Why Cardio Doesn't Work for Fat Loss

It seems these days everyone is concerned just as much about the economy as they are about their health. Luckily there are people out there ualified to help you get in shape safely, quickly and effectively.

Craig Ballantyne has a great program for anyone looking to get in better shape regardless of your age, weight or financial situation.

Take a look.

Why Cardio Doesn't Work for Fat Loss

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Cardio exercise is such a strange thing. In theory, it should work
so perfectly well for all men and women, but as anyone who has
tried it knows, the practicality of it just doesn't add up.

After all, some men and women do cardio 6 hours, 9 hours, or more per week, and still have belly fat to burn. On the other hand, it works just fine for others.

British researchers wanted to get more insight into this paradox, and studied 35 overweight men and women, who weren't previously exercising.

(Reference: International Journal of Obesity 32: 177-184, 2008).

Subjects exercised 5 times per week for 12 weeks. That's a lot of
exercise, but it helped the subjects lose an average of 8.2 pounds, which is great - I was positively surprised by the results.

So cardio will work for some people, however, in my experience, it works best in young men, who need the help the least!

Back to the study, the variance in fat loss between individuals was huge. Check this out...

The best subject lost a staggering 32.3 pounds in 12 weeks, while the worst subject actually GAINED 3.74 pounds.

The scientists think they know where things went sour. They
classified the subjects into 2 groups, called the "Compensators"
and the "Non-compensators".

The Compensators were hungrier, and as a result consumed an extra 268 calories per day, all but wiping out their cardio efforts.

Therefore, the Compensators lost the least amount of weight, and scientists believe that was due to the huge "compensatory" increase in appetite experienced by this group.

Does your appetite increase when you do slow cardio? If it does,
research shows it will ruin your cardio efforts.

So if your cardio program is not working for you, check your
appetite and calorie intake to see if you are "compensating" for
your efforts. If you are, you might be better off using a program
of high-intensity resistance and interval training (i.e. Turbulence Training) for your weight loss efforts.

As Australian Professor Steve Boucher has shown in research,
interval training increases hormones called catecholamines. And
increased catecholamines can reduce appetite, among other fat-
burning benefits.

In the real world, few people lose 33 pounds after 12 weeks of
cardio. Heck, few even achieve an average weight loss of 8 pounds with aerobic exercise.

So again, check your appetite, and consider giving high-intensity
exercise a go for your next workout program.

Beat the curse of cardio with high-intensity Turbulence Training.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

About the Author
Learn about the "Dark Side of Cardio" in the free report from Craig Ballantyne at www.TurbulenceTraining.com. Craig is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com

THE FUNNIEST COMPLAINT LETTER EVER (By Mr Ashley Jenkins)

Okay, this is a little long I admit but well worth the read.

If you've ever had a cell phone you will most definitely love this letter.

I wonder how long before someone notifies Vodafone Brand Development...?

This Truly is the rant to end all rants.


Mr Nick Read
Vodafone CEO
Vodafone House
The Connection
Newbury
Berkshire
RG14 2FN

21st February 2008


Account/Mobile Number
07********2



Dear Nick

I am writing to you today as I am a Vodafone customer who is completely at the end of his tether.

I need your help Nick.

I’ve started dreaming about you. I wonder what you look like; I wonder if you really are the savior of Vodafone. I want you to be Nick, but then I check my inclusive minutes and I realize you are not. I check my voicemail to see if Vodafone Business Relations have called me back but they haven’t Nick. They haven’t called me. It’s all been a dream and I want to die.

I loath writing Nick, it real gets to me, but on this occasion I have to. I have to write to you because the alternative is committing suicide, a suicide which you would be reading about in next months Mobile News magazine.

My suicide note would burn onto your minds retina like a overheated Nokia 6120, the words would jump from the page and into your soul, all constructed via T9 predictive text, and you wouldn’t be able to erase me Nick, the message would be there for good, in your cerebellums inbox.

You see, for 5 months now Nick, I have been in a communicational conundrum, a sort of Newbury Hell.

5 months ago I ordered 15 phone lines for my business. I already had 5 lines with you as I had been with Vodafone for as long as I can remember. I was a customer with you when Chris Gent walked through those pearly Banbury doors, all smartly dressed with nothing but hope in his heart and an Ericsson T29 in his pocket. Times were great then Nick, you even managed to send my bill on time. I loved those days.

Anyway, I digress.

I wanted a Sharer Plan; I needed on average 3000 minutes per user, so for 15 users I needed 45,000 minutes. I also needed them on 12 month commitments and free calls to 0870 numbers.

I was promised all this Nick, the world was my oyster. Vodafone was my Morrissey and I was a young Russell Brand, all gushing with enthusiasm and gusto, but with sexual tension replaced with 500 texts free every month.

We were flirting Nick, Vodafone and I were courting and there was nothing the world could do about it. You wanted longer commitment, but I couldn’t give it, you said 24 months, I said no, give me time, lets take it slow, lets not rush into this, I want to give you my heart but I’m unsure how Google Maps works on the Nokia N95.

We agreed on 12 months contracts.

Next up was the plan, now I’m no Shakespeare Nick, but I would proclaim to have a certain grasp on the English language, so when I uttered the words

‘I do not want 3000 minutes fixed per phone; I want the whole 45,000 minutes to be shared between the 15 users’

I stupidly assumed that Vodafone would understand this, but in hindsight, I now see that this was all too much for Hayleigh Hegar and Jenna Bird to comprehend.

I mean, they barely could grasp the concept of phoning people back, and as for e mail, well; this alien concept was lost on these two. I often sat back in my genuine simulated leather office chair and wonder if I was actually calling Vodafone, or was I being rerouted by some fickle finger of destiny through to a parallel universe, where anything you ask or request engenders the respondent to lie and say the complete opposite of what is actually going to happen, a sort of Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole, without the tea pots.

You see Nick, after the first months bill arrived, I couldn’t wait to open it. The morning it turned up I was like a little boy at Christmas, all exited and red faced. My wife even commented that my cheeks looked like the little Vodafone logo, you know, the one which look like a speech bubble. The irony only added to the moment Nick, it was heaven.

There it was, in a white cardboard box. It looked like a well organized letter bomb. I couldn’t hold it any longer. I wanted to see my savings, I wanted to open that letter bomb Nick and I wanted the savings to jump out of the page and blow up in my face like corporate Anthrax. I ripped the highly emissive carbon paper and there it was Nick, there it was…

I was overcharged £500 because I wasn’t on a sharer plan.

My heart sunk. I retreated to my simulated leather chair Nick and I began panicking. I began panicking Nick because I though, god, if Hayleigh Hegar and Jenna Bird have got this wrong, then there’s no hope. We are all doomed. Vodafone is going to become a massive corporate tennis ball, bouncing around the globalised courts of all 5 continents, stealing money from the pockets of honest paying punters while returning that money to the greedy shareholding ball boys and girls. I was livid Nick, and I don’t even like Tennis.

I immediately contacted my Vodafone team. Team 26, such a bold sounding group, it conjured up images of robotic men in black suits huddled around a control station, manfully directing proceedings like a mini FBI, but this wasn’t the FBI Nick, this was Vodafone’s Customer Service; a group of young bucks floating through life, unable to decide if they should find a real job, synchronize their Blackberry, or face the relentless realization that they have become a number within a number.

That number was 26.

Imagine growing up, and all the fervor and energy of a young child, all enthusiast and eager to learn. Think back Nick, think back to when you were a small child and your ambition was bursting out of you. Then fast forward 15 years. Imagine being part of a team called Team 26.

It would make you want to stick pineapples in your eyes.

I spoke with Hayley Hegar to raise my concerns, after some verbal altercations, I was escalated to a woman called Jenna Bird. I love the word ‘escalated’. You organization uses it so sporadically you feel you are being lifted from you feet and elevated to a different stratosphere.

In the space of 4 months, I have been escalated to no more that 7 people. I don’t think it gets much higher than this Nick, I’m walking on the moon, I’m walking on sunshine, I’m free as a bird Nick, I’m singing in the rain.

No, wait a minute, I’m not, and I’m actually walking on broken glass. I’m walking on broken glass Nick and there are shards of glass covering my bloody feet. I’m walking in sheer pain and I’m heading your way Nick. I’m heading your way and I have shards of glass and in my soles and they feel like 1,000,000 prepay simcards with no talk time.

Jenna Bird took 2 months to tell me everything I knew already. 2 months had gone on, and more money had been extracted manfully from my bank account.

Then, like the parting of the red sea, a miracle arrived in January, like a time delayed Christmas present from Jesus Chris. The marvelous, reclusive, evasive and sprightly Jenna Bird arranged a £2000 credit on my account. I nearly shit myself with surprise.

A breakthrough I thought. A breakthrough of such magnificent proportions it felt like I had won the lottery. Or had I?

I checked my ticket, yes, I had the first 5 numbers Nick, and it was looking good. Lancelot spun round like a spin dryer in a hedge fund, I waited Nick, I waited for the confirmation, all I needed was the number 1 Nick, here it comes Nick, here it comes.

Number 26.

I couldn’t believe it. Jenna Bird had escalated me to a man called Paul Bolton, and this is where it gets interesting Nick. My lottery win had all been a mirage. Smoke and mirrors awaited.

This is the exact timeline of events. Bearing in mind I had at this point been waiting 16 weeks for this to be resolved.

Jenna Bird escalated this on the 5th January to Paul Bolton. She arranged for a £2000 credit on my account to cover the January bill.

Paul Bolton was meant to call me by the 9th January. He didn’t.

I called Vodafone on Monday 12th and was told he would call me that week. He didn’t.

I eventually got hold of him on the 21st January. He apologized and said he would resolve my queries this week. He said he would phone me everyday to give me an update. He didn’t.

I phoned Monday 26th January, and was told that he had been in an accident, and wouldn’t be in work that week.

I was then escalated to a woman called Kim. She apologized and said that she would be dealing with this, but would need some time as she did not know anything about the case. I spent an hour on the phone to her explaining everything again. She told me she would resolve this and come back to me by the end of the week.

Guess what Nick, she didn’t.

I called again on February 2nd. She apologized again and told me that they didn’t do a sharer plan anywhere near what had been offered, but she might be able to pull off something special. She told me someone would be calling me later that day.

Nobody did.

I phoned her again on the 3rd February and again she apologized. Later that day a young lady from Vodafone sales called me, and wait for this Nick, she called me to offer me a standard sharer tariff of 48,000 minutes for £2300 a month.

After speaking to Hayleigh Hegar, Jenna Bird, Paul Bolton and Kim, and when they all knew my problem was the fact that I was promised 45,000 minutes for £990 per month, I then have to suffer the indignation of somebody calling me back and offering me the standard sharer plan which is on your website and has been there since I began this whole affair.

What a joke.

I immediately called Kim back, who immediately appeared on the defensive. She said she would look into this and come back to me.

She didn’t come back to me Nick.

I then phoned her on the 13th February. She said she would escalate the call to her manager, Yvonne Dunbar. Kim said the turnaround to be called back by a manager was 48 hours.

Yvonne didn’t call me. When I did ring and get to speak to her 1 week later, she told me that she had been, and I quote

‘In meetings and whatever’

I explained to her the whole situation. She said she would escalate the call to her manager, Shelaigh Coogan who would phone me back that day.

Shelaigh didn’t phone back. At this point I gave up.

So far, over 5 the months, you have overcharged me approximately £3500, my contracts are still 24 months and not 12 months, I’m still getting charged for 0870 numbers, and I am still nowhere near being on the sharer plan I was told I would be on. As I write this letter, my staff are making calls on the phones and are incurring charges we should not be.

I have written this letter out of sheer frustration Nick, and I have prepared a county court summons for the remaining line rental commitment, which total £18,674.

I will also be circulating this letter around the popular press, including all major UK television channels.

Nick, I remember you once saying that ‘to win in the marketplace you needed to create a brand that customers feel an emotional connection with; that employees want to do their best work for; and that is widely recognised as a leader for the quality of its products and services and the contribution it makes to society’.

You went on to say that you look at everything that passes your desk through several lenses: how it affects our customers and our employees, what the financial implications are. And importantly, you say that you use a corporate responsibility lens to decide if this would protect and build Vodafones reputation.

May I suggest you change your lenses Nick, I think the ones you have on are fucked.

Mr Jenkins

Proud to be a "boring" Canadian!

NEWSWEEK

From the magazine issue dated Feb 16, 2009

The legendary editor of The New Republic, Michael Kinsley, once held a "Boring Headline Contest" and decided that the winner was "Worthwhile Canadian Initiative." Twenty-two years later, the magazine was rescued from its economic troubles by a Canadian media company, which should have taught us Americans to be a bit more humble. Now there is even more striking evidence of Canada's virtues. Guess which country, alone in the industrialized world, has not faced a single bank failure, calls for bailouts or government intervention in the financial or mortgage sectors. Yup, it's Canada. In 2008, the World Economic Forum ranked Canada's banking system the healthiest in the world. America's ranked 40th, Britain's 44th.

Canada has done more than survive this financial crisis. The country is positively thriving in it. Canadian banks are well capitalized and poised to take advantage of opportunities that American and European banks cannot seize. The Toronto Dominion Bank, for example, was the 15th-largest bank in North America one year ago. Now it is the fifth-largest. It hasn't grown in size; the others have all shrunk.

So what accounts for the genius of the Canadians? Common sense. Over the past 15 years, as the United States and Europe loosened regulations on their financial industries, the Canadians refused to follow suit, seeing the old rules as useful shock absorbers. Canadian banks are typically leveraged at 18 to 1-compared with U.S. banks at 26 to 1 and European banks at a frightening 61 to 1. Partly this reflects Canada's more risk-averse business culture, but it is also a product of old-fashioned rules on banking.

Canada has also been shielded from the worst aspects of this crisis because its housing prices have not fluctuated as wildly as those in the United States. Home prices are down 25 percent in the United States, but only half as much in Canada. Why? Well, the Canadian tax code does not provide the massive incentive for overconsumption that the U.S. code does: interest on your mortgage isn't deductible up north. In addition, home loans in the United States are "non-recourse," which basically means that if you go belly up on a bad mortgage, it's mostly the bank's problem. In Canada, it's yours.

Ah, but you've heard American politicians wax eloquent on the need for these expensive programs-interest deductibility alone costs the federal government $100 billion a year-because they allow the average Joe to fulfill the American Dream of owning a home. Sixty-eight percent of Americans own their own homes. And the rate of Canadian homeownership? It's 68.4 percent.

Canada has been remarkably responsible over the past decade or so. It has had 12 years of budget surpluses, and can now spend money to fuel a recovery from a strong position. The government has restructured the national pension system, placing it on a firm fiscal footing, unlike our own insolvent Social Security. Its health-care system is cheaper than America's by far (accounting for 9.7 percent of GDP, versus 15.2 percent here), and yet does better on all major indexes. Life expectancy in Canada is 81 years, versus 78 in the United States; "healthy life expectancy" is 72 years, versus 69.

American car companies have moved so many jobs to Canada to take advantage of lower health-care costs that since 2004, Ontario and not Michigan has been North America's largest car-producing region.

I could go on. The U.S. currently has a brain-dead immigration system. We issue a small number of work visas and green cards, turning away from our shores thousands of talented students who want to stay and work here. Canada, by contrast, has no limit on the number of skilled migrants who can move to the country. They can apply on their own for a Canadian Skilled Worker Visa, which allows them to become perfectly legal "permanent residents" in Canada-no need for a sponsoring employer, or even a job. Visas are awarded based on education level, work experience, age and language abilities. If a prospective immigrant earns 67 points out of 100 total (holding a Ph.D. is worth 25 points, for instance), he or she can become a full-time, legal resident of Canada.

Companies are noticing. In 2007 Microsoft, frustrated by its inability to hire foreign graduate students in the United States, decided to open a research center in Vancouver. The company's announcement noted that it would staff the center with "highly skilled people affected by immigration issues in the U.S." So the brightest Chinese and Indian software engineers are attracted to the United States, trained by American universities, then thrown out of the country and picked up by Canada-where most of them will work, innovate and pay taxes for the rest of their lives.

If President Obama is looking for smart government, there is much he, and all of us, could learn from our quiet-OK, sometimes boring-neighbor to the north. Meanwhile, in the councils of the financial world, Canada is pushing for new rules for financial institutions that would reflect its approach.

This strikes me as, well, a worthwhile Canadian initiative.

URL: 2009

Citizen's arrest at an IHOP !

Somedays I dread what the morning news is going to bring and somedays I love it.

Today for the most part is no different than any other day, except for the report about Nicky Hilton performing a "Citizen's Arrest" outside of an IHOP. (International House of Pancakes). She was leaving around 5.am, the Santa Monica Cali location when Michael Broadhurst, 50, pushed her from behind.

She wasn't robbed or hurt, just pissed off. The cops got there and she had it all under control. The old guy goes to court April 21.

This is just a really stupid story, but hey in my opinion most things to do with the Hilton kids almost always is.

I wonder if little Nicky will tell her friends "That's Hot"

Happy Pancake day

The No-Gym, No Excuses Workout

Incinerate fat and pack on muscle — anywhere! — without lifting a weight


Thanks to Jeff Csatari, Men's Health for this great report.


Let's start with a few assumptions. You don't have the luxury of spending hours in a gym. You don't have much workout equipment at home. You've found it hard to stick with an exercise plan over the long term.

Welcome to the club. But we've found the solution: It's called the Bodyweight 200, and it addresses all those obstacles. In fact, you need only two items — a Swiss ball and a chin up bar — to perform this 20-minute, total-body routine designed by Belly Off! Club advisor Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S., owner of TurbulenceTraining.com. So you can do it in your basement, your garage, or even your bedroom. And while a weight-free workout may sound easy, the Bodyweight 200 will challenge every muscle in your body. (The 200 stands for the number of repetitions you do.)

Best of all, you can start today. And why wouldn't you? Now that you have this workout, you're all out of excuses.


The Body-Weight 200
This 12-station, 200-rep program burns fat and builds muscle — in about 60 minutes a week

Directions: Do this workout 3 times a week — Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for example. Perform the exercises as a circuit, doing 1 set of each movement for the prescribed number of repetitions. Complete them in the order shown, without resting between exercises. Too easy? Rest 1 minute and repeat the circuit.


The Workout

1. Prisoner squats (30 reps)

2. Pushups (30 reps)

3. Jumps (10 reps)

4. Swiss-ball leg curls (10 reps)

5. Swiss-ball pikes (10 reps)

6. Stepups (20 reps)

7. Pullups or chinups (5 reps)

8. Forward lunges (30 reps)

9. Tucked-elbow pushups (20 reps)

10. Inverted rows (15 reps)

11. Prisoner squats (15 reps)

12. Chinups (5 reps)

Prisoner Squat

Stand with your hands behind your head, chest out, and elbows back [A]. Sit back at your hips and bend your knees to lower your body as far as you can without losing the natural arch of your spine [B]. Squeeze your glutes and push yourself back to the starting position.

Your toes should be angled slightly outward. Don't raise your heels as you drop into a squat.

Pushup

Assume a classic pushup position, with your back and legs straight and your hands beneath your shoulders [A]. Brace your abs and keep your body rigid. Now lower yourself until your chest almost touches the floor [B]. Then push yourself up until your arms are extended.

Keep your back flat and lower your body until you're about an inch off the floor.

Jump

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Now dip down at your hips and knees [A] and explode up [B], jumping as high as you can. Land as softly as you can, and then lower yourself and repeat.

Drop your hips back to generate power, and land on your toes before sinking into your heels.


Swiss-Ball Leg Curl

Lie on the floor with your calves resting on a Swiss ball and your arms outstretched. Squeeze your glutes to raise your hips off the floor until your body is in a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles [A]. Pause for a second, and then bend your legs to roll the ball toward your butt [B]. Straighten your legs to roll the ball away from you, and then lower your body to the floor.

Drive your heels into the ball to lift your body and activate your hamstrings.
Swiss-Ball Pike

Assume a pushup position with your feet resting on a Swiss ball, your body in a straight line from toes to shoulders [A]. Keep your back straight as you contract your abs, raise your hips as high as you can, and roll the ball toward you [B]. For an easier version, pull your knees up to your chest without raising your hips.

Your toes should be on the top-center of the ball to help maintain your balance.

Stepup

Holding your arms straight out in front of you, place one foot on a step or bench that's about 2 feet off the floor [A]. Push down through your heel to lift your other leg [B], and then return to the starting position. Complete all your reps with one leg before switching legs and repeating the movement.

Your entire foot should be on the bench, with your toes pointed forward.
Pull-up/Chin-up

Hang from the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart [A]. (Use an overhand grip for the pullup and an underhand grip for the chinup.) Pull your chin up past the bar [B], and then lower your body back down. If that's too hard, do negative chinups: Use a sturdy box or bench to boost your chin over the bar. Then lower your body as slowly as you can.

Focus on pulling your body up by squeezing your shoulders to use the muscles in your back.
Forward Lunge

From a standing position [A], take a large step forward with one leg. When your front thigh is parallel to the floor and your back knee is off the floor [B], hold for 1 second. Then return to the starting position and repeat with your other leg. Make it harder by holding the lowered position for 5 seconds.

Make it harder by holding the lowered position for 5 seconds.

Tucked-Elbow Pushup

Assume a standard pushup position [A], but keep your elbows tucked in against your sides as you lower yourself until your chest is about an inch off the floor [B] and then push yourself up. To aid your form, place your hands closer than shoulder width, about 6 inches apart.

To aid your form, place your hands closer than shoulder width, about 6 inches apart.
Inverted Row

Set a chinup bar at hip height inside a door frame. Lie underneath the bar with your heels on the floor and grab the bar, your hands 1 or 2 inches beyond shoulder-width apart [A]. Keeping your body in a straight line, pull your chest up to the bar using your back muscles [B]. Slowly lower yourself until your arms are straight.

Keep your upper arms close to your body and don't let your hips sag.
HEALTH NEWS

Chat to Text Launches Feb 27 - You can get in Today!

Alright, imagine, seriously...someone walked up to you a few years back and said

"Hey for a few bucks you can get in on this little search engine called Google"

Can you believe there were people who laughed at the idea.....fast forward....they ain't laughing now.

So, the question is: Do you want to miss out on the hottest, let me re-phrase that "THE HOTTEST" newest trend????? or do you wanna walk away thinking it's nuts?

Remember the lives of those who didn't say no to Google or Yahoo or ....

Get my point!?

Good, read on ... you WILL be happy you did.

You have to check this out!

Ok, you have to check this out:

CLick here, watch the video!

It's a 5-minute video about a brand new tool you can add to your social network page (works now with Facebook and Bebo, and soon MySpace). You just add it to your profile page and your friends can send you a private text message to your cell phone, and you can reply with your cell phone and they'll get it while they're still on your profile page!


It's called Chat To Text.

It's all explained in the video:

Chat to Text


I've installed it on my profile page - look for the 'Text Me' box on my page and send me a text message to my cell phone...too cool!


Let me know what you think!

Garret

P.S. Don't be fooled by the example I am giving folks.

Many people had the opportunity to own a piece of the MONSTER known as GOOGLE.

For $6.00 Bucks, don't miss out.

See you in success.

Did I mention this is by invite only?

Chat to Text doesn't officially launch until Feb 27 ...

Get Ahead of the crowd.

Click here and become a part of what is sure to be the hottest money maker of the year. Don't regret it later.

6,100 texts a month, but at what cost?

It's a new era. Kids keep connected with constant cell phones through-out the planet and yet I know a few 20 somethings that don't even know how to find it on their cell phones.

Most kids live by it, and a few, a very small few could care less.

But at what cost is a great question and concern.

With all of the cell phone plans out there the bill isn't really a concern since you can get unlimited plans for text usually around the $30.00 mark....not too long ago that was not the case.

I remember when I did customer service for Nextel phones and Sprint phones after the merger, this was between 2002 and 2006 and folks, the stories I could tell you about parent's calling in for bills in the hundreds and yes 3 times that I can remember in the thousands. What always amazed me was how parents were mad at the company. Hey, don't shoot the provider.

Check the plan options!

More importantly have a sit down with your child or children whatever the case may be and talk about the usage. We have to ask ourselves:

What will this generation learn and what will they lose in the relentless stream of sentence fragments, abbreviations and emoticons?

Explain that life's issues are not always settled in sound bites.

Consider this; nationally, more than 75 billion text messages are sent a month, and the most avid texters are 13 to 17, say researchers.

Teens with cellphones average 2,272 text messages a month, compared with 203 calls, according to the Nielsen Co.

It is no longer a fad but a way of life, everyday existence and it does have it's good points.

For example: For families, the text world can bring convenience as never before in arranging rides, doing errands, letting parents know of changing plans.

There are however as with everything in life .. downsides.

For example: Texting whilst driving, sending inappropriate messages that somehow manage to spread like wildfire everywhere they were never intended to go and be seen.

The fact remains regardless that texting is here hard core and it isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

It's instant information when you need to get some email or news, etc.

Now if you'll excuse me I just got a text ...err...

Until next time :)

Image via Wikipedia

So much for Jolly St. Nick

Folks I couldn't make this one up if I tried.

A woman in Chicago has filed a lawsuit against Jolly Ol' St. Nick, well not the St. Nick, but rather one of his many worldly impersonator's.

Sorry kiddies ... Santa can't be at every mall in the world at the same time now can he?

The lawsuit filed Thursday by Antoinette Basso claims that Santa (impersonator) fell on her, knocking her face first into the sidewalk outside a restaurant.

She claims she suffered pain, disability and disfigurement. Okay the pain and (almost) the disability I can understand. The disfigurement I am having a hard time with. What's more is the amount she is asking for. $50,000.00.

That's a lot of eggnog, which apparently Daniel Aulwes (Santa impersonator) had a little too much of, and spiked to boot, no doubt with X-Mas cheer, or maybe Rum ...not really sure about that.

Santa was a bad man this year (allegedly).

He's accused of negligence and negligent battery.

All calls to the North Pole also went un-answered.

I wonder how this one is gonna play out?


Image by Axel Bührmann via Flickr

An interesting article regarding Invitro techniques

I had a question sent to me about invitro and techniques. Not being a doctor I did some research and found this well written article for a response.

Infertility - Fertilization Techniques

In the procedure called In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), a woman's egg is removed surgically from one of her ovaries and fertilized in a glass dish ("test tube"). This fertilized egg is later placed back in her uterus. This method was originally designed for women who have an obstruction of both fallopian tubes but have at least one normally functioning and surgically accessible ovary or in some other situations that cannot be corrected. These conditions exist in about five to ten percent of infertile women.

Overcoming infertility by a commercial transaction with a woman located through an advertisement or a lawyer remains controversial as a result of the notoriety of the "Baby M" case. The procedure, which consists of implanting an in vitro fertilized egg in the uterus of a woman who did not produce the egg (a variant of the original in vitro fertilization approach) has been forbidden in many states as well as in many countries worldwide. Unpaid surrogacy remains a viable option for the woman who can call on the cooperation of a close friend or family member to carry the embryo to term.

Technically called "cryopreservation", the freezing of eggs, sperm and early stage embryos fertilized in the lab for future use in IVF cycles has become a routine procedure. For many years, frozen sperm banks have been the source for donor insemination and it is not unusual for men going off to war to leave a supply of frozen sperm to be used in the event of their death in combat. Male cancer patients under fifty who are scheduled to undergo radiation and chemotherapy likely to leave them sterile are advised to have their sperm preserved before beginning treatments.

It is anticipated that a woman undergoing chemotherapy, perhaps for breast cancer, will be able to have strips of her own ovary removed, frozen and put back in place when treatments are concluded, thus preserving her fertility for the future. The first In Vitro Fertilization birth using a frozen embryo occurred in the United States in 1986 and since then, doctors have been routinely freezing extra human embryos produced by IVF so that they can be stored until the couple asks for them again.

Until definitive decisions are made by the highest courts on who "owns" theses embryos in the event of a divorce, litigation abounds at the state level. At the same time, medical ethicists and legal specialists admit current laws were formulated at a time when no one anticipated that the essence of life could be frozen and used to create a new offspring even after the father was dead.

Increasingly popular is the technological advance that eliminates any need for third-party collaboration. Known as GIFT (gametic intrafallopian transfer) and developed at the Health Science Center of the University of Texas, it proceeds in the following way. Egg cells (usually two to four) that are extracted from the woman by laparoscopy are mixed with about one thousand sperm from the spouse and again, by using a laparoscope, a catheter is introduced into the open end of one or both of the woman's fallopian tubes and the sperm and eggs injected. Thus, the embryo can be fertilized inside the oviduct in its natural environment, where cell division takes place without the need for laboratory culturing. When the procedure works as anticipated, the embryo descends into the uterus and develops into a normal fetus. This procedure takes about one hour and can be performed on an outpatient basis.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Infertility

Article Source:
Michael Russell - EzineArticles Expert Author

Just a wonderful photo

Put a smile on my face, hope ou like it.

Have a great night/day whatever part of the world you're in.

Garret

Image by Aprendiz de Amélie via Flickr

The Octuplet Mom Should Not Profit

It seems the world is once again captivated by a pathetic news story, myself included.

Nadya Suleman, a 33 year old has given birth to Octuplets recently. It is a story that has people divided, why we are is beyond me. I, personally, don't really see the issue of having a lot of children as long as you can AFFORD them.

On that note let's look at a few facts.

For a single mother, the cost of raising 14 children through age 17 ranges from $1.3 million to $2.7 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

She is unemployed.

Suleman has said she saved for the treatments by working double shifts and also used money from a disability award exceeding $165,000 that she received after an on-the-job back injury.

The benefits were discontinued last year.

She is unemployed.

• When asked how she thought her daughter, now a mother of 14, would cope this many children, Angela said, I really don't know. I'm really tired of taking care of those six. I need her to really think of what she's gonna do. How's she going to provide for all of these children?
• One reporter had a look in to the house, describing the interior of the home as filthy, with food on the walls.
• With regards to the $168,000 in disability benefits that Nadya was awarded from the state of California as the result of a work-related injury in 1999, Mom said that was a newsflash to her. I didn't hear that she received money from her insurance, she never told me. I've never seen any money not for a house payment or feeding the kids. In vitro fertilization treatments typically can cost about $12,000 each and Nadya has had seven. (source: About the author: Jeffrey Jolson is Hollywood Today founding editor-in-chief. Jeffrey, of the Al Jolson family, also founded HollywoodReporter.com and Grammy.com. Hollywood Today reporters have written for Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Forbes, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, AP, E!, Popular Science and Popular Mechanics

TMZ reports Dr. Phil leaving a huge mansion with her??? Looking for another quick buck?

How is she going to afford that? If the report is saying she is buying it...don't know yet.

SHE IS UNEMPLOYED.

She has also received death threats....now that I don't agree with at all, that's over the top people.

In today's economy, she decides to do this? Speaks volumes about the type of person she is.

I would love to say I hope she gets no help but then the children suffer, remember they are innocent. So let's hope that the state takes them away and gives them to real families who can really care for them and not someone obviously looking for handouts.

Like it or not, it's my opinion and I am entitled to it.

10 Ways to Go from Tired to Terrific

I really enjoyed this article because for me, when you primarily work from home believe me there are days and nights that it's dawn before you realize it and you have a 10am meeting. With all of the new items that come out from time to time. This is a great article I wanted to share since I know alot of my subscriber's need to get some sleep from time to time because like me you work from home. Enjoy. Print it off for future incidents ;)

Must. Stay. Awake. Yes, it's the 3 o'clock mantra. And who hasn't mumbled it while fighting off midday yawns and drooping eyes?

Fatigue and flagging energy seem to be epidemic, especially among women who burn the candle at both ends (and who doesn't?). Instead of moping, pump up your mojo with these 10 strategies from experts in sleep, fitness, nutrition, psychology, and alternative medicine.

See the light

Get the right light, and you'll have lots more energy. But that can be a challenge, given the poorly lit offices we sit in and the scant doses of daily sunlight (which contains brain-activating short-wavelength blue light) we get. "Our circadian rhythms are more sensitive to blue light than any other kind," says Mariana Figueiro, assistant professor at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.

To take advantage of that energizing blue boost, lift your shades the minute you get up or take a 30-minute walk first thing in the morning. And go outside as often as you can during the day (especially right before you need to be extra-alert), says Scott Campbell, Ph.D., director of the Human Chronobiology Laboratory at New York–Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in Westchester, N.Y. To up your blue light at work, use lamps with "natural" lightbulbs, or a light box that uses blue-light technology.

Get pumped with protein

Unless you plan to run a mar­athon, carbo-loading for energy is out. Instead, eat protein to increase mental alertness and energy, says Debra Hollon, M.S., R.D., a clinical nutritionist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Protein contains tyrosine, an amino acid that elevates the brain chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine. It increases satiety too. And when you feel fuller, you're not apt to overdo the breads and sweets that induce roller-coaster highs and lows.

Eat plant- and animal-based protein throughout the day—an egg or high-protein cereal for breakfast, 10 almonds midmorning, a cup of low-sugar yogurt in the afternoon—and your stamina should stabilize.

Lend a hand

Research shows that you get a "helper's high," a rush of endorphins that lasts for hours, when you volunteer, says Kimberly Kingsley, author of The Energy Cure: How to Recharge Your Life 30 Seconds at a Time. You don't have to look far to help out, she says. "There may be a single mom in your family who needs a babysitter or a lonely neighbor who'd love to chat."

Judith Orloff, M.D., a Los Angeles–based psychiatrist and author of Positive Energy: 10 Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear, agrees, and she often folds anonymous good deeds into her day. During her morning coffee run, she sometimes buys an extra cup of joe for a homeless person. "When you make someone happy, you feel filled up again," Dr. Orloff says. Find volunteer opportunities that suit you.

Breathe hard—more often

That post-workout rush of energy you feel is well-documented: Movement sends oxygen through the bloodstream to invigorate cells. That's why Gerald K. Endress, fitness director at the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., suggests that you break up your workouts to maximize your oxygen intake.

Lift weights, roll out the exercise ball, or do five minutes of yoga in the morning. Climb a few flights of stairs at lunch and jog after dinner. To add an extra kick to your workout, breathe deeply for your first one or two minutes of cardio, Endress says: Inhale from your belly; then breathe out slowly, imagining you're pulling your navel toward your spine.

Bag a new brew

Boost your energy with white tea, which has a delicate flavor that requires little sweetening. "Of all the teas, white tea goes through the least processing," says Iman Hakim, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona in Tucson and a leading researcher on the benefits of tea. As a result, white tea has the highest concentration of L-theanine, an amino acid that, according to recent research, stimulates alpha brain waves to boost alertness while producing a calming effect. And because a cup of white tea contains less caffeine (15 milligrams) than other teas (up to 50 mg) and coffee (120 mg), it's more hydrating, another key for sustaining energy.

Tackle the blahs in bursts

Shake up your routine for 15 minutes at a time to get an energy boost. Change your walking route, sample a new food, garden for a few minutes, or pick up a pencil and draw. "It's all about taking baby steps to replenish yourself," Dr. Orloff says.

Start small; tackling a really big new project may just pile on more stress. And think of your mini–task as a chance to renew, not another thing on your to-do list.

Get hands-on help

Could your energy be blocked? Hands-on therapies like acupuncture and Reiki (pronounced ray-key), a Japanese massage technique, may help, says Eva Selhub, M.D., senior staff physician at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Chestnut Hill, Mass. "These therapies may remove the blocks that create emotional and physical problems in our bodies," she says. "When the resistance is gone, energy flows." In fact, a recent British study published in New Scientist says acupuncture can relieve fatigue in cancer patients.

Don't have time for a 30-plus-minute session? Try self-acupressure. According to a recent finding by Richard E. Harris, Ph.D., research assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical Center's Department of Internal Medicine in Ann Arbor, Mich., there's a positive correlation between acupressure and increased alertness. His trick: Rub the muscle between your thumb and your forefinger for three to five minutes; you should feel a little ache there and then an overall sense of ahh.

Take a tech-free break

Being at the mercy of electronic devices keeps us in "fight-or-flight mode," Kingsley says. You get an adrenaline zap every time the cell phone rings or an email comes in. Over time, living off adrenaline exhausts you. Cell phones, in particular, put increased stress on women, research shows.

Even though both men and women say that their cell phones allow job worries to affect their home lives, only women experience the opposite effect—the spillover of home concerns into work. The solution: "Set boundaries at work and home," Kingsley suggests, "so your attention isn't always divided." Give yourself at least an hour a day when you completely unplug from electronic devices. That chance to check in and connect with yourself will re-energize you, she says.

Meditate for a minute

Time-crunched? Great news: You can reap the benefits of meditation—a hike in alertness and attention—in three-minute mini–breaks. "They're like little tune-ups," Dr. Orloff says.

She recommends an a.m. session before you start your day and a noon meditation before that typical 3 o'clock crash hits. Find a quiet place (even if it's the bathroom) and mentally focus on an image that brings you pleasure: the ocean, a flower, the sun, your cat; continue to keep the image in your mind's eye as you breathe deeply (roughly 10 seconds for each inhale and exhale). With a little practice, Dr. Orloff says, you'll become more skilled at maintaining focus and can add more short meditations to your day, whenever you need revitalizing.

Clean up your sleep

The buzzword in sleep science these days is sleep hygiene, and it's about more than clean sheets—it helps you create an atmosphere that's restful, so you'll sleep well and wake up energized without the need for sleeping pills, Campbell says.

Sleep hygiene usually includes three areas: fully darkening your bedroom (turn your alarm clock away from you if the display gives off too much light), regulating room temperature to a moderate coolness (too hot or too cold, and you'll wake up), and using white noise (a fan or quiet music) to help induce sleepiness.

Article Source: By Alicia Potter, Health magazine

So, remember the next time you need to stay awake. Remember these tips to wake up again and tackle the day.

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News Update: Arrest in Chandra Levy is "Imminent"

After almost eight years, parents Robert and Susan Levy may finally have a bit of closure in the case of her daughter's untimely death.

I really hate using that word "closure". Can there ever truly be any for a parent who has lost a child?

My heart goes out to them, it truly does. In some way however, I suppose it will help with the healing process....then again, it may open up a whole new case of pain and loss. They say time heals all wound's, still, the wound's may not have gone away, the pain may come back all to real for them.

Police Chief Cathy Lanier informed the couple of a break in the case last Friday and that an arrest was "imminent in the next couple of days"

After eight years, you have got to respect the officer's involved. Cold cases very rarely get solved. These guys and gals never gave up. Maybe they are parent's, brother's and sister's and simply said "We aren't gonna let this one get away"

Whatever the motivation the officer's of Washington D.C. need to be recognized and applauded. They truly exemplify what a police officer is and does for the community.

I suppose Mr. and Mrs Levy haven't really let it all sink in. To quote Mrs. Levy "It's a bittersweet relief,not that we'll ever get our daughter back but we need the truth."

Statements have not yet released who the suspect is, a wise decision, make sure it's 100 per cent then name the B@STARD involved.

As a father,it's something I simply cannot fathom going through, a simply offering condolences doesn't seem like much, but it's all I have to offer.

There is more to the story but until I have all of the fact's this is all I will say, except on a personal note to the Levy's.

Should you need a friend, myself and family are here.

Garret

The Facebook Addiction? - I wonder if Kevin Rose of Digg uses Facebook?

It seems that the bigger Facebook get's, the more people who use it and the more groups that show up the more interesting comments I hear. Whether it's from online friends or from friends offline. One thing seems to be a solid truth. Everyone loves to hate Facebook.

I have friends that tell me how much they hate facebook and yet every time I am on (which is about 3 hours a day) these friends are there, some try to hide themselves with the offline chat feature but let's face it, when you update your profile status you are doing it whilst on site.

The Facebook addiction is becoming infamous throughout the world. Funny isn't it how a simple website unites the planet in a way that no-one else has been able to accomplish. Viral beat's a phone call.

So everyone I know at least claims to hate it yet all use it. As for me, I love it, there is no in between, no grey area. I love it for several reasons:

• It keep's me informed on people's lives.
• It keep's me up to date on controversial issue's I may not be made aware of in my small little town.
• It give's me the ability to make friends globally (and yes I do use it as a pen-pal type of repitoire
• It makes me money
• It keep's my computer skills, as well as human interaction skills alive and current.

Now, it also keep's me abreast of one other thing I hate to admit, I am a naturally curious person, I love gossip (be honest, so do you) I love the tabloid type stuff. I love reading the different opinion's, whether I agree with them or not, we are all of different mind set's and we all have our own sense of what is right and what is wrong.

However you feel about Facebook or any social media the fact is in some way shape or form you like it, love it or hate it, but you appreciate it or you wouldn't use it.

Would you?

That's the funny thing about addiction....denial is always the first response;)

Doctors want to kill this woman - Skinny Diet

In what is perhaps the most shocking announcement made in some time regarding the diet and health industry, a lady doctor has just released what some authorities are calling the world's "Top Secret Fat Loss Secret!"

The woman doctor, whose name is Dr Suzanne Gudakunst, has really upset the major food & drug industries, as well as weight loss manufactured food companies.

In the past 6 years she has worked largely in secret developing what may be the "cure" for obesity -- and testing this first on herself, and then on a select group of volunteer patients who anxiously awaited salvation from the harmful effects of suffering "the battle of bulge."

So valuable her SHOCKING findings and PROVEN results are, that she's now just released her simple and easy-to-do system under the aptly titled: "Top Secret Fat Loss Secret!"

And her timing couldn't be better! ...

- Since recent studies reveal obesity has now reached epidemic
proportions, her secret may well prove a major life-saver to the
now more than 40% of Americans alone who are labeled
"obese!"

- Children are now considered "fatter than ever" by most experts,
and Dr Suzanne's remedy may prove a preventative in the fight
against later-in-life developed diabetes when these same
children grow into adults!

And what may be the BIGGEST "Shock" of all is this horrifying fact:

=> Dr Suzanne has received death threats for simply making
her secret fat loss solution available to the general public -
and from what law enforcement investigators believe may
be insiders in the weight-loss/diet food manufacturing and
weight-loss drug treatment industries!

One federal law enforcement official (who insists on remaining nameless) said in confidence:

"It's no shock to us at the [agency name withheld for security
purposes] that this lady doc has received so many threats on
her life as food and drug companies stand to lose potentially
billions of dollars by the release of her new breakthrough
secret for losing weight."

But now with the release of this breakthrough weight and fat loss revelation, people who previously struggled so very hard with little or any success in the fight against the "extra pounds" now have a VAST & POWERFUL WEAPON on their side for a well-deserved change!

When asked if she feared retaliation from pharmaceutical and weight-loss food manufacturers, she said almost too hopefully...

"I wish they would do so especially in public because to get
fired upon for this would demonstrate more than ever that I
must have done something very, very right ... as anyone
with common sense would see that the only reason they are
in business in the first place is because being overweight as
a population only serves to make them even richer ... and
what I've done is going to free masses of people from being
slaves to them for good! - even many millions."

So despite the continued threats, Dr Suzanne is more on the ball and out to ruffle as many feathers as she can with her New "TOP SECRET Fat Loss Secret!"

To be sure the good gal-doctor isn't going this alone! Nope. She's got some very BIG heavy-hitters on her side!

Joined in unison by some of the biggest names in modern medicine from the likes of Johns Hopkins, Harvard Medical, and a good number of the other leading world-recognized hospitals and higher-learning institutions, Dr Suzanne moves rapidly forward in her personal "war" on ugly, unwanted fat and for the pursuit of better and eventually optimal health for all!

Additionally, you should know that nothing about her secret fat loss cure is difficult or hard to do.

What you may even find strangely surprising about her secret is the fact that it can by done by anyone effortlessly! (You'll have to see it for yourself to understand how this is actually possible!)

So if you are someone who has been losing the fight against ugly fat and unwanted extra inches (that eventually without a doubt will shorten your life and lower the quality of it), then this is exactly what the good lady-doctor ordered!

Just grab the good doctor's secret for yourself click here.

But I feel it only fair to warn you that "the rush" is so vehemently on, that if you hesitate you may find that tomorrow when you get there (the link just above) the credit card-taking process might be so overburdened that you can't order at all ... (So it might be a good idea that you hurry on over there NOW rather than risk waiting till later and losing out for good!)

Plus, it's my understanding that she knocks off nearly HALF the price just for people getting over there within 24-48 hours!

So if I were you I'd not take any chances because although credit card processing may still be working by the time you get there, the price may nearly DOUBLE just 2 days from now (and then you'll kick yourself saying "Dad-gummit! I knew I should have grabbed that when I had the chance!" ... so don't let this happen to you - grab it NOW!)

Also keep this in mind...
-----------------------------------
How many times have you seen sudden "breakthroughs" of such great controversy potentially come along and cause a woman doctor to actually get death threats for her secret 'know-how?' -- You're right ... very, very few.

So don't overlook this email as it may very well prove to be one of the most influential and important ones you've ever received...

Sincerely
Garret

P.S. Here's the link again

Photos Of Rihanna After Chris Brown Beating Leaked

A file photo is making it's way across the net and the world after TMZ displayed a photo of Rihanna after an alleged beating by bf Chris Brown.

Here is the details.

The entertainment world has been abuzz since Thursday when a photo of a battered-looking Rihanna leaked to the Web.

The photo is reported to have been taken by police to record the damage of the alleged assault by Rihanna’s boyfriend, Chris Brown, two weeks ago.

The photo could be key in determining the amount and severity of the charges that could be brought against him, a popular singer.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office is reported to currently be considering charges of domestic violence and assault resulting in great bodily harm.

Brown released a statement last week, saying, “Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired. I am committed, with God’s help, to emerging a better person.” Rihanna has so far avoided the media and has not released any statements. You have to respect her for that and Brown should be worried because of her silence.

The leak of the photo is also creating controversy. The Los Angeles Police Department labeled it a serious misconduct and has launched an internal investigation into the source of the leak.

However it goes down, it the beating is true then I personally hope she makes him a messenger to woman beaters everywhere and he does some real time, not celebrity time.

P.S. I love TMZ for keeping the world up to date on this, I love it and hate it all at once. :)

Sometimes....

I need to get some advert help for a friend with an interesting business for our little town of Timmins, Ontario. As usual we got side-tracked with a few minutes checking the net for any word play or any off the wall kind of inspiration.

Didn't happen sadly.

What did happen was coming across this funny little newspaper advertisement and had to share it with you guys.

P.S. Before we go into the article remember to sign up for regular updates to our inbox at the bottom of the page :)

K, now that I am finished with the "shameful plug" I need to get some coffee so you guys and gals enjoy the story.

The following is an ad from a real-life newspaper which appeared four days in a row - the last three hopelessly trying to correct the first day's mistake.

MONDAY:

For Sale: R.D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Phone 948-0707 after 7 P.M. and ask for Mrs Kelly who lives with him cheap.

TUESDAY Notice:

We regret having erred in R.D. Jones' ad yesterday. It should have read "One sewing machine for sale cheap. Phone 948-0707 and ask for Mrs Kelly, who lives with him after 7 P.M."

WEDNESDAY Notice:

R.D. Jones has informed us that he has received several annoying telephone calls because of the error we made in the classified ad yesterday. The ad stands correct as follows: "For sale R.D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Cheap. Phone 948-0707 after 7 P.M. and ask for Mrs. Kelly who loves with him."

THURSDAY Notice:

I, R.D. Jones, have no sewing machine for sale. I smashed it. Don't call 948-0707 as I have had the phone disconnected. I have not been carrying on with Mrs. Kelly, Until yesterday she was my housekeeper but she quit."

Source of paper unknown

You be the judge.

I am not one to actually use other people's writings but this was sent to me and I had to share it. It is about the Chris Brown situation against Rihanna.

You be the judge.

Source: Huffingtonpost.com

Charlotte Hilton Andersen
An Open Letter to Rihanna: What It's Like Taking Your Boyfriend To Court.

The only thing more shocking about what happened at the Grammys - Allison Krauss and Robert Freaking Plant winning album of the year (who put those two together and have you even heard of either of them in the past 5 years?) - is what didn't happen at the Grammys. Specifically that longtime R&B powerhouse couple Chris Brown & Rihanna were no shows. Not only did they not attend or perform as scheduled but Brown was taken into custody for "making criminal threats" and perhaps use of a deadly weapon in a domestic assault of the R&B umbrella star. Rihanna's rep says she is fine, naturally, but sources say she was hospitalized with bruises and welts.

So what happens now? I'm no celebrity and I'm certainly not a lawyer - I don't even watch SVU on TV (culturally irrelevant, that's me!) - but I have been a victim of dating violence. And I did what only about 5 percent of victims but 100% of feminists say to do: I pressed charges and took my boyfriend to court, eventually sending him to prison for felony sexual abuse. It remains to be seen if Rihanna will press charges (although the state can press charges independent of her) so I thought I'd offer my perspective on what it's like to Do the Right Thing.

Dear Rihanna,

Here's what happens if you take Chris to court: basically, you're eviscerated. What, your victims right's advocate didn't tell you about that? I'm not surprised. Despite her title, she doesn't work for you. She works for the prosecution. And they don't work for you either. Nor do the police. All those folks are just there to enforce the laws of the nation. Dealing with the myriad of feelings most victims experience just makes the whole affair messy. Which isn't to say that they don't want you to cry. Your tears only help their case. But make no mistake: it is their case they are worried about, not you.

The fun starts when the police take your statement. You may have already given one. It's the part where you tell your story and hope that it makes some kind of sense based on your fragmented and emotionally charged memories. I hope you did a good job because they'll tear it to pieces later. In fact, seeing as he was/is your boyfriend, you'll probably tear it to pieces later yourself, wondering if things really were as bad as they seemed at the time.

Which is when you'll pull out the pictures. Undoubtedly someone will have taken photos for evidence. Your bruises. Your blood. Your torn clothing. His wounds. His weapon. The crime scene. You might throw up. You might just be numb. Although from my experience, the real fear and anger don't kick in for months later. The physical evidence will eventually fade away - you do have marvelous skin; I'm sure it heals quickly - but the photos will be there lest you forget.

Next up is your testimony. You probably thought you were done with your affidavit - the one you signed with hands shaking so badly your kindergarten teacher wouldn't recognize your signature. But unless he plea bargains out early, you'll be stuck repeating your version of the events. And it will always be called that: "your version." It's not the truth. It's merely the truth as you see it. Or thought you saw it. Obviously you were upset so, you know, you might have missed a few things. Which of course you did. You're only human. The self-doubt, incidentally, will be the only emotion that the prosecution will not allow you to show.

And so you will tell your version to tape recorders, to lawyers for both the prosecution and the defense, to assistants, to your mother, to the court reporter. You will say it both on the stand and laying on the floor. And - this being the part I can't imagine having to deal with - to the public via television, radio and print interviews. Everyone will ask you questions. Some will sympathize with Brown. I'm telling you this as a girlfriend. It doesn't matter how clear-cut your case is - and domestic violence is often anything but - there will be people that think you brought it on yourself. That somehow, somewhere there is something terrible enough you could have said or done (and you know those rumors have already started and are flying fast and furious courtesy of the Internet) that would justify a sound beating.

But tune them out, sister, because many of us will sympathize with you. There are so many of us that have been in your bandage (dress). So many of us that have taken it and blamed ourselves and blamed him and blamed the universe before finally taking the matter into our own hands.

And that's the beauty of this country. We have that right. You may not choose to press charges. You may even choose to stay with him (took me two "incidents" to finally leave my boyfriend so you'll get no judgment from me.) But you have the option of pursuing legal action. Should you do it?

Many people - who are not in your stilettos - will tell you absolutely. That you must. That you owe it to the other women out there who could be harmed by him in the future or the girls who've taken it in silence from him in the past. I'm telling you that it's hell. It was the worst and hardest thing I've ever done. The court case in its long protracted goriness scarred me worse than the actual assaults did. I regret it even now, five years later.

And yet I wouldn't take it back. I'd do it again if I had to. Whatever you decide to do, all of us who've been there will back you up. It's not an easy choice. I'm not trying to tell you what to do; I just wanted to let you know what you're in for.

PS> I know. I wish Olivia Benson were real too. Then I might actually watch the show.

Angels and Demons

I cannot wait. The books were awesome and I am a huge Tom Hanks fan.

I hope you enjoy the trailer

View it here

Strange but true facts about the Earth

Alright, somethings are very interesting but some things get boring. So yesterday and today I was just doing some surfing and found these bizarre facts.

Read more here

In 1783 an Icelandic eruption threw up enough dust to temporarily block out the sun over Europe.

About 20 to 30 volcanoes erupt each year, mostly under the sea.

A huge underground river runs underneath the Nile, with six times more water than the river above.

Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana formed in a hollow made by a meteorite.

Beaver Lake, in Yellowstone Park, USA, was artificially created by beaver damming.

Off the coast of Florida there is an underwater hotel. Guests have to dive to the entrance.

Venice in Italy is built on 118 sea islets joined by 400 bridges. It is gradually sinking into the water.

The Ancient Egyptians worshipped a sky goddess called Nut.

The world's windiest place is Commonwealth Bay, Antartica.

In 1934, a gust of wind reached 371 km/h on Mount Washington in New Hampshire, USA.

American Roy Sullivan has been struck by lighting a record seven times.

The desert baobab tree can store up to 1000 litres of water in its trunk.

The oldest living tree is a California bristlecone pine name 'Methuselah'. It is about 4600 years old. The largest tree in the world is a giant sequoia growing in California. It is 84 meters tall and measures 29 meters round the trunk. The fastest growing tree is the eucalyptus. It can grow 10 meters a year.

The Antartic notothenia fish has a protein in its blood that acts like antifreeze and stops the fish freezing in icy sea.

The USA uses 29% of the world's petrol and 33% of the world's electricity.

The industrial complex of Cubatao in Brazil is known as the Valley of Death because its pollution has destroyed the trees and rivers nearby.

Tibet is the highest country in the world. Its average height above sea level is 4500 meters.

Some of the oldest mountains in the world are the Highlands in Scotland. They are estimated to be about 400 million years old.

Fresh water from the River Amazon can be found up to 180 km out to sea.

The White Sea, in Russia, has the lowest temperature, only -2 degrees centigrade. The Persian Gulf is the warmest sea. In the summer its temperature reaches 35.6 degrees centigrade.

There is no land at all at the North Pole, only ice on top of sea. The Arctic Ocean has about 12 million sq km of floating ice and has the coldest winter temperature of -34 degrees centigrade.

The Antarctic ice sheet is 3-4 km thick, covers 13 million sq km and has temperatures as low as -70 degrees centigrade.

Over 4 million cars in Brazil are now running on gasohol instead of petrol. Gasohol is a fuel made from sugar cane.

Obama is coming, Obama is coming....to Canada that is.

Obama is coming, Obama is coming....to Canada that is.

Alright, being Canadian I think it is fair to say that Canadian's (the vast majority of us) are thrilled beyond belief that Barack Obama is the President of the United States, our best ally and dear friend.

Let's be honest here folks ... George W was not good for North America period. Anyone who opposes that view can "veto" my statement and then look at the world economic crisis....okay it's not ALL his fault.....back to the reason for my writing.

President Elect Obama will be meeting with our head of state Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discuss the economy and several other tid-bits....no there will be no mention of Omar Khadr, my heart goes out to the lad but right now the greater good of our two naton's come's first. As does the world economic crisis.

I am thrilled that he (Obama) will be visiting my home country, but I am disappointed he will not be available for the public to see. Understandably, I am sure he has enough on his plate, not to mention security will be a huge burden.

However between the Secret Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I pray he enjoys his visit and makes several more visit's and lengthier ones so that we Canadians can truly show him how much our nation loves him.

Both leader's as well as leader's across the world have much work to do to get out of this slump, to put it mildly.

His first stop is Canada and that's enough for me.

We need to get some work done and fast.

I am sure the talks will be "fruitful" to quote Mr. Harper.

Either way, welcome to Canada President Obama.

The world loves you, whether you know it or not.

If we are really lucky, you'll serve two terms.

Kid's got a sweet tooth

In a small rural town, well maybe not small, a teenager was arrested for attempting to rip off $37,000 of candy from his local high school.

Now, what he did was order the candy ad try to bill it to his former place of education. He must have missed the day's where they taught moral's and ethics and honesty and ... you get the idea.

Somehow he got a purchasing number from the school to purchase the goodies from the Michigan company called "The Goodies Company". The company got suspicious understandably and called up the school. I would be suspicious to with that amount of product, so they called the cop's who told them to send an empty box. (That's funny....not to mention it must have been one big box.)

They delivered it to his home where he was arrested without incident. He faces two counts of felony telecommunications fraud and is being held on $30,000 bond ... that is a lot of lolli-pops.

Moral of the story: A sweet tooth can be alot more expensive than a dentist visit.

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Increase your Sexual Attractiveness

Increase your Sexual Attractiveness

Pheromones are a natural chemical compound found in all insects, animals, and humans. Animals detect pheromones over a distance – they help them mark territory and recognize mates. Human pheromones are natural hormones and we use them to communicate with one another on a subconscious level. They are detected by a little organ inside the nose and then being transmitted to our brains as a chemical message of sex and sexual attraction.

Not everyone knows that these days’ pheromones can be found as a product – colognes, sprays, oils, gels, wipes, lotions, soaps and even candles. There are different pheromones for Men and Women. Pheromone products mainly contain one or all of the following human pheromones:

*Androstenone- the pheromone that gives a macho, dominant male aura. It attracts and arouses women on a primordial level and women reported having better and stronger orgasm during sex.

*Androstenol– is called as a friendly pheromone. You will seem nice, friendly and approachable to others.

*androsterone – is knows as a middle ground between the first two. People say that androsterone is very similar to andostenone, just it doesn’t give a male macho aura as much.

*Copulins – is found in pheromones for women to use. Copulins are produced by women naturally, during their ovulation time. Copulins are used towards attracting men.

Pheromones come in both scented and unscented products. Some people use scented pheromones as simple perfume or body spray. Then they don‘t need to use any other perfume. Unscented products can be mixed with colognes, perfumes or body sprays. Both kinds of pheromones are applied in the same places where you usually apply other perfume or body spray.

Pheromones “work” for both male and female, and pheromone products are being used to gain sexual attraction of the opposite sex.

Guys, it doesn‘t matter how you look like – fat or slim, tall or short, handsome or not a sexy macho – if you use pheromones, women will find you sexually attractive. After women smell pheromones in the pheromone product they will become attracted to you. Try to use pheromone products and you will notice that women are starting to show you more attention, more eye contact, more dates and of course more sex.

The same is for women. If you like a man and he is not paying as much attention to you as you want – try a pheromone “attack”. When he is around you - make sure you sprayed pheromones on your body and you will start feel difference. Many women use this “weapon” to get the guys they want.

Pheromones can help you increase your attractiveness, bring you more success in business and many social situations, make people comfortable around you and improve your own mood.

Courtesy

Okay how crazy is this?

Okay how crazy is this?

This is nuts. So a woman has nowhere to stay and this guy picks her up and brings her to his home in Toledo. He picked her up in Detroit which is roughly 90 clicks away. She falls asleep....never fall asleep in a strangers home....more to the point with the sicko's we have roaming the streets these days why on earth did she agree to go inside?

She was lucky, sort of. When she woke up she found herself shackled, handcuffed at the wrists and ankles. She was gagged as well. The most embarrassing part however was that she had found herself in an adult diaper. More shocking is the guy, Troy Brisport (34) was reading her passages out of the Bible. WHAT!

She wasn't sexually assaulted but he did try to suffocate her several times.....guess he tired himself and went for a nap, that's when she escaped the bizarre situation.

Police found her in an adult sized T-shirt and the diaper, oh and still in the 'cuffs.

Brisport was charged with kidnapping and felonious assault and released on $400,000. That's alot of diapers.

As strange as this story is, what is stranger (to me at least) is that this woman was foolish enough to enter a complete strangers home over 90 kilometers away from where they met. That is just as ridiculous as the predicament she found herself in. Thank God she wasn't another victim of homicide.

As for Troy, he'll have lots of time to spread the word where he's going.

Unbelievable.

P.S

There was no immediate response Tuesday to a call seeking comment from jail officials.

DNA test will tell if 13-year-old is dad

DNA test will tell if 13-year-old is dad


LONDON - A DNA test will be performed to determine if a 13-year-old boy fathered a chld with his 15-year-old girlfriend, the boy's spokesman said on Monday.

The test comes after a Sunday tabloid newspaper reported that other teenage boys have come forward claiming to be the father of the newborn baby girl. Cute huh?

Spokesman Max Clifford said the parents of Alfie, 13, said the tests would be done "as soon as possible" to determine if he is indeed the father.

"He obviously believes he's the father," Clifford said. "I think that having read the News of the World yesterday, it would be prudent to have a DNA test."

The teenager's girlfriend, Chantelle, gave birth to the baby girl earlier this month in Eastbourne, which is southeast of London. The couple made headlines in Britain when Alfie, who looks much younger than 13, posed on the front page of the tabloid Sun newspaper with the baby. (Cash grab perhaps?)

The story sparked a large debate in Britain about the way children are treated by their parents and society in general.

On Monday the Press Complaints Commission said it launched an inquiry into alleged payments by The Sun and the People newspapers to Alfie's parents. The newspaper watchdog said media guidelines stated that children and their parents or guardians must not be paid for material about their welfare, unless it was in the public interest.

The Sun said in a statement that it will co-operate with the inquiry and believes the story is in the public interest. The People newspaper was not immediately available for comment.

The local council where the teenagers live said it would offer them support and that they will continue to be monitored by social workers to determine what help they might need.

I'll keep everyone posted. Have you bookmarked us yet? Hit CTRL + D or better yet sign up for regular email updates.

Is your vehicle on the top theft list.

Read it here

This was an interesting article I read this morning and thought I would share the main list with everyone, I won't go through the entire article....just checked to see if my car was on the list and thankfully it isn't.

Is yours?

The Top Ten Stolen Vehicles are:

1. 2000 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
2. 1999 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
3. 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX/WRX STi 4-door AWD
4. 1995 Dodge/Plymouth Grand Caravan/Voyager
5. 1995 Dodge/Plymouth Caravan/Voyager
6. 2002 Acura RSX Type S 2-door
7. 2001 Audi TT Quattro Roadster
8. 1995 Acura Integra 2-door
9. 1996 Dodge/Plymouth Neon 2-door
10. 1996 Dodge/Plymouth Neon 4-door

“I’m sure a lot of people with decade-old Neons don’t think that anybody would want to steal their car, but this shows that thieves aren’t just interested in new or high-value vehicles,” said Rick Dubin, Vice-President, Investigations, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). “These older vehicles are easier to steal, they have no approved anti-theft electronic immobilizers, and there are so many of them on the road that a stolen one can just blend in. That’s why they tend to be used to commit other crimes.”

Woman’s airport hysterics an online hit

Check it all out here


This is nut's. This woman missed her flight in Hong Kong and she seriously lost it.

I feel really bad for her but Holy Cow, this is over the top.

Maybe she had an important meeting, or maybe just a bad day.

[ENG SUB] Crazy woman misses flight

Woman plead's guilty to exercising her husband to death.

Okay, is it me or is the world getting more and more strange?

This week's news events, other than the usual hard-ship of the economy, have been over the top.

The story take's place in Ohio, which has a woman exercising her 73 year old hubby to the grave. She is 41. The age gap has me thinking.....wait for it.....

He was swimming, which can be hazardous for a number of reason's and/or circumstances for anyone, but when you have your wife (or in this case the wife of Satan, claiming to be your wife) refusing to let you leave the pool as you grasp for air....not once did she disallow him, not twice....not thrice...43 times she refused him to leave.

FORTY THREE TIMES PEOPLE!

Middlefield police chief Joseph Stehlik calld the video bone-chilling. Your damn right! The old boy was bone-chilling also I deem.

James Mason died of a heart attack, brought on by a wife attack....er...I mean an extended swim lesson.

So he is expired and she faces up to 5 years in prison. Seems fair doesn't it?! WHAT!

He is struggling for his life and this is justice.

As for his wife...and no I am not making this up:

Mason was a longtime friend of his wife's family. He knew her as John Vallandingham before she had gender reassignment surgery in 1993 and changed her name in honour of the singer and star of the hit movie version of the musical "Grease."

The couple were wed in 2006 in Kentucky, where people can change their gender on their birth certificate.

What a world we live in.