Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Pink :: Sober
I'm not a huge fan of Pink but after hearing this song everyday for two weeks (thanks elliot and shay) i'll have to say i've grown not only to understand the song, but to sympathies with its strong and enduring lyrics.
I can't get the youtube post up, but here is the link to the video
and here are the lyrics
Lyrics | Pink Lyrics | Sober Lyrics
Walgreen giving free care to jobless and uninsured
NEW YORK (AP) — Drugstore operator Walgreen will offer free clinic visits to the unemployed and uninsured for the rest of the year, providing tests and routine treatment for minor ailments through its walk-in clinics — though patients will still pay for precriptions.
Walgreen said patients who lose their job and health insurance after March 31 will be able to get free treatment at its in-store Take Care clinics for respiratory problems, allergies, infections and skin conditions, among other ailments. Typically those treatments cost $59 or more for patients with no insurance.
Hal Rosenbluth, chairman of the Take Care Health Systems division, described the plan as something close to an experiment: He said Walgreen isn't sure of patient demand or how much providing the services might cost the company.
It's likely to generate more attention for the clinics, however. Rosenbluth said a typical Take Care patient tells eight other people about his or her experience. So far, about 30 percent of Take Care patients were new customers to Walgreen.
The program is expected to last through the end of 2009. Walgreen runs 341 Take Care clinics in 35 markets around the country, including Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and Cleveland.
Free services will be offered only from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Walgreen said it will not offer free checkups, vaccinations or other injections because it is focusing on providing services patients might otherwise get at an urgent-care center or even an emergency room.
Patients must present proof they are unemployed, including a federal or state unemployment determination letter and an unemployment check stub. They will have to sign a form at the clinic saying they have lost their jobs and health benefits. If they find a new job or get new health insurance, they will no longer be eligible for free care.
Spouses and children are also eligible for free services if they don't have insurance of their own.
Medical lab operator Quest Diagnostics is participating in the program by offering free tests for step throat and urinary tract infections.
Walgreen bought the Take Care clinics in May 2007. Take Care says it has seen about 1.2 million patients since its launch in November 2005 and estimates that up to 30 percent of them were uninsured.
Tech Tuesdays- The Pulse
I want this pen. The Pulse from LiveScribe turns words into digital text, records voice, translates written word, upload notes, and allows you to share the notes and voice recordings.
Did I mention you can draw a piano and play any instrument better than a Casio keyboard.
Start at 149.95 for 1 GB of space, this pen is a must have for any student.
The 1 GB will store up to 100 hours of recorded audio. The 2GB holds twice that(DUH) but gives you space for future applications (upgrades). The special notebooks run around $5 a piece; the ink cartridges are close to one dollar a piece.
the music application and translation demo
The sharing application for students and co workers
Monday, March 30, 2009
Tony is at it again "A vision of students Today"
IF you are currently a student you Owe it to yourself to watch this video
Saturday, March 28, 2009
BS in Texas
the video story of Officer Powell preventing an NFL player from seeing his dying mother in law.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Obama town hall meeting this week.
I don't need town halls, you've won the election. I want work, and results, i'm sorry the average american feels better with a simple "town hall" i feel better with action, hard work, and lack of BS
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Reminder: Other side Message from Dj Cam Jus
(update: ladies free before 11:00)
"Peace,
To those of you who are moved by the funky, energetic, banging, bass-heavy, sexy, raw feel of your favorite hip hop, reggae, house, 'dance' music, and all the peripheral genres...this Saturday Dj Underdog and I are gonna give it to you in all those forms, from the classic to the futuristic. I'm gonna bang these joints until you recognize at some point that the music is already in you. This party is going to look like and sound like what we all look like and sound like.
Cam Jus + Underdog the DJ
OTHER SiDe
@
Selam
1524 U St. NW
Washington, DC
10p-2a
$7
21+
Ladies free by 11:00.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?
i apologize
People keeping knocking out the internet and i keep putting it back up,
...i put it up
...they knock it down
$&%@ Haters!
I'm Back, sorry for the lack of Post
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
This Lawn Is your Lawn- and just in time for dinner
This video was made to support the "Eat the View" campaign, a citizen-powered effort started in February 2008 put a kitchen garden back on the White House lawn.
It features me, Roger Doiron, digging a new organic garden on my White House lawn with an invitation to the Obamas to do the same.
After over a year or campaigning, media coverage in over 500 newspapers and media outlets around the world, more than 100,000 signatures on our White House garden petition, and direct contacts with members of First Lady Michelle Obama's staff, we are delighted to learn that our voices have been heard and that the First Family is once again cultivating the First Garden.
Eat the View is a project of the nonprofit group Kitchen Gardeners International. For more info, see:
EatTheView.org
KitchenGardeners.org
UPDATE Nooo not here- Tragedy at Lake Artemesia
original post from 23/3/09 7:36 am est
Yesterday at approximately 3 pm the body of an infant girl was recovered from Lake Artemesia in College Park, Maryland. The body was discovered by two fisherman and was wrapped in a plastic bag.
The police have few leads and are asking the residents in College Park and Berwyn Heights to help solve this case. If you have any information please contact the local police.
when i googled the subject i found only 1ne other article
more details as i get them
For those who don't know, i live a stones throw away from this lake, i rode around the lake Saturday as i do at least 3 times a week. This is a blow to our community and i hope the killer is quickly brought to justice.
UPDATE:
best line all year
"its so good it has to be fating"-stewee on family guy referring to gossip not food.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Water Conservation!
Here is a trick to save half a gallon to a gallon of water per FLUSH!
1. take an empty plasti 16.9 oz water bottle.
2. fill it with a heavy item, rocks, sand, salt etc.
3. place filled bottle in the TANK not the BOWL (the back part)
BAM!
You are saving Mother Earth!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Oylema
Oylema, two blocks down from the south entrance of Gallery Place Chinatown.
Party of Four, one arrived late.
I discovered this small spot on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations late one night. I've been craving mexican, El Som really, so i decided to try out this "modern" mexican spot.
Food is delicious but presumptuous. There is no salt, pepper or hot sauce on the table.
The Drinks, over priced and over rated. Nitrogen infused salt rim on the tables margaritas. Nice to look at, but does not reason the inflated price-though i did get a buzz off of one drink.
PLUS: AWESOME vegetarian menus, ascetically pleasing wait staff. Starting a Bar only happy hour on March 23!
MINUS: Menu is hard to read after a hard days work, the font style is Overly Avante Gande. The bussers are super aggressive to the point where they will clear your food and overpriced drink before you are done with it
over all three out of five. worth checking out, but highly unlikely you'll make it your regular spot.
Jon Stewart Rapes Cramer and then Riley talks about it
Fritzl is sick, Incest in Austria
Dr Adelheid Kastner is expected to be questioned on whether the 73-year-old is likely to reoffend.
The press and public will be allowed back into court after being excluded from proceedings on Tuesday.
Mr Fritzl admits incest but denies charges including murdering one of the children he fathered with his daughter.
He has pleaded "partially" guilty to rape, but denies enslavement at the trial, which began on Monday in the town of St Poelten.
A verdict is expected on Thursday.
Windowless cellar
The expert testimony is expected to be crucial in deciding what kind of prison Mr Fritzl is sent to if he is found guilty of the most serious charges he faces.
The prosecution want him committed to a psychiatric prison - which is more likely should he be regarded as a potential repeat offender.
FRITZL CHARGES AND PLEAS Murder - not guilty plea Enslavement - not guilty plea Deprivation of liberty - guilty plea Rape - partially guilty plea* Incest - guilty plea Coercion - guilty plea *Understood to mean he is contesting the wording of the charges |
Mr Fritzl is said to have a severe personality disorder.
Dr Kastner's report late last year concluded that he was mentally fit to stand trial.
Also on Wednesday, jurors in the case are due to hear statements from two technical experts regarding the cellar in which Mr Fritzl is said to have locked his daughter for 24 years - and fathered seven children with her.
Journalists and members of the public were barred from the court on Tuesday to protect victims' identities, as hours of videotaped testimony from the Fritzl children was played.
Mr Fritzl is said to to have lured his daughter into a cellar with windowless soundproofed chambers beneath their house in 1984.
He allegedly imprisoned her there and raped her repeatedly for more than two decades.
The daughter and three of her seven children fathered by Mr Fritzl were kept captive in the cellar until the case came to light in April last year, when one of the children became seriously ill and was taken to hospital.
Mr Fritzl is accused of murdering one of the newborn twin boys his daughter gave birth to in 1996, having failed to arrange medical care for the ailing infant.
He faces life in prison if he is convicted of murder, but denies the charge.
The charge of enslavement carries a maximum penalty of 20 years and some of the other charges carry a sentence of up to 15 years.
It emerged on Tuesday that a psychiatrist has been caring for Mr Fritzl before and during the trial, to ensure he does not attempt to kill himself.Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Cheap Eats for lunch time-KFC (for Fox and JR esp!)
and with 10en items staring at 99 cents you can always get a deal
KFC is doing $2.99 Famous Chicken Bowl Meals thats Chicken, corn, Mash potatoes, gravy, cheese, a soda and a spork for $2.99!*
*for a limited time only
Hump Day Laugh
Sadly this laugh is at the expense and greatness of Russel Tyrone Jones or Ol' Dirty Bastard
This Video is funny and classic
and this is why you don't do drugs
y
Rest in Peace ODB November 15, 1968--November 13, 2004
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Back again! A Note from DJ CamJus -Otherside
"BACK AGAIN! For the very forth time don't worry if i write checks i write rhymes"
"Why are you still partying to cats rapping about life like there is no global recession? lol. Cam Jus + Underdog the DJ rocking on the turntables on March 28th. Plus the original OTHER SiDe massive holding it down, at the bar for a second to start, muggin on everybody like they're not there to have a good time until they spontaneously bust out into a joyous celebration of life on the dancefloor. Spread the word. OTHER SiDe lands March 28th at Selam. Wish I had a gimmick for this to get people out like a regular promoter (might think of one from now til then) but I'm doing what I can and I'll dj my ass off like usual. So It'll be a good time regardless. Catch you on the 28th.
Cam
PS.
Won't leave you hanging with the mixes. March isn't over yet.
Plus Andalu tonight for a good old fashioned college st. pat's day ricidulousness. Evolution Fridays as usual at Evolve (1817 Columbia Rd. NW) and rocking AU at Guapo's in Tenley Town on Saturday.
Flyers here and here. "
happy St. Patrick's Day Drink - Be Safe FREE Cabs in DC
eat drink and be marry!
when it comes to dating (mini Eureka moment)
...i've made errors.
Someone asked the group "what is the first thing you notice in a girl?"
Everyone goes physical "Legs," "Booty" "Feet."
For me it is confidence. I am attracted to women with swagger and confidence.
Maybe that is my problem.
I am also attracted to those who have a high level of respect for other('s, people, ideas, interpretations etc)....it is that combination of confident and respect for others that is close to extinction.
Say that i am generalizing but hear me out: We know that first impression is important. But how many people stay true to that standard? Have you noticed that some (a lot of) people "act" confident but inside have MAD issues, i mean i feel like the more over (double positive?) confident one is the more corroded and unbalanced and unpure their root is. As if confidence is compensation for the lack of...i haven't figured that part out yet.
I won't be so disappointed now because when it comes to dating...
Monday, March 16, 2009
Damn-
Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout is a damn good beer.
Beautiful head, 7.0% ABV, a sweet aroma...
light on the tongue, crisp stout flavor like coffee or chicory.
The first time i tasted this beer i immediately transgressed to a state of bliss (thank you Pierce).
If you have not tried this beer You must. If you cannot find this beer near you i will mail you one. And if for some reason that is illegal in your state. We will figure out a way to get it to you. It is that good.
Cheers
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout
Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout is a damn good beer.
Beautiful head, 7.0% ABV, a sweet aroma...
light on the tongue, crisp stout flavor like coffee or chicory.
The first time i tasted this beer i immediately transgressed to a state of bliss
If you have not tried this beer You must.
Cheers
Serving type: bottle
Friday, March 13, 2009
and they did it again
Syracuse is a Hos! They managed to play six overtime rounds last night and now they just finished an over time in the West Virgina game, and they won!
They just played two basketball games liiiike 19 hours ago? and they just played this game like they were fresh and well rested?! Come on? these kids want the Big East, and with Georgetown out, eh i won't go as far as to say that i "want" Syracuse to win the Big East Conference. But they do deserve it.
want to make a prank...Anything
i found this message on the Republicans go Urban page...
looooooossser
"krazy05 === > Yawn again so I can stick my [you know what] in your [you know where]. Wanna fight me? 2891 SAW MILL ROAD WANTAGH NEW YORK 11793 HOUSE-516-781-3005 CELL-516-712-8066 WORK-631-543-3671"
i mean if you get bored or want to release some stress...
Friday the 13th
The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia,[1][2] a word derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή) (meaning Friday), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς) (meaning thirteen), attached to phobía (φοβία) (meaning fear). This is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a simple phobia (fear) of the number thirteen, and is also known as friggatriskaidekaphobia. The term triskaidekaphobia was derived in 1911 and first appeared in a mainstream source in 1953.[3]
History
According to folklorists, there is no written evidence for a "Friday the 13th" superstition before the 19th century.[4][5][6] The earliest known documented reference in English occurs in an 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini:
- [Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; and if it be true that, like so many other Italians, he regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday, the 13th of November, he died.[7]
However, some folklore is passed on through oral traditions. In addition, "determining the origins of superstitions is an inexact science, at best. In fact, it's mostly guesswork."[8] Consequently, several theories have been proposed about the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition.
One theory states that it is a modern amalgamation of two older superstitions: that thirteen is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day.
- In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve signs of the zodiac, twelve hours of the clock, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, twelve gods of Olympus, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.[5]
- Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century's The Canterbury Tales,[3] and many other professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects. Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s.[6][9] It has also been suggested that Friday has been considered an unlucky day because, according to Christian scripture and tradition, Jesus was crucified on a Friday. [10]
On the other hand, another theory by author Charles Panati, one of the leading authorities on the subject of "Origins" maintains that the superstition can be traced back to ancient myth:
- The actual origin of the superstition, though, appears also to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil - a gathering of thirteen - and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as "Witches' Sabbath."[11]
Another theory about the origin of the superstition traces the event to the arrest of the legendary Knights Templar. According to one expert:
- The Knights Templar were a monastic military order founded in Jerusalem in 1118 C.E., whose mission was to protect Christian pilgrims during the Crusades. Over the next two centuries, the Knights Templar became extraordinarily powerful and wealthy. Threatened by that power and eager to acquire their wealth, King Philip secretly ordered the mass arrest of all the Knights Templar in France on Friday, October 13, 1307 - Friday the 13th.[4]
The connection between the superstition and the Knights Templar was popularized in the 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code, however, some experts think that it is relatively recent and is a modern-day invention.[9][3][8] For example, the superstition is rarely found before the 20th century, when it became extremely common. One author, noting that references are all but nonexistent before 1907 but frequently seen thereafter, has argued that its popularity derives from the publication that year of Thomas W. Lawson's popular novel Friday, the Thirteenth,[12] in which an unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th.[4]
Social impact
According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. "It's been estimated that [US]$800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day".[5] Despite this, representatives for both Delta and Continental Airlines say that their airlines don't suffer from any noticeable drop in travel on those Fridays.[13]
Rate of accidents
There are conflicting studies about the risk of accidents on Friday the 13th. The Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics (CVS) on June 12, 2008, stated that "fewer accidents and reports of fire and theft occur when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday than on other Fridays, because people are preventatively more careful or just stay home. Statistically speaking, driving is slightly safer on Friday 13th, at least in The Netherlands; in the last two years, Dutch insurers received reports of an average 7,800 traffic accidents each Friday; but the average figure when the 13th fell on a Friday was just 7,500.[14][15] However, a 1993 study in the British Medical Journal that compared the ratio of traffic accidents between Friday the 6th and Friday the 13th, stated that there is a significant increase in traffic-related accidents on Fridays the 13th.[16][3]
Wall Street hits Sesame Street: Children's programmer cuts 67 jobs
Sesame Workshop, which produces the popular children's series Sesame Street and other programs, is shedding 20 per cent of its workforce.
The company, home to characters such as Elmo and Big Bird, is cutting 67 of its 355 staff positions.
"After careful review, we have concluded that we will have to operate with fewer resources in order to achieve our strategic priorities," the New York-based Sesame Workshop said in a release on Wednesday.
"[We are] not immune to the unprecedented challenges of today's economic environment."
The statement didn't specify which jobs and departments would be affected.
6ix Over times?!
UConn vs Syracuse
the first time in Big East history.
the rules say that in an NCAA tournament teams must play until a winner is declared. In this case, the Big East Conference) UConn and Syracuse have tied to 6ix over times! 71, 81, 87, 98, 104, 110.
3 hours 40 minutes ( started at 9:36)
8 players fouled out
202(+) field goals
85(+) free throw attempts
This is sic and i can't stop watching but i neeed to go to bed!!
will update soon
Final: Syracuse over UCONN 113 to 110
on to play west virgina tomorrow night
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Mad OFF! pleads guilty to all 11 charges
NEW YORK (AP) — Financier Bernard Madoff has pleaded guilty to all 11 charges in one of the largest swindles in Wall Street history. He faces as many as 150 years in prison when sentenced.
Bernard Madoff arrived at the federal courthouse Thursday morning where the disgraced financier is expected to deliver on his lawyer's prediction that he will plead guilty to all 11 felony charges brought by prosecutors.
The expected plea ends a half-century career that saw him rise to Nasdaq chairman and one of Wall Street's elite.
Madoff, 70, also faces the prospect of coming face to face for the first time since his December arrest with some of the thousands of investors whose accounts prosecutors say he oversaw since at least the 1980s.
A plea would mark the first time Madoff has spoken publicly about the scheme. The judge must hear him describe his crimes in his own words to accept it.
U.S. District Judge Denny Chin said that, assuming Madoff goes forward with plans for a guilty plea, he will give investors a chance to challenge his conclusion whether to accept a guilty plea to securities fraud and perjury, among other charges. He also will let burned investors challenge his decision whether Madoff should be allowed to await sentencing in his $7 million Manhattan penthouse or immediately go to prison.
Victims of Madoff's Ponzi scheme began arriving at court as early as 8 a.m., two hours before the hearing.
Adriane Biondo, 41, of Los Angeles, said five members of her family were affected by the fraud, including elderly relatives who were ruined. She went to court to see Madoff plead guilty and wants the judge to send him to prison immediately.
"For him to be under penthouse arrest at this point ... is just not fair," she said.
Madoff's current bail status "really infuriates everyone," said Matt Weinstein, a motivational speaker who lost the bulk of his savings in the scheme.
"People can't even afford rent anymore," Weinstein said. "He can't go on in this palace of denial."
In three months, Madoff has gone from a man known mostly as a pioneer of electronic trading in securities to an icon for disreputable money managers who live a life of affluence while fleecing those who entrust their life savings to their schemes.
The FBI claimed Madoff admitted to his sons months ago that his once-revered investment fund was all a big lie, a $50 billion Ponzi scheme that wiped out life fortunes, school trusts and charities and apparently pushed at least two investors to commit suicide.
The size of the scandal has made him an international symbol of greed and deception in difficult economic times. But it remains in dispute.
Prosecutors filed papers Tuesday saying Madoff's investment company reported a total balance of $64.8 billion in November even though it actually had only a small fraction of that amount.
Investigators say the true amount lost by investors may be between $10 billion and $17 billion and the larger estimates by Madoff include the false profits prosecutors say he generated with tens of thousands of bogus account statements cataloguing steady profits.
So far, authorities have located only about $1 billion in assets.
In a hearing Tuesday, the judge said he had been contacted by clients of Madoff's investment firm who complained — mistakenly — that he was benefiting from a plea deal. Prosecutors said there was no agreement that would have given him a shot at a lighter sentence in exchange for cooperating with investigators.
"There is no plea bargain here," the judge said.
Despite the anticipated plea, investigators say they still would face the daunting task of unraveling how Madoff pulled off the fraud for decades without being caught. They suspect his family and his top lieutenants, who helped run his operation from its midtown Manhattan headquarters, may have been involved.
In court documents, prosecutors have indicated that low-level employees were in on the scam and may be cooperating.
Court papers say Madoff hired many people with little or no training or experience in the securities industry to serve as a secretive "back office" for his investment advisory business.
Prosecutors say he generated or had employees generate tens of thousands of account statements and other documents, operating a massive Ponzi scheme, a scam in which people are persuaded to invest in a fraudulent operation that promises unusually high returns.
The money Madoff received was never invested but was used by him, his business and others or, as occurs in Ponzi schemes, was paid out to early investors, prosecutors said.
the "?" (for jess)
what is up with that?!
that question mark that precedes every blog on LaChaBenn.com ?
That Question mark is You.
That is your insight.
Jeopardy gives the answer and the contestant gives the Question ::
LaChaBenn gives the title, your brain goes "?" and you read on.
Read on!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Hump Day Laugh: Republicans Go Urban
this is especially for STS
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
For the Jobless and Career Changers: Fedex Prints Free Resume Today
FedEx Office Provides Free Resume Printing on March 10
Strives to Help Individuals Affected by Downturn of the Economy
DALLAS, March 4, 2009—FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinko’s), an operating company of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), today announced plans to offer its printing services in an effort to help job seekers across the nation. The company will host “FedEx Office Free Resume Printing Day” on March 10, 2009, offering to print up to 25 copies of each customer’s resume for free.
As reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, the nation’s unemployment rate rose to 7.6 percent and the number of unemployed persons increased to 11.6 million in January 2009. With so many people looking to get their printed resumes in the hands of recruiters and hiring managers, FedEx Office is prepared to help.
The company invites customers to take advantage of this one-day event by visiting any of its 1,600+ FedEx Office Print and Ship Centers in the United States during regular business hours. This offer is good for 25 black-and-white resume copies per customer and is only valid for orders placed and picked up in-store. Customers may place orders by submitting their resume in printed format or as a digital file, and the copies will be printed single-sided on resume-quality paper.
“We understand that the economy has affected many people in a very profound way, and we want to help,” said Brian Philips, president and CEO of FedEx Office. “Printing resumes is one small way we can use our resources to help those who need it.”
To find the nearest FedEx Office Print and Ship Center, visit www.fedex.com or call 1-800-Go-FedEx (1-800-463-3339).100,000 plastic bottles=one awesome vessel
SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- Imagine collecting thousands of empty plastic bottles, lashing them together to make a boat and sailing the thing from California to Australia, a journey of 11,000 miles through treacherous seas.
You'd have to be crazy, or trying to make a point. David de Rothschild is trying to make a point.
De Rothschild hopes his one-of-a-kind vessel, now being built on a San Francisco pier, will boost recycling of plastic bottles, which he says are a symbol of global waste. Except for the masts, which are metal, everything on the 60-foot catamaran is made from recycled plastic.
"It's all sail power," he said. "The idea is to put no kind of pollution back into the atmosphere, or into our oceans for that matter, so everything on the boat will be composted. Everything will be recycled. Even the vessel is going to end up being recycled when we finish."
De Rothschild's vessel, scheduled to set sail from San Francisco in April, is called the Plastiki. Its name is an homage of sorts to Thor Heyerdahl, the fabled Norwegian explorer who in 1947 sailed 4,300 miles across the Pacific on the Kon-Tiki, a raft made from balsa wood.
"Thats what she said" GA talks of repealing Blue Law sets Christans off
Sadie Field--In The Savannah Morning News
"Legalizing Sunday sales of alcohol in Georgia would burden taxpayers, cause more deaths and tear apart families.
In this economy, we all try to find ways to stretch the dollar and rein in spending. Government should do the same.
But when it comes to making dramatic change to public policy in the name of garnering a few extra dollars for state and local treasuries, we need to ask: Do we want to make Sundays a free-for-all when it comes to the sale of wine, alcohol and hard liquor?
The Georgia Senate is poised to vote on legislation that would allow our communities to legalize the sales of beer, wine and hard liquor on the first day of the week - Sunday.
We should stop and think about the pain that may be inflicted on innocent Georgians by making an endless supply of alcohol available on Sunday. If the legislature passes this bill, it will cost lives, burden taxpayers and tear apart families.
The consequences may be more than meet the eye. It could increase revenue for state government, but at what cost?
Consider this:
-- Fatal crashes increased 42 percent in New Mexico after the Sunday ban on alcohol sales was repealed in 1995. A study conducted over a 10-year period by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation attributed the increased number of crash fatalities directly to the lifting of the ban on Sunday sales.
It's one thing to have a few drinks at a football game or a restaurant, which is currently permitted in our state. In those cases, there is always a barrier, a bartender or waitress to stop the flow of booze. It's certainly different when you can load up a case of beer and hit the road.
-- Researchers at Notre Dame and MIT found that when blue laws are repealed, especially concerning the sale of alcohol, church attendance falls 15 percent and church donations fall 25 percent. Families need time together, and worshipping together is one of the best ways to maintain the family bond.
Their 2008 study published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics also found that those who attended church and stopped after the ban was lifted on Sundays had greater increase of substance abuse.
Despite projections that legalizing Sunday sales of beer, wine and hard liquor could bring almost $5 million in taxes to Georgia government, one has to wonder if it would be worth the tradeoff. Many of those crash victims would wind up the burden of state and local taxpayers through Medicaid or other entitlement programs. That could exceed the $5 million in new.taxes.
Legalizing Sunday sales would burden taxpayers and cause more deaths and more innocent victims of DUI accidents. Fewer families would spend time together worshipping on Sunday. Churches would lose revenue. And there is potential for more addiction.
If we follow the logic of lobbyists arguing that governments need the cash, then in this economy we would also legalize and tax prostitution, illegal drugs and gambling. At some point, we have to draw the line and say it's not about the money.
In our lightning-speed world of BlackBerries and extended work weeks, we need to maintain public policy that keeps families healthy and together - not tears them apart.
Sadie Fields is chairman of the Georgia Christian Alliance."
Blue Laws stem from the Christian belief that the Sabbath is Sunday and that we must recognize Sunday as the day of rest and worship that "He" demands. In some states blue laws apply to car sales, sporting events and gambling. Alcohol sales are prohibited on Sundays in Indiana, Connecticut, and Georgia; Sales were prohibited in Colorado until July 2008 (i moved from GA to CO in 2006...), and in Pennsylvania til 2003.
What Ms. Fields fails to call enough attention to, as do a majority of articles that i've read, is the loop hole of the Blue Laws: You can still go to a restaurant and purchase alcohol on Sundays, but you cannot buy a six pack and go to your friends house on Sundays. I can go to Taco Mac in Buckhead, watch the entire GA Florida game (three hours of drinking) and still have to drive home. Or i can have my friends come over and everyone crash until they are sober. Blue laws open the gates for DUIs, and statistics will fail to reflect this because most counties (Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton) reduce police presents on Sundays. Furthermore, a repeal of Blue laws will end up Costing counties money because they will have to waste resouces adding police forces on sunday.
I won't speak for the other states, and i know i will piss off a few of you but really Georgia does not need to repeal this law. Heck most people (true drinkers) have dealt with this law for years-and they stock up on saturday.
Chuck Norris Turns 69!
And still looks 49...
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist, action star and television and film actor who is known for action roles such as Cordell Walker on Walker, Texas Ranger and for his ironically tough image and roundhouse kick.
Norris created the martial art Chun Kuk Do, which is based primarily on Tang Soo Do and includes elements from every combat style he knows. Like many other martial arts, Chun Kuk Do includes a code of honor and rules to live by. These rules are from Chuck Norris's personal code. They are:
- I will develop myself to the maximum of my potential in all ways.
- I will forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements.
- I will continually work at developing love, happiness and loyalty in my family.
- I will look for the good in all people and make them feel worthwhile.
- If I have nothing good to say about a person, I will say nothing.
- I will always be as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.
- I will maintain an attitude of open-mindedness.
- I will maintain respect for those in authority and demonstrate this respect at all times.
- I will always remain loyal to God, my country, family and my friends.
- I will remain highly goal-oriented throughout my life because that positive attitude helps my family, my country and myself.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Iron Maiden in Bogota
There is a 20 guy who works with me. He looks like he is 12, he is Mexican and for purposes of the article he is a nice guy. He doesn't speak english well, we talk in Spanglish to communicate, and he is eager to learn new words and to learn how to conjugate them.
He brings his Ipod in one day to hook up to the system in the Back of the House. The first song to play-Iron Maiden-Dance of Death....next song Iron Maiden Stranger in a Strange land.
I looked at Andy, the assistant chef "Dude is this your Ipod?"
andy- "No no its Francisco"
My head turns like a confused dog-How does a 20 year old, two year American know iron maiden....
I will never ever make assumptions about people again...
"BBC NEWS
Police in Colombia have arrested more than 100 people after fans of the heavy metal group, Iron Maiden, tried to gatecrash a concert.
Rocks were thrown during clashes which broke out before the band was due to perform in a park in the capital, Bogota. Jeremy McDermott reports."Good music penetrates all borders, all languages, all cultures. and that is why it is so beautiful
Looking Good for 50- Happy Birthday Barbie
Barbie is a best-selling fashion doll made in 1959. The doll is produced by Mattel, Inc., and is a major source of revenue for the company. The American businesswoman Ruth Handler (1916-2002) is regarded as the creator of Barbie, and the doll's design was inspired by a German doll called Bild Lilli.
Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for nearly fifty years, and has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parody of the doll and her lifestyle. In recent years, Barbie has faced increasing competition from the Bratz range of dolls.
Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. In a series of novels published by Random House in the 1960s, her parents' names are given as George and Margaret Roberts from the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin. Barbie has been said to attend Willows High School and Manhattan International High School in New York City, based on the real-life Stuyvesant High School. She has an on-off romantic relationship with her beau Ken (Ken Carson), who first appeared in 1961. Like Barbie, Ken shares his name with one of Ruth Handler's children. A news release from Mattel in February 2004 announced that Barbie and Ken had decided to split up, but in February 2006 they were back together again.[6][7]
Barbie has had over forty pets including cats and dogs, horses, a panda, a lion cub, and a zebra. She has owned a wide range of vehicles, including pink convertibles, trailers and jeeps. She also holds a pilot's license, and operates commercial airliners in addition to serving as a flight attendant. Barbie's careers are designed to show that women can take on a variety of roles in life, and the doll has been sold with a wide range of titles including Miss Astronaut Barbie (1965), Doctor Barbie (1988) and Nascar Barbie (1998).[8]
- The word Barbie has come to be used as a derogatory slang term for a girl or woman who is considered shallow, most notably in the 1997 pop song Barbie Girl (see Parodies and lawsuits below). In July 1992 Mattel released Teen Talk Barbie, which spoke a number of phrases including "Will we ever have enough clothes?", "I love shopping!", and "Wanna have a pizza party?" Each doll was programmed to say four out of 270 possible phrases, so that no two dolls were likely to be the same. One of these 270 phrases was "Math class is tough!" Although only about 1.5% of all the dolls sold said the phrase, it led to criticism from the American Association of University Women. In October 1992 Mattel announced that Teen Talk Barbie would no longer say the phrase, and offered a swap to anyone who owned the doll.[12]
- One of the most common criticisms of Barbie is that she promotes an unrealistic idea of body image for a woman, leading to a risk that women who attempt to emulate her will become anorexic. A standard Barbie doll is 11.5 inches tall, giving a height of 5 feet 9 inches at 1/6 scale. Barbie's vital statistics have been estimated at 36 inches (chest), 18 inches (waist) and 33 inches (hips). According to research by the University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, she would lack the 17 to 22 percent body fat required for a woman to menstruate.[13] In 1965 Slumber Party Barbie came with a book entitled How to Lose Weight which advised: "Don't eat." The doll also came with pink bathroom scales reading 110lb, which would be around 35lbs underweight for a woman 5 feet 9 inches tall. In 1997 Barbie's body mold was redesigned and given a wider waist, with Mattel saying that this would make the doll better suited to contemporary fashion designs.[14]
- "Colored Francie" made her debut in 1967, and she is sometimes described as the first African American Barbie doll. However, she was produced using the existing head molds for the white Francie doll and lacked African characteristics other than a dark skin. The first African American doll in the Barbie range is usually regarded as Christie, who made her debut in 1968.[15][16] Black Barbie and Hispanic Barbie were launched in 1980.
- In 1997 Mattel joined forces with Nabisco to launch a cross-promotion of Barbie with Oreo cookies. Oreo Fun Barbie was marketed as someone with whom little girls could play after class and share "America's favorite cookie." As had become the custom, Mattel manufactured both a white and a black version. Critics argued that in the African American community Oreo is a derogatory term for a person like the chocolate sandwich cookie itself, meaning that the person is black on the outside and white on the inside. The doll was unsuccessful and Mattel recalled the unsold stock, making it sought after by collectors.[17]
- In May 1997 Mattel introduced Share a Smile Becky, a doll in a pink wheelchair. Kjersti Johnson, a 17-year-old high school student in Tacoma, Washington with cerebral palsy, pointed out that the doll would not fit into the elevator of Barbie's $100 Dream House. Mattel announced that it would redesign the house in the future to accommodate the doll.[18][19]
- In March 2000 stories appeared in the media claiming that the hard vinyl used in vintage Barbie dolls could leak toxic chemicals, causing danger to children playing with them. The claim was rejected as false by technical experts. A modern Barbie doll has a body made from ABS plastic, while the head is made from soft PVC.[20][21]
- In December 2005 Dr. Agnes Nairn at the University of Bath in England published research suggesting that girls often go through a stage where they hate their Barbie dolls and subject them to a range of punishments, including decapitation and placing the doll in a microwave oven. Dr. Nairn said: "It's as though disavowing Barbie is a rite of passage and a rejection of their past."[22][23]