So, Anyway...

Albert Einstein

2006-11-28T06:34:00.000-06:00

From the page: "He was the embodiment of pure intellect, the bumbling professor with the German accent, a comic cliché in a thousand films. Instantly recognizable, like Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp, Albert Einstein's shaggy-haired visage was as familiar to ordinary people as to the matrons who fluttered about him in salons from Berlin to Hollywood. Yet he was unfathomably profound -- the genius among geniuses who discovered, merely by thinking about it, that the universe was not as it seemed."

"Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing."

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."

"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."

Barbara Fox Watercolors

2006-11-28T06:31:00.000-06:00

Barbara Fox Watercolors
Beautiful use of color...

kindness

2006-11-24T19:58:00.000-06:00

Zademack

2006-11-24T19:56:00.000-06:00

Beautiful Colors

2006-11-24T19:43:00.000-06:00

Leo Tolstoy

2006-11-24T19:40:00.000-06:00

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

Leo Tolstoy

Ceylon Frogmouths

2006-07-22T14:32:00.000-05:00

Ceylon Frogmouths
Weird looking, but still cute, eh?

I'm not scared of committment

2006-07-22T14:27:00.000-05:00

Add Bubble Thoughts To Your Images

2006-07-22T14:25:00.000-05:00

Allows you to add bubble thoughts to your pictures.
Neat!

Just something pretty...

2006-07-22T14:23:00.000-05:00

Near Willow City, Texas Hill Country, 1998
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi
"Deep in the heart of Texas, the Hill Country's limestone heights bend with the Balcones Escarpment and unfold west for some 200 miles [322 kilometers]...nowhere else in Texas is the show of wildflowers, such as purple vervain and fiery Indian blanket, more profuse--and striking--than here."

(Text from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Texas Hill Country," April 1999, National Geographic magazine)

Worst Company URLs

2006-07-22T14:20:00.000-05:00

From the page: "The top 10 unintentionally worst company URLs

Attn: Entrepeneurs
Everyone knows that if you are going to operate a business in today's world you need a domain name. It is advisable to look at the domain name selected as other see it and not just as you think it looks. Failure to do this may result in situations such as the following (legitimate) companies who deal in everyday humdrum products and services but clearly didn't give their domain names enough consideration:

1. A site called `Who Represents` where you can find the name of the agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name... wait for it... is
www.whorepresents.com

2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at
www.expertsexchange.com

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at
www.penisland.net

4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at
www.therapistfinder.com

5. Then of course, there's the Italian Power Generator company...
www.powergenitalia.com

6. And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales:
www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you're looking for computer software, there's always
www.ipanywhere.com

8. Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church. Their website is
www.cummingfirst.com

9. Then, of course, there's these brainless art designers, and their whacky website:
www.speedofart.com

10. Want to holiday in Lake Tahoe? Try their brochure website at
www.gotahoe.com"

Marilyn said...

2006-07-20T03:59:00.000-05:00

I made this with "paint".

Idle Angels

2006-07-18T22:12:00.000-05:00

The Angels were all singing out of tune
And hoarse with having little else to do
Excepting to wind up the sun and moon
Or curb a runaway young star or two.

Lord Byron

Norse Lullabye

2006-07-18T22:10:00.000-05:00

Norse lullaby

The sky is dark and the hills are white
As the storm-king speeds from the north to-night,
And this is the song the storm-king sings,
As over the world his cloak he flings:
"Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;"
He rustles his wings and gruffly sings:
"Sleep, little one, sleep."

On yonder mountain-side a vine
Clings at the foot of a mother pine;
The tree bends over the trembling thing,
And only the vine can hear her sing:
"Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;
What shall you fear when I am here?
Sleep, little one, sleep."

The king may sing in his bitter flight,
The tree may croon to the vine to-night,
But the little snowflake at my breast
Liketh the song I sing the best,--
Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;
Weary thou art, anext my heart
Sleep, little one, sleep.

Eugene Field

Destiny

2006-07-18T16:58:00.000-05:00

I made this with "paint".

Need to know?

2006-07-18T03:28:00.000-05:00

Free public records to help locate people, police departments, clerks of courts, telephone numbers, and thousands of other databases.

Emergency Preparedness

2006-07-18T03:14:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Welcome to the National Preparedness Month Web site. Thank you for your interest in this important initiative designed to promote family emergency preparedness. On this Web site you will learn how you can participate in National Preparedness Month 2006 and prepare yourself and your family for emergencies.

National Preparedness Month is a nationwide effort held each September to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools. National Preparedness Month 2006 is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The goal of the month is to increase public awareness about the importance of preparing for emergencies and to encourage individuals to take action. Throughout September, Homeland Security will work with a wide variety of organizations, including local, state and federal government agencies and the private sector, to highlight the importance of family emergency preparedness and promote individual involvement through events and activities across the nation.

We invite you to review the National Preparedness Month information on this Web site and to participate in this important effort."

Midnight Palace

2006-07-18T03:02:00.000-05:00

Dedicated to the classic years of Hollywood movies, pre-1956. Features reviews of classic movies, original articles, a forum, downloads, and The Theater which contains a full-length movie to watch on the site.

Redzee: Family Friendly

2006-07-18T02:49:00.000-05:00

Family friendly search engine for all ages. Includes web, image, audio, and video search tools.

Johnny Cash

2006-07-17T18:16:00.000-05:00

"Deep in the heart of the infinite darkness, a tiny blue marble is spinning through space. Born in the splendor of God's holy vision, and sliding away like a tear down his face."

Johnny Cash, Love Is The Way

Giant nests perplex experts

2006-07-17T17:59:00.000-05:00

Giant nests perplex experts

By Garry Mitchell
The Associated Press

A yellow jacket nest engulfs the inside of a 1955 Chevrolet on Harry Coker's Tallassee property on Thursday. Gigantic yellow jacket nests have been found in old barns, unoccupied houses, cars and underground cavities across the southern two-thirds of Alabama.
-- Rob Carr

MOBILE -- To the bafflement of insect experts, gigantic yellow jacket nests have started turning up in old barns, unoccupied houses, cars and underground cavities across the southern two-thirds of Alabama.

Specialists say it could be the result of a mild winter and drought conditions, or multiple queens forcing worker yellow jackets to enlarge their quarters so the queens will be in separate areas. But experts haven't determined exactly what's behind the surprisingly large nests.

Auburn University entomologists, who say they've never seen the nests so large, have been fielding calls about the huge nests from property owners from Dothan up to Sylacauga and over into west-central Alabama's Black Belt.

At one site in Barbour County, the nest was as large as a Volkswagen Beetle, said Andy McLean, an Orkin pesticide service manager in Dothan who helped remove it from an abandoned barn about a month ago.

"It was one of the largest ones we've seen," McLean said.

Attached to two walls and under the slab, the nest had to be removed in sections, McLean said.

Entomologist Dr. Charles Ray at the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in Auburn said he's aware of about 16 of what he described as "super-sized" nests in south Alabama.

Ray said he's seen 10 of them and cautioned people about going near them because of the yellow jacket's painful sting.

The largest nest Ray has inspected this year filled the interior of a weathered 1955 Chevrolet parked in a rural Elmore County barn. That nest was about the size of a tire in the rear floor seven weeks ago, but quickly spread to fill the entire vehicle, the property owner, Harry Coker, said. Four satellite nests around it have gotten into the eaves of the barn, about 300 yards from his home.

"I'm kind of afraid for the grandkids. I had to sneak down there at dark and get my tractor out of the barn," Coker said. "It's been a disruption."

Coker said he may wait until a winter freeze to try to remove the nest.

In previous years, a yellow jacket nest was no larger than a basketball, Ray said. It would contain about 3,000 workers and one queen. These gigantic nests may have as many as 100,000 workers and multiple queens.

Without a cold winter to kill them this year, the yellow jackets continued feeding in January and February -- and layering their nests made of paper, not wax. They typically are built in shallow underground cavities.

Yellow jackets, often confused with bees, may visit flowers for sugar, but unlike bees, yellow jackets are carnivorous, eating insects, carrion and picnic food, according to scientists.
"They were able to find food to colony through the winter," Ray said in a telephone interview.

He investigated a nest near Pineapple, measuring about 5 feet by 4 feet, that was coming out of the ground on a roadside. A southwest Pike County house in Goshen had a giant nest spreading into its roof.

Goshen Mayor G. Malon Johnson said he consulted Ray in removing it because he was concerned that children playing nearby could be attacked.

A colony has a maximum size in early July and August. The hot, dry conditions could force the yellow jackets out of ground nests.

"Normally it starts declining in the fall," Ray said.

He said the "super colonies" appear to have many queens.

"We're not really sure how this multiple queen thing works," Ray said. "It could be that the daughters of the original queen don't leave the nest or that the queens have developed some way to cooperate."

Ray examined a collected nest from Macon County to count the queens in it.

"We found 12 queens so far, so that's definitely a factor," Ray said Thursday.

Dr. Michael D. Goodisman, a biologist at Georgia Tech who has studied large nests in Australia, said he's heard of some large ones in Georgia and Florida, but not as big as those in Alabama.A 6-foot by 3-foot nest on a pond stump in Bulloch County, Ga., was featured July 12 on CNN.

"I'm not sure people know what triggers it," he said.

U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist James H. Cane said he's familiar with a nest in Florida 10 or 15 years ago that engulfed a big easy chair. Cane said the monster nests reported in Alabama are intriguing and agreed with Ray that they could be the product of multiple queens in a single nest.

The nest usually dies out each year. "All that overwinters is the future queen," he said.

Given a queen's egg-laying rate, he said, there's no way a nest with a single queen could get that big in a growing season.

But in a multiple-queen colony, Cane said, there must be space where queens can't get at each other.

1/2 and 1/2 Lobster

2006-07-17T17:51:00.000-05:00

From the page: "An eastern Maine lobsterman caught a lobster this week that looks like it's half-cooked. The lobster is a typical mottled green on one side; the other side is a shade of orange that looks cooked. The odds or finding a half-and-half lobster are 1 in 50 million to 100 million. By comparison, the odds of finding a blue lobster are about 1 in a million."

Self Watering Plant Pot

2006-07-17T17:39:00.000-05:00

This self-watering plant pot's main feature is a medical drip feed. This unique characteristic allows the plant to be nourished with water and food as it is required. The drip feed provides a striking design focus as well as acting as a reminder to its owner as to when it needs topping up.

(Height of pot= 27cm x diameter of base= 45cm)

149.50 GBP

Breaking News

2006-07-16T18:48:00.000-05:00

"This just in, breaking news from Hell,
Ken Lay has just swindled Zarqawi out of his 72 virgins."

David Letterman

Edward Hopper

2006-07-16T18:47:00.000-05:00

"If you could say it in words there would be no reason to paint."

Edward Hopper

Oooops

2006-07-12T07:19:00.000-05:00

The Wisdom of Audrey Hepburn

2006-07-11T18:43:00.000-05:00

Sun and Moon

2006-07-11T07:22:00.000-05:00

Kids and Peanut Butter

2006-07-11T07:11:00.000-05:00

Kids...peanut butter...not to be left alone together.

Click source below to see the other pictures in the flikr photo stream.

Lunch Lady

2006-07-11T06:51:00.000-05:00

From the page:
Lunch Lady Action Figure
This Lunch Lady Action Figure will take you back to those glorious "hot lunch" days of sloppy joes, fish sticks and mini milk cartons. Each 5-1/4" tall, hard vinyl figure comes with a scoop, a food tray, a serving station and a sticker sheet featuring images of delicious hot entrées.

Lunch Lady Action Figure
item 11660
$9.95 ea.

Got Blab? Got Recipes?

2006-07-11T06:23:00.000-05:00

Features recipes by category including Asian, Italian, Western, and Japanese.

Crackle Mountain

2006-07-11T06:22:00.000-05:00

Folktales from Japan and China with artwork.

Swimming Babies....

2006-07-10T19:30:00.000-05:00

Little Urchins : Underwater Photography by Zena Holloway

I know what I like...

2006-07-10T19:29:00.000-05:00

Caffeine Withdrawal

2006-07-10T19:25:00.000-05:00

From the page: "If you missed your morning coffee and now you have a headache and difficulty concentrating, you might be able to blame it on caffeine withdrawal. In general, the more caffeine consumed, the more severe withdrawal symptoms are likely to be, but as little as one standard cup of coffee a day can produce caffeine addiction, according to a Johns Hopkins study that reviewed over 170 years of caffeine withdrawal research.

Results of the Johns Hopkins study should result in caffeine withdrawal being included in the next edition of the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, considered the bible of mental disorders, and the diagnosis should be updated in the World Health Organization's ICD, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.

"Caffeine is the world's most commonly used stimulant, and it's cheap and readily available so people can maintain their use of caffeine quite easily," says Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins. "The latest research demonstrates, however, that when people don't get their usual dose they can suffer a range of withdrawal symptoms, including headache, fatigue, difficulty concentrating. They may even feel like they have the flu with nausea and muscle pain.""

Lord Byron

2006-07-10T19:23:00.000-05:00

"Friendship is Love without his wings!"

Lord Byron

Artificial Wombs

2006-07-10T19:19:00.000-05:00

From the page: "A few intrepid researchers are learning how to make babies the new-fashioned way: growing them in artificial wombs."

Scarey, beautiful, awe-inspiring, controversial...amazing as hell...

wow...

Lions and Tigers and Bears...and Babies.

2006-07-10T19:18:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Nurseryworks makes all kinds of stylin' gear for babies with great taste. One of our favorites is this Platform crib, which comes in several hip colors. You can select the style of the slats, the type of wood, and even convert it to a bed when the time comes. Their sheets and furniture are equally impressive.

The crib is around $900 depending on materials and retailers."

Is it my imagination or does this kind of look like those old circus cages on wheels they would transport lions or bears in? :)

Ray Bradbury

2006-07-10T19:15:00.000-05:00

We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.

Ray Bradbury

Insincerity

2006-07-10T19:13:00.000-05:00

An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.

Buddha

:O)

2006-07-10T19:06:00.000-05:00

Warm it up first, doc!

Life Gem

2006-07-10T19:05:00.000-05:00

What is a LifeGem®?

The LifeGem® is a certified, high-quality diamond created from the carbon of your loved one as a memorial to their unique life.

The LifeGem diamond provides a way to embrace your loved one's memory day by day. The LifeGem® is the most unique and timeless memorial available for creating a testimony to their unique life.
Your LifeGem memorial will offer comfort and support when and where you need it, and provide a lasting memory that endures just as a diamond does. Forever.

On one hand, I see it. On one hand it SERIOUSLY creeps me out. :)

...man knows better.

2006-07-10T19:04:00.000-05:00

"...possibly man rose by exploiting the weak. That's how he came up. But now,
now he is up. The very thing that marks his progress is that he knows better."
Brigid Brophy

Lord Byron

2006-07-10T19:01:00.000-05:00

"Oh! `darkly, deeply, beautifully blue',
As someone somewhere sings about the sky."

Lord Byron

Blue
isn't always about sadness.

The earth laughs...

2006-07-10T18:58:00.000-05:00

Earth laughs in flowers.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tenere Desert, Niger

2006-07-10T18:29:00.000-05:00

From the page:
Ténéré desert, Niger, 1997
Photograph by George Steinmetz

Mushroom cloud of stone erupts in the Ténéré desert, remnant of its watery past. This pedestal rock began as a mass of pebbly sandstone. Its sculptors were cycles of hot and cold, wet and dry, as well as blowing sand, which caused the sloughing off of shards scattered at the base.

(Text and photograph from "Journey to the Heart of the Sahara," March 1999, National Geographic magazine)"

Scary Roads...

2006-07-10T07:04:00.000-05:00

Pictures of SCARY roads!

Inkjet Nails?

2006-07-10T07:02:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Like the magic carpet, ImagiNail is yet another example of the wonders of digital imaging technology being able to put any image on any thing. The Imaginail NailJet Pro inkjets artwork directly onto the fingernail in high resolution at very low cost. Lasting as long as normal nail varnish, the NailJet Pro can print photographs or any other high resolution design and it can print a different design on every fingernail. The ImagiNail system consists of the NailJet Pro , a full line of nail coatings designed especially for the NailJet Pro process, and an ever-growing library of nail art. In addition to the nail art library, it's possible to input your own designs or photographs to match that special outfit or make your own fashion statement! "

Will Rogers

2006-07-09T23:13:00.000-05:00

Will Rogers

Don't squat with your spurs on.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back in.

If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

There's two theories to arguin' with a woman. Neither one works.

When you give a lesson in meanness to a critter or a person, don't be surprised if they learn their lesson.

The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.

Never miss a good chance to shut up.

George Carlin

2006-07-09T23:05:00.000-05:00

Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty. I see a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be.

George Carlin

J.F.K.

2006-07-09T22:59:00.000-05:00

"The time to repair a roof is when the sun is shining."

J.F.K.

Confucius

2006-07-09T22:51:00.000-05:00

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

When prosperity comes, do not use all of it.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step.
Confucius

Carpe Diem, Baby...

2006-07-09T22:41:00.000-05:00

Carpe Diem, Baby.

Blood Memory

2006-07-09T22:31:00.000-05:00

I just read this book and it's awesome!
Review taken from the page: http://www.crescentblues.com/8_7issue/bk_iles_blood.shtml
As Greg Iles' latest thriller opens, Dr. Cat Ferry, a forensic dentist who specializes in deciphering human bites, receives an ominous phone call. The FBI needs her help analyzing the bite marks on the latest victim of a serial killer. But Cat can't face the crime scene. A panic attack paralyzes her. As additional horrors precipitate more blackouts, she struggles to understand the root of her breakdowns.

Greg Iles' gripping thriller moves from the New Orleans Garden District where Cat Ferry works as an FBI consultant, to her family's antebellum estate in Natchez, Mississippi. In Natchez, her grandfather rules his tormented family and tries to cover up the truth of Cat's father's death. In New Orleans, she struggles not only with her alcoholism but also her complicated relationship with a married police detective.

Repressed memory, child abuse, family secrets and perfect details that jump off the page and pull you in make this Iles' best novel yet. A cell phone wrapped in a baggie to protect it from a raging storm, bloody footprints in Cat's childhood bedroom revealed by forensic chemicals, the sketches made by her Vietnam veteran father, all bring this thriller to life.

The complicated story interwoven with psychological twists and turns proves that Iles can hold his own in any genre. As he explores the age-old themes of predator vs. prey and parent-child relationships, we realize we've landed in the hands of a master. Don't miss this one. It's a book you can't put down and won't soon forget.

Augusta Scattergood

Stereoscopic Ghost Images

2006-07-09T20:19:00.000-05:00

From the page: "While stereoscopic ghost images were technological marvels, they were intended (as Brewster suggested) as amusements. But in 1861, a Boston engraver named William H. Mumler claimed that he had taken actual photographic records of ghosts. This set off an international wave of spirit photography--and a scientific controversy that lasted well into the 20th century."

Queen of the May

2006-07-09T20:16:00.000-05:00

Scott Mutter

2006-07-09T19:54:00.000-05:00

We come from beyond,
and we go from whence we came,
courting the hands of time.

We are bound by nothing
so much as our imagination.

Dont't...um...

2006-07-09T19:44:00.000-05:00

The Later Years...

2006-07-09T19:34:00.000-05:00

No one alive...

2006-07-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

I'm PROUD to be an American.

2006-07-09T19:14:00.000-05:00

...and I make NO apologies for my beliefs, my patriotism, nor the love I feel for my country.

When you're drunk...

2006-07-09T19:13:00.000-05:00

From the page:

Things That Are Difficult To Say When You're Drunk

Cinnamon
Indubitably
Innovative
Preliminary
Proliferation

Things That Are VERY Difficult To Say When You're Drunk

British Constitution
Loquacious Transubstantiate
Passive-aggressive disorder
Specificity

Things That Are Downright IMPOSSIBLE To Say When You're Drunk

Thanks, but I don't want to have sex.
Nope, no more alcohol for me.
Sorry, but you're not really my type.
Good evening officer, isn't it lovely out tonight?
Oh, I just couldn't. No one wants to hear me sing.
You're right, I can't jump over that table!

Bob Marley Quotations

2006-07-09T19:12:00.000-05:00

"No man can lead man, we have to have unity."

"The road of life is rocky and you may stumble too. So while you point your fingers someone else is judging you."

"When one door is closed, don't you know, another is open."

"Man is a universe within himself."

"Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights"

"Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect and I don't live to be. But, before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean."

Bob Marley

Limo Stuck On A Hill

2006-07-09T19:11:00.000-05:00

Dolomiti

2006-07-09T08:03:00.000-05:00

dolomiti
by giorgio marinelli

Superman's Power TimeLine...

2006-07-09T07:48:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Back when Superman was first created, his powers were limited to "Leaping over skyscrapers, running faster than an express train, springing great distances and heights, lifting and smashing tremendous weights" and "possessing an impenetrable skin", (in the words of his creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster). The character they created was not invincible -"merely" incredible- and is similar to the many comic book super heroes around today. However, starting from these comparatively humble beginnings, we can track the development of Supermans powers as he transforms into an unstoppable demi-god (if not a supreme being)."

The Cute Project

2006-07-09T05:55:00.000-05:00

Awwwwww...

Coke Spy Scandal??

2006-07-09T00:13:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Three people face federal charges of stealing confidential data including a sample of a new drink from Coca-Cola and trying to sell it to rival PepsiCo."

White Tiger

2006-07-08T19:21:00.000-05:00

http://tigerz.bravehost.com/

Beautiful Photography

2006-07-08T19:17:00.000-05:00

A picture is worth a thousand words...

2006-07-08T19:16:00.000-05:00

Giants of the past...

2006-07-08T19:15:00.000-05:00

Cow Conspiracy

2006-07-08T19:14:00.000-05:00

LED Fan

2006-07-08T19:13:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Here is a low end version of the Programmable Spinnable LED fan. A table fan with illuminating LEDs which bring to life the boring fan. The LED's illuminate in different designs and patterns so it does not get monotonous. The table fan is available in a variety of colors namely Black, Pink and Blue."

Scientology

2006-07-08T19:11:00.000-05:00

From the page: "The word Scientology literally means "the study of truth." It comes from the Latin word "scio" meaning "knowing in the fullest sense of the word" and the Greek word "logos" meaning "study of."

Scientology is the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life. The Scientology religion comprises a body of knowledge extending from certain fundamental truths. Prime among these:

Man is an immortal, spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized and those capabilities can be realized. He is able to not only solve his own problems, accomplish his goals and gain lasting happiness, but also achieve new, higher states of awareness and ability.

In Scientology no one is asked to accept anything as belief or on faith. That which is true for you is what you have observed to be true. An individual discovers for himself that Scientology works by personally applying its principles and observing or experiencing results.

Through Scientology, people all over the world are achieving the long-sought goal of true spiritual release and freedom."

Pushpin Lamp

2006-07-08T19:10:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Measuring in at 19cm x 19cm x 39cm our Push Pin Lamp adds a dash of color to all work spaces, or wherever you want to put it for that matter.

The lamp has a cork bottom that is great for sticking notes and reminders, too. Choose from red, orange, blue or green. The light bulb fits right into the push pin head, and to make this sucker light up you just press down on the top of the push pin."

A Voluble Visit with Two Talking Apes

2006-07-08T19:09:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Two bonobo chimpanzees in Iowa are changing how scientists think about the nature of human language.

Kanzi and Panbanisha understand thousands of words. They use sentences, talk on the phone, and they like to gossip. In short, they use language in many of the same ways humans do.

That's not supposed to be possible.

Since the 1950s, linguists including Noam Chomsky have argued that language is unique to humans and requires an innate understanding of grammar."

The verb: google

2006-07-08T19:05:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Google is officially a verb.

Google Inc.'s eponymous search engine became a sanctioned part of the English language Thursday, when "google" with a small "g" earned an entry among the 165,000 or so terms in the 11th edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary.

The definition: "to use the Google search engine to obtain information %u2026 on the World Wide Web." As in, "Let me google that."

Linguists said google entered the lexicon especially quickly. It reached the pages of the dictionary just five years after its first known public reference as a verb in a New York Post article. Usually, it takes 10 to 20 years for words to enter everyday use, if they make it at all.
"

CyberPhone

2006-07-08T19:02:00.000-05:00

From the page: "The HotGadget CyberPhone comes bundled with Skype software that uses VOIP Technology (Voice over Internet Protocol) to allow you to talk for free to all your Cyberphone buddies, and for a small charge to landlines and cell phones. USB connectivity and a sleek stylish look make the HotGadget Cyberphone a perfect addition to your gadget repertoire.

VOIP technology allows you to make phone calls by converting your voice into a digital signal and delivering it through the internet. Skype works to keep these signals protected by encrypting your message to and from the recipients while still keeping the line clear and listener friendly. According to Skype Cnormal telephones can only hear sounds from 300 Hz to 3 kHz, but Skype is all over the spectrum, from the lowest hum to the highest screech. In other words: Fand S will sound like the two different letters they were meant to.(Skype.com)"

Elysium

2006-07-08T18:51:00.000-05:00

Elie Wiesel

2006-07-08T18:50:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Elie Wiesel Romanian-born Jewish writer. Possibly one of the greatest post-Holocaust writers, Elie Wiesel survived Auschwitz to give the world an insight into the horrors of the Nazi regime. In 1986 he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his unflinching integrity and refusal to be consumed by bitterness."

Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain

2006-07-07T20:42:00.000-05:00

Taken from the page: Culture in Spain: Bull Running in Spain

Bull running in PamplonaEvery year from July 7th-14th thousands pack into Pamplona to start Spain's most famous bull-running fiesta to honour Navarre capital's patron saint, San Fermin. Spain stages more than 3,000 fiestas (festivals) each year but the 7 days of bull-running are the favourite in terms of spectacle and excitement.

After the daybreak of July 7th, runners (mainly young men) gather at the bottom of Santo Domingo, which is the starting line. They crowd together and sing to the image of San Fermin which is placed in a niche on a wall. The song goes: "A San Fermín pedimos, por ser nuestro patrón, nos guíe en el encierro dándonos su bendición" ("We ask San Fermín, as our Patron, to guide us through the Bull Run and give us his blessing.")

Then, as a rocket goes off, a number of fighting bulls are let out onto the streets. A second rocket is then let off to make sure everyone knows the bulls are loose in the street. The bulls run along the narrow street 825 metres (half a mile) to a bull ring. The runners dash along in front of the bulls, aiming to feel the breath of the bull on their backs, getting as close as possible - all whilst trying to avoid getting gored by their sharp horns.

The supposed way to do this is to start off slowly when the bulls are quite a distance behind. Then as they get nearer start running like hell! You can then go near them for a short time, as near as you are prepared to risk it, and then quickly get out of the way. Runners look for a gap in the fence to slip through or jump over, or a space against the wall of the street.

When the bulls finally reach the end of the street, they go into pens and are kept until later that day they are killed in a bullfight.

The tradition is said to have come from practicality when, in 1591 residents merely had to herd the bulls to the bull-fighting arena. At first only the drovers were used to lead the bulls. But it seems that at some date, the butchers guild, who had the responsibility of buying the bulls, began to join in with the drovers and began to chase behind the bulls and heifers up to the bull-ring from Santo Domingo street - the starting point of the run.

As time passed the event became more and more popular and some people began to run in front of the bulls and not behind them, as the drovers do. In 1852, a new bull-ring was built and a new route - becoming much shorter also, because as from 1899, it was decided to bring the bulls up to a small corral in Santo Domingo street the night before they fight in the ring.

Originally only a few daring souls ran with the bulls but the adrenaline rush of running in front of a 1500lb bull has since caught on. People now journey from all around the world to run with the bulls.

Other cities in Spain also have bull running festivals if you can´t make San Fermin or don´t like crowds. Aravaca-Pozuelo, a suburb of Madrid, for example, has a bull running festival in late summer.

So, Anyway....

2006-07-07T00:26:00.000-05:00

Stop Smoking Vaccine??

2006-07-06T22:03:00.000-05:00

From the page: "The idea is not so far-fetched. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, and eight other institutions have just started a major study of a vaccine that seeks to block the pleasurable sensations of satisfying a nicotine addiction.

The vaccine would stimulate production of antibodies that would latch onto nicotine molecules and prevent them from reaching the brain.

The effort to find a nicotine vaccine is part of an emerging wave of research into vaccines against addictive substances. Researchers and pharmaceutical companies are also investigating vaccines that would generate antibodies against cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Even if the trial of the nicotine vaccine, called NicVax, proved successful, it would take at least two years before the product reached the market, researchers said."

20Q.net

2006-07-06T07:04:00.000-05:00

How, in so few questions, can this thing figure out that I'm talking about a shoestring????

How, I ask you?

Ok...right...it's smarter than me.

Wiseguy.

Lake McDonald

2006-07-06T01:42:00.000-05:00

orchid

2006-07-06T01:32:00.000-05:00

Les Elephants

2006-07-06T01:27:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow quotes & quotations

2006-07-06T01:09:00.000-05:00

"This very moment is a seed from which the flowers of tomorrow's happiness grow."
Margaret Lindsey

tfh - tin foil hats

2006-07-05T23:29:00.000-05:00

From the page: " It's common knowledge that aliens or the government or something is beaming harmful signals throughout the universe nonstop, 24/7. This is what makes almost everyone mindless hypnoslaves, forced to conform to society's norms. But not you, for you are wisely covering your head with dynamic space-age metal, the only substance known to repel those hypnowaves: tin foil. With your homemade tin foil hat, your brain is safe.

Sure, your hat allows you to subvert your oppressors, but let's face it; it makes you look ridiculous. Chances are it's the same origami hat/ship that kids make. What is the alternative, you ask? Designer tin foil hats. Where to find them? Look no further. Greetings and welcome to tfh, home of the most stylish tin foil hats on Earth, for the discriminating lunatic. "

A Welsh View: Floating Bed

2006-07-05T23:19:00.000-05:00

From the page: "At just $1.53 million this floating magnetic bed can be yours. The bed is tethered to the walls by four cables and is capable of holding up to 900kg. "

PIXresizer, Free image resizing program

2006-07-05T15:47:00.000-05:00

From the page: "PIXresizer from Bluefive software is a free image resizing tool
that allows you to quickly and easily generate screen friendly
versions of your images and graphics for use on the Web, in e-
mail or in other applications.
Images and graphics can be resized and saved in different
formats, and it can dramatically decrease an image file size
which is helpful when uploading images to a website and
sending in an e-mail and it helps to save disk space.
PIXresizer can resize a single image at a time or an entire folder
of images.
You can specify the location for which you want to save the
images, and the original images are left intact.
The images in the banner above where all resized by using
PIXresizer."

Free Flowers Wallpaper

2006-07-05T15:38:00.000-05:00

Beautiful Free Flower Wallpapers

Free Anne Geddes Screensaver

2006-07-05T15:25:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Created for fans of Anne Geddes works, this Anne Geddes
Screensaver contains twenty different Anne Geddes images
that will change every ten seconds.
Click on the download link,
Save the Anne Geddes screensaver,
Follow the install instructions and enjoy."

Van Gogh

2006-07-05T14:00:00.000-05:00

"And my aim in my life is to make pictures and drawings, as many and as well as I can; then, at the end of my life, I hope to pass away, looking back with love and tender regret, and thinking, 'Oh, the pictures I might have made!'"

Vincent van Gogh ~ Letter 338 ~ 19 November 1883

John Hulsey

2006-07-05T13:42:00.000-05:00

Kopi Luwak is the world's rarest gourmet coffee beverage.

2006-07-05T13:36:00.000-05:00

From the page:

"Kopi is no longer available.
We currently do not plan to restock this coffee.

The Kopi Luwak Story

The Luwak (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) denizen of the coffee (kopi) plantations of Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi, eats only the ripest coffee cherries.

Unable to digest the coffee beans, the Luwak graciously deposits them on the jungle floor where they are eagerly collected by the locals.

The stomach acids and enzymatic action involved in this unique fermentation process produces the beans for the world's rarest coffee beverage."

Morning Coffee & Afternoon Tea Breakfast Recipe

2006-07-05T13:20:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Eggz-N-Taterz Crockpot Casserole

32 oz. bag frozen hash brown potatoes
1 lb. cooked ham, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
12 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Spray inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. In small skillet, cook onion and green pepper in olive oil until crisp tender. Let cool about 10 minutes. Place one third of the frozen hash brown potatoes in the slow cooker.

Add one third of the ham, onion, green pepper and cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the cheese. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk and seasonings until well mixed. Pour over the ingredients in the slow cooker, cover and turn on low. Cook for 10-12 hours, until casserole is set and eggs are thoroughly cooked. Serves 12"

Savage Girls And Wild Boys: A History Of Feral Children by Michael Newton

2006-07-05T13:17:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Savage Girls And Wild Boys: A History Of Feral Children by Michael Newton

For centuries we have been haunted by tales, real and imagined, of children raised in the wild. Michael Newton on the roots of our fascination with untamed spirits "

Gestalt

2006-07-05T13:15:00.000-05:00

From the page: "Gestalt: This term means organized whole, and is the basis of Gestalt Psychology. Gestalt Psychologists study how people integrate and organize perceptual information into meaningful wholes. For example, can you recognize this, (: > o) ? The reason you may be able to recognize that these symbols look like a face, is because of some Gestalt principle of organization that explains how people are able to see some meaningful organization and shape when individual parts are seen together. Although each of the parts that make up the face have meaning by themselves, when they are put together, we are able to perceive them as a whole unit."