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Mila Kunis and Ashton Welcome Baby
Hello Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher welcomed a baby girl yesterday. The name and other details have not been released yet, but both mom and daughter are reportedly resting comfortably.
Sources close to the proud parents say Mila and Ashton arrived at the hospital around 6 am LA time and were rushed straight to a delivery room.
And get this - it was just the two of them! No family, assistants, or hairdressers to keep Ashton's hair stylishly tousled.
As happy as we are for the co-stars-turned-lovers, we will miss pregnant Mila.
She brought a sassy edge to being knocked up. And, of course, she managed to look gorgeous for the whole nine months.
It's safe to say, that this will be one beautiful child...
George Clooney Wedding Photos All for Charity
George Clooney is following the lead of good friend Brad Pitt.
Not only in getting married, but in how he's using the celebrity gossip game to make money for important causes off that marriage.
As reported just a few weeks ago, Pitt and Angelina Jolie donated all $5 million they earned from selling their wedding photos to People Magazine and Hello! Magazine to various charities.
And now we can confirm that Clooney and new bride Amal Alamuddin have done the same exact thing.
Sources close to the gorgeous couple tell TMZ that Clooney and Alamuddin were happy to pose for whatever publication ponied up the most cash, with People winning the North America market and Hello! doing the same in Europe.
The newlyweds are now taking that money and distributing it to a number of human rights causes, with most earmarked for the Satellite Sentinel Project, an organization that monitors the Sudan for war crimes.
Clooney is a co-founder of the group, which launched in 2010.
"Every photo in both magazines will be saving a life," an insider tells TMZ of Clooney's admirable goal.
The Oscar winner and Alamuddin got married in Venice over the weekend, first with an elaborate ceremony on Saturday night in front of many guests; and then in a small, quick civil ceremony on Monday to make it nice and legal.
Michael Phelps Boozing At Casino Prior To DUI
We know where Michael Phelps was around 1:40 a.m. on Tuesday morning:
The Olympic swimmer was about 84 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone and, therefore, got arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.
But now we also know where Phelps was for the eight hours prior to this incident:
According to TMZ sources, Phelps was at the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore. He arrived at 5 p.m. and sat in a VIP room, reportedly playing Blackjack and Poker.
The record-setting Gold Medalist left at approximately 1 a.m. was was drinking beer for most of the night, according to witnesses.
It must have been A LOT of beer because initial reports indicate Phelps' blood-alcohol level measured twice the legal limit at the time of his booking.
"Earlier this morning I was arrested and charged with DUI, excessive speeding and crossing double lane lines," Phelps Tweeted hours after news of his arrest went public, adding:
"I understand the severity of my actions and take full responsibility. I know these words may not mean much now but I am deeply sorry to everyone I have let down."
Over a decade ago, Phelps was also pulled over for drunk driving. He received a punishment at the time of 18 months probation.
In 2009, meanwhile, Phelps was caught smoking marijuana at a party on a college campus. He was quick to issue an apology following that scandal as well.
Amanda Bynes Smoking, Drinking Again
Based on a series of recent events, it appears Amanda Bynes' career aspirations and life comeback are going down in flames or up in smoke.
The 28-year-old has reportedly failed out of the Fashion Institute Design & Merchandising, according to a new report, after less than a full year there.
Amanda Bynes' DUI arrest earlier this week sparked concerns that the mentally fragile aspiring fashion designer is headed down a dark path again.
She's reportedly on Adderall and off her medication for schizophrenia and bipolarity, and worse yet, insiders say she's "smoking pot and drinking again."
Bynes' conservatorship, under which her parents controlled her financial, legal and medical decisions after her meltdown last year, just lapsed.
They simply didn't ask the court to renew it, believing their daughter was better.
It's a decision that would've been baffling even before this week's news, given the extent of Amanda's bizarre and destructive downward spiral.
Now that she's been arrested for DUI a second time and failed out of school? Her parents' denial of her mental illness may have dire consequences.
According to a source, "Amanda just stopped going to classes. Everything had been going very well for her up until the conservatorship ended.
"Her instructors have tried to reach out to Amanda, given her history of very public breakdowns, but got no response. As a result, Amanda flunked out."
Said the source, "It's really sad, because Amanda had been doing so well."
That feels like a distant memory now, even if it's been a matter of weeks.
Bynes had been commuting from her parents' house in Thousand Oaks, Calif., to the Irvine, Calif., campus, which took up to two hours each way.
But when the conservatorship ended, she moved into an Orange County apartment near the school, by herself, and things quickly went downhill.
"Amanda is smoking pot again, and drinking," a source close to her says.
"She stopped taking her psychiatric medications. She is out of control, and having the conservatorship end is probably the worst thing in the world for her."
"This is truly just sad. Amanda had been making such great strides."
"Several networks were in contact with her lawyers about doing an in-depth interview, and follow Amanda around New York City for Fashion Week."
"A couple of weeks ago, those talks abruptly stopped, and no one knew why. Now, it's become very clear. She needs to get back into treatment!"
Walmart to Tracy Morgan: "Fasten Your Seatbelt Next Time"
Walmart believes Tracy Morgan and other people in a limousine struck from behind by one of the company's trucks in June are at least partly to blame for it.
Their reasoning is simple: Morgan wasn't wearing a seatbelt, the company said in a court filing Monday in response to the lawsuit filed by the actor.
The accident killed Morgan's friend James McNair, who was accompanying the former Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock star back from a show in Delaware.
Morgan was in dire condition after the collision and spent several weeks in rehab with rib and leg injuries, but thankfully the 45-year-old pulled through.
Walmart says that as tragic as this all was, it was caused "in whole or in part" by their "failure to properly wear an appropriate available seatbelt restraint device."
That, the company says, constitutes unreasonable conduct. An attorney representing Morgan called those very contentions "surprising and appalling."
"It's disingenuous," attorney Benedict Morelli said.
"It's not what they said they were going to do initially, which was take full responsibility. I'm very upset, not for myself but for the families I represent."
The lawsuit says that the retail giant should have known that its truck driver had been awake for more than 24 hours before the crash took place.
His commute of 700 miles from his home in Georgia to work in Delaware was "unreasonable," Morgan's camp says, and the driver was asleep at the wheel.
A Walmart spokeswoman said that the company "continues to stand willing to work with Mr. Morgan and the other plaintiffs to resolve this matter."
Morgan seeks a jury trial and punitive damages. Passengers Ardley Fuqua and Jeffrey Millea and Millea's wife, Krista Millea, also are named as plaintiffs.
Krista Millea was not in the limo when the intense crash occurred but is a plaintiff because she has a related loss-of-services lawsuit stemming from it.
Truck driver Kevin Roper, of Jonesboro, Georgia, has already pleaded not guilty to death by auto and assault by auto charges in state court.
A criminal complaint also accuses him of not sleeping for more than 24 hours before the crash occurred, which would be a violation of New Jersey law.
Jason Derulo Speaks On Jordin Sparks Split
Days after he and Jordin Sparks shocked the celebrity gossip world with their break up, Jason Derulo has issued a statement on the split.
And it focuses on one central message: THERE WAS NO CHEATING!
Responding to chatter of infidelity on the Internet, Derulo felt the need to clear the controversial air, writing the following on Friday night:
But as in all relationships there are ups and downs and at this time we have decided to amicably part. Infidelity, cheating or deceit played no part in our relationship or our break-up, and I hope that people respect our privacy as we move forward with our lives.
For her part, Sparks also sounded upbeat on Friday, Tweeting: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
Sparks and Derulo broke up last week after three years of dating.
Chris Brown's Girlfriend And Mom Worried He'll Be Killed
Chris Brown's mom and his girlfriend Karrueche Tran are so panicked about his gang affiliation that they want his therapist to intervene, and promptly.
The singer's romantic partner and family are secretly and desperately worried, according to reports, fearing that his seedy relationships may get him killed.
Given the possible assassination attempt on Chris Brown just over a month ago, and the company he keeps on a regular basis? Maybe not a stretch.
In any case, his mother Joyce Hawkins and Karrueche Tran approached his therapist to express their grave concerns about the man promoting gangs.
Which he does on a surprisingly public and routine basis.
They fear that he's risking his life, which is obviously the most paramount concern, but even if no one busts a cap in him, he's also ruining his career.
The gang affiliation is believed to have been behind the violent altercation at his pre-VMA party last month, where Suge Knight got shot.
The LAPD has already gone to L.A. clubs and bars, trying to convince owners to ban Chris and his entourage because wherever they go, violence follows.
We saw this at his show ending with an audience member stabbed.
For his part, Chris Brown does not see the issues of associating himself with the Bloods, his family believes, but rather he just thinks it's "cool."
Katy Perry to Blow $4 Million On Her Birthday Party
Katy Perry will turn 30 soon, and even though she's single at the moment, Katy's got someone special willing to drop major bucks on an Egyptian birthday blowout.
Herself! Yes, anyone who's seen the "Dark Horse" video knows that Egypt is Katy's obsession of the moment. That may be why she's reportedly shelling out over $4 million so that she and her closest friends can party it up in on the Nile next month.
"She's sparing no expense to make sure everyone has a blast," says one of the lucky guests.
But as a high-profile American, isn't it a terrible time to go to the Middle East - an area that's currently more tumultuous than Katy's love life?
Well, yes it is! But KP's got that all figured out.
"There's going to be a team of Navy SEALs who work 24/7," says the insider.
Jennifer Lawrence To Meet Chris Martin's Kids
It's not easy to come to terms with the fact that we're living in a world in which Jennifer Lawrence is dating Chris Martin, but the more we hear, the more it becomes apparent that not only are these two together, they're getting serious.
Yes, Martin-Lawrence is definitely a thing, and while millions of men might be upset that Lawrence is off the market, no one's been hit harder by the news than Gwyneth Paltrow.
Sure, sources say Gwyneth is cool with Martin dating Lawrence, but it must sting a bit to see your ex moving on so quickly with a woman 17 years your junior who has so very much to offer.
And now Jen may soon be spending time with Paltrow-Martin children.
"Gwyneth was absolutely stunned when Chris told her he wants to introduce the kids to Jennifer," a source claims. "It won't be happening right away. Chris wants to make sure this relationship isn't going to just fizzle before he takes that step."
"He sees this relationship going the distance. It's been a huge blow to Gwyneth's ego because she has always bragged that she has Chris wrapped around her little finger."
Katy And Rihanna Teaming Up Against Taylor Swift
As the Taylor Swift-Katy Perry feud rages on, battle lines are being drawn and celeb acquaintances are being forced to take sides.
The friendship between Katy and Rihanna goes back several years and KP has reportedly called upon RiRi to do what she does best: make fun of people's dance moves.
Remember when Rihanna laughed at Ariana Grande when she tried to get all "sexy" at the iHeartRadio Awards? Well, apparently Ri has stepped her game up and is ready to shoot Taylor a dirty look that could bend a spoon.
Taylor performed "Shake It Off" at the MTV VMAs, providing one of the few highlights of an otherwise dull evening. She apparently plans to bust out the uptempo pop tune again for the upcoming European Music Awards.
Little does she know, Katy and Rihanna have hatched a devious plan to be all "whatever" during the whole song.
"[Katy] and her friends, including Rihanna, are planning on totally embarrassing [Taylor] infront of the world," says a source close to the conspiracy.
"They've even said they're just going to talk all the way through her performance and make fun of her like Rihanna did with Ariana Grand."
Ryan Gosling And Eva Mendes To Get Married?
Earlier this month, Mendes gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter that reportedly left Gosling crying.
But will the actress and actor take the next logical step? Will they exchange vows, perhaps in some kind of surprise Canadian wedding? Yes, according to the new issue of OK! Weekly.
A source claims Gosling has "never felt this happy" and is prepared to take part in an "intimate ceremony" with the mother of his child.
Few other details are available at this time.
But an earlier report does claim Gosling is totally in love with his daughter and it would therefore stand to reason that he would want to make his family legal and official.
Gosling and Mendes are yet to release the name of their child and have maintained a VERY low profile ever since news broke that they were expecting. So there's no real way to know what they're thinking.
Taylor Swift Throws House Party For Fans
Taylor Swift has a long, well-documented history of being awesome to her fans.
Even though she never toots her own horn about them, you've likely heard about the numerous occasions on which Taylor has visited young cancer patients in various children's hospitals.
Now, to celebrate the upcoming release of her new album, Taylor handpicked 35 fans from Instagram and Tumblr and invited them over to her crib for a listening party.
The lucky fans say that Taylor made them dinner, baked them cookies, took photos with them and then... they danced.
Anyone who's ever seen Taylor Swift's dance moves knows what a treat that must have been.
The party-goers even got to meet Taylor's cat, Meredith, and when they left, she gave them all gift bags.
Emma Watson Nude Photo Threat Actually Viral Marketing Stunt
Earlier this week, we reported that actress Emma Watson was being threatened with a nude photo leak as a result of a speech she recently gave at the United Nations.
The threats were posted on the photo-sharing site 4Chan, which had previously hosted stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence, as well as the dozens of other female celebrities who were affected by the Hollywood hacking scandal.
Today, we learned that the whole thing was a carefully coordinated stunt by a company called Rantic Marketing.
The website EmmaYouAreNext.com - which had previously featured a clock counting down the seconds until Watson's hacked photos would be posted online - now simply redirects to Rantic's homepage.
Even more ridiculous than the capaign itself is Rantic's strategy for justifying its actions:
Currently, the company's site features a letter addressed to President Obama that begins, "We have been hired by celebrity publicists to help bring this disgusting issue to attention...Every Facebook like, share, and Twitter mention will count as a social signature."
Naturally, Rantic is refusing to identify their "employers," but they've been happy to share statistics about how easily they were able to drum up interest in stolen nudity.
Apparently, EmmaYouAreNext.com received over 48 million visitors in just a matter of days.
Rantic has yet to make make an argument as to how anyone but them stood to benefit from this stunt.
As far as we can tell, all they've accomplished is establishing "It was a hoax! Gotcha!" as a viable excuse for anyone threatening to post hacked photos of a celebrity.
Chris Brown Performance Ends In Stabbing
A Chris Brown performance last night ended in someone getting stabbed.
Law enforcement sources say it's yet another case of trouble following the R&B singer and his entourage, and that police have been trying to stop this (to no avail).
The stabbing took place right after Brown finished his set at a YMCMB Drake-Lil Wayne after-party at Supperclub in Hollywood, according to witnesses and reports.
Several people leaving got into a fight and someone got stabbed. The victim, whose identity is not known, was taken to a hospital and is expected to be okay.
Not unlike when Suge Knight was shot in last month's possible pre-VMA assassination attempt on Chris Brown, no arrests were made, for a simple reason:
No one is coming forward to point any fingers or spill the beans.
Police, understandably, are increasingly frustrated by Brown's entourage, telling TMZ that wherever the singer and his posse go, "someone ends up bleeding."
"When Brown and his people show, we know what's going to happen. It's a headache for us," one law enforcement team member reportedly said.
The LAPD has privately met with club owners around the city, to pressure them into blacklisting Chris and his crew in an attempt to curb the violence preemptively.
Perhaps not shockingly, the clubs are still having Chris Brown perform as planned; they make too much coin off the singer, so his peeps are totes welcome.
The singer throws around Bloods gang signs and does not keep his affiliation with the street thugs a secret, though he has not been accused of instigating violence.
Not directly, anyway. Police believe it "emanates" from Chris and the shady characters who hang around him, and fear this may soon end very badly for someone.
Emma Watson Threatened With Nude Photo Leak
Over the weekend, Emma Watson gave a speech at the United Nations about the need for worldwide gender equality.
The speech went viral and millions were moved by Watson's words.
Unfortunately, in the case of some insane 4Chan users, they were moved to violent hatred.
4Chan, as you may know, is the site where the now-infamous nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence and dozens of other female celebrities were first leaked.
Watson spoke out about the leak when it first happened, and has since been the subject of a disturbing amount of attention from angry young men on the site's message boards.
After her speech, the focus on Watson went from unsettling to genuinely scary, as users have begun gleefully counting down the days until nude photos of Watson will supposedly be posted to the site this weekend.
A site called Emma You Are Next features nothing but a photo of Watson and a clock ticking down the seconds until midnight on Friday.
Worse, comment boards related to Watson feature some truly upsetting threats of violence. Some users are even trying to get #RIPEmmaWatson trending on Twitter and have begun posting Photoshopped headlines with news of the actress' death.
The whole thing serves as a sad reminder that the hackers behind the photo leak need to be caught.
Clay Aiken Slams Hacked Celebrities
With a new round of naked celebrity photos hitting the Internet this weekend, courtesy of a perverted hacker on Reddit and 4chan, those who have seen their bare bodies exposed to the world against their will should not look to Clay Aiken for sympathy.
"Anybody who takes inappropriate pictures of themselves deserves exactly what they get," Aiken told The Washington Post late last week, contradicting himself a bit by adding:
"Of course whoever [stole and released the photos] should be hogtied. And it's unfortunate that we don't have Internet security right now or the laws in place to protect people from pirating that stuff."
Those two opinions don't exactly go together, of course.
Aiken's view runs counter to that of many others, of course. Lena Dunham has spoken out on the cruel nature of this hacking, while Union has referred to it as a "hate crime."
Dubbed "The Fappening," the controversy kicked off a few weeks ago when many photos of Jennifer Lawrence nude went viral. They were quickly followed by shots of Upton, Kaley Cuoco and other female stars.
The FBI says it is investigating the computer and cell phone hacking, but it clearly has not found the perpetrator just yet.
Second Wave Of Nude Celebrity Photos Leaked
More nude images of famous people have been leaked online, most likely by the same hacker who posted dozens of inappropriate images to an Internet forum earlier this month.
The new set of images reportedly include hacked images of pop star Rihanna, reality-TV personality Kim Kardashian, former Disney Channel star Vanessa Hudgens and U.S. Olympic soccer team goalie Hope Solo
The second set of photographs reportedly include previously-unreleased photos of female celebrities who were exposed in the first leak, including Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence and Kaley Cuoco, star of the top-rated CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
The new set of images first appeared Saturday morning on the anonymous website 4chan and were subsequently reposted by Reddit users (Reddit administrators have since removed the shots).
Earlier this month, the celebrity world was thrown into a tizzy after dozens of nude celebrity photos – supposedly obtained from the stars' personal smartphones and other devices – first appeared on the 4chan website.
The celebrities in the first wave of leaked photos include Lawrence and Cuoco and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kate Upton. Through her publicist, Lawrence released a statement declaring the leaked photos "a flagrant violation of privacy."
The personal photos were reportedly obtained by the unidentified individual hacking into individual iCloud accounts. The FBI is currently investigating the first set of hacked photos.
In wake of the leaked-photo scandal, Apple recently said it is beefing up security to prevent similar security breaches in the future.
Katy Perry "Cut Ties" With Taylor Swift
The feud between Katy Perry and Taylor Swift might be one of the most unexpected celebrity beefs in history, as not only do they both seem to be friendly gals, on the surface they have so much in common.
They're both driven, ambitious women at the top of the same field, and they both dated John Mayer...
Anyway, after Taylor basically said that "Bad Blood" was written about Katy in a recent Rolling Stone interview, Perry got pissed.
She fired off a tweet comparing Taylor to Regina George, and now we have further confirmation that Katy is fuming from one of the backup dancers who was allegedly caught in the middle of the feud.
"Katy is over Taylor's childish antics," says Lockhart Brownlie, one of the dancers Katy is said to have hired out from under Taylor. "She should have come to Katy directly instead of bashing her to drum up publicity for her album."
Avril Lavigne And Chad Kroeger Headed For Divorce?
Canadian pop music's royal couple may soon be no more: Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger are reportedly on the verge of divorce.
According to Us Weekly, Lavigne, 29, and Kroeger, 39, are allegedly heading for a breakup after slightly more than one year of marriage.
An unnamed source told Us: "It's over. He has been going around L.A. telling people that they are divorcing."
Best known as the frontman of the Canadian power-rock group Nickelback, Kroeger asked Lavigne to marry him in August, 2012, after they dated for one month. The couple married in a lavish ceremony in the south of France in July, 2013.
And by all appearances, it has been a blissful union so far. In July, Lavigne went on Twitter to rave about the 17-carat ring Kroeger gave her for their first wedding anniversary.
But it looks like she may have deleted that tweet, fueling rumors.
Plus, according to a new report in Hollywood Life, Lavigne wasn't wearing the rock when she was spotted at the Chateau Marmont a few weeks ago.
"Avril was partying with a bunch of her girlfriends," said the Hollywood Life source. "She wasn't wearing the huge diamond rock her husband Chad gave her as a gift on their first wedding anniversary."
Moreover, an alleged friend of Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger reportedly said, "Chad is just a complete jerk in the way he talks to her, and the way he talks in general."
Britney Spears Accused Of Ripping Off Lingerie Designs
Britney Spears is accused of ripping off another company's designs for her lingerie line.
Beverly Hills boutique Addiction Nouvelle Lingerie has called out the singer for imitating one of their sexy bra and panty sets in her new Intimate collection.
Addiction Nouvelle employee Stephanie Cook huffed on Instagram that Spears' ad looks like something that you can "purchase in our Beverly Hills store."
"The sneak peak of Britney Spears' new intimates collection looks more like a copy of the full bra and high waist panty by Addiction Nouvelle Lingerie."
"#copycat," Cook added to the caption of her side-by-side picture comparison.
Addiction Nouvelle Lingerie didn't officially call out Spears, but confirmed that Cook works for the company, and the brand's Instagram account "liked" her post.
Perhaps not coincidentally, Spears does not include the black high-waisted panty or black bra with sheer detailing on her website for the apparel.
Miley Cyrus Could Go To Jail
Already accused of racism for Twerking with a fake giant butt adorned to her rear end, Miley Cyrus could now face legal charges for doing the same act in concert on Tuesday.
Because she tossed in the addition of a spanking by the Mexican flag on stage.
During one point in the artist's Monterrey show - which took place on Mexico's Independence Day - Miley once again donned a prosthetic butt. Her backup dancers then whipped her behind with the flag.
As a result, Cyrus is being investigated by government officials, as the nation has laws protecting "national emblems, the flag and the national anthem."
Francisco Trevino Cabello, a member of of the conservative National Action Party, has already accused the pop star of "desecration."
Punishment for actions deemed disrespectful of the flag in Mexico include fines and up to 36 hours in prison.
But will Cyrus end up in jail? We doubt it.
In 2007, however, singer Paulina Rubio was reportedly fined $4,000 for appearing in a magazine with the Mexican flag draped around her naked body.
Eva Mendes Gives Birth To Ryan Gosling's Daughter
The Ryan Gosling baby has arrived.
Multiple sources confirm to Us Weekly that Eva Mendes gave birth to a baby girl on Friday, about two months after news broke that she and Gosling were expecting.
It came as a shock, considering many fans weren't even aware Mendes and Gosling were a romantic item once again.
And not everyone took the pregnancy announcement so well...
Neither Mendes nor Gosling has spoken publicly about their child or relationship status this summer, as the actress kept a very low profile over the past few months, making a point to cover up her bump any time she did go out in public.
But even if the baby wasn't planned, insiders have said that Gosling has embraced his role.
He's been doting on Mendes non-stop since he learned he was going to be a dad.
"Ryan goes out and gets the groceries. [Eva's] been wanting pasta, and he's cooking her meals," a source told Us Weekly in mid-July. "Ryan has already stepped into the role of caring father-to-be."
Really, would you expect anything less from Ryan Gosling?
Mendes and Gosling first started dating in fall 2011 after costarring in The Place Beyond the Pines. That same year, Gosling told UK newspaper The Times that he would "make movies until I make babies."
So while we send the couple our best wishes, we now ask our of fear: Will Ryan Gosling retire?!?
Ariana Grande Diva Behaviour Reportedly Continues
Rumors of Ariana Grande's diva behavior are getting to be as well known as the pop star's music.
Last week Ariana canceled a photo shoot in Australia when the press on hand didn't comply with her demands.
Shortly thereafter, the E! network's Giuliana Rancic confirmed that the rumors are true, and told a story about Ariana flaunting her massive ego on the red carpet.
But all of the previous reports about Ariana's total disregard for the media, her fans, and her staff are nothing compared to the latest allegation of extreme diva behavior from the "Problem" singer.
"She did autographs and pics and was all smiles until she got in the elevator," a source tells The New York Daily News. "And as soon as the doors shut, she said, 'I hope they all f--king die.'"
The story would be hard to believe were it not for the constant reports of Ariana publicly dissing her fans and handlers, as well as her own admissions that she can be difficult to work with.
This news comes on the heels of the revelation that despite charging $495 for fan "meet and greets" on her upcoming tour, Ariana will not be posing for individual photos with fans, as is customary.
"Really? Bieber, Miley Britney, Katy Perry all did individual pics when they sold these packages," said one shocked industry insider.
Miley Cyrus Faces Accusations Of Racism
Miley Cyrus kept her clothes on for a performance in San Juan over the weekend.
But now the singer is under fire for wearing something extra on stage.
During a performance of the track "23," Cyrus donned a prosthetic rear end while Twerking, with some in attendance even noting that the fake body part was a darker shade than Miley's skin color.
Cyrus and a few fellow artists (Katy Perry, Taylor Swift) have drawn ire over the past several months for stereotyping African-American women, either using them as faceless props to Twerk or outwardly mocking them, as Miley appears to be doing here.
It's conceivable, of course, that Miley is also just poking fun at friend Nicki Minaaj.
Or at herself for having a very non-Kim Kardashian like butt.
But knowing Miley Cyrus, and the way she prides herself on her untamed, anti-establishment nature, it's more likely that she's sticking a middle finger up at her critics and proving that she can do whatever she wants to on stage.
Kanye West Tells Wheelchair Bound Fans To Stand Up
Just Kanye being Kanye...
In a clip from the rapper's concert in Australia Friday night, West refused to sing a track unless EVERYONE in the crowd got on their feet.
And all attendees heeded the artist's order almost immediately... except two rebels.
"This is the longest I've had to wait," Kanye said of the pair who refused to get out of their seat, openly telling the crowd that he was waiting on them before he would rap another note.
The only problem, as Kanye was eventually told? Those two folks were in wheelchairs.
"That's fine," West relented, breaking into the song and, hopefully, feeling a bit embarrassed about the incident.
The husband of Kim Kardashian was actually hospitalized earlier in the week for a migraine, with insiders saying he's totally fine and others saying he acted like a total douche to patients and doctors.
Is anyone shocked by this...
Iggy Azalea Ex Says Sex Tape Is Real and She Was Legal
Iggy has been spending days denying the existence of her sex tape, but she has come around and admitted that it is in fact real.
And now a man named Hefe Wine wants to confirm it as well.
Mr. Wine is a Houston-based rapper who claims to be Iggy's co-star in the tape. He says there's no truth to the rumor that Iggy was underage in the footage.
He also says she was 100 percent aware that she was being filmed, and that he didn't leak the video himself - rather it got out when his computer was stolen two months ago.
Now that the tape's fallen into the wrong hands, however, Hefe says he'd be more than happy to cash in on it. Of course, he would need Iggy to agree to the arrangement, and that seems very unlikely at this point.
Chris Martin And John Mayer Fighting Over Jen
As you've probably heard, Jennifer Lawrence nude photos were all over the Internet for a little while, until she basically went Katniss on the hacker and had every last J-Law pic scrubbed from the Web.
After all that, she probably thought she was through with drama for a bit.
Lawrence is dating Chris Martin; she's still a few weeks away from promoting Mockingjay Part 1...She probably figured the coast was clear to just relax.
Then John Mayer re-enters her life.
Mayer reportedly macked it to J-Law at a Medieval Times restaurant back in 2012 (seriously). Of course, he was most likely dating Katy Perry at the time, but since when has already being in a relationship ever stopped him?
Jen shot him down, but now he's trying to make his way back into her life.
"John is determined to win Jennifer's heart," says a source close to Mayer. "They had a late dinner together in West Hollywood on August 29. Chris who? That's how John feels. It's not like she's wearing a ring on her finger."
The insider added that Mayer will continue to be relentless in his pursuit of Lawrence, and he's adopted a "may the best man win" attitude.
Hilary Duff Shoots Down Aaron Carter
If you haven't heard, Aaron Carter is still in love with Hilary Duff.
They dated when he was like 13 and then he dumped her for Lindsay Lohan, which is probably the biggest mistake he's ever made.
So, for months now, Carter's tweets have mainly consisted of sad, desperate attempts to get Hilary to give him a second chance. Being a sane human being, she's managed to ignore him.
At least she had until someone forced her to comment on the situation in a press conference yesterday:
"I was not expecting this question," said Hilary. "He does [keep professing his love], I keep seeing that, that he keeps doing that. I don't know how I feel."
"I mean, that was so long ago, and obviously I'm still married, and I have a baby and we kind of just ... don't know each other. ... You said [it's weird], not me!"
Okay, so we think she actually let him down pretty easy, but believe it or not, folks all over the Interwebs think Hilary was unnecessarily harsh.
Beyonce Pregnant Again?
Beyonce and Jay Z are in South France at the moment. That's not news in itself, as the Carters spend so much time on the Mediterranean that they should probably just rename it the Jay Sea.
What is noteworthy, however, is the fact that Bey is wearing loose-fitting clothing, and was photographed touching her stomach on more than one occasion, indicating that there might, possibly be an outside chance that she's pregnant.
Of course, this maybe baby comes on the heels of countless Jay and Beyonce divorce rumors, so if it turns out that there is a little sibling on the way for Baby Blue, expect to hear plenty of speculation that the Carters are having a second because they're desperate to save their marriage.
Observant fans of Rap Royalty will be quick to point out that Beyonce posted a bikini photo just days ago in celebration of her 33rd birthday. While that may be true, we have no way of knowing when that photo was taken.
But as much as we hope the news is true and hip hop's first couple is about to unleash another primary-color-named offspring on the world, we have to admit that that's probably not the case.
Do you remember how Beyonce announced her first pregnancy? She was at the VMAs, and the news broke Twitter. If you think for round 2 she's just gonna be caught walking around covering her bump then you don't know Queen Bey.
Souce Claims Kaley Cuoco Planning Pregnancy
The Big Bang Theory actress Kaley Cuoco and her husband Ryan Sweeting are looking to grow their family ASAP, according to a new tabloid report.
The insiders over at OK! claim that Kaley's planning to get pregnant with their first child, and is already putting the plan in motion.
She's been getting a nursery ready and letting her bosses know.
Cuoco, who just signed a $90 million contract for the next three seasons of The Big Bang Theory, reportedly told producers to start planning around her pregnancy.
If Kaley were to get pregnant in real life, it is unclear how it would be handled on the show, or if the timing would work out so that it could be avoided.
The report also states that she's picked an interesting room for the nursery.
Baby Sweeting will reside in the same room in Kaley's Tarzana, Calif., home that Lamar Odom used as a "man cave" before Cuoco bought it from Khloe Kardashian.
"It's so funny," the Cuoco source told the magazine.
"That room has been the scene of a lot of partying."
Shia LaBeouf Pleads Guilty To Disorderly Conduct
Back in June, Shia LaBeouf was arrested for disorderly conduct after exhibiting some truly bizarre behavior in a New York City nightclub.
During a performance of Cabaret, Shia smoked, shouted, and slapped other patrons of the club. Some witnesses even claim that LaBeouf fought a homeless man and spat at police officers when they arrived to arrest him.
Today, he finally faced the consequences of his violent outburst, as he went before a judge to plead guilty to all charges against him.
The court showed mercy to Shia, and he was sentenced to six months of probation and six months of outpatient rehab.
LaBeouf's been in treatment for alcohol addiction since shortly after the incident took place, so he's already completed half of the rehab requirement.
The question remains, however, will Shia be able to keep his nose clean for the next six months?
It seems like it's been a long time since Shia's gone half a year without being involved in some sort of ugly shenanigans.
He kicked off 2014 with a drunken bar fight, and was later involved in a weird plagiarism scandal.
Kim Kardashian Asks Fan to Delete Photo
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are in Australia at the moment, and they made an appearance last night at a Yeezus pop-up store in Melbourne.
As you might expect, Kim's cleavage was on full display and fans wanted to take photos with the world's most famous reality star.
What you might not have expected, however, is Kim getting suddenly shy and trying to make a fan delete a photo because it was "too revealing."
Yes, Kim posed nude for GQ just last week, but apparently she felt that the outfit she's wearing in the photo was just too much for the Internet to handle.
According to a fan and amateur photographer identified only as Daniel, Kim approached him after he snapped some pics and asked to see them:
"Would you mind if I quickly looked at it, just if it's going on Instagram I want to make sure that nothing is too revealing." Daniel said, "Once she found out I wanted to put one on Instagram, she just wanted to make sure that it was appropriate."
Then Kim reportedly pointed out photos that she didn't like and asked him to delete them. We don't know for sure if he complied, but he definitely did not post the pics to Instagram.
Taylor Admits To "Bad Blood" With Musical Enemy... Possibly Katy Perry
As everyone in the free world now knows, Taylor Swift has learned to shake off the haters.
But there's one fellow artist Swift admits she can't just forget about, so much so that she penned the upcoming song "Bad Blood" about this unnamed individual.
"For years, I was never sure if we were friends or not. She would come up to me at awards shows and say something and walk away, and I would think, 'Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?'" Swift told Rolling Stone.
"[Then last year] she did something so horrible. I was like, 'Oh, we're just straight-up enemies.' And it wasn't even about a guy!"
"It had to do with business," Swift says. "She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour. She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me. And I'm surprisingly non-confrontational - you would not believe how much I hate conflict. So now I have to avoid her. It's awkward, and I don't like it."
Swift typically gets along well with celebrities.
And she's not a stranger to writing about real-life relationships, of course; these subject are just typically ex-boyfriends.
"Sometimes the lines in a song are lines you wish you could text-message somebody in real life," she adds. "I would just be constantly writing all these zingers = like, 'Burn. That would really get her.'
"And I know people are going to obsess over who it's about, because they think they have all my relationships mapped out. But there's a reason there are not any overt callouts in that song."
The internet has now taken over, and decided for themselves that this unnamed artist is in fact Katy Perry.
Last year - right about the time Taylor says the 'arena tour' incident took place - three of Swift's backup dancers reportedly left to join Perry's world tour.
Taylor fired back by having Sara Bareilles join her on stage to sing "Brave." It was a loaded cameo, as Katy has been accused of plagiarizing "Brave" with her song "Roar."
Ariana Grande's Diva Demands
Though she's new to the A-list, Ariana Grande has already demonstrated a remarkable talent for side-stepping scandals.
She avoided being blamed for the Sam & Cat being canceled, even though it's still widely believed that the show ended as a result of her lack of interest in being a sitcom star.
She insisted that the "Ariana Grande nude photos" floating around the Internet were fakes, even as dozens of other starlets sheepishly confessed that their own racy pics were the real deal.
The Nickelodeon-actress-turned-pop-star guards her reputation while at the same time making fans feel connected with her personally. It's a tricky balancing act that Grande seems to pull off with ease.
The latest Ariana news coming out of Australia, however, reveals the insane lengths Ariana goes to to protect her public image and her private life:
Reporters and photographers on hand for a recent press event in Sydney to promote Ariana's forthcoming album were given a list of demands that started with subjects that they weren't allowed to ask questions about. These included:
- Relationships/Dating/Ex-Boyfriends
- Mariah Carey
- Sam & Cat/Jennette McCurdy
- Justin Bieber
- Her grandfather passing away
Photographers were also instructed to refrain from using natural light and to only shoot Ariana from her left side.
Ariana then asked to look at the photographs that had been taken throughout the session. Deciding that she didn't like her outfit, she returned to her hotel room to change and never came back to the press event.
One of her representatives then appeared in her place and demand that photographers delete all of the photos they had taken that day.
So yeah, don't be fooled by her diminutive stature. Ariana apparently has a king-sized ego.
Kate Middleton Is Pregnant With Second Child
Kate Middleton is pregnant again, and no, it's not just a tabloid rumor this time.
The beloved Duchess of Cambridge is officially expecting her second child with Price William, a Kensington Palace statement confirmed early Monday:
"Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their second child."
"The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news."
This will be the second child for Prince William and Kate Middleton, both 32, who became parents for the first time when Prince George was born in London July 22, 2013.
As with George, Kate is currently suffering with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a very acute morning sickness, which hospitalized her early in her first pregnancy.
This time, however, the beautiful royal is being treated at home.
"As with her first pregnancy, The Duchess is suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum," said the statement, confirming her condition and public absence.
"Her Royal Highness will no longer accompany The Duke on their planned engagement in Oxford today. The Duchess is being treated by doctors at Kensington Palace."
Here's hoping Kate is back on her feet before long.
A spokesman for the couple reveals Kate's schedule will be evaluated on a "case by case" basis, when asked about her commitments later this month.
Not surprisingly, reaction in the UK was swift and joyous today.
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron was quick to congratulate the Royal couple. "Many congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge," he said.
"I'm delighted by the happy news that they are expecting."
While pregnancy rumors have followed Kate ever since the two got married in 2011, recent reports indicated she was keen to be pregnant again.
The couple's controversial move to Norfolk, away from London, was seen as a possible sign that the two were trying to conceive, if they hadn't already.
Taylor Swift's Message To Bullied Teen
Regardless of how you feel about her music or her newly-acquired twerking habit, there's no denying that Taylor Swift is a woman who genuinely cares about her fans.
In the past, Taylor has visited young cancer patients and spent hours singing the songs they requested.
Yesterday, she reached out to a fan in need in a different way - by assuring her that while bullies and haters might never go away, they should never prevent you from being yourself.
When the 14-year-old fan - whom Taylor had interacted with on Instagram in the past - complained of mistreatment by peers at her new high school, Taylor replied with a lengthy message of hope:
"I hate thinking about your pretty face covered in tears," Swift wrote on one of the fan's posts. But I know why you're crying because I've been in your place. This isn't a high school thing or an age thing...It doesn't end or change. People cut other people down for entertainment, amusement out of jealousy...or for no reason at all."
"You're going into high school this week and this is your chance to push the reset button on how much value you give the opinions of these kids, most of whom have NO idea who you are...If they don't like you for being yourself, be yourself even more."
"Every time someone picks on me, I'll think of you in hopes that every time someone picks on you, you'll think of me...and now we have this thread that connects us."
Scarlett Johansson Welcomes First Child
Scarlett Johansson is a first time mother!
The actress behind Black Widow and Lucy welcomed a baby girl with the great name of Rose today, as fiance Romain Dauriac was by her side for the delivery.
Johansson's rep confirmed this exciting news to The Associated Press, who reports that "mother and daughter are doing well."
The 29-year old kept a very low profile while pregnant, rarely making public appearances.
She was married to Ryan Reynolds for two years until the couple divorced in 2010 and both moved on (he's now hitched to Blake Lively.), with Johansson getting engaged again about a year ago.
Future And Ciara Back Together For The Good Of Their Baby
Future and Ciara didn't stay apart for long ... and it's all because Ciara feels strongly about her son needing his father around 24/7.
Sources close to Future tell TMZ ... he and Ciara are living together again -- and trying to make things work between them -- so Future can help take care of their 4-month-old son, Future Zahir.
Ciara must be willing to overlook the past ... since she was the one who claimed Future cheated on her while he was on tour -- and then broke off their engagement last month.
We're told Ciara wasn't interested in a shared parenting situation ... saying she believes Future's a good father and that it's best for their son if his dad's there.
Pretty selfless of her, if she really believes he cheated.
"Fancy" Is Officially The Number One Song Of Summer 2014
Sadly, with the passage of Labor Day, the summer of 2014 is unofficially at an end.
But Iggy Azalea is from Australia - where the seasons are reversed and thirsty stars can go from Britney Spears wannabes to gangsta-ass "murder business" rappers overnight.
So while the rest of us mourn the end of beach season, Iggy is celebrating the start of her reign as Queen of the Charts.
Yes, after months of breaking sales records, "Fancy" is officially the best-selling song of the summer.
Iggy is the first woman to have two of the top three songs of the summer. "Problem" - her collaboration with Ariana Grande took the number three spot behind "Rude" by Magic!
Justin Bieber Arrested
Justin Bieber is in serious trouble with the law.
The singer was arrested Friday in Canada after getting into an accident with another vehicle while riding his ATV, with the police investigation revealing "that after colliding, the driver of the ATV and an occupant of the minivan engaged in a physical altercation."
The driver of the ATV, of course, was Justin Bieber.
We can also confirm that the minivan driver was a photographer and that Bieber is due in Canadian court later this month.
Chances are strong that he won't receive a major punishment for this incident on its own, but remember:
Bieber is on probation after reaching a plea bargain in his egging case. Authorities in Los Angeles have contacted those Ontario and are collecting information that will help determine Justin's fate.
Probation officers have 30 days to notify the court of an alleged violation and, if it is determined that Bieber DID, in fact, violate his previous court terms via this arrest, he could go to jail.
He sort of belongs there for a bit, don't you think?
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As Atlantans freeze their booties off I thought it would be appropriate to share 12 ways to lower your winter heat bills and help winterize your homes.
From AOL's Wallet Pop Economizer:
"Powering a home costs the average U.S. household $2,160 a year. While heating and cooling a home are the primary energy guzzlers, appliances also consume their fair share."
"Of course, there are ways to keep your energy usage — and your monthly bill — skyrocketing each winter. Using efficient Energy Star products, for example, can cut costs by 30%."
"In the spirit of the holiday season, SolarCity came up with a list of "12 Days of Energy Efficiency" to help consumers save money by using less energy at home. Where possible, we've added estimates of how much it would cost consumers to act on these tips and how much money it would save them."
Some examples of the tips are:
1.Switch to an Energy Star programmable thermostat. We did switch a few years ago to a programmable thermostat, and it is so much nicer to know exactly what the temperature is set on. Also it had four programmable times so you could set it to rise and fall throughout the day depending on when you were at home.
(Another tip I would add, one of our houses had triple-paned windows, and it made a huge difference in how energy efficient the house was. The previous owners had put them in and they were pricey (I think around $14,000) but we consistently had low electric and gas bills.)
2. Wrap your water pipes.
3. Clean air ducts and replace air filters. Our air guy told us this as well.
4. Close your fire damper when not using your fireplace.
5. Use LED Christmas lights and put them on timers.
"LED holiday lights can save up to 90% of the energy cost of traditional lights. They're more expensive than traditional lights — about $25 for 100 lights — but will save a lot of money over the years."
6. Put an insulation jacket around your water heater. This makes me very nervous but I guess it's safe.
Check the site for other six tips. I don't want to steal their thunder.
So have you already done any of these tips to help make your home more energy efficient? How else are you winterizing your home? Are you worried about high heat bills with these low temperatures? Are you worried about your water bill letting your faucets drip so they don't freeze? (I am!)
December 14th, 2010
1:22 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by AJCMOMania, ajcparenting. ajcparenting said: AJC's Momania blog: My gift to you: 12 ways to cut winter energy bills! http://bit.ly/dPgNz1 [...]
December 14th, 2010
6:33 am
I am dreading my heating bill….keeping it on 70 and still freezing in my house, except when my 19 year old decides to jack it up to 80! Saw LED lights the other day, will wait until they go on sale after Christmas and then use next year….and maybe one day, when this economy is better and my kids are out of school, I can get some better windows…until then, blinds closed!
December 14th, 2010
7:06 am
This is all great, but in this economy most people can not afford to take these steps. I am unemployed so most of these steps are just not an option to me right now, and I am scared to death what my power bill will be, and I keep the heat set low …and use a lot of blankets. Just hoping things get better soon
December 14th, 2010
7:27 am
This won't save energy costs, but it will help with keeping your utility bills contstant; budget billing. It really helps when we have the extreme weather we've had recently (last summer too). My heat ran all night, but I know what my gas bill will be this month and won't be sticker shocked with a massive bill. I also turn my heat way day when no one is home all day, no sense heating an empty house.
December 14th, 2010
7:34 am
There is an insulation film for windows that helps keep out drafts, etc. for those of us with older homes / windows, and it doesn't cost that much. I have gotten it in the past at Home Depot. I'm not sure if they still have it because we had stocked up. If not, look around for it (Amazon has it, I'm sure). It isn't as effective as triple-pane windows, but then again, it's not $14,000 either :-)
December 14th, 2010
7:37 am
@Who – 70 degrees is practically tropical in the winter. If your house is freezing at that temperature, you really need to weatherstrip, etc. Check for drafts and plug them up! What you spend on the material, you will save on your heating bill.
December 14th, 2010
7:48 am
YES…we drip water. If you have ever lived in a house where the pipes froze up, you would do it too.
As a girl, we had frozen pipes in the ceiling and when they burst…they leaked everywhere and the ceilings were ruined too. If it gets below 20, I drip water. Call me crazy but I do not want to repeat that episode. Lucky for us, it does not get that cold here too often.
We purchased 5 contained electric space heaters over 5 years ago when the gas prices shot up. We had one high bill and that was it. Some friends had $400 gas bills…in Atlanta? No, they are not fashionable but they save us $100- $200 per month in the winter. For us, the electric is cheaper than the gas. We bought them on sale and they cost about $40 each. We have saved over $2000 using them.
We also have equal payment plan on our utilities. My husband tells me that turning the thermostat way down for a few hours is not efficient as it takes so much to reheat our house. We have cathedral ceilings in several rooms. I don't know.
December 14th, 2010
8:01 am
Most energy star rated waters heaters don't need blankets. Older modles do and you can get the cheap at the Habitat Re-Store on Memorial Dr.
December 14th, 2010
8:12 am
We replaced our windows 2 years ago with Sunshine windows, a double paned, double hung vinyl window. The house always seemed cold in winter before, esp the sunroom, but now it is toasty during the winter and cooler in the summer. The second benefit is we can actually open our windows when the outside temp is high enough. The third is that they are easier to clean. We also do the average billing, but I keep an eye on the monthly usage. It seems our furnace/AC doesn't run as long/often.
I need to refresh some insulation in the attic and work on the doors now, but we feel we did the right thing.
December 14th, 2010
8:12 am
FYI…to me, Atlantans are being absolute babies about this cold weather.
Yes, we live in the south but it will be 50 again in a few days. At least we do not have it all winter AND two feet of snow!
BUT many of the other folks ( up north) would whine if they had to put up with summer temps. we do.
Moms…think of your kid's teachers who are in schools that do not send the kids outside if it is below 40 degrees…they need help getting through this frenzied week with the kids inside all day….glad it is not me :).
December 14th, 2010
8:52 am
It's just me and the animals most of the time, and they have fur coats, so they are warm. However, they all have blankets, and the Lab has a nice bed she sleeps in.
I turn my heat OFF at night. I have three warm bodies in the bed with me, and the puppy crawls under the covers with me. I can't stand for it to be running while I'm sleeping. One of the animals usually wakes me up around 5, so I turn the heat on then, and crawl back into bed for an hour. I turn the heat off again, when I leave for work. I open the curtains and blinds to let the sun shine in and heat the house while I'm at work. When I get home, I will turn the heat on to 68, then once it reaches that temp, I turn it down to 63. I have a space heater in the living room, and plenty of blankets. When I settle in to watch tv, it's nice and toasty.
Now that my daughter is home for a month, the heat is staying at 68. We supplement with the space heater, and we love to snuggle up in blankets.
My power bill is rarely over $125. I have a two story house with cathedral ceilings.
December 14th, 2010
9:10 am
@MJG -I agree about the hype and hysteria. I'm a lifelong native, and I don't get what all the hoopla is about! It's been this cold here -MANY times. People freak out over nothing and let the media snowball their craziness. It's actually been colder than this before, folks! You would think we normally had 80 degree averages year round and this was some freak anomaly. You want cold? Go to St. Paul or Montana right now and stay for the rest of the winter -THAT is cold!
December 14th, 2010
9:17 am
We've used space heaters too–there's one at Costco that is shaped like a large round dish (I can't remember how much we paid for it) but it's very very effective at warming a room. We use it in the bedroom at night and turn the thermometer very low–the room stays toasty. I haven't figured our cost savings yet but I'm sure they are in line with what MJG reports above.
December 14th, 2010
9:17 am
I found a lesser expensive solution (especially when I was not working). I bought a roll of plastic sheeting at the local hardware warehouse (not sure if we can name names on this blog) for about $9.00 per roll. I cut the plastic and put it on the windows. I used regular shipping tape and secured it to the frames of the windows on the inside. I put it up in the bedrooms and the downstairs windows. It really kept the draft out and with the curtains, you could not really see it. I didn't cover the living room windows because I wanted to be able to see outside. I didn't realize how much air I had coming in until I put up the plastic.
When you remove it, the shipping tape doesn't take up the paint on your sills. I also scraped and recaulked the windows once I took the plastic down so we would be prepared for the next winter. I can't afford to replace all of the windows so I am continuing to try to weatherproof the house. Also, if you sign up for 3M updates, they will send you coupons quarterly for their filters. I replace mine every three months and with the coupons, I can buy one of the better filters.
December 14th, 2010
9:22 am
My sister and brother-in-law had an energy consultant come out to their home yesterday evening. They were given the following tips: (1) Hot water tank should be at 130 degrees; (2) Fridge should be between 38 & 40 degrees Fahrenheit; and (3) Freezer should be at 5 degrees Fahrenheit
December 14th, 2010
9:25 am
I really think windows make the biggest difference. We bought a 4400 sf house 2 years ago and our electric bill is consistently less than our combined gas/electric of the old house that is 1800 sf which has the old double-hung single pane windows. I do miss the gas heat – it just felt warmer to me (my husband says it's in my head) but I'll take the lower bills. We keep our thermostat on 66-68 for the most part.
I have a space heater since I'm the only one home during the day and don't want to turn the heat up in the whole house just for me. I usually wear extra clothes, sweatshirts, slippers, etc. so I don't need it warmer. Coffee helps too! We have electric blankets that we just turn on for 15-20 mins to warm up the bed at night and then turn off once we get in and have down comforters to keep the warmth in.
We've made the switch to CFLs except in key places (like my vanity light) so that's likely helping as well.
The investment in LED Christmas lights doesn't seem economical to me. Maybe if they actually last several years but it seems like I have to replace several strands of the regular lights every year. Not a big deal at $3 a strand but at $15-20, I'd be pretty pissed if I had to replace them as often. Anyone had those long enough to know if they really do last longer than regular lights? I'm still not sure I really like the look of the LED Christmas lights though… Some of our neighbors put them up and I'm just not digging them.
December 14th, 2010
9:28 am
JATL…I just talked to someone in Montana yesterday, who might like to invite me in June…awesome!
I was in Minnesota 2 years ago when the temperature NOT WIND CHILL was 27 BELOW zero. Now THAT was cold….you betcha!
The thing is…we WILL get back up to 50 in a few days…deal with it people! It is December!
I guess, if you have lived in metro Atlanta most of your life, you do not realize that many other Americans actually have cold weather in the winter. Kind of like those in the midwest not thinking much about when hurricane season starts and stops.
My Dad retired to Florida over 20 years ago. He complains about the heat every summer. I remind him that it was his choice to move there and no one is making him stay there either.
December 14th, 2010
9:55 am
Been having this argument with my wife recently, does any body know for certain if turning down heat at night / when no one is at home and then re heating the house is more economical than leaving the thermometer set at a certain temp??? I think it is cheaper to do it that way but my wife disagrees?? I would love to see a sudy cost analysis of it. has anybody seen one? Thanks for the help.
December 14th, 2010
10:10 am
I try to keep it at 70 but I could survive in the mid-60's, but it is challenging when you have cold natured folks in the house.
By the way, I was noticing in the car pool line today (middle school) that there were kids still coming to school in shorts this morning, but I will say the majority were wrapped up or at least had coats on.
Did not see any flip-flops, but I am sure it is a pair walking around in the building, lol.
December 14th, 2010
10:15 am
I got one of those programmable thermostats for my gas furnace and I really like it. I have old windows and storm windows but they are not tight and I put plastic over them (looks like h3ll) but they still are far from ideal. Put lots of insulation in the attic a few years ago. I have to have the water heater turned up pretty high because the well water it mixes with is SO COLD. I get the 3 month filters but change them every month. When it gets super cold I use a couple of those oil heaters (that run on electricity) to supplement in the 2 rooms I am usually in. My electric bills run about $125 in the winter, but of course I use a good bit of gas–right now about $200 for this last month! It has been unusually cold here in the mountains.
December 14th, 2010
10:33 am
I had a new boiler put in a couple years ago and the company that put it in suggested not turning down the thermostat to far at night or away. I do 68 when we're home, 64 when we're not. I've got one of those thermostats that you program that when you want 68 at 7:00 a.m., it turns on the system to have 68 by 7. Pretty neat, and I have noticed between the new boiler (my old one was about 40 years old) and the new t-stat, I'm using less oil.
This is a good thing.
December 14th, 2010
10:34 am
@ fred..re: the thermostat up and down and if it helps? I found this on Yahoo:
we did a 2 yr study, [at work] and turning the temp down at night
[ programmable Verses manual controls] cost us $200 a month more with programmable ,
because it takes more to Reheat the whole thing than to just maintain it,
saved $200 a month by using a manual control and leaving the temp alone
when you turn the temp down EVERY thing cools off floors, walls, furniture,
then when you turn it back up it has to reheat all of that.
building maint man
December 14th, 2010
10:35 am
Fred, my understanding is that moderate adjustments are best. Turning the temp way down or keeping the house ideally heated when empty are both inefficent. Bump it down just a few degrees so the heat doesn't run all day, but will kick on before the house is freezing so it won't have to work so hard later to get things back to a comfortable temp.
December 14th, 2010
10:38 am
@ Wayne…LOVE the word boiler…LOL. We do not hear it much in the south…sort of goes with Dominick the Donkey ( which I now learned and have enjoyed singing). Hugs to you and I'll bet you can really tell us what a cold day feels like.
Fellow Georgians, I remember the radiator heaters that we would put our wet mittens on when we came in from recess, during elementary school in Chicago.
Why were our mittens WET, you ask? Because we played outside IN THE SNOW on a school day!
Oh, I guess it had to be below 40 degrees to have snow that could be made into snowmen and snow balls…LOL.
December 14th, 2010
10:42 am
Come on Son- yep, saw flip flops at middle school. Can't wait til my daughter gets to her HS, flip flops are against dress code. :o)
My husband keeps the house like a meat locker, so it is lots of blankets and warm pj's. We use a mattress pad heater to warm the bed up shortly before bedtime. The boys have blankets in their crates and they just "pug pile" during the day to keep warm. Of course, they pug pile in the summer too, lazy mutts. :o)
Having grown up in the Midwest and North East- these winters are pretty easy down here, but understand Southerners are not used to extended periods of cold. I actually wore a sweater today, but no coat. Hands were a little chilly, but tolerable. I would certainly hate to be out working in this cold all day long though!
December 14th, 2010
10:57 am
It is funny flips flops are against the dress code at my kids middle school but it is never enforced, I guess you choose your battles. It is really a safety issue but as long as no one steps on the back of a flip flop and causes a major injury, all is well. (That is what the airport thought until that kid broke his toes on the escalator wearing Crocs and had to pay a heavy $ettlement).
December 14th, 2010
11:05 am
I was picked up in the airport shuttle, at the Grand Forks, ND airport a few years ago January by a college student wearing a skirt and sweater: NO SOCKS OR HOSE…just shoes. It was 12 degrees…
My son wears flip flops all the time, except to work or dress functions. Not something I will ever understand. Neither wore them in middle or high school but it seems lots of college kids do. My daughter, not so much.
December 14th, 2010
11:17 am
I was wearing flip flops all weekend….I do the "japanese" thing, and put on socks with them when I have to go outside with the dogs, or going over to the neighbors….but I live in flip flops……..LOL….
December 14th, 2010
11:44 am
You only lose about 10% of your heat through the windows. It all goes through your roof. Check to make sure your attic and crawlspaces are insulated and don't worry about your windows.
I have 42 windows in my 85-year-old 2200 sqft house with it's old wood weight and pulley double hung windows. It would take me 223 years to pay off new windows in energy savings
So, insulate attic and crawlspace. Use that 3M film on drafty windows + hang layered drapes.
December 14th, 2010
12:19 pm
I used that plastic on my windows in my last house, and it definately made a difference in my heating. I use it in the house we are in now, for the basement windows. My daughter moved her bedroom down there, and it's a little drafty……
December 14th, 2010
1:06 pm
I grew up in NYC in the 70s and 80s and our winters were long, COLD and snowy. All of these tips remind me of how energy efficient we were back then. We weren't really trying to be all that efficient, we were just broke and did not want to spend more than we had. The plastic on the windows, heavy drapes, walking around the house in sweats, socks, slippers, sleeping with your head covered. Maybe if we had kept up some of that stuff we would not have such an energy crisis now.
December 14th, 2010
2:34 pm
@Techmom – My experience with a larger, but more energy efficient, home was similar to yours, although we still have gas heat.
We keep the winter thermostat set at 65 degrees in the evenings when we're at home, and let the temperature drop to 60 when we're at work/school. We've added more attic insulation; wrapped the hot water heater and pipe; and moved to energy-efficient appliances, but I will not change to CFL lights because of the dangerously high mercury levels if they are broken.
December 14th, 2010
7:19 pm
well it was – something at my house this morning….im at a friends house so i can get to work..she is about 2000ft lower than my house is and it was 1 here this morning. bitterly cold. i know its not -27 or something..but 1 with huge wind is COLD! there is a pack of plastic you can buy cheaply and use y our blow drier to seal your windows…im getting some of that to put on the windows…plus..when one of the kids isnt home their room stays closed and cold..they have space heaters for when they are home. i keep my gas log thermostat at 60 when imnot home…higher when im home..but just to warm it up. space heaters seem to be a lot cheaper than the gas logs i have. i hate winter and cant wait for spring. bla…i spend more time at my friends house in the winter so i can safely get to work..and i am a major homebody….wrecks my nerves to be away so long..ive been here since friday…will try to make it home in the sleet thats on the way tomorrow so i an have my 2 days off at home…hopefully the power wont go off with the sleet we are gonna get..on top of the 8 inches of snow already there….
December 14th, 2010
7:30 pm
waaaa….anybody got some cheese for my whine? lol
December 14th, 2010
9:40 pm
How To Reduce Your Energy Bills / Energy Conservation Begins at Home
Imagine leaving a window open all winter long — the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan or AC Return, a fireplace or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.
These often overlooked sources of energy loss and air leakage can cause heat and AC to pour out and the outside air to rush in — costing you higher energy bills.
But what can you do about the four largest "holes" in your home — the folding attic stair, the whole house fan or AC return, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer?
To learn more visit http://www.batticdoor.com
Mark D. Tyrol is a Professional Engineer specializing in cause and origin of construction defects. He developed several residential energy conservation products including an attic stair cover and an attic access door. Battic Door is the US distributor of the fireplace plug.
December 15th, 2010
9:29 am
FYI – It's NOT a Hot water heater, it's a water heater. You don't have to heat hot water.,….
December 15th, 2010
10:51 am
We have the programmable thermostats for both our our heating/air units and we try to keep the temp at a constant. We also use space heaters and my hubby just put up the plastic window insulation yesterday. You can usually find the kits at your local ACE Hardware store. The windows in our house are the main problem. They are poor quality, but with only one income, we can't afford to replace them right now. I signed us up for the budget billing (or flat bill) about two years ago. After our first winter in our house, the electric bill jumped from about $60 in summer/fall to over $200 in December-February.

subset: commoncrawl


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I love these silly owls. Baby Pink Resin Owl Earrings by @HeyPoulette via @Etsy I need to make more of these.
Earrings To go with the bacon necklace... Lmao!! Meat Cleavers with Icky Dripping Blood for by roscata via @Etsy
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text:
Biking the Burbs for Beers
Event occured on Sat, Sep 7 2013, 10:30 am - 5:00 pm CDT
Third annual Biking the Burbs for Beers Bar Crawl is open to all.
Depart from downtown Flossmoor no later than 10:30 a.m. Stops include Dino's Food & Liquors in Chicago Heights for American beer, mimosas and bloody marys; J Martins's Tap in Steger for fruit salad and Bob E Lee and his acoustic band; Paulie's Pub in South Heights where lunch, meatballs and Italian sausage, will cost $8; Chicago Heights Country Club and Chicago Heights West Golf course for cocktails on the veranda. If there is enough interest from riders, a trip to 3 Star Liquors on "The Hill" in Chicago Heights may be added. Ride ends at Flossmoor Fest, where Staff Infection will be on the main stage at 5 p.m. Total mileage will be approximately 14 miles.


text:
Rowan Blouse
Knitted sweater in relaxed fit from S''NOB DE NOBLESSE. Slim sleeves and rounded neckline. A little longer in the back.
Made of 72% Cotton and 28% Polyester.
Model is 176 cm tall and is wearing a size Small.
Item no.: 101121-0012
Colour: Beige
Size reviewsSmall in size
Complete the look
More about the brandSNOB de NOBLESSE from Denmark is an internationally renowned brand that produces clothing with a focus on the latest trends, the stylish Scandinavian minimalism and the balance between the feminine and the raw. Always made of the best materials at the best possible price and you can shop it here at Nelly.com.
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text:
When my dad's listening to the radio, he likes to say, "They're serving up another plate of balderdash and baloney." When I was little I figured that was sort of like corn beef and cabbage. In my mind, balderdash was actually a mixture of cabbage and corn and mashed potatoes.
I was wrong, of course. Balderdash means ridiculous, illogical, exaggerated talk. I guess it's more polite than some things you could say. But here's something really interesting: back in 1590 in England, it meant a mish-mash of different drinks, including alcohol. For example, a mixture of beer and milk could be balderdash. It sounds pretty bad - and ridiculous and illogical.
And how about baloney? It means "foolish nonsense." Of cours, everyone knows baloney is also a kind of luncheon meat. It's a brand of sausage that originally came from the Italian city of Bologna. I don't know how sausage came to mean "foolish nonsense." Maybe it's because it's foolish to grind up perfectly good meat and make it into a kind of pinkish, bland, cold, slimy… well, you get the idea.
So don't you think that's interesting, that two different words for "foolish talk" both come from unappetizing, mixed up food?
But if you actually like baloney sandwiches, I apologize. I wasn't trying to criticize your taste in food.
Launch sounds like what it means. Say it: it starts with a slow descent, like a boat sliding down a track at the shore. LAU…N… Then all at once you're there: CH. The boat hits the water and rocks for a moment. Small waves slap the sides. The boat is in another place now. It's on its way.
You can launch a boat, launch a career, launch a friendship. With all of them, there's this sense of a push toward the moment and then, suddenly, it goes.
You can also launch a rocket. The meaning is the same, but to me, the sound doesn't work as well. Launching a rocket is too noisy. The word should be something more like "lashrogashrogaroar-nch" for all those roaring engines. (I admit that doesn't sound very practical.) Sadly, you can also launch a weapon.
Launching a weapon is probably closest to the original meaning. Launch comes from the Old French lancier, meaning to fling or to hurl. Further back, it comes from the
Latin lancea, which means a light spear. Think of a lance, or think of Lancelot hurling lances at evil knights. By the 1400's, according to the Etymology Dictionary, the word was being used to describe setting a boat afloat.
Here's a weird thing. The word launch can also be used as a noun to describe a heavy open or partially decked boat with either oars or an engine… but that meaning has a different origin. They think it comes from Portuguese (lancha), where it meant a "large boat carried on a warship." The Portuguese word came from the Malay lanchar, which meant quick and agile. I can just see the Portuguese sailors in the seas around Malaysia, and Malaysian pirates launching their quick and agile boats to attack.
Hmm, launch really does seem to have warlike origins on both land and sea. But let's forget about that and think of launching in the sense of plunging in and setting out.
Today is the launch of the second edition of Lost in Lexicon, the story of my adventures with my cousin Ivan in a magical land. I invite you all to plunge in and set out with us on the journey.
I am nonplussed. Nonplussed means all the things in my title, plus bewildered, confounded, disconcerted and at a loss. What am I nonplussed about? Why, the word nonplussed, that's what.
Take a look at that word. If you had to choose its root, you would take off the non and the -ed ending, and you'd be left with plus, which means adding. So obviously nonplussed should refer to something that's not added, or maybe even to two things that can't be added together (though perhaps the word for that would be "nonplussable." For example, here's a sentence: "I know she has a great kick and is also a super sweet person, but really those attributed are nonplussed in the middle of a soccer game." (Because, see, being a super sweet person doesn't do anything to help you win once the game has begun.)
Instead nonplussed has to mean put out, put off stride, or as my griend would say, "confuzzled."
Are there other tricky words pretending to be math words when they're not? How about minuscule? (Everybody thinks it's miniscule, as in "mini," but it's not.) Minuscule means very small.
Can you think of others?
Today in my hot, hot school seat - I'm sorry to say this, but little drops of sweat dripped off my temples onto the desktop - I thought about jumping off a high rock and plunging into a cool pond. Plunge! What a great word. To me it sounds like what it means.
Think of it. You leap. you fly up a little way, then you plummet toward the water. Your toes break the surface. That's the "pl" sound in plunge: the sound of your toes, your feet, piercing the surface of the water.
Then comes the "unge." Feel how long it takes to say that. That's the part where you're descending deep into the water. Bubbles are whooshing around your ears. You surge to your deepest point, and then, as the word plunge ends you reverse direction, and begin to bob toward the surface again. You're cool, you've been washed clean, your sweaty sticky skin is all washed clean and alive again. You climb out, and before long, you're ready for another plunge.
Anonymous said: flibbertigibbet
Ooh. A lovely word. The first thing to figure out is that the g in flibbertigibbet sounds like j, so you pronounce it "flibberty-jibbet." To me it sounds like the way a butterfly looks, flying in a jerky, fluttery way. Maybe a flibbertigibbet could be a magical flying creature you see only at dusk, and if you catch it it will give you one small wish.
But according to the dictionary, a flibbertigibbet is a chatty, gossipy, silly, flighty sort of person. Nobody is quite sure where the word came from, but in the 16th century it was sometimes used as the name of a demon. A demon! I guess being foolish and gossipy was a bigger deal in the 16th century than it is now.
I did look up a word that shows up inside flibbertigibbet to see if it would give any clues. The word is "gibbet," and it turns out to be a nasty word. A gibbet was a kind of scaffolding like in the old word game hangman, with a horizontal pole sticking out from a vertical one. They used to hang executed criminals in chains from the gibbet until their bodies rotted, as a warning to others.
Well, in the New England colonies, gossips used to be dunked in the dunking chair, plunged into the cold water. That sounds unpleasant, but I'd still rather be dunked for being a flibbertigibbet than end up hanging from a gibbet.
I'm suspicious about the word "suspicious." It just doesn't seem to be playing by the same rules as other words. Think about it. The root it comes from is "suspect," right? If you suspect everyone, you're a suspicous person. If everyone suspects you, you're probably a suspicious character doing suspicious things.
Well, at the root of "suspicious" is spect, which means "to look at," and is also found in words like spectrum, inspect, and respect. But none of them play the same tricks. You never heard of someone who respects everyone being called "respicious" or or somebody who's always getting inspected being called "inspicious." Instead you get "respectful" and… I don't know.
So why suspicous? What do you think? Do you hear all the hissing in that word? It practically makes you twist your face in distaste to say it. I think the word sounds as if it belongs sneaking around in the shadows.
What is unusual about the following short sentences or phrases? Can you write one of your own that fits the pattern?
Yes, that's the answer to what's unusual about the paragraph below. It contains no e's. At least I don't think it does, and I checked it about a million times. It takes some work to write a paragraph without e's, because e is the most common letter in English. For example, this paragraph right here has 23. Try writing your own.
Can you distinguish what is unusual about this paragraph? It's short, but that's not it. A particular quality of this chunk of writing marks it as a statistical anomaly – that is, as atypical. Not many paragraphs that you run into will contain this particular trait. In fact, I think you would find it difficult to construct such a paragraph on your own. If you know what I'm talking about, post your matching paragraph. If not, I'll inform you all in a post two days from now.
Anonymous said: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis:Its a lung disease caused by breathing in certain particals...lol


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The Hon Tony Burke MP
Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
Impacts of Coal Seam Gas Activities on Water Inflows in South East Queensland
Media release
10 December 2010
Environment Minister, Tony Burke, has today released an independent expert report into recently approved coal seam gas operations in South East Queensland.
The report - Assessment of impacts of the proposed coal seam gas operations on surface and groundwater systems in the Murray Darling Basin - was commissioned to fulfil the requirements of s.255AA of the Water Act. Such a study was required to be undertaken prior to the issuance of mining licences by the State.
The study determines the impacts of the operations on the connectivity of groundwater systems, surface water and groundwater flows and water quality.
"While there were significant economic benefits to these projects, which must be a consideration in my decision, my focus was on protecting environmental matters such as protected species and ecological communities," said Mr Burke.
"I imposed strict conditions on each of the coal seam gas projects to help protect groundwater and surface water systems, these conditions will help to manage the issues raised in this report.
"The report confirms the importance of an adaptive management regime supported by monitoring and management of groundwater systems.
"The study notes, consistent with earlier advice I received from Geoscience Australia, that although large volumes of water will be extracted in some project areas from the Great Artesian Basin due to coal seam gas activities, the changes to regional groundwater balances in the main alluvial systems of this part of the Murray Darling Basin may be relatively minor.
"Maintaining groundwater pressure in the Condamine Alluvium, including by re-injection where necessary, is important. The report states this would alleviate potential loss of water and may result in the return of higher groundwater levels to the Condamine Alluvium.
"The conclusions and the risks identified in the study are consistent with the information used to inform the conditions that I imposed on coal seam gas projects in October.
"The study states that transparency of information is important to assist the community, government and industry to benefit from the full range of resources in the region. This was something I also considered in my approval conditions.
"I have required the coal seam gas companies to make public their detailed plans for water management and monitoring.
"The results of this study will provide important information for the Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment project led by the CSIRO.
"My department has provided the report to the Queensland authorities and they are considering it."
The study was conducted by Professor Chris Moran, Director of the Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry, part of the University of Queensland's Sustainable Minerals Institute.
"I am also appointing an expert panel to advise me in regard to coal seam gas water management.
"In particular, this expert panel will help set drawdown limits for targeted aquifers, and thresholds for which management actions should be initiated, such as the repressurisation of aquifers, including by reinjection, in the event that thresholds are exceeded."


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From baseball to dermatology, physician stays on top of his game with talent, passion
John E. Olerud, M.D.
Medical degree: University of Washington, Seattle
Internship: University of Washington
Residencies, internal medicine and dermatology: University of Washington
Hobbies: Baseball, golf, photography
Family: Wife, Lynda Olerud; son, John G. Olerud; daughter, Erica Olerud; and three grandchildren
ACCORDING TO DERMATOLOGIST John E. Olerud, M.D., "Life is a lot like baseball."
In fact, Dr. Olerud often shares with his trainees the life lessons he learned as a professional baseball player. He focused on the topic in a recent acceptance speech, when Washington State University honored him last year with its Regents' Distinguished Alumnus Award. And the dermatologist's beloved sport remains a part of his daily teaching.
"My poor residents have to listen to all the metaphors about baseball," he says.
Baseball is a topic near and dear to Dr. Olerud. While earning his undergraduate degree at Washington State University during the mid-1960s, he was team captain and catcher for the WSU Cougars. The team went to the College World Series, and Dr. Olerud was named to the All-American Team.
"Baseball was my first passion and medicine was what I knew I'd do in the long term," he says. "If I had been as good a ballplayer as my son, I probably would have played as long as I could."
After Dr. Olerud's successful run in the sport, he lived vicariously through his son, John G. Olerud, who made his mark as a major league first baseman. From 1989 to 2005, John Olerud played professionally for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. A three-time Gold Glove winner, John Olerud won the American League batting title in 1993, and he was runner-up for the National League batting title in 1998.
Future laser and other noninvasive technologies will target more than fat
In coming years, the trend toward less invasive technologies will continue not only in fat removal and body sculpting treatments, but also in new modalities for delivering a variety of drugs, according to physicians who spoke at MauiDerm 2012: Advances in Cosmetic and Medical Dermatology in February.
Clinical uses for botulinum toxin shine where standard therapies fail
Above and beyond its therapeutic value in cosmetic medicine, botulinum toxin can be useful in a number of medical indications and can represent an adjunct treatment option, said Philippe Humbert, M.D., Ph.D., at the 20th annual European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress last October.
Novel melanoma therapies portend a 'golden age' of cancer care
Several newly approved therapies have changed and are continuing to change the treatment of melanoma therapy so that it is no longer the "black sheep" of cancer therapy, according to Adil Daud, M.D.
Quality of service makes the difference between good, great encounters with patients
Physicians with the most satisfied patients aren't necessarily the ones who spend the most time with patients. Sometimes, even getting the highest-quality goods or services doesn't make up for a poor interaction.
When boards of nursing and boards of medical examiners disagree, who wins?
Dr. Laser, in an attempt to lower office fees, taught his nurses to use lasers for various problems such as hair removal, facial toning and acne treatment. He sent his staff to many training courses and established rigid in-office guidelines for laser treatments. Unfortunately, a patient treated by a laser nurse now has a scar on her upper lip, and she filed a complaint against the nurse and Dr. Laser with the state board of nursing.


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As Park Agency commissioners prepare to cast their defining votes on this project, I'm curious to hear from In Boxers. If you were sitting in those hot seats up there today, would you vote Yes or No on this project?
Chime in below with a thumbs up or a thumbs down — and add a few sentences to explain how you reached your decision.


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This is the first map I ever made
Attachment 52069
It took me three days to finish I welcome any tips or suggestions on how to make better maps
Printable View
This is the first map I ever made
Attachment 52069
It took me three days to finish I welcome any tips or suggestions on how to make better maps
Very colourful, and gives a very clean, stylised impression of what is where. I can see a group of players in an RPG understanding their location relative to everything else very easily. I like how you've also included several geographic elements (caves, plains, ect) that can lead to some good adventure hooks and player driven story.
Thanks, I agree as my group is always asking me where they are on the map which can get more confuseing as the campain goes on. However my group loves the map, and i even started them in a city near one of the caves as the next session they will be going in!
I agree; one of the things I love doing in general is world building, and I think I was lucky to have started my current D&D game with a map I had made practising the Atlas style. I've since started 'zooming in' on areas that they spend a lot of time around and presenting those maps for them, and it's to the point where their first objective now when they get to a new area is ask the local people for updates to their map, or search for a cartographers guild (which is annoying, 'cos it makes me want to do more maps of places very far away). The scale of my world is of a planet bigger than earth, and I think it'll come back to bite me in the ass eventually.
Keep up the mapping, if you get more, can't wait to see them :)


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The Very Best Outfits of Joy Venturini Bianchi
Socialite Joy Venturini Bianchi is ever the life of the party.
We featured the stylish philanthropist in the December/January issue of 7x7. Now, see the "Helpers House of Couture" advocate in all her best-dressed moments featuring her signature Gucci glasses, of course.
Click here to read the full behind-the-scenes story on SF's best-dressed philanthropist Joy Bianchi.
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The Big Eat 2014: 100 Things to Try Before You Die
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Campus Interfaith Chaplaincy
The Urbana University Chaplaincy exists to nurture the spiritual, moral and ethical lives of students, faculty and staff, while assisting them in listening to, learning from and respecting those with different beliefs.
In this mission the chaplaincy seeks to encourage and support;
- all forms of religious and spiritual life which find expression at Urbana University, and
- the search for meaning in the lives of all members of our community
Spring 2014 Chaplain Hours
11:30am-1:00pm; Hilliker Room, Student Center Lower Level
- W 1/29: Rev. Larry Hall
- M 2/3: Rev. Betsy Coffman
- W 2/5: Deacon Earl Rogers
- M 2/10: Rev. Betsy Coffman
- W 2/19: Deacon Earl Rogers
- W 2/26: Rev. Larry Hall
- M 3/3: Rev. Kevin Horrigan
- W 3/5: Rev. Kevin Horrigan
Dates for after Midterm Week will be posted soon!
Need a Chaplain at any time? E-mail firstname.lastname@example.com
Chaplaincy Team
The chaplaincy team is made up of the Urbana University chaplain and volunteer clergy members from the local area, who offer their skills and experience to the UU community.
Members of the Chaplaincy Team are committed to honoring the religious freedom, dignity, conscience, personal spiritual welfare and the religious tradition of every person to whom they minister. They are committed to mutual respect and they affirm the roles of personal freedom, doubt and open critical reflection in healthy spiritual growth.
The chaplaincy team serves as a liaison to communities of faith in the surrounding area, providing additional information and resources for students whose spiritual needs extend beyond our campus.
- Betsy Coffman- Pastor, Swedenborgian Church/Chaplain, Urbana University
- Rev. Scott Anderson- Messiah Lutheran Church
- Sam Carroll- Faith Tabernacle Church
- Scott Griswold- Pastor, South Vienna United Chirch/Adjunct Professor
- Larry Hall- Pastor, Urbana Church of the Nazarene
- Kevin Horrigan- Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Urbana
- Jim Lillibridge- Pastor, United Methodist Church
- Earl Rogers- Deacon, St. Mary's Church of Urbana
Student Representatives
- Destiny Leiker- President, UU Knights 4 Christ
University Administration
- Mitch Joseph- Associate Dean of Students for Campus Life & Student Engagement


text:
Pixel Freak Creative
This listing is about Pixel Freak Creative in Birmingham, West Midlands.
[ report an error ] Business details
Pixel Freak Creative
- 17 Park Road West
- Wollaston
- Stourbridge
- Birmingham
- West Midlands
- Tel: 07805 279 894
- Cell:07805 279 894
[ report an error ] About the company
Pixel Freak Creative are a web design company and are located in the West Midlands town of Birmingham. Pixel Freak Creative can be contacted on 07805 279 894.
[ report an error ] Message from the company
This section is for company representatives to enter a message, and may contain advertising. [ disclaimer ]
Pixel Freak Creative offer Web Design, Graphic Design and Logo Design in Birmingham and across the UK from our base in the West Midlands.
It is the mission of Pixel Freak Creative to provide each and every client with the highest quality design services at the fairest price. Whilst simultaneousley providing an immaculate and personal one-on-one customer service that is unsurpassable by any of our competitors.
Additional links
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text:
You want your offspring to get ahead in life – and teaching them to drive and seeing them pass their driving test is one of their first great steps towards independence.
But two of the biggest risks to your teenage son or daughter are driving on the road, and being a passenger in a car driven by a peer.
Could youngsters benefit by being offered driver training before the age of 17?
Providing teens with experience behind the wheel before they apply for their provisional licence, allows them to expend their adrenaline – and increase their driving confidence before they hit the road.
The AA now offers 14- to 16-year-olds the chance to learn the basics of driving – in a safe and controlled environment, off the public highway. It's fun and instructive, and gives youngsters an opportunity to practise and improve their driving skills and vehicle control.
Teenagers across the country can also kick-start their driving education through Drive iQ. This free online tool provides youngsters with access to interactive modules designed to introduce them to the core skills needed when on the road.
The modules examine driving attitudes and the causes of accidents, getting youngsters to think about the consequences of road safety before they get behind the wheel.
Insurance companies view new drivers as a high risk group – and the resulting high insurance premiums can be crippling.
Young drivers could benefit from AA Drivesafe telematic insurance, which gives newly qualified drivers the opportunity to prove that they can drive safely and deserve a lower premium – lowering the cost of their car insurance.
A Drivesafe box is placed in the car, which records information about speed, cornering, braking and how often the car is driven on different types of road. This data is used to calculate a Drivesafe score, and determines the insurance premium.
Sessions held by experienced and qualified AA driving instructors are being offered in several UK venues – and tickets are now on sale for £59 (including VAT) for one hour.
Places are limited – so if you have teenage children, book now to give them a head start to becoming a safe driver.
(19 March 2014)


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Saved by Grace; ✞ Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb.
✿ I AM MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER. (Psalm 139)
04 9 / 2012
"For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance– now that He has died as a ransom to set them free…" Hebrews 9:15
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