Bugs20. Robert Palmer - Addicted To Love21. Silverchair - The Greatest View22. Skunk Anansie - Weak As I Am23. Soul Asylum - Runaway Train24. Spiderbait - Blackbetty25. The Cure - Primary26. The Saints - I'm Stranded27. The Subways - Rock & Roll Queen28. Tonic - If You Could Only See29. T-rex - 20Th Century Boy30. Warrant - Cherry PieFun times.

Edmonton Oilers Team Report

General manager Steve Tambellini says the hunt for a new head coach to replace Craig MacTavish, who was fired at season's end, won't bear fruit anytime soon. He plans an exhaustive search that won't be fully complete until the playoffs are over. "I'd say we're in the early stages of it," Tambellini said of the search. "We talked as a group about some of the things we're looking for, and now we need to go through the process. "We'll have a coach in place when we get the right guy. Unfortunately, we have a few months to watch hockey here and to think about potential people and people that become available. "When we're confident that we've got the right guy in mind, we'll act. If it happens soon, great. If not, we'll take our time." The Oilers are looking for a coach who favors an attacking offensive system. "My preference is I'd rather have a team that's more to the aggressive side than sit back," said Tambellini. "The best teams are the most proactive in transition, being aggressive at the right time. It's an aggressive mindset they have." SEASON HIGHLIGHT: Hard to find one in a season this disappointing, but the play of netminder Dwayne Roloson tops the short list. At 39 years of age, he played 36 games in a row down the stretch and was Edmonton's most valuable player. TURNING POINT: The Oilers were in seventh place with a few points of breathing room with three weeks left in the season. A 2-7 swoon later they were out of the playoffs. Simply put, they choked when the pressure was on.NOTES, QUOTESAssistant coaches Charlie Huddy, Bill Moores and Kelly Buchberger are waiting in limbo to see if they'll still be with the team when the new coach arrives. GM Steve Tambellini says he'll leave that decision to whomever he hires. It's believed that a new coach will want to bring in his own assistants, people he's comfortable with, but management isn't making any moves with the current assistants until then.Jaromir Jagr has one year left on his contract in Russia, but the 37-year-old says that if he ever did return to the NHL the Oilers would be his first choice. "I was pretty excited when I heard that Edmonton pushed pretty hard for me to get (there)," Jagr said recently at the IIHF World Hockey Championship. "I really appreciate it. "If I ever go to (the NHL), they would be my No. 1 pick because they showed the interest first. I never forget that and I respect that. They would be my first pick."QUOTE TO NOTE: "I don't think anybody is terribly surprised. We knew changes had to be made throughout the organization and I think this is the first one. We (the players) are the first people to realize that, and we have to take responsibility. We have to get better in a lot of areas, and it starts with the players. Now we're looking forward to accepting that challenge and that responsibility." Oilers captain Ethan Moreau.ROSTER REPORT MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Dwayne Roloson was the team's runaway best player this season. Without him in goal, the Oilers would have been out of playoff contention by February. MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: Shawn Horcoff didn't deliver as much as a first-line center should. FREE AGENT FOCUS: G Dwayne Roloson is unrestricted this summer and the Oilers will offer him a one-year deal, but Roloson is looking for something longer say, three years. It remains to be seen if they can meet in the middle. Ales Kotalik has showed great chemistry with Ales Hemsky and will be in Edmonton's plans if it doesn't think it can hit a home run in free agency on July 1. PLAYER NEWS:G Dwayne Roloson and RW Ales Kotalik, both unrestricted free agents, are at the World Hockey Championships and won't begin negotiations with the Oilers until the tournament is over. Edmonton would like both players back; it's just a matter of term and money. "I spoke to Rolie and Ales and we all agreed to let them finish the World Championships and talk to their families and see where they stand," said GM Steve Tambellini.C Shawn Horcoff will begin his offseason training program shortly, and he'll have to work as hard as he ever has before to live up to a contract that peaks at $7 million. Fans were all over him this year at $3.6 million, suggesting he wasn't pulling his weight as a first-line center. He'll be in a hornets' nest next season if he starts as slowly as he did this year.RW Ales Hemsky says he'll have a lot of soul-searching to do in the offseason after stalling down the stretch, when the Oilers needed him most. He played his worst hockey of the season in late March and early April as Edmonton missed the playoffs for the third straight year. "I think I did everything that I could. I just wasn't happy with my last month," Hemsky said. "Up to then, I thought I was playing well, I was feeling good. Maybe I got tired or something. I don't know what happened. It's a tough question to answer." MEDICAL WATCH: No Oilers are scheduled for offseason surgery

To Charity and to Holy Bathing

After the retreat, McLeod Ganj looked empty. The tourist high season had passed, and the mountain air was growing crispy and cold. I was the only customer in my guest house, and the restaurants were empty. Even JJI Café lacked the buzz it once had. It was time to move on. One month had passed since I walked up this mountain for the first time, and tomorrow I would take a bus at 5 AM to my next destination, the Sikh holy city of Amritsar. The bus peeled down the mountainside in the darkness, picking people up at random places, and even stopping for a much-needed chai break. A one-legged man sat next to me, practically on my lap. I tried to sleep, but as the bus rumbled, leaned, and chugged its way down I resigned myself to staring blankly out the window. It is commonly said that to leave Dharamsala is to go out into India again. By the time we reached Pathankot, India was staring me in the face, with all its choking traffic, determined beggars, curious eyes, sights and god-awful smells. It took only a few hours and one spontaneous change of bus tires to reach Amritsar. When the bus turned the corner onto Amritsars main street, a bunch of touts boarded the bus at the corner and surrounded me and the two British fellows behind me. They babbled at us furiously about guest houses, rickshaws, taxis, crowding each other out as they competed for our attention. They were so close I couldnt even stand up. I looked behind me and the Brits were completely blockaded. There must have been fifteen of them. The bus pulled into the station and we shoved our way off. They didnt let up. One was missing an arm, another had a huge goiter sticking out of his neck. They followed us as we got our bags, and kept at it as we walked through the parking lot to the rickshaw stand. One of them got to haggling with the Brits, who finally gave an exasperated OK to the offer. The pack scattered instantly, and every one of the touts disappeared as quickly as they arrived. (Theres a good India tourist trick for you.) Amritsar is the home of the Golden Temple, one of the must-see sites in India. You can eat and sleep there for free, chat up the friendly Sikhs who make the pilgrimage from all over the world, bathe in the holy waters, and thoroughly enjoy yourself. The adjoining Sikh martyr museum is a bit, well, horrifying, full of paintings (and a few photos) of slaughter and death, bodies being sawn in half, etc., so if you want to leave your fine impression of the Sikhs tremendous hospitality unspoiled, Id recommend skipping that part. We also partook in one of the stranger rituals Ive seen, the famous India-Pakistan border closing ceremony in nearby Attari. At the sole land crossing between the two nations sits a kind of stadium where spectators from both sides can watch Indian and Pakistani soldiers stomp, march, kick, and growl at each other, all in the name of nationalism. The ceremony ensures the national flags on either side of the border are lowered at days end at the exact same time, and at the exact same pace. Presumably the temptation to keep ones flag higher than the other sides is how the ceremony arose in the first place. This elaborate spectacle takes place daily, and is followed by a handshake between spectators on either side. I stampeded my way to the front of the line and stuck my hand into Pakistan, but nobody grabbed it. We also visited a strange Hindu temple that was more like an amusement park. It was full of teenagers, and no parents. Touring the temple involved climbing, crawling, trudging through knee-high water, and entering ominous passages shaped like lion and snake mouths. A couple of garrulous kids followed us around to practice their English. We were certain they would beg us at the end, but they just left with a simple goodbye English people! My tolerance for Punjabi hospitality has its limits, though. Shortly before leaving Amritsar on the train to Delhi, while I was looking in a shop, a transvestite, the first Id seen in India, wearing a sari and a healthy five-oclock shadow, tapped me on the shoulder, muttered a few sweet nothings, and then began caressing my face. With his left hand.

A professed statement from the fire bombed Islamic centre

Taken from comments sectionFIRST AND FOREMOST, THE IDIOTS WHO PROTESTED AGAINST THE RETURNING SOLDIERS DO NOT PRAY AT THE RECENTLY BOMBED ISLAMIC CENTRE.HOW DO I KNOW THIS . BECAUSE I PRAY AT THE ISLAMIC CENTRE AND I KNOW 100% THAT THESE 20 EXTREMISTS WHO PROTESTED ARE BANNED FROM OUR MASJID.SO PLEASE DO NOT PUT US ALL IN THE SAME BASKET.IF YOU MR LIONHEART WANT TO INFORM ANY OF YOUR MATES WHERE THEY REALLY DO HANG OUT I WILL GLADLY TELL YOU.THEY HAVE A ROOM UPSTAIRS OF THE RESTERAUNT CALLED KARAHI CENTRE.THEY PRAY FRIDAY PRAYERS AT FARLY HILL WITH THE TURKSSATURDAYS THEY HAVE A PLACE UP IN BEDFORD, WHICH I WILL TRY TO FIND OUT WHERE.SO WHICHEVER IDIOTS BOMBED THE ISLAMIC CENTRE, YOU HAVE THE WRONG PLACE BECAUSE AGAIN SAYFUL AND HIS CRONIES DO NOT PRAY HERE AND ARE BANNED FROM HERE. WE HATE THEM THEM 20 FOOLS AS MUCH AS YOU DO.SO GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT............................................If this really is those from within the recently fire bombed Islamic cultural centre, and they really do mean what they say then you have to respect them for it.But!!!This to me, is the only proof they mean what they say, and that is to give the police all of the intricate details needed to have these recruiters to the militant cause of Islam within Luton, to the security services so they can be removed from the streets, or of any other planned Al Qaeda attack.Places where they pray is common knowledge to the local Islamic community and security services.What they actually do, which would mean they should be locked away from society for a very long time, is a different matter.A Question: Are all professed forms of Jihad, exactly as conducted by Mohamed himself, acceptable to the ideology within your Mosque, or have you removed his conquering Jihad to live in Christian England, and thus become Apostates of Islam?What is your take on this?Koran 5:51Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians for your friends. They are friends with one another. Whoever of you seeks their friendship shall become one of their number. Allah does not guide the wrong-doers.Koran 9:29 Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Books (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.Further reading: Islamic peaceYou either remove the conquering Jihad from your belief system, or at the core you are the same as Sayful Islam, but just have a different way of going about it.Same goal, just a different direction in getting there.You know you can never reform Islam because of the 'enforced dogma' over Jihad and your ultimate goal that is written down in your books, the same as Christians we have our ultimate goal that is written down in our Holy Book.Completely separate understandings of reality, the world around us, and the path into eternal life for the human soul, and only one belief can be right.If you are a peaceful, life loving person then Jesus' spiritual life is the example you should follow, so take a read of his life, but read it removed from the Islamic belief that because Islam came after Christianity it must be right. Anyone can come after someone else and copy something, and make people believe it is the real thing, it is called counterfi. But if you are a dark human being then you will follow Mohamed because you will believe and accept his madness, whilst living as a man used by dark forces in the 7th century.Look at his life, he was a blood thirsty warmonger who chopped off several hundred heads in a day, conquered lands, and married a child when she was 6 and had sex with her when she was 9.How can any human want to follow this mans example in the 21st Century?Moslems are already living like this in their communities in our country, and the Islamification process is well underway for Moslems to live the way Moslems are supposed to live, which is from a position of supremacy over the infidel, with us all living as Dhimmi's. The subversive take over of our National infastructure is happening now, so what will it be like for our children and grandchildren in 50 years from now if this is all happening now?Watch this video: Moslem Labour MP - A future Moslem Parliment and PMPeople need to wake up to this reality that is now in their midst, most do not have a clue as to the type of people they have living side by the side of them. Ones who want to take their country over and enforce Sharia law upon the population.Watch a few of these videos which should give you a glimpse: Glen JenveyI await with eager anticipation, a response from the author of the statement.

Missing link found, was mislabeled

Revising this FAQ to address linking in posts like this. Lots of MeFi posts contain multiple links. For me, the best such posts distinguish the multiple hyperlinks via anchor text that describes something distinctive about each link (so, in the example provided, one link would show Danielle "playing," another "singing", etc.) -- or, if they are all of the same kind, simply describe the multiple links generically and provide links via a "1, 2, 3" format with hyperlinks at the end. For example, in this popular post, inconsequentialist provides links to videos that do, in fact, have to do with Obama "himself" and his "administration" (good linking), but the association between "few" and "jabs" and the particular linked videos is less robust. I'm sure there are better examples. Sometimes hovering the cursor tells the story, but often not, and it would be nice (in my view) to deter folks from arbitrarily associating links with words in the description. Might it be better to suggest something like "If you hyperlink to multiple sources, try to do so in a way tells the reader how the sources are different from one another, or if they are all examples of the same thing, simply use a "1, 2, 3, etc." format." Apologies for terminological errors, but you get the drift of the suggestion -- just thought I would throw it out there.

Fat ,too fat!

Napolitano targets conservatives in further suppression of dissent.

Roger Hedgecock broke a story of enormous significance earlier today. The Obama Administration issued a Homeland Security report that warned of the threat from those conservatives groups opposed to homosexual marriage, abortion, firearm restrictions or illegal immigration, and, of course, the obvious danger to America posed by our returning war veterans, who the previous administration viewed as war heros.Coupled with last month’s DHS warning that supporters of Ron Paul, or other conservative or libertarian third parties are suspicious and pose a risk to the government of the United States, the chilling comparison of the Labor/Socialist/Democrat agenda with totalitarian regimes of the past are becoming more clearly evident, and much sooner, than we feared.Strangely enough, the Obama security team appears unconcerned with the rioters/protesters who threatened the Republican National Convention last summer in Minneapolis (which only those watching Fox News or attending actually saw because of the media blackout of anything that could possibly harm the Obama campaign) or those persons with histories of actually bombing institutions of American government (the President’s close friend William Ayres) or those who have travelled to enemy nations (countries whose governments gin up rallies where thousands shriek “death to America” etc… and support or have supported anti-American terror like Saddam’s Iraq, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela) or just plain advocate the justice of anti-American terror efforts.Does anyone remember something from a history class about governments that gain control of the means of production and conditions employment on support of government policy; use law enforcement to intimidate dissent; gain control of the media to prevent dissenting speech; and, identify and demonize large segments of the traditional population as enemies of the state? We have a mental image and we'll bet you do to.

Opening cabin windows

Well, here is my latest collage. While trying to think of an interesting title, I thought of the people who would be driving up north this weekend to open their cabin windows. They will be raking, and making beds and turning on the water and generally getting ready for their times of "getting away from it all" this summer. This time I decided to try to transfer my calligraphy to fabric rather than using paper in the piece. I think they transferred really well. I feel a beginning of some real experiments that will take me places this summer........ Well, I got this far and realized that I forgot to take pictures while in process. So here ya go. At this point I have sewn together randomly odd pieces of fabric. I try for balance, and have learned to just go with it, because you can always layer to bring the balance back if it gets upset. I wanted this tree to be more than an applique so I handpainted a background, even running the paint out of the bounds I created earlier. I added the dimension of the embroidered grass and sky. I have a feeling as I do more, it will get more elaborate, because you get braver...... Here it is in the frame. I layed a red canoe in the bottom right corner, but I didn't put it in because I thought it could hold its own the way it was. It didn't look bad with the canoe, I just didn't want to be so repetitive in my work. What do you think? I started a Boy Scout piece that will be the same technique, but really, different. After a couple of days, I will post those pictures. I have a show in Madison tomorrow. It will be my first out door show. I feel unprepared...........I will let you know how it goes.

Do you mind how people gonna look at you?

So, people are judgmental mostly. They judge you base on what you wear. If you wear tacky clothes, you are not trendy, and you are not clean. If you look different from other people, you are outcast. If you are a little into book, you are a nerd. So, do you care what other people think of you?

You got your own style, your own life, and you just be yourself. Right!?

Afghanistan and Pakistan: More troops and money

But the same old problemsTHE opening move of Barack Obamas campaign against the Taliban and al-Qaeda was as successful as he could have wished. Just days after he unveiled a new policy to deal with extremists on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, nearly 90 countries and international bodies gathered in The Hague to support him. Delegates hailed the renewed, rejuvenated or re-energised American effort after seven years of ever more costly and dispiriting fighting. The most closely watched participant was Iran, the object of American courtship. It announced that, despite its dislike of the ineffective foreign forces in Afghanistan, it was fully prepared to help fight drugs-trafficking and rebuild Afghanistan. And Russia, with whom America wants to reset testy relations, said it could do more after allowing America to send non-military supplies to Afghanistan through its territory (France and Germany can send military kit). ...

Do Recessions Sometimes Encourage Creative Destruction?

Source of image: online version of the NYT article quoted and cited below. (p. B1) The dot-com bust earlier in the decade dragged down high-fliers like Sun Microsystems and America Online but set the stage for a new generation of Web powerhouses like Google and other innovative Internet software companies like Salesforce.com, founded on disrupting the status quo. The recession of the early 1990s sent I.B.M., then the dominant force in technology, into a five-year tailspin. But it also propelled Microsoft and Compaq, later acquired by Hewlett-Packard, and Dell to the forefront of computing. Indeed, Silicon Valley may be one of the few places where businesses are still aware of the ideas of Joseph Schumpeter, an Austrian economist who wrote about business cycles during the first half of the last century. He said the lifeblood of capitalism was "creative destruction." Companies rising and falling would unleash innovation and in (p. B4) the end make the economy stronger. Recessions "can cause people to think more about the effective use of their assets," said Craig R. Barrett, the retiring chairman of Intel, who has seen 10 such downturns in his long career. "In the good times, you can get a bit careless or not focused as much on efficiency. In bad times, you're forced to see if there is a technology" that will help. So who's up, who's down and who's out this time around? Microsoft's valuable Windows franchise appears vulnerable after two decades of dominance. Revenue for the company's Windows operating system fell for the first time in history in the last quarter of 2008. The popularity of Linux, a free operating system installed on many netbooks instead of Windows, forced Microsoft to lower the prices on its operating system to compete. Intel's high-power processors are also under assault: revenue tumbled by 23 percent last quarter, marking the steepest decline since 1985. Meanwhile, more experimental but lower-cost technologies like netbooks, Internet-based software services (called cloud computing) and virtualization, which lets companies run more software on each physical server, are on the rise. For the full story, see: BRAD STONE and ASHLEE VANCE. "$200 Laptops Break a Business Model." The New York Times (Mon., January 25, 2009): B1 & B4.

MINI HIDEN Camera

For mum

It seems not for the young,but mum!

If I found this one,I'll buy for my mum!~

How do you think?Advice?THX!~

California

Its economy is dismal, its politicians worse. But nowhere can reinvent itself so capably as CaliforniaPITY California. Not only must it endure an epidemic of foreclosure, a 10.5% unemployment rate and the lowest bond rating of any state. It is also suffering a critical assault. In the past few weeks Forbes, Fortune, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal have all published scathing reviews of California. Even this newspaper has called it ungovernable. Although many other states have been knocked by the recession, none has been kicked so enthusiastically while down. The most trenchant critic is Joel Kotkin, an urbanist at Chapman University. Mr Kotkin, who defended California during the early 1990s recession, now believes it is decaying. In his view, the state has been captured by environmentalists and slow-growth zealots who are stymieing house-building and running down dirty industries like agriculture and manufacturing. They are turning California from a place of working- and middle-class opportunity into a playground for the rich and a trap for the poor.

Not So Cool

This week was way harder than I expected.But, at times like this, I always say: "God its good to be an Irish Catholic chick"I have consulted every possible rule book. And have come to this conclusion: There are NO rules to govern the event that your ex-husband - the father of your one joint and only child - dies. Prematurely, at the age of 47, no less.I wish there was a rule book. Perhaps I will write one.So my son's father died.. He had cancer. For three months. That sucks.The Boy phoned me. "He's gone," he said."Oh, Boy, I am so sorry," I said. Or something like that. We knew it was coming, but when it comes, well, that's a different thing.That boy loved that man..That afternoon, The Boy played basketball. He's a star at that sport. So he went to the funeral home in the morning, picked out the appropriate things, and then he played ball.. I couldn't do that. Play a sport the day my dad died. But he did, he wanted to, and he was, of course, the second highest scorer in the game. For his Dad.We went, of course.I was very nervous about the wake.I mean, what does one DO in this situation?So I walked in.. And they had put up this lovely bulletin board of photographs. Of him, as a child, as a teen, and as a Dad.It killed me, that bulletin board. There he was, in our first apartment, holding our little baby up in the air. So happy! There he was, on that ugly couch that someone had given us, sleeping with our little baby boy. So content.There he was, on our wedding day, no less, smiling a monster smile into the camera. It killed me.I went through the line-up. The Boy was stylin. He had bought a $700 suit to send his Good Daddy off.I was scared to see the family. Would they hate me? After all, I had divorced him. . .They didn't hate me.His sister, who was my best friend (we were so young) came out, special, to have a hug, and a cry with me. His brothers and sisters, well, we cried. . .The next day, was the funeral.I didn't bring enough kleenex.. I thought I had enough. My husband made sure I packed my purse. But tuns out, I needed more.As a certified Irish Roman Catholic, and my ex-husband being the same, I will say this: it was beautiful.The priest actually talked about him, and normally at Catholic funerals they don't even mention the name of the dead. Just ask any Catholic you know....The saddest thing, yet the nicest thing:: the priest chose as the Gospel John 14.2:There are many rooms in my Father's house. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going away to prepare a place for you?When I heard him say that, it killed me. Because I could see him, up there, renovating those rooms. Because he was a carpenter, a meticulous carpenter. A master carpenter.And then the priest gave a sermon. And in that sermon, he weaved, somehow, that Gospel, about many rooms in My Father's House, And The Man, and The Boy.And the priest got in everthing that is true about him: A fabulous father (especially that), a fine, upstanding man, a master craftsman.It killed me. It did.Afterwards, being Good Irish Catholics, we went to the house.For a send-off party.His sister had brought home photographs.. Of us. As kids (we were kids). So happy! Not a care in the world!It killed me.There were a bunch of pictures of him and me. But there are two, in particular, that I love. I forgot they existed, but Good God tnow that I see them, that is the way I will remember him. Remember us.Rest in Peace.You were a good man.

Redefine Marriage

Call me old fashioned, but in my opinion the states are messing with the family unit too much when they started redefining marriage. However, since the federal government failed to define marriage by law, it has obviously come under the category of "states rights." In some states two men or two woman can be married to each other by law, whereas it was illegal in the past. Why not carry the trend a bit further than it is going now? How about bigamy. Lots of people would like to have more than one wife legally, or possibly even more than one husband. Why couldn't a state legalize bigamy? Or, how about moving legal marrying age to age 12 or 13. As long as we're redefining marriage, why not? Here's an even more interesting idea. How about letting each family write their own marraige contract expressing what kind of marraige they want their family to have, and registering it with the state, and then do what they want for their family. Potentially, anyone of legal age could make up their own definition of marriage, register it with the state and go live in marital bliss. I think messing with the institution of marraige and the family is a recipe for disaster in our society. What do you think?

Are Zac and Miley Movie Stars?

Strictly as an outside observer, I'm always surprised / perplexed by teen sensations making the leap to the big screen. The latest examples are Miley Cyrus and Zac Efron. Are they really movie stars already? Or are they beloved by millions simply because of the character(s) they've played? When Cinematical's Dawn Taylor recently expressed her horror at the idea that Cyrus, a "marginally talented, pudding-faced 'tween idol," would be starring in a movie written by Nicholas Sparks, commenters were divided between hating Miley and hating Dawn. Nick Schager's review of Hannah Montana: The Movie was quite negative ("enduring the film is akin to being drawn and quartered"), but fans had clearly already decided to flock to theaters no matter what the reviews said. The narrative follow-up to the 3-D Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour proves, if nothing else, that 'tweens love Hannah Montana. But do they love the actress who plays her enough to follow her in other roles? Efron has been making an effort to demonstrate his range beyond the High School Musical movies. He took on a dramatic role in Richard Linklater's yet to be released Me and Orson Welles, decided not to dance in Footloose, and stars in the comedy 17 Again, which opens on Friday. Is he a deft comic actor? I don't know. I missed Saturday Night Live, which he hosted last weekend, and the recent Pool Party video was not very funny. He became beloved for his singing, dancing, and romancing, but will his fans follow him to comedic and dramatic roles? Do Zac Efron and/or Miley Cyrus have what it takes to be movie stars? Take our poll and let us know.