Its Raining McCain!

This is so bad its good. The other candidates have women singing for them and uploading videos to YouTube, so its only right that McCain would have his very own McCain Girls! I admit, this is one of the weirdest videos I've ever seen, but its also hilarious. Don't you love these girls? And don't they love McCain?

Ah man, now that song is stuck in my head .....

Discount Shopping with Online Coupon Codes

I love online shopping. Honestly, I'm just not that much of a shopper. I know women who would spend their entire days at the mall and call that a good time. That's not me. I go when I have to and do as little shopping around as I can. Its just not my thing. That's why I like online shopping. I can find what I need with just a few clicks. I can contrast and compare products without having to spend all day doing it. I generally come away feeling like I got a good deal instead of wondering if I had just gone to one more store I might have gotten it cheaper.

I really like the online discount stores that offer coupon codes. Wow, what good deals you can get at those online shops! One such site is 1-coupons.com. They have a huge variety of store and literally thousands of coupon codes, promotional deals, bargain specials and promotion code offers so that you can get the best deals from the best stores you probably already patronize.

1-coupons is a one-stop-shop for a wide variety of item from the best stores out there. You can get discount prices on digital cameras as well as fine quality stunning necklace for your girlfriend, wife or maybe yourself! You can get discounts and coupon codes on flowers to send to a sick friend and pick up some supplies you need for your dog all at the same place and at the same time.

Its easy, quick and you save money. It doesn't get much better than that!

Queen Eliziabeth II Loves Wii

I know this happened over the holidays, but I think its a hoot. Prince William got a Wii over the holidays and was having a blast with it. That is, until his grandmother started hogging the system. His grandmother being none other than the Queen, of course.

Apparently she is a natural at Wii Sports Bowling. The Queen has become a bit of a technophile in recent years. Now she’s added the Wii to her list of must-have gadgets.






source

Make Sure your Identity is Secure

I was surfing around the internet and ran across the website for lifelock. I have read a good bit about that company before. Apparently, they have been a successful upstart internet company that is very good at protecting the online identity of their customers. When I opened up their website, the first thing I saw was a picture of the CEO, Todd Davis, and his Social Security number. The SSN was HUGE and immediately below it is a statement that it is, indeed, his real Social Security Number. I would be tempted not to believe that had I not read about the company before on some very reputable websites. Since I've read that this is a reliable company I was definitely impressed when I saw that number sitting there at the top of the page. You can read more about them at lifelockblog.

What LifeLock does is protect your good name. They protect your online identity. We've all heard the horror stories of people who have had their credit card or social security numbers stolen. Its horrible. LifeLock helps you have more control over where, when, how and by whom that information is used. That take care of the nitty-gritty details to make sure that your rights to your own identity are protected. Those technical details are what keeps me from doing a lot of things for myself. Its time consuming and I just don't have the technical know-how to do it. They only charge $10 a month and back up their work with a $1,000,000 service guarantee. So why get a headache trying to re-invent the wheel when there are already well respected experts out there that charge so little to do it for you?

I don't want to write that I've never had an identity thief problem because I don't want to jinx it. I have known people who have and I know enough to know that I don't want to have to deal with that. I think checking in with LifeLock is definitely a good idea. Even better, right now they are offering a lifelock promotion code so you can get the service at a very reasonable price.

Bandelier National Monuement

While we were in New Mexico this week, my Beloved Curmudgeon and I decided to go see Bandelier National Monument.

I think it was the word 'Monument' that threw me off. I was expecting a 'monument'. A statue or something like that to look at.

Also, in my defense, I will say that it was a spur of the moment decision to go and since it was a 'monument' I didn't think to change clothes or shoes before we went.

Up until that day, actually up until the moment we set off on this adventure, the weather in New Mexico had been great. No problems. It was something like 89 degrees, but felt like 70 degrees. To a Southerner who is used to 90% humidity it felt cool.

However, once we took off into the wilderness (and I do mean wilderness) to find the Bandelier National Monument, the clouds turned dark and there was suddenly a cold (and I do mean COLD) rain. Pouring rain.

The temperature dropped to 50 degrees in what seemed like minutes. There was hail and sleet and the biggest drops of rain I have ever seen in my life.

Being from the South, as soon as the hail started hitting the car I thought, 'TORNADO'! If you are familiar at all with the New Mexico landscape, you might can imagine how this little Southern heart sank when I looked around for shelter from the tornado that in my mind was certainly in the vicinity.

There was nothing. NOTHING! As far as the eye could see. And the eye can see a very long distance in that area.

When we got to the park and were coughing up the entrance fee, I asked the Park Ranger about tornadoes. She said they don't have tornadoes there. Much to my Beloved Curmudgeon's amusement, I unthinkingly responded, 'But it's hailing'. She looked out of her little building and then looked at me and said flatly, 'yes it is'. Period.

Okay, they don't have tornadoes there.

We proceeded into the park and towards what I thought would be a 'monument'. I think the winding, very high road would have been spectacular had we been able to see the view. But it was pouring so hard and the sound of the hail pelting the car was so loud all I could think about was not running off the road.

As a little aside here. If I ever get nervous about running off the edge of one of those really high windy roads around here My Beloved Curmudgeon always reassures me by telling me that the forest is so thick the trees would catch you before you got very far down.

There are very few trees on the Northern New Mexico mountains. There is nothing between you and the very steep, very far drop off just beside the road and shoulder of very loose dirt. I did think of that a time or two during this trek over the mountain.

On to Bandelier.

When we winded around enough we finally got to the visitors center. We sat in the car and looked at it. There were signs that we could see through the rain about the start of a hiking trail.

Hiking trail!!!!I like hiking trails, but not in heels. [see 2nd & 3rd paragraph] And not when it's pouring freezing huge pelts of rain when I am dressed in summer slacks and a flimsy, sheer shirt covering a thin shell top.

So we sat there.Beloved Curmudgeon was beginning to live up to his moniker, the curmudgeon part. I was thinking we drove all this way, paid to get in and now we are going to sit in the car and look at a building through the rain. I was getting a little not so nice myself, hard to believe I know.

I determined that I would buy a sweatshirt if they sold them in the gift shop and suffer with cold feet. I accepted my heels would be ruined. So we went in.

They did have sweatshirts (at $50 each). We browsed around the gift shop a little and as we were getting ready to leave the rain stopped and the sun came out! I put the $50 sweatshirt back on the shelf.

There was a couple standing under a shelter just outside the gift shop. They were supervising a group of about 15 pre-teens who seemed to be on some sort of school outing.

At the very moment I opened the door of the gift shop, the man of the couple firmly chastised the youth group by saying, 'Settle down, y'all are acting like a bunch of wild Indians.' Actually, I think he said 'you guys' instead of 'y'all'. He had a distinct mid-western accent.

The two 20-something young women behind the gift shop counter looked up, the man looked chagrined and I stifled laughter.

Neither of the 20-something young women looked wild in the least, but they were certainly Indian.

A good thing about New Mexico is that when it quits raining, it really quits. It almost instantaneously dried up. It was like it hadn't been raining at all and there was no lingering humidity. It literally immediately cleared up and dried out.

We sat out on the trail. High heels and all.

I commented to my Beloved Curmudgeon that it was very thoughtful of these pre-historic Indians to set out such nice, easy to walk on trails for us. Not only that, but periodically there were adobe/cement benches for us to sit on. Beloved Curmudgeon just condescendingly said, 'uh huh.' He doesn't think I'm nearly as funny as I think I am!

When we got to the top of the highest point the path would go, I just had to climb up one of the ladders into one of the caves in which the Anasazi people lived.

One doesn't drive that far, braving the elements, then hike that far and climb that high in heels and not take the next step of climbing into one of the caves.

So I kicked off my heels and climbed the ladder in my stocking feet. I crawled around inside the cave and explored as far as I could.

When I was leaving and approached the opening of the cave, the massive mountains across the valley came into view. They were very high and I suddenly realized I could see the top of them from my crouched position inside the cave.

I had one thought in my head. '!!!!!!!!!!'. That was it. '!!!!!!!!!!', I thought.

It's one thing to get up there; it's a whole other thing to get DOWN.

I went to the opening of the cave and looked down at the hiking trail. There wasn't a soul in sight. Most notably, my Beloved Curmudgeon was not in sight.

As aggravated as I get with him from time to time. At times like this I really want him to be there. So I carefully scooted closer to the edge until I was close enough to look straight down. One has to look straight down to see the very vertical ladder one had just climbed up (like the fool one is at times).

I had a momentary lapse of reason and hoped he'd be standing at the bottom of the ladder waiting to help me down. He wasn't. No one was there. Just that very vertical hand made wooden ladder.

Again, my only thought was,'!!!!!!!!!!!!'.

I've lived long enough and gotten into enough jams to know that it's best not to give this sort of thing too much thought. Thinking about it only exacerbates any feelings of panic and panic exacerbates the difficulty of the situation.

So without thinking anything else, I flipped around and felt with my toes for the ladder. Looking back I should have taken my trouser socks off - but never the less, I got down fine and jogged down the trail to find Beloved Curmudgeon. He was waiting for me on one of those convenient adobe/cement benches by the trail.

The Bandelier National Monument really is a fabulous site to see.The fact that this cave dwelling pueblo was built between the 1100s - 1400s makes it even more remarkable.

If you ever get the chance I highly recommend it, just don't wear high heels.

Its Time to Get Our Summer Bodies Back!

Its starting to get warm outside and its time to open our pool. You know what that means ... that means its time to get serious about shedding those winter pounds! If you are like me, you might needs a little help with that. Fortunately, there IS help out there.

I was browsing the internet and found some great resources for help with getting back into bathing suit shape. Actually, regardless of how much weight you have to lose you can find help at Weight Loss Diet Help. The website gives you a good overview of different diet plans and weight loss programs. You can get a good idea of what weight loss programs such as Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, eDiets and others have to offer. They also have plenty of coupons you can use to get great online discounts for those programs. For instance, you can order nutritionally balanced and clinically proven foods including soups, shakes, bars, puddings and drinks from Medifast using coupons you will find on their website.

Weight Loss Diet Help provides some really good articles on health and diet related issues. For instance, I found an article there on For Losing Weight, Little Things Can Add Up Big. I tend to think I have to do everything at once rather than taking little steps in the right direction. The articles focus on practical tips for healthy diet, fitness and nutrition. Its very helpful to get reinforcement and to be reminded that the important thing is to stay fit in a healthy manner.

LOST Promotional Video: The Shape of Things to Come

I love these promos - I guess you could tell if you come here at all. This is for The Shape of Things to Come. I. Can't. Wait.

Here's the write up.

"The Shape of Things to Come" is the ninth episode of the American Broadcasting Company's fourth season of Lost and seventy-eighth episode overall. It will air on April 24, 2008 on ABC in the United States and on CTV in Canada.[1] The episode was written by co-executive producer Drew Goddard in mid-February 2008 and filmed in mid-March.

Goddard said that writing the episode was "maybe my favorite thing I've done on Lost, and I've been lucky with all the episodes I've gotten so far."[2] Karl (played by Blake Bashoff) is shot dead at the end of the previous episode and Bashoff has confirmed that if Karl's corpse is seen in "The Shape of Things to Come", it will not be played by him.

You Crack Me Up!

One oyster said to the other, 'Knock, knock'. 'Who's there?' asked the other oyster, knowing his friend is prone to telling really stupid jokes. 'Oyster Beware', he replied. The other oyster rolled his eyes and replied, 'Okay. Oyster Beware who?'. 'That's it', said the first oyster. 'You should always be Oyster aware when you crack open an oyster'. Ha. Ha (not!).

Gulf oysters are delicious but you must remember to be cautious. If you have a medical condition you need to know the risks associated with eating raw oysters. You can eat those savory oysters just remember to eat them steamed, grilled, fried even boiled. When they are properly prepared there is no problem at all. Oysters are a great source of all those wonderful nutrients your body needs, so become aware of the risks and keep on eating.

Senior Communities LOVE Wii

I admit that I like to play Nintendo, Xbox or Playstation. When my kids were home and played I got hooked on playing with them and still like to play. I like the Bond-type games. I can slap do the bad guys in. I don't have a Wii, but have seriously been thinking about getting one. I haven't because my kids aren't home and I can't use them as an excuse anymore. I just really have not met many women my age who like to play those games!!

All that to say, this story made me feel a lot better. No, I'm not a 'senior' and I'm not a kid either. Still, if these senior communities are getting into Wii then why can't a whippersnapper like me get one and play! That works for me!



According to MyWiiNews these are all the rage in senior-living communities. The benefits are pretty obvious. It gets people up and active both physically and mentally. It also tends to draw the kids around. So when grandpa heats up the ol' Wii, he's likely to have the grandkids coming around to challenge him to a game. Those are all good things for both the young and the old.

Okay, now I'm talking myself into it!

Designer Formal Dresses at Discount Prices

Spring is coming and that means proms, graduations, weddings, charity events, the theater and other special events that we associate with that time of year. That means its time to be looking for formal dresses for those special occasions. Fortunately, there's a boutique online from which you can get authentic designer clothing at great prices.

You can find a flattering gown for whatever the occasion. If you need a tea length, street length or flowing formal gown you can find it at Elegant Mart. Their inventory is distinctive for its variety of styles. There is sure to be something that will be flattering on you. They boast original designer gowns of all types.

I've got several weddings to attend and have been looking at the selection at Elegant Mart. It is fabulous. The gowns are beautiful and the detailed embellishments are stunning. No one will ever suspect that you paid so little to look so great!

If you have some special occasions and want to make a tastefully elegant impression, you won't be able to do better than Elegant Mart. Give a try and see what you think.

There are Haunted Houses on Ponce de Leon Avenue

Well, I suppose I'm fixing to tell my age, but I guess since I've written about my grown children on this blog its pretty obvious that I've gotten past 30 now. Just a little over.

The thing is I've been doing some computer work this evening. While I've been sitting here at the computer the television has been on. There was the movie The Doors, which I've seen several times but still like. Right after that there was a documentary about Janis Joplin. I've seen that before too, but watched it again anyway while I was working on the computer.

I don't know why, but something about that made me think of the haunted houses on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Isn't that strange? I've seen the shows before and never thought about Ponce de Leon in connection with them. There was something about Janis Joplin AND Jim Morrison that made me think of those houses. I haven't thought of them in years and all of the sudden I found myself looking up the houses on the computer to see if they had been fixed up or torn down or who knows what. It IS Atlanta after all so there's no telling if something that is there today will still be there tomorrow.

You probably are wondering what any of those things has to do with the other. Well, you see, I grew up in Little Five Points in Atlanta during some turbulent years. I've been back there a few times since I've left and the neighborhood isn't even recognizable to me now. Its turned into a haven for upwardly mobile, free minded, inner city professional types. It wasn't like that when I lived there. Back then, it was an area in transition (how's that for a nice way to put it! lol). The homes were beautiful and at one time had been grand, but it went through a period of .... like I said ... transition. Now the homes have been restored and rebuilt. The shops are open again selling all sorts of new age mystic gobbly gook. You can buy whatever organic foods you want and crystals and candles to ward away any evil spirits that might come your way. Its very che-che these days. Or at least was the last time I was there.

But back when it was an adventure of an entirely different sort. Tonight the music of The Doors and Janis Joplin took me back, in my mind's eye, to what us teenaged kids thought were haunted houses on Ponce de Leon Avenue.

There was a row of grand homes along one stretch of Ponce de Leon Avenue. We called them mansions. They had once been the homes of the well - to - do, but during those years they were abandoned. I don't know why. One of the adventures we had as teenagers was to drive up the long driveways to those houses and gather up our nerve to go into and explore through them. There were all sorts of nooks and crannies. I remember one chair sat in the middle of a large front room in one of the houses. The story was that the previous owner of the home sat in that chair guarding the houses from kids like us who trespassed just for the fun of it. That was creepy. Of course there were the requisite rats nests in corners, garbage strewn around, leaves blown in, spider webs and creaking doors.

Moonies had taken over one of the houses. We walked in on them one day. The house was kept up better than the others, but we didn't know the moonies had moved in. They invited us in, of course, and offered us food they had fed their gods who had regurgitated it back up so that it was pure and blessed and ready to eat. I passed on that. They gave us some sort of moonie blessing and we left. We bypassed that house in our adventures after that.

I see on the internet that the old houses have been renovated for the most part. It looks like they've been subdivided into apartments. I'm sure that property is much too valuable to leave uninhabited as it was in those few years.

You know how a smell or a song will remind you of a place and time? I think that's what happened. I'm betting that at some point in our travels throughout Atlanta in my ever present Volkswagon bug full of my ever present teenaged friends we were listening to those songs on the radio while we dared each other to go into those houses and scared each other with spooky stories and strange sounds. And so, Take Another Little Piece of My Heart suddenly transported me back to the memory of places and times from my distant past.

Jobs for Seniors

Retirement is not the end of your career. Think about it twice, before you say that "I am done"! After retirement also you may need a job to support your lifestyle and live a happy life. A second career may help you to live a happy life, even after retirement. So, think about retirement job, after your retirement.

But, a job after retirement? Can I find a job that suits my lifestyle? Yes, after your retirement, you just can't take any job. You need a job that suits both your needs and your lifestyle. So, you must take the help of proper services. SeniorCareerSource is one of such services that helps 'seniors' in starting a second career. They are specialized in senior jobs.

SeniorCareerSource is a leading recruitment and placement firm serving New England since 2003. They offers free resource for job seekers and their service is supported by employers who advertise available positions where experience, dependability and integrity are valued. So, it insures that you will get the right job that suits your needs.

Visit SeniorCareerSource.com and do a search for your ideal job. You can search jobs by your interest areas or job types or locations. Be it a full time or part time or a temporary job, you will definitely get one that matches with your needs. SeniorCareerSource is the only job bank serving Massachusetts and Connecticut area, that will help you find meaningful retirement jobs that satisfy your personal goals and lifestyle after retirement.

You can create a free account with them to provide your profile to interested employers. Even you can provide your email address to get job alerts via email. If you have any questions on your mind, you can contact them via phone, post or email. They also have an online contact form that you can use to clear your doubts.

So, take help from SeniorCareerSource and find a dream job after your retirement. Because a new life starts after your retirement . Your second career will help you to make it beautiful!

Army Spc. Glenn Johnson Has Birthday Surprise for His Stepdaughter

Amber Birdsall only wanted one thing for her 7th birthday. She wanted her stepfather to be home to help her celebrate. That wasn't very likely to happen seeing as her stepfather was serving a ten month tour in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Amber told her mother what she wanted and her mother told her stepfather, Army Spc. Glenn Johnson. He put in for leave but it was highly unlikely he'd get it. He's scheduled to complete his tour in June and it would be unusual for him to get leave this close to the end of his tour. To his surprise he was granted over a week leave. He was able to go back home in time for Amber's birthday.

Sanford, Michigan

The soldier’s flight arrived in Flint, Mich., early Sunday afternoon and he was whisked away to Northern Lanes Recreation, a bowling alley in Sanford where his stepdaughter’s birthday party was taking place.

Northern Lanes employees were in on the ruse and kept him hidden in the bar.

When Amber and her 9-year-old sister, Kathy Birdsall, opened a colorfully wrapped refrigerator box, Glenn Johnson was inside.

In addition to spending a lot of time at home with his family, Glenn Johnson and his wife planned a late celebration of their five-year wedding anniversary, which was on Valentine’s Day.

“I told her she needs to get a baby sitter and a new outfit,” he said. “I’ll take care of the rest.”

Amber had thought she might be getting a bike for her birthday. She told her mother, “This is way better than bikes,”

Make Me a Match!

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ARRGGGG ..... I Can't Get Anything Done Today

I spent a lot of time at the computer today, but still got almost nothing done in terms of my blog or making any money.

I keep Yahoo Messenger open on my computer all the time because that's the primary way I communicate with my son. Actually, its the only way. I want to be available to talk with him when he can get online. He doesn't always choose to talk to me, but I want to be available anyway. He has a little fraulein he chooses to talk to online more often than he chooses me. I talk with my daughter numerous times on the phone and on the computer during the day.

Earlier today I got online with the intention of blogging something. As soon as I logged on two Yahoo Messenger windows popped up, one from my son and one from my daughter. That's very unusual because they usually tag team me. With him in Iraq and her in Southern California they are on completely different times. It's uncanny how as soon as one of them logs off the other will log on. They've been tag teaming me like that since they were babies. Their entire baby years are a blur to me. When I would get one of them to sleep the other would wake up. When I would get that one to sleep the first one would wake up again. That went on for seemingly years and I rarely slept more than an hour at a time. I tease them now that they obviously have some sort of code to let each other know when its time to get on line so that I'm at the computer way too many hours.

Today was an exception, they were online at the same time. My son sending messages to me in German because he's learning German and my daughter sending messages to me in Spanish cause she just does that. So I'm flipping back and forth between their messages and Babel Fish. My Beloved Curmudgeon is flipping the television channels between World War II documentaries, some show about truck drivers driving across ice roads (a show I have seen before a couple of times. Sadly.) and some boxing match from years ago. I asked him if he knew the outcome of the boxing match. He said he did, but kept watching it.

My son likes for me to send him photos so he can see what's going on here. My daughter was sending me photos so I was forwarding them on to him. I think they were talking to each other as well. The photos she was sending me were of her and her boyfriends on the beach, at Disneyland, and where ever else they'd been in the last few days. I told my son that she told me she's in love with this guy. 'She's always in love with whoever she's dating', he replied. I could see that he was looking through the photos. I wrote, 'Well, she's acting different this time. Very different than her other boyfriends.' He immediately replied, 'I want to see how he acts.' Woah. I watched as my son continued to scrutinize the pictures of his sister with 'the guy'. This guy has no idea that he's not only up against Beloved Curmudgeon but my daughters brother as well. I hope the guy isn't easily intimidated. If he is, he won't make it in this family.

At some point I became aware that I had been unconsciously moving myself around to get out of the way of our animals. I kept moving my laptop around because one of our dogs insist on curling up right under my feet and no matter how I move he moves so that I have to move again. The other dog watched this from across the room silently laughing because she was passing gas so badly I kept threatening to take her downstairs. The more I threatened the worse it got. Our cat was laying kinda on the couch and kinda on my shoulder so that when I moved to accommodate dog #1 she was inconvenienced and finally pranced off in a huff to curl up on the window sill.

To top it off, our bird was talking a mile a minute. His talking is usually white noise. I'm so accustomed to him that I don't really hear him until someone comes over and is shocked at his talking ... and how loud he is.

As I became aware of all the activities around me and that I was actually uncomfortable because I was accommodating ANIMALS I realized why I was getting in a foul mood. 'Do you see this?' I asked my Beloved Curmudgeon pointing at the dog at my feet. He just chucked and told me to push him out of the way if he was bothering me. Well, he won't move if I push him. Beloved Curmudgeon has to move him because the animal has no respect for me whatsoever. Beloved Curmudgeon laughed and made no move to make HIS dog move.

Worse still, both dogs and the cat can open the door between the den and back porch if the door isn't shut tight enough, which it usually isn't. They don't know how to close it, but they open it often. So I'm up and down closing the door back. Its maddening.

We have 3500 square feet in this house and all I want is a little corner of the couch to sit on with my laptop. Yet we are all crammed into this one little area. The animals are laying all over me and one of them just stinks. If it weren't so hot outside I'd take my laptop out to the back porch and make sure the door was shut very tight. But then I'd be watching my naked neighbor on his back porch.

No wonder I'm crazy.

Lapband Surgery with JourneyLite

Lapband by JourneyLite is a surgical procedure that helps people who have had trouble losing weight with diet and exercise. It is one of the safest procedures for weight loss and is completely reversible. It sounds very simple. Its done by a lap-band surgeon and the lapband is likened to a wrist watch being wrapped around part of your stomach creating a smaller pocket …. in a sense making your stomach smaller to hold less food.

I’ve heard a lot of success stories from people who have had this type of procedure done. They report success with losing weight and maintaining their weight loss. The loss of weight does wonders for enabling a healthier life style. If you are thinking about taking a step like this then I would encourage you to educate yourself as much as possible so that you can make an informed decision about what kind of weight loss treatment is best for you.

Global Warming to Make a Comeback Tomorrow

Reuters is reporting that its been the coldest winter in more than a decade. Not to worry though. Spring starts tomorrow and surely Global Warming will return in due order.

Icy start, but 2008 may be in top 10 warmest years

"So far 2008, for the globe, has been quite cold, only just above the 1961-90 average," said Phil Jones, head of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia which supplies global temperature data to the United Nations.

"This is just January and February, so two coolish months comparable to what happened in 1994 and 1996," he told Reuters.

The northern spring formally begins on March 20 this year.

And an underlying warming trend, blamed by the U.N. Climate Panel on human use of fossil fuels, is likely to reassert itself after the end of a La Nina cooling of the Pacific in the coming months.

I'm more than willing to accept any money you want to send me to offset your carbon footprints. I'll plant a tree to ensure you can still drive your SUV. Just put the funds in my paypal account :)

Employee Training with Animated Software Products

Employee training is one of the most important aspects of any business. Your business will be judged by the quality of your employees. They can make or break you. Employers are often looking for ways to enhance employee training to make it more effective.

The Marastar.com has designed a new kind of training and communication strategy that is geared toward just this concern of employers. We all know that visual aids are commonly used because of the impact they have. Marastar.com takes the visual aid another step to make an even more powerful tool for training employees.

They incorporate humor and animation in their customer service videos to help make your training and communications more effective and memorable. Marastar.com covers a broad range of training needs such as customer service, sales and effective communications.

One training program currently in great demand is call center training. The reason for this demand is that the call center business has spread globally. Many of these centers are based in non-Western countries because of the cost savings to locate there. Marastar understands the particular needs of being able to train employees globally and employees who may not be accustomed to interacting with Western customers. Their training software is very helpful from the standpoint of being able to train globally.

Marastar.com builds their training software on the concept of 'First you laugh, then you learn'. By integrating cartoons into the training program they use humor to teach important business lessons. The animations are short and humorous which helps with our notoriously short attention spans while still getting the message across. The humor also improves retention of the message.

Studies have shown there are many benefits to laughter. Laughter causes our bodies to release endorphins, and reduces the hormone released during stress response. Our heart rate quickens, our brains become more active. Humor puts us in a better state of mind and makes us more receptive. Our minds and bodies make a connection between what we’ve seen or heard and the good feeling that followed. All of this leads to improved retention!

I have been an employee and seen the eyes of my employees glaze over when discussing issues that must be covered, but that even I knew was boring. Its great to know there is a company out there that is addressing that issue and creating training that will keep your employees attention even if the subject matter is not that exciting!

John Malkovich in the Bathtub with Craig Bierk (video)

Just what everyone wants to see .... John Malkovich naked in a tub with another man. The thought of that makes me scared to hit the play button on the video. Its more than a little frightening to think about. He gets in the tub with talk show host Craig Bierko in the premiere of the new talk show Unhitched. Get over your fear, its funny.

Have a Debt Management Plan

I’ve only had a couple of experiences with getting Personal Loans. One time we took out a personal loan to buy some items that we wanted and there was no real problem with it except having to pay it back! The other was when my daughter decided to take out a personal Loan to consolidate her bills when she finished her education. She had taken out quite a few loans during her schooling, including for her tuition and living expenses. She had gotten pretty much every credit card that had been offered her and taken out loans for even just spending money!

When she finished school she was all of the sudden overwhelmed with the number of bills she was receiving. She learned one of those lessons we all learn at some point or the other, that being, its easy to get a loan but they do eventually come due! She found herself neck deep in debt before she even had a job. I felt really bad for her, but its one of those lessons we have to learn. She needed a Debt Management Plan.

Her first reason was to cut up all her credit cards. That was good. She tried for a while to pay on each bill, but she wasn’t getting ahead because she was only paying the minimum every month. I advised her to concentrate on paying off one bill at a time. That she’d have to pay more than the minimum and to pay as much as she could on one bill to get it paid off. Then move on to the next bill and concentrate on that one until she paid it off.

She went ahead and applied for a personal Loan anyway and called me in tears several times in the process. The AMOUNT it was going to take to pay off those bills was a little staggering. I kept advising her to break it down into manageable pieces and pay off one bill at a time. That’s basically all I could tell her because that’s what has worked for me in the past. Plus, as I didn’t mind reminding her, I had TOLD her not to get all those credit cards!

I was reminded of that when I was reading this article on why its not a good idea to use a personal loan to consolidate debt. As the article points out, it has a negative affect on your credit and as she found out, can be overwhelming to have to pay off that one big bill.