January 21st, 2010 jeniii
By now everyone has heard of the 7.0 earthquake to hit Carrefour, Haiti on January 13, 2010. There was also an aftershock that hit 35 miles from Port-Au-Prince with a magnitude of 6.1. With about 80% of the population living in extreme poverty, the country is in dire need of aid from other countries, now more than ever. During this recession, it may be hard to make cash donations, but there are so many other ways to show your support. As Americans, we are surrounded by an infinite amount of resources in relief efforts to help out our neighboring country. Please do your part today.
1. Build-A-Bear will be donating $15,000 to the Red Cross. And now through January 31, 2010 customers can donate $1 at the cash registers in any U.S. Build-A-Bear Workshop.
2. Hope for Haiti Musical Lineup – January 22, 2010 at 8 PM EST. “George Clooney, who has organized the telecast, will host from LA, with CNN’s Anderson Cooper reporting from Haiti and Wyclef in New York City. According to E! Online, “Twilight Saga” star Robert Pattinson will present from London. The performances will be available on the iTunes store, with proceeds benefiting relief funds for the earthquake-stricken nation. The two-hour telethon will air on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT as well as networks including PBS, TNT, Showtime, Comedy Central, Brave, E! Entertainment and more, with online live streaming available on YouTube, Hulu, MySpace and more domains as well.”
3. Text “HAITI” to 90999 and a $10 donation will be added to your phone bill. Text “YELE” to 501501 and a $5 donation will be added to your phone bill.
4. Donate blood! The American Red Cross is always in need of blood donations. Click here to locate your nearest blood bank. They are always in need of Type O Negative and Type B Negative blood donors.
5. Continental Airlines has set up a program to its frequent flier members. Members of this program can donate to the American Red Cross and AmeriCares.
6. Handbags Help Haiti – You can buy discontinued or imperfect Jordana Paige handbags for only $50. With 100% of all proceeds going towards Doctors Without Borders Haiti relief, it’s like wearing your heart on your sleeve shoulder.
7. Chase Bank will give $100 million to the charity with the most votes. I just voted for Invisible Children.
8. Help the abandoned animals of Haiti through PETA.
9. Doctors Without Borders is a national medical organization that receives close to 89% of its funding from private funding, not the government. Created in France in 1971, Doctors Without Borders or Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provides medical aid to about 60 countries who are in need.
10. Habitat for Humanity has already started to plan their part in rebuilding homes for as many Haitians as they possibly can. They are always looking for volunteers to help out with projects as well.
Here is an extensive list of other organizations that you can donate using your American Express points or you can make a cash donation.
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July 21st, 2009 admin
From wisebread:
“If you are in the process of buying a new primary residence or second home, or considering refinancing a loan, a new set of federal consumer protection rules taking effect on July 30th, 2009 may affect you. These rules are a part of the Mortgage Disclosure Improvement Act of 2008, and they are designed to give consumers more disclosure of the cost of a loan and also more time to make a decision. The final rules from the Federal Reserve were modified recently and here is a quick summary.
Early disclosures are required within three business days – Good faith estimates of mortgage loan costs must be given to a consumer within three business days of a consumer’s loan application. Also, no fees may be collected besides a reasonable credit check fee. This means that the good faith estimate needs to be given before the lender collects an application or appraisal fee. In the past it was common for lenders to collect hundreds of dollars in fees before providing any cost estimates.
Creditors must wait seven business days to close a loan after early disclosures – This gives the consumer at least seven days to decide whether to close or not upon receiving the initial estimate. Currently it is common for disclosures to be provided less than 24 hours before closing.”
Read the rest
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January 31st, 2009 admin
Maybe you are anti-Apple or you just think the iPhone is over-rated. I don’t know. Whatever the reason, you will be happy to know there are alternatives, and great alternatives at that. Here’s one of my suggestions: The T-Mobile G1 Smartphone.
The long-awaited T-Mobile G1 smartphone combines full touchscreen functionality and a QWERTY keyboard with a mobile Web experience that includes many Google tools you’ve come to rely on with your PC, including Google Maps Street View Gmail, and one-touch Google search. It’s also the first phone to be powered by Google’s new open-source Android operating system, which offers an intuitive interface easily customizable home screen. You can also purchase optional software via the Android Market to personalize your G1 with a variety of software applications like games, social networking, and on-the-go shopping.
Get Your T-Mobile G1 Phone with Google Now
Posted in computers, electronics, good value, phones, practical | 1 Comment »
January 25th, 2009 admin
Do you know how sometimes, while you’re cooking, (you might have guests or you’re just cooking for the family) – you feel like you need a couple of extra stove top burners. You think, “Gosh, if I just had another burner or two I could prepare all of the food to be ready at the same time!” Yea, you COULD prepare everything without those couple of extra burners but it would make life so much more convenient. Some of you KNOW what I’m talking, about, right?
You need this
.
Posted in efficient, equipment, family, food and drinks, kitchen appliances and gadgets, practical | 2 Comments »
January 16th, 2009 admin
Slaving away at work day after day with nothing fun in between simply isn’t good for your well-being, so try a new hobby and schedule some fun time in your life. Make it a family activity if you want. You’ve always wanted to tinker in music and sound effects and jingles, and this Yamaha synth could be your ticket to eliminating the big B (boredom) that became routine for you. Life’s short, so embrace a new hobby, get rid of the hum drum life and instead, jazz it up a little.
About the Synthesizer
The Yamaha S90 ES combines a stunningly natural acoustic piano sound with all the sonic flexibility of the award winning Motif ES. A new multi-velocity, stereogrand piano sample, the new sound board simulation and the half-damper capability (when used with the Yamaha FC3) all ensure a rich and realistic acoustic piano sound. The 128 note polyphony tone generator, Studio Connections compatibility, mLAN expansion slot, and PLG expandability give it all the synthesis power and control capabilities of our Motif ES line.
Get Your Yamaha 88-Key Synthesizer Now
Posted in electronics, equipment, family, fun, gifts, hobbies, home entertainment, kids, music, pianos / synthesizers, practical, relaxation, relaxing, spare time | No Comments »
January 4th, 2009 admin
I absolutely love Malcolm Gladwell
. I don’t know how anyone would not. He’s smart, funny, and makes sense to a point where you can’t really argue anything with him. Plus, he offers little tidbits of information that are fascinating, stuff you’ve never heard before. You will no doubt learn quite a bit from this man. He’s tops in my book but let’s get on with this post. I wanted to recommend this particular book since it’s the beginning of a new year and reading it will inspire you to achieve whatever it is you need to achieve. You have practically a whole year and more to do it.
About the book
Amazon Best of the Month, November 2008: Now that he’s gotten us talking about the viral life of ideas and the power of gut reactions, Malcolm Gladwell poses a more provocative question in Outliers: why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Challenging our cherished belief of the “self-made man,” he makes the democratic assertion that superstars don’t arise out of nowhere, propelled by genius and talent: “they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.” Examining the lives of outliers from Mozart to Bill Gates, he builds a convincing case for how successful people rise on a tide of advantages, “some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky.”
Outliers can be enjoyed for its bits of trivia, like why most pro hockey players were born in January, how many hours of practice it takes to master a skill, why the descendents of Jewish immigrant garment workers became the most powerful lawyers in New York, how a pilots’ culture impacts their crash record, how a centuries-old culture of rice farming helps Asian kids master math. But there’s more to it than that. Throughout all of these examples–and in more that delve into the social benefits of lighter skin color, and the reasons for school achievement gaps–Gladwell invites conversations about the complex ways privilege manifests in our culture. He leaves us pondering the gifts of our own history, and how the world could benefit if more of our kids were granted the opportunities to fulfill their remarkable potential.
Order now: Outliers: The Story of Success
Posted in books, essential reading, fun, practical, stories | No Comments »
January 3rd, 2009 admin
Sooooo, Santa did not bring me what I wanted for Christmas. Boo hooooooooooooo! How am I suppose to get in shape in 2009? I really need one. Oh. I suppose needing a new TV has something to do with not getting a Wii Fit, but I want one! I keep hearing how people love it and how great they feel and how fit they’re getting. Oh well. I guess I’ll have to get it myself, which is fine but I’ll have to save up a little. Maybe it’ll be an early bday present for moi. Yes. Body, get ready to get fit! Want to join me?
Get Fit and Have Fun at the Same Time!
Posted in computer games, efficient, electronics, family, fitness, fun, gifts, health, hobbies, home entertainment, practical, relaxation, relaxing, sports, women | No Comments »
December 19th, 2008 admin
You didn’t think all you could do on your Nintendo DS Lite
was to play Yoshi’s Island
and Mario Kart
all day long, did you? Or are you more of a Dr. Kawashima
kind of DS game player? Whatever the case, get with the program; you can cook up a storm with Personal Trainer: Cooking on your trusty DS. It’s so wonderful because the DS is small and will fit on your counter while you cook and remind you about what you need to do to prepare some of the most tastiest dishes on earth. Check it out.
First things first: select a recipe. With 245+ to choose from, Personal Trainer: Cooking makes it easy to find what you’re looking for by helping you browse by country, ingredients, difficulty, cooking time, cooking technique or even calorie count.
Once you’ve found something that looks yummy, take a look at the ingredients. Out of butter or need to buy some cumin? Just tap them with the stylus to automatically add the ingredients to your Shopping List. Making several dishes tonight? Just keep tapping ingredients – your Shopping List keeps it all in one place for you. Now that you’ve got your ingredients, it’s time to start cooking. The DS Chef is there with you, talking you through every step along the way. Don’t know how to fillet a trout? Watch the demonstration video when you get to that step. Didn’t quite catch the last step? Just say “Repeat,” and the Chef will explain it again. You can pause the recipe at any time to consult the Cooking A-Z guide, and prompts will appear within recipes for specific terms you might need more information about.
Click below to get one now.
Personal Trainer: Cooking
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December 11th, 2008 admin
As you probably already know, a celiac’s most dreaded acquaintance, gluten, is hidden in many foods such as self-basting turkeys, licorice, malt vinegar, soy sauce, some flavorings, most processed foods, some cold cuts, and many prepared stocks and soups. Alcohols and vinegars that are properly distilled, in theory, should not contain any harmful gluten. That being said, if additives have been added after the distillation process, they may actually contain gluten.
Additionally, gluten is also used as a binder in some pharmaceutical products (medicines, supplements, vitamins and more) and there can be starch in unidentified food starch, caramel coloring, modified food starch, hydrolyzed plant or vegetable protein. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that you avoid items where the ingredients are of questionable origin or are listed as simply “natural flavorings, flavor extracts, or spice extracts” as gluten may be used in processing them. Yes, we did wish they would be more precise in labeling, but the industries haven’t reached that level of enlightenment, unfortunately.
Since it’s oftentimes so very difficult to find gluten-free foods, I’d like to offer a place where you can find lots of gluten-free items in one place. Note: Always verify that the products are truly gluten-free. Click below and you’ll find all kinds of goodies just for you.
Gluten Free Food for You
Posted in chocolate, food and drinks, food industry, good value, practical, safe products | No Comments »
December 1st, 2008 admin
Yes, like Black Friday where people go out into the harsh physical conditions of marathon shopping, pitted against panicked and angry shoppers creating stampedes and injuries, Cyber Monday involves mega amounts of bargains. BUT. There shouldn’t be injuries or stampedes or fights or tug-of-wars. You do not have to deal with people. How beautiful is that, people? VERY.
Cyber Monday is a day where you can shop online, free of shoppers angst and at the same time receive some of the best prices on all kinds of items. Many online stores will also offer free shipping on Cyber Monday. There are deals to be had, so get shopping! Online, that is.
Don’t know where to start?
Click here to find the best bargains online
Posted in fun, good value, hobbies, kids, parents, practical | No Comments »