text:
Talcum in the Middle
(THERE NATE I USED IT AS A BLOG TITLE, HAPPY NOW? Haha.)
I think I'm going to get off of Facebook for a while. It's all cringy drama and people announcing pregnancies anymore. And I don't give a crap about either of these things.
Warning: excessive cursing ahead (blame Google)
What the fuck is this
What in the fuck is this
Google, you inconsistent pile of nonsense, what was wrong with your previous logo?
Hell, what was wrong with your previous font? Anybody who knows me knows how much I hate sans serif fonts.
(For anybody that doesn't know me: it's a lot.)
I don't like that using a sans-serif is becoming the equivalent of being "modern." It's not being modern. It's being shit. I think there's a correlation between how long a site's been using a sans-serif font as their logo (or as part of their logo) and how much that site sucks.
Let me give you some examples:
Twitter has always had a sans serif font, and Twitter has always sucked. And what's with the "t" in this font? It looks like a little airplane seat.
An airplane seat for losers.
Facebook has always had a sans serif font, too. Coincidentally, Facebook has pretty much always sucked as well.
Now let's look at some websites that don't suck. Notice that they all use serif fonts.
Nnnngh the sans serif nonsense is such an annoying fad. Like, I know Google has changed its logo in the past, but this is too dramatic, I think. Seriously, Google, you were doing fine with variations of this…
It's a good font. A good font. But then you somehow find the font equivalent of diarrhea residue and MAKE IT YOUR NEW LOGO'S TYPEFACE?
I am so irrationally aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaangry because of this.
At least they're still capitalizing their name.
So help me god, if they stop capitalizing their name…
Edit: if you search "Google logo" you get this field of insanity. I don't know about you, but this looks terrifying.
Facebook Stalking for DATA!
Here's more "Claudia is bored" random thingies.
I have 111 friends on Facebook. I wanted to see the distribution of birthdays across the months (and the zodiac signs, because why not?). So I Facebook stalked everyone and found that 97 of my 111 friends had their birthdays listed (at least month and day). Here's the distribution by month:
I knew I had a lot of February, May, and November, but I didn't know I had so many April and July. Haha, look at August and September. Very interesting, especially in comparison to this.
And here's some zodiac just 'cause:
Stuff 'n Noise, Noise n' Stuff
1. This is the most horribly designed infographic ever.
2. This study is old news now I suppose, but I still find it disturbing. 53% of 16-30 year olds would give up their sense of smell for Facebook? What in the hell, people. I'd happily trade all social networking, perhaps even my blogging, for the ability to smell.
3. "Newton, Leibniz, and Pascal were all playing Hide-and-Seek, and it was Leibniz's turn to count. Pascal immediately runs off and finds a great hiding spot, while Newton simply stands out in the open and draws a one-meter square on the ground around himself. Leibniz finishes counting, and when he looks up, he sees Newton. 'Aha!' he yells, 'I found you!' Newton responds, 'No, you found one Newton per square meter- You found Pascal!'" (source)
Again, sorry my blogs have been sucking always lately. Crazy semester is crazy.
In This Blog: Stuff from Facebook 'Cause I've Got Nothing Else Today
Waiter! There's a Y in my Vowels!
Three points of interest today.
1. So CNN has an article on Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who apparently reappeared out of nowhere and has just turned 30. The only reason his name has any significance for me is because when I was younger and the fun thing to do with your friends was to have random sleepovers, my friend Lara used to "sleep talk" about dating JTT. I think we all knew she was faking it, but it was fun to mess with her.
Whenever she'd start her sleep dating, I always pretended to be JTT's "little brother," Timothy. Lara'd be having this romantic sleep-talk and I'd jump in with "HI, WHATCHA DOIN', WANNA PLAY?" in a super obnoxious voice. She'd always respond with a disgusted, "ugh, TIMOTHY…Jonathan, your brother is SO annoying…"
Yeah. That news just dredged up that memory for whatever reason.
2. Apart from Facebook's inane layout changes and Google's obvious attempts to take over the world, there aren't that many things that bother me about the internet. But one thing that really gets under my skin is when parents post excessive pictures of their children online. Some parents are able to do this fairly tastefully, but a great number of them aren't. Of course, if your kids are no longer kids and have given you some form of consent regarding the posting of their lives on your Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr/blog, no big deal. But when you have pictures of babies, toddlers, kindergarteners…hell, even grade-school-age children plastered all over your site and it's obvious that they are unable to give consent for this, it's a problem. Ever heard of privacy?
And it's not just the pictures. Regardless of whatever silly nickname you assign your child online (usually something like "Peanut" or "Mini Mom" or "Donut Boy" or "Daddy's Little Marketing Tool"), blogging about personal stuff relating to your child is probably not the smartest move. Sure, little "Mommy's Big Toe Lookalike" is not going to be known by that moniker once he hits puberty (hopefully), but it's not unlikely that someone who knows your child—another parent or a teacher or even a classmate—could come across your blog, very easily connect the dots, and discover who that embarrassing story involving diarrhea and Disney's Haunted Mansion was about.
I don't know if parents just don't realize this or if they just don't care. If I ever, by some divine intervention, wind up with spawn, I will do my best to keep them out of my blogging life. Sure, I might post a (non-nude) baby pic or two and maybe something like a family Christmas pic, but Little Claudia will most certainly be sheltered from the blogging publicity that almost every other aspect of my life undergoes.
3. Is this really necessary? I mean, okay, I get it; we spend an exorbitant amount of time on the web and thus would like a way to document our time spent there, especially if a lot of it involves correspondence with friends (heck, I save my MSN Messenger conversations). But to call it "Egobook," while descriptive, is kind of…distressing.
That is all.
TWSB: Pokes and Tweets and Tech, Oh My!
I'm using the thin veil of "technology involves science" to disguise today's blog as This Week's Science Blog. This is mainly because I've had trouble finding any super-exciting science articles as of late. Apologies.
This is something I've always been pretty interested in: how different generations view and interact with technology. This article, written by Susan Weinschenk, reviews the similarities and differences regarding how three generations, Baby Boomers (born between 1943 and 1961), Generation X-ers (born between 1961 and 1981), and Millenials (or Generation Y, born between 1982 and 2002), interact with technology. The article is super interesting and I recommend reading it, but here are a few highlights with CLAUDIA COMMENTS!
Dualism vs. Ubiquitous: Boomers view technology as something separate, e.g., they "make a call on their cell phone," while Millenials "make a call" and assume that said call is occurring on a cell phone as implicit information.
I don't know if this one is inherent to generational differences or just availability differences. It seems like for Millenials (particularly the youngest ones), cell phones have existed forever and pretty much rule the world of telephone communication. To them, a landline phone is a pretty weird thing. Therefore, they make a call and assume that everyone knows the call is occurring via a cell phone because cell phones are the main available tool for making calls. For Boomers, on the other hand, they've had to deal with the transition from landline phones as being the main medium of voice communication to cell phones. Therefore, they still feel the need to qualify the means by which they are making a call.
Twitter and Facebook: Millenials prefer Facebook, Generation X-ers prefer Twitter, and Baby Boomers are kind of in the middle with the two.
I thought this one was pretty interesting. I would think the Millenials would be all over Twitter ('cause, well, they are), but maybe the Generation X-ers like it because it's not as complicated (read: mutable) as Facebook and therefore is consistently easy to use.
Is Technology Trapping Us? Baby Boomers grew up without the recent technology and are most able of the three generations discussed here to "let it go" and live without it. Generation X-ers are simultaneously most enamored with and feel most trapped by technology. Millenials incorporate technology in their lives pretty much 24/7, but are the most likely to eschew it in favor of more personal communication, such as speaking face-to-face.
It's interesting that the "middle" generation of X-ers feel the most trapped by technology, but it also make sense. For Boomers, they can leave it 'cause they remember life without it. Millenials seek to free themselves from it because it's so engrained in their lives that it can become a hassle. It seems like X-ers have had to make the most effort to incorporate new technology in their lives and therefore have the worst time trying to break free of it again.
Once we've all aged another 20-30 years, it'll be interesting to compare these data with those from Generation Z.
By the way, I found this article via a list entitled "47 Mind-Blowing Psychology-Proven Facts You Should Know About Yourself." Usually I stay away from lists like these on the internet because they all seem to rehash the same things that everyone already knows over and over again, but this one is wonderfully written and actually involves interesting stuff.
Tonight, I bring you…THE INTERNET!
One of the worst songs to have stuck in your head when you're trying to figure out the reasons behind the graph I showed you yesterday.
The Sun Run! I was totally there…somewhere, haha.
Did anyone else ever watch this cartoon when they were kids? My dad recorded the episodes onto blank tapes so I could watch them over and
over again.
This is pretty much everything that's wrong with Facebook. Well, not everything, but a big portion of it.
Facebook, you inconsistent freak show
Random lighthearted Facebook bitch session – commence!
I know that like half of you people who actually read this already have the new profile, but I don't 'cause I hate change.
Facebook itself, on the other hand, can't seem to get enough of it.
So I get this little warning message this afternoon when I logged on—something to the effect of "because you haven't manually switched over to the new profile yet, we're going to do it for you! You have ten days to say your goodbyes to the old layout."
I actually can't complain about that last part, considering the current (or old) layout pretty much blows.
But what I can complain about is the CONSTANT DAMN CHANGES WTF FACEBOOK.
(Rage over.)
I think my favorite part is the "about" section wherein they introduce the new layout like Steve Jobs introduces a new product (video, indie music, and shots of someone having a semi-normal existence with [insert new product here]). I mean come on, it's not like we have a choice here. If we're staying on Facebook we're getting the "upgrade" whether we like it or not, so why try to introduce it like some revolutionary new MUST HAVE thing?
Zuckerberg, I am disappoint.
The Four Corporations of the Apocalypse
I'm amazed by large corporations. I don't know why. Maybe it's because the larger companies get, the more fiercely they seem to push for their right to be the largest company, especially when they have to muscle out some other company for top spot. I find it amusing, interesting, and frightening all at the same time.
Due to the insane technological advances we've been making in the past decade, along with help from the glorious, glorious internet, we've been able to witness the birth of mega corporations that are able to grow to tremendous sizes and pretty much envelop everything they touch. And when they decide to merge, we're all in trouble.
Oh come on, you know which ones I mean…
Microsoft (area of dominance: computing)
Not only does Microsoft (in my opinion, at least) pretty much own the computing sector with their PCs, they've also got quite a monopoly on software (Microsoft Office, anyone?), plus Internet Explorer, Zune, Windows Media, Windows Live (including Hotmail and Messenger), and the Xbox 360.
It's probably the weakest of the four corporate giants as I see them, but it's still got a pretty strong hold on things when you think about it. Hell, I typed this out in Microsoft Word and uploaded it in IE*. I guess the reason it seems weak is because it's not expanding at the rate of the other corporations I've listed.
Speaking of expansion…
Apple (area of dominance: portable media)
Remember that time where Apple only made those dorky computers? Haha, yeah. Nostalgia. Now there are IPHONES EVERYWHERE. Perhaps you read my blog about my adventure in the Apple store. If not, go read it, slacker! here's the summary: people are psycho for Apple products. The company is rapidly gaining ground in the portable media sector.
– Music.
– Phones.
– Phones that also play music.
– Wi-Fi access in small electronics.
– Wi-Fi access in small electronics that also act as phones and play music
– Whatever the hell the iPad is.
– But wait! A newer version of the Wi-Fi/phone/music thing!
You get the idea.
Apple has pretty much taken over the "check out this electronic doohickey I'm carrying!" area, and it doesn't show any signs of slowing up. Pair this with the grip it's got on the music sales industry via iTunes and you're looking at one powerful company.
Facebook (area of dominance: personal information)
The king of personal information, Facebook as it stands right now is quite frightening. It's not Big Brother we have to worry about, but each other, now that we're able to pretty much list everything down to our genetic code on a social networking site. The worst part about it is how addicting it is. I'm not ashamed (though I probably should be) that I went through a freaky little withdrawal stage when I shut down my Facebook account for a few months back in May (April? Whenever), and was pretty much fully hooked on it again when I came back. Despite all the privacy issues Facebook's having right now, I don't think the number of people using the site will decrease by any significant amount anytime soon, thus leaving those of us in Facebook Land a good population in which to search and stalk.
Google (area of dominance: general information)
Last but certainly not least is Google. Google is terrifying.
Google will own the world in approximately seven more years.
In a decade, "Googling" will no longer just be a word for "searching via google.com" but will be a euphemism for all sorts of other things (possibly dirty things). In twenty years, we'll have street views of Alpha Centauri.
Can you tell this company frightens me?
I guess if you name your company after something as big as a googol, you're pretty much destined to be of the mindset to want to expand as much as possible. Their getting their hands on YouTube was the final "oh crap!" moment for me, now I'm just waiting for the blue, red, yellow and green takeover. Or should I say takeooooooooooooover.
Paranoia? Perhaps. But I'm waiting for the day Google decides to merge with Apple, they conquer Facebook, and Microsoft decides to join in just because. Then we're screwed.
*Anyone who gives me browser choice crap is invited to come over and count the number of times Firefox crashes when I use it. That browser and I don't get along, I like IE best, shut the hell up.
Today's song: Protection (Sirius Mo Radio Edit) by Ben Mono
Claudia the Angry Blogger Presents: Yet Another Rant against Pretty Much Everything
Alternate title: I'M ALL FIRED UP, WHAT'RE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT?!
I had a frustrating day today for various reasons. This little rant was inspired by a Google search (and Facebook). Haha, it's a LOT longer than it was originally intended to be, so ignore it if you don't want to read my incoherent ramblings about stuff that really doesn't matter at all.
Perhaps the large businesses, website designers, and marketing department heads are familiar with the old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." If they are, I truly doubt that they actually know what it means, as it is quite obvious by the state of change things are in nowadays that they currently have no intention of heeding its message.
I have a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. It may not sound like much (and it's not), but there's one thing in particular that stuck with me throughout my undergraduate education that has, now that I think about it, been backed up by pretty every situation I've ever been in: people dislike change. I'm not talking about change that brings about better circumstances, either immediately or in the distant future (though usually we're more apt to appreciate change that leads to things improving immediately, as we as a species pretty much suck at appreciating delayed rewards). I'm also not talking about change that occurs because something is broken or something isn't working to the best of its capability. Of course they should change the design of, for example, a hammer, if the way it's designed now causes people to take two hours to pound a nail into a board. I'm not talking about that kind of change.
I'm talking about change for the sake of change—changing stuff just because it's felt that a new layout is needed, or "modernization" must occur. There's no real payoff from it, so there's really no reason to do it—and yet it's done anyway. I know everyone knows what I mean because as of late, websites, companies, and everybody else who gets their hands on their own logo all seem to be really desperate to do this. I noticed it a few years ago with brand logos and designs suddenly changing to look more "modern"—in particular, I recall the old M&M's packages being replaced with the newer, hipper, 90's versions (more flashy text, a more 'animated' package background).
Why? No real reason whatsoever. I know that logos and packages are a somewhat different field than websites (and actual products themselves), but every time I see a newly re-designed package with a sticker that claims something to the effect of "new design, same great product!" I have to wonder, "then why change the packaging?"
As I said, though, packaging and brand logos are in a different league than websites. Web design is something that, when it's done right, is not noticed at all. Herein lies the problem with sudden unnecessary change, and I will show you why:
Pick a website whose design you admire for its simplicity and ease of use. This whole thing started with Google's desire to change things up for no reason, but let's pick another website just for the sake of demonstrating my point with even more strength: Facebook. I was not on Facebook myself until it underwent its first (and possibly second, I can't remember) layout overhaul2. I wasn't really interested in what it had to offer, but I do remember that the tabs at the top weren't yet present, the "mini-feed" still existed, and things ran pretty smoothly and information was easy enough to locate.
Not long after this, however, things began to change for no reason other than to…well, I still don't know why they thought changing stuff around was a good idea. The tabs arrived, and if I recall correctly they were met with such opposition that I had, at one point, multiple friends inviting me to join multiple groups that either protested the new layout or that claimed they had a way to change your profile back to the "old Facebook." Then the "news feed" thing came, along with its ability to seemingly randomly switch between the "most popular" and the "most recent" feeds. Same story, same opposition.
Deny it all you like, there's no getting around the fact that there are a lot of people who dislike the changes Facebook has made (and, for reasons seemingly unknown, keeps making). It doesn't take much to realize why. When I first started using Facebook, I really didn't pay any attention to the layout, mainly for this reason alone: it worked. It did what it was supposed to do, and it was fairly efficient at doing so. I got all the information I wanted to see on one page with no unnecessary fluff or clicks.
When Facebook suddenly made the tab change, I (as well as everyone else) was forced to "retrain" our methods of navigating the website. Whether the new design was in actuality more efficient than the old one was not the point in question—when the mini-feed vanished on us, we had to expend extra effort to retrain our brains to recognize that it was now under the "wall" tab and not right in front of us when we went to our profile.
The point I'm trying to make now is the fact that unnecessary layout changes are not only, you know, unnecessary, but they draw the attention to any shortcomings that may have, by accident, been included with the new layout upgrade. All of a sudden our ability to rate videos has disappeared on YouTube. Though there are claims that the overall "clutter" of the site has been reduced3, how many people notice anything other than the fact that they can't rate something as having five stars (or still notice that the layout is still not the greatest)? That's the point I'm trying to make: when website layouts or designs change for no obvious reason than to just change, we don't notice the good things. We notice the failures. So what do we do? We do what only comes natural: we bitch about it.
Note, however, that this bitching does absolutely nothing. And now we come to the reason why I went on this long rant in the first place: Google. There are several things that I have always expected to remain constant (or at least, said to remain constant) within my lifetime. Among such things are:
– the speed of light in a vacuum
– Planck's constant
– the gravitational constant
– Google
So imagine my surprise when I Googled something this afternoon and, upon viewing the search results, found that I was privy to Google's experimental (and possibly soon-to-be-permanent) sidebar. Immediately annoyed by its intrusion into my search results, I did a search on it itself and within the top few results were—guess what?—people bitching about the experimental sidebar. "I hate this format- I like Google because it was clean and simple and now it's all cluttered like every other search engine out there4." There appear to be pro-Google individuals in digital tears over the possibility that a sidebar will be a permanent addition to their search results pages.
And now we come very quickly to the second point I wish to make: bitching does absolutely nothing (most of the time). Again, this has to do with the fact that people are both creatures of habit and lazy, as well as the fact that there are about five websites, in my opinion, that most people use without thinking much about it. I have friends in another country; I log onto Facebook to see if there's any recent news about them. No real thought, it just happens. It's like this with all the big and popular sites, and no amount of changes will probably mess with that.
When a member of the Internet Axis of Power (Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, YouTube, those such sites)1 pulls a change on the public, of course there is going to be outrage. There certainly was when YouTube changed its format and not too long ago. Comments of "the new YouTube layout sucks!" were quickly thumbed up and became the most liked comments on quite a few of the videos I've watched.
Why does this happen? I reiterate: if something's working fine, and there is a sudden change that doesn't really do much to improve aesthetics, functionality, or ease of use, it generally messes with peoples' minds in a way that makes them upset. They have to expend effort, either getting used to a whole new way of navigating a website in the most extreme cases (Facebook), or just getting their brains used to a new visual cue on their search results page in the milder ones (a la Google's experimental sidebar). And people don't like effort.
But these websites are still the strongest ones out there. YouTube could make us have to type a captcha to comment on a video or Facebook could make us do the same to post on our friend's wall, and we'd probably still use them. Why? Because they're there. Because they're the websites we've grown to love and depend on and automatically scroll to in our list of bookmarked sites. It's basically a battle between putting up with pointless, needless site changes, or changing ourselves to not go to those sites. And we all know what side wins every time.
I'm certainly not suggesting that these websites are the bourgeoisie oppression to our proletarian desires to breeze about the internet unheeded. I'm simply saying that we can bitch all we like—if we continue to use their sites, and those in charge see no significant drop in web traffic as a result of the changes they made, then really, what's been accomplished but a lot of angry video comments, irate Facebook groups, and upset Google users posting "it's the end of the universe!" on forums?
One or two user casualties will ultimately do nothing, and I'm nearly stating fact when I say this: is there really anything that Google, YouTube, or Facebook could (in their right minds) do to their sites to render a huge drop in web traffic? Will a sidebar on Google's results pages actually cause us to go elsewhere if we want to search for something? And for those of us Facebook addicts (or Facebook addicts in training), will a more-difficult-to-navigate interface really deter us much from checking the news feed every five minutes?
I started this rant with the intention of complaining about the problems of superfluous changes in web design—specifically, I wanted to point out that websites that change their layout for no other apparent reason than to simply change things up a bit get negative feedback and may lose some of their credibility (though that's not the word I'm looking for, but I can't think of a better one at the moment). However, the point I seem to have made in the end is that we're pretty much tied to the major websites—and to any website we use with consistency, really—to the point where these little changes, as frustrating as they may be, will do little to deter us from partaking in the
services said websites offer. So I guess the best we can do is hold our little bitch-fests and hope the web designers happen to read video comments.
Edit: I also just came across this tidbit of information while researching for this little rant.
"'There is nothing wrong with the logo,' said Google product manager Nundu Janakiram. 'We wanted to brighten it up and make some tweaks to it.'"
"There is nothing wrong with the logo."
"There is nothing wrong with the logo."
"There is nothing wrong with the logo."
1 By traffic: http://mostpopularwebsites.net/
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook
4 http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Web+Search/thread?tid=67f6459e09a827ee&hl=en
Today's song: Pompeii by E.S. Posthumus
Facebook and I broke up because I was seeing another layout
I'm on a (most likely temporary) hiatus from Facebook. Reasons are as follows:
1. The constant status updates were getting to me. I really don't care that much.
2. The sheer amount of time some people spend on it is disturbing, and I don't want that to happen to me (that's what MySpace is for, haha).
The third item mentioned obviously carries the most weight. I logged in yesterday morning to find my "info" page changed around YET AGAIN (be warned, I think they're just starting to phase this in and I was one of the unlucky first to get it).
Unfortunately, I'll probably be back at some point, as a few of my friends I only have contact with via Facebook, the SHAPE-SHIFTING SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE OF ETERNAL TRANSFORMATIVE CHAOS!
Another point of worth:
It really is impossible to make a bad remix of Sleepyhead. The song is like audible Prozac for me, I listen to it (or a remix, or a cover, etc.,) and everything but the happies in my pants disappears. Yayzorz.
Today's song: Save by The Rocket Summer (the new remix is technically tomorrow's song, so you'll just have to wait)
It's time for your daily Claudia rambling! Put on your blog bonnets!
I haven't given you guys a good old-fashioned rant in awhile, save the one on TA-ing a few days ago and the several on how much grad school is a waste of time. However, those don't really count, since they actually got my blood pressure up to the point where I could feel my heartbeat in my eye. My usual blog rants are mainly about things that just don't matter at all, but about which I feel like complaining; thus, they are semi-entertaining (at least, I like to pretend they are).
So tonight I give you a good old-fashioned Claudia rant, 'cause it's been a while. And because light-hearted ranting is good for the soul.
Today's example: Facebook. As I think I've mentioned before, I'm kind of jaded with Facebook, and here are a couple of reasons why:
1. The layout(s).
Pick one! Freaking hell! What is it about trying to stay "modern" that makes websites/programs/everything want to change their layouts? Office 2007 did it and it was a disaster. Facebook decides to do it like every other week. Now YouTube did it, too, and it looks like crap. When Google eventually decides to change their homepage, I'm going to start shooting people.
2. The fact that they don't capitalize "Facebook."
I know, MySpace does this too, but for some reason that lowercase "f" really bothers me. You are a proper noun. Give yourself the respect you think others think you should deserve.
3. Poking.
4. The applications.
There are two types of people in Facebook land: those who subscribe to (or play/join/what the hell ever) 50 or so applications, and those who just absolutely hate them. Yes, I'm fully aware you can hide application notices. I'm also fully aware that the point of Facebook was so that you wouldn't have to put up with hiding application notices you got on MySpace.
5. The people who update their status 5+ times per day.
"_______ just woke up!" "________ had a bagel!" "_________ exists!" "________ needs a self-esteem boost, and therefore is posting another status update to get noticed!" Really? That's what Twitter is for.
6. The people who basically use their profile as a showcase for their baby.
I have a friend on there who has 16 albums dedicated to their kid, each with about 30 pictures. They also fall into annoyance sector #5, except 90% of their status updates are about…guess what? "________'s baby is teething! ________'s nipples hurt!"
7. The ability for everyone to make fan pages of just about every stupid occurrence, enjoyment, or annoyance in human history.
These include pages about how much "the little triangle that the windshield wipers never get" plagues people in their sleep, how amazing sex is, redoing high fives if they're not good enough the first time, using cellphones as flashlights, etc., etc., you get the idea. I get it, you're a fan of the little things in life. Do you have to let the world know? Joining the group was one thing, but now you must jump on the bandwagon of becoming a fan of something just because you've laughed at the occurrence once in your life? Is this really a productive way for the human race to spend its time?
So…Facebook has slowly developed to include and/or involve: inability to commit, poor capitalization habits, promotion of poking people, tons of time-wasting stuff that clogs up your life, egomaniacs, and promoting stupidity via mass-promotion of fads.
Sounds like high school.
Freaking hell, people.
Today's song: Viva la Love Story by Jon Schmidt
A Day in the Life of a Covariance Matrix
Not really, but it would make a good Flash, don't you think?
"Don't make me divide by the square root of the product of my two variances, mom! I'm not ready to become a correlation!!"
There's only one thing to do in this situation.
You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!
You: Are you there, Omegle? It's me, God
Your conversational partner has disconnected.
You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!
You: Are you there, Omegle? It's me, God
Your conversational partner has disconnected.
You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!
You: Are you there, Omegle? It's me, God
Your conversational partner has disconnected.
You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!
You: Are you there, Omegle? It's me, God
Your conversational partner has disconnected.
You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!
You: Are you there, Omegle? It's me, God
Your conversational partner has disconnected.
(Yes, this happened FIVE TIMES in a row)
You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!
You: Are you there, Omegle? It's me, God
Stranger: ooooooooo
You: Did I create you while I was dreaming during my 7th day nap?
Stranger: b what ur figure
You: Holy
Stranger: no its size
You: Infinite
Stranger: no its joking
Stranger: pls said
You: The Lord does not joke
Stranger: are u female
You: I am genderless
Your conversational partner has disconnected.
Dear Facebook,
We know you've been through some rough times as of late. The world's changing and, well, we know you want to keep up with its demands. But you have to believe us when we say that we love you for who you are at the website level, not the layout level.
So please stop changing your damn layout.
The Public
Today's song: To Modern Science by The Black and White Years
I'm not in the mood to write a samba!
I never thought people were this stupid.
Wait. Yes I did. This just confirmed it.
Mimicking inflection: a study in imitation and how to manipulate people who "talk like this?"
I'm pissy today. List form as always.
Things that are entirely too overrated
The damn applications on Facebook
I thought the concept of Facebook was to provide college students with a more sophisticated tool than MySpace to communicate with peers. Apparently, college students can't handle simplicity and ease of use, because 97% of pages I visit now have dozens of those stupid Facebook "applications" clogging up the screen and utterly destroying the beauty that was the simplicity of the site. Listen, I don't care what kind of eyes you have. I don't care that you have so little of a life that you must participate in online movie quizzes. I don't care which Greek God you are. I don't care what emoticon best fits your current mood. And here's something that may be shocking: you aren't important enough to have a second wall dubbed the "Super Wall." Get a MySpace and be obnoxious there. Please leave your juvenile endeavors off of Facebook. And please, for the love of god—stop sending me invitations to add applications. I'm not going to. I only have one application, and it fits in with the rest of the site's format.
Squirrels suck.
Yes, we know you think they're cool. But let me tell you something—you aren't a ninja, you never will be a ninja, and the odds of you encountering a ninja, shouting something to the effect of, "OMG A NINJA LOL!!!!1" and coming out of the situation with anything less than a bashed in skull are very, very minimal.
Same as ninjas. Yeah, yeah, we all love them. Now shut the hell up.
Copying others
Come up with your own freaking crap. Failing your ability to do so, at least give the person you're copying some credit. This pisses me off more than you can ever know.
Using grossly incorrect grammar to sound "cute"
Phrases like "I's a squirrel!" and "I has a Oreo!" make my blood curdle. It's not cute, it's not funny, and it's not doing much to make you look like an intelligent human being. Either use correct grammar or shut the hell up.
Brandishing your so-called "mental disorders" for all the world to see
Self-explanatory. If you're one of those people who has on your MySpace (or what have you) a list of your "mental disorders," you are, in fact, a moron. There is no practical need for anyone who really has a mental disorder to go brandishing the fact to the general public. In fact, most people who do this really don't have any mental disorders to speak of, they're simply attention whores who feel the need to exploit the fact that they arrange their socks in a particular order (because we all know that "normal" people don't like their clothing in any specific order—thus they must be obsessive-compuslive!) or that they are, on occasion, moody (because god forbid we should attribute any fluctuation in mood to anything other than bipolar disorder) in order to illicit some sort of response from the readers, be it sympathy, intrigue, or just attention in general.
It's shoving a shaft of flesh up a hole, people, big deal.
The University of Idaho Honors Program
Bunch of snobby, self-righteous, "holier-than-thou" elitists who think that just because they have the minimum GPA (it's just a 3.5, people, seriously) to be inducted into the society they are somehow "smarter" than those of us who, by choice, aren't involved. The classes they require you to take to remain in the program would be pointless digressions in my academic career, thus my refusal to have anything to do with them. They're offering this semester, two—count them, two—upper division classes. One is a geography class. The other is a history class. Yes, let's pick the two least popular majors and offer upper division classes in those! Ooh, better yet, let's offer all the lower, 100-level classes as either a) introductory classes that nearly everybody's taken, b) chemistry, or c) another freaking history class! Because delaying the graduation of our members is more important than giving them classes that pertain to their future careers.
Holly Carp now has a Facebook. And in case you weren't there and are wondering what the hell I'm talking about and what the big deal is, Holly Carp is an individual Maggie and I discovered on the night before the band trip down to Boise, the night we stayed up all night and were IM-ing each other while sitting right next to each other.
And in case you're not on Facebook and want to know of this wonderful being, here is her profile:
Activities: being awesome, quoting the Bible verbatim, quoting the fish equivalent of the Bible verbatim, confounding the most genius of the human species, swimming, looking for a mate to fertilize my eggs, making fishy faces at confused passers-by, holding talk therapy groups for sharks confused about their sexuality, marketing my self-help video entitled "Who Needs a Doral Fin When You've Got a Name That is Commonly Confused with the Word "Crap"?", bumming rides off of people, DJ-ing, playing solitaire, solving live's mysteries, calling the operator and having lengthy discussions about why they chose their career, convincing people I'm real, being a stunt double for Dr. Phil, eating whatever the hell carp eat, break dancing.
Interests: philosophy, contact sports, optometry, humans' depletion of natural resources and how we're all screwed, Nebraska, the "Holly Carp Is Real" Campaign, WSU and their fascination with large cats, WSU and their placement of the cattle breeding pen in close proximity to the captive bear area, volleyball, other carp.
Favorite Music: Katrina and the Waves, The Backstreet Boys, Kenny G.
Favorite TV Shows: The Dr. Phil Show
Favorite Movies: Finding Nemo
Favorite Books: The World According to Carp, How to Keep Koi, Goldfish and Other Carp, Carp Fishing on Valium, Die Like the Carp!, Carp in the Bathtub, Richard Scarry's Best First Book Ever.
Favorite Quotes: "Holly Carp is real."
About Me: I am Holly Carp. I am real. I type in all-caps because I'm just that important. I enjoy long walks on the beach, or preferably in the water itself, me being a carp and all.
I am all-knowing and all-powerful. My powers of logic and deduction astonish even the most intelligent of men, including Stephen Hawking, one of many whom I have single-handedly beat at swimming.
I won the gold medal in Awesome in the first Olympic games.
I alone built five miles of the Great Wall of China.
I fantasize nightly of a schooner whose love I was lucky enough to possess one lonely night when the waters were still and our hearts were a-flutter with true love.
I'm looking to find a man of similar interests and who has big gills. Seriously though, gill size doesn't matter. But I'd like his to be big.
Like, huge.
I also noticed a few minutes ago that in the religious views is typed, "I worship cod," which rhymes nicely with "I worship god."
I'm funny.


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Ristorante Pizzeria Relax
Ristorante Pizzeria Relax
Thank you for your request
Informationen zu Ristorante Pizzeria Relax
In the stylish atrium bar of the Relax restaurant, guests quickly realise what a special place this is. The restaurant area is on the first floor, and here we serve beautifully presented gastronomic treats. Fresh salads, tasty starters, seasonal main dishes and heavenly desserts are all on the menu. The pizza is highly recommended! Guests can also enjoy the fruits of our wine cellar, which stocks a variety of wines chosen by our knowledgeable waiters to accompany each dish. Why not buy a bottle to take home? Before going home, though, don't forget to have a little digestif at the bar to round off the evening perfectly. At the Relax pizzeria many elements go into creating an excellent experience, including a warm welcome, good advice and great food. You can also book our rooms for parties. A unique experience awaits our guests!
The Relax pizzeria and restaurant offers its guests excellent food and fine wines in the spa town of Merano.
Lunch is served!
Lunch at the Relax restaurant … why not? Thanks to its central location, the restaurant is easily accessible on foot and by car. Light Mediterranean dishes transform lunch into a gourmet experience. From salads through to main courses and seasonal dishes, the midday menu offers a wide choice. We are proud of our quality and reasonable prices, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Lunch at the Relax is a tasty treat, there's no doubt about it.
A quick bite for lunch!
And dinner?
A glance at our menu will be enough to convince you. The choice is varied and includes many seasonal dishes. The wine cellar is vast and we are always happy to advise guests on their choice, as we stock many rare and interesting wines. And that isn't all. Our tasty pizzas are a real speciality. With their thin base and light crust, topped with fresh ingredients they are pure indulgence. The Relax restaurant offers a wide range of culinary experiences.
Would you like a pizza or something from the menu?

subset: commoncrawl


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Policy & Terms of Use - Returns/Cancellations Policy:
Returns/Cancellations Policy:
All our online and store sales are final. No refunds. Exchanges are allowed if the product is returned in the original package un-used. Shipping and handling fees as well as return shipping charges are not refundable unless otherwise stated elsewhere in page.
Send all warranty claims via email to:
This warranty does not cover or warranty damage to the unit caused by: 1. For gas scooter only, lack of lubrication or engine failure due to the use of two stroke oils other than recommended two-cycle engine oil. Use 25:1 two stroke motor cycle type oil. Engine problems due to inadequate lubrication caused by failure to use 25:1 two-cycle engine oil will void this warranty. 2. For gas scooter only, damage caused by use of gasohol containing methyl (wood) alcohol or gasoline other than the kind recommended in the operation manual. The prescribed mixing ratio of gasoline to oil is 25:1. 3. Defects, malfunction, or failures resulting from abuse, misuse, modifications, alterations, improper storage, use of unauthorized attachments including failure to provide or perform required maintenance services as prescribed in the owners/ operators manual. Preventive maintenance is the warranty holder's responsibility. 4. Damage caused by dirt or corrosion in all of this forms, including, but not restricted to rust, salt water, varnish and moisture. 5. Failure to follow the setup, pre-delivery service, and adjustments outlined in operator's manual. 6. Parts not warranted that are normal maintenance items such as spark plugs, filters, lubricants, engine tune-ups, spark arrestor screen, starter cords, tires, bearings and spindles. 7. Bearing damage caused by improper tire inflation. (Spindle should not slip while driving rear tire). 8. Damage caused by pressure, or steam cleaning of the product. 9. General wear and tear. 10. Damage caused during any form of racing, commercial use, crash damage included but not limited to fork or F.T.C damage or any use deemed improper by A-ZSOURCES.COM or the original distributor/manufacturer, acting reasonably.


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The 2012 Crossfit Open begins on February 22, roughly one week away! Following is a brief description of what the Crossfit Open, Regionals and Games is. (From the Crossfit Games site)
"The CrossFit Games season is a three-stage test of fitness. It is comprised of the Open, Regionals, and the world championship, the CrossFit Games.
The season kicks off with the Open, the most inclusive competition in the world. The top athletes and teams in each region from the Open will move onto Regionals. The best athletes and teams at Regionals will compete at the CrossFit Games from July 13-15, the world's premier test to find the Fittest on Earth™."
You can follow me by visiting my profile page on the Crossfit Games website. You should also follow my good friend Dan Goldberg who finished 12th in last year's North East Regional.
Individual Men and Women"On July 15, 2012 we will crown the Fittest Man and Woman on Earth. They will have outperformed every other athlete at the Games after qualifying through both the Regionals and worldwide Open.
In order to identify the Fittest, we invite everyone in the world to compete in the Open, register here. Each week from February 22-March 25, an Open workout is posted and everyone does it. They have the choice to have their performance validated at a CrossFit affiliate, or submit a videotape of their performance to the Games website. The Open will consist of five workouts over five weeks.
The Open's top 60 athletes in each region move on to the second stage of the competition, Regionals. Each Regional will be a three-day competition. Seventeen Regional competitions, covering the entire world will take place each weekend from April 27 to May 27. At the Regional level, individuals are judged, reps are counted for each workout. No more than three men and three women will advance to the third and final stage of the competition – the CrossFit Games at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The 2012 Games will run from July 13-15."
Michael Elliott's Profile Page
Dan Goldberg's Profile Page
The Crossfit Open is truly an open competition. Anybody in the world is invited to participate. Are you willing to give it a try?


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Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Monthly Archives: July 2012
Make your own baby footprint & handprint keepsake
It is really easy to make your own baby footprint and handprint keepsake. The beauty of making your own is that you can personalise it in any way you want – make the dough different colours, different shapes or do different hand/foot combinations. You also don't have to be arty to make this keepsake and if you mess it up, it's easy to redo! You can also make it using ordinary kitchen cupboard essentials so there's no need to spend money on fancy products.
To make the salt dough, you will need:
- Salt
- Water
- Flour
Posted in Free Craft Projects Leave a comment


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- Telephone - 01387 246282
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text: DON'T MISS OUTJoin Mom and Christy's Cozy Mysteries Club FREE! Find out how to get FREE review copies of the latest mysteries, special sales, new release info, cat pics, recipes and more!Success! Name Email CLICK TO SIGN UP! Get My Books! New Paranormal Series!Coming out October 29th! Order Now Latest Mom & Christy Cozy! Out Now! Buy Now!


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Kwaliteit voor de juiste prijs! Geen cover rommel maar echte nieuwe banden. Sterke wangen met veel zijdelingse steun voor scherp sturen. Super veel grip door de juiste compound.
Racing tyres which are appreciated by many international drivers for their superior grip and outstanding performance. MRF is the first Indian tyre company to design, test and market Formula 3 tyres in the Indian market after extensive testing. MRF slick tyres are designed to meet multiple performance parameters for traction, braking, cornering and confident handling. The compound has been formulated to achieve optimum tyre temperature quickly and to give consistent performance for the whole race distance. MRF racing tyre compounds are appreciated by many international drivers for its superior grip and outstanding performance. Compound selections are normally decided by the racing team based on the surface of the track, weather conditions, track temperatures, longevity, car weight and power of the car.


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TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico
Mike Noone
Mission Statement
A leader in the shipping industry with a professional team that is dedicated to unparalleled customer service, safety and environmental responsibility.
TOTE Maritime is a pioneer not only in shipping cargo, but also in connecting businesses and communities. For more than 30 years, we've transported a wide variety of cargo between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico twice weekly. Throughout that time, we've adapted, expanded and innovated. Yet at each stage of our evolution, we have remained as dedicated to caring for our employees and our community as we are to exceeding clients' expectations.
This dedication is central to our core values of safety, commitment and integrity. It's also what makes us a leader in the shipping industry. Here's what you can expect from TOTE Maritime:
As an industry leader, TOTE Maritime brings you the benefits of emerging technology. We were the pioneers of Marlin Class LNG-powered container vessels, and in 2018, we will introduce the first LNG barges to provide our customers another economic, environmentally friendly shipping method. Our CoolConnect service uses smart refrigerated containers and 24/7 real-time monitoring to ensure perishables and pharmaceuticals maintain the correct temperature and arrive with maximum precision.
TOTE Maritime offers an advanced, flexible and comprehensive array of equipment to meet our customers' particular needs, including the world's first 53-foot tri-modal containers. We've also designed and patented innovative auto carrier racks to ensure shipped vehicles arrive in pristine condition. All our equipment is supported with the most versatile lift-on/lift-off Marlin Class vessels in the trade as well as a network of port facilities and quality inland transportation resources.
TOTE Maritime backs our technology and equipment with unparalleled customer service. We have launched the second generation of our online booking web portal to better meet our customers' needs. The portal allows you to create, change and monitor your shipments with the click of a button. Our representatives are also readily available via phone or email and pride themselves on rapid response. We are even rolling out our app this year so that you can have information on the go – no matter where you are.
Experience the TOTE Maritime difference by contacting us today.
TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico
10550 Deerwood Park Blvd.
Ste. 509
Jacksonville, FL 32256


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Over 93% of parents of Leaving and Junior Certificate students surveyed say they have explained the importance of mathematics to their children, it has been revealed ahead of Engineers Week 2012 (www.engineersweek.ie), which begins on Monday 27th February and runs until Sunday, March 4.
Citing the finding as a sign that parents were starting to grasp the importance of the subject to their children's career prospects, John Power, Director General of Engineers Ireland said Engineers Week 2012 would once again emphasise the criticality of stronger achievement levels in this area in schools. "A similar survey we undertook this last time year indicated that over half the students we asked had not had the long-term relevance of maths explained to them by their parents. Our survey this year shows an improvement in this respect. Maths is the platform upon which a career in growing areas like engineering and technology is based."
"But with over 4,300 students failing maths across all levels in the latest Leaving Cert exams, we still have a gap to bridge to ensure Ireland can produce workers with the requisite technical skills," Power added. "Nearly 50% of parents in our survey were still not clear whether their children's maths teachers had a professional maths qualification. We need to combine a greater awareness of the importance of maths with better standards and transparency in how the subject is taught in schools to ultimately fill the large amount of job vacancies emerging in the ICT and engineering sectors. These are the types of themes we will emphasise throughout Engineers Week 2012."
Engineers Week 2012 begins tomorrow with the launch by Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte TD of 'The State of Ireland 2012 – an overview of Ireland's infrastructure' report. Tuesday, February 28 features 'Wargames Light', an ethical 'hackathon' highlighting security issues for third level technology students while Liam Madden, VP of Xilinx gives this year's McLaughlin lecture on Moore's Law on Wednesday February 29.
Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock TD joins volunteer engineers to impress upon students in schools the importance of maths on Thursday, March 1. Friday March 2 sees the climax of 120 'open day' organised tours of company plants across Ireland, with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD visiting the Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics plant in Swords. Saturday March 3 and Sunday March 4 will feature family-oriented engineering events across Ireland to conclude the week. To find out more information about the events taking place near you, or to register your attendance, log onto www.engineersweek.ie.
Members can login for access to exclusive content, event booking, shop discounts and more...
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Hubs has known me for nearly one third of his life and been married to me for almost a quarter of his life.
Throughout our years together, I've always enjoyed making a big deal over his birthday… not necessarily with big crowds and fanfare, but at least something significant between the two of us.
I had left a few years pass by without planning anything out of the ordinary (of course still celebrate with a special dinner or outing together). But this year I decided I wanted to organise another memorable birthday surprise.
I was cracking my head for ideas when out of the blue, I picked up a remark that made me realise how much hubs was raring to go and see the new Avengers movie.
Our church was planning a big movie screening of the film as an outreach event. I was about to cross that event off our list since I didn't think we'd want to bother finding a babysitter for Nathan and all. But hubby mentioned casually that maybe he could go watch it himself if I didn't mind. So that got me thinking.
This was what I did…
I told hubs we could go watch the movie with the church together. Our good friends, Jamie and Edmund, had already offered to babysit so we had that department covered.
Our friends and collaborators: Jamie and Edmund and their little Sophie
Secretly, I had purchased a set of La Premiere luxury cinema tickets at the same screening time as the church's event. I even enlisted the help of my friend Jamie to buy the tickets to avoid leaving a paper trail with our credit card (yes, I think of everything!)
On D-day, everything proceeded like any normal outing; we got Nathan ready, drove to Jamie and Edmund's to drop Nathan off for his play date with Sophie and headed to the cinema. I asked hubs to park the car while I quickly rushed in to pick up the La Premiere tickets from the box office.
As we walked toward the cinema entrance, I subtly steered him toward the La Premiere section. At the entrance he stopped and look confusedly at me. I then whipped out the tickets and handed them to him with a big smile and declared "Happy Birthday, honey!"
A big grin appeared on his face as it started to dawn on him what was going on. We went on upstairs to the La Premiere lounge to enjoy our free flow popcorn and drinks.
We had a terrific time and it was really nice having a real one-on-one pak-tor session which we haven't had since last August. I could tell he was really pleased although he kept remarking how sneaky I was planning this whole thing. Big credit to our friends Jamie and Edmund, couldn't have done it without them!
Happy birth-month, hon! *muaks*


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Soon after my brother's death, I start working as a hospice chaplain, and meet Don, an old-fashioned gentleman with a deep Catholic faith. He's hard of hearing, grouchy, forgetful at times, and sharp when he wants to be. It's hard to tell what he's taking in, and not. He's so modest that he asks our home health aide to give him a shower with his underwear on.
I visit him at his senior residence, arriving as he finishes lunch so I won't interrupt the afternoon nap that follows lunch. Asking his permission, I pull up a chair and sit at the table, keeping him company as he finishes eating the meat, potatoes and gray vegetable. "What did you have for lunch?" I ask him one day.
"L.O.K," he tells me.
"L.O.K – what's that?"
"Lord Only Knows." I laugh out loud, which makes him smile. He always offers me dessert, which I decline, and coffee, which I drink to be sociable.
Don's daughter Rose has award winning patience, and the same warm smile I see in pictures of her mother. The approaching loss of her father brings up other losses. "I was sitting on my couch in front of the fireplace, sipping a glass of wine, last Christmas Eve," she tells me, "and there was a knock on my door."
The newspaper stories about the war and roadside bombs come to brutal life as I listen to her tell about her son's death in the war. The Christmas Eve knock on the door comes from two men in uniform, the sight every military family dreads. Her son Mike had been killed on Christmas Eve in Iraq. The family stumbles through a funeral mass here, and then a memorial service held by his unit, out of state. "I feel like we buried that child so many times," she says. "At the end I was so tired."
Her story of his sudden, violent death recalls my brother's death, and I feel a silent connection with her story. My dad asks me one night, "Isn't it hard to visit other people when David's death is on your mind?" No. Yes. It's all I know how to do, I tell him. Once your heart cracks open, you have an unwanted kinship with every other broken-hearted person. Once grief makes you gasp for breath, you recognize the other air-starved people around you. It's strangely relaxing to be with other broken people.
As the chaplain, it's my job to hear their stories, not their job to listen to me. I'm careful not to share my own loss, not to chime in, not to shout excitedly "I know exactly what you mean." But we belong to the same club.
Don stays with us for two years, declining slowly and bouncing back, and then slipping again. Finally, the last descent begins. One day at lunch, he tells me that he has to get to the shop to finish some things. "Let's go," he says, urgently. "Can you take me?" he asks, and I know that the end is coming. Talk about finishing something, or traveling somewhere, signals the soul's final work.
I come every afternoon to see him. When I walk up the driveway and see the car with the "Gold Star Family" license plate, the distinction given to families who lose someone in combat, I know that Rose is here, too. The afternoons become a sabbath, as we sit by his bed and talk about her dad. In the dim peace of the room, she tells me about his political career, his stubborn personality, his passion for coffee, which he drank day and night. The first household task she ever learned was making coffee.
And, again, she tells me again about her son. Sitting in the peace of the room, the story comes with different details this time. Mike was married briefly, and it didn't work out. Because of the timing of the divorce, when Mike dies, the Army calls the young ex-wife first. Her dad, drunk, makes a rambling, expletive-filled call to Rose and her husband. Her husband picks up the phone and can't understand anything except that Mike is dead. Rose runs upstairs to the computer and frantically, crazily hits the buttons, searching for the emergency number the Army gave them. She finds it and is screaming her questions into the phone when she looks out the window. A white sedan turns the corner onto their street and moves slowly up the block, as if looking for a house number. She watches the car driving through the snow until it stops in front of her house, and two men get out and come toward the porch.
Pausing in the story, she looks at me in the dark room and asks "Are you crying?"
"I am," I admit.
"You're sweet to cry at my story," she tells me.
Oddly, I feel jealous. Her son's death in the war seems more meaningful than my brother's random death. And yet, grief is grief. Her story is my story, although I don't tell her that. The death of her dad will eventually be the death of mine. The terrible absence of her son is also the aching absence of my brother.
I realize that the only meaning in someone's death is the meaning we give it. How we live after the death, making a path forward. We mark the way with dates and ceremonies so no one is forgotten, when remembering is the only gift left to give.


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Hey guys. A top-notch website reached out to me for some input on what you need for your most effective home gym. Everything You Need to Build a Home Gym.
I know lots of us are busy so having the right gear at home helps. And of course if you need the best personalized coaching to get you on track and keep you on track – reach out to me now. If you hesitate it will be same old, same old.
So many people are finding my coaching through the app to be the first real personal training on the internet. Perfect for people who never know where they're going to be when, and want their personal trainer any time, any where. A quick 4 minute video shows you how "game-changing" it is. Seriously, reach out to me now. Hesitation is the enemy of progress.
Stay Young –
Hi guys. My Blog post this week is simply a pitch over to the interview that the website Paypath was kind enough to feature about me and AaronB Fitness. Check it out here and enjoy. And of course share and comment!
Also, check out the live personal training we're doing now, and how we do it, on the Train with Aaron Now page on the website.
Let's talk,
Here's the proof, and below I'll explain the top 4 reasons why!
A study published in 2014 in The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, conducted by the University of California School of Medicine (yah, legit stuff!), proved that working with a personal trainer works! And going it alone, well, not so much.
In the study, 17 people trained 3 times per week for 12 weeks with a personal trainer. And 17 people went to the gym 3 times per week doing things on their own. On EVERY measurement the folks who had personal trainers made huge progress, and those going it alone made almost none.
Hi guys. This week's post is very special. If you've been browsing our blog posts, vlog / YouTube videos and/or checking out the First Things First System, then you know what the starting point is for losing weight fast and simply.
The starting point for losing weight fast and simply is a) learning how many calories you burn each day, and b) eating 500 to 1000 calories less than that, each day, to lose 1 to 2 pounds each week.
Here's how that works:
The big lie:
I have some disturbing news. And we all already know it. It's just that nobody ever talks about it.
Here goes – The weight loss and fitness industry are for the most part full of hooey. They sell you false promises and unreasonable expectations in an attempt to fleece you out of your hard-earned cash.
According to data by Marketdata Enterprises, a market research firm that specializes in tracking niche industries, Americans spend north of $60 billion annually to try to lose pounds, on everything from paying for gym memberships and joining weight-loss programs to drinking diet soda.
Is it running? Is it hiking? Is it weight lifting? Is it yoga or dance?
Here's the big reveal – The ONE AND ONLY perfect exercise is…..drum roll please… the one you want to do, whatever at all that might be!
If you had the chance to read one of my recent posts sharing the insight that — "weight loss and fitness programs don't fail because we don't know what to do, rather they fail because we don't do it", then this post will make perfect sense.
This guy knows what to do. Eat that delicious salad for lunch, not a bacon burger. And go for a nice long walk after work. Everybody knows that. But guess what, he ain't getting off the couch to do it.
Here's the thing – any sensible eating and physical activity program is going to work. You might not know exactly what to do right now. But you can be sure that programs like A2BFastFit – First Things First and others will tell you exactly what simple and easy things you need to do to lose weight and reach your fitness goals. So learning what to do is the easy part.
The thing is, once people know what to do, they usually don't do it!
It's super hard to out-exercise what you eat. There are too darn many calories in the unhealthy foods we're tempted by each day. So you'll lose weight faster and easier by eating less more than by exercising more. It's WAY easier to pass on that Snickers Bar than it is to log another hour on the treadmill. In fact I'm guessing that you're really glad to hear this.
For most of us, the first step to getting to our best body is shedding a few (or a lot) of unwanted pounds. Once the pounds start to come off we can begin to see and work on the toned muscles. But we begin to look great just by losing that unwanted weight.
Losing weight is really, really simple. You just need to eat fewer calories than you burn each day. For every 3500 calories less compared to what you burn you lose a pound of fat. So over the days and short number of weeks the pounds come off.


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2012 ECC Architecture Award: Arata Isozaki
In 2012 he presented the exhibition ZHONGYUAN, Administrative Committee of Zhengdong New District + Arata Isozaki, at the ECC Palazzo Bembo, within the exhibition Time Space Existence - Traces of Centuries & Future Steps.
Arata Isozaki is a Japanese architect, urban designer and theorist from Oita. Despite designing buildings both inside and outside Japan, Isozaki has been described as an architect who refuses to be stuck in one architectural style, highlighting "how each of his designs is a specific solution born out of the project's context." Isozaki won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2019.


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"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. "
-Nelson Mandela
As I was looking for something new to share on this blog I ran across this quote. I thought that it was rather interesting considering that the past few blogs have been centered around education and most of the conversations that I have had lately were also geared in a similar direction. I sat back and thought about the power and meaning of each of these words education…weapon…and change.
This quote very eloquently sums up the entire mission of ASAP (To cultivate self-reliance in Southern Africa). In order to make a REAL change, a LASTING change, a BENEFICIAL change one must take the initiative to educate themselves. Only then will their work be sustainable.
After reading several news articles and talking to various people about the problems of the world, I must say that this quote reminds me of just why I do what I do. Everyday is a learning experience that you must take with you on this journey. If you learn nothing then you will go nowhere, but an educated man can not be stopped.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Bridging the Gap in Mathematics
Children in Zimbabwe are working hard to become the best that they can be and it is so exciting to see them reach their goals. One child that recently showed enormous progress despite the odds is Nomore. Nomore is born to the second wife, Caster, in a polygamous family. In all, there are 12 children. His father, George, is a peasant farmer and is barely able to meet the children's educational needs, particularly secondary education. Nomore is likely to go to nearby Crossdale Secondary School for Form 1. His family will struggle to raise the fees, uniforms and stationery.
Nomore participated in the grade 7 cluster quiz competitions, representing Sagonda School and placed 3rd out of 6 participating students. What is exciting about Nomore's results is that he got a distinction in Mathematics, having been active in his SMC. Here is evidence of the impact of the BTG project at such a remote institution. Way to Go Nomore!
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Monday, January 22, 2007
The Sky is the Limit
ASAP is pleased to announce that we recently won the 'Schools for Rural Entrepreneurs' grants competition hosted by Teach a Man to Fish. This grant will help ASAP to improve our agricultural education projects and we are so excited that we were chosen.
One of our projects that we are working very hard to raise funds for is our Rural Family Nutrition Initiative in Zimbabwe. ASAP is partnered with Global Giving in this initiative. Our goal is to provide 300 rural families with drip irrigational kits.
The future truly looks bright for ASAP and all of the endeavors that we have embarked upon. With the continued support of our friends the sky is the limit.
One of our projects that we are working very hard to raise funds for is our Rural Family Nutrition Initiative in Zimbabwe. ASAP is partnered with Global Giving in this initiative. Our goal is to provide 300 rural families with drip irrigational kits.
The future truly looks bright for ASAP and all of the endeavors that we have embarked upon. With the continued support of our friends the sky is the limit.
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Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Education is the Key
ASAP Africa recently received the great news that we have been awarded a grant by the Rotary Club of Borrowdale Brooke and the Rotary Club of Peachtree City for funding to help provide increased literacy and enhance the education of over 41,000 students in 131 schools in Nyanga District, Zimbabwe. It was approved by the Rotary Foundation (TRF).
This is perfect timing as we are currently collecting school supplies to send to Zimbabwe by February 14, 2007. Our wish list includes:
Writing Tablets
Felt Tip Markers
Spiral Notebooks
Book Bags
Text Books
If you would like to support ASAP and the Rotary Club in our efforts to provide the children of Zimbabwe with a better education, please consider making a donation from our wish list. You may also give a gift card from Wal-Mart or Target.
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Thursday, January 11, 2007
We Shall Overcome
"The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. King not only had a dream for the United States of America, but his dream included all men and women that run this human race. He realized that in order to produce a positive change we must come together as one body and lift each other up in the name of brotherly love.
When we think of the atrocities taking place in our world it may seem a bit overwhelming and discouraging. You may ask "what can I do as one person to make this world a brighter place?" That is when we need to realize that "Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little." - Edmond Burke
There will always be negative and there will always be positive. We decide on an individual basis which energy we choose to put out into the world. If you believe in the hope for a secure and livable world you must first make the change within yourself. Once we change our hearts and minds and focus on the pursuit of happiness, freedom, and justice a change will surly come.
Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome some day
We'll walk hand in hand
We shall all be free
We are not afraid
We are not alone
The whole wide world around
We shall overcome some day
Lyrics from "We Shall Overcome"
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Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Take the Challenge: Meet or Beat Sandy Creek!
Sandy Creek High School challenges schools, corporations, and individuals to meet or beat their efforts in raising money for ASAP Africa in support of our mission to cultivate self-reliance in Southern Africa. Last year the students raised $933.22 towards eliminating poverty in Africa and now would like to increase the total funds with your help. Give the most sustainable gift possible, meet or beat the efforts of Sandy Creek by joining a team with goals of assisting rural communities improve their own lives.
Sandy Creek High School and ASAP Africa have realized the importance of
working together, sharing knowledge, and most importantly creating sustainable change in the lives of those battling poverty. We ask that you take this opportunity to join with us and create positive change that will continue long after the work of ASAP ends. Contact ASAP by calling 770-632-7451 or e-mailing Elizabeth Bara firstname.lastname@example.com or Shannon Dunn firstname.lastname@example.com for more information. Join the worldwide crusade to eliminate poverty and take the challenge to 'Meet or Beat Sandy Creek!'
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Weather service closely monitoring weekend weather
The National Weather Service in Lake Charles is monitoring the weather forecast for Saturday. Showers and thunderstorms are expected during the day on Saturday, and could linger into the evening hours. Some of these storms could be severe, with damaging winds or isolated tornadoes. Between 1 to 3 inches of rain will be possible. Also, with a strong southerly wind, tides will run above normal, and we could see minor coastal flooding during high tides on Saturday.


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I'm sorry to hear about your side effects. The issue of side effects from a prescription medication can be tricky. Some doctors prescribe medications to patients without sufficiently warning them of the side effects involved. This can even happen with good doctors. In some cases, the prescription drug's packaging does not clearly communicate the possible side effects. The drug manufacturer may not have done sufficient testing to be aware of the side effects, or could be actively trying to hide them.
With new drugs coming into the market regularly, it can be difficult for physicians to keep up with each drug available and the possible side effects of each drug. In many cases, doctors attend seminars on new drugs that are hosted by the drug companies themselves. Obviously, those drug companies have an interest in minimizing side effects, in order to put their drugs in the hands of consumers.
As a patient, you should take steps to educate yourself on a drug before taking it. This should involve talking to your doctor, as well as the pharmacist. You may also visit the drug manufacturer's website. It's important to know the potential side effects, as well as any symptoms of withdrawal if you choose to stop taking it. If you do have what you believe to be a side effect, you should tell your doctor as well as ask for the patient prescribing information, which will contain a detailed account of the medication and its potential side effects.
Finally, if you do have an adverse side effect that you believe seriously harmed you, you may wish to speak to an attorney. There may be legal steps you can take. Call the Houston personal injury attorneys at Kennedy Hodges at 855-947-0707. We may be able to help. Call today to learn more.


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Please join me in congratulating one of my dearest friends, a great patriot and President of our group, East Texans for Liberty (ET4L), Stacy McMahan, in being named the Republican Party of Texas Senate District 1 Volunteer of the Year!!
Stacy puts in countless hours promoting conservative principles and helping candidates and elected officials on local, state and national levels who share those same ideals. She's good at holding them accountable too!
We are so proud of her, and so fortunate to have her energy and knowledge as the driving force of our group! No one deserves this great recognition more!
Stacy will be recognized, along with other Senate District Volunteers throughout Texas, at the Governor's Mansion on Friday, September 22, 2017.
Stacy McMahan BIO:
Stacy McMahan is a lifelong Republican. Because of professional and family obligations, Stacy watched from the sidelines for many years. In 2009, that changed and she jumped into the public policy world with a full court press.
Early on, Stacy used her writing and research skills to vet and report on local and statewide issues. Many followers came to know "StaceinTexas" as a no-nonsense, conservative Republican on her 'blog', and a trusted source of information for the grassroots.
As opportunities to work for Republican candidates arose, Stacy embraced them. Working as part of Ted Cruz's "Kitchen Cabinet", and the East Texas liaison for Governor Perry in 2012, along with volunteering on campaigns for Ken Paxton, Matt Rinaldi, Matt Schaefer, and Bob Hall from 2010 to present.
In 2012, Stacy was named Director of the GOTV for the Gregg County Republican Party. She was honored to be nominated, by the Republican Women of Gregg County, for the Texas Federation of Republican Women Tribute to Women Award in 2014. She is a member of Republican Women of Gregg County, and an associate member of Republican Women of Northeast Texas and Upshur County Republican Women. She is a member of the Republican Party of Gregg County and associated with the Republican Party of Upshur County. She is also President of East Texans for Liberty, a conservative grassroots coalition in Upshur County.
Stacy is a retired paralegal who enjoys raising Nubian goats, with her husband, in Upshur. They have 3 children.


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Words are important, especially in resolutions that come before a minority House, where parties look for room to dance on the head of a pin.
In an opposition day on Tuesday, the Bloc Quebecois proposed a motion on Kyoto that was meant to embarrass the government and stake out its own position advocating a carbon exchange in Montreal. Stephen Harper saw the blitz coming, called an audible at the line of scrimmage, and confounded the Bloc by having the Conservatives support it.
The Liberals had their own motion, to end Canada's mission in Afghanistan by February 2009. The Bloc supported it. But the NDP, which would withdraw our troops immediately, opposed it.
The Bloc motion was adopted unanimously, 283-0. The Liberal motion was defeated, 150-134, because the NDP voted against a withdrawal deadline on a mission to which it is opposed.
Words are important.
Parsing of the text of the Bloc motion, it was quite supportable for the Conservatives on two points. First, it called on the government "to set fixed greenhouse-gas reduction targets as soon as possible so as to meet the objectives of the Kyoto Protocol." All this, and here's the hook, "as a prerequisite for the establishment, as soon as possible, of a carbon exchange in Montreal."
As for setting "fixed greenhouse-gas reduction targets as soon as possible," the government had no problem with that. This is precisely what Environment Minister John Baird was announcing yesterday, hard targets for reducing GHG emissions. They just weren't Kyoto targets. But they were certainly hard.
And Canada supports the goals of Kyoto, it just won't meet the timeline of 2008-2012. But the Kyoto compliance dates weren't mentioned, just the principle that emission-reduction targets be adopted "so as to meet the objectives of the Kyoto Protocol."
There's certainly enough room to dance on the head of that pin. In any event, Harper could look past the mention of Kyoto to the reference to the establishment of a carbon-exchange market in Montreal.
Well, if we're going into the business of buying and selling emissions credits, it might as well be in our own country. As for Montreal, it makes sense. The equities market is in Toronto, and the commodities market is in Montreal. CO2 is a commodity.
The Bloc has been giving this a hard push, but no one is going to outflank Harper in Quebec, which he sees as one of his main stops on the road to a majority.
But for pirouettes on the head of a pin, it's hard to beat the NDP's opposition to the Liberal motion that Ottawa serve notice to NATO immediately that "Canada will end its combat operations in southern Afghanistan in February 2009."
Huh? Doesn't the NDP want to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan? Yes, that was their pretext, and their point, in opposing the Liberal motion. The NDP wants out now, not two years from now.
There's another interesting wrinkle to the Liberal motion. While it called for an end to the mission in Kandahar in 2009, it didn't call for Canada to leave the country altogether. It very much left the door open for Canada to rotate its troops out of the south and redeploy to a less dangerous corner of the country.
And even Harper hasn't closed the door on that.
Asked in an interview with Policy Options in January whether in terms of burden-sharing with NATO allies, "that while we would stay in the country, we might want to rotate out of Kandahar," Harper replied: "I don't want to prejudice any decision on that."
And he went on: "We should ask about the Canadian military. Do they remain committed? Do they fell confident of success? These are questions that we will keep asking. ... Obviously, in terms of our role in that commitment, we are going to leave that open for debate in the next couple of years."
What Stephane Dion was trying to do here was unite the Liberals around a single position on an issue on which they have been badly divided. It's one thing for them to want to remove our troops from harm's way in Kandahar, which doesn't obscure the fact it was the Liberals who put them there.
But Dion got what he wanted, a party united behind his carefully nuanced position. Out of Kandahar in 2009, though not necessarily out of Afghanistan. Nobody noticed that part. Sometimes the most important words are the ones left out.


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Skydiving, base-jumping and bungee have never appealed to me. I can imagine the motivation for doing these activities, but never thought I would be able to kill the fear and jump.
But then my friend Antonio Macedo, a skydiving adrenaline addict, showed me some videos of wingsuit proximity flying.
Good Compliation:
These images seemed familiar to me. I fly like this all the time in my dreams! It seems so natural!
Ueli Gegenschatz was the prolific jumper who helped design the wingsuit. He spoke at the TED conference in 2009 about the evolution of the sport.
Ueli died in November 2009 jumping off a building in Zurich, Switzerland when a gust of wind pushed him as he landed.
What do you think of wingsuit flying?


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Our Vision
...is an empty cross and how it can impact our world.
Steel On Steel
Saturday Mornings at 11 am
Steel On Steel is a weekly program dedicated to the sharpening of ideas, news, commentary, interview, information, and debate, much of which you will NOT hear elsewhere.
News and Views
with Chuck and Larry Bates
For over 14 years, hosts Dr. Larry Bates and Chuck Bates have covered the hottest issues and current events. Now listeners can stay informed on The War in Iraq, the economy, immigration, politics, and the social issues that concern American's today with no punches pulled. Mon- Fri 10am-12pm
Point of View
with Kerby Anderson
Point of View brings a depth of coverage on the issues not found anywhere else. From political leaders to top authors, the newsmakers can be found on Point of View.
Mon- Fri 12-1pm
Advance Ministries
Mission Statement
Advance Ministries is a Biblically based Christian organization. Our Mission is to provide Christian programming and music that complements and encourages a relationship with God. We are dedicated to the establishment, philosophy and promotion of fundemental Christian education. We are committed to extend the ministry to all, in order to fulfill our Lord's great commission (Matthew 28:18).
Right now you might be saying, "What free gift??
"It's the gift of "salvation" - but what is salvation? First, let's see what salvation is not. Salvation is not the same thing as "religion."
Did you know that God hates religion?
But what if you're already a "good person"?
Maybe you already believe in God, haven't killed anyone, and all that? Why should you care about salvation? First of all, there's no such thing as a "good person." God says in Romans 3:23 that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We are all separated from God by sin - until we ask Jesus into our hearts. Secondly, it isn't enough to just believe there is a God. Jesus said that unless you are "born again," you cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Being "born again" means more than just believing that Jesus Christ/God exists - it means asking Jesus into your heart by faith, totally relying on what He did on the cross for you. He has forgiven all of your sins.
So you think that you've done some "horrible" things?
You're a "bad person"? You might be thinking that there's no way God could forgive you. The truth is, God says in John 6:37 that anyone who comes to Him will not be cast out! Remember that if you could save yourself (by being "good," or becoming a church member, or even by being water-baptized), there would have been no point in Jesus dying on the cross. He died because there is no way you can save yourself.
"So what now?"
To receive God's free gift of salvation, you just need to ask Him for it. Pray this prayer - based on Romans 10:9, 10 in the Bible:
"Jesus, I confess that I need You. My own works are not good enough. I have sinned, and I need to receive this free gift. I confess you as Lord, and believe in my heart that God raised you from the dead. Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit; guide me to a Bible-believing church; and help me to read your Word. Thank you for dying for me."
You are now a born again Christian.
Remember, you're not "religious." Instead, you have a personal, one-on-one relationship with God. You can think of God the Father as your "spiritual dad" (remember He is a good Father). Think of God the Son (Jesus) as your Lord and Savior - as your "best friend." Think of God the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) as the Spirit of God that lives in you. Think about it - God actually wants to live "in you"!
If anyone ever comes to you and asks if you're sure that you're going to Heaven, you can say "yes," because of what Jesus did on the cross! Think about this verse from the Bible, found in 2 Corinthians 5:17. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Now you can live not by how you "feel," but by who God says you are. God says you are now His son or daughter (Galatians 3:26, 27)!
God is waiting, and He loves YOU!
For more info about receiving Christ in your life or if you did receive Him, we want to know!


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"If you're a mature student don't be nervous about trying something different. The college has a really relaxed atmosphere which helps you meet new friends and settle in to your studies."
Marc had been a promising A-level student when he was diagnosed with Leukaemia and had to leave his studies to under-go treatment. While in remission he heard a radio advert for Higher Education at Sunderland College, applied for a course and has never looked back. He hopes to complete his top up year at university before getting a job working in digital forensics.
Marc Bell - HND Computing


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US Says to Resume Refugee Admissions with Extra Vetting
TEHRAN (Press Shia) – The United States will resume admissions for refugees from 11 countries identified as presenting a "high-security risk", but with extra vetting for these nations, senior US officials said on Monday.
The changes came after a 90-day review of refugee admissions from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen by the US State Department, Department of Homeland Security and intelligence agencies.
The new rules are the latest changes to the US refugee program made by the administration of President Donald Trump to address what it sees as national security issues.
Some of the administration's actions, including an executive order to temporarily ban all refugees, have sparked lengthy court battles. Refugee advocates have said they see the administration's actions as intended to reduce the number of refugees, particularly those from Muslim-populated countries.
The changes announced on Monday include additional screening for certain people from the 11 countries, and a periodic review of a list of countries identified as presenting higher security risks, according to Reuters.
The new guidelines were announced at a press briefing by senior administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. They offered no details about which people from the 11 countries will be subject to the extra screening, citing security concerns.
The list of "high-risk" countries was last updated by the Obama administration in 2015, the senior administration officials said.
US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen would like officials to factor in risks to the United States other than terrorism, such as transnational organized crime, a senior administration official said.
During the briefing, officials said refugees will not be barred from admission to the United States solely on the basis of nationality.
"The big picture is that there is no longer a refugee pause on countries, including the 11 high-risk countries, with these measures taking effect," one senior administration official said in a briefing with reporters. "We'll be resuming admissions with the new security measures in place."
In an address at the Wilson Center on Monday morning, Nielsen spoke about the new security measures, saying they "seek to prevent the program from being exploited by terrorists, criminals and fraudsters."
"These changes will not only improve security but importantly they will help us better assess legitimate refugees fleeing persecution," she claimed.
Refugee advocates said they worry the new security measures will block refugees from the 11 countries from admission to the United States.
"Adding yet more hurdles to an already overly bureaucratic process will burden those seeking safety for themselves and their families," Amnesty International USA said in a statement.
Since becoming US president, Trump has imposed numerous limits on the refugee program, including capping the number of refugees allowed into the country in the 2018 fiscal year at less than half the number set by former President Barack Obama for 2017. He also issued an executive order pausing the refugee program pending a thorough review, instituted stricter vetting requirements and quit negotiations on a voluntary pact to deal with global migration.


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Pupsicles are a cool treat that are fun for you to make and for your dog to enjoy! They're simple and quick to make, they've only got four ingredients and take about ten minutes to throw together.
Banana Peanut Butter Pupsicles
- Rawhide chews or similar to hold the pupsicle with
- 2 medium-sized bananas
- 1/3 cup unsweetened* peanut-butter
- Honey to taste (optional)
Mash or blend bananas together with peanut butter and honey, and spoon into popsicle moulds. You can add a small amount of water if the mixture is too thick. Add the rawhide chew in place of a stick and place in freezer overnight. Enjoy!
*Please ensure that you are not using a peanut-butter that contains xylitol, as it is poisonous to dogs.
Check out our list of Sydney's great dog beaches for some more summer fun!