Kenya parke graffi

Mario-Style Mini Mushroom USB Massager

Its hard not to think of the classic Super Mario 1-Up mushroom when you see gadgets like last years mini vacuum cleaner or this brand new mini USB massager.
Shoulders or body parts feel tired due to always working with computer? Dont worry. Mini Mushroom USB Massager will help to get rid of your tired and stress.
Product Specifications
Mini mushroom design
Massage your tired body parts
Helps to release stress and get rid of the tired
On / Off knob
Powered by USB
Or powered by 3pcs AA batteries (Not included)
Size: 85*85*70mm
Weight: 110g
The Mini Mushroom USB Massager is available Cherry red, Pink, Purple, Blue or Green and the product is yours for $14 from the gadget4all.com website.

A four-part series to make your life easy.

Well, parts of it at least.Over the years I have come up with hundreds of amazingly clever and practical systems to help make life easier in the Garrett household. I have invented a system to solve just about every problem, from keeping track of chronically misplaced keys and cell phones to wrangling shoes in the living room. There has only been one minor problem with these systems though. Most of them have failed miserably. Especially the misplaced key ones...There have, however, been four systems to date that have withstood the test of time (and more importantly, the test of incredibly system-resistant children & organizationally challenged parents). I would like to share these systems with you in a four part series with amazing picto-tutorials and helpful tips to make these ideas your own. (I'd give them to you all at once but this is good material!) Part One:Now, I don't know how things happen in the bathrooms at your house. Maybe you have girl children who don't use up all the toilet paper, fail to flush and then leave damp hand towels everywhere imaginable except for hanging on the towel bar. But I do not. Most days our bathrooms look like an interpretive Dali installation. In all honesty, I am just thankful that my boys actually wash their hands. But the hand towel thing...I mean seriously. Is it that hard to hang up a towel? (The answer is yes, it is.) So after giving up on yelling at err, reminding the boys to hang up their towels, this is what I came up with: Carabiner Hand Towels. *Poof* No more hand towels everywhere. Just like that.What you will need for this project: Two to three hand towels per child (and/or adult if necessary) Technically you can get away with one each but not if you do laundry like I do. I actually use bar towels that I buy in bulk at Costco because they are the perfect size and I can bleach them when colds & flus strike. One large carabiner per child (and/or adult if necessary, in a different color for each). Make sure it is large enough and of the right shape to fit over your towel bar. (See variations below if your towel bars are unusually large.) An extra large grommet kit Scissors, a hammer and a good solid surface Pliers are optional but recommended Follow the instructions on your grommet kit and install a grommet in one corner of each towel. Make sure that the surface you are hammering on is SOLID. I also hold the grommet setter with pliers instead of my hand so I can pound with abandon. Learned that the hard way... Once your grommets are set, slip the carabiner on, lock it onto your towel bar and Bob's your uncle! Genius.Some variations of this idea include assigning a different color hand towel to each child, embroidering initials or adding different colors of rick rack or ribbon trim to the towel (in the same color as the carabeener even!), using miscellaneous golf towels with the grommets already installed, using eyelet hooks instead of a towel bar, using loose leaf rings or shower curtain rings in place of the carabiners (which will work well if your towel bars are large), and on and on. So have at it. I'd love to see what y'all come up with if you do this!

Israel warships pass through Suez

The Israeli navy is reported to be "sending a message" to Iran
Two Israeli warships have sailed through the Suez Canal between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, Israeli and Egyptian officials say.

Kwik Hits

Look! Glorious randomness, short-attention-span style! As The Politico notes, The FBI has embraces teh Twitter; From the so-not-a-good-idea department: A glass-bottomed observation deck for the Sears Tower. Yep, all thatll be between you and the sidewalk is over a thousand feet and an inch and a half of glass. Who brought a spring-loaded window punch? The whole kill-yourself-with-drain cleaner-gases suicide trend seems to have migrated to England. Happy happy, joy joy. The headline says it all: Plane crash-lands on toilets; Dont take my word for it; Copyediters reely do mattur. Copyright

Nigeria rebels claim Lagos attack

Militant action has severely cut Nigeria's oil output Nigeria's most prominent rebel group says it has carried out an "unprecedented attack" on an oil tanker facility in Lagos state.

BREWERS CONTINUE TO OWN PIRATES

While most of Pittsburgh was busy watching Crosby-Ovechkin II, the Pirates quietly lost their 16th in a row to the Milwaukee Brewers by a count of 7-4, falling below .500 for the first time since they were 4-5 on April 16. That's six losses in seven games for the quickly-fading Buccos.After seven-plus innings of Paul Maholm, who struck out seven and allowed just two runs, the buck stopped at the Pirate bullpen, which surrendered five runs in the final inning and two-thirds. Pirate-killer Ryan Braun rallied the troops with a pinch-hit double in the 8th, driving in two, and Rickie Weeks' three-run ding-dong in the ninth sent the Pirates to the loss column.On the plus side, at least the Pirates managed seven hits and three runs off of the Brewers' Yovani Gallardo, who shut them out last week. Nate McLouth had three hits, Freddy Sanchez hit two more doubles (giving him a league-leading 12) and Adam LaRoche hit his sixth homer, but it simply was not enough.Also worth mentioning: paid attendance (also known as tickets sold) was a mere 8,482. Bad weather, kids still in school, Penguin playoff game...the excuses are plentiful this time of year.The two-game series wraps up Tuesday night at PNC. Ian Snell (3.72, 1-3) starts opposite former Bucco Jeff Suppan (5.88, 1-2).Brewers 7, Pirates 4 [ESPN]Send your news, tips, and links to Mondesishouse@gmail.com.

Sears Tower F103.

Bomb hits Philippine church-goers

A bomb blast outside a Roman Catholic cathedral in the southern Philippines has killed five people and injured at least 26 others, officials say.

The LLVLC Show #238: Lyle McDonald From 'Body Recomposition'

Physiologist Lyle McDonald applies a low-carb approach to fat lossAlthough I attempt to bring on quite an eclectic lineup of interview guests on my podcast show each week, sometimes my listeners will send me their suggestions about who they would like to hear from. Rest assured I am doing my best to get anyone and everyone in the world of low-carb diet, fitness and health on my show...and even a few who DON'T necessarily adhere to the low-carb principles. All in all, it expands our breadth of knowledge about why we are eating and living the way we do. Today's podcast guest is on of the most highly-requested guests I have received to date.In Episode 238 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," we are excited to share an interview with Lyle McDonald from "Body Recomposition" who is heavily into the subjects of exercise, ketogenic low-carb diets, fat loss, and muscle growth. He's been quite a prolific author of a series of books that outline the many hours of research he has invested into these topics that matter the most to him. One thing you'll immediately notice about Lyle is his obvious passion and enthusiasm for whatever he is talking about. This interview is chock full of over an hour of juicy, informational nuggets of truth you'll enjoy hearing from one of the leading voices in the exercise and carbohydrate-restriction world today! There are FOUR ways you can listen to Episode 238:1. Listen and comment about the show at iTunes:2. Listen and comment about the show at the official web site:3. Download the MP3 file of Episode 238 [66:15m]:4. Calling (818) 688-2763 to listen via PodlinezSubscribe to the RSS feed or you can click on the "Subscribe" button at iTunes. If you are having trouble, then watch this video tutorial from my producer Kevin Kennedy-Spaien. What did you think about Lyle McDonald and the concepts he shares about in this podcast? Talk about it in the show notes section of Episode 238. Visit his "Body Recomposition" web site and check out the complete Lyle McDonald library of books for even more information about the subjects he discussed in this interview. We'll have another low-carb exercise expert coming up on Thursday with Dr. Doug McGuff. PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE MESSAGE OF THIS SHOW! If you have not already done so, please go to the iTunes page for my podcast, click on "Write a Review" and share what my podcast means to you. And if you'd like to financially support this podcast, then please consider clicking on the "Donate" button on the side panel of the podcast web site. We appreciate your generosity and support! THANK YOU for listening to "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore."

Survivor speaks of Yemenia crash

A 12-year-old girl thought to be the only survivor of the Yemenia air crash has told how she was thrown into the ocean and watched her aircraft sink.

Yemen jet crashes in Indian Ocean

A Yemeni airliner with about 150 people on board crashes in the Indian Ocean near the Comoros, but a child is found alive.

Money cool design

Singer Michael Jackson dies in LA

Pop star Michael Jackson dies in Los Angeles at the age of 50, after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest.

Big copper wine cup

Atlanta Thrashers Team Report

Once again, there isn't a single member of the Thrashers competing in the NHL playoffs, unless you count former Atlanta players Marian Hossa (Detroit), Marc Savard (Boston) and several others. But the team is well represented in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships going on in Berne, Switzerland. When you play for Atlanta, you have to take what you can get when it comes to spring hockey games. A total of nine Thrashers, including captain Ilya Kovalchuk, and one Atlanta draftee are playing for six separate countries in the tournament. The world Championships hardly compare to the intensity of the NHL playoffs, but the fact that so many Atlanta players are competing has to bode well for the team's future. For Kovalchuk, it gives him a chance to continue to build on his leadership skills on the Russian team, traits which improved dramatically as the NHL season progressed. For World Championship rookies like Zach Bogosian and Colin Stuart, who are representing the U.S., it's simply another way for them gain more experience against high-level competition. Both Bogosian and Stuart are expected to be a big part of Atlanta's future, so the more they can play the better it will be for their careers. It hardly compares to the chance to lift Lord Stanley's Cup, but sometimes representing your country can be the highlight of an athlete's career. That's especially true if you aren't used to competing for an NHL title. Unfortunately, that's exactly the case for most Thrashers playing in the tournament.Some teams make huge improvements from one season to the next. The Thrashers aren't such a team. In fact, Atlanta has had a hard time even making baby steps over the last few seasons, a disturbing trend for an organization battling to keep itself from sinking into the financial and attendance abyss. The Thrashers went from being the NHL's third-worst team last season to being the fourth-worst in 2008-09. Minor improvements are not what this team needs. It needs giant leaps, home winning streaks, consistent goaltending, more scoring depth beyond Ilya Kovalchuk and Bryan Little, a couple more promising defenseman like Zach Bogosian and boisterous fan support. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to have a stable ownership group that could spend less time in the court room, more time in the arena, and more money on free agents. Other than that, the Thrashers are in great shape. The team showed some promising signs over the final five weeks of the season, which included a franchise-best record of 11-3 over 14 games from March 3 through April 3. However, Atlanta took too long to figure out how to balance new coach John Anderson's offense-first style of play while still trying to limit the opposition's scoring chances. By the time the season ended, the Thrashers appeared to have finally figured it out and won 13 of their last 20 games. However, it was clearly too late. Going into next season, the Thrashers have some solid building blocks, starting with All-Star Ilya Kovalchuk, who will enter his first full season as the team's captain next October. Mix in the constantly improving play of rookie defenseman Zach Bogosian along with emerging forwards Bryan Little and Rich Peverley, and the Thrashers should only be a few players away from turning it around. Of course, that's exactly what the team has said for several years. One bright spot on the horizon is the potential addition of 20-year-old center Angelo Esposito next season. Esposito, acquired in last season's trade that sent Marian Hossa to Pittsburgh, has spent the last four seasons playing in the Quebec junior league. Other than adding players that they already have in the system, like Esposito, the Thrashers will continue to have trouble improving the team partly because it's hard to attract top free agents when they've been a non-playoff team for so long. Perhaps the best hope Atlanta has of turning things around lies with the 10.7 percent chance it has of winning the NHL's draft lottery. If the Thrashers do get the No. 1 pick, they probably would select highly touted John Tavares, who would quickly make the team's supporters forget about that little Patrik Stefan mistake. SEASON HIGHLIGHT: It took almost all season for the Thrashers to put together some memorable moments, but when the calendar hit March, Atlanta finally began to show signs of what the future might hold. The Thrasher played their best hockey by far from March 3 through April 3, posting a franchise-best 11-3 record. That stretch, which began with a season-best six-game winning streak, included three straight road wins over the Avalanche, Oilers and Sabres, two overtime wins and two shootout victories. Unfortunately, the Thrashers came crashing back to reality over the final week of the season, losing three of their final four contests. TURNING POINT: Atlanta's postseason hopes were dashed almost from the beginning of the season. For teams to be successful under a new coach they need to develop confidence in his system. And there's no better place to test that confidence than on the road. Unfortunately for the Thrashers, they lost their first six road games, including the first two of the season in overtime.NOTES, QUOTESPhilips Arena has been a dead zone during the NHL Playoffs as usual, but the venue hasn't been without its share of spring excitement with the Atlanta Hawks run through the NBA Playoffs. While the city's basketball team has little to do with its hockey club, hopefully some of the Thrashers' players who remained in town were able to get a feel for what it's like to play in the postseason. Atlanta might not be the most die-hard sports town (and that's putting it mildly) but crowd support had been better than average for the Hawks' playoff games. Hopefully, the same will soon be said about the Thrashers in the playoffs.The Thrashers, in a trend that permeated their season, didn't have any luck when it came to the NHL Draft lottery. Although they had a slight chance of moving up to the No. 1 spot, they remained in the fourth spot. From there, they would likely pick Canadian center Evander Kane out of the Western Hockey League. Kane, a smooth skater, with better-than average play making skills, would give Atlanta another legitimate center. Hopefully, he would be able to make the jump to the NHL quickly. Atlanta needs the help. QUOTE TO NOTE: "Quite honestly, it would be better to be in the playoffs, but it will be a good experience." Thrashers D Zach Bogosian, on playing for Team USA for the first time in the World Championships. ROSTER REPORT MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Once again, Ilya Kovalchuk is Atlanta's runaway MVP after leading the team with 43 goals and 48 assists in 79 games. Along with his scoring prowess, Kovalchuk emerged this season as a locker room leader after Thrashers general manager Don Waddell rewarded him with the captain's "C" halfway through the season. Kovalchuk still takes the occasional shift off, but that sure beats a few years ago, when he would take the occasional game off. MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: The title clearly goes to Mathieu Schneider. Signed as a free agent for $5.6 million during the offseason, Schneider spent most of the first half of the season injured. He was eventually traded to Montreal. The only good thing Schneider did during his time in Atlanta was mentor rookie defenseman Zach Bogosian. And based on Bogosian's play the second half of the season, Schneider is a good teacher. FREE AGENT FOCUS: There have been no contract talks between C Marty Reasoner and Thrashers general manager Don Waddell, but that doesn't mean Atlanta doesn't want to keep the veteran. After all, the deadline to re-sign Reasoner isn't until July 1. PLAYER NEWS:D Tobias Enstrom suffered a facial fracture below his orbital bone when he was hit from behind in Sweden's game against Latvia in the World Championships. Enstrom left the tournament and underwent surgery, but was expected to make a full recovery.LW Ilya Kovalchuk ranked second among all scorers through the first four games of the World Championships with three goals and six assists. Only Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis, playing for Canada, had more with four goals and seven assists.G Johan Hedberg might be from Finland, but he seems to have a bit of "Jersey" in him. Hedberg and his wife, Pernilla, recently went to a Bruce Springsteen concert at Philips Arena. It was Hedberg's third time seeing the New Jersey rocker. Perhaps he just likes when the crowd cheers "Bruuuuuce" because it reminds him of the chants of "Mooooose" he is typically showered with. MEDICAL WATCH:G Kari Lehtonen sat out most of the final month of the season with an upper-body injury, the latest bump along the road for Lehtonen, who has battled injuries most of his short career.LW Ilya Kovalchuk missed a few games late in the season with an undisclosed left arm injury. While he was able to return to form, Kovalchuk and the team might want to consider surgery if there's any question that the problem could return.

Rupert Murdoch: “Internet Will Soon Be Over”

Corporate media forced to charged dwindling readership for news content as establishment propaganda organs wither and die while alternative media soars Paul Joseph Watson Thursday, May 7, 2009 Billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch gave a strange response when asked about plans for mainstream news websites to charge for content, declaring, “The current days of the internet will soon be over.” He was making reference to the fact that corporate media websites cannot continue to survive under their current failing business model. The establishment media is dying and advertising revenue has plummeted as people turn to blogs and the alternative media for their news in an environment of corporate lies and spin. This has forced sectors of the corporate media to charge the dwindling number of loyal readers they have left for news content, a practice which is set to become widespread according to Murdoch. This will only send more people over to the alternative media as the old organs of de facto state-controlled propaganda wither and die. “Asked whether he envisaged fees at his British papers such as the Times, the Sunday Times, the Sun and the News of the World, (Murdoch) replied: “We’re absolutely looking at that,” reports the Guardian. “Taking questions on a conference call with reporters and analysts, he said that moves could begin “within the next 12 months‚” adding: “The current days of the internet will soon be over.” Murdoch’s newspapers and TV networks, which include Fox News and the Asian Star Network, have seen profits plummet from $216m to just $7m year-on-year. MySpace.com is also floundering despite a recent move to replace the company’s entire management staff. It was all but over for the Boston Globe this week, following a threat to close the 137-year-old publication after net losses of $85 million this year alone. Only a last minute cost-cutting agreement on behalf of its owner, The New York Times Company, and The Boston Newspaper Guild, saved the newspaper. But it’s not just establishment newspapers that are struggling to survive - social networking websites like Twitter and corporate online video giant You Tube are also deep in the red. Apparently, paying out millions in server fees for half the population of the planet to watch clips of cute puppies isn’t a sustainable business model. This is why You Tube is being forced to pursue lucrative partnerships with giant production studios and broadcasters, at the expense of user generated content which has been relegated to a sub-section of its website, taking the “You” out of You Tube altogether. Content that may be deemed harmful to You Tube’s corporate agenda and its multi-million dollar partnership deals, like The Alex Jones Channel, is being systematically erased from You Tube’s website under the pretext of flimsy copyright infringement claims. The jig is up for the corporate media. If they continue to allow free access to their content they will go out of business because there’s not enough advertising revenue coming in, whereas if they charge for content they will lose a huge chunk of their audience and their influence in shaping the news agenda will wane completely. This is the price the corporate media has paid for lying, spinning and obfuscating on behalf of the virulently corrupt power elite and expecting the population to eat it up without question. The corporate media monopoly has terminal cancer and they are losing their power, which is why they are aggressively supporting moves to phase out the old Internet altogether and replace it with “Internet 2,” a highly regulated and controlled electronic Berlin wall, where alternative voices will be silenced and giant corporate propaganda organs will dominate once again. This what Murdoch is really getting at when he assures us that, “The Internet will soon be over” and it’s down to us to stop that agenda from being realized. PrisonPlanet.com

Monument.

Gold to Go machine.

Pete Cashmore: Social Media Marketing: Sears and Kmart Step It Up

The intersection of social media and longstanding brands is a fascinating phenomenon to study. How does a company that has been around for decades react to the fast-paced world of social media? Do they shun it or embrace it? Do they stumble or do they create a deeper connect with their customers? This week, Sears Holdings officially launched two social networks for their customers, MySears and MyKmart. Although these social communities do have a few quirks, the initiative that they represent, coupled with their well-designed social elements, is a sign of how more traditional companies are embracing social media technology to create a better customer experience and a better brand. A little on MySears and MyKmart& So what exactly are MySears and MyKmart? At their core, they are social networks for reviews. Products being sold by Sears are up for review by any community member, on a 1 to 5 star scale, with generally short one line descriptions or criticisms. MySears and MyKmart also incorporate several other useful social elements. They have their own message boards and active blogs. My favorite feature, though, is the Ideas section. This is an area for submitting product ideas to Kmart and Sears, with an up-or-down voting system similar to Reddit. Its a great way for Sears to solicit new ideas and to start a discussion around them. They could also submit their own ideas and get some feedback from loyal customers. Despite some great features, the two social networks do have a few quirks that raise questions. MySears and MyKmart are linked to social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, but the Twitter links direct you to completely idle Kmart and Sears accounts, a no-no that projects laziness. Its even stranger when you account for the fact that theres an active account for MySears. One other strange issue: some reviews date as far back as 2006. MySears and MyKmart had their soft launches in 2008, so we wonder from where they are pulling these much older reviews. Yet despite these small issues, the overall implementation is great. Thats probably because Sears partnered with Viewpoints, a seasoned social media company with an emphasis on reviews, to build these community websites. Traditional brands and social media What Sears is doing is a more common phenomenon than people may think. Major brands like Ford and Comcast are using Twitter extensively, while other brands like Saturn have their own social networks for their customers. While many older companies have yet to embrace social media technology, others like Sears grasp the advantages presented by new forms of communication. Building community creates more loyal and caring customers. Twitter and Facebook facilitate a wider discussion and can help prevent PR nightmares. And the shareability of social media helps foster the exchange of ideas between brands and consumers. Sears now has two great platforms for collecting ideas from passionate shoppers with the Ideas section of MySears and MyKmart. These networks provide customers with useful product reviews. And finally, Sears now has people who will not only evangelize their brand, but keep them honest as well. This is how many older and more traditional companies are embracing social media, and we think its empowering the customer and improving the quality of major brands. Reviews: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, reddit.com Tags: mykmart, mysears, social media

New protests over Iran elections

Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi plan a new demonstration in Tehran in protest at what they see as a fraudulent presidential election.

It's your earthday, it's your earthday, go shorty... it's your earthday...

Oh, the tens of people who will laugh at the headline. How I love thee, let me count the ways. On this Earth Day I am cleaning out my office because on Friday I am moving to another office in some other area of the building. It's the farthest my boss can move me away from him without putting me in the parking garage with a red stapler. O Banking, you are vast and mysterious. I started the real cleaning out of file drawers and dusty cabinets a few days ago and yesterday got through two entire filing cabinets and this was the state of the sitting spot when I left yesterday: I thought maybe overnight it would morph and change and the folders would breed with the binder clips all Transformers-style and by morning I would have an assistant made totally from office supplies. No such luck. It's still there. The mountain of file folders and remnant notebooks and reference books is all that remains of the seven years I have worked here. Yesterday I dumped and recycled all the memos and presentations and documents that used to collect dust inside those file folders so that one day they will be your post-consumer particulate in toilet paper and kleenex. I also cleaned out the little cabinet by my desk where I store (read: hoard) office supplies and discovered 32 semi-used post-it note pads. THIRTY-TWO. My entire life has been borne on the back of the post-it-note. It's my Borne Identity. hahaha. Cracked myself up. I also had a newspaper from 2002 (?) and at the bottom of the drawer I found two pictures of me and Mr. X from a vacation we took to Denmark and Poland. It was actually funny, and I showed them to Corey and Cindi and then I put them in the recycle bin, too. This kind of cleaning feels GREAT. I thought it would be stressful, especially because I have a lot of work to do this week and the office seemed like a mammoth endeavor but it's been really liberating to take a break, maybe an hour a day, and just focus entirely on getting rid of stuff. By the end of today I should be finished with the major purging and I'll only have a fraction of the stuff left to pack up in boxes. It's amazing how much less often I print stuff out these days -- going through my old files it's clear I used to print everything. The whole industry was paper-heavy, relying on documents printed out and stored in binders. The biggest change I can see is how everyone has slowly started to rely on saving and storing stuff electronically instead of on the printed page. It's the little changes that add up over time. Getting rid of stuff always feels like an accomplishment of greatness ... not necessarily because it's a noble cause in itself, but because your relationship with your stuff can define your whole life. It can drag you down, it can anchor you, it can make you feel secure, or it can just be a nagging to-do list item. The biggest change in my relationship with stuff is that I definitely do not acquire things at the rate I used to. Learning to discern wants from needs was a good first step. Then there's the money aspect -- you have more money when you spend less of it. Finding a way to get rid of things has also been a challenge -- first you have to learn how to just let go of stuff, emotionally, and then you have to find ways of getting rid of your stuff that make sense. Like recycling old papers, and donating usable things (or going with the ol' yard sale technique.) My collection of post-it-note pads tells me I'm still not free of my little packrat ways but I am at least happy when I see my file cabinet purged and the old file folders recycled in the supply cabinet. So I'm not exactly out there playing warrior of the environment today, but cleaning and recycling all this old stuff feels really good which must be good for the environment in a very roundabout way. After all, happy people don't flip you off as often in traffic and that makes the world a better place. Yes? Maybe I will even share my post-its with those less fortunate, like the guy down the hall who is always looking for something to write on. Or maybe I will just keep them all for myself. Baby steps!

Victory square

Martens takes BASS tourney at Guntersville

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – Despite nearly relinquishing a 6-pound plus margin, Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., held on Sunday to score his fifth BASS victory – his first outside of the state of the California – at the Marine Formula STA-BIL Southern Challenge on Lake Guntersville. The 36-year-old West Coast product, who totaled 107 pounds, 8 ounces, brought home the $100,000 top prize. Fayetteville, N.C.'s Marty Stone finished fifth with 99 pounds, 5 ounces and won $14,000. The day started inauspiciously enough for Martens as his first spot – roughly a 10-foot area – was filled by a local boat. The 2005 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year ran to his next spot, only to encounter the same boat, which Martens said intentionally stirred up his area to make it virtually unfishable. To boot, Martens struggled through the morning and wasn’t connecting with the same class of fish he had the first three days of competition. But Martens had developed two distinctly different patterns. His best, a Lucky Craft RC 2.5 deep-diving crankbait, was paired with a worm and provided Martens the one-two punch necessary to win a Bassmaster Elite Series event. “I was tense all day. It was horrible,” said Martens, who has accumulated nearly $1.5 million in BASS career earnings. “I had to work really hard today. But this feels really good.” Fishing fans can watch the Southern Challenge on The Bassmasters, which airs Saturday, May 16, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2. The daily weigh-ins for all regular-season Elite events and the two postseason events will air live on ESPN360.com, ESPN’s broadband sports network, while a wealth of unique content will also be available at Bassmaster.com. With the victory, Martens climbed to fourth in the 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings and is within striking distance of points leader Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich. VanDam, in a relative struggle, finished 20th at Guntersville and left the door open for Reese, Alton Jones and Martens. “You just had to keep moving and keep looking,” said Martens. “I have never seen anything like this lake this week. I have seen other lakes that have bigger fish but nowhere else can you find this many spots that hold that many quality fish. It was just amazing.” A relative afterthought after the first day, Skeet Reese moved up the leaderboard each day, eventually causing Martens to sweat. Like Martens, Reese worked a Lucky Craft RC 2.5 crankbait and capped off his week with an impressive 27-pound, 11 ounce, limit Sunday. While Reese felt he cost himself with a few missed fish early in the tournament, he wasn’t sure if those fish would have made the difference. Saturday was the turning point for Reese when he identified an ultra-productive stretch that he relied upon for the final two days. Sunday was frustrating for Reese in a different sense than most. He was landing 5-pounders galore but couldn’t find the bigger bite that would have put him over the top. Moving up nine spots to third was Kevin Wirth of Crestwood, Ky., with 102 pounds, 3 ounces. In fourth was Mike Iaconelli of Runnemede, N.J., with 101 pounds, 1 ounce. Slipping to fifth from second was Marty Stone of Fayetteville, N.C., with 99 pounds, 5 ounces. Stone is one of many anglers battling to qualify for the 2010 Bassmaster Classic via the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. The top 36 will earn berths in the Feb. 19-21 Classic on Lay Lake and Birmingham, Ala. Also determined at the end of the regular season will be the top 12 competitors, who will qualify for the inaugural Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason. This past week, BASS announced the details with the Postseason being played out on Lake Jordan (Sept. 12-13) and the Alabama River (Sept. 17-18). The real star of the tournament was by most accounts Guntersville. Anglers, in droves, praised the famed fishery and the final numbers were impressive. Elite anglers caught nearly 1,300 fish and more than 5,300 pounds over the course of four days. A BASS favorite, Guntersville has been the site of more than 20 previous BASS events, including the 1976 Bassmaster Classic, won by Elite Series pro Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo. Up next in the Elite Series is the June 3-6 SpongeTech Tennessee Triumph on Kentucky Lake out of Paris, Tenn. 2009 Marine Formula STA-BIL Southern Challenge 5/7-5/10 Lake Guntersville, Guntersville AL. (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 20 107-08 315 $100,000.00 Day 1: 5 29-02 Day 2: 5 29-12 Day 3: 5 28-11 Day 4: 5 19-15 2. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 20 104-04 295 $25,000.00 Day 1: 5 25-09 Day 2: 5 24-14 Day 3: 5 26-02 Day 4: 5 27-11 3. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, KY 20 102-03 290 $20,000.00 Day 1: 5 24-06 Day 2: 5 27-04 Day 3: 5 21-06 Day 4: 5 29-03 4. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, NJ 20 101-01 285 $15,000.00 Day 1: 5 27-05 Day 2: 5 27-05 Day 3: 5 25-08 Day 4: 5 20-15 5. Marty Stone Fayetteville, NC 20 99-05 280 $14,000.00 Day 1: 5 26-15 Day 2: 5 23-13 Day 3: 5 30-01 Day 4: 5 18-08 6. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 20 96-01 276 $13,500.00 Day 1: 5 24-07 Day 2: 5 26-12 Day 3: 5 24-00 Day 4: 5 20-14 7. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 20 94-04 272 $13,000.00 Day 1: 5 30-10 Day 2: 5 26-13 Day 3: 5 19-13 Day 4: 5 17-00 8. Byron Velvick Del Rio, TX 20 94-00 268 $12,500.00 Day 1: 5 29-04 Day 2: 5 25-14 Day 3: 5 20-13 Day 4: 5 18-01 9. Jami Fralick Martin, SD 20 93-13 264 $12,000.00 Day 1: 5 26-11 Day 2: 5 24-11 Day 3: 5 25-00 Day 4: 5 17-07 10. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 20 92-09 260 $11,500.00 Day 1: 5 25-12 Day 2: 5 23-08 Day 3: 5 24-09 Day 4: 5 18-12 11. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 20 91-14 262 $11,000.00 Day 1: 5 31-00 Day 2: 5 24-15 Day 3: 5 18-15 Day 4: 5 17-00 12. Alton Jones Waco, TX 20 89-03 254 $10,500.00 Day 1: 5 28-12 Day 2: 5 22-15 Day 3: 5 24-13 Day 4: 5 12-11

If you could travel the entire world, where would you want to go first?

I love to travel and have seen many places in the US, but would love someday to do some foreign travel. The first place I would like to see would be Rome, Italy. I would love to eventually visit each country and its cities and country side. And since we're talking "world" travel, I might love to venture into outer space to see the moon and the planets!How about you? If you could travel the world, where would you want to go first?Karen

apm

Does weather influence your mood?

Some people have a thing called weather depression or weather excitement

where for example, during the cloudy days they are depressed throughout that

whole time because of the lack of sunshine but they get better when the light

comes again.
It's sort of raining outside and I like it so much. Some people told me they

confused a lot about my little hobby at this point.
Anyway, For I see,there is a beauty of changing scale as the rain drops each

time. However, I don't like the thunderstorm. haha
What about you?

Party Time!

Are you ready to party?! The Gina K Designs release party is about to start, which means the full reveals and stamps available for purchase in just a few short hours!!Here is a card I made for the StampTV sketch challenge (as well as Carolyn's STV color challenge this week! I had fun taking a few images from my other sets that coordinate so well with "Wee Tees": the little party hat on the onesie is from "Hip Hop Accessories"(I did a happy dance when my stamps arrived and I saw just how many images and words from that set will work with this new one!!!), and the balloons (which I masked and popped up) are from "Just So Hoppy". I colored everything with Copics, the onesie is pieced from Basic Grey Cupcake DP. I sponged a little blue ink onto the die cut Nestabilities oval to look like clouds. This little greeting (in the same font as the Wee Tees!) is from Gina's Stamp for a Cause "How Sweet it is", and I am so darned excited to be able to use all these greetings with it! To find out the winner of the "Wee Tees" giveaway, click here! See you in a bit at the party (7-10PM CST, but just pop in for as much as you can!! :)

Libby Hickson

Today Libby Hickson rocked out an "ALL Boy" "Wee Tees" Card, literally, and I love how she shows us a great example of how to show off images in this set without using the onesie! This fabulous sketch is from Jen del Muro. I am just lovin' this layout, the colors, the popped up pieces and the little beaded all boy strung like a baby bracelet, it's too cute!! Libby, where'd you get those letters?? must have!! LOL!A little more about Libby, in her own words :Favorite:Technique-- Is sewing on cards considered a technique? It's one of my favorite things to do these days! I also love the cracked glass technique, it's so gorgeous with flower images!Colors/color combo-- Lately I seem to pull out various shades of pink more than anything, I guess it's my daughter's influence on me! One of my all-time favorite color combos was one for SCS a while back - Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue & Real Red. In fact, I used it on one of my Wee Tees cards! (<---click that for another totally cute sample-eeek!) Gina K set by Melanie-- This is a tough one because I love so many of them - of course I love Little Tees and Wee Tees! But I also really love Cuddles and Hugs, the animals in this set are so sweet. Truly, everytime Melanie comes out with a new set (Have a Cookie, A Year of Flowers, A Charmed Life!!) I just marvel at how incredibly clever and talented she is!! (and I swear she's not even paying me to say this!) :-)Gina K sets (from any illustrator)-- Again, so hard to narrow down. I am so in love with the orchid image in Asela's Botanical Dreams set. And another of my all-time favorites is an older one from Gina - Whimsical Valentine! I adore the mice, and bugs are so cute, and I just LOVE that she included "You complete me" as a sentiment!!Craft supplies I can’t live without— My Copics!! What did I do before these came along? I'm also a wee bit of a polka dot fanatic, I am nearly always drawn to polka dot DP or feel the need to add some Cuttlebug Swiss Dots. It's really a bit of an addiction, I probably need to seek professional help...I've been stamping for (how long)— I started out a scrapbooker, but got invited to one of those in-home parties (I think you know which one I mean!!) and so began my obsession! I actually still have the order form from that first party!! So I know the exact date it began - March 24, 2001!!I get my inspiration from-- I'm also a challenge junkie, I love playing them!! Both the wonderful challenges on Splitcoast, and the various blog challenges. It definitely gets my creative juices flowing!The most important things I’ve learned about stamping/cardmaking/scrapbooking are— There are so many talented stampers out there, and it can get a little discouraging at times when you look at how talented they are, and start to think you just don't compare. But, you have to keep it all in perspective. As long as you enjoy what you do, who cares if you'll never be a Debbie Olson or Amy Sheffer (two of my idols, btw) :-) I have a quote at the top of my blog that pretty much sums it up best... "Use what talent you posess: The world would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." - Henry Van DykeSome of my stamping/crafting goals are--. To get published in a magazine (but it would help immensely if I actually started SUBMITTING stuff!!!) and to be featured on some of my favorite blogs. I can check this one off the list, YAY!!!!Some of my stamping/crafting accomplishments are— I've been lucky enough to be on two design teams.Tell us a little about “Courtney’s Closet”! I started this challenge nearly a year ago, when my baby girl was three months old. I just kept looking at her clothes - baby clothes are THE CUTEST - and thinking "wow this would make such a cute card!!". So one day I went ahead and made a card inspired by her outfit, and invited others to play along. And much to my amazement, some wonderful ladies have played along! It's been so much fun this past year!! (and a little teaser - I think I'm going to have to throw a one year anniversary party for my challenge in a couple weeks - tune in for that!) :-)Be sure to go check out Libby's blog today for more "Wee Tees" inspiration! Have a great day!

Suicide attack on Pakistani hotel.

A suicide bomb attack on a luxury hotel in the north-west Pakistani city of Peshawar, has killed 11 people and injured at least 70.

Profit, Independence, & the Kill Switch

Independence day, profit margins, security -- this is important, don't skip it, pictures from the sky, 3D art, and cultural immersion in Europe. In random order.
The Margin Manifesto: 11 Tenets for Reaching (or Doubling) Profitability in 3 Months --
Remember, more customers isn't the goal; more profit is.
Perfect products delivered past deadline kill companies faster than decent products delivered on-time. Test someone's ability to deliver on a specific and tight deadline before hiring them based on a dazzling portfolio.
I've Seen the Future, and It Has a Kill Switch
Digital Manners Policies
Designing devices to be remotely overridden is a bad idea
10 of the World's Most Amazing 3D Street Artists: From Sidewalk Sketches to Awesome Wall Murals --
3D graffiti, whether it's in chalk or paint, on walls or the street, represents a new way of combining the mastery of Renaissance art techniques with the gritty, ephemeral qualities of amazing street art.
Pictures From the Skys!
10 Things To Do In Europe That Will Make You Smarter --
Combining academia with cultural immersion: surely this is the ultimate education? We strained our brains and came up with a list that balances lessons and leisure to turn you into a European scholar du jour.
Happy Independence Day -- independent from anything, that is.
Related Items
Integrate Life, The Renaissance Way
Free ebook
Peer pressure, vanity and behavior, motivation tricks and hacks, success and pain, and how to excel, Celebrate Your Beauty.

No-Man's-Land and Knowing Man's Land

Obviously our minds exist in a kind of "space," although this space cannot be like physical space (at least Newtonian space; quantum space is a different matter -- pun both intended and unintended). As we have discussed in the past, the "space" of our conscious mind has some analogies with the Newtonian space of everyday life, whereas unconscious (or supraconscious) space is quite different (ultimately we are not just "in" this space but of it). However, we can only make an artificial distinction between conscious and unconscious minds, since each is always implicated in the other -- like the horizontal divide between right and left brain, or the vertical divide between neo-cortex and limbic system.You might say that we are three (or more!) beings in one person. Somehow we have this unproblematic experience of a unified self (at least in mental health), despite the fact that it is constituted of so many innumerable parts. In fact, as I outlined somewhere in my book, we can only have this unified sense of an individual self because we are intrinsically intersubjective -- just like the godhead. So either the early church fathers who worked out trinitarian theology were proto-psychoanalytic developmental theorists, or modern psychoanalysis has unwittingly confirmed the intersubjective godhead. I obviously vote for the latter. The extraordinary implications of this have yet to be fully outlined by anyone -- i.e., the deep analogy between our intersubjective life and God's intersubjective life. Might as well start today.What do we experience when we awaken to the world? For we never experience the world as such, only images of the world, like a multitude of snapshots. And yet, we again experience these images as a unity we call "the world." But we could never experience that unity unless we were first unified on an interior level.In a certain very real sense, psychopathology consists in any breakdown of this interior unity. In extreme cases -- e.g., schizophrenia or real autism -- there is no longer any exterior unity, just one experience after another, with no way to synthesize them. Ever had a panic attack? (You would remember.) Suddenly the world and/or the self are reduced to a blizzard of calamitous novelty. What happened to the unity? The containment? The coherence? The meaning? The future? The past? The depth? The surface? The other? For these are all aspects of one another. In panic, there is no longer anything to cling to, no center, no axis. That's when you find out what it would mean if human beings weren't actually the center of the universe, because the alternative is too horrifying to conceive and tolerate, at least for very long. Suicide would probably be preferable for most people, because in such a hellish condition, death remains the only merciful boundary in the cosmos. At least it is an end.Indeed, I recently evaluated a schizophrenic patient with just this problem. Although heavily medicated, he would nevertheless randomly cycle into periods of agitated depression for which the only solution was immediate suicide (he would have to be hospitalized on each occasion). You have to imagine yourself as utterly and irredeemably worthless, a complete burden on existence itself, an insult to the cosmos, a spit in the eye of God. Thus, you can also see that a primitive form of justice remains: you shall die for this sin of existing! But that is all that remains: the sadistically omnipotent judge and the perverse satisfaction of executing oneself, either symbolically or literally. As you can see, such a person is still "Three," but in an inside-out, upside-down manner, i.e., judge, criminal, and the unholy ghost of sadistic joy. You might think that this is an "extreme case," and it is. However, one thing I learned during my internship at a state mental hospital is that similar processes exist in the "normal" person, only in more subtle form. To take an example that is readily at hand, Perez Hilton took perverse joy in executing the bitch/c*nt from California because she does not share his peculiar ideas about redefining marriage. Burn her! Death to the witch! He says that if he could have, he would have made her "the 51st runner up," i.e., a non-person symbolically outside the psychological bounds of the fifty United States.Likewise, Obama and the insane left want to symbolically execute people who traded belly slaps and caterpillars for thousands of saved American lives. Madness. The secret psychotic madness of everyday life. Or "the left" for short.Back to the images that confront us, through which we somehow intuit a cosmos, i.e., a coherent totality. Obviously, this is a kind of magic that the "raw stuff" of experience cannot pull off on its own. For example, Coondog knows nothing about any "cosmos." While she can judge, after her own fashion, she cannot judge her judgment, and that makes all the difference. She does not think to herself, "Hmm, that was a bit of an over-the-top reaction when the UPS man came to the door, wasn't it? Must check this tendency to bark first and ask questions later. I look as stupid as freaking Perez Hilton."HvB writes that the image-world simulates "something that they themselves are not: a world. They suggest the idea of essence and existence, but they are neither. They have no essence, because they are nothing but surface with no depth. They are mere appearance and are thus incapable of displaying any interiority at all.... They are what they are, nothing more, this sweetness, this noisiness, this quickness, this colorfulness," etc.A moment's introspection will inform you that this is how we come into the world (remama?), for HvB has just described the world of the infant, the inner coherence of which will only become apparent through the adventure of bonding and attachment with a sensitive and empathic other. When you are consciously aware of this process, it makes parenting all the more fascinating, for you are not just watching a self come into being, but a -- the -- cosmos as well. No coherent interior self, no cosmos. Again, one cannot help thinking of the intersubjective Word through which God eternally creates the cosmos. This "loving bond" between the two is prior to any creation -- just as it is with the human being. Or, one might say that it is creation. The great psychoanalyst D.W. Winnicott wrote many papers on how the infant "creates" the world through the feedback loop of sensitive parenting.The discovery of the interior cosmos is also the discovery of law, both the laws of matter and the laws of the heart. Conversely, for the schizophrenic person referenced above, his is a lawless universe, with no consistency or coherence. He can "assemble" a cosmos, so to speak, but he cannot access its a priori interior unity. He will desperately search for patterns and regularities, and cling to them for survival, but it is as if he must live in exile from being.Here again, there is something eerily similar going on with the atheistic materialist, who clings to the surface at the expense of the real depth. Why does he do it? Is it some sort of genetic defect? Childhood trauma? Stupidity? Conformity? Pride? Resentment? Who knows. I don't think there's any general rule.Everything happens in the transitional space between subject and object, or what we might call the "intersubjective third." Without something like this, "the images float without fixity between being and nothingness, just as they float with no fixed residence in a no-man's land between subject and object" (HvB). But this is hardly a "no-man's land." Rather, it is "man's land" -- or knowing man's land -- precisely. Long day ahead. To be continued....

Chengdu Sichuan,firing bus

Died 25,more than 70 be wounded

7 escaped

Wi-Fi

Pushbike

Capital Gate

box of kittens

One of life's (well, my life's) great joys is a warm happy sleeping nest of rabbit kittens. (The domestic, treasured brands of rabbits of course..) I made this in another one of those shadow boxes and used more fur from Eva's lair. It's such a cosy piece. I love those little peaceful faces, in this case especially the brown and white one. Here is a picture of the rabbit box in my parent-in-law's lounge room. I didn't give it to them (don't think they'd like it that much and would have to pretend to!) just wanted to see it in a civilised setting. Couldn't find a civilised setting in my house. Some breathtaking flowers from a Vogue Living magazine:I haven't used twigs or dried flowers in any art yet and it interests me so that's something for the list. It's the start of the school holidays and the older kids are acting strange - half "What are we going to do? Where are we going today? But also full of wild schemes and plans that involve setting up all their toy in the playroom and beginning more long running Barbie sagas.I'll be going to the newsagent today to spend some of the Prime Minister's stimulus package on a pile of magazines. Magazines are good because I can read them while sitting where the kids are so thus spending time with them and listening to them and responding to them (this can get exhausting after days and days) and selfishly enjoying myself at the same time. Kevin said spend it so I'll try to do that locally. Good for the community right?

Ice drop

W building

Exile on San Pablo Avenue

From SFist.com: grainy camera-phone shot of Dave Chappelle, on Market Street in San Francisco a couple of days ago. Dave Chappelle. He pretty much held the title belt for funniest man on the planet for a cool couple of years. And then he dropped into an epic, self-imposed exile that few if any could comprehend, much less understand. But this week he showed up in the Bay Area. And last night he dropped an epic four and a half hour set in Oakland. FTB was there. I was there. The Dalai Lama was in Berkeley on the same day. I watched as his motorcade sped up University Avenue with all of the ironic security posturing any visiting royal would command. Meanwhile, some hours later in downtown Oakland, Dave Chappelle announced that he had taken BART to the gig. And in some circles his arrival probably carries at least as much weight as the arrival of a religious leader, so great is his gravitational pull. Yet, I can believe him when he said he took BART to his own show. Because of what else he had to say. And to whom he was talking. When he left that epic $40 million dollars on the table in his negotiations with Comedy Central and decided to go underground, I always had my own suspicions as to why. Last night, he offered a rare glimpse into this decision. First, he was performing at a venue that was opening for the first time in its renewed form. Formerly called Sweet Jimmies, the spot was known for its pure Oaklandish-ness and pimptastic improbability. Now, it is reborn as Oakland Town Hall, a perfect forum for a public hearing and confessional. But why were tickets only available through Twitter and then passed out in a bizarre, circuitous ritual? Why an unknown, unopened venue? Because. This is how Dave Chappelle plans to reclaim himself with his core constituency. To hell with the Eddie Murphy plan and the blockbuster films. He took his ten milly from Comedy Central and thats enough. From here on out its about reclaiming his authenticity. And that starts at root level. On the bare, close-cropped stage of the old Sweet Jimmies. Starting at eleven thirty and ending at four. Telling stories to his disciples. Revealing just as much as this particular audience deserved. Bridging the gap from Saturday night to Sunday morning. When the dawn broke as I got home, I realized where I had been. I had been to church. What did he say? Oh, he had jokes. For days. Literally. Somali pirates. Gay Bin Laden. The personal call from Obama asking him to lay low in Ohio during the election. That shit was funny. Delivered by the funniest motherfucka on the planet at the top of his form. But it was the after-hours dilligence with the audience that was surreal. There was Supernatural, the epic freestyle-rap king, in an impromptu rap battle with Oaklands own (and former Meschery disciple) Do D.A.T. On D.A.T.s birthday. Which was also Nats birthday. Digital Undergrounds DJ Fuze on the ones and twos. Then there were the stories. Eddie Murphy as the genius in repose. The unanswered call from his seven year old son at 3:30 in the morning (kids get up early, man!) that spawned a 45 minute riff. The one about watching an argument in the Tenderloin between a pants-less man and a shirtless man. From a limo. With Mos Def. The call and response with the audience (the Iraqi-war vet!). The inspirational stories told directly to Do D.A.T. about what it was like for him getting started in show business (getting booed off the stage at the Apollo at 15, Martin Lawrence talking shit to his grandma at a show). It went on and on. And on. To the break of dawn. There is no possible way that I can capture the totality of the experience here. Besides, Im really, really tired right now. But there is one thing that I am now certain of, where before I could only speculate. And it is this: Dave Chappelle chose a different reality because he wanted to reclaim his life, to choose who he wanted to be, and to disseminate his message to those of his choosing. He has done so. And early Sunday morning, he let a few of us make a pilgrimage with him. On his terms. And at some degree of sacrifice. His time for ours. His reality for ours. Because hes a funny motherfucka and he can demand that. But to get the full message, he wanted something in return. A taste of normalcy. Some real talk. With real people. And this dialog was the real-est shit that comedy can ever deliver. True freestyle. Off the top of his dome. Chain smoking on the stage of the old Sweet Jimmies in the middle of the goddamn night to a couple hundred folks. Church. Turman

Coupons = Free Cash

.msnbcLinks {font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 425px;} .msnbcLinks a {text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px;} .msnbcLinks a:link, .msnbcLinks a:visited {color: #5799db !important;} .msnbcLinks a:hover, .msnbcLinks a:active {color:#CC0000 !important;} Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the EconomyI have always been a big fan of coupons...when they are used the right way. Some people say they save a lot of money using coupons, but the truth is they are using coupons to purchase things they would not otherwise buy. That is not the proper way to use coupons.In short, coupons are like using "free money" when they are used to buy things you would normally put in your shopping cart. Combine the manufacturer's coupons with store coupons, buy items when they are on sale and use the coupons during the store's "double coupon" day, and you can get some great deals.My wife is the "coupon queen" in our house. I have literally seen her buy $120 worth of groceries for about $15 using coupons. When we left the store, we felt like we had broken some kind of law, but of course we hadn't. She also gets some great deals with her CVS card and "extra value" bucks that are printed on the store receipts.Coupon usage is up these days, which is no surprise considering the state of the economy. I used to clip coupons from the Sunday paper, but to be honest many of the coupons I find in there now are for things I would not otherwise buy. I now pick and choose my coupons online, and I make use of the coupons and discounts available through UPromise.com, which also puts money into my kid's college fund. There are also many sites where you can find coupon codes for making your online purchases.In short, use these methods for proper couponing:1. Combine manufacturer coupons with store coupons and sales for maximum saving.2. Don't use coupons for things you would not normally buy.3. Search for coupons online.4. Don't forget coupon codes for online purchases.5. Find out the sales days at your local supermarket. At my local supermarket, the sales always start on a Wednesday.

Kandovan

SUNDAY MIX TAPE - NUMBER 117

Hey, in case you haven't noticed, my website broke. I don't even know if anyone will be able to read this, but have no fear, I'm trying to fix things. And by that I mean I'm crying and jerking off and submitting questions to support forums across the Internet, and waiting for some kind soul to help me. The page might be fixed at any moment, or it might never be fixed. Who the fuck knows, really?By the way, if anybody reading this knows anything about WordPress, Blogger, 1and1, and subdomains, now would be a really good time to e-mail me and offer your assistance.Now here's a mix tape. The theme is, can anybody hear this?RULES for uninitiated noobs: With roughly 100MB of webspace, I give birth to a weekly Mix Tape to be deposited on your iPods or Zunes or Kingklangs or whatever the industry is currently pushing on you. Sometimes there will be themes that link all the songs together, other times I'll just throw songs at a wall (not literally) and see what sticks. As always, these songs will be removed if desired by the band or those who represent them. Let me know and I will gladly comply. The goal of this endeavor, as always, is to pique your interest in these artists so you'll support the artists and buy their albums.Sunday Mix Tape Number 117"I'm In The Mountains, I'll Call You Next Year"Tracklist:01. Unwound - Caterpillar02. Dinosaur Jr - What Else Is New?03. The Jesus Lizard - Waxeater04. Kevin Ayers - Lady Rachel05. William Basinski - Cobalt Pools06. Bark Psychosis - Big Shot07. Albert Ayler - Heart Love08. Deerhoof - Milking09. Alice Cooper - Raped And Freezin'10. Blur - Globe Alone11. Einsturzende Neubauten - Negativ Nein12. Mark Lanegan - Woe13. Aphex Twin - To Cure A Weakling Child14. Danielson Famile - My Lion Sleeps Tonight15. Michael Gira - Purple Creek16. The Beta Band - Inner Meet Me17. PJ Harvey - A Place Called Home18. Faust - So Far19. Prurient - December Man20. Cat Power - You May Know Him21. Air Conditioning - Citizen's Band / I'm In The Mountains, I'll Call You Next Year

Friday Night

is going to be lots and lots of fun... why not come and join in the first ever Scraploot Blog cyber crop... has there been a cyber crop on a blog before??? mmm not sure i have heard of it but anyway we are going to do it LOL... so come on over and join us... lots of great fun challenges (and you have a week to do them in so no hurry) some fun prizes also including a voucher to spend at the Scraploot store (wish i could win that one with so much yummy new stuff that is in)...so starting tomorrow night 6th March at 7.30pm join us at the Scraploot Scrappers blog.... there will also be chatting on MSN if anyone has it and wants to join in just let us know your user name and we will add you on....Ok so apart from getting ready for the CC i have only managed to do one page and its an 8.5x11 (havnt done one of those in ages LOL)... but it was alot of fun and i also joined in on the colour combos challenge... these are fun challenges go and check it out for inspiration... here is my page for challenge #111 (the layout is straight irl LOL)so im hoping to do some scrapping tomorrow night... im working all weekend at the shop so bit busy to do it then...ok im off to have an early night (think tomorrow night might be a late one)... hope to see you there...xxxx

One Building one day

Millennium Tower World Business Center

Car on water

What are you going to do in Land of the Dead?

We have a bunch of Warhammer Online coverage lined up for you this week, with everything from exclusive interviews with some of the staff of Mythic Entertainment to a complete overview of the new Land of the Dead zone that will be heading to WAR subscribers everywhere thanks to a free game update. With all of this new information comes more hype, so we want to know exactly what you're feeling about the new dungeon coming out.Are you excited about the release of the spiritual successor dungeon to Dark Age of Camelot's Darkness Falls? Are you going to be jumping in to the new RvR zone with glee? Are you interested in the slew of new PQs that will be in the Necropolis, or are you looking forward to that new instanced dungeon? Or, maybe it's the tweaks to tier 4 that's getting you all excited?Whatever it is, we want to know about it. Throw your comments in here and let us know!

Epithelial sodium channel regulated

Publication Date: 2009 Apr 20 PMID: 19380724Authors: Soundararajan, R. - Melters, D. - Shih, I. C. - Wang, J. - Pearce, D.Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S AHormonal control of transepithelial sodium (Na(+)) transport utilizes phosphatidylinositide 3'-kinase (PI3K) and Raf-MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK)-ERK-dependent signaling pathways, which impact numerous cell functions. How signals transmitted by these pathways are sorted and appropriately transmitted to alter Na(+) transport without altering other physiologic processes is not well understood. Here, we report the identification of a signaling complex that selectively modulates the cell surface expression of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), an ion channel that is essential for fluid and electrolyte balance in mammals. Raf-1 and the ubiquitin ligase, Nedd4-2, are constitutively-expressed inhibitory components of this ENaC regulatory complex, which interact with, and decrease the expression of, cell surface ENaC. The activities of Nedd4-2 and Raf-1 are inhibited cooperatively by the PI3K-dependent kinase serum- and glucocorticoid-induced kinase 1 (SGK1), and the Raf-1-interacting protein glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ1), which are aldosterone-stimulated components of the complex. Together, SGK1 and GILZ1 synergistically stimulate ENaC cell surface expression. Interestingly, GILZ1 and SGK1 do not have synergistic, and in fact have opposite, effects on an unrelated activity, FKHRL1-driven gene transcription. Together, these data suggest that GILZ1 and SGK1 provide a physical and functional link between the PI3K- and Raf-1-dependent signaling modules and represent a unique mechanism for specifically controlling Na(+) transport without inappropriately activating other cell functions.post to: CiteULike

PICTURE POST

CUTEST LITTLE WREATH HOLDER THAT I COULD FIND. POSING BY THE TREE. YES, MAYA IS THE BEST PRESENT I EVER GOT. SHAKING HER BOX IN THE CHRISTMAS PLAY AT CHURCH. SHE HAD JUST WOKE UP SO SHE WASN'T REALLY INTO IT. SHE THOUGHT WHEN I PUT HER PJ'S ON SHE HAD TO GO TO SLEEP. MAYA WITH CASEY AT THE CHRISTMAS PARADE. IT WAS SO COLD!! TAKING A LEAF BREAK. I USED THIS PICTURE ON ONE OF OUR CHRISTMAS CARDS. SINCE SHE REFUSED TO SMILE ON THE ONES WE HAD DONE AT OLIN MILLS. THAT IS A WHOLE ANOTHER POST. STRIKING A POSE. SHE IS GOOD AT THAT. WE HAD ADOPTION DAY AT OUR CHURCH. THIS IS WHAT SHE WORE. I WROTE A LITTLE TESTIMONY ABOUT US BECOMING A FAMILY. IT WAS A VERY SWEET SERVICE. WE HAVE ABOUT 15 KIDS IN OUR CHURCH THAT ARE ADOPTED. MAYA IS THE ONLY INTERNATIONALLY ADOPTED. SHE GOT ALL INTO DECORATING THIS YEAR.MAKING COOKIES FOR UNCLE JAMES IN IRAQ. MY GRANDMA WITH ALL HER GREAT GRANDKIDS.CHEESE MODE!!!MAYA AND HER NANAMAYA AND AVA PLAYING AT THE MALL. NELSON AND MAYA WAITING FOR THE HAY RIDE THAT TRICK OR TREATING.FIRST STOP FOR MINNIE MOUSE. PLEASE BE PRAYING FOR MAYA'S BABYSITTER AND HER FAMILY. THEY FOUND OUT THIS WEEK THAT THEIR 8 YEAR OLD DAUGHER HAS CANCER. THIS IS HER SECOND BOUT. SHE HAD IT 4 YEARS AGO. SHE IS A PRECIOUS LITTLE GIRL. THEY HAVE 5 ADOPTED KIDS AND SHE IS ONE OF THEM. THEY DON'T KNOW HOW THEY WILL TREAT IT YET. THE DOCTORS ARE STILL DOING TEST.

Living without mom...memories....

I'm not only a daughter but also a mother myself. But I lost my mom when I was nine years old. I never got to tell her goodbye and I never knew she was really sick until I was told she was gone...now 40 years later I still have issues...I'm better but I still have my moments. So my memories of her are fragmented with small glimpses of memories that suddenly come up out of the blue whenever I'm busy doing something else. I never know what causes it...maybe a smile from someone, a tone of their voice. Maybe it's a smell...you know the kind of perfume she wore.... I can't remember her voice...it's been too long. I don't have many pictures of her...we were really poor . So my favorite memory of her was sitting on the porch and we were talking about who would take care of her when she got too old to take care of herself....and I being only 8 at the time gallantly offered to care for her when she was infirm...she just laughed and told me what a great kid I was.....never got to do that....she died when she was 42..... Do you have a specific memory of Mom that you remember and cherish?

The Hurley Highlight Reel

It's almost time folks. The countdown is to Lost is back on!Any good Lost fan has their clear alliances to certain characters. The ladies like Sawyer, the gays like Jack, and well, nobody likes Claire. Over the course of the last 3 seasons, my alliances have shifted quite drastically. At first, I was pretty down with Charlie, but he metamorphed into a raging vagina and he simply couldn’t die soon enough. Sayid has remained solid through and through, but his inconsistent airtime makes him a little hard to follow, but the one who never lets me down is Hurley. The man has done nothing but kick ass since day one against all odds. None of the cool people on the island want to give him any credit and a crunch time go-to-guy, but he always comes up big. Well today, Hurley gets his dues. We’re throwing together a haphazard tribute to the great moments of Hugo “Hurley” Reyes.Hurley jumpstarts the VWWhen everyone else was too scared; when nobody thought it could be done; when nobody believed it would start; when arms are sore - Hurley stepped up and did the unthinkable. He mustered up the courage to make his own luck. There is no curse… Fade up the gay Three Dog Night tune, because this baby runs!The only thing that pisses me off about this scene is they should have had some Comfortably Numb or a '77 Eyes of the World playing in that heady ride.Hurley Wrecks Shit in the VWYou thought the original VW scene was a strong feel good Hurley moment? Ha. This is maybe the most inspirational, goosebump inducing moment in Lost history. Just when it looks like the big rendevouz with the others has gone terribly awry, Hurley runs them down in his Vdub like he’s Jerome Bettis.The Inspirational CannonballThe weirdness award goes to… Hurley. I don’t even know what the hell this is about, but it’s damn funny. Hurley gets all emotional as it appears they are soon to be rescued and realizes that he hasn’t done a single cannonball the whole time they have been on the island. Unfortunately, it seems that all of the good real clips that illustrate the true oddity of this scene have been taken down, but here’s a nice mash up of it. I couldn’t some it up better than the title of one of the Spanish versions of this scene on youtube titled, “Hurley provoca un tsunami.”Dip That Shit in Ranch, SonLast but not least, another proud moment in Hurley’s island adventures occurred when the writers had to write in a plot line about Hurley sneaking food and dipping everything in ranch dressing, because he clearly gained about 40 pounds in the first month on the island. Again, the folks at ABC have stolen all the clips from youtube, so the best we could come up with is this strong tribute.

Escape from the traffic accident

In the crosswalk, I turned my head to the bus direction to see whether there're any cars, moving forward slowly ; Suddenly from behind an electric car slowly grazed, At the same time front men said, "scared to death of me", I responsed"I beg your pardon beg your pardon," he smiled. The woman sat behind said, "look and walk"

Then I just feel the heartbeat to speed up after a false alarm, Defended myself secretly IT'S THEY TRAVEL IN THE OPPASITE DIRECTION.

Lucky!? BAD LUCK, TODAY.

Pakistan urging residents to flee

Pakistan's government is lifting a curfew in the Swat valley to allow residents to escape an intense battle between the army and Taleban militants.
The curfew has trapped tens of thousands of people attempting to flee the violence.

celebrate the NATURALIST

if it wasn't for open minds, the chase for knowledge,and explorations on ships,i surely would not be communing with you today via virtual log.200 years ago, a role model for all of us was born.charles darwin was born with a hunch in the gut-that life was more than the upper class english culture he was raised in.at the age of twenty he boarded a ship called BEAGLE,and sailed around the world for 5 years,collecting fossils, writing and engaging fully with the natural world.changed man, changed world.a life committed to understanding the natural world,and how man has evolved within it,sounds like a mission to me.the darwin naturalist mission,inspires me to wonder, what an active explorer should be doing now.we have sailed the sea and gone to space,scientific studies are often now in laboratories in our minds, not aboard ships exploring desert islands...we have an obligation to explore unchartered territories,but so many adventurers have come before us.....the pressure is on- so wether you explore in song or thought,by foot or by air....find your ship, a partner or two, and eat it up xi am aiming to do the same..... eyes open everyday. some titles to ponder in honor of a man who sailed for us:Descent of Man to EmotionsThe Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to SexThe Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms.xMAdMx

Who emigrate to the U.S.?

In 2008 there were about one million immigrants joined the American nationality.

Most of them from Mexico, of 18w, 11w which is entered through the family relationship.

The second from China, 7.5w, 2.5w in which people enter through the family relationship.

The third is India, 5.9w, 1.8w in which people enter through the family relationship.

Banking on the fund

The IMF is getting more resources to support the world economy. If it is to succeed, it needs more reformIT IS easy to be cynical about the recent G20 summit in London. There was lots of hoopla, but there were no new, substantial remedies for the global slump, whether in the form of co-ordinated stimulus or comprehensive plans to clean up banks. So the worlds leaders diverted attention with an old formula: bandying around big but squishy numbers and blathering about the importance of international institutions. Even by the standards of global summitry, the G20 communique was pretty brazen. It crowed about a concerted fiscal expansion of $5 trillion by the end of 2010, as well as $1.1 trillion in additional resources through international institutions like the IMF. The $5 trillion figure seems to be an estimate of how much public finances could deteriorate by the end of 2010not exactly the same as a planned fiscal boost. And the $1.1 trillion is even slipperier. Not only is $1.1 trillion of financing for international bodies not the same as $1.1 trillion of extra spending, the sum itself is inflated. As for the $250 billion of support for trade finance that the politicians said they would ensure, it is unclear where this will come from (see article). The amount of additional public money promised in London was a small fraction of that.

Guilin cave

Lion rock

Tianmen Cave

Reading Challenge

The goal of the challenge is to read books from as many consecutive decades as possible. My goal is to read 15 books published in 15 consecutive decades in 2007. You don't have to choose that many books, though! In fact, my original goal was 10 books in 10 consecutive decades, but I realized my 2007 TBR list made it easy for me to go ahead and do 15.Rules:1. First, there will be a prize--a book of your choosing from Amazon.com that is priced $15.00 or less. Only one (well, possibly more) prize(s) will be given. [Edit: I did draw particpants' names from a "hat" for Buy a Friend a Book Week. Joy was the winner, and she chose Watership Down. ]2. You may choose the number of books you read. If you read 4 books in 4 consecutive decades, you will have 4 chances for the prize. If you're really ambitious and read 18 books in 18 consecutive decades, you will have 18 chances for the prize. Books may be read in any order!3. Books read for other challenges are totally acceptable. Almost all of mine are cross-posted with other challenges.4. This is meant to be a fun challenge. Most of us are reading fools and have so many challenges going on. Don't let this one stress you out. Most could probably muster up at least 3 or 4 books for it without even trying.5. The challenge lasts from January 1 through December 31 of 2007. Any book you've read this year will count for the challenge. However, you must sign up for it by midnight ET on June 30, 2007. If you're later than that you can still participate, but you won't be eligible for the prize. All you have to do to sign up is comment on this post. Please comment leaving a link to your tentative list. You may change this list at any time. I will have another post for you to comment on at the end of the year to see how you did.A good source to find out when books were published is wikipedia. For example if you follow this link, you will see how easy it is to search books by a particular decade.My list for this challenge is here and on the sidebar. You may use one of the buttons below. Or, if you're creative and have already made a button, feel free to use it as well.I hope I've answered everything. Let me know if there's something I've missed, and have fun reading!

Violence bear pillow

Sunshine and smiles

They came to laugh, to cry, to save, to die. And most of all, to love everyone in every way.With Smile Brigade's new EP Eering, Creaky, it's like they've created a song for every important moment of life. Want a softly scarring break up anthem? That would be Hand In A Jar, which informs your ex-lover (or chosen person that you're mad at) that they are dead to you. Smile Brigade will tell you what you need to hear, but with a cushion in the form of sweet, sweet music to soften the blow. For those times when you're enjoying a sunny afternoon on a farm, as all of us are wont to do, there's Josanna, a slightly country ditty that may find you reluctant to go to church and would rather just sit with you on some verandah.In five songs, the EP covers everything from old-time folk tunes to toothache soft pop with the wisdom of an old bearded man who lives in a forest, used to cut down trees for a living, and knows what it's like to lose love. Part of it probably comes from playing with long-established bands like Of Montreal and Modest Mouse. Take the less-insane Sunlandic Twin days from the former and the latter's firm grip on small-town reality, and that's a little what Smile Brigade is like. And they really do want you to smile. Smile and Smile is probably the standout track, a rolling, piano-driven tune with that easy to learn chorus. No, really, smile. It's in a slightly threatening way that you're afraid they might hurt you if you don't actually do it.Smile Brigade - Smile and Smile

Trip to California

A long trip has come to an end. Almost 3000 miles are behind me. 14 days .... effectively almost 13 of them in the US. It was a great vacation. And I will do such a trip like this definitely again. The Hotel in Las Vegas was really nice but there was something different that stunned me: I saw a colibri in the wild the first time in my life. That was really impressing. But wait ... i didn´t wrote a thing about the two days. The 12th day (yesterday) was the day of the travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco. As we didn´t knew how long the CA-1 took and we had just 12 hours to our flight we decided took the risk out of the journey. So we didn´t drove the full monty of the CA-1, we took the US-101 instead for a large part. It´s a great route to drive nevertheless. But you can´t drive from LA to SFO without driving at least a part of the CA-1 ... so we diverted from the 101 at the CA-25. It´s a great route ... but depending of your stomach, you shouldn´t or should eat something before. This route is almost as curvy as the streets in the Muir National Park. I assume your should have bags ready for passengers with a tendency to motion sickness. The further ride was great. Point Mugu. Santa Barbara. and then up the 101 to the airport in San Francisco. We left the Pacific Ocean at Gaviota for a short reunion at Pismo Beach. At the end this last part of the trip was 425 miles long. By the way: Santa Babara is definitly on my shortlist for a next vacation in California. Nice city, nice beach ... the weather was a dream at that day. Too bad, that we just stopped for a late breakfast there ... At shortly after 9 pm our aircraft departed almost on time. It was a really smooth and nice flight with the exceptions of some turbulences over Greenland. We arrived shortly after 5pm and and some time later i had boarded the flight from Munich to Hamburg. Since 21:15 pm i´m at home and a really great vacation has found it´s end. This is the last of the daily reports from my trip. But this isn´t the last article about the trip .