When throat ache,sugar is glass

You Write

YOU OPERATE—Erica JongYou operate on the afternoonYou perform open heart surgeryon the ghostsof your suicidal friendsYou divorce your parentsbefore you have timeto be bornYou kick out your wife & childYou tell your girlfriendto go screw herselfThis is the solitude you wantedThe silenceis stitching you upyou write__________________This week in NorCal poetry:•••Monday (4/20), 7:30 PM. Sacramento Poetry Center presents Mary Zeppa and Friends [Julia Connor, Victoria Dalkey, Patrick Grizzell, Kathryn Hohlwein, Susan Kelly-DeWitt, Ann Menebroker, Tom Miner, Stan Zumbiel] at HQ for the Arts, 1719 25th St., Sacramento. No open mic this week. [See last Friday's post for details.]•••Tues. (4/21), 9 PM: The Moore Time for Poetry TV series is on Ch. 17 Comcast, also SureWest and Strategic Frontier. National Champion dance team, the Sac Allstars. Also, vocalists Aaron Devon, Lolita Moore, Brian Randle and Ricky Center. The encore cablecast schedule is on April 23 at 5 AM. Also, visit this website, www.accesssacramento.org, and click on the BIG "Watch Channel 17" button to watch our program! Hosted by Terry Moore & 4 year old daughter Tyra Moore.•••Tues. (4/21), 7 PM: Woodland Public Library presents Danny Romero and Tim Kahl, 250 First St., Woodland. Danny Romero was born and raised in Los Angeles. He has degrees from University of California, Berkeley (BA, 1988) and Temple University (MA, 1993) in Philadelphia, where he taught writing (part-time) for many years. Romero’s poetry and short fiction have been published in literary journals throughout the country, including Colorado Review, Drumvoices Revue, Green Mountains Review, Paterson Literary Review, Pembroke Magazine, and Ploughshares. His work can also be found in such anthologies as West of the West: Imagining California (1989), Pieces of the Heart: New Chicano Fiction (1993), Under the Fifth Sun: Latino Literature from California (2003), Blue Arc West: An Anthology of California Poets (2006), Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature (2008) and Pow Wow: Charting the Faultlines in American Experience: Short Fiction from Then to Now (2009). He is the author of the novel, Calle 10 (1996), and two chapbooks of poetry, the latest being Land of a Thousand Barrios (2002). A new poetry collection is forthcoming from Bilingual Review Press. He teaches in the English Department at Sacramento City College.Tim Kahl was born in Chicago and has been published in Prairie Schooner, American Letters & Commentary, Berkeley Poetry Review, Fourteen Hills, George Washington Review, Illuminations, Indiana Review, Limestone, Nimrod, Ninth Letter, Notre Dame Review, South Dakota Quarterly, The Journal, Parthenon West Review, The Spoon River Poetry Review, The Texas Review, and many other journals in the U.S. He has translated German poet Rolf Haufs, Austrian avant-gardist, Friederike Mayröcker; Brazilian poets, Lêdo Ivo and Marly de Oliveira; and the poems of the Portuguese language’s only Nobel Laureate, José Saramago. He also appears as Victor Schnickelfritz at the poetry and poetics blog, The Great American Pinup (http://greatamericanpinup.blogspot.com/). His first collection is Possessing Yourself (Word Tech Press, 2009). He is also the editor for Bald Trickster Press, which is dedicated to works of poetry in translation into English. He teaches at Sacramento City College.•••Weds. (4/22), 6-7 PM: Upstairs Poetry Reading celebrates Earth Day at The Upstairs Art Gallery, 420 Main St. (2nd floor), Placerville. It's a poetry open-mike read-around, so bring your own poems or those of a favorite poet to share, or just come to listen. No charge.•••Thurs. (4/23), 8 PM: Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Café (1414 16th St., Sacramento) presents Chris Olander and James Lee Jobe. Chris Olander is a poet and bio/educator who has been writing since 1980 and teaching for California Poets In the Schools since 1984. His poetry has appeared in anthologies, chapbooks, radio and TV performances and readings from Seattle to San Diego—Hawaii to New Mexico. Olander lives in the Sierra foothills. James Lee Jobe is a poet and radio producer, with four chapbooks and many publications, including The Sacramento Anthology: One Hundred Poems. He has also been on the board of directors of the Sacramento Poetry Center. Jobe lives in Davis. Free; open mic.•••Friday (4/24), 7-9 PM: Barnes & Noble (Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights) open mic as part of their "Turn Off" week. Margaret Bell writes: I would like to cast the net wide and get a lot of poets from a 50-mile radius to come and share their poems. They could use the event as an opportunity, not only to read their poems, but to advertise their own poetry activities and open mic opportunities. I just received confirmation that a truly wonderful guitarist will play some background. He is going to play softly behind one of the poems I intend to read and asked me to send him a copy of the poem so he can prepare for it. He can play behind one of your poems if you want him to do so. Just send me a copy of the poem. I will forward it to him, with your request that he play.•••Saturday (4/25), 7:30 PM: 17th Annual Listening to the Wild at the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley. Poetry, prose, film and music featuring local and regional artists. Tickets are available at Center for the Arts. The theme this year is Harmony/Disharmony.•••Sunday (4/26), 11 AM-12:45 PM: El Camino Poets meet on the fourth Sunday at the Hart Senior Center, 27th and J Sts., Sacramento. Please bring 8 copies of your poem to be critiqued. There will be no El Camino Poets in May.__________________THE TEACHER—Erica JongThe teacher stands before the class.She's talking of Chaucer.But the students aren't hungry for Chaucer.They want to devour her.They are eating her knees, her toes, her breasts, her eyes& spitting outher words.What do they want with words?They want a real lesson!She is naked before them.Psalms are written on her thighs.When she walks, sonnets divideinto octaves & sestets.Couplets fall into placewhen her fingers nervously toywith the chalk.But the words don't clothe her.No amount of poetry can save her now.There's no volume big enough to hide in.No unabridged Webster, no OED.The students aren't dumb.They want a lesson.Once they might have taken lifeby the scruff of its neckin a neat couplet.But nowthey need blood.They have left Chaucer alone& have eaten the teacher._________________BOOKS—Erica JongThe universe (which others call the library)...—Jorge Luis BorgesBooks which are stitched up the center with coarse white threadBooks on the beach with sunglass-colored pagesBooks about food with pictures of weeping grapefruitsBooks about baking bread with browned cornersBooks about long-haired Frenchmen with uncut pagesBooks of erotic engravings with pages that stickBooks about inns whose stars have sputtered outBooks of illuminations surrounded by darknessBooks with blank pages & printed marginsBooks with fanatical footnotes in no-point typeBooks with book liceBooks with rice-paper pastingsBooks with book fungus blooming over their pagesBooks with pages of skin with flesh-colored bindingsBooks by men in love with the letter OBooks which smell of earth whose pages turn_________________THE BOOK—Erica JongI float down the spiral stairsof the old apartment.At the dining room table sitmy six ex-analysts, two brokers,& five professors,considering my book.They dip the pages of the manuscript in water,to see if it will last.From where I watch, the sheets look blank.They discuss my sexual hang-ups.Why do I write about womenwhen, after all, they're men?They enumerate my debts, losses,& the lies I've told; the red lightsI have passed, the men I've kissed.They examine a lock of my hair for bleach.Finally, muttering, they rise & yawn in chorus.They decide to repossess my typewriter, my legs,my Phi Beta Kappa key, one breast,any children I may have, & my espresso machine.My book, of course, is through.Already the pages have dissolved like toilet paper.I wake up with the bedstill on the wrong side of the dream.My legs are scattered through the streetslike pick-up sticks.Crawling on stumps, crawlingin the spittle & dog shit,I bitterly accuse the City& bitterly accuse myself.How could I not have knownthat the book was on the wrong sideof the dream?How could Ihave walked into it?_________________Today's LittleNip: A READING—Erica JongThe old poetwith his face full of lines,with iambs jumping in his hair like fleas,with all the revisions of his bodyunsaying him,walks to the podium.He is about to tell ushow he came to this._________________—Medusa SnakeWatch: What's New from Rattlesnake Press:Rattlesnake Review: The latest Snake (RR21) is now available (free) at The Book Collector, or send me four bux and I'll mail you one. Next deadline is May 15 for RR22: send 3-5 poems, smallish art pieces and/or photos (no bio, no cover letter, no simultaneous submissions or previously-published poems) to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. E-mail attachments are preferred, but be sure to include all contact info, including snail address. Meanwhile, the snakes of Medusa are always hungry; let us know if your submission is for the Review or for Medusa, or for either one, and please—only one submission per issue.Also available (free): littlesnake broadside #46: Snake Secrets: Getting Your Poetry Published in Rattlesnake Press (and lots of other places, besides!): A compendium of ideas for brushing up on your submissions process so as to make editors everywhere more happy, thereby increasing the likelihood of getting your poetry published. Pick up a copy at The Book Collector or write to me and I'll send you one. Free!NEW FOR APRIL: A SpiralChap of poetry and photos from Laverne Frith (Celebrations: Images and Texts); a (free!) littlesnake broadside from Taylor Graham (Edge of Wildwood); and Musings3: An English Affair, a new blank journal of photos and writing prompts from Katy Brown. Now available from the authors, or The Book Collector, or (soon) rattlesnakepress.com/.April 15 was the deadline for the second issue of WTF, the free quarterly journal from Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe that is edited by frank andrick. Submission guidelines are the same as for the Snake, but send your poems, photos, smallish art or prose pieces (500 words or less) to fandrickfabpub@hotmail.com (attachments preferred) or, if you’re snailing, to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. And be forewarned: this publication is for adults only, so you must be over 18 years of age to submit. Copies of the first issue are at The Book Collector, or send me two bux and I'll mail you one. Next deadline, for issue #3, is July 15.COMING IN MAY: Join us Weds., May 13 for a new rattlechap, Sinfonietta, from Tom Goff; Vol. 5 of Conversations, the Rattlesnake Interview Series by B.L. Kennedy; and the inauguration of a new series, Rattlesnake LittleBooks, with Shorts: Quatrains and Epigrams by Iven Lourie. That’s at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, 7:30 PM. Free!Medusa's Weekly Menu:(Contributors are welcome to cook up something for any and all of these!)Monday: Weekly NorCal poetry calendarTuesday: Seed of the Week: Tuesday is Medusa's day to post poetry triggers such as quotes, forms, photos, memories, jokes—whatever might tickle somebody's muse. Pick up the gauntlet and send in your poetic results; and don't be shy about sending in your own triggers, too! All poems will be posted and a few of them will go into Medusa's Corner of each Rattlesnake Review. Send your work to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. No deadline for SOWs; respond today, tomorrow, or whenever the muse arrives. (Print 'em out, maybe, save 'em for a dry spell?) When you send us work, though, just let us know which "seed" it was that inspired you.Wednesday (sometimes, or any other day!): HandyStuff Quickies: Resources for the poet, including whatever helps ease the pain of writing and/or publishing: favorite journals to read and/or submit to; books, etc., about writing; organizational tools—you know—HandyStuff! Tell us about your favorite tools.Thursday: B.L.'s Drive-Bys: Micro-reviews by our irreverent Reviewer-in-Residence, B.L. Kennedy. Send books, CDs, DVDs, etc. to him for possible review (either as a Drive-By or in future issues of Rattlesnake Review) at P.O. Box 160664, Sacramento, CA 95816.Friday: NorCal weekend poetry calendar Daily (except Sunday): LittleNips: SnakeFood for the Poetic Soul: Daily munchables for poetic thought, including short paragraphs, quotes, wonky words, silliness, little-known poetry/poet facts, and other inspiration—yet another way to feed our ravenous poetic souls.And poetry! Every day, poetry from writers near and far and in-between! The Snakes of Medusa are always hungry.......!_________________Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their POETRY, PHOTOS and ART, as well as announcements of Northern California poetry events, to kathykieth@hotmail.com (or snail ‘em to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726) for posting on this daily Snake blog. Rights remain with the poets. Previously-published poems are okay for Medusa’s Kitchen, as long as you own the rights. (Please cite publication.) Medusa cannot vouch for the moral fiber of other publications, contests, etc. that she lists, however, so submit to them at your own risk. For more info about the Snake Empire, including guidelines for submitting to or obtaining our publications, click on the link to the right of this column: Rattlesnake Press (rattlesnakepress.com). And be sure to sign up for Snakebytes, our monthly e-newsletter that will keep you up-to-date on all our ophidian chicanery.

Peashooting.

The rise of fake funerals in South Korea

Long story short: "Welcome to the new Korean craze of 'well-dying.' In a country infatuated with 'well-being' — living and eating healthily, even to the point where tobacco-makers offer vitamin-enriched 'well-being cigarettes' — training companies are now offering courses on dying a good death."A July 22, 2008 Financial Times story by Anna Fifield has much more, and follows.The photos above and below accompanied the story, part of a slideshow here.•••••••••••••••••••When death is a reminder to liveStanding in front of a flower-covered altar in a dimly lit room, Baek Kyung-ah is reading out her will at her own funeral."I can't believe today is my last day," she chokes through sobs, her voice barely audible above the solemn music."To my husband, knowing that this will be my last time seeing you, I would like to apologise for thinking only about myself and for not being a caring wife. To my parents, just thinking about you makes my eyes teary. I love you," she cries, before heading off to lie down in a coffin and be "buried".Welcome to the new Korean craze of "well-dying". In a country infatuated with "well-being" — living and eating healthily, even to the point where tobacco-makers offer vitamin-enriched "well-being cigarettes" — training companies are now offering courses on dying a good death."Korea has ranked number one in many bad things such as suicide and divorce and cancer rates, so I wanted to run a programme for people to experience death," says Ko Min-su, a 40-year-old former insurance agent who founded Korea Life Consulting, which offers fake funerals as a way to make people value life.Korean corporations - from Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor to Kyobo Life Insurance and Mirae Asset Management - send their employees on Mr Ko's courses regularly, partly to encourage them to question their priorities in life and partly as a suicide prevention measure.The course is now such an integral part of training at Samsung and Kyobo that they have even built their own fake funeral centres. International companies including ING and Allianz have also sent their staff on the courses.Suicide is a serious problem in South Korea, which has the highest rate of self-inflicted deaths in the developed world, with 24.7 cases per 100,000 people, according to the latest report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The rate has doubled in the last five years.Experts blame the sharp increase on the sudden changes in society resulting from South Korea's rapid industrialisation, which has led to cut-throat competitiveness and financial stress. "We have seen a lot of social change over the last 30 or 40 years and people are having a hard time keeping up with capitalist values," says Hong Kang-ui, president of the Korean Association for Suicide Prevention. "At the same time, social support networks have weakened."But quality of life is also an issue, with employees working extraordinarily long hours. Mr Ko's course aims to make participants re-evaluate their priorities. About 50,000 people have taken part since he launched it in 2004, a move prompted by the premature deaths of his two older brothers in air and car crashes.Lee Joo-heung, a 45-year-old company manager in a yellow Hawaiian shirt, attended a recent course because he wanted to reflect on his past and prepare for his death. "I have never thought about not being there for my family, and I realised that if I died all of a sudden my wife and children would be left alone," he said.Mr Ko, a smooth talker with a touch of the television evangelist about him, begins the course with a motivational presentation that includes a "life calculator" — counting the time until one's death down to the millisecond.Then participants are led to a dark room where they are told to sit at candlelit desks and write their wills, prompted by some sample questions. If you died today, what would you tell your family? What would you say about your job and your life?As they start to write, the room becomes filled with sniffing, women in particular struggling to hold back their tears.Will completed, they collect their funeral portraits — participants are asked to pose on the way in - and enter the "death experience room", a large, dark space containing a series of open coffins and decorated with posters of famous bygones such as Ronald Reagan, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Lee Byung-chull, Samsung's founder.In front of an altar covered with flowers and his funeral portrait, Mr Ko instructs his trainees to choose a coffin, put on a traditional hemp death robe and then read out their wills one-by-one.Next, it is time to be buried. Participants lie down in their coffins, while a man wearing the outfit of a traditional Korean death messenger places a flower on each person's chest. Funeral attendants place lids on the coffins, banging each corner several times with a mallet. Dirt is thrown down on the lid, as loud as stones on a tile roof. The attendants leave the hall for five minutes — but it seemed like 30 minutes to those taking part. Once the lids are lifted, Mr Ko asks the trainees how they felt. "When they were nailing the coffin and sprinkling the dirt, it felt like I was really dead," Ms Baek says. "I thought death was far away but now that I have experienced it, I feel like I have to live a better life."Yoon Soo-yung, a manager at the Cheonnam Educational Training Institute, who was considering sending her staff on the course, said the experience was terrifying. "I felt like I was suffocating. I cried a lot inside my coffin," she told the FT. "I regretted so many things that I had done in my life and mistakes that I had made."Some medical experts are less convinced of the value of such programmes as a suicide prevention measure. "I think treating the fundamental causes like depression and impulsive behaviour is more important and should come before such programmes," says Chung Hong-jin, professor of neuropsychiatry at the Samsung Medical Centre in Seoul. Mr Ko, however, says those who have completed his course become more considerate, and attach greater value to their lives. "Life is a gift from your parents, but the way you live depends on the choices that you make," he says. "People realise the beauty of life by experiencing death."

Deception blog round-up of recent research

Ive neglected all the crimepsych blogs over the last few months (pressure of work and a doctorate to finish) but to make up for it, at least partially, Ive published a round-up of all the interesting deception-related research from the last few months over on the Deception Blog. Its in six parts (theres a LOT of it) and can be found via the following links: Part 1: Discussion of who can catch a liar and some research on signs of lying. Part 2: New technologies and deception detection, particularly recent advances in the debate over fMRI but also some news about ERP-related deception detection. Part 3: Its magic! Reporting on the little flurry of interest in understanding how magicians deceive us, with some lessons for how practiced liars might achieve the same effect. Part 4: When people lie in specific situations, from 911 calls to deception by the police. Part 5: Polygraphy, and some recent research on the psychophisiology of lying. Part 6: Kids lies, online lies and my deception book of the year. Blogging is likely to continue to be sporadic on both this and the other crimepsych blogs over the next few months as I try and finish the doctorate, but if all goes to plan I hope to be back to better blogging by the summer of this year. Wishing you all the best for a happy, safe and successful year in 2009!

Yea, Verily: What I Have Learned Living in England These Past Four Months

The Ginga one has asked me, her loving, doctorate-holding, and jobless husband, to contribute again and write a guest blog. She is currently on some sort of leadership conference thing today, and left the house bemoaning that she failed to look professional, let alone of leadership material. I sent her out of the house with a slap on her bum, and kiss on her cheek, and orders to bring me some money too. I am not a chauvanist, but I can play that part when necessary. And she looked very, very professional to boot. So, now I have been pondering about what I have taken in as a result of my new-found status as ex-pat, and there are quite a few things, both good and bad, both poignant and misery- inspiring, and then there are others which are just, frankly, pointless.1) So, I was told that people in the North were friendlier than people in the South, something which I was denying for some time. I would drop off my son at school, and no one would talk to me after the first week he attended. That first week was great, with lots of questions about why we moved, where we came from, and what we were planning to do. Then suddenly, it all went silent. I would smile and say hello, and about 25% of the time, I may get a friendly response. Most of the time, I got a look of panic, as the person would say hello back and speed away. A fellow ex-pat who lives near here told me it was because the English are quite tribal, and I am starting to see what that means. I mean, they are not as bad as the Germans, whom you can know for nearly a year, and if you call them friend, you will get an explanation about how you are not, since you and the other person do not really know one another. The other difference is, of course, to an English person, you can mention the War and they didn’t invade Poland (boom! boom! good ol’ Basil Brush and Basil Fawlty); however, even in the friendlier North, there is a bit of some strange stand-offishness at first. They do not like making eye contact with a stranger and saying, “good morning” in an overt way. I didn’t either, until I moved here and was the proverbial white elephant, accent wise. Slowly and surely, however, it changes. It started with old ladies suddenly talking to me as I jogged with my son. I jog with my baby boy in a jogging stroller, something quite common in the U.S, but here it still gets looks. We would be stopped at a light, waiting to cross the street, and out of nowhere I would get “well, that will keep you fit” or “soon he will be pushing you in one of those.” Then in a grocery store, an old woman told me all about her nephew, who calls his mother all the time, and although she, herself, never had any children, her glorious nieces and nephews always made sure to inquire after her. Now at my son’s school, people greet me, ask about either of my boys, and make jokes. It would seem I have been partially adopted into the tribe. I say partially only because I created an air of awkwardness when I suggested to one that we all get together some time for our kids to play. I have since learned that such suggestions are typically only allowed among mums; any dad coming in and trying to get some of that action summarily receives a bit of the cold shoulder. I can understand it, however. I think if my wife were hanging out at odd hours during the day with a host of dads, all of course for the purposes of allowing the respective children to play, I would be a little anxious. I admit to you all here now that I can be a tad jealous if the need arises.2) Next thing: Tesco Club Points are great! It took me almost three months to get my Tesco Club Card, but it was so worth it. You get a point for every pound you spend, and then they send you a check, in points of course. I realize that it all somewhat dull, and being paid in points that you can only redeem at Tesco is a bit like working for Pullman and earning Pullman dollars, but there is something of an accountant in me for these kinds of games. You can even earn points for returning your plastic grocery sacks! So far, I have over 1500 Tesco points, so I am going to receive, any day now, a check worth £15.00 – that’s two bottles of really nice plonk, or one really really nice bottle, and since there was a report here recently that said a wine with a more expensive price tag makes us believe the wine tastes better (and the tests prove that when we taste the wine, we also still believe it), it is almost like getting a really really nice bottle of wine, drinking it, tasting its pecuniary value, but yet it costs nothing. Alright, I realize it cost me something, but I am getting the wine simply for shopping at Tesco. Isn’t that great? I can see by your eyes, you are silently judging me. Please remember I am a teacher who isn’t teaching right now, so I am a bit like a border collie who cannot go and herd sheep; I must make up my own games, and there is just so much “In the Night Garden” I can take – even though it is narrated by Derek Jacoby, who also just recently starred as The Master in Doctor Who and was a bad guy from the Magisterium in The Golden Compass. 3)English politicians are their own caricatures. There is no wonder why a show called “Dead Ringers” which featured puppets would be such a huge success. For one, they simply made the puppets look exactly like the politicians, and that was funny enough. They would add certain elements, for example the John Major puppet was colored grey, because his was a grey personality. All in all, the real humor was simply that the toys looked just like the original, and the original looked like something from Punch in the first place. For example, Tony Blair really is creepy looking! I remember when he was first running his campaign, and the Tories created attacks adverts that simply had a pair of evil-looking Blair-ish eyes, with the phrase, “New Labour, New Danger.” But look at the guy. He looks slightly insane! Look at Gordon Brown – he looks like a cranky bear. Look at David Cameron. He just scares me, even more now that he talks about being an “Inner Smiths Fan.” They are all an editorial cartoonist’s nightmare, because what can you do with them. You can make them slightly more grotesque, but it is as if they were designed, by their genetic code, to be in the public spotlight for our amusement. I do realize that “W” looks elfish, Gore looks like a sleeping giant, and Newt Gingritch does resemble a bigger version of one of the Lollypop Kids from Wizard of Oz, but you still have to work for it.4)McVities’ milk chocolate and dark chocolate (called simply plain here) are simply the best things I have ever eaten … after Galaxy chocolate bars and Magnum Icecream bars (which are fantastic vanilla icecream on a stick, covered with Galaxy chocolate). For real food, I could eat curries every day. I am not partial to fish and chips, however, so there is still hope for my waistline.5)For some reason, I cannot find French Roast coffee here. Not even from Starbucks (and yes, they are everywhere too). I can find Italian Roast, but not French. I once found “French Style”, but that wasn’t it; in fact, I am unsure what particularly was French in the style of the coffee, since no matter how strong I brewed the coffee, it tasted weak, until I went too far and made sludge. I had to return to the US for my mother’s funeral last month, so I stocked up on the good stuff, and then some heavenly friends sent me 2 (count ‘em 2!) pounds of my absolute favorite coffee in the world: Peet’s! So I am set for a bit. But one day, and that day will quickly come, I will have to go back and begin my search in vain again. I do not measure my life out in coffee spoons (that’s not what I said at all), but I do mark events by good coffee.6)There is a rising wave of Puritanism here lately. Recently a teacher was dismissed for having been in a rather sexy ad for construction clothing. Now, granted, there was simulated sex suggested (all right, people were a-bumpin’ and a-grindin’, makin’ the beast with two backs), but still I had thought the moral views were more open here. I mean the first time I saw a topless woman was on Monty Python (and that was on PBS!), so it surprised me to hear of such concern. It also seems that those who profess to believe in Intelligent Design followed me out to the UK, because that, too, is getting discussion. It was a shock enough having my son climb into bed with us one morning and ask “Can we talk about the baby Jesus”, but it was close to Christmas, and he was in the school Nativity play (where he played Santa – go figure), but this wave of I.D. proponents in the UK makes me even more nervous than it did in the US. Sure, we can all play Natural Philosophers and admire the eye, and wonder how it could have been made by chance, but advocating teaching I.D. in the science classrooms is simply preposterous and far beneathe this highly intelligent, articulate, and amazingly literate culture. So stop it. And that’s all I am gonna say about that, 7)I am simply amazed that anyone in the US could posit that the National Health System is a bad idea! Even my brother argued with me that socialized medicine would mean no one gets good care at all (and he knows that most Americans are without health insurance, and therefore excluded from good health care, despite the US’s boasts of having THE BEST). Stupid arguments with siblings aside, I have been singularly impressed, not only with the care, but with the fact that I was able to get care so soon. My two sons and I got our NHS numbers almost as soon as we landed; my sons get immunized on a regular basis, I get my cholesterol medication, and we all get regular check ups. Go see Sicko and you will get a sense of how generous the system is. Sure, it has its problems, but remembering that Cook County Hospital in Chicago closed simply because it couldn’t afford to stay open any longer treating the uninsured (by its charter) and many such hospitals have done likewise, and you will know that something very wrong has happened with the American healthcare system.8)British Telecom, or BT, sucks the big one! They are kind of like AT&T, only without any sense of customer relations, customer service, or anything that would resemble a company that has real business sense. I have lived here now for four months, and they still had my name wrong on the bill. I would stay on the phone, sometimes in a phone booth (yes, they still have them here) for hours trying to get through, only to get cut off at the last minute. When I did get through, I was told my name could not be corrected without canceling the whole account and opening a new one (which would cost £45.00, or $90.00). Some how then, trying to get things fixed, I succeeded only in getting a second account opened; so for four months I have been getting two phone bills: one for my actual phone number and one for another line, which was never used. Each month, I would call, be put on hold, and then be told everything was sorted only to receive two phone bills the next month. Our broadband is also with BT (don’t ask), and suddenly I was getting two bills for that. Take the worst experience you have ever had, times it by ten carried to that power, and you will have BT. I have read that they are actively trying to gain back customers who have left in recent years, but I have no idea how that plan has been put into place. Advice if you are moving here: go with Orange. They are a mobile phone company (cell to you yanks), so you don’t need to pay for line rental from BT, and you can get your internet service through them too. Avoid Virgin as well. The postoffice apparently offers phone service too, but I only just learned about that.9)I am going out on a line here, but I think cars in Britain are better built than they are in the US (please forgive me Detroit and Lansing; hey wait, what am I saying; we drove Toyotas!). We have a Vauxhall Omega 2.5 litre, 6 cylinder monster earth f***er (my wife’s brother and sister in law generously gave it to us); Vauxhall is GM, and this particular car is a combination Chevy of some sort and the Cadillac Caterra (the Caddy that zigs). It is quite old, but it keeps on going. Sure, it drinks petrol like water (and it costs me well over $100 to fill the sommabitch), but I am well pleased with its reliability. I don’t think anyone in my family ever owned a GM car that didn’t some how die early because of bad design. Like all English-made cars, it leaks oil, but I have come to expect that.10)The Peak district is by far one of the most beautiful places on earth. I would add a photo here if I knew how, but google it and you will see. Amazing, craggy hills and breath-taking valleys. I just love the place. My only complaint is that with all the rain, I have not had a chance to drive there and run up the Big Peak.Well, there you have it. Thank you for reading the ramblings of an undignified house husband (yes, I do play Beatles songs for my boy, just like that other, slightly more famous house husband did for his boy Sean). And now back to your regularly scheduled program.

Spirited Heart, fantasy life simulation game released

Author: jack1974 Subject: Spirited Heart, fantasy life simulation game released Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 6:16 pm (GMT 0) Topic Replies: 3 More info and download links here: http://www.winterwolves.com/spiritedheart.htm Spirited Heart is a fantasy life simulation game available for Pc/Mac/Linux. Create your fantasy alter ego choosing between an apparently normal human, a cute elf and a wicked demoness. Every character has different starting attributes that will greatly influence the gameplay. They also behave differently in the various dialogue choices you'll encounter during the game. Once the game start you'll be able to run your life in a virtual fantasy world: choose a job from the 20 different ones available, but carefully check the minimum requirements. _________________pc and mac game downloads - computer games - free photos and wallpapers

Hollywood Post Alliance Announces Fourth Annual HPA Awards Call for Entries

Hollywood, CA. (May 8, 2009) - The Hollywood Post Alliance has announced the Call for Entries for the Fourth Annual HPA Awards. The popular award show will take place November 12, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Launched in 2006, the HPA Awards have become a standard by which creative and technical excellence in the art, science and craft of post production is measured. The HPA Awards invite entries in the following categories: Outstanding Color Grading using a digital intermediate process-Feature Film Outstanding Color Grading-Television Outstanding Color Grading-Commercial Outstanding Editing-Feature Film Outstanding Editing-Television Outstanding Editing-Commercial Outstanding Audio Post-Feature Film Outstanding Audio Post-Television Outstanding Audio Post-Commercial Outstanding Compositing-Feature Film Outstanding Compositing-Television Outstanding Compositing-Commercial Entries are also being accepted for the HPA Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation in Post Production, a new category that made its debut during the 2008 Awards. The Innovation Award recognizes companies and individuals who have demonstrated excellence in the application of innovation in a post production process or to the post production industry through the use of new approaches, tools, workflows and ideas that help enhance the post production process from a technical, creative or efficiency perspective. The period of eligibility is September 4, 2008 to September 7, 2009 and eligible work may have debuted domestically or internationally during this period. Entrants need not be members of the Hollywood Post Alliance to submit work for consideration. In addition to the creative award categories, the HPA Awards recognize outstanding achievements in post-production by individuals, companies and in engineering. The revered Engineering Excellence Award is bestowed upon an individual, company or process that advances post production technology. The Charles S. Swartz Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Post Production is awarded to a person, group, company or technology that has made a significant artistic, technological, business or educational impact on Post Production and the Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a post production professional for his or her service and commitment to the field of Post Production. Nominees and winners are selected by judging panels that are drawn from professionals in production and post-production. Entries for the Engineering Excellence Award will be invited to present to engineering award judges at a special HPA event that will be open to the post community. Complete rules, guidelines and entry information are available at: www.hpaawards.net. Submissions for the creative categories and for the HPA Judges Creativity Award will be accepted May 1, 2009 through July 31, 2009. Submissions for the Engineering Excellence Award will be accepted May 1, 2009 through July 1, 2009. Early Bird Entry (reduced fee) applies until July 3rd, 2009. The HPA Awards were launched in 2006 to highlight the contributions of the talented men and women of the post production industry who are a pivotal part of the creative process and of hit shows, spots and movies. Last year’s winners included Steven J. Scott for the DI color grading of “Iron Man,” the audio team from “Wall-E,” Outstanding Feature Film Editor went to Lee Smith, A.C.E. for “The Dark Knight,” and commercial spots for Jaguar, “XF Hush,” and Audi RS6, “Gymnast” were recognized. Engineering Awards went to Quantel, Panasonic and FastSoft. The first Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation were awarded to LaserPacific Media Corporation for the accurateIMAGE system; Sony Pictures Imageworks for the “Beowulf 3D” stereoscopic post production pipeline; and jointly to Digital Film Tree and CBS/Paramount for the development of a data-centric post network and workflow for “Everybody Hates Chris.” Long time Hollywood post production executive Ronald Burdett was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Post Production and Dean Elizabeth M. Daley, of the USC school of Cinema was last year’s recipient of the Charles S. Swartz Award. For a complete list of last year’s winners and nominees, visit www.hpaawards.net. A Call for Judges will be announced soon for late summer judging sessions. Nominees will be announced in the fall. For more information about the HPA Awards, visit www.hpaawards.net or call 213.614.0860. About the HPA Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA) serves the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide expertise, support, tools and the infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, digital media and other dynamic media content. About the HPA Awards The HPA Awards were created to foster awareness of post production, promote creative and technical excellence, recognize the achievements of post production talent, and build involvement in the Hollywood Post Alliance. The HPA Awards will be presented with generous support from Gold Sponsor: Autodesk; Silver Sponsors: Deluxe, Panasonic, and Thomson Grass Valley; and Bronze Sponsors: Avid Technology, Cine-tal, da Vinci, Digital Vision, Quantel, Sony, and Texas Instruments DLP Cinema.

The 5 simple rules to being happy! Is it REALLY this simple you think?

I received an email a few days ago that was quite detailed, but one part of it stood out and I wished to share it. They were the 5 rules for being happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Cream of Greens Soup: Dandelions, Spinach, and Arugula

When I think of Earth Day, I think more about how I was raised instead of an event marked on a calendar that occurs once a year. I guess my mother was green before her time simply because she needed to be frugal with her earnings. But thats not all. Her common sense was what was really at work. If youre a single mother who works split shifts and have three children under the age of six, you put all of them in the tub at the same time and teach them that the water cannot rise above their belly buttons. Absolutely no showers, ever. You rinse your two girls very long hair with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with water they wished was warm instead of shockingly cold. You nag your children incessantly until they understand that lights are turned off when not in use and that electricity costs money  which sadly does not grow on trees. You make your childrens clothes, and as much as your younger daughter may not love the idea, pass the older daughters clothes down once outgrown. You make shorts from cut off pants, either outgrown, or made possible by knees that have worn through. You purchase less of everything and teach them how to take care of what they have, because if they dont, theyre not getting anything new. You make popsicles from koolaid poured into ice cube trays and dole them out over a few days like they were gold nuggets. You remind them to bring home from school each day, not only the brown bag their lunch was in, but the baggies their chips and sandwiches were stuffed in to. You teach them to clean their plates at meals, and never, ever to waste food. Ever. Or else. And you teach them how to eat their vegetables  especially the green ones. In celebration of Earth Day and smart, frugal moms everywhere who were green long before it was the cool thing to do, this soup is for you. Its healthy, and made with a bit of this, and a bit of that from my vegetable drawer. Cream of Dandelion & Greens Soup 6 oz. dandelion greens, thick stems trimmed, then chopped 3 oz. baby spinach 3 oz. baby arugula 1 T extra virgin olive oil 2 c. good vegetable broth 1 lg. leek, white and light green parts only, cleaned, sliced 1 carrot, peeled and chopped 1-1/4 c. low fat milk 1-1/2 tsp. grainy Dijon salt & pepper to taste chives for garnish Coarsely chop the dandelion greens and toss with the other greens. In a large wide-bottomed pot over medium, heat the olive oil and add the carrots and leeks, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the greens all at once and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes more. Heat the vegetable broth to a simmer while the vegetables are cooking, then add it to the pot. Stir and bring to a simmer, allowing to cook about 15 minutes. Turn the heat to low and add the milk, stirring occasionally, and simmering until well-heated. Puree in small batches using a blender or food processor, or puree in the pot with a hand-held blender. Stir in the Dijon, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle a few chopped chives over each bowl when serving. Notes: I made this soup and the Cream of Asparagus soup on the same day. Id picked up the dandelion greens at Specialty Produce the day before and had quite a few left after the salad I made for myself. Since Id enjoyed the salad, I wanted to try a soup, but didnt have quite enough dandelions left, so true to form, had additional greens in my veggie drawer. Voila! Soup. My husband and son liked the asparagus soup more than this, but the flavors are so different, it was difficult for me to compare them. Although the Dijon can be optional, it added something special to this soup. The greens provide a little bite, so its a match made in heaven. The soup is fairly thick, so when it comes time to add the milk, you can add as little or as much as youd like. Its just as delicious the next day  just keep tightly lidded after cooled down and chill. Im not a chilled soup kind of person, but this is nice at room temperature  perfect for lunch even on a warm day sitting in the shade out back, enjoying all the greenery and blossoms that Spring Time brings each year. This soup was adapted from Melissa Breyer at care2 who has lots of other yummy things to do with dandelion greens. Go see! If youd enjoy a reminder about just how healthy dandelions and other greens are for your entire body, then check my notes out here. If you still havent been able to get something made and sent to Chris of Melecotte for the Cooking to Combat Cancer III blogging event, then you still have time! And if youre interested in general information about Earth Day, then check out these links. Earth Day.gov Earth Day Network Earth Day 2009 EnviroLink Check out epicurious and their Green Kitchen Tips while youre at it. Related posts:Cream of Asparagus Soup Ive had greens on my mind quite a bit...Spring Salad with Dandelion Greens, Asparagus and Fresh Peas If there was ever a salad season, Spring would...Creamy Spinach and Avocado Soup My husband and I were recently in Las Vegas wasting... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Who is he?

FDA moves against swine flu fraud

From The Associated Press: The Food and Drug Administration has found at least 20 Web sites that may be fraudulently marketing products with claims that they guard against or cure swine flu, an agency official said Monday. The FDA publicly rebuked one such site Monday — http://rebuildermedical.com — for offering a $199 SilverCure Swine Flu Protection Pack that includes shampoo, lotion, conditioner and soap that supposedly deposit traces of silver. Everything you need to protect yourself and family, the Web site says. But the FDA says no silver-based products have been approved for swine flu treatment or prevention, so its illegal to claim such benefits. Alyson Saben, who heads a new FDA swine flu consumer fraud team, told The Associated Press in an interview that ReBuilderMedical Technologies Inc. will have 48 hours to take corrective action or face criminal or regulatory action from the FDA. A phone message and e-mail to the company were not immediately returned. Officials on the new swine fraud team working over the weekend found at least 20 other sites peddling products for swine flu accompanied by potentially fraudulent claims, Saben said. She declined to identify the other sites until the agency investigates their claims and makes a decision about their accuracy. But she said they were things like antiviral medications being sold without a doctors prescription, dietary supplements with exaggerated claims, and flu diagnostic and protection kits. Unfortunately we see that these deceptive products are being offered, and by purveyors of products that take advantage of the publics concerns about the virus, Saben said. FDA will consider whatever means are necessary and available to us to immediately stop the marketing of unapproved, uncleared or unauthorized products. The FDA is asking members of the public to notify the agency when they encounter potentially fraudulent products. Tips can be submitted at: http://www.fda.gov/oci/flucontact.html Forms of silver like ionic silver or colloidal silver — none of them approved for swine flu — are nonetheless easy to find online accompanied by claims that they fight or prevent the new flu. A Web site called http://www.swineflugone.com is selling a 2 oz. spritzer bottle with a concoction of ionic silver, echinecea, eucalyptus and spearmint and claiming it will Stop Swine Flu in Its Tracks. Another site, http://www.flu-watch.org, claims to disclose What the CDC wont tell you that just may save your life. Colloidal silver is offered as a lifesaving cure. Other sites are selling the antiviral Tamiflu apparently without requiring a doctors prescriptions, or expensive kits of surgical masks, gloves, and anti-bacterial wipes and gels. Surgical masks and gloves are medical devices and must have FDA approval. But even if the items themselves being sold are FDA-approved, the claims being made about them may not be accurate, Saben said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend widespread use of face masks, saying only that they may be useful — along with other measures — for people who may be in close contact with people may have flu. Surgical gloves are only recommended for people like first responders having direct contact with ill people. FDA swine flu fraud page

Comment on Dissent and Narcissism by Mercurius

Wow, Derrida wasnt kidding with that stuff about authors having no control over how a text is read. Getting j_p_z out of retirement was just one among dozens of unintended consequences. The next few extracts summarise exactly what I was trying to say: TimT: It was dumb when left-wingers claimed to be dissenters (witness Janeane Garofoleano claim that she was being silenced by George Bush and co - on national television!) And it’s equally dumb when right-wingers do it. It’s a variant on a standard victim pose. Lefty E: My point is simply the “bold dissenter” trope is indeed part of a neo-con playbook: and they will play it whether it appropriate, inappropriate, or straight-up ridiculous. Berlusconi is a clear example of the latter. Helen: spend a while reading the US blogosphere with reference to David Horowitz, Chris Muir and other RWDBs. They totally think they are now downtrodden heroes, fighting against the new totalitarianism of TEH ONE. Klaus: I take Mercurius’ ethical imperative as the only legitimate one that can be avowed: nobody ought to get to bestow the title ‘dissenter’ on themselves. Helen, again: I think what Mercurius is talking about is middle class Repubs and similar who try to buy into the narrative of persecution - David Horowitz, Jonah Goldberg, the organisers of teabagging (heh!) protests, those people. They’re really an elite but they try to pretend they’re downtrodden. Adrien To pose as a dissenter is different from being a dissenter. To properly dissent one has to actively publicly object to something for which there is powerful support. Usually at great risk. Yeah, thats pretty much all I was getting at. *And add to Helens list of elite dissenters in Australia David Flint, Alan Jones, Andrew Bolt, Ian Plimer etc. Liam: Your last sentence is the classic argument delegitimising any struggle of any kind—that because someone is worse off, one has no grounds for complaint. I reject that utterly. Nup, I dont think thats what the last sentence was saying at all. Freidrich: Interesting this tactic of painting dissenters as spoilt rich kid brats. I seem to recall there was a lot of that when the coalition were in power. Youve got it the wrong way round. The point I was making is that there are a lot of spoilt rich kid brats who are painting themselves as dissenters. thewetmale: To suppose that dissent is only legitimate if someone suffers is a bit off. I agree, which is why I dont suppose that. But there are an awful lot of well-publicised and widely published self-styled dissenters out there who are getting a lot of prime-time interviews and fat royalty cheques as punishment for their dissent. j_p_z So in the interests of more advanced accuracy, we all owe a debt of gratitude to Mercurius, as usual, for so gamely modelling what a blind and deaf fool looks like. Cheers. Good to know you can dish out way more than you can take, as usual. How Victorian; how WASP. Am I a Victorian WASP now? Thats a nice promotion from White Austrian-Irish Jew. (WAIJ?) Myrtle: Do you really think you should have posted this, given it is pretty obvious you have no education in the sciences? Thats rather elitist of you, isnt it Myrtle? Do you impose the same lofty standard of qualification on anybody who wants to venture an opinion about climate change, or can any bastard with a Wordpress install have a go? Id say that facing prosecution by the Vatican for his scientific papers is a pretty solid example of courageous dissent on the part of Galileo, but then without my scientific training, who am I to say? Its been a nice day for you Myrtle, but its over now. Youve insulted nearly every contributor on every thread, and your time is up. Good-byeeee!

The Sunny West Hampstead (South Hampstead, Price: £120pw)

This newly decorated two bedroom non smoking(ish) flat is located in the heart of West Hampstead on the first floor of a safe well maintained small mansion block. The room Newly decorated carpeted and has a big comfy single bed wardrobe chest of draws and a mirror. Living room Has large bay windows very big and bright two huge comfy couches tv cable wireless internet and dvd etc. The kitchen Modern wooden floors fully fitted with a washing machine and all plates cups and utensils etc. The bathroom Clean Bath toilet and a power shower that never runs out of hot water Location Flat is located just 2 mins (max from West Hamp tube (jubilee line) the Thames link and Silver link trains and the 24 hr night bus. Finchley road (Metropolitan line) 5 mins away. It is also a 5 minute walk to the O2 Centre Sainsbury s cinema shops and restaurants The area has lots of cool shops pubs restaurants and cafes right around the corner. Great for lazy summer evenings West Hampstead is also renowned for being very safe Flat mates and myself have never experienced any problems in the area at any time of the day or night in the last 8 years Myself I am an easygoing English male in my 30s working in education. Enjoy going out socialising with friends lots of tennis love music films and cooking tasty food You Im looking for someone that is sensible (house trained chilled out clean flat mate preferably fluent in English who enjoys life works and plays hard relaxed and have a god sense of humour Bills Internet cable tv phone line tv license come to £30 per month each. Utility bills (gas elec water) are around £20 per month each. Conclusion This flat is actually in South Hampstead which is located just behind West Hampstead tube station. The icon on the map is slightly wrong it is above the icon as a pose to below if that makes any sense. Many adverts say they are in West Hampstead but most of them will not have a more perfect location than this flat. It is a lovely picturesque road and big bright modern apartment but its also cosy and comfortable Guaranteed you will love it There is no place better to spend the summer The room will be available from the 15 May Viewings can be most evenings and some afternoons. Please email us with some basic details about yourself and we will arrange a time to view the place. Cheers Archie.

FOX

Victorious Ecuador leader recommits to radical agenda

By Naomi MapstoneFinancial Times, April 28 2009Rafael Correa, Ecuador's newly re-elected leftwing populist president, promised to sustain his radical agenda in his pursuit of 21st century socialist revolution amid the euphoria of his victory.The first Ecuadorean leader in three decades to win two successive terms in office has had a tense relationship with the US, foreign investors and multilateral lenders since he first came to power in 2006.A close ally of Hugo Chávez, president of Venezuela, Mr Correa is popular with voters for his refusal to pay foreign debt he deems illegitimate, his threats to expel foreign companies such as Repsol of Spain and America Movil of Mexico if they do not agree to new terms, and for his decision to shut down a base used by the US for anti-drug flights.Like other leftist leaders in the region, including Mr Chávez and Evo Morales of Bolivia, Mr Correa has also introduced a new constitution that extends his term limits, potentially to 2017.A buoyant Mr Correa yesterday said he would continue with his social revolution to "eradicate misery and create a more just and dignified country" in spite of the global financial crisis, depressed oil prices and dwindling remittances and tax revenues."The outlook is very good for the country, the worst is over. But, of course, there is still great uncertainty and anything could happen."Mr Correa's Alianza Pais party is close to securing a majority in the 124-member national assembly, which should allow him to pass bills to cement the new constitution and advance his control over the oil and mining industries, the central bank and the media.But Mr Correa's public expenditure programme, which saw spending more than double in two years to more than $21bn (£14bn) in 2008, was largely predicated on oil wealth. Many economists question Mr Correa's ability to maintain the rate of spending."He is going to have less money, so the challenge for Correa is how to deal with the global financial crisis and at the same time maintain the social policies and reforms he has promised," says Adrián Bonilla, a Quito-based political scientist.The Opec nation relies on oil to fund 40 per cent of its budget, and its reserves have fallen by a third to $3bn (£2bn) since it defaulted on its Global 2012 and 2030 bonds. Ramiro Crespo of Analytica Securities says the government will be able to "muddle through" as long as the oil price holds at about $40-$45.Mr Correa may yet succeed in a buyback of foreign debt in which he is seeking to repay holders of Ecuador's defaulted bonds as little as 30 cents on the dollar. It was unclear whether bondholders would take up the offer, however, as Ecuador had defaulted out of an unwillingness to pay rather than an inability.Jaime Carrera, a Quito-based economist, predicts negative growth of -2 or -3 per cent for the year, and says the growing number of unemployed, and those who work for as little as a dollar a day, is likely to cause growing social unrest."There is a very high level of poor people who know little of economics . . . they hate the bankers, they don't want them. They hate investors, they don't want them, they hate businessmen, they hate politicians, this is the populist rhetoric," he says. "Correa is a great manipulator of the feelings of the poor."Mr Carrera predicts Mr Correa will abandon dollarisation, although he acknow-ledges that "the dollar is more popular than Correa".But Mr Bonilla says Mr Correa will retain the dollar. "The dollar is not only a system of exchange in Ecuador, it's a symbol of economic stability," he says."You cannot exit the dollar without causing suffering to the most vulnerable people, which would have dramatic political consequences." Fander Falconi, foreign minister, told the Financial Times the government was unwaveringly committed to maintaining the dollar, although it exacerbated pressure on the balance of payments.

Nokia E71x with AT&T in stores across the U.S. today

Text it, don't say it - survey reveals growing trend in messaging White Plains, NY, USA - Nokia announced that the slimmest smartphone on the market, the Nokia E71x, will be available in AT&T retail stores and online beginning today. Priced at just USD 99.99*, this much-anticipated full QWERTY smartphone arrives at a time when one in two people surveyed** say they would prefer to communicate via text message or email over phone calls. "The trend for messaging, whether email, IM, texting or social networking, is stronger than ever - we are seeing a real shift in the way people prefer to communicate," says David Petts, Vice President and General Manager, AT&T Account, Nokia. "The E71x is one of the most stylish and sophisticated QWERTY smartphones on the market, and it's the ideal companion for people who enjoy easy messaging and connecting with their friends. We are thrilled to now bring this sleek smartphone to people across the United States with AT&T." In a recent survey conducted with 500 American adults aged 18 and above, 52 percent said they would prefer to use texting or emailing if they had to use only one communication method for two weeks. The option of only making voice calls for two weeks trailed behind at 40 percent, according to the people surveyed. The survey, commissioned by Nokia, looked at the way people use messaging and social networking on their mobile devices. The results revealed that both texting and social networking from the mobile device are playing a part in the romantic side of life. More than one in four, or 26 percent, have made plans for seeing a special someone via social networking on their mobile, and 64 percent have made plans for a date via text messaging. Additionally, 32 percent of those surveyed have responded to a text message during a romantic dinner, and more than one in ten, or 11 percent, have actually interrupted a romantic engagement or dinner to respond to a social networking message. The same percentage of people say they have ended a romantic relationship via text, and seven percent have ended a relationship via social networking from their mobile. Nearly three in four people, or 69 percent, said they send text messages at least once a day. What they use it for is revealing - nearly one in three, or 29 percent, say it is acceptable to tell friends/family they just got laid off via text message and one in ten would "call" in sick to work via text messaging. In fact, actual behavior trumps intended behavior - 13 percent have called in sick to work via text. An additional 12 percent of respondents say they actually have spread news of their lay off to friends/family via texting. According to the survey, people are also using messaging and social networking to stay ahead in a tough economy. Eleven percent said they have secured a business deal via text and 6 percent have successfully used social networking to nab new business. "Cutting-edge smartphones like the E71x are a huge hit with our customers

Sales Tax Deduction for New Car Purchases

A reader name Patrick just wrote in to point out a recent IRS press release about a special tax break for new car purchases in 2009. From the release: The Internal Revenue Service announced today that taxpayers who buy a new passenger vehicle this year may be entitled to deduct state and local sales and excise taxes paid on the purchase on their 2009 tax returns next year. While youve been able to deduct sales taxes for quite some time now, this deduction was previously limited to those that itemize their deductions, and you also had to make a choice between deducting your state income tax and your sales tax. Details of the New Car Sales Tax Deduction The deduction is limited to state local sales and excise taxes on up to $49,500 of the purchase price of a qualified new car, light truck, motor home, or motorcycle. In order to qualify, the vehicle must have been purchased between February 16, 2009 and January 1, 2010. The deduction phases out for individual filers with modified adjusted gross income of $125k-$135k and joint filers in the $250k-$260k range. As noted above, you can claim this deduction even if you dont itemize your deductions. Follow me on Twitter! ---Related Articles at fivecentnickel.com:» Dont Miss These Tax Breaks, Part 1» Optional Sales Tax Tables are Still Available» Dont Miss These Tax Deductions» Home Sales UP in February» Mall Jewelry Store Sales» How to Decide if Travelling to a Sales Tax Holiday is Worthwhile» Gas Prices Drop, American Car Buyers Forego Economy» The Home Office Tax Deduction

Do you like to have many brothers and sisters or you like to be only one?

How many brothers and sister do you have? Are you in good relations with they? You are elder brother? Will you help your brothers and sisters if they need? Or they help you if you need? Or you just don t like to be in good relation with they, and everybody must to be with his family? hus/wife and your kids i mean?

More Egomaniac Tyrants Revealed…

MPs expenses: Sinn Fein claimed £500,000 for second homes The scandal of how absent Sinn Fein MPs have milked the Parliamentary second-home expenses system for nearly £500,000 can be revealed. By Andrew Alderson, David Barrett and Alastair Jamieson 09 May 2009 The five MPs, who represent the political wing of the IRA, have not even taken up their Parliamentary seats and yet they have rented three London properties from the same family at rates well above the market norm. The partys two best-known figures, Gerry Adams, the party leader, and Martin McGuinness, Northern Irelands deputy first minister, jointly claimed expenses of £3,600 a month to rent a shared two-bedroom flat in north London. A local estate agent, who knows the properties, said a fair monthly rent for the flat would be £1,400. The three other Sinn Fein MPs together claimed £5,400 a month to rent a shared, modern town house, which the estate agent said would rent on the open market for around £1,800 a month. At other times some of the MPs have stayed in a third property, another two-bedroom flat. The Telegraph has made a series of explosive revelations about MPs expenses that have rocked Westminster, including more disclosures today about senior Labour and Conservative politicians. More details will be published over the coming days. The five Sinn Fein MPs have claimed more than £310,000 in five years from the public purse by submitting receipts from one man, an Irish landlord living in London, and his family. Immediate neighbours of the three north London properties, which are all part of the same development, could not recall seeing any of the five MPs when shown photographs of them. The five MPs denied acting improperly last night. They insisted the money had been legitimately claimed and that they did regularly travel to London for work, when they used their rented properties. The MPs say their rent includes parking, housekeeping and utility bills. However, there were calls last night for an investigation into our disclosures. Owen Paterson, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary, said: This needs to be looked at by the House [of Commons'] authorities. Any possible breach of rules should be investigated by either the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner or the Fees Office [responsible for finance and administration]. All MPs have to operate within the rules, or the spirit of the rules. Mr Paterson said the rules need to be changed, and would be reformed under a Tory Government. It is absolutely inconceivable that a Tory-dominated House of Commons is going to vote for allowances for MPs who dont turn up. This papers investigation revealed that some of Sinn Feins MPs have rotated between the three properties, in some cases moving from one property to another then back to the first for no obvious reason. The MPs have submitted rudimentary rent receipts to the Commons authorities to support their expenses claims. Neighbours of the three-storey town house where three MPs - Michelle Gildernew, Pat Doherty and Conor Murphy - claimed expenses last year, could not recognise the politicians in photographs shown to them by The Sunday Telegraph. One resident, who did not want to be named, said that the yellow-brick house was a rental property where young professionals appeared to come and go. One resident, who helps run the development, said of the MPs: They do not live here. I have never seen them, although I do recognise from the photos that they are something to do with Sinn Fein. The Sinn Fein MPs also have identical televisions and stereo systems. Receipts submitted to the Commons authorities show that in 2004, two of the flats, each rented at the time by two of the MPs, were equipped with Samson 28-inch widescreen televisions, each costing £329, and DVD Sony cinema surround systems, each costing £230. The invoices were made out in the same handwriting, with one of the flats also charging for a three-seat settee, costing £795, and Venetian blinds, costing £485. The three properties have been rented from three members of one family, which this newspaper is not naming. The landlord and his family own at least 12 properties in the area. He and his wife live in a town house close to the rented properties. When contacted yesterday, the landlords wife confirmed that the family owned all three properties. She said that the Sinn Fein MPs were currently renting two of the three properties, but they had also been renting the third. They alternate [between the properties], she said. She refused to answer any detailed questions about the rental arrangements between the family and the Sinn Fein MPs. My husbands business affairs are his affairs, she said. Since MPs second-home expenses figures were first published in 2004 for the period covering 2001/2, the five MPs have claimed £437,405 under the Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) system, which helps MPs to meet the cost of running a second home, and which was last year worth up to £24,000 per MP. The five each claimed £21,000 of ACA in the last financial year, just short of the maximum permitted. Earlier this year, it emerged that Sinn Feins MPs claimed a total of £662,660 of taxpayer-funded allowances in 2007/8, including travel costs, offices and staff salaries. The Sinn Fein MPs have never taken up their seats at Westminster because it would involve swearing an oath of allegiance to the Queen. However, in 2001, as part of the Northern Irish Peace Process, they were given permission by the Government to start claiming Parliamentary expenses, prompting cries of treason and shame in the Commons when the decision was announced. A Sinn Fein spokesman in Belfast responded to questions from The Sunday Telegraph on behalf of all five of the partys MPs. He said: It is widely known that Sinn Fein MPs travel regularly to London on Parliamentary business and utilise the accommodation that we rent when there. We do not purchase properties at public expense and therefore do not profit from the expenses claimed as of right. The rent we pay on these properties are all inclusive of parking, utilities, housekeeping etc and therefore you are not comparing like with like. Each MP said that he, or she, only ever claimed for one property each year: I feel no duty to repay anything that I have legitimately claimed and to which I am entitled under the same rules as all other MPs. If the rules are changed then I will abide by the new rules. Sinn Fein is unique in that we are the only political party that voluntarily publishes our financial accounts annually in the interest of openness and transparency. If only other parties would do likewise then the public might have more confidence in their public representatives.

The Williams Kiddos

Just wanted to share some favorites from a session we just finished editing.Love this image of her skipping along the rocks...It was tough to get a serious face......when really they actually were such hams!Our faves are always the images showing love and interaction like the next few images.Isn't this weather just delightful? I heard that tomorrow is going to be quite a contrast, but it sure is a sweet taste of Spring to have such nice weather.It's funny how the warm weather prompts everyone that it's time for portraits this time of the year. We got from zero calls average per day to about a dozen or more. =) Honestly, if we got more than that, we'd probably have to hire an administrative assistant.Food for thought... How long has it been since you had professional portraits done? Time flies! I was thinking recently that photography is, in one sense, a luxury item because it's easy to put off or buy cheaply. In reality, though, I think photography and photographs are among the most valuable things in our lives, when you remember that they top the list of things you would most likely think to save in a house fire.Hope you all had a great St. Patrick's day! Holly and I did date night with Ted's Cafe Escondido's fajita chicken enchiladas and a full pint each of their queso and salsa. We have yet to finish the enchiladas. =)... All Photos © Christian Sangree, Prints Charming Photography

Wildlife Gardening Group Lesson Plan

I will be doing the following lesson plan with my girl scout troop this week. We aren't going to be earning a specific brownie try-it but I am going to look for some sort of fun patch to go along with the theme of Wildlife Gardening. Please note: all information is from National Wildlife foundation's Garden for Wildlife Page.Introduction to Topic:Read: The Missing Sunflowers by Maggie SternAsk:What things in Simon's garden attracted wildlife? (Answer: Sunflowers)Why did the squirrel want the sunflowers? (Answer: For food.)Food is just one of the things that animals need to survive. What are some of the other things animals need? (Answer: Shelter, space, water)Explain: Today we are going to talk about what things we can do in our own yards to attract wildlife. That means we will be looking at what we can do to offer different types of animals food, water, shelter and space in our own back yard.Activity 1:Ask: Where would an animal find food in our backyards? (Answers: Seeds from a plant • Berries • Nectar • Foliage/Twigs • Nuts • Fruits • Sap • Pollen • Suet • Bird Feeder • Squirrel Feeder • Hummingbird Feeder • Butterfly Feeder) Explain: Everyone needs to eat! Planting native plants or hanging feeders in safe places are two easy ways to offer food in your habitat.Make a bird feeder. We will make the bagel bird feeder and the strung cheerios feeder.Activity 2:Ask: What are sources of water for animals? (Answer: Lake • Stream • Seasonal Pool • Ocean • Water Garden/Pond • River • Butterfly Puddling Area • Rain Garden • Spring )Explain: Wildlife need water for drinking and bathing. The easiest water source to install in your garden is a bird bath. Be sure to change the water 2-3 times per week during warm weather when mosquitoes are breeding, so that any eggs laid in the water don't have time to hatch.Make clay pot birdbaths.Activity 3:Explain: Wildlife need places to hide to feel safe from people, predators, and bad weather. Ask: Where are some areas that animals find shelter? (Answer: Wooded Area • Bramble Patch • Ground Cover • Rock Pile or Wall • Cave • Roosting Box • Dense Shrubs or Thicket • Evergreens • Brush or Log Pile • Dead Trees or Hollow Logs • Burrow • Bird, Bat or Bee house • High Grass Areas like a Meadow or Prairie • Water Garden or PondActivity: Hang Mason Bee House in the backyard.Activity 4:Explain: Space is the amount of room an animal needs. The amount of space an animal needs depends on what type of animal it is. A bear needs a square mile or more, while a meadow mouse needs only a fraction of an acre. They need this space to be able to have enough food and water and to have a place to bear and raise their young. If there are too many of one type of animal in a certain area, the animals will have to compete for food. Many habitat features that serve as shelters are also an animal's space. For butterflies to live, they need to have a space to lay their eggs where the eggs can hatch into caterpillars and the caterpillars can survive. Then they also need plants nearby where butterflies can get nectar once the caterpillars go through their metamorphosis. Plant host plants for caterpillars and butterflies. (We will plant sunflower seeds and cosmos seeds as they are favorite plants and flowers for the American Painted Lady, one of the most wide-spread butterflies in the world and a common butterfly in NC, in the larvae and adult stages.)Concluding Activity:Hike-While on a hike we will look for areas that would make good habitats. We will look for sources of water, food, and shelter.

Mexican Street Tacos

Because Ive been dreaming of the street tacos I had while in Mexico, I decided to put that bag of masa Ive had in my cupboard since the last time we attempted making our own tortillas to good use. Its been a while because lets face it  San Diego is a hop-skip-and-a-jump from the border and there are plenty of places to get authentic tacos here. I just never order them. Im more of a carnitas person so cant tell you much about how good the tacos are at our favorite Los Dos across from Albertsons on Turquoise in Pacific Beach. Its on my agenda to find out, though. In the meantime, I treated myself to a tortilla press to the tune of $17. It makes me smile about this cooking hobby I have, because that sum could purchase quite a few packages of perfectly fresh corn tortillas if you know when the delivery guys stock the best ones at the market. But the woman in Puerto Vallarta made it look so easy: Make a ball, put it on the lower plastic covered plate, press, and peel. Voila! Yes, well, lets just say that after watching me try a few with less than completely desirable results, my husband was gnashing at the bit to step in and finish the rest with no trouble at all. Go figure. Perhaps its a math thing. And the taste? Would they compare favorably with the El Cisne taco cart in Puerto Vallarta? I say definitely. Mexican Street Tacos My Way For the tortillas& 2 c. masa de harina 1-1/3 c. water 1 big pinch kosher salt In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients until a soft dough begins to clump and you can make a ball that is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling ingredients. To prepare the tortillas, make a ball a bit smaller than a golf ball. Place between sheets of plastic wrap on the press and mash. Peel from the plastic and place on a medium hot griddle or cast iron skillet about one minute per side. They dont need to brown. Remove to serve as you make them, or stack on a warm plate and keep covered. Makes 18-20 tortillas. For the filling& 2 c. shredded chicken 1 c. shredded cabbage sliced radishes sliced cucumbers chopped green onions chopped cilantro quartered limes salsa verde 1 avocado, mashed with the juice of 1/2 lemon, salt, and pepper Optional: fresh roasted corn Mix and match the fillings to your preference. Bare bones is meat, a sprinkle of beans (which I forgot!) and cabbage. Notes: Masa de harina is corn flower or powdered corn meal. La Pina is a popular brand sold in the baking section of your market, but its also available in bulk in specialty stores. I used left over chicken we ate the night before. To do your own, roast a young chicken at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. Fill the cavity with quartered lemons, whole cloves of garlic, and sprigs of thyme. Rub the exterior with olive oil and sprinkle with a Southwest or Mexican spice blend of your choice. Mine has salt, garlic, chili powder, and cumin in it. Cabbage? Absolutely. Its crunchy and flavorful  much more flavorful than iceberg lettuce which youd never see in one of these tacos. The salsa verde we like is made by Embasa and comes in small cans. Its a tomatillo based salsa. You can make your own as I have often in the past  and it doesnt take more than 20 minutes  but this is supposed to be easy, right? I squeeze 1/2 lemon over the radishes and cucumbers and sprinkle on some salt. The extra flavor is nice. If you dont want to put this in the tacos, then its a garnish thats great for cooling down the heat if you use spicy salsa. Guacamole isnt what I was going for here. In fact, the sauce used at El Cisne was much more thin, most likely mixed with Mexican table cream. Its pourable. But I love a nice avocado with a squirt of lemon eaten right out of the shell, so why mess with it? The corn isnt something Ive seen on tacos, but were addicted to it right now. Its perfect for a meal like this whether you put it in the tacos, or eat it as a side. The flavor is amazing. Scrape it off a fresh cob into a clean medium hot cast iron skillet. Allow it to caramelize a bit by letting it sit. It will stick, but not much. Salt and a squirt of fresh lime juice if you want makes it perfect. Other bits and pieces& Zoe of Zoe Bakes, the awesomely talented chef and co-author of Artisan Bread in 5-Minutes a Day tagged me some time ago for Dancing Deer Baking Companys Sweet Home Initiative and Ive been waiting for the perfect opportunity to pass it along. If you havent heard, theres a give away connected to it from Le Creuset! Dancing Deer Baking Company’s “Sweet Home” initiative: Dancing Deer’s Sweet Home Initiative raises money for scholarships to help educate homeless women and end family homelessness. As a part of this initiative, our CEO, Trish Karter, will be riding her bike 1,500 miles from Atlanta to Boston, visiting family shelters in each city to raise awareness about this issue. She’ll also be recording stories from the women she meets along the way, asking them about their experiences. One question she’ll ask them are what foods remind them of home. (See more here.) Tacos remind me of home just like so many of the other recipes Ive written about from my childhood. It was one of those treat meals we didnt have as often as others but always looked forward to. Weve always fried our store-bought tortillas in oil first, but not until crispy. No, ours were soft and filled with ground beef, shredded cheddar, chopped tomatoes, and yes, iceberg lettuce. To this day, thats pretty much how we make them, although my husband tried to get me to use a taco seasoning mix in the beef for years and finally gave up. Ive added avocado, vary the cheese from time to time, have to include cilantro and salsa now. Finding out my mother was making tacos for dinner was even better than looking forward to pizza. Maybe it was the informality of spooning whatever we wanted into the tortillas, or trying to see who could eat the most. We were all skinny waifs with seemingly bottomless pits for stomachs, so my brother and I could eat six. I wince thinking of it. Ive probably left you little or no time, but Im passing this tag on to Judy of No Fear Entertaining, Haley of Appoggiatura, and Ben of Whats Cooking? What droolworthy recipes remind you of home? Thanks to Kristin of Dine & Dish, I have recently matched with a new blogger, Maia of Dessert-o-licious in the Adopt a Blogger event. And just for the sake of comparison, dont my tacos look just as yummy as theirs? Well? Okay, so my plates a bit messy, but still. And sure, theirs are carne asada. Ill work on it, okay? Mine Theirs Related posts:Mexican Bread Pudding with Berries: Baylesss Mexican Kitchen Ive given Rick Bayless a thorough work over and...Mexican&Erm&Welsh Rarebit When it comes to cheese, I guess I tend to...Mama Mia! Greek Night In Theres a Greek bistro not too far from where... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

An exclusive first look at J.Crew's new Men's Shop

If J.Crew is gunning to become an old boys' club, it's on the right track. The brand is set to open its second NYC men's-only outpost, The Men's Shop, this week, just a stone's throw from its existing Liquor Store shop and with a similar retro, sepia-toned style. The space, formerly a newsstand, doesn't have the broken-in aesthetic of the Liquor Storeyet. The reclaimed knotty-pine fixtures are untreated, encouraging them to weather quickly; in the meantime, the mood is set with vintage decor, from magazines and books (for sale) to pencil sharpeners and staplers (not so much). But atmosphere aside, the clothes are the highlight. The front of the Men's Shop will stock what menswear director Frank Muytjens calls "the always list." In practice? A mix of the Crew menswear, third-party apparel, and exclusive merch from trad-friendly lines. Think outerwear from Mackintosh and Barracuta; footwear from Red Wing, Sperry, Alden, and Colchester, a revived brand of deadstock canvas sneakers. The back is devoted to J.Crew's first-ever Suit Shop. All of the suiting optionsmany of them previously catalogue-onlyare here, with a new, high-end Italian fabric line set to debut later this year. While there won't be a tailor on the premises, we were assured that one would be on callnot on one of the red phones ubiquitous in all of J.Crew's other stores, but, in keeping with the theme, on an antique rotary. The Men's Shop, 484 Broadway, NYC, 212-343-1227, jcrew.com Click for a slideshow > JOSH PESKOWITZ Photo: Steven Torres

Anthony Zuiker's 'Level 26' marks origin of the 'digi-novel'

Anthony Zuiker, creator of the hit TV series CSI and its two spinoffs, says his new multimedia "digi-novel" will launch a "revolution in publishing for the YouTube generation."Level 26: Dark Origins, to be published by Dutton Sept. 8, is the first in a series in which each book will be supplemented with 20 videos, or "cyber-bridges," featuring actors playing characters from the novel.The series, written with Duane Swierczynski, features a rogue investigator who hunts serial killers.The title refers to 25 levels used by law enforcement to classify serial killers. Zuiker vows to introduce readers and viewers to level 26.After every 20 pages or so, readers will be able to go online to watch a three-minute video. The videos are designed, Zuiker says, "to embellish the novel and drive readers to the next book."Dutton's Brian Tart, who signed Zuiker to a seven-figure, three-book deal, calls the idea "unprecedented mainly because of the quality" of the videos Zuiker is directing, which star Daniel Buran (CSI) and Bill Duke (Cold Case).Two of the videos, recently previewed for the media, were as slickly produced as any network TV episode.Publishers are using websites and low-budget videos, but mostly to promote books, not as part of the book itself.Zuiker coined the term "digi-novel" (for digital) but isn't the first to combine text and video.Scholastic, the children's publisher, uses a website to add to clues in its best-selling series The 39 Clues and has a multimedia ghost-story series.Patrick Carman's Skeleton Creek, released in February, is split into two parts told by two characters: one through the text and the other via videos on a website.Zuiker, 40, brings TV experience to what he calls "a triple platform": books, videos and an interactive fan website, designed by the creators of lonelygirl15, the popular teenage blogger who turned out to be fiction.He says that he lacks patience to read a 400-page book, but that his 384-page debut, "in the style of James Patterson," will be more than "just a book on the shelf. You can watch the story on film and log in to unlock deeper levels of the experience."Tart says Zuiker's novels "have to stand on their own as books, and they do. But publishers need to experiment with new ways of engaging readers. Books were a primary form of entertainment when there were only a couple of TV channels and no Internet."

Blues Britannia on BBC4

BBC4 continues its love-in with all things British and musical with a new theme - Blues Britannia.Kicking off on Friday 1st May, the mini season offers up a new documentary called Blues Britannia – Can Blue Men Sing The Whites?, which looks at the British love affair with blues from the 50s to the 1970s. Contributors include Keith Richards and Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones); Paul Jones and Tom McGuinness (Manfred Mann); Chris Dreja (The Yardbirds); Phil May (The Pretty Things); John Mayall (The Bluesbreakers); Jack Bruce (Cream); Mick Fleetwood and Bob Brunning (Fleetwood Mac); Ian Anderson and Mick Abrahams (Jethro Tull); Dick Taylor (The Pretty Things); and jazz trombonist Chris Barber. The doc is in three parts - Born Under A Bad Sign focuses on the arrival of American blues in Britain in the late Fifties and the first performances here of such legends as Muddy Waters and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Sittin' On Top Of The World charts the birth of the first British blues boom in the early Sixties, with groups like The Stones, The Yardbirds, Manfred Mann, The Animals and The Pretty Things, while Crossroads looks at the second blues boom of the mid-to-late Sixties. That's followed by a weekend of documentaries and concerts including Blues At The BBC, Blues On Later...With Jools Holland, and new films on Peter Green and Bobby Bland. The first of those looks the most interesting and follows directly after the documentary, with footage from The Beat Room and A Whole Scene Going from the Sixties, The Old Grey Whistle Test in the Seventies and The Late Show in the Nineties.Check out the BBC website for timings - them set that recorder.BBC Four website

Thursday Thirteen 105: National Scrapbook Day

SCRAPBOOK FACTS1. National Scrapbooking Day was started in 1994 by the well-known album company Creative Memories, and is celebrated on the first Saturday of May. As that is this weekend, I thought I'd talk a bit about one of my (many) hobbies.2. Scrapbooking is a way of preserving personal and family history in the form of photographs, printed media, and memorabilia contained in decorated albums, or scrapbooks, along with detailed journaling of events.3. With the advent of affordable paper, early memory books became available to a wider number of people. As early as the 15th century, “commonplace books,” popular in England, were a way to compile a variety of memorabilia that included recipes, quotes, letters, poems and more. Each commonplace book was unique to its creator's particular interests.4. Friendship albums became popular in the 16th century. These albums were much like our modern yearbooks, where friends or patrons would enter their names, titles and short texts or illustrations at the request of the album's owner.4. According to the Craft & Hobby Association, close to 1/3 of all households in the United States include at least one scrapbooker; that makes scrapbooking a more popular hobby than golf (with ¼ of all households having at least one golfer).5. Queen Victoria and Thomas Jefferson each had scrapbooks.6. Printed scrapbook paper was produced in Holland and Germany as early as the 1700s.7. The first book of scrapbooking ideas called The Scrapbook was published in 1825.8. Scrapbooking first became popular after the book Manuscript Gleanings and Literary Scrap was published in 1826.9. In 1872 Mark Twain invented Mark Twain’s Adhesive Scrapbook and went on to generate sales which totaled $50,000.10. Modern scrapbooking became popular in 1980 when Marielen Christensen displayed 50 of her scrapbooks at the World Conference on records.11. The scrapbooking industry doubled in size between 2001 and 2004 to $2.5 billion with over 1,600 companies creating scrapbooking products by 2003. Creative Memories, a home-based retailer of scrapbooking supplies founded in 1987, saw $425 million in retail sales in 2004 (CM recently underwent chapter 11 but has, apparently and for the time being, emerged in tact). An infinite selection of products and layout ideas can now easily be found online.12. In addition to preserving memories, the scrapbooking is a popular social networking source. People gather to scrap together at local stores, conventions, retreats, cruises or each other’s homes for a “crop,” a reference to the cropping (trimming) of photographs. Stores across the country hold sales and crops throughout the day, some lasting the entire weekend.13. Scrapbooks come in all shapes and sizes, with the most popular sizes being 6x6 (mini albums), 8.5 x11, and 12x12. Basic supplies include an album, designer paper, a paper trimmer, mounting corners or archival safe (acid free) adhesive, and archival pens for journaling (again, acid free). As many companies offer an array of paper kits, little experience is required to create a lasting memory.50 ideas to get organizedhttp://www.scrapbookinghow.com/lib/tips/50-tips.htmI have done at least 20 books. A few pages of a book I did for a friend's daughter can be seen here.LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)Ella Drake * Mel * RJ LeBeau * Adelle Laudan * Stephanie AdkinsJenna Bayley-Burke * Lanie Fuller * Inez Kelley * Lia MorganJanice Seagraves * Shelley Munro * Jamie Babette * Alice AudreyPaige Tyler * Jennifer McKenzie * Ms Menozzi * HarrietStoryteller * Janet * Daisy * Kate Willoughby * Elise Logan * Brenda ND The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things.

The great English pursuit

Went for a quick drink after work last night to mark a birthday. It was in a place called Smithy's down an unpromising street near Kings Cross. Everybody's drink was served in a glass bearing the branding of the drink they ordered. Presumably the idea is to carry the messaging of advertising into the retail environment itself, the better to engender loyalty and to ensure that even the drunkest customer approaching the bar ten minutes before closing simply has to thrust the glass forward and say "more of *this*".I've just finished H.W. Brands' biography of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin spent his life commuting between the American colonies and England and never got over not just the amount the English drank but also the energetic, determined way they went about it. Brands quotes a contemporary account of an evening's entertainment in 18th century England."We continued," he says, " drinking like horses, as the vulgar phrase is, and singing till many of us were very drunk, and then we went to dancing and pulling of wigs, caps, and hats; and thus we continued in this frantic manner, behaving more like mad people than they that profess the name of Christians."I can't get the image of people "drinking like horses" out of my mind.

Apple Macbook Nano

Renewable energy: Greenstanding

Gordon Browns New Deal will do little to advance renewable energyONE of the most impressive monuments to Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal is the network of dams that stud the Tennessee River valley, built to provide work and to modernise a backward corner of America during the Great Depression. Seventy-five years later and on the other side of the Atlantic, work is once again growing scarce and an economy is in need of modernisation, this time to secure energy supplies and slash the release of planet-heating greenhouse gases. The British government has been playing up the parallels, with much ministerial talk of a Green New Deal. In March Gordon Brown promised the creation of a low-carbon economy for Britain that would provide jobs and clean up industry. Lord Mandelson, his business secretary, talked of a new industrial revolution and said that there was no high-carbon future.It is a seductive vision. If Keynesian stimulus is to be the order of the day, greenery seems a good sector in which to apply it. There are benefits besides decarbonisation. Much of the contribution would come from changing the way electricity is generated, and many of Britains old power plants need replacing anyway. A switch to renewable power would cut dependence on oil and natural gas as national production of both dwindles. Windy, storm-lashed Britain is a good place to harness the weather; boosters talk excitedly of a splurge on renewable electricity and the possibility of capturing the market for offshore wind turbines or wave-power machines, creating tens of thousands of jobs. On April 1st Statkraft, a state-owned Norwegian firm, said it was investing GBP500m ($715m) in a Scottish wind-farm project. ...

'Rock Of Love

Show contestant Megan Hauserman says the host attacked her for insulting Ozzy.By Gil Kaufman Sharon Osbourne Photo: Paul Morigi/WireImage Los Angeles police are investigating an incident on the set of the reunion special of VH1's "Rock of Love: Charm School" on Saturday, in which host Sharon Osbourne reportedly got into a fight with contestant Megan Hauserman. According to TMZ, Hauserman said that Osbourne became angry during the taping of the special, allegedly running across the stage, grabbing the contestant by the hair and continuing to pull her hair and scratch at her until security separated them. Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson Kate Lopez confirmed that a battery incident was alleged to have occurred during a taping of a reality show hosted by Osbourne over the weekend. "We can't verify Osbourne's involvement," Lopez said on Monday morning (December 15). "An investigative report was taken ... and detectives will do interviews to determine if charges should be filed." Hauserman said she went to the hospital Sunday afternoon and filed a report with the LAPD later that day. TMZ has posted a video of her being interviewed by a police officer and leaving a hospital with her left arm in a sling. The former Playboy Cyber Girl reportedly told TMZ that the source of the fight was a comment she made about Osbourne's husband, Ozzy. Hauserman said she reacted to a slight from Sharon by saying that the show's host was only famous for managing a "brain-dead rock star." Osbourne, of course, is known for her scrappy sensibility  whether she is feuding with Iron Maiden, throwing down with a showbiz flack at a Japanese restaurant in West Hollywood or unceremoniously dumping the Smashing Pumpkins as a management client. But as the host of "Charm School," Osbourne is charged with taming 14 contestants from the two seasons of Bret Michaels' "Rock of Love," as the women attempt to learn etiquette for a chance to win $100,000. Hauserman, who began her reality-TV career winning the third season of the CW's "Beauty and the Geek" in 2007, went on to be a contestant on season two of "Rock of Love" and the VH1 show "I Love Money." She's slated to get her own VH1 spin-off called "Trophy Wife." A rep for Sharon Osbourne had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time.