tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295355712024-03-19T04:20:18.198-07:00Finally a WinnerTonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-27716887441304162632007-07-26T17:51:00.000-07:002007-07-26T17:53:01.971-07:00Joke of the Day<div style="text-align: justify;">A mother and her teenage daughter came to the doctor's office. The mother asked the doctor to examine her daughter. "She's been having some strange symptoms and I'm worried about her," said the mother. The doctor examined the daughter carefully.<br /><br />Then he announced, "Madam, I believe your daughter is pregnant." The mother gasped. "That's nonsense!" she said. "Why, my little girl has nothing whatsoever to do with men." She turned to the girl. "You don't, do you dear?" "No mommy," said the girl.<br /><br />"Why you know that I have never so much as kissed a boy!" The doctor looked from mother to daughter, and back again. Then, silently he stood up and walked to the window. He stared out. He continued staring until the mother felt compelled to ask, "Doctor, is there something wrong out there?" "No, Madam," said the doctor. "It's just that the last time anything like this happened, a star appeared in the East and I was looking to see if another one was goint to show up." </div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-60148580154937180392007-07-26T14:36:00.000-07:002008-12-08T19:10:16.223-08:00World's first commercial solar plant sees the light<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtl7QfQ5HvDH71kd3zi1QYKFXlphq76LqyoNtEVGLZbU8nAXjslKHia0mSYRHKa3Dh47tWMZ-bFbFcdJR-6w7xp2pMDAQU4M_ne58LFeeEHQQNWfY6qkX_mIhRnO9HIBg_bA/s1600-h/solar_plant.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtl7QfQ5HvDH71kd3zi1QYKFXlphq76LqyoNtEVGLZbU8nAXjslKHia0mSYRHKa3Dh47tWMZ-bFbFcdJR-6w7xp2pMDAQU4M_ne58LFeeEHQQNWfY6qkX_mIhRnO9HIBg_bA/s400/solar_plant.jpg" alt="World's first commercial solar plant sees the light (Photo)" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091624200387665890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">In the arid Spanish countryside, PS10, a dazzling array of 624 1,292-square-foot mirrors, directs sunlight to a receiver atop a 35-story tower. There the blast of tight boils water into steam that generates 11 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 6,000 homes. The first commercial-scale power plant of its kind, PS10 came online in March. PS10-type technologies are less expensive to manufacture than photovoltaics, but they work only in very sunny areas. Abengoa, the company that built PS10, has begun a sister project nearby that wilt produce 20 megawatts of electricity. These, together with other planned solar projects at this site, will soon generate 300 megawatts, enough electricity to power 180,000 homes, equivalent to the neighboring city of Seville.</div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-20188619537965179892007-07-24T10:59:00.000-07:002007-07-26T18:03:33.656-07:00One Soda A Day May Boost Risk For Heart Disease<div style="text-align: justify;">Drinking just one soft drink a day -- whether diet or regular -- may boost your risk of getting heart disease, a new study shows .<br /><br />That is because a soda habit increases the risk of developing a condition called metabolic syndrome, according to the new research, and that in turn boosts the chance of getting both heart disease and diabetes.<br /><br />"Even one soda per day increases your risk of developing metabolic syndrome by about 50 percent," says Ramachandran Vasan, MD, professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and the senior author of the study, published in the July 31 issue of the American Heart Association' s journal Circulation.<br /><br />To be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, three of five criteria must be met: a large waistline, elevated blood pressure, elevated fasting blood sugar, elevated fasting triglycerides, or reduced HDL or "good" cholesterol.<br /><br />"This study adds to the wealth of scientific evidence that sugar-sweetened beverages increase the risk of metabolic syndrome," says Vasan. Already, he says, the rise in sugary drink consumption has been linked to the epidemic of obesity and diabetes among children and teens and to the development of high blood pressure in adults.<br /><br />Soda-Heart Disease Link Questioned<br /><br />The food and beverage industry takes issue with the finding.<br /><br />Roger Clemens, DrPH, a spokesperson for the Institute of Food Technologists, calls the study findings "oversimplified. "<br />"There are many attributes associated with the development of metabolic syndrome," Clemens says. "Some of which are part of lifestyle choices, such as eating too many calories." Diet soda is a more appropriate choice than regular soda, he says.<br /><br />"It's way too soon to say stop drinking diet soda," says Clemens, a professor of molecular toxicology at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy, Los Angeles, who is familiar with the new research. "Diet soda, in moderation, can be part of a healthy lifestyle."<br /><br />Study Details<br /><br />Vasan and his colleagues evaluated about 3,500 men and women participating in the Framingham Offspring Study. The offspring study began in 1971, following the original Framingham Heart Study launched in 1948. The offspring study included 5,124 people in all.<br /><br />The questions about soda and other dietary habits were asked at three different exam periods, from 1987 to 1991, 1991 to 1995, and 1995 to 1998. The average age of those who answered questions about their soft drink intake and other health habits was 53 during the three exam periods, Vasan says.<br /><br />At the first exam period, those who drank one or more soft drinks daily had a 48 percent increased prevalence of having metabolic syndrome compared with those who drank less than one a day, the researchers found.<br /><br />As the study progressed, drinking one or more sodas a day was linked with a 44 percent higher risk of participants developing metabolic syndrome, Vasan's team found, compared with drinking less than a soda a day.<br /><br />The researchers looked at soda consumption and the person's risk of developing each of the five criteria of metabolic syndrome. "Other than elevated blood pressure, the risk of developing the other four increased from about 20 percent to 30 percent with one soda a day," Vasan says. They also found a trend toward an increased risk of developing high blood pressure with soda consumption, but it wasn't enough to be considered significant.<br /><br />Explaining the Soda-Heart Disease Link<br /><br />The link between soda consumption and heart disease risk factors "might be reflecting dietary behavior," Vasan says. "We know people who drink sodas have a greater intake of calories."<br /><br />Soda drinkers, he says, are more likely to have a less healthy lifestyle pattern, such as eating fries, chips, and other high-fat foods. "They tend to smoke more and exercise less," he says.<br /><br />Even after adjusting for intake of fat, fiber consumption, total calories, smoking, and physical activity, he says, there was still a link between soft drink intake and metabolic risk factors.<br /><br />"We cannot rule out the possibility that consumption of soda is a marker of risk -- meaning it tracks with behavior that promotes the risk of metabolic syndrome -- rather than a true risk factor," Vasan says.<br /><br />Other possible explanations: Drinking more sweet beverages could condition you to have a greater preference for eating more sweets, Vasan says, which could increase your weight and your waist size. Or if you drink a large soft drink with a meal, you may be hungrier and eat more at the next meal.<br /><br />The findings don't surprise Paul Lachance, PhD, acting director of The Nutraceuticals Institute at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , and a diet and health expert for the Institute of Food Technologists. "It's plausible," he says of the link between soda intake and increased risk of metabolic syndrome.<br /><br />But he wonders about the true root of the association. It may not be the soda intake itself leading to the increased risk, he says. "People who drink sodas may be giving up drinking healthier beverages," he says, such as juices, milk, wine, and other beverages.<br /><br />Soda Industry Strikes Back<br /><br />In a prepared statement, the soft drink industry took issue with the findings. "Blaming one food, beverage, or ingredient as the cause for myriad health problems defies common sense and doesn't agree with the current body of nutritional science," says Susan K. Neely, president and chief executive officer of the American Beverage Association.<br /><br />The Washington, D.C.-based industry group represents many companies that make and distribute nonalcoholic beverages in the U.S.<br /><br />"Metabolic syndrome and heart disease are complex problems that have no single cause and no single solution," the statement continues. Soft drinks can be part of a healthy way of life "when consumed in moderation and as part of a balanced lifestyle," it states.<br /><br />"We're underscoring the point the researchers make that it's an association, not causal," Neely tells WebMD. "The association found between diet soda and metabolic syndrome is particularly implausible. Diet soda is a beverage with zero calories, and it is 99 percent water."<br /><br />What's Next?<br /><br />Is there a "safe" amount of soda? "We cannot really answer that question," Vasan says. The research shows an association between soda consumption and metabolic syndrome risk, Vasan says, but not cause-effect. More study is needed.<br /><br />Still, he adds, "the group without risk drank less than one soda a day."<br /><br />His co-author, Ravi Dhingra, MD, a physician at the Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, in Lebanon, N.H., and instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, says: "If you are drinking more than one soft drink per day, you may be increasing the metabolic risk factors for heart disease."</div><br />By Kathleen DohenyTonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-90692959817457411982007-06-11T15:03:00.000-07:002008-12-08T19:10:16.906-08:00Funny Photoshop<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5pPXd7sCB2tTGVTfuv5iOVn8yuCGI_gPLILVDIfra24rCPymqNIkIb2izHTCqZktKmFUtI_aEiiYtHINvQVT4KMZoWhUtpO_XxidNzjHC0HO6tkGpHdC5V0s27z0ZbH7_MM/s1600-h/zhaba_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5pPXd7sCB2tTGVTfuv5iOVn8yuCGI_gPLILVDIfra24rCPymqNIkIb2izHTCqZktKmFUtI_aEiiYtHINvQVT4KMZoWhUtpO_XxidNzjHC0HO6tkGpHdC5V0s27z0ZbH7_MM/s400/zhaba_1.jpg" alt="Funny Photoshop (Funny Pics)" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091676577513840674" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXkWaS1R_qhcZUfs2opqkk6usYuegKGOZN7-QMrzQbVg_lk3Jm9jbJ-54nmvLSOYib4_O0VXTTsLqdqzM5mYxs9WkSYQoMAoB7ujA7Gj79S-hSyzOtfTMzFxUXiEvSt2AgKk/s1600-h/zhaba_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXkWaS1R_qhcZUfs2opqkk6usYuegKGOZN7-QMrzQbVg_lk3Jm9jbJ-54nmvLSOYib4_O0VXTTsLqdqzM5mYxs9WkSYQoMAoB7ujA7Gj79S-hSyzOtfTMzFxUXiEvSt2AgKk/s400/zhaba_2.jpg" alt="Funny Photoshop (Funny Pics)" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091676474434625554" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AUOLEvNFccCUcHKXgli-1IFm6vtFktPhd9cVySHhxJ3yhgijyrc-JjS7johVa2Ie_1oRTySkDrc8KUjVVW9RXPW8RFrT-CT4pQ6sGw1I8yyXV6IYdv_cwRQ-Jf-TsiOfQ9U/s1600-h/zhaba_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AUOLEvNFccCUcHKXgli-1IFm6vtFktPhd9cVySHhxJ3yhgijyrc-JjS7johVa2Ie_1oRTySkDrc8KUjVVW9RXPW8RFrT-CT4pQ6sGw1I8yyXV6IYdv_cwRQ-Jf-TsiOfQ9U/s400/zhaba_3.jpg" alt="Funny Photoshop (Funny Pics)" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091676384240312322" border="0" /></a>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-53455990154440627152007-06-11T02:04:00.000-07:002007-07-26T14:54:12.710-07:00The King Of Mazy May<div style="text-align: justify;">Fourteen-year-old Walt Masters finds guarding gold-rich Klondike mining claims is a manly chore--and a deadly one.<br /><br />Walt Masters is not a very large boy, but there is manliness in his makeup, and he himself, although he does not know a great deal that most boys know, knows much that other boys do not know. He has never seen a train of cars nor an elevator in his life, and for that matter he has never once looked upon a cornfield, a plough, a cow or even a chicken. He has never had a pair of shoes on his feet, nor gone to a picnic or a party, nor talked to a girl. But he has seen the sun at midnight, watched the ice-jams on one of the mightiest of rivers, and played beneath the northern lights, the one white child in thousands of square miles of frozen wilderness.<br /><br />Walt has walked all the 14 years of his life in sun-tanned, moose-hide moccasins, and he can go to the Indian camps and "talk big" with the men, and trade calico and beads with them for their precious furs. He can make bread without baking powder, yeast or hops, shoot a moose at 300 yards, and drive the wild wolf-dogs 50 miles a day on the packed trail.<br /><br />Last of all, he has a good heart, and is not afraid of the darkness and loneliness, of man or beast or thing. His father is a good man, strong and brave, and Walt is growing up like him.<br /><br />Walt was born a thousand miles or so down the Yukon, in a trading post below the Ramparts. After his mother died, his father and he came on up the river, step by step, from camp to camp, till now they are settled down on Mazy May Creek in the Klondike gold country. Last year they and several others had spent much toil and time on the Mazy May, and endured great hardships; the creek, in turn, was just beginning to show up its richness and to reward them for their heavy labor. But with the news of their discoveries, strange men began to come and go through the short days and long nights, and many unjust things were perpetrated on the men who had worked so long upon the creek.<br /><br />Si Hartman, for example, had gone away on a moose hunt, only to return and find new stakes driven and his claim jumped. George Lukens and his brother had lost their claims in a like manner, having delayed too long on the way to Dawson to record them. In short, it was the old story, and quite a number of the earnest, industrious prospectors had suffered similar losses.<br /><br />But Walt Masters' father had recorded his claim at the start, so Walt had nothing to fear now that his father had gone on a short trip up the White River prospecting for quartz. Walt was well able to stay by himself in the cabin, cook his three meals a day and look after things. Not only did he look after his father's claim, but he had agreed to keep an eye on the adjoining one of Loren Hall, who had started for Dawson to record it.<br /><br />Loren Hall was an old man, and he had no dogs, so he had to travel very slowly. After he had been gone some time, word came up the river that he had broken through the ice at Rosebud Creek and frozen his feet so badly that he would not be able to travel for a couple of weeks. Then Walt Masters received news that old Loren was nearly all right again, and about to move on afoot for Dawson as fast as a weakened man could.<br /><br />Walt was worried, however; the claim was liable to be jumped at any moment because of this delay, and a fresh stampede had started on the Mazy May. He did not like the looks of the newcomers, and one day, when five of them came by with crack dog-teams and the lightest of camping outfits, he could see that they were prepared to make speed, and resolved to keep an eye on them. So he locked up the cabin and followed them, being at the same time careful to remain hidden.<br /><br />He had not watched them for very long before he was sure they were professional stampeders, bent on jumping all the claims in sight. Walt crept along the snow at the rim of the creek and saw them change many stakes, destroy old ones, and set up new ones.<br /><br />In the afternoon, with Walt always trailing on their heels, they came back down the creek, unharnessed their dogs and went into camp within two claims of his cabin. When he saw them make preparations to cook, he hurried home to get something to eat himself, and then hurried back. He crept so close that he could hear them talking, and by pushing the underbrush aside he could catch occasional glimpses of them. They had finished eating and were sitting round the fire.<br /><br />"The creek is all right, boys," a large black-bearded man, evidently the leader, said, "and I think the best thing we can do is to pull out tonight. The dogs can follow the trail; besides, it's going to be moonlight. What say you?"<br /><br />"But it's going to be beastly cold," objected one of the party. "It's 40 below zero now."<br /><br />"An' sure, can't ye keep warm by jumpin' off the sleds an' runnin' after the dogs?" cried an Irishman. "An' who wouldn't? The creek's as rich as a United States mint! Faith, it's an ilegant chanst to be gettin' a run fer yer money! An' if ye don't run, it's mebbe you'll not get the money at all, at all."<br /><br />"That's it," said the leader. "If we can get to Dawson and record, we're rich men; and there's no telling who's been sneaking along in our tracks, watching us and perhaps now off to give the alarm. The thing for us to do is to rest the dogs a bit, and then hit the trail as hard as we can. What do you say?"<br /><br />Evidently the men had agreed with their leader, for Walt Masters could hear nothing but the rattle of the tin dishes being washed. Peering out cautiously, he could see the leader studying a piece of paper. Walt knew what it was at a glance--a list of all the unrecorded claims on Mazy May. Any man could get these lists by applying to the gold commissioner at Dawson.<br /><br />"Thirty-two," the leader said, lifting his face to the men. "Thirty-two isn't recorded, and this is 33. Come on; let's take a look at it. I saw somebody had been working on it when we came up this morning."<br /><br />Three of the men went with him, leaving one to remain in camp. Walt crept carefully after them till they came to Loren Hall's shaft. One of the men went down and built a fire on the bottom to thaw out the frozen gravel, while others built another fire on the dump and melted snow in a couple of gold-pans. This they poured into a piece of canvas stretched between two logs, used by Loren Hall in which to wash his gold.<br /><br />In a short time a couple of buckets of dirt were sent up by the man in the shaft, and Wait could see the others grouped anxiously about their leader as he proceeded to wash it. When this was finished, they stared at the broad streak of black sand and yellow gold grains on the bottom of the pan, and one of them called excitedly for the man who had remained in camp to come. Loren Hall had struck it rich, and his claim was not yet recorded. It was plain that they were going to jump it.<br /><br />Walt lay in the snow, thinking rapidly. He was only a boy, but in the face of threatened injustice to old lame Loren Hall, he felt that he must do something. He waited and watched, with his mind made up, till he saw the men begin to square up new stakes. Then he crawled away till out of hearing, and broke into a run for the camp of the stampeders. Walt's father had taken their own dogs with him prospecting, and the boy knew how impossible it was for him to undertake the 70 miles to Dawson without the aid of dogs.<br /><br />Gaining the camp, he picked out, with an experienced eye, the easiest running sled and started to harness up the stampeders' dogs. There were three teams of six each, and from these he chose 10 of the best. Realizing how necessary it was to have a good head-dog, he strove to discover a leader amongst them; but he had little time in which to do it, for he could hear the voices of the returning men. By the time the team was in shape and everything ready, the claim-jumpers came into sight in an open place not more than a hundred yards from the trail, which ran down the bed of the creek. They cried out to Walt, but instead of giving heed to them he grabbed up one of their fur sleeping robes, which lay loosely in the snow, and leaped upon the sled.<br /><br />"Mush! Hi! Mush on?" he cried to the animals, snapping the keen-lashed whip among them.<br /><br />The dogs sprang against the yoke straps, and the sled jerked under way so suddenly as to almost throw him off. Then it curved into the creek, poising perilously on one runner. He was almost breathless with suspense, when it finally righted with a bound and sprang ahead again. The creek bank was high and he could not see the men, although he could hear their cries and knew they were running to cut him off. He did not dare to think what would happen if they caught him; he just clung to the sled, his heart beating wildly, and watched the snow-rim of the bank above him.<br /><br />Suddenly, over this snow-rim came the flying body of the Irishman, who had leaped straight for the sled in a desperate attempt to capture it; but he was an instant too late. Striking on the very rear of it, he was thrown from his feet, backward, into the snow. Yet, with the quickness of a cat, he had clutched the end of the sled with one hand, turned over, and was dragging behind on his breast, yelling at the boy and threatening aft kinds of terrible things if he did not stop the dogs, but Walt cracked him sharply across the knuckles with the butt of the dog-whip till he let go.<br /><br />It was eight miles from Walt's claim to the Yukon--eight very crooked miles, for the creek wound back and forth like a snake, "tying knots in itself," as George Lukens said. And because it was so crooked the dogs could not get up their best speed, while the sled ground heavily on its side against the curves, now to the right, now to the left.<br /><br />Travelers who had come up and down the Mazy May on foot, with packs on their backs, had declined to go round all the bends, and instead had made short cuts across the narrow necks of creek bottom. Two of his pursuers had gone back to harness the remaining dogs, Out the others took advantage of these short cuts, running on foot, and before he knew it they had almost overtaken him.<br /><br />"Halt!" they cried after him. "Stop, or we'll shoot!"<br /><br />But Walt only yelled the harder at the dogs, and dashed round the bend with a couple of revolver bullets singing after him. At the next bend they had drawn up closer still, and the bullets struck uncomfortably near him; but at this point the Mazy May straightened out for half a mile as the crow flies. Here the dogs stretched out in their long wolf swing, and the stampeders, quickly winded, slowed down and waited for their own sled to come up.<br /><br />Looking over his shoulder, Walt reasoned that they had not given up the chase for good, and that they would soon be after him again. So he wrapped the fur robe about him to shut out the stinging air, and lay flat on the empty sled, encouraging the dogs, as he well knew how.<br /><br />At last, twisting abruptly between two river islands, he came upon the mighty Yukon sweeping grandly to the north. He could not see from bank to bank, and in the quick falling twilight it loomed a great white sea of frozen stillness. There was not a sound, save the breathing of the dogs and the churn of the steel-shod sled.<br /><br />No snow had fallen for several weeks, and the traffic had packed the main river trail till it was hard and glassy as glare ice. Over this, the sled flew along, and the dogs kept the trail fairly well, although Walt quickly discovered that he had made a mistake in choosing the leader. As they were driving in single file, without reins, he had to guide them by his voice, and it was evident the head-dog had never learned the meaning of "gee" and "haw." He hugged the insides of the curves too closely, often forcing his comrades behind him into the soft snow, while several times he thus cap-sized the sled.<br /><br />There was no wind, but the speed at which he traveled created a bitter blast, and with the thermometer down to 40 below, this bit through fur and flesh to the very bones. Aware that if he remained constantly upon the sled he would freeze to death, Walt shorted up one of the lashing-thongs, and whenever he felt chilled, seized hold of it, jumped off, and ran behind till warmth was restored. Then he would climb on and rest till the process had to be repeated.<br /><br />Looking back he could see the sled of his pursuers, drawn by eight dogs, rising and falling over the ice hammocks like a boat in a seaway. The Irishman and the black-bearded leader were with it, taking turns in running and riding.<br /><br />Night fell, and in the blackness of the first hour or so Walt toiled desperately with his dogs. On account of the poor lead-dog, they were continually foundering off the beaten track into the sort snow, and the sled was as often riding on its side or top as it was in the proper way. This work and strain tried his strength sorely. Had he not been in such haste he could have avoided much of it, but he feared the stampeders would creep up in the darkness and overtake him. However, he could hear them yelling to their dogs, and knew from the sounds they were coming up very slowly.<br /><br />When the moon rose he was off Sixty Mile, and Dawson was only 50 miles away. He was almost exhausted, and breathed a sigh of relief as he climbed on the sled again. Looking back, he saw his enemies had crawled up within 400 yards. At this space they remained a black speck of motion on the white river breast. Strive as they would, they could not shorten this distance, and strive as he would he could not increase it.<br /><br />Walt had now discovered the proper lead-dog, and he knew he could easily run away from them if he could only change the bad leader for the good one. But this was impossible, for a moment's delay at the speed they were running would bring the men behind upon him.<br /><br />When he was off the mouth of Rosebud Creek, just as he was topping a rise, the report of a run and the ping of a bullet on the ice beside him told him that they were this time shooting at him with a rifle. And from then on, as he cleared the summit of each ice-jam, he stretched flat on the leaping sled till the rifle shot from the rear warned him that he was safe till the next ice-jam was reached.<br /><br />Now it is very hard to lie on a moving sled, jumping and plunging and yawing like a boat before the wind, and to shoot through the deceiving moonlight at an object 400 yards away on another moving sled performing equally wild antics. So it is not to be wondered at that the black-bearded leader did not hit him.<br /><br />After several hours of this, during which, perhaps, a score of bullets had struck about him, their ammunition began to give out and their fire slackened. They took greater care, and shot at him at the most favorable opportunities. He was also leaving them behind, the distance slowly increasing to 600 yards.<br /><br />Lifting clear on the crest of a great jam off Indian River, Walt Masters met with his first accident. A bullet sang past his ears, and struck the bad lead-dog.<br /><br />Like a flash Walt was by the leader. Cutting the traces with his hunting knife, he dragged the dying animal to one side and straightened out the team.<br /><br />He glanced back. The other sled was coming up like an express train. With half the dogs still over their traces, he cried "Mush on!" and leaped upon the sled just as the pursuers dashed abreast of him.<br /><br />The Irishman was preparing to spring for him--they were so sure they had him that they did not shoot--when Walt turned fiercely upon them with his whip.<br /><br />He struck at their faces and because men must save their faces with their hands, there was no shooting just then. Before they could recover from the hot rain of blows, Walt reached out from his sled, catching their wheel dog by the forelegs in mid-spring, and throwing him heavily. This brought the whole team into a snarl, capsizing the sled and tangling his enemies up beautifully.<br /><br />Away Walt flew, the runners of his sled fairly screaming as they bounded over the frozen surface. And what had seemed an accident proved to be a blessing in disguise. The proper lead-dog was now to the fore, and he stretched low and whined with joy as he jerked his comrades along.<br /><br />By the time he reached Ainslie's Creek, 17 miles from Dawson, Walt had left his pursuers far behind. At Monte Cristo Island, he could no longer see them. And at Swede Creek, just as daylight was silvering the pines, he ran plump into the camp of old Loren Hall.<br /><br />Almost as quick as it takes to tell it, Loren had his sleeping-furs rolled up and had joined Walt on the sled. They permitted the dogs to travel more slowly, as there was no sign of the chase in the rear, and just as they pulled up at the gold commissioner's office in Dawson, Walt, who had kept his eyes open to the last, fell asleep.<br /><br />And because of what Walt Masters did on this night, the men of the Yukon have become proud of him, and speak of him now as the King of Mazy May.<br /><br />By Jack London</div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-53999201002656872802007-05-30T02:29:00.000-07:002007-07-26T17:37:28.170-07:00Stone Walker<div style="text-align: justify;">Stone Walker watched a group of hunters glide toward the forest on snowshoes made of cedar and deer-hide webbing. When they vanished into the predawn mist, Stone Walker tied on his own snowshoes. His mother's clever fingers had made special bindings for one of his feet, twisted since birth. Still, even with his snowshoes' help, Stone Walker moved slowly.<br /><br />Because of that, his younger brother, Leaping Deer, would someday hunt with others, while Stone Walker would be left behind. Although he was fond of his brother and laughed at his antics, Stone Walker's lips set grimly at this thought.<br /><br />Finished tying his snowshoes, he knotted a belt over his deerskin shirt and leggings. A sheath held his knife. A larger sheath held smoldering wood chunks enclosed in a clamshell lined with clay. His coiled rawhide rope hung on one shoulder. But as always, he chose to hold his weapon ready.<br /><br />The mist had cleared, and the sun was poised to leap upward when Stone Walker reached the forest stream he knew best. Along its banks he devised ways of hunting that no other man could teach him. Soon he would surprise his mother by bringing home meat for her stewpot.<br /><br />When a twig snapped, Stone Walker grasped his rawhide rope loosely in one hand. With his other hand, he prepared to hurl the heavy stone he'd attached to the rope's end. As a rabbit appeared, Stone Walker's whizzing weapon met its mark. Then he used the rope to pull the weapon back and waited for another rabbit.<br /><br />Behind him a bush shook, showering him with wet snow. He whirled to meet danger and then gasped, "Leaping Deer!"<br /><br />"I woke and followed you," replied his brother in a weary voice.<br /><br />Without snowshoes, Leaping Deer stood shivering. Snow reached his knees. His shirt sparkled with frozen crystals left from his many falls. And since he was too young to send back alone, Stone Walker would have to hunt and look after Leaping Deer as well.<br /><br />"Don't be angry, my brother," Leaping Deer wailed. "It's a sad thing always to wake and find you gone. I'm glad I saw your stone bird fly after the rabbit!"<br /><br />Stone Walker's anger flowed away as quickly as the stream's icy water. "One rabbit won't ease hunger for two, little brother. But it will warm you. Find dry wood for a fire."<br /><br />When he was Leaping Deer's age, Stone Walker had often sat quietly observing the forest around him. He had learned much about animal habits. Later, he had fashioned a weapon he could recover easily. Now he found a new purpose. He would teach Leaping Deer to be a great and skillful hunter. This he would do for the sake of his people. Stone Walker's heart felt strong as he prepared to skin the rabbit.<br /><br />Hanging his rope on a snow-laden limb, he knelt beside the rabbit and reached for his knife. As he did so, a menacing snarl echoed across the clearing.<br /><br />Facing Stone Walker was a creature he had never before seen. From old hunters' tales, he knew the furred animal quivering with rage was a wolverine. Its broad head revealed teeth terrifying in their sharpness. Though it crouched low to the ground, snow did not completely hide its curving claws.<br /><br />Memory chilled Stone Walker. He had heard a hunter warn, "Beware of one so evil it is feared by the grizzly that towers over it."<br /><br />Worse than being chilled, Stone Walker's next thought melted his icy bones. He would gladly retreat like the grizzly, leaving the wolverine to feast on his rabbit, if only his small brother were not too tired to flee. If only he, too, could move faster.<br /><br />Even as he tried to plan, the wolverine's growls grew louder. "Little brother," Stone Walker said softly, hoping Leaping Deer could hear, "climb a tree near you. Climb high and hold well."<br /><br />As he spoke, he grasped a fallen limb, broken by the weight of snow. Slowly, using the stick, he pushed the rabbit forward.<br /><br />"Accept my gift, O hungry one," he whispered, "and grant safe passage for my brother and me." Perhaps the hunters' tales exaggerated the wolverine's vile nature.<br /><br />With agonizing slowness, he put down the stick and straightened his legs for a step backward. When the snarling wolverine lunged, Stone Walker leaped upward instead.<br /><br />Uncounted times of throwing and retrieving his weapon had strengthened his arms. His hands gripped the limb above his head. Then he switched one hand so he faced the tree. After bracing his snowshoes against its trunk, he pulled himself onto the limb, sending snow plunging to the ground.<br /><br />Breathless, he looked for Leaping Deer. When his brother waved, Stone Walker's heart drummed a warning. Leaping Deer had chosen a mere sapling. Already its upper branches were bending under the young boy's weight.<br /><br />Could a wolverine climb like a bear cub? No matter. The slightest shake of the tree would topple the animal's helpless prey.<br /><br />Below Stone Walker, the wolverine stripped the tree of its bark in its effort to reach him. To keep from imagining such claws on tender skin, Stone Walker glanced away and saw his rope with its dangling weapon. There, where he had placed them rather than drop them into soft snow, almost within reach.<br /><br />His relieved shout brought an answering yell from Leaping Deer. To Stone Walker's horror, the wolverine's snarls ceased. It stood alert, staring toward the nearby sound.<br /><br />Stone Walker shouted again. "Be silent, little brother, else this evil one will find you."<br /><br />Bending for his rope, Stone Walker thought desperately. To kill the animal, he must keep it here. Was there a way?<br /><br />His fingers groped toward his snowshoes, and soon he had removed the one on his straight and useful foot. Rapping the snowshoe against the tree again and again, he teased the wolverine, and when it seemed mad with desire to tear him apart, he let his snowshoe fall.<br /><br />Stone Walker had never hit a moving creature from such a perch, but he had to try. As he braced his back against the tree trunk and launched his strike, his other snowshoe slid on the icy branch, and his effort failed. The wolverine, however, was intent on shredding his snowshoe and didn't notice the dangling rope. Stone Walker snatched it up and steadied himself by pressing his twisted foot into a forked branch. It gripped and didn't slide. Braced in his perch, he aimed more carefully, not daring to think what could happen if the wolverine's sharp teeth sliced his rope, and he lost his weapon.<br /><br />Stone Walker's arm shook as he lifted it high. He waited, willing himself to be patient until the right moment, willing his aim to be strong and true. "Strike swiftly, stone bird," he whispered.<br /><br />As the evil one savaged the splintered snowshoe, Stone Walker hurled his missile. But the animal continued thrashing. Stone Walker feared he had failed again, so he dropped beside the wolverine and drew his knife. But there was no need. The animal lay still.<br /><br />"Little brother," Stone Walker called, "where is the wood for our fire? Mighty hunters must be quick!" The smile on his lips stayed long after Leaping Deer hurried to obey. For as he worked, Leaping Deer sang praises of the mighty hunter from whom he would learn—the brother he would now call Stone Bird.<br /><br />By Jeanne B. Hargett</div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-88921971292135183902007-04-14T01:12:00.000-07:002007-07-26T17:28:59.590-07:00Why I hate driving in Los Angeles<div style="text-align: justify;">1. You must first learn to pronounce the city name, it is L A<br /><br />2. The morning rush hour is from 5:00am to noon. The evening rush hour is from noon to 7:00pm. Friday's rush hour starts on Thursday morning.<br /><br />3. The minimum acceptable speed on most freeways is 85 mph. On the 105 or 110, your speed is expected to match the highway number. Anything less is considered "Wussy".<br /><br />4. Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. L A has its own version of traffic rules. For example, cars/trucks with the loudest muffler go first at a four-way stop; the trucks with the biggest tires go second. However, in Malibu, SUV-driving, cell phone-talking moms ALWAYS have the right of way.<br /><br />5. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear ended, cussed out, and possibly shot.<br /><br />6. Never honk at anyone. Ever. Seriously. It's another offense that can get you shot.<br /><br />7. Road construction is permanent and continuous in all of L A and Orange counties. Detour barrels are moved around for your entertainment pleasure during the middle of the night to make the next day's driving a bit more exciting.<br /><br />8. Watch carefully for road hazards such as drunks, skunks, dogs, cats, barrels, cones, celebs, rubberneckers shredded tires, cell phoners, deer and other road kill, and the coyotes feeding on any of these items.<br /><br />9. Map quest does not work here, none of the roads are where they say they are or go where they say they do and all the freeway off and on ramps are moved each night.<br /><br />10. If someone actually has their turn signal on, wave them to the shoulder immediately to let them know it has been "accidentally activated."<br /><br />11. If you are in the left lane and only driving 70 in a 55-65 mph zone, you are considered a road hazard and will be "flipped off" accordingly. If you return the flip, you'll be shot.<br /><br />12. Do not try to estimate travel time, just leave Monday afternoon for Tuesday appointments, by noon Thursday for Friday and right after church on Sunday for anything on Monday morning.</div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-11664335663407720712007-03-06T17:21:00.000-08:002007-07-26T17:21:41.117-07:00Kid WisdomWhen your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?" Don't<br />answer.<br /><br />Never tell your mom her diet's not working.<br /><br />Stay away from prunes.<br /><br />Don't pull your dad's finger when he tells you to.<br /><br />Never leave your three-year-old brother in the same room as<br />your school assignment.<br /><br />If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse.<br /><br />Felt-tip markers are not good to use as lipstick.<br /><br />Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat.<br /><br />When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your mom when<br />she's on the phone.Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-24747671533009009522007-01-20T01:06:00.000-08:002008-12-08T19:10:16.962-08:00Wow!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9Gy8Oroqv_8pkG0B2BjMZ1vd12is_NH3xYjJ9bzdsab-3RQRDnrE2URIik5xuSoquS0lLeoYmLTPJLpFkXrTbh6mSy_zFZC3htlLxTqubSM6L9kPzIwn7P1VXiyXDFKKj_0/s1600-h/12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9Gy8Oroqv_8pkG0B2BjMZ1vd12is_NH3xYjJ9bzdsab-3RQRDnrE2URIik5xuSoquS0lLeoYmLTPJLpFkXrTbh6mSy_zFZC3htlLxTqubSM6L9kPzIwn7P1VXiyXDFKKj_0/s400/12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091628637088882674" border="0" /></a>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-25250685542701491852006-12-27T09:26:00.000-08:002007-06-07T15:55:50.389-07:00A little holiday cheer for y'all<div style="text-align: justify;"> Santa Claus, like all pilots, gets regular visits from the Federal Aviation Administration, and the FAA examiner arrived last week for the pre-Christmas flight check. In preparation, Santa had the elves wash the sled and bathe all the reindeer. Santa got his logbook out and made sure all his paperwork was in order.<br /><br />He knew they would examine all his equipment and truly put Santa's flying skills to the test. The examiner walked slowly around the sled. He checked the reindeer harnesses, the landing gear, and even Rudolph's nose. He painstakingly reviewed Santa's weight and balance calculations for sled's enormous payload.<br /><br />Finally, they were ready for the check ride. Santa got in and fastened his seat belt and shoulder harness and checked the compass. Then the examiner hopped in carrying, to Santa's surprise, a shotgun.<br /><br />"What's that for!?" asked Santa incredulously. The examiner winked and said, "I'm not supposed to tell you this ahead of time," as he leaned over to whisper in Santa's ear, "but you're gonna lose an engine on takeoff."</div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-75582597790143100552006-12-10T14:05:00.001-08:002006-12-10T14:07:54.841-08:00Learn to survive — and thrive — no matter what comes your way<p align="justify"><strong>I've seen people do all kinds of things</strong> to relieve anxiety. Some have a glass of wine at dinner. Others shop or eat. But these are troubling times — with hurricanes, tsunamis, war, and acts of terrorism — and if drinking, eating, or hitting the mall is your way offending off anxiety over the state of the world, you should know that the bill will eventually come due. And I don't mean just the credit card statement. Such coping methods do nothing to build your inner strength and resiliency. Fortunately, there are ways to nurture true inner peace when outer peace isn't an option.</p><p align="justify">A few months ago, a woman I'll call Nancy attended one of my seminars. Nancy had been through hard times: Three years earlier her house had burned down; then her husband's National Guard unit shipped out to Iraq, and when he returned he was angry, depressed, and traumatized. The couple got therapy yet grew further apart until, finally, her husband asked for a divorce. Nancy realized she had a choice: She could drown in self-pity or move forward. After seeing how the trauma of war had torn up her husband, she wanted to make a difference with her life. So, at 35, she enrolled in nursing school.</p><p align="justify">I think even Nancy was surprised by her resilience. But her leap into a life of greater meaning came from a simple change in outlook. She shifted her focus from her own problems to the difficulties of others. And that one change brought her clarity and peace.</p><p align="justify"></p><p align="justify"><a name='more'></a></p><p align="justify">This time of global uncertainty challenges each of us to create our own sense of security, That doesn't mean you need to follow Nancy's lead into a nursing career, but keeping an eye on what really matters will help you maintain your balance when things around you seem to fall apart. Here are a few practical steps that can help you become more resilient.</p><p align="justify"><br /></p><p align="justify"><strong>Don't Let Bad News Overwhelm You<br /><br /></strong>Journalists are biased. I don't mean politically — I mean that although good news rarely gets repeated, bad news is aired again and again in living color. But one exposure to mayhem is more than enough. Research by psychologist Turhan Canli, PhD, and his colleagues demonstrated that emotionally intense images get deeply etched in memory because they activate the amygdala. That's the part of the brain that processes threats to our survival, and it's involved in anxiety and panic. Why program it with frightening images that have staying power? Instead, during times of disaster, avoid being overwhelmed emotionally and physiologically by rationing TV, Internet, and radio news. You'll get all the information you need in a few minutes; after that, it's just more of the same. Place inspiring images where you'll see them often, because you'll remember them just as readily as distressing ones (and more easily than neutral <a href="http://www.travelphotoguide.com/"><strong>photos</strong></a>).</p><p align="justify"><br /></p><p align="justify"><strong>Know What You Don't Know<br /><br /></strong>There's an old story about a <strong><a href="http://www.ukraine.travelphotoguide.com/">Ukrainian</a></strong> priest who walks to church each morning. One day, a Cossack stops him and asks imperiously where he's going. "I don't know," says the priest. The Cossack is furious — after all, the priest always went to church — and hauls him off to jail. There, the Cossack asks why he lied. "I didn't lie," the priest replies. "I really didn't know that I was going to jail." We really don't know what will happen either. People who always expect the worst tend to be stressed-out and to suffer worse health than those who think more optimistically. But worry about a situation often turns out to be worse than the reality. Make plans to avert possible disaster, but repeat to yourself that you really don't know anything other than what's happening at this very moment.</p><p align="justify"><br /></p><p align="justify"><strong>Learn from the Super-Resilient</strong><br /><br />Dennis S. Charney, MD, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, has investigated people who suffered extreme stress and emerged psychologically intact. With colleague Steven M. Southwick, MD, of Yale University, he studied 750 men, mostly pilots in the Vietnam War, who were held captive for up to 8 years and subjected to torture or solitary confinement — or both — but avoided depression. These men shared a number of characteristics. Among other things, they were optimistic and altruistic, had a moral compass based on firmly held beliefs, used humor, had strong role models, and were guided by a sense of mission or purpose in life. You can nurture these traits in yourself. Look for ways to help others less fortunate than yourself, for instance, or strengthen your sense of right and wrong by reading <strong><a href="http://www.st0ries.com/?cat=27">biographies</a></strong> of inspiring men and <a href="http://www.st0ries.com/?cat=22"><strong>women</strong></a>.</p><p align="justify"><br /></p><p align="justify"><strong>Explore Faith and Spirituality</strong><br /><br />Many of the POWs studied by Charney and Southwick said they prayed daily during their captivity; others didn't. You don't need to be religious to be resilient, in other words, but a sense that life has meaning does seem to help. Simply exploring different religious and philosophical traditions can deepen your sense of why you're here and what you think the purpose of your life is. These qualities can help you to endure and bounce back from adversity.</p><p align="justify"><br /></p><p align="justify">People such as Nancy, who face difficulty and emerge stronger, rekindle the hope in all our hearts. My holiday wish for you is to remember the good and the beautiful that are the essence of life — and to resolve to keep a positive outlook in the year ahead. That way you can become more resilient and help create a better future for the generations to come.</p><p align="justify"><br /></p><p align="justify">"Worry about a situation often turns out to be worse than the reality"</p><p align="justify"><br /></p><p align="justify"><strong>3 more stay-strong <a href="http://tiptrick.net/">tips</a></strong></p><ul><p align="justify"><br /></p><li><div align="justify">Make one thing better The world's problems can be overwhelming. Pick just one and try to improve it, whether that means making fewer car trips to help the environment or revitalizing an abandoned neighborhood garden.</div></li><p align="justify"><br /></p><li><div align="justify">Have an emergency plait Assembling a security kit can make you feel more in control. Include comfort items (a journal, photos of loved ones) along with food, water, and first aid supplies.</div></li><p align="justify"><br /></p><li><div align="justify">Keep an eye on the upside Set your Internet home page to a site like <a href="http://www.goodnewsnow.com" target="_blank">www.goodnewsnow.com</a>, which features news stories that inspire. Reading about people cooperating to rebuild war-torn countries is much healthier than focusing on hatred.</div></li><p align="justify"><br /></p></ul><p align="justify">By Joan Borysenko, Prevention, Dec2006</p>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-63092913167986846002006-12-10T14:05:00.000-08:002006-12-10T14:07:47.727-08:00Cats and Alcohol<a href="http://www.animals.vaty.net/pictures/cats_and_alcohol/1.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Cats and Alcohol (Photo)" src="http://www.animals.vaty.net/pictures/cats_and_alcohol/1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.animals.vaty.net/pictures/cats_and_alcohol/2.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Cats and Alcohol (Photo)" src="http://www.animals.vaty.net/pictures/cats_and_alcohol/2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.animals.vaty.net/pictures/cats_and_alcohol/3.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Cats and Alcohol (Photo)" src="http://www.animals.vaty.net/pictures/cats_and_alcohol/3.jpg" border="0" /></a>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-22030270063031912372006-12-10T14:01:00.000-08:002006-12-10T14:04:33.743-08:008 Ways to Make the Most Out of Your Last Competition<div align="justify">If competitions are what you make of them--and if your Last big national competition is right around the corner, make sure that you don't let any moments, big or small, flip right past you. Chances are that you're feeling a million mixed emotions right now. After all, your teammates probably haven't just become your closest friends, they've also become like a second family. Whether you plan to cheer in college, become a staff instructor, coach at an all-star gym or hang up your poms for good after this year, vow to make your last big competition unforgettable.<br /><br />Here are eight surefire ways to make the most out of the season's last competition, plus 10 extra ideas for your teammates and coaches.<br /><br /><strong>1. Get Connected<br /></strong>Remember the Girl Scout song that goes, "Make new friends but keep the old?" One of the best ways to make your last competition count is by mingling with other teams and getting to know their cheerleaders on your own. Bring a notebook to jot down the e-mail addresses and phone numbers of your competitors. Talk to competition staffers if you want to become a camp instructor, and spend time with your coach one-on-one while you're away. After all, who better to get that much-needed college cheer advice from than someone who cheered herself?.<br /><br /><strong>2. Pass It Along</strong><br />Give the returning cheerleaders something to remember you by next season: Create a spirited poem, inspirational quote page or make a decorative framed picture and give it to your teammates at the Last practice before Nationals. It'll inspire them next year and may even become a squad tradition.<br /><br /><strong>3. Scrapbook It<br /></strong>Take lots of <strong><a href="http://www.pictures.vaty.net/"><span style="color:#000000;">pictures</span></a></strong> throughout your trip and scrapbook them afterwards. Make sure you collect the little things along the way too, such as plane tickets, restaurant business cards, confetti, hair bows, etc.<br /><br /><strong>4. Be a Savvy <a href="http://freetraveler.net/"><span style="color:#000000;">Traveler</span></a><br /></strong>Make the bus, plane or car as fun as possible by bringing along games, quizzes, magazines and music. While you're at it, why not show off your senior style, too? "We make special bag tags for the seniors' luggage," says Ashley Parish and Alora Price of Oak Harbor HS in Oak Harbor, WA.<br /><br />Also, consider wearing the same cheer shirts on the plane or sporting cute cheer bows in your hair.<br /><br /><strong>5. Fun in the Sun<br /></strong>Headed to Disney? Competing right near the beach? If there's time and your coach gives you the OK, hit up local attractions like amusement parks, the hotel pool, cool restaurants or beachy spots to get the most out of your trip. Quick tip: You might be able to score discount passes through the competition company or get a cheaper rate because you're a student, so don't be afraid to ask!<br /><br /><strong>6. Pump Up the Jams</strong><br />You probably sing the songs in your competition routine every day, so why not take them with you as a memento? "Make a CD with all of the songs your squad has used in competition routines," says Katie LeBlanc of the Sparks All-Stars in Stoughton, MA. For a funny bonus CD, speed up or slow down the tempo, or write cute quotes from your teammates on the inside case cover.<br /><br /><strong>7. Host a Sleepover or Nationals Party</strong><br />If your parents give you the thumbs up and you've got enough space, consider hosting a Nationals sleepover, pizza party or ice cream social at your home. "Throw a slumber party for everyone close to Nationals," says Chelsea Nosworthy of Paul Laurence Dunbar HS in Lexinginton, KY. If space is limited, find out if your coach can rent out a hotel room on behalf of the seniors. "Sometimes we go to hotels, rent out a room and have a swimming party [instead]."<br /><br /><strong>8. Toughen Up</strong><br />If this is your last Nationals, then you've got even more cause for motivation--how about finally landing that standing tuck or full? "I'm taking private [lessons] to get my round-off back handspring for competition this year," says Heather Maher of the Spirit Celebration All-Stars in Piano, TX. "I want to set a good example for the rest of my team and gain a sense of accomplishment and pride for everything I achieved this year."<br /><br /><strong>Competition Blowout!<br /></strong>If you're not a senior, give your graduating seniors an ultra-special send-off. A cheerleader's last competition is a super big deal, so here are just a few ways your teammates and coaches can show the seniors how much they'll be missed.<br /><br />By Colleen Leonard</div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-26599447637375008842006-12-10T13:51:00.000-08:002006-12-10T13:54:54.148-08:00Night Train to Frankfurt<div align="justify">By Marisa Silver<br /><br />They were going to boil Dorothy’s blood. Take it out, heat it, put it back in. The cancer would be gone. Well, that wasn’t exactly it. The treatment had a more formal-sounding name, thermosomethingorother, a word that was both trustworthy (because you recognized the prefix) and lofty, so that you didn’t really question it, knew you were too thick to really understand whatever explanation might be given you. “They’re going to boil my blood” is what it came down to, and this was what Dorothy had told her daughter, Helen, when she called her from <strong><a href="http://freetraveler.net/?cat=37"><span style="color:#000000;">New York</span></a></strong>. There were statistics, affidavits. There was a four-color brochure from the clinic in Frankfurt, <strong><a href="http://www.germany.travelphotoguide.com/"><span style="color:#000000;">Germany</span></a></strong>, printed in three languages. As they waited for the train in the Munich station, Helen studied the pamphlet’s fonts and graphics. A frequent dupe of advertising herself–how many depilatories and night creams had she bought over the years, and at what expense?–Helen understood the significance behind the choice of peaceful, healing blue over charged, emotional red, the softening elegance of the italicized quotes from Adèle de Chavigny, a woman from Strasbourg who had not only survived having her blood boiled but had gone on to live a life of graceful transcendence. There were no concrete images of the clinic itself, no pictures of whatever this boiling machine might look like. Helen imagined huge vats like those in a brewery–wide, clear tubes with viscous, viral blood moving sluggishly in one direction, while bright, animated, healthy blood rushed eagerly back toward the patient. On the roof of the brewery, she imagined enormous chimneys expelling the sweet-sour-smelling residue of defeated disease into the air. Poof, poof, the smokestacks would go, and all the German townsfolk (yes, in her fantasy they were wearing lederhosen and small peaked caps) would look up, proud to know that, in their town, death had been conquered.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Read full </span></strong><a href="http://www.st0ries.com/?p=259"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">story</span></strong></a></div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-81874411485736235752006-11-15T12:47:00.000-08:002006-12-10T13:48:38.479-08:00The Best "Bubba" Joke<div align="justify">Bubba liked to frequent the old swimming hole but was never able to attract the girls.<br /><br />He decided to ask his friend Billy-Bob for advice. It's those big baggy swimming trunks that make you look like an old fool.. They're years outta style.<br /><br />Your best bet is to grab yourself a pair of Speedos-about two sizes too little and drop a fist-sized tater down inside them.<br /><br />I'm telling ya man...ya'll have all the babes you want!<br /><br />The following weekend, Bubba hits the swimming hole with his spanking new tight Speedos, and his fist-sized potato.<br /><br />Everybody at the swimming hole was disgusted as he walked by, covering their faces, turning way, laughing, looking sick!<br /><br />Bubba went back to his buddy Billy-Bob and asked him, "What's wrong now?"<br /><br />"Lard-Almighty!" said Billy-Bob, "the tater goes in the front!" </div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-72594397624326719372006-10-30T07:46:00.000-08:002010-03-09T03:42:28.118-08:00Dude is Making Faces<a href="http://crazyfuns.ru/uploads/29.10.06/make_faces/6.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Dude is Making Faces (Funny Pictures)" src="http://crazyfuns.ru/uploads/29.10.06/make_faces/6.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://crazyfuns.ru/uploads/29.10.06/make_faces/5.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Dude is Making Faces (Funny Pictures)" src="http://crazyfuns.ru/uploads/29.10.06/make_faces/5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://crazyfuns.ru/uploads/29.10.06/make_faces/1.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Dude is Making Faces (Funny Pictures)" src="http://crazyfuns.ru/uploads/29.10.06/make_faces/1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://crazyfuns.ru/uploads/29.10.06/make_faces/2.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Dude is Making Faces (Funny Pictures)" src="http://crazyfuns.ru/uploads/29.10.06/make_faces/2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://crazyfuns.ru/uploads/29.10.06/make_faces/3.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Dude is Making Faces (Funny Pictures)" src="http://crazyfuns.ru/uploads/29.10.06/make_faces/3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://crazyfuns.ru/uploads/29.10.06/make_faces/4.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Dude is Making Faces (Funny Pictures)" src="http://crazyfuns.ru/uploads/29.10.06/make_faces/4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://onlinecasinospotlight.com" target="_blank">Online Casinos</a>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-15964284027030374682006-10-28T18:15:00.000-07:002006-10-28T18:16:59.240-07:0050 Sex Tricks No Guy Can Resist<div align="justify">Rounded up from our loyal and lusty readers, the touch, tease, and please techniques that'll make your man want to tattoo your name on his chest. 1-9<br /><br />• "Sometimes I take my boyfriend browsing in lingerie stores. Being surrounded by that silky stuff turns us both on. When we get home, I show him my own lacy undies."<br /><br />--Finula(*), 27<br /><br />• "I bend over my man and lightly drag my long hair over his back, butt, and legs. He loves the way the strands feel grazing his body."<br /><br />--Rebecca, 24<br /><br />• "I'm normally pretty shy in the sack, but one day I watched this steamy sex movie and got inspired. When my guy came home, I pulled him into the bedroom and pretended I was acting in the flick. He was totally turned on by my role reversal."<br /><br />--Rosa, 21<br /><br />• "My man and I play this game: We ask each other trivia questions, and if the person gets it fight, whoever asked has to take off a piece of clothing. The emphasis on slowly undressing really puts us in the mood."<br /><br />--Melanie, 20<br /><br />• "I wake my husband up in the morning with oral sex. I start slowly and softly, and when he opens his eyes, I give him the full deal."<br /><br />--Kendra, 27<br /><br />• "Sometimes I'll indulge my guy on his terms. I put on music, slip into his old football jersey, and do it on the couch while the game's on."<br /><br />--Chris, 25<br /><br />• "I interlace my fingers and move them up and down my man's penis. He loves the added friction from the inside of my knuckles."<br /><br />--Samantha, 28<br /><br />• "I take a warm bath, shave my legs, and lather on lotion. Then I put on one of my man's white tee shirts with nothing under it, and I cook us dinner. When he gets a peek at my naked buns as I bend over to grab a dish, he says he can hardly wait to have me."<br /><br />--Nicole, 28<br /><br />• "Guys flip when I kiss, lick, and suck their nipples."<br /><br />--Amy, 27<br />10-19<br /><br />• "My guy digs it when I kiss his earlobes. It sounds simple, but he says it makes his knees weak."<br /><br />--Deirdre, 23<br /><br />• "Three things: Enigma, Barry White, and Sade. Listen to their music and it'll all happen naturally."<br /><br />--Holly, 29<br /><br />• "I have a lacy white teddy that my boyfriend loves. Sometimes he'll call me at work and ask if I'll wear it that night. He says just thinking about it keeps him excited all day."<br /><br />--Maria, 26<br /><br />• "I caress my guy's perineum (the area between his anus and testicles) with my fingers. When I lightly massage that spot, he starts moaning."<br /><br />--Elena, 29<br /><br />• "At the movies, my guy and I hold hands, and as I massage his palms and fingers, the sexual tension builds. By the time we get to the car, we're all over each other."<br /><br />--Amanda, 26<br /><br />• "I let my man brush my hair and put lotion on me after I shower. It's really sensual, and all that touching pumps up our passion."<br /><br />--Yvonne, 27<br /><br />• "When I kiss my man, I take his tongue in my mouth and gently suck on it. It sends him into orbit!"<br /><br />--Jamie, 21<br /><br />• "To get totally turned on, I just think of the intense way he looks at me when I'm climaxing."<br /><br />--Laura, 26<br /><br />• "I drive my guy wild by pressing my breasts into his back when we're out at a crowded bar. Then I whisper in his ear, `I want you so badly.' No surprise, we're home in minutes."<br /><br />--Lizzie, 26<br /><br />• "I have long nails and I use them to tickle my guy's entire body--his back, legs, and chest."<br /><br />--Jacqui, 27<br />20-29<br /><br />• "My boyfriend and I videotape ourselves having sex, then we wait a few months before watching it. It's like seeing Titanic again--you know what happens, but you can't remember the exact sequence or any of the details. It's always exciting!"<br /><br />--Tamara, 28<br /><br />• "I smear scented oil all over my man's penis and let him slip inside me. The friction warms up the oil and makes for the hottest sex."<br /><br />--Heather, 23<br /><br />• "My man and I have a code phrase for sex. It started out as `Want to make some bacon?' Now when we're in public, he'll say, `I could go for a hot dog right now,' and I know just what he means. It makes us laugh, and no one knows it means we're horny!"<br /><br />--Abby, 25<br /><br />• "My guy gets off when I dress my sexiest and then go out in public and flaunt it. After turning a lot of heads, we go home and he tells me how lucky he is while we're making love."<br /><br />--Deb, 27<br /><br />• "Sometimes when my guy gets out of the shower, I'll blow his body dry. The coolness of my breath on his warm, wet skin sets him into gotta-have-it motion. When we're through, he needs another shower!"<br /><br />--Leanne, 28<br /><br />• "My boyfriend loves to feel in control, so sometimes I'll let him dominate me a little, and it drives him wild. He ties me up, whispers naughty things in my ear, and has his way with me. Then we trade positions and I take charge."<br /><br />--Sara, 25<br /><br />• "When it comes to oral sex, I'll tease my boyfriend and refrain from giving him too much stimulation all at once. I start by slowly moving my tongue up and down his penis, making sure I'm really gentle. Then when he starts begging for more, I'll get my lips involved, alternating the pressure. The changes in pace anti rhythm practically make him scream."<br /><br />--Christianne, 25<br /><br />• "My fiance and I like having sex in really small places--like in a car, on a chair, or even in a closet. He loves that he can position me against a wall or the back of the chair without having to hold me up. It's our guaranteed-to-both-come-quick trick."<br /><br />--April, 25<br /><br />• "I pamper my guy with an allover body massage, but not just arty massage! First, I let him watch while I rub off on myself (he usually asks to help, but I don't let him!). Then I have him lie down on his stomach, and I rub the oil 'all over him by lying on top and moving my naked body up and down his. He's ready to get down to business before I even start to use my hands."<br /><br />--Simone, 28<br /><br />• "I give my man what I like to call the hot and cold treatment. I get a cup of ice and a cup of hot tea. First, I put the ice in my mouth, and when my tongue gets really cold, I give him intense oral sex. Then after a sip or two of hot tea, I take him in my mouth all over again and do my thing. The changes in temperature against his skin absolutely kill him!"<br /><br />--Diane, 28<br />30-39<br /><br />• "I don't worry about my body during sex. If I feel icky one day, I'll just put on his work shirt and leave it on, or I'll dim the lights and use candles to enhance the mood. That way I can let loose and enjoy myself."<br /><br />--Ashley, 28<br /><br />• "My fiance loves when I lubricate his penis with lotion and then run my hand up and down it while twisting my wrist in a corkscrew motion. The key is to rub over and then back down the head of his penis every time. He says I'm very talented."<br /><br />--Hillary, 20<br /><br />• "I rub an ice cube up and down my guy's back. He squirms when the water drips down his body--and when I lick it off, he's in ecstasy."<br /><br />--Kate, 23<br /><br />• "Sometimes my guy and I speak with foreign accents while we're having sex. It always, gets us giggling. I think it's sexy when you can laugh while you're doing the deed."<br /><br />--Sybil, 24<br /><br />• "When we're in the missionary position, I don't just lie there. I move with my man. And I don't force myself to try to have an orgasm--I prolong it and wait for that uncontrollable feeling to just take over my world."<br /><br />--Evelyn, 23<br /><br />• "I have my man enter me from behind as I squeeze my vaginal muscles around his penis. He says it gives him an incredible orgasm."<br /><br />--Dana, 28<br /><br />• "I'm a conservative dresser, so sometimes to shock the pants off my guy, I'll wear a short skirt, heels, and bright red lipstick. When he gets home, he just grins mischievously."<br /><br />--Giselle, 26<br /><br />• "My boyfriend and I use at least three different positions each and every time we have sex--and we never get bored!"<br /><br />--Michele, 24<br /><br />• "Instead of going straight for his penis, I tease my man by kissing and licking his inner thighs and stomach. It gives him time to anticipate the thrill he's about to get."<br /><br />--Maya, 23<br /><br />• "When I tell my guy I'm not wearing any underwear when we're out in public, he's all over me."<br /><br />--Karen, 28<br />40-50<br /><br />• "I add a risk factor to make sex exciting. If my guy and I are having friends over, we'll do it in the kitchen right before they arrive. It's the ultimate quickie experience."<br /><br />--Gina, 27<br /><br />• "When my guy and I perform oral sex on one another, we always have something minty in our mouths. It creates an exciting hot-cold sensation. Now we buy Altoids in bulk."<br /><br />--Pamela, 27<br /><br />• "When I'm on top, I like to pull one leg up along the side of his chest and leave the other straight out behind me. Then I'll slowly alternate legs. The muscle contractions drive my man crazy."<br /><br />--Adrienne, 26<br /><br />• "All have to do to send my guy over the edge is tell him I'm leaving the light on. He knows that's my way of telling him, `I'm ready to give you oral sex--and you can watch.'"<br /><br />--Tracy, 24<br /><br />• "I'd heard that people get super turned-on after exercise. So we jump in the shower after a run, lather each other up so we smell great, then go have wild sex. It's exhilarating."<br /><br />--Emily, 27<br /><br />• "There's a mirror on my closet door that I angle right at my bed. When my man and I get busy, we have the perfect way to watch, which is a total turn-on for us both."<br /><br />--Jen, 25<br /><br />• "I e-mail my man short erotic stories that I write myself. Then when we're together, I ask him to act out everything that I sent to him. It's a great way to communicate my sex fantasies, and he loves it because he knows I'm more open about what turns me on than I ever could be when we're lying in bed together face-to-face."<br /><br />--Jill, 27<br /><br />• "When I'm alone, I dream about all the exquisite sexual things my partner and I are going to do later on that night. Like if I'm doing the dishes, I imagine him coming up behind me and running his strong hands over my hips, pulling me closer to him. Or I dose my eyes when I'm in the shower and think about what his lips will feel like when he kisses my naked body. By the time we see each other, I'm totally aroused and ready for mind-blowing sex! And anticipating the thrill makes me hotter than normal--which excites him beyond belief."<br /><br />--Carolyn, 22<br /><br />• "Since my fiance and I are both so busy, we have what we call Naked Night every Wednesday. We take off all our clothes when we get home after work, keep the TV turned off, and concentrate all of our energies on each other. It gives us something to look forward to and gets us through the workweek with a smile."<br /><br />--Julie, 27<br /><br />• "My boyfriend and I have a mental checklist of all the states that we've had sex in. Our goal is to hit all 50, It's fun and it makes for really hot pull-off-the-highway sex when we're road-tripping. He loves the thrill of doing it in the car, especially if there are people around."<br /><br />--Shauna, 28<br /><br />• "My guy and I like to have what he calls stealth sex. We try to do it as quietly and with as little motion as possible, making sure the bed doesn't squeak. We perfected our technique in college when we both had roommates--and it's really hot!"<br /><br />--Stacy, 24<br /><br /><br />By: Jena Hofstedt, Cosmo</div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-13995488288497915772006-10-24T18:59:00.000-07:002007-12-20T08:13:43.106-08:00The Oprah Effect<div align="justify"><strong>THE $1.4 BILLION WOMAN INFLUENCES POP CULTURE, CREATES STARS, AND DRIVES ENTIRE INDUSTRIES. HERE'S HOW SHE DOES IT</strong><br /><br />Lisa Price was at a crossroads. By 2002, Carol's Daughter, the bath and beauty products business she had founded in her Brooklyn kitchen, had hit $2 million in sales. "We were trying to decide whether to scale back to keep control of costs or find investors to keep growing," she recalls, Twenty minutes later, the phone rang. It was a producer from The Oprah Winfrey Show asking Price to come on the program.<br /><br />The effect of Price's appearance was astounding: the Carol's Daughter Web site nearly crashed from the high volume of orders that came in after Oprah raved about the products. "What it did was give us a stamp of approval," Price says. The company easily attracted new investors such as Jada Pinkett Smith, celebrity endorsements from Mary J. Blige and mass market distribution in stores like Sephora.<br /><br />Such is the power of Oprah. She arguably holds more sway in making--or breaking--an individual (James Frey, anyone?), a business (Carol's Daughter and hundreds more), a book (too many to mention) or an industry (the beef brouhaha in 1998) than anyone, ever, in this country--and maybe even the world. She's our $1.4 billion woman--and that's just with her sprawling media empire. Factor in her ability to subtly endorse products without ever appearing in a commercial or an ad, and her economic impact magnifies. She has made her mark on the retail landscape, seemingly fueled the exponential growth of online shopping, transformed the book industry, made giving to charity a priority for millions, and exposed new audiences to Broadway. Consider this: If every one of her 49 million viewers and 2.4 million magazine readers bought just one Oprah-sanctioned item a month, for say $10, that would equal a whopping $6.168 billion a year pumped into America's economy. That's about how much Starbucks made last year, worldwide.<br /><br /><strong>OPRAH'S INFLUENCE</strong><br />On a seismic scale of impact, Ms. Winfrey is a 10, with aftershocks felt at both poles. This is how her influence stacks up:<br /><br /><strong>TELEVISION</strong><br />The Oprah Winfrey Show, now 20 years old, has been No. I for 19 seasons. Before Oprah decided to stop submitting the show for Emmy consideration, it won 35 Emmy Awards. It is her most popular showcase, and it's broadcast to 122 countries.<br /><br />The show (Harpo Productions) is the platform for her business, Harpo, Inc., which has grown and diversified. Harpo, Inc., now includes Harpo Films (Beloved, Tuesdays With Morrie, Their Eyes Were Watching God), Harpo Radio (a $55 million deal with XM satellite radio for the new Oprah & Friends channel) and Harpo Print (O, The Oprah Magazine and O at Home with Hearst), as well as a deal with Oxygen Media and the Oxygen network.<br /><br /><strong>BOOKS<br /></strong>In a 2004 study, Brigham Young University found that Winfrey's book club recommendations had a greater influence on book sales than anything else in the history of modern publishing. Says Sara Nelson, editor-in-chief of Publishers Weekly, "Oprah is getting people who were not particularly reading, to read."<br /><br />It's her 59-and-counting book club picks that usually get the most press, but Oprah gets thousands of books moving in other ways. From April 2005 to April 2006,162 books got a plug on her show. Kerry McCloskey went on the show in early April 2006 touting her research on sex and passion as the best slim-down plan in her book, The Ultimate Sex Diet (True Courage Press). According to Nielsen Bookscan, the week after her appearance, McCloskey's book sales shot up 1,260 percent. Harville Hendrix, Ph.D., also got a lot of love when he appeared on the show twice in April 2006, pushing sales of his Getting the Love You Want (Owl Books) up 849 percent.<br /><br /><strong>MAGAZINES<br /></strong>O, The Oprah Magazine was the most successful magazine launch in publishing history: It has a circulation of 2.4 million, it reaches 16.3 million total readers each month, and it's now avail able in a South African edition. Her magazines are also a lush outlet of product love, lining the coffers of thousands of vendors and retailers. Each issue of O features celebrities and experts and books and products that just ache to be purchased. The spring 2006 issue of 0 at Home, for example, showcased 71 products in one story.<br /><br /><strong>PRODUCT PICKS<br /></strong>She doesn't do traditional endorsements. You'll never see Oprah's name on sneakers or clothes. Instead, her interest is in spreading her passions. Oprah likes to promote what she thinks is important and useful. We follow--and spend in droves. "She influences the purchase of 20 to 25 percent of all goods. I think Oprah is actually underestimated," says Michael Silverstein, coauthor of Treasure Hunt: Inside the Mind of the New Consumer (Portfolio). Oprah's product bacchanal hits its pinnacle with "Oprah's Favorite Things--The Holiday Edition." This list of items has included everything from Burberry coats to computers and chocolate.<br /><br />For every several thousand of Oprah "blessings," a few turn out not so rosy. Though her 2005 audience giveaway of brand-new Pontiac G6's was trumpeted as the epitome of successful product placement, the automotive press was not all convinced. "It was great for Oprah, but I didn't see much on Pontiac. I didn't hear her say, 'This is a Pontiac kind of day,'" said Lincoln Merrihew, managing director of automotive practice at Compete Inc., in WardsAuto.com.<br /><br />Still, for most vendors, there is nothing like an Oprah blessing, says Rob Walker, the consumer columnist for The New York Times Magazine. "If you have a product, there's no better environment to be in than on Oprah. You're being treated as almost a religious artifact," he says. Large retailers, such as Sony, see a nice jump in sales, but Oprah also picks small vendors like Pamela Fitzpatrick. Her $39.99 tub of oatmeal raisin cookie dough from Chicago's gourmet grocery fox & Obel was Chosen as a Favorite Thing for holiday 2005. "It was really like winning the Academy Award," Fitzpatrick says, adding that the first 220 sales came 45 minutes into the show. They then sold around 600 tubs in the first two weeks after the show aired, and over the holidays they sold three times that many.<br /><br /><strong>PHILANTHROPY</strong><br />Oprah's desire to help those in need has been a lifeline to many charities and nonprofits. The Reverend Gloria White-Hammond, chairperson of the Million Voices for Darfur campaign, was certainly pleased. "Oprah's impact on the Save Darfur Coalition's effort was nothing short of tremendous," she says. According to the Coalition, donations went up 1,200 percent in the three days after Oprah highlighted their efforts on her show, and 1,600 percent more donors signed up in the same time. Translation: Many lives were saved in Darfur.<br /><br />What seems to bolster her featured charities and retailers most is the limitless resource that is oprah.com. "When Oprah does something, there is an immediate 'click' impact," says Heather Dougherty, senior analyst at Nielsen//Net Ratings. For example, take the month that the Save the Darfur Coalition was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. According to Dougherty, oprah.com had 2.2 million unique visitors. "She has a very deep site. The deeper the site, the better the engagement," Dougherty says. "Other comparable sites are so small [number of visitors], we don't measure them."<br /><br /><strong>F.O.O.'S (FRIENDS OF OPRAH)</strong><br />Oprah's protégés serve both as brand extensions and as a fire under her seat. Dr. Phil's success has been its own phenomenon--he now has the second-highest-rated talk show and eight best-selling books, is the new spokesperson for Match.com, and has prime-time TV specials and the Dr. Phil Foundation. Others who've benefited include her crowned boy wonder, interior designer Nate Berkus, with his own home line at Linens 'N Things; Bob Greene, Oprah's personal trainer and fitness guru; Suze Orman money diva; Mehmet Oz, M.D., health guru; and her two newest additions, Robin Smith, love and relationship psychologist, and Rachael Ray, the smiley TV chef (whose new show is produced by Harpo Productions) and magazine powerhouse in her own right. And, of course, there's Gayle King--Oprah's BFF and editor-at-large of O, The Oprah Magazine, who, at press time, was still churning in the rumor mill as a possible cohost to join ABC talkfest The View.<br /><br /><strong>ETC., ETC., ETC.</strong><br />What's left? Ah yes, Broadway. Ms. Winfrey's producer credit for Alice Walker's The Color Purple on Broadway surely had something to do with its outrageous opening ticket sales--S16 million in two months--and possibly its 11 Tony nominations. But, more than the bursting moneybags and accolades for the show (this in a business with a 75 percent failure rate), what's significant is, as with her book club, Ms. Winfrey has brought new audiences to Broadway.<br /><br />With every venture, Oprah somehow finds more to do, more needs to fill, and more ways to make and use her money--and her power. The Live Your Best Life speaking tour and on line multimedia workshop is a standing-room-only event every year. She's released a six-disc DVD set of her Twentieth Anniversary Celebration with all proceeds going to the Angel Network, her charitable foundation that has raised $50 million in five years and $10 million for Hurricane Katrina victims. And in October 2005 she launched a Child Predator Watch List that has captured four sexual predators and has rewarded those who located them with $100,000. It is undeniable. Oprah has the Midas touch.<br /><br />So what will Her Highness turn into gold next? We're all watching.<br /><br />*Based on our $6.168 billion estimate.<br /><br /><strong>THE BIG O HOW INFLUENTIAL IS SHE? LET US COUNT THE WAYS…<br /></strong><br /><strong>IF OPRAH WERE…</strong> A NATION her 51.4 million weekly viewers and magazine readers would equal more than the population of Canada (33 million), Spain (40.3 million) or Argentina (39.9 million).<br /><br /><strong>IF OPRAH WERE…</strong> A PILE OF GOLD she'd be equal to 24,000 14-karat gold bars.<br /><br /><strong>IF OPRAH WERE…</strong> BLING she'd be eight times the equivalent of 373 100-karat pear-shaped, flawless <a href="http://www.abazias.com/">diamonds</a> (the most expensive ever sold).<br /><br /><a href="http://cnnmoney.com/">cnnmoney.com</a> reported in January that Oprah ranked second only to Google as the biggest brand newsmaker of 2006. Behind Ms. Winfrey were Amazon, eBay and iPod.<br /><br /><strong>IF OPRAH WERE…</strong> A NATIONAL ECONOMY what she'd pump into the U.S. economy would be slightly more than the GDP of the Bahamas.*<br /><br />By: Ulrich, Carmen Wong, Essence, Oct2006 </div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-55795885338970761512006-10-15T15:03:00.000-07:002006-10-15T15:04:53.140-07:00The Deporter<div align="justify">By Dinesh Vora<br /><br />The mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska in USA was under tremendous pressure to get rid of huge pigeon population corrupting the city with pigeon drops. All the efforts failed and mayor was fighting for his political life.<br /><br />Suddenly a man shows up with a Red Pigeon on his head and says, "Mayor I will charge you one million dollars to get rid of them all with my magical Red Pigeon but absolutely no questions asked. If you ask any question I will punish you with a bill of ten million dollars."<br /><br />The mayor agreed. The guy climbed up the tallest building in town, made romantic pigeon sounds, chanted a Mantra and set his Red Pigeon free. The red pigeon started whirling around the city and what do you know, thousands and thousands of pigeons followed this Amitabh Bachchan of Pigeons. The Red pigeon flew towards Pacific Ocean and came back without any followers. The pigeons tired of flying that far fell in stormy waters, disappeared in this ultimate romantic experience of their life.<br /><br />Hurrah, the city was without the dirty pigeons. The mayor, smiling ear to ear, could not resist the temptation of knowledge, saving and promoting his career further. He fell on his knees to this stranger and pleaded, "Here keep ten million dollars instead of one for deporting all pigeons to the ocean. but, please, please tell me do you have any RED Mexican."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.stories.vaty.net/">http://www.stories.vaty.net/</a></div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-30128620286411747042006-10-15T15:01:00.000-07:002006-10-15T15:03:19.420-07:00A Master Traveler Tells All<div align="justify"><strong>Insurance salesman Dean Burri is on the road 300 days a year, and relishes every liftoff and layover. Why? We tagged along to find out<br /></strong><br />EXACTLY 24 HOURS and four cities after we awoke, Dean Burri volunteered his assessment of my traveling skills. "I'd call you a travel enthusiast," he said, taking a puff of a Cuban cigar at a bar inside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. "You understand the fundamentals of being a road warrior, but you still make too many amateur mistakes." It was a harsh critique, but that was exactly why I had spent the last two days trailing Burri. Last year the 41-year-old insurance salesman (he peddles policies to Catholic institutions like parishes and convents) spent almost 300 days on the road--that's six weeks in the air. He logged more than 400,000 miles, and this year he will probably beat that. Burri doesn't even own a car--he rents one when he lands at home in Clearwater, Fla., where he lives with his wife and six kids. "I would just as soon fly to Hong Kong for Chinese food than order delivery from the place around the corner," Burri says. This was somebody I could learn from.<br /><br /><strong>DON'T GET STUCK</strong><br /><br />Several hours before our flight from Newark to Pittsburgh is to depart, Burri sends me an e-mail. It details the FAA ground-delay program for that day, the weather report in New Jersey, and--based on some detective work on Continental's website--the route our incoming plane is taking. And having identified a few trouble spots, Burri had checked availability on two backup flights. He swears that this type of worst-case scenario planning is vital--and countless times has saved him from getting stuck. Burri prefers morning flights, since they're more likely to be on time. He also avoids the last flight of the day (if it's canceled, you're out of luck).<br /><br /><strong>UPGRADES 101<br /></strong><br />Call it Burri's law: If a first-class ticket isn't much more than double coach, he'll buy it. Otherwise, the hunt for underbooked planes (where he has a better chance of an upgrade) begins. Seat maps on airline websites can tell you that flights through Cleveland, for example, are often less crowded up-front. Sometimes he'll even book two one-way tickets on different carriers to see which one will upgrade him (he pays a change fee to use the second ticket later).<br /><br /><strong>THE SECRET OF A ONE-BAG TRIP</strong><br /><br />"Laundry!" Burri proclaims loudly in the mezzanine at Newark. And hotel laundry is what allows Burri to carry only one piece of luggage: a medium-sized Tumi shoulder bag. Inside is one extra suit, four dress shirts, underwear, socks, a laptop, work documents, and a wireless router. His suits are custom-made by Alfred Dunhill in London with a military-grade lining to handle the stress of a heavy shoulder bag. Inside the jacket are five custom pockets for gear, including cellphone, passport, and two travel humidors.<br /><br /><strong>TRYING TO KEEP UP<br /></strong><br />Shadowing Burri in an airport is like following a Porsche around in a Toyota Corolla. Though he's 6-foot-5 and 340 pounds, he has the agility of a left tackle. When I ask how he always manages to be first in line for everything, he looks at me quizzically. Clearly this is not a skill that can be explained to mere travel "enthusiasts" like myself.<br /><br /><strong>THE PERKS KICK IN<br /></strong><br />One reason Burri finds traveling such a snap is that he's a member of Continental's "Chairman's Circle." It's a top-secret, invite-only frequent-flier program usually reserved for VIPs and CEOs, and members get a special reservations number and priority upgrades, and can request an airport escort whenever they fly. Being a top customer, and a rather opinionated fellow, Burri has also become a sounding board for Continental execs (they recently asked him to try their new phone voice prompting system). But even if you don't have Continental CEO Larry Kellner's private e-mail, as Burri does, he insists the fastest route to first-class service is to make airline employees laugh. When he first boards and the flight attendant asks him if he wants a drink, he invariably responds, "Can I have a seat-belt extender on the rocks?" He always gets a smile.<br /><br /><strong>MAKING TIME FLY<br /></strong><br />Arriving in Vegas from Houston, I finally realize Burri loves to travel because he sees it as a game. Later this month, he tells me, he's flying from L.A. to Honolulu to Guam to Manila to Taiwan to Macao to Hong Kong to Seoul to Tokyo to Newark and back to Tampa, all in seven days. What's more, he's doing it for fun: The idea is to hit airports he hasn't been to before. How will he spend all that air time? Apparently the endless strategizing doesn't just apply to travel, which explains Burri's new obsession with Bollywood DVDs. "They give you the most bang for your buck," he says gleefully. "I bought 800 movies for $4 each!"<br /><br /><strong>6 STEPS TO A BETTER TRIP</strong><br />Avoid Bad Weather Pick the right hubs to change planes. In general, the farther south the airport is, the better. Never book the last flight of the day.<br />Be Funny If you make airline employees laugh, you'll get far better service.<br />Skip Full Flights If you want to upgrade, check seat maps on airline websites and choose flights that have the most open seats in first class. Midday and night flights often have more availability.<br />Don't Fight the Law Avoid booking the aisles in first class, since that's where air marshals often sit. You could get bumped.<br />Carry On Only amateurs check bags when they're traveling for business. Burri uses hotel laundry to keep going for weeks at a time.<br />Charge It Buy one adapter that can charge everything. (Burri likes Igo Juice, igo.com.)<br /><br /><strong>CARRYON LIP BALM, LOTION, AND MORE<br />Modern Flight</strong><br />Most business travelers wouldn't dream of checking their bags. But now, thanks to stringent regulations about what liquids and creams can be carried on, more travelers have resigned themselves to bad breath and messy hair. That just wasn't an option for Jodi Nass. A recently retired 25-year Wall Street vet, she heard about the initial TSA ban and "a light bulb went off in my head." The solution? A line of travel products called Fly Dry that could pass security. "I knew in the old days there wasn't liquid toothpaste or soaps," says Nass. That led her to an old-time soapmaker in Texas. "These things have been around forever, but no one had really wanted them," she says. At first, the shampoo and conditioning bars look scary, but a recent test showed they work nicely (men and women's kits are $49 at flydry.net). And for men, Smart Fixx H20 Styling Strips turn into gel with a splash of warm water--perfect for hairstyling on the run ($9 at most drugstores). — B.G.<br /></div><p align="justify">By: Gimbel, Barney, Fortune, 10/16/2006 </p>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-19754180852262254452006-10-15T14:52:00.000-07:002006-10-15T14:54:03.948-07:00Feedback<div align="justify">Net neutrality's double standard I have to disagree strongly with Bill Machrone's opinion piece ("Demand Net Neutrality!," August 22, page 58). I shouldn't be surprised that you, as a tech industry magazine, have a self-serving, knee-jerk reaction in support of the online giants on Net neutrality, Your parochial interests aside, Net neutrality is hugely hypocritical for an industry that has long opposed government regulation of tech and the Internet as unnecessary and contrary to market forces. Now when the entrenched online giants fear the emergence of broadband competition, they change their tune and run to hide behind the government's regulatory skirt for protection from competition.<br /><br />In its rawest sense, the effect of Net neutrality is a blatant competitive double standard. eBay with Skype, Microsoft with its collaboration software. Yahoo! with its voice product, and Google with click-to-call all want the business freedom to compete, converge, and integrate into communications, but want to make it illegal for communications companies to compete, converge, and integrate into tech and the Internet. How does one-way competition serve consumers or innovation? How is it good for the government to choose market winners and losers instead of consumers choosing them through the marketplace?<br /><br />The tech industry's naïveté and shortsightedness on Net neutrality is staggering. They think they can invite the government into their sector to hyper-regulate an emerging adjacent industry-competitor, and that the same regulatory appetite won't threaten tech and the Internet. It's playing with fire. I guess regulatory ignorance is bliss.<br /><br />Be careful what you wish for….<br /><br />— Scott Cleland<br /><br />Scott Cleland is the chairman of Netcom petition.org, which he describes as a Net neutrality e-forum funded by broadband companies.<br /><br /><strong>ENERGY CONSERVATION AND SAFETY<br /></strong>Regarding Lance Ulanoff's "Top Tips for Energy Saving" (go.pcmag.com/ulanoffenergy), my dad worked for 44 years for the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO) starting in 1934. I was born in 1936 and heard the "turn out the lights" song all my life. I sing it to my wife, sang it to my kids, and still sing it when they visit. (Kids who once knew enough to turn out lights develop bad habits in college where no one seems to care; they also believe that dad will support the college-learned 20- to 30-minute shower habit for them, their spouses, and their kids. He won't.)<br /><br />I have also replaced my incandescent bulbs with fluorescent screw-ins. But in doing so, I encountered one problem. One 20+-watt fluorescent is in our timer-controlled lamp. One day we smelled a terrible odor, like something that was burning. We looked through the house and discovered that the innards of the 20+-watt fluorescent bulb were boiling up around the bulb's tubes. Unlike an incandescent bulb, this fluorescent did not burn out. It burned! Just what might have happened had we been away from home, I don't know. But people should be aware that such a thing can happen.<br /><br />— Lowell D. Taylor<br /><br />Wow, Lowell, that's a scary story. I think I'll go double-check all my fluorescent bulbs. — LU<br /><br /><strong>TECHNOLOGY AS STUPIDITY'S "CANARY"</strong><br />Regarding Lance Ulanoff's column, "Technology for Idiots" (go.pcmag.com/techidiots), I don't think technology creates an epidemic of stupidity, nor do I believe that it is ruining anyone's life by stripping them of their privacy or their security. The problem is human nature. There are a small number of basic human flaws that apply whether you use technology or not:<br /><br />People tend to be intellectually lazy. They don't want to have to learn anything new, they don't want to study or read, and in fact, they don't even want to have to think about anything. I'm not talking about technologists here — we're a different breed. We like to learn. But most people actively resist anything new or different.<br />People tend to enjoy being bad. If a scammer can get away with something, it's likely that he'll at least try. There's an inbuilt tendency toward mischief in a large number of people.<br />People like new, interesting, shiny things. They want them for the status these things are perceived to supply. Of course (see #1), people can't be bothered to learn how to use their shiny toys properly. Most people are using equipment that is way outside their skill level.<br />I believe that technology isn't causing stupidity; it's acting as a "canary in a coal mine" and drawing our attention to the stupidity that already surrounds us. "Hey!" we ask, "where did all this stupidity come from all of a sudden???" It was here all along, we just didn't notice it until the complexity of modern life made it impossible to ignore.<br /><br />As to what we can do, I'm not sure that there's anything we can do. We might just have to wait until a younger generation gets old enough to take over the reins. Having been raised in our complex society, they're more adaptable. Until then, I suspect that things will be a little bit hairy.<br /><br />— Philip Perry<br /><br />You make some very good points, Philip, although I'd tend to disagree with you on #2. I believe that people would rather be good.<br /><br />— LU<br /><br /><strong>STEALTH PANDAS<br /></strong>The caption under the whale photo in Connected Traveler (September 5, page 24) claims that the San Diego zoo is the home to the only giant pandas in the U.S. I already knew that Atlanta has two, and a quick Google search reveals that there are nine giant pandas in four zoos in the U.S. — Frank Eskridge<br /><br />Thank you for pointing this out, Frank, We have also received letters on the subject from irate pandas in Atlanta, Memphis, and Washington.<br /><br /><strong>CORRECTIONS & AMPLIFICATIONS</strong><br />The picture on page 68 of our August 22 issue identified as the Sennheiser PX 100 (which are supraural headphones, not earbuds as the text calls them) actually shows Shure E4c earbuds.<br /><br />By: Clelend, Scott, Taylor, Lowell D., L. U., Perry, Philip, Eskridge, Frank, PC Magazine, 10/3/2006</div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-39692312039856738512006-10-15T14:41:00.000-07:002006-10-15T14:43:12.057-07:00The Must-See Photos Of The Month Sun Burn<div align="justify">Solar storms can knock out power on Earth. New satellites will help us predict where and when<br /><br />Spewing billions of tons of plasma millions of miles into space, the sun's eruptions, like this explosion captured by NASA's SOHO probe, can be strikingly beautiful. But when they result in what scientists call coronal mass ejections-think seething bubbles of flung-off plasma-they can short-circuit satellites and trigger powerful magnetic shock waves that result in electrical power failures on Earth. NASA's $540-million STEREO mission, whose two satellites were scheduled to launch in late August, is designed to capture 3-D images that identify Earth-bound solar storms days before their effects reach us. Positioned at points ahead of and behind the Earth in its orbit, the satellites will work like a pair of eyes to more precisely measure a storm's size and location-and let us identify it in time to take action and prevent damage.<br /><br />--Rachel Horn<br /><br /><strong>LOW RIDER</strong><br /><br />One day. One bullet-shaped bike. One crazy world record<br /><br />In late July, Canadian triathlete Greg Kolodziejzyk pedaled his recumbent bicycle 650 miles around a California track to break the human-powered 24-hour distance record. Equipped with food, water and waste bags, the 70-pound carbon-fiber machine is capable of hitting 60 mph on a flat straightaway. "Once you get over 12 or 15 mph, 90 percent of your pedaling effort goes to pushing air," Kolodziejzyk says. "The key to going fast under human power is to minimize the hole you punch" in the atmosphere. To build a bike that did just that, Kolodziejzyk teamed up with fairing designer Ben Eadie, who used flow-dynamics software to test dozens of designs in a virtual wind tunnel. See more details at adventuresofgreg.com.<br /><br />--Tom Clynes<br /><br /><strong>UNEASY BREATHING</strong><br /><br />In a disastrous year, the mining industry looks more closely at its survival gear<br /><br />This picture was taken outside Pennsylvania's Twin Rocks coal mine last spring. But it could easily have been taken 25 years ago, mining technology has evolved so little since then. Miner Joe Tenerowicz is demonstrating a self-rescuer, a chemical-based oxygen-production system that provides an hour of backup air. The device, which has been the standard emergency breather for a quarter century, was the only technology available to coal workers in West Virginia's Sago Mine tragedy, which left 13 dead last January. This year has proved particularly fatal for U.S. miners; to date, 37 have died in 21 incidents, a 30 percent higher rate than in recent years. For the industry, it's been a wake-up call. Under the federal Miner Act, which went into effect in June, better devices-including replacement cartridges that increase the breathing time of existing self-rescuers and new "hybrid" units that rely on filters to deal with poor air quality-will be developed in the next two years.<br /><br />--Nicole Price Fasig<br /><br />By: Horn, Rachel, Clynes, Tom, Fasig, Nicole Price, Popular Science, Oct2006</div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-74089894502197813702006-08-03T20:22:00.000-07:002008-12-22T22:22:34.783-08:00Travel Tips<div align="center"><strong>Security Precautions Worth Remembering</strong> </div><div align="justify"><br /><br />“Effective security precautions require a conscious awareness of one’s environment, as well as the need to exercise prudence, judgment, and common sense,” stresses Michael McCann, former Chief of Security for the United Nations. “This is especially true where the traveler must acclimate to different cultures, customs, and laws. Personal security cannot be delegated to others; it is a responsibility of each one of us.<br /><br />“People traveling abroad on business should be aware that they may be targeted by terrorists, criminals, intelligence agencies, or even just a business competitor if they’re in possession or knowledgeable about proprietary information.”<br /><br />According to McCann, the top 10 mistakes traveling business executives make are:<br /><br />Broadcasting the “bling-bling.” Americans appear committed to showing off their affluence with flashy jewelry and actions. When traveling, it is best to maintain a low key, nonattention -getting demeanor so that you blend into the crowd. Leave the expensive gold watch at home along with the designer luggage.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Being distracted by technology. Chatting on a cell phone while traveling through unfamiliar international terrain means that person is not focused on the here and now. An individual cannot be alert to his or her surroundings and assess potential danger when answering text messages, working on a notebook computer, or talking on the phone.<br /><br />Wallet overload. Many executives fail to clean out their wallet before journeying overseas. When traveling, take only a few credit cards and leave all nonessentials at home, including gym membership identification and personal photos. Carry a minimum of cash and use <a href="http://creditcards.moneygem.com/" target="_blank">Credit Cards</a> and traveler’s checks along with a money belt that can be worn under your clothes.<br /><br />Enraptured by the lure of the penthouse suite. Corporate executives often like the expensive suites on the top floors. However, hotels in other countries do not meet the same safety standards as in the U.S. and the highest floor can be the most dangerous place to be.<br /><br />Broadcasting country of origin. Leave the Yankee cap at home, and do not wear overtly American brand labels on your clothing. Corporate logos are to be avoided and do not put your name and address on the exposed portion of your luggage tag. Place a copy of this information inside your luggage and be sure it includes your office address and phone number rather than your home information. Instead of renting a big American car, use a vehicle that is local to the country you are visiting.<br /><br />Indulging in overpacking. Travel with carry-on luggage only. Waiting around in a foreign airport for lug gage signals you as a mark and, if it does not arrive, you are the last person standing at the airport. Carry a laptop bag that does not look like a traditional computer bag.<br /><br />Failing to remain continually vigilant. Before traveling, find out about the local surroundings, customs, and conditions. Learn what crime problems exist–e.g., pickpocketing or terrorism–where you are visiting. Know the car model and name of your chauffeur before you get into the vehicle. Provide a different name than your own–such as your mother’s or wife’s maiden name –to put up on the sign at the airport exit so that you cannot be followed or tracked. Travel in pairs, and only take direct flights.<br /><br />Failure to duplicate. Carry an extra photocopy of your passport in your luggage. Leave a copy of your official ID information in your home and office, including driver’s license and credit cards.<br /><br />Not being medically prepared. Healthy traveling necessitates carrying an ample supply of prescription medicines along with the original container should a refill be necessary. Learn what medical coverage you have in the country you are visiting and whether it applies to emergency care.<br /><br />Failure to communicate. Before departing, set up the time you will call your home and office each day. Update your emergency contact list and leave a copy of your schedule at home and the office.<br /><br />“Be sure to carry a business card from the hotel with you at all times.” McCann concludes. “Many executives travel so much and suffer fatigue; they simply forget where they checked into. If you are traveling in a country and do not know the language, you can show the card to an authorized cab driver or to the police. Keep contact information for vital organizations handy, including the American Consulate and the local police and fire department.”<br /><br /><a href="http://freetraveler.net/">http://freetraveler.net/</a> </div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-1160946849992802482006-07-31T22:25:00.000-07:002006-10-15T14:10:24.784-07:00Children Who Have Sex Advice May be Reported to Police<div align="justify">CHILDREN under 16 would be automatically reported to the police if they seek advice on contraception, pregnancy or abortion, under government proposals.<br /><br />Family planning and health campaigners said yesterday that the plans, which would do away with a child’s right to confidential sexual health advice, would be disastrous because they would deter many from seeking much-needed help.<br /><br />Jan Barlow, chief executive of Brook, the sexual health charity, said it could lead to “a massive increase” in unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.<br /><br />“Abusive or coercive relationships would also be more likely to remain hidden if young people felt that there was no one they could trust to listen to them in confidence,” she said.<br /><br />Department of Health guidance for those providing sexual and reproductive health advice makes clear that people under 16 have the same right to confidentiality as adults. The exception is children not considered mature enough to understand what they are doing or at risk of exploitation.<br /><br />This principle of confidentiality is a key part of the Government’s teenage pregnancy strategy. Teenage conceptions have fallen by 10 per cent since it was put in place in 1998.<br /><br />But the current guidance is due to be challenged in the courts next month by Sue Axon, a mother of five from Baguley, Manchester, who is concerned that it enables under-16s to have an abortion without parental consent.<br /><br />The Department for Education and Skills is now consulting on whether new guidance should be issued requiring information on under-age sexual activity “always” to be referred to the police.<br /><br />The proposals have been drawn up in response to Sir Michael Bichard’s inquiry into Ian Huntley, the Soham murderer. Sir Michael was particularly concerned that social workers had failed properly to investigate reports that Huntley, who was convicted of murdering Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells in 2003, had had a string of sexual encounters with under-age girls.<br /><br />Police had looked into a number of these allegations, but taken no formal action.<br /><br />Brook is concerned that removing confidentiality would deter children from seeking sexual health and contraception advice.<br /><br />A recent survey of young people found that nearly three quarters (74 per cent) would be less likely to seek advice if they thought that information could be passed to the police or social workers.<br /><br />The Association of Chief Police Officers backs the proposals, but the British Medical Association, the General Medical Council and the Royal College of Nursing said that they supported Brook’s campaign to defend the principle of confidentiality.<br /><br />Michael Wilks, chairman of the BMA’s ethics committee, said: “Although confidentiality is not absolute, and can be breached where there is a risk of serious harm, mandatory reporting of non-abusive relationships threatens the trust that underpins the relationship between doctors and patients.”<br /><br />A DfES spokesman said that nothing had yet been decided. “We are seeking views on what guidance would be helpful in sharing information about under-age sexual activity, to better safeguard young people from harm,” he said.<br /><br />Signs of a split between the DfES and the Department for Health on the issue emerged. A DfH spokeswoman said that anxiety about confidentiality was a serious deterrent to many young people asking for contraceptive advice.”<br /><br />UNDER-AGE SEXUAL ACTIVITY<br /><br />* A quarter of girls first have intercourse before the age of 16.<br /><br />* The number of 13 to 15-year-olds becoming pregnant rose by 2.5 per cent to 8,076 between 2002 and 2003.<br /><br />* The number of abortions among under-14s rose by 6 per cent in 2004 to 157.<br /><br />* New cases of the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia increased by 8 per cent in 2004 to reach 103,932. Ten per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds may be carriers.<br /><br />* Overall cases of all types of STIs have doubled among teenagers in ten years, with new cases among those under 20 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland up from 669,291 in 1991 to 1,332,910 in 2001.<br /><br />* Three quarters of parents with a child aged 10 to 17 agree that under-16s should have access to confidential contraception advice. Seven out of ten agree that under-16s should be given free contraception.<br /><br />Sources: ONS, Health Protection Agency, BMRB </div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29535571.post-84059638063848033562006-07-27T23:18:00.000-07:002006-10-15T14:16:43.437-07:00The Robotic Giraffe<div align="justify">It walks, it blinks, it seats six, and it blasts Kraftwerk: Meet one man's 17-foot-tall pet project<br /><br />IT STARTED WITH a seven-inch walking toy giraffe and a desire to see Burning Man from a higher vantage point. A year later, Lindsay Lawlor rode into the desert art festival atop Rave Raffe, a 1,700-pound robotic giraffe sporting 40 strobes, 400 LEDs and bone-shaking speakers.<br /><br />Lawlor wanted his Burning Man ride to be a true walking vehicle, so with the help of his landlord, Gary Stadler, he copied that toy's locomotion system on a massive scale. The front and back legs opposite each other step ahead at the same time, propelled by an electric motor. When those legs land, hydraulic brakes lock the wheeled feet, and the other two legs take a step. Canting from side to side, Raffe lumbers ahead at about a mile an hour. A propane engine runs only to recharge the batteries, so the beast is quiet and efficient. When Lawlor let Raffe shuffle off alone in the desert, it walked for eight hours.<br /><br />Now Lawlor, a part-time laser-light-show designer, is busy adding new features for this summer's Burning Man, including computer-controlled flashing giraffe spots, an electroluminescent circulatory system and a gas grill. Follow his progress at electricgiraffe.com.<br /><br />HOW IT WORKS<br />10 MONTHS<br />$15,000<br />PRACTICAL 5 POPCORN<br /><br />A 12-horsepower, propane-fueled engine drives three generators, which charge three 450-amp batteries, salvaged from an industrial floor scrubber. Many of the other parts, including the shoulder joints and LEDs, came from eBay.<br />Lawlor pushes the throttle forward to engage the variable-speed analog drive, which turns a 250-pound drive shaft to propel Raffe ahead. A pneumatic pump raises and lowers the eight-foot neck.<br /><br />By: Haney, Mike, Popular Science</div>Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433412002298738105noreply@blogger.com0