(The link will open a new window)

The girl has a point!

Well then click on this link then.

Go on.

Click on it.

It's a Friday and the weekend’s round the corner and I felt there could not have been a better day to start writing my blog... the first among many to come right here.

It would be my endeavour that my blog will be more of an information blog wherein there will be insights into various subjects from around the world which maybe interesting, thought provoking or fun filled.

To begin with, I came across some good business ideas on the net, some of which are in the process of being implemented.

1. Concert Reminder Service

A service desperately needed is a concert reminder service: you create a profile where you enter your location as well as the bands you like, and the system will send you an email as soon as it's known that one of "your" bands is coming to town. Getting an email along the lines of "Hey Raj, we just got word that Euphoria will be coming to town next April - secure your tickets now" would be just so much nicer than reading in the newspaper how The Kills rocked the local club this past weekend.

Needless to say that anyone providing such a service could earn a ton of money by providing links to ticket companies, so I'm really somewhat surprised that something like this doesn't seem to exist in India (yet). One such site does exist in the US ---- www.ticketmaster.com

2. Cook it yourself restaurants

Friends, lovers, or family members can cook for each other or learn cooking even when they are far away from home in these cook it yourself restaurants. These restaurants can provide raw materials, or materials packed according to recipes. Professional chef could also stand by to offer help during cooking. This type of restaurant may be good news for people who like cooking.

3. French fry toppers

Flavored toppings for french fries. Vinegar, spicy sauce, etc. Bottled in squeezable containers. (We generally use tomato sauce…maybe give this a thought!!)

4. Virtual clothes shop

Buying over the internet would be a good solution but there is the disadvantage of not being able to try stuff on. Ok, you could send stuff back if it didn't fit but that's a hassle.

The solution could be to put your measurements into a computer program that would generate a virtual model of your body. Items from various on-line shops could be dragged into your virtual wardrobe and tried on for size, style, colour, whatever then you can buy in the confidence that the clothes will be exactly what you want (unless you're a woman..... joke!).

5. Virtual Online Bar

The idea consists of a website that is like a bar. You go to the website, enter, and whamm, you see several tables, where a group of people are chatting, you also see that one girl over at another table waiting for the perfect guy to come and sit down with her. You can request songs on the jukebox, you can play pool with people or other games, maybe a card game in the back.

But the point is, you can virtually set the mood in front of several people and you can also choose what conversation you want to jump into. Maybe this idea could be a simple idea for budweiser website, or maybe bigger, like my space. Or, maybe it could be setup on my space somehow and everyone could go there!

These are a just a few of the ideas that people have come up with… There are tons of them online..

Maybe, this inspires us to start something closer home…

So, what are you waiting for... Let's see some great ideas coming up right here... As whacky as it can get...

Till my next topic, here’s bye for now.. Have a great weekend ahead!!!!

Cheers!!

Sriram Iyer

Sample of Customer Reviews of the Bible on Amazon:

3 out of 5 stars - A decent sophomore effort. by W. Christan

For those of you who don't know, this is God's second novel after the Old Testament. It's a marked improvement, in my opinion. He got rid of a lot of his previous angst and scorn, and has really begun to show some of the maturity present in his later works. He's become a much more loving and kind God, and, noticeably, he doesn't throw nearly as many tantrums as he did in the first book.

That said, there is still vast room for improvement. Plot wise, there isn't really much suspense, and the story can be incredibly repetitive. In like four chapters, he just rewords the same basic story over and over again. To top that off, he puts those chapters one right after the other. Like we wouldn't notice! I like the whole Jesus character, but let's face it, the whole good guy martyr thing has been done before. There was no need to devote so much of the book to that guy.

If you're really looking for a good God read, check out the Koran or the Book of Mormon. They're much more polished. Plus, the storytelling in the Book of Mormon is wild. Some people say it goes too far and point to it as evidence that God's over the hill, but I beg to differ. Just read it. God's like a genius or something. I mean, magic spectacles! Tell me that isn't awesome. I don't know how he dreams up some of this crap

1 out of 5 stars - The character of Jesus lacks substance... by CaughtInTheCovers

While reading this book I felt that the author was torn in too many directions. Some of the chapters seemed to be repetitive and told the same exact story, at times almost contradicting itself. I wish that the plot line of the character "Jesus" and "the Father" was expanded upon more in a cohesive manner. I felt that the role of Mary was very underplayed and I would have liked to hear more about the role of her virginity in her life. Although I did see a slight foil to the "Virgin" by the woman of the night "Mary Magdalen". I would have liked to hear the story from a first person narrative dictated by "the Son". His pain and struggle had a glimmer of potential but lacked in it's Harry Potter type "magic". Bringing back a man from the dead? Doctors do that all the time. How about some flying or love spells... now that I could read about. I am looking forward to a possible sequel though, there's a chance the author could fix some of his confusions and find the focus of the story. Mel Gibson did wonders with the film adaptaion and I wish the book could have lived up to it. It's perhaps the only case where the picture outshined the novel. Better try next time though!

And I just had to include this one ....

4 out of 5 stars - get it straight people by BLUE "BluThorn"

For all you people in stupid-ville out there, get it strraight that the events in the Bible are 100% real. You can check up on Egyptian history, the Queen from Cush came to visit King Solomon who really WAS the son of King David and even today people in Israel know their family descent as 1 of the 12 tribes. Ammonites, Hittites, etc all existed. There really WAS a man names Jesus of Nazereth who was nailed unto a T shaped crossas it was written in the Roman Chronicles. And a man named Saul (Paul) of Tarsus killed hundreds of Christians.

the REASON that the language in the King James Version Bible seems so odd with "begat" "hath" "thou" and stuff like that is because it was written in 1769 by the scholars of KING JAMES. You dumb people out there who think that it talks in a "wierd dialect" because it doesn't sound "english" make me sick enough to puke.

So whether you want to believe it or the events in the Bible are historical fact as the same events are written by other civilizations that the Israelites and the Jewish people interacted with. As any Jew who IS really a Jew as in lineage to Israel and they will tell you which house/tribe they are from. And for those Jews who don't know, shame on you go find out.

For all you Christians out there, give a pig a pearl and it will attack you for it. Understand? Don't take it personally.

Watch out for 2 versions or more of the King James Version that is out. A few are from the corrupted text of Wescott and Hort, the CODEX VATICANUS and CODEX SINAITICUS. How do we know these are corrupt? Well Wescott and Hort who "found" these two had ties to several cults and when the texts are compared to the four gospels, the GOD and way of life does not match up.

Get the King James and not these other "revised" versions. Most of them take out from the Word and other add in. You want the Word directly from it's scriptures without this transliteration stuff, then learn Aramaic and get the original scriptures.

]]> http://thecanuck.wordpress.com/?p=134 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:34:09 +0000 The Canuck http://thecanuck.wordpress.com/?p=134 There's a brief article in this morning's Free Press about Detroit-area drivers being among the nation's safest. Based upon what I've seen in the nearly 5 years I've been a frequent passenger in Metro Detroit, I'd say they're lucky rather than safe. I couldn't even begin to list the number of monumentally stupid things I've seen people do on the roads, but the one that continues to amaze me is how folks continue to drive 70+ MPH no matter what the weather conditions are like (blizzard, driving rain, etc). 

As The Clam's mother or father has said (I can't remember who it was), "People in Detroit drive like they've lost their will to live".

What is a Green Building?

‘A Green building should create delight when entered, serenity and health when occupied and regret when departed’ – Perhaps this is one of the most inspiring definitions of a Green building, articulated in the book ‘Natural Capitalism’.

Green buildings are structures that operate in harmony with the surrounding natural environment, that harm the environment as little as possible. A green building, also known as a sustainable building, is a structure that is designed, built, renovated, operated, or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner. Green buildings are designed to meet certain objectives such as protecting occupant health; improving employee productivity; using energy, water, and other resources more efficiently; and reducing the overall impact to the environment. It incorporates the eco friendly ways of constructing, functioning, upkeep and demolition of houses. Green buildings erected, keeping these things in mind not only enhance their longevity but also contribute significantly to ecological improvement.

Why do we need Green buildings?

Buildings are the largest consumers of energy worldwide.In the United States, buildings account for 37% of all energy use and 68% of all electricity use1 and "the building trades do about six times more damage than automobiles in terms of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.Buildings are in fact responsible for about 40% or more of greenhouse gas emissions in the developed world. Global awareness of these issues and the realization of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address other environmental degradation issues have led to the rapid formation of green building councils around the world. With an aim to dramatically improve the sustainability of the built environment by bringing significant changes in the methods of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining and operating, the World Green Building Council was established. It is a union of national green building councils with a mission to accelerate the transformation process of the global property industry towards sustainable development. Its present members are GBC Australia, Canada GBC, Emirates GBC, India GBC, Japan SBC, Mexico GBC, New Zealand GBC, Taiwan GBC, United Kingdom GBC and the USGBC. These nations together represent more than 50% of the global construction activity, and include more than eight thousand companies and organizations worldwide. Building Green" is now a genuine movement, an initiative that is increasingly being embraced by progressive and more than a few savvy home builders. In fact, as oil and natural gas prices have gone through the stratosphere in recent months, almost everyone in several parts of the world are dependent on fossil fuels for electricity or heat is probably wishing they had planned for green home a long time ago green building is now not only a personal and perennial cause of the socially conscious, but a smart economic move for everyone.

Advantages of Green Buildings

          Green buildings, then, have numerous advantages, both tangible and intangible. The benefits of building green include cost savings from reduced energy, water, and waste; lower operations and maintenance costs; and enhanced occupant productivity and health. If developers invest an extra two percent of a building's construction cost in the implementation of green building principles, the money will be paid back tenfold over the life of the structure. The aim of green (sustainable) building is to minimize the disturbance and improve the function of ecosystems during a building's construction and service life.

Operational Savings:

 Green buildings consume at least 40-50% less energy and 20-30 % less water vis-à-vis a conventional building. This comes at an incremental cost of about 5-8 %. The incremental cost gets paid back in 3-5 years time.

Daylights & Views:

Working in environment with access to daylight and views provides connection to the exterior environment. This has a soothing effect on the mind. Various studies prove that the productivity of people who have access to day lighting and views is at least 12-15 % higher.

Air Quality:

Green buildings are always fresh and healthy. Every green building will have to purge

Continuous fresh air to meet the ASHRAE 62 requirements. The green buildings use interior

materials with low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. A typical office building would require purging of fresh air of about 15 cfm/person which provides a fresh ambience inside the building.

The establishment of CII – Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad in 2001 provided an impetus to develop Green Building competence and capability in the country . The Centre’s building was the first Platinum rated green building under the LEED rating system, outside the USA. It was also the greenest building in the world at that point of time.

As more developers, owners, consultants, architects and vendors are participating in the nationwide green building movement, the movement is gathering rapid pace. The combined effort of individuals and organizations to move towards green buildings is having a remarkable effect. Efforts taken in this direction would help convert this growing movement to a national trend and establish India as one of the world leaders in green buildings and technologies.

So, the questiom is...what does one do after selling every single thing they own?

Well...they do this - 100 goals in 100 weeks.

R.O.O.

It was the same crowd that performed the James Bond themes back in April.

Again the concert was great and a real treat being a film nerd. Mainly for the kids I think, but enough to satisfy the older generation like myself being brought up on those films. I will say that there was a bit too much Star Wars music - yes I just did say that. It would have been good to hear other music from films like Aliens or Star Trek (James Horner). Although it was great to hear "The Imperial March" and 'Yoda's Theme', brought back a lot of childhood memories, of sneaking into mum and dad's bedroom and peeking at my Christmas presents. I will always remember seeing The Empire Strikes Back vinyl soundtrack in a John Menzies bag.

Actually I don't think I've told anyone that ... not even m&d.

The rules of the Arte y Pico award require me to similarly award five noteworthy blogs, meaning this award is more viral and link-building, which is only a good thing.

I am very pleased to pay the pico forward. The five blogs to which I am awarding the Arte y Pico award, for their wonderful support and genuine blogtastic spirit are, in no particular order;

1. Paul's World of Funky Stuff  
2. Language For You
3. Outside My Brain   
4. Impeccable Items of Intrest 
5. Ya-ttitude

The Rules thanks to arteypico.blogspot.com:

Rules:

1) You have to pick 5 blogs that you copnsider deserve this award, creativity, design, interesting material, and also contrubuites to the blogger community, no matter of language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award-winning, has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog thathas given her or him the ward itself.

4) Award-winning and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y pico"blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5) To show these rules.

They will vote to decide if the strict rules on so-called top level domain names, such as .com or .uk, can be relaxed.

The plans would allow firms to use their brands as web addresses while individuals could use their name.

Posted by Sunshine Coast Web Design

And, this camp is for NORMAL people.  Just saying.  *insane laugh*

Look at the one dude, rubbing his hands with glee as he surveys the food before him.

Collection of unforgettable advertisements from around the world.

]]> http://mdrealestate.wordpress.com/?p=176 Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:12:39 +0000 Patti Shawgo http://mdrealestate.wordpress.com/?p=176 If you just bought a house, or even are just thinking about it, it's important to have a will.  Suze Orman has a fantastic, simple Will & Trust kit.  All that you need to do is fill in the blanks and it will automatically put together a will and living trust for you.

The best thing?  You can get this Will kit for free.  I was watching the Suze Orman show the other night and she gave out a free code for her will kit. Just go to https://www.suzeormanwillandtrust.com/giftcode/  The code is People First.

The next day, or the same day, or whatever, we went to the blueberry festival.  We stayed for like a half hour, because it was so hot.  Around 100 degress Farenheit.  We then went back to Moose's house, and then we went swimming in a lake.  Despite only getting 3 hours of sleep, I seemed to do pretty well swimming.  Then we went back to Moose's house, and then the parents came to pick us up.

Overall, I really enjoyed the party, except that the dog kept trying to eat me.  I really look foreward to next year.  And you better invite Carrots, MOOSE!

ETA: Oh, I can't believe I forgot to put this.
BENJAMIN BARKER!!!!!!!11!1!1!!1!1!!1!!!!!!1111!!!!1!1!

to see more of their work ....

Հասնում ենք Եղեգնաձոր: Ճամփեզրին մարդիկ առևտուր են անում: Քանի որ մեծ ճանապարհ է, դրանով են անցնում Իրանից եկող-գնացող հսկայական բեռնատարները, եղեգնաձորցիք ինչ ասես վաճառում են, հաստատ առնող կգտնվի: Մեր կազմակերպության աշխատակիցներին էլ էնքան հաճախ են տեսնում, որ արդեն անգիր գիտեն բոլորին ու նաև՝ ով ինչ կառնի իրենցից: Իմ "ծանոթն" էնտեղ Գայանեն է: Մոտ 45-50 տարեկան փոքր-մոքր կին է, միշտ ժպտում է ու հենց մեր ավտոն տեսավ՝ վազում է բրդուճներ պատրաստելու: Հիշում է, թե երբ ես եկել վերջին անգամ, ում հետ էիր, ուր էիր գնում:

-Անցած անգամ որ եկար, դեռ ցուրտ էր, պեչկը չէինք հանել,-ու ցույց է տալիս իր բուդկայի խորքի անկյունը, ուր մի ժամանակ "պեչկն" էր:

Ու ամեն անգամ հետաքրքրվում է, թե ուր եմ գնում, որքան ժամանակով, ինչ գործով, ինչքան աշխատավարձ եմ ստանում, տնեցիները ոնց են և այլն: Մի ուրիշ իրավիճակում գուցե նյարդայնացնող լիներ այս ամենը, բայց դե օտար-ամայի ճամփեքին, երբ հեռախոսդ անջատված է, հարազատներդ՝ կիլոմետրերով հեռու, սական քեզնով հետաքրքրվող կա, լավ ես զգում:

Հասանք “Զանգեր”: Բայց սա արդեն` հաջորդ գրառումներում: ;)

So, one day I got this e-mail from one of the websites where I advertise my content writing services and I dutifully replied. What followed after that was something totally unbelievable to me!

I mean, I had dealt with a whole lot of racism when I was working in the call-centre – where with every third call I took, I was abused for being an Indian when the customers couldn’t take better care of their bank accounts. It was a tough struggle to keep the nationalistic fervor out of my voice and be professional. Finally, when the whole ‘You fu**ing Indians’ thing got to me, and the headphones on my head gave me ear problems, I just quit.

But hey! What gives?

I am reproducing the e-mails in sequence and with e-mail addresses etc., so just read on…

E-mail 1:

From: post@kijiji.in

Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2008 5:47 AM

To: madhavi@madhavighare.com
Subject: Reply to your "Freelance Website SEO Blog Content Writer in Pune, India" Ad on Kijiji

You've received the following reply to your "Freelance Website SEO Blog Content Writer in Pune, India" Ad on Kijiji: 
From: info@writewayuk.org

You can respond to info@writewayuk.org by replying to this email

Hi, 
Could you send me two examples of your work, including your fees. I have some articles that need writing on a regular basis. 

Regards 

Annie

E-mail 2:

From: madhavi@madhavighare.com

To: info@writewayuk.org

Subject: RE: Reply to your "Freelance Website SEO Blog Content Writer in Pune, India" Ad on Kijiji

Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:08:09 +0530

Hello Annie,
 
Thanks for writing to me.
 
You can download my portfolio (in PDF format) from my website www.madhavighare.com – just below the download links on the homepage, you will find a link that will take you to my Buzzle.Com page where you can find several examples of SEO articles that I have written for them.

I normally charge $10 per article (typically of 500 words).

Do let me know how this suits you and we can take this further.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Do write to me with your questions, comments or suggestions.

Thanks and Regards,

Madhavi Ghare

www.madhavighare.com
madhavi@madhavighare.com / madhavi.ghare@gmail.com

E-Mail 3:

From: info@pinksgreencleaningservice.co.uk [On Behalf Of Annie Trayhurn]

Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 7:27 PM

To: Madhavi Ghare
Subject: RE: Reply to your "Freelance Website SEO Blog Content Writer in Pune, India" Ad on Kijiji

Dear Madhavi
 

Thank you for your reply. I have looked at your examples of work, and because you write about Tarot, which is against my beliefs, I will not be using your services.
 

All the best
 

Annie


E-Mail 4:

Dear Annie,

You have a very interesting reason for not hiring my services! Most people just quibble about the price!

Well, to be honest with you, I don’t just write about Tarot, I also read the cards professionally and also teach them to students who I feel are worthy. And for your kind information, I am not a worshipper of any Christian “Devil” – I am a Hindu – look it up on Wikipedia (here is a link for your reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism )... and although I have some very Christian imagery on the Tarot cards, I don’t condemn any religion – I only condemn the bigotry spread with the onset of ‘organized religion’ (which is so similar sounding to ‘organized crime’) – and even in my own religion and some of its practices are shunned by me and others like me – but then Hinduism is pretty much all-encompassing and diverse thought processes and debates are welcomed in its practice. 

When the Tarot cards entered my life 3 years ago – my life was in a mess – I was 6 years into Drugs and had emotional issues emerging from my early childhood and adolescence. As I studied the cards – their imagery and their mythological links, the symbolism, the numbers, I was fascinated. But it was only when I began to ask the cards for guidance about my life, that I found out that they revealed nothing but the truth to me. As I meditated with these images, I came closer to my own inner self and was able to find a way and a place to let go of my past hurts and forgive the people in my life who had hurt me. I found a way to be independent in my mind and soul and began my freelance writing career – something which was inadvertently revealed to me by the cards – you see I had always written stories, but never thought of it as a career. And I am clean (drug free) for the past 2.5 years now – without any outside help. It was only purely inner work with the cards.

So today, I use the cards to help and guide people about the different aspects of life – so obviously ‘the future’ is one small part of it. The other major parts of it include counseling and helping people find their way out of the different patterns and cycles in their lives. I want to reach out and help people with the cards, in the same way that the cards helped me.

It’s unbelievable how people who think like you actually get by in the world of today – where boundaries and geography and belief systems are simply manipulated by the politicians and religious fanatics for their personal / political gains – and it is even more amazing how you end up reminding me of another person who thinks that his belief system is the best and he is willing to do almost anything to prove it – remember a certain person called Bin Laden? All the religious fanatics are the same – only their religious belief systems are different. Are you trying to tell me that you are like that?

I follow the path of forgiveness and healing through the use of images which stir my inner self. 

And I most certainly do not go about proselytizing my belief system to others – a crime which several religious ‘missionaries’ have always committed!
I don’t really think that what one believes in their personal life has any bearing to their professional life – I mean after your e-mail it should be me refusing to work for you!

I have not shared all this with you with an aim of ‘converting’ you – I am simply trying to tell you to re-think the way you deal with people on a professional level because each person has every right to believe in a system which works for them and if they are not imposing their thought processes on their work, neither should you. Yes, I have written articles on Tarot, but only when I was paid to do so. I have my own Tarot blog where I write what I want about the use of the cards. But these articles on Buzzle.Com were written professionally just like the articles on painting garage doors and kidney failure! And I was paid good money for writing them! They thought I was a good person to write these articles because I did my research well, and because I like to write on different subjects otherwise I get bored (yup – there was no ‘religious’ angle to it!).

So following my belief system – I will try my level best to forgive you. You know not what you say….

Thanks and Regards,

Madhavi Ghare 
www.madhavighare.com
madhavi@madhavighare.com / madhavi.ghare@gmail.com

Oh yes! People like this DO exist in this world!

How far has ‘civilization’ really come? Is this the world of today?

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Internet Monk contemplates the life of George Carlin who passed this last week.  I still think his "Seven Words You Can't Say On Television" was pure comic genius and classic.  Internet Monk says,

"What strikes me as continually ironic is that Carlin and other comedians have become the truth-tellers of our time, while Christians, especially in their official capacities as preachers, etc., have become the embodiment of truth avoidance and truth obscuration."

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Very cool idea called patio parties.  Who said loving your neighbor can't be fun. (ht)

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Out Of Ur repents?  Sorry, this is a lack of journalistic integrity.

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Josh on bringing spirituality back into the role of pastor, via Eugene Peterson.  Nice.

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This is an infectious song.  Thanks to the guy who doesn't blog anymore.