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Christmas in July - get in on the savings - Good Buys All the Time

onecrazyredhead — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:50:55 +0000

Can you believe that we will be celebrating the Christmas Holidays in 5 months ?? To really break it down - 150 days !! Laugh if you will, but it will be here before you know it. I, for one, have had my fill of standing in lines at the last minute - some people experience a sort of High at the realization of a bargain........

Let's face it - this is the age of the internet - online shopping is the wave of the future !!

Time is precious - last minute specials...bargains...markdowns will come and go till kingdom come......

Why fuss with the following frustrations:

Fighting for a parking space
Filling the gas tank at these astronomical prices
Finding the right size, color, brand name, style
Stand in line after line after line
Battle the crowds walking through the stores
Hauling around the shopping Bags

Shop from the comfort of your own home - enjoy a cup of chai tea or your favorite beverage and catch all the bargains, sales + savings with the click of a mouse and a smile on your face because you've also saved yourself from NOT having to do all of the above !!!!

Which leads me to a perfect seqway - an invitation to my eBay Store - Good Buys All The Time

I have a menagerie of items:

All of these items are in MINT Condition - if you have a family member, close friend, or co-worker that collects VINTAGE items, my store offers you one-stop shopping and TOP-NOTCH Customer Service !!

I pack each item with Tender Loving Care and ship within 24 hours of purchase - In many cases I will ship SAME DAY

You are welcome to check my feedback - Customer Satisfaction is my #1 Priority

Shop @ GOOD BUYS ALL THE TIME operated by onecrazyredhead - you'll be glad you did !!

Start your Christmas Shopping Early - save time - stay home + shop online

Progress of Quilt Gestation

mygirlthursday — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:38:28 +0000

Strange title. It told me it had to be that way.

I posted photos of red prints of one of my recent illustrations. As I had mentioned, I've incorporated it into a red and whilte quilt that I'm building.

Now I have the entire quilt top (measuring 95 by 85 inches) pieces and ready to go. I have a beautiful backing fabric for it, but I'm on the hunt for the balogne part. It'll come, I'm on my way to visit my local Sally Ann.

Anywho, here's a sneek peek..

Countdown

kinsley — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:40:27 +0000

February 25! That's when we're expecting to get to meet you. Of course, I guess you'll come on out when you're good and ready.

We actually got to see you today. We were trying to listen to your heartbeat, but the nurses couldn't seem to find it. However, Dr. McKenzie came in and did a sonogram and we actually saw you. Here's what you look like right now:

Evidently you're about the size of a grape. That's so small. But today we saw your little head (that's it on the lower part of you), and your little arm buds (like a sea monkey) and your heart beating. It was so fast. And if you're the size of a grape I can't imagine how small that heart of your's is.

So, now we have some way to measure how you're coming along and to begin to know what we have in store. This is awesome! You're awesome!!

And, of course, we got to finally tell everyone about you. People are so pumped. More people were interested than I really thought would be, and I've been showing your picture around all day. It's been great. If this is how they respond to just hearing about you, I can't began to imagine how they'll respond once you actually get here. We can't wait.

I love you, Baby.

your dad

Figs

Robin and Jason — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:46:07 +0000

At week 11, the baby is the size of a fig. About 1 1/2 inches long.

This is what a fig looks like:

Jason prefers this kind of fig:

Obama's Draws More than 200,000 in Berlin

Bonney Kapp — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:47:07 +0000

The estimates for Obama's Berlin speech ranged from the tens of thousands to 1,000,000. Today the candidate said he doubted he'd get a million and laughed at the idea of 500,000, but he did draw an impressive 200,000 - the biggest campaign event of his political career.

The enormous crowd, many waving American flags, stretched down the street leading from Victory Column in Tiergarten Park, all the way to the Brandenburg Gate that was once a point of entry between East and West Berlin.

The campaign was clear that this was not a political rally. As Obama described it, "The people in the crowd aren't voters, so in that sense it’s not designed to get them to the polls…Hopefully it will be viewed as a substantive articulation of the relationship I'd like to see between the US and Europe.  ..I'm hoping to communicate across the Atlantic about the relationship and how we can build on it. ”

Previously, the candidate's largest rally was in Portland, Oregon, where more than 70,000 showed up to hear the Illinois senator.

Oris Watches - A Review Of The BC3

fashionteen — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:00:02 +0000

Oris watches are very affordable, beautiful Swiss watches. They feature mechanical movements - some with automatic winding - with a trademark red rotating red rotor. The range of Big Crown watches is a particular favorite of mine and, while I was initially drawn to the Big Crown with Pointer Date collection, I've now shifted to the more modern styling of the BC3 collection.

I had my heart set on the Big Crown with Pointer Date. I wanted a large watch with a black face and black leather strap and this Oris watch seemed to fit the bill, in terms of price and design. There is a choice of case size but, to my mind, the large crown is best complemented by a large case. I liked the largest case in the collection - 40mm model reference. Oris is well known for its pointer date watches and I really liked the red-tipped horseshoe shaped pointer. I loved the simple Arabic numerals at each hour mark and the day numbers on the outer rim.

However, there is one feature I don't like, and that is the hour and minute arms. They seem slightly too ornate. By this I mean, the minute hand has straight sides that taper out slightly before forming a wedge at the top; this wedge is then topped with a slim needle-like pointer. The hour hand is smaller and features straight, slightly outwardly tapered sides that then change into an oval shape that is topped with another needle-like pointer. The overall look of the watch is very nice but I just would prefer simpler hands.

This brings me to the Oris BC3 - the 3 stands for third generation of pilot's watches. This collection is unequivocally modern in design. There are currently two models in the collection; each comes with a matt stainless steel casing, black dial and either a black rubber strap or stainless steel bracelet. Both models come with a day aperture at the 12 o'clock position and a date aperture at the 6 o'clock position.

There are two sizes of case; 40 or 42mm. The shape of the casing is the same for both, with a slightly raised though flat bezel - the Pointer Date watch comes with a fluted bezel. I really like the simpler lines of the case and bezel of the BC3. The simplicity of design is carried through on to the dial. Both the hour and minute arms are the same in design - with the hour being shorter. They are simple straight, thickish and end in 'long' wedges.

The design of the dial differs slightly on the two models. While both have Arabic numerals at each hour, one watch has a small luminescent dot above the numeral (with two above the 12), whereas the other, features dashes (rectangles) above the numerals with two appearing above the 12. My preference is for the dashes, as they better complement the straight, plain arms and general smooth-edge design of the watch.

If you're a lover of big crown, big watches then the big crown collections of Oris watches will certainly appeal. The Big Crown with Pointer Date will be for those who like a more traditionally style of watch but for those like me who want a more contemporary looking watch the Oris BC3 will be the first choice.

Top Ten

dancemeasong — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:43:48 +0000

Well, today's the big day. In just a few hours, I'll be on the table for abdominal myomectomy surgery. While I'm really not thrilled about:

having a big cut in my up-until-now surgery-free, nature-given body (I don't even have my ears pierced!)
possible scarring and internal adhesions from having my uterus messed with :(
being exposed to the risks of general anesthesia :|

...there are still a number of reasons why I'm looking forward to it:

10. Closing out this whole episode and moving on with my life

9. Getting closure from the pathology report

8. No more throbbing heartbeats in my belly

7. Not feeling this fibroid slosh around my insides when I change positions while lying in bed

6. No more occasional burning sensations in my upper right thigh when the fibroid moves, which is frankly a little scary (I think, or hope, it's just from a sudden rush of blood through the vessels in that area)

5. Reclaiming my once super-strong bladder control

4. Being able to fasten that top button on my regular pants and no longer having to push the front waistband down below the fibroid

3. No longer seeing and feeling this half-cantaloupe protruding strangely from my abdomen

2. Finding out its latest dimensions

1. Seeing what this thing that's been growing inside me actually looks like!!!

A multi-species coccolith volume response to an anthropogenically-modified ocean

gattuso — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:04:59 +0000

Major questions surround the species-specific nature of coccolithophore calcification in response to rising atmospheric CO2 levels. Here we present CaCO3 particle volume distribution data from the coccolith size-fraction of a rapidly accumulating North Atlantic sediment core. These data appear to indicate that coccoliths produced by the larger coccolithophore species present at this location increase in mass in parallel with anthropogenic CO2 release. This finding has significant implications for the realistic representation of an assemblage-wide coccolithophore CO2-calcification response in numerical models.

Halloran P. R., Hall I. R., Colmero-Hidalgo E. & Rickaby R. E. M., 2008. A multi-species coccolith volume response to an anthropogenically-modified ocean. Biogeosciences Discussions 5:2923–2930. Article.

My kids' weights

justanotherjen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:44:18 +0000

So, I'm sure I'll mention it a few times on this blog eventually. I have 4 kids. My oldest just turned 8 a month ago and she is the skinniest kid I have ever seen. Which I find hilarious considering I am almost 250lbs and have been overweight most of my life, as is my dad, and his mom before him...it's in our genes, so to speak.

So, always concerned with her weight and lack of eating the healthy food I cook for her, I got her on the scale along with her siblings to do a weight check.

She is 8 years, 1 month old and 40.6lbs. Yes, my 8yo weighs 40lbs and has since last October. She was 38lbs when she started the school year last September but I think they caught her on a light day.

She's the smallest kid in her class (going into 3rd). All the other kids tower over her. She is only 47.5" tall. She wears a size 6slim and if they don't have an adjustable waist they will fall off of her.

Anyway, I weighed the other kids to see where they were at. My son is 6 1/2 (he'll be 7 in October) and he weighs 56lbs and is 4'2" tall (well, almost that tall). He's been heavier then his older sister since he was like 8 months old (when he hit 20lbs). He's been taller then her for a few years now.

Brenna, my 5 1/2 yo (6 in November) was 43lbs. She is 2 1/2" shorter then her sister but now weighs 3lbs more then her. The two have been the same weight for the last 2 years. But Brenna is steadily gaining on Meagan in height. Just 2 years ago Meagan was 6" taller then Brenna. Now there is less then 3 inches between them. Uh-oh. They already wear the same size summer clothes and mostly fit into the same winter clothes, although Brenna could never fit comfortably into a slim of any size. She can wear a 6 or a 7 (with the hem rolled up). Meagan couldn't fit into a 7 if her life depended on it, even a 7slim would be gigantic on her.

Then there's my 2yo. She's obviously the smallest since she is so much younger then the other kids but she is quickly catching up to Meagan, too. She's 35" tall (10" shorter then Brenna) and weighs 26lbs. Perfectly average for a 2yo. In fact she wears mostly 3T clothes now and her 2T pants are too short on her. The clothes she is wearing now are the same stuff Meagan wore at 3.

My kids just amaze me. I am constantly shocked at how different they all are considering they have the same parents. And their weight really fascinates me since I've always been overweight. They must get their skinny genes from my husband, lol.

So in recap from heaviest to lightest:

Owen, 56lbs, almost 7 years old
Brenna, 43lbs, almost 6 years old
Meagan, 40lbs, 8 years old
Nora, 26lbs, 2 years old

Cómo construir un Silicon Valley en Europa

Felix Serrano — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:56:09 +0000

El Pais del domingo, sección economía, publica este interesante artículo "Cómo construir un Silicon Valley en Europa", firmado por Esko Aho (presidente de SITRA)y varios miembros más del Consejo de Innovación Ciencia/Empresa.

El artículo critica abiertamente "la política de reyes magos vigente, que otorga ayudas a la innovación y la I+D de forma muy dispersa, para regiones grandes y pequeñas, brillantes y hermosas. La UE cuenta con 20.000 clústeres, y aplica hasta 70 políticas de clústeres nacionales diferentes, entre 27 estados miembros, además de cientos de programas regionales, todos ellos trabajando para intereses cruzados".

Transcribo aquí las propuestas que hace para corregir esta situación:

Construir sobre los puntos fuertes ya existentes. Los clústeres no se pueden sembrar sobre terreno baldío, allí donde a un político le parezca oportuno. Solo se puede cultivar en los lugares que ya están creciendo y podrían florecer.
Concentrar los recursos en hacer unas cuantas cosas realmente bien. No dispersar el dinero. Escoger sólo algunas de las regiones y sectores más prometedores a la hora de prestarles apoyo.
Ser abiertos. Alentar a las personas con talento, se hallen en la región del mundo en que se hallen, a que trabajen en los clústeres de Europa. Promover la abierta competencia entre universidades, empresas y regiones en la consecución de la financiación. Promover que las personas, las ideas, las disciplinas científicas y los sectores industriales crucen las fronteras.
Realizar estudios comparativos, supervisar y ser transparentes. Basar la financiación y la política regulatoria no en el choque de intereses políticos, sino en el análisis empírico de lo que funciona y lo que no. Acabar con todo apoyo que no impulse a un clúster a un nivel de competitividad que le sitúe entre los mejores del mundo.

Éstos son los principios generales, pero también tenemos una idea práctica a la que denominamos SIZE: Special Innovation Zones in Europe (Zonas de Innovación Especial en Europa).

El resto del artículo abunda en los argumentos que refuerzan la teoría de que es necesario concentrar el apoyo en unas pocas zonas para poder competir eficazmente en I+D con USA o China.

Aunque es bastante fácil estar de acuerdo con éstos argumentos, clásicos ya del posicionamiento de los países nórdicos y especialmente Finlandia, por otra parte se puede argumentar en contra que este tipo de políticas favorecerán claramente los países y regiones más adelantado, ahondando la brecha entre éstos y los otros que, como el nuestro, vamos en el pelotón de cola en los asuntos de I+D.

En todo caso coincido plenamente en afirmar que es un error querer crear de forma artificial zonas o polos tecnológicas donde no hay nada de nada, sólo por intereses meramente políticos o de compensación, confundiendo el verdadero fin de las ayudas y programas, que es de crear ventajas competitivas a escala global, en dádivas o limosnas para regiones desfavorecidas o simplemente afines.

Ed Hardy Bikini

edhardybikini — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:53:21 +0000

The sun, the sand and an Ed Hardy Bikini- all you need when celebrating the summer! The hot new collection from the legendary designer Christian Audigier with the inspired tattoo designs of Don Ed Hardy is gracing all the hot bodies at the beach this summer, so join in on the fun! The Ed Hardy Bikini is a great and stylish way to show off that smoking body you spent all winter and spring working to perfect!

Ed Hardy Bikinis has been worn by celebrities like Britney Spears and Christina Millian, but the popularity is building. The brand has overall been promoted by such stars as Madonna, Fergie, Diddy and Paris Hilton. With locations in New York, Paris, Australia, Africa and even Delhi, India, it's no wonder the name has grown to become an international empire.

Wear an Ed Hardy Bikini with a pair of Ed Hardy Sunglasses and you'll be sure to turn heads. The audacious designs and intricate detail, Ed Hardy Swimwear is the only way to show your hot bod all over the beach, and snag some guys along the way!

Chapter 2 - Rejecting Fantasies

dieterrachel — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:08:02 +0000

Ok, I have to admit it - I love dieting fantasies.

My entire life,

I day dreamed...I wished...I prayed - I even tried meditating for a dieting miracle. I tried every fad diet - the Cabbage Diet, starvation, the grapefruit diet, I even feasted on diet coke and rice cakes. Sure, all these things worked...temporarily! I lost weight but gained it back and then some!

Then, I came across The F.A.T. Balance Diet Book. You know how much I adored Chapter 1. But wait, Chapter 2 really hit home with me!!! It's all about rejecting diet fantasies. And check this out...the chapter is about a person named RACHEL! OMG! It was like Divine Intervention speaking out to me and giving me a HUGE reality check!

First I saw myself in the pages of this chapter. The author really understands what I face when it comes to searching out that quick dieting fix. He clearly explains what I have been needing to hear - what weight loss reality is all about. No more delusions, gimmicks and fads that don't work! There is easy, fun to read and sound advice in this book. Where has it been all my life?

Hey, you know what??? This book is really going to save me money! I just realized that with every gimmick and fad that I tried, I dumped truck loads of money into the diet industry, then purchased new clothes to fit my new svelte size, then gained the weight back again only to go out and buy MORE clothes to fit my now much bigger size. Each time I gained the weight back, I added even more pounds on! UGH! I couldn't even fit into my old "fat" clothes. What a vicious cycle!

Thank you F.A.T. Balance Diet for your sound advice! The best part about the advice, is that it was written just for me! This is the first book I have read that I can actually identify with. There is no lecturing going on here. The author knows what my struggles are and the best way to face them!

I can't wait to get to Chapter 3! I feel so amazing about this change in my life!

Thank you F.A.T. Balance Diet!!!!

Just in case you want to read the book along with me, you can purchase it at Amazon.com - here's the link http://www.amazon.com/FAT-Balance-Diet-Weight-Freedom/dp/0976899833/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216655978&sr=8-1

Also any local book store can get it for you but I know that Barnes and Noble carries it - I've seen it there!

Rachel!

Anxious Mother

dancemeasong — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:30:05 +0000

My parents arrived last night for a ~2-week visit. It originally was going to be a 5-day visit, but they moved their arrival date up once this whole myomectomy surgery plan materialized. It's very nice of them to help me out during my initial post-op days, but I've been doubting whether telling my over-anxious mom about this surgery in advance was a good idea. (Then again, the alternative would have been to drop the news on her upon arrival. "Sorry, I just got out of the hospital for surgery a couple days ago, and can't drive. Actually, I won't be able to do much of anything with you while you're here. Can you guys take a cab from the airport to my place? No, calm down, I'm TOTALLY FINE, just please take a cab.")

When I folded up the shoji screen in the living room and lifted it up to move it out of the way to another room, my mother exclaimed, "Don't lift that! Don't hurt yourself! You're going to have surgery soon!" Um, Mom, first, the physical activity restrictions apply AFTER you have the surgery. Second, this thing weighs THREE POUNDS. "But my concerns are fully justified. After all, you have a medical problem." :|

I later learned she had her annual gynecological exam the day before she flew here. She took the opportunity to ask the doctor tons of questions about my situation. When the doctor asked her how big my fibroid was, he then proceeded to estimate that size with his hands, at which point my mom couldn't take it and said, "No, actually I think I remembered the dimensions wrong." Of course, she had remembered them just fine; she told me she just couldn't face the reality of seeing how "huge" it was and had been blocking it out up to that point. So I proceeded to cite cases of football- and basketball-sized fibroids and emphasized that mine is not even close to being huge.

Of course, while out and about with my parents today, I had to be careful to keep my mouth clamped shut and not verbalize my thoughts about:

the discomfort and pain in my abdomen that was making me want to go back home
and all the different fruits and melons we were looking at in the grocery store

Get in Shape, Fashionably – Every Woman’s Dream Come True!

fitnchic — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:59:38 +0000

FitnChic.com has been launched with the intention of sharing incredible ideas on getting in shape without losing focus on style for women of all ages. It has very interesting articles on fitness and fashion to provide something new to the novice as well as the fashion forward.

There articles, which are to the point and offer useful insights, are arranged under various categories like Diet, Exercise, Skin Care, Hair Care, Nail Care, Wardrobe, Accessories and Makeup.

There are also sections where readers can start a discussion, share tips & tricks and provide product reviews. Readers can also share their success stories and get famous!

All the articles are based on the personal experience of the author who, after a lot of struggle with weight and self-image related issues, has successfully managed to get back in shape while staying healthy and fashionable. In the process she has learnt what’s good for the body and how style can be achieved without compromising personal health and well being. She hopes to share her secrets with all the women and motivate them enough to take care of their health and looks. She is confident the results will be fantastic! The goal is to make every woman feel special!

The articles have been written in a very friendly tone with good humor to make each one an interesting read. Here are the links to two articles from the many available at the website:

Exercising - When's the right time?

Dress Size - just another number