Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: baby shower favors, baby shower gifts, baby shower supplies, baby showers, birthday parties, cute things, finger traps, free beer, gift bags, giraffe, hair brushes, lip balm, paddle balls, party favors, pluses, soap bar, spring cleaning, temporary tattoos, tiny hair, way of the buffalo
Do you remember when you were a kid and you used to get those really cool little gift bags at birthday parties? You know what Im talking about: those bags filled with party favors like tiny hair brushes, Chinese finger traps, paddle balls and maybe a little bit of candy? Yeah, it was awesome how those little 2 cent pieces of plastic would make you smile.
However, when we grow older we eliminate the gift bags from our parties and replace it with promises of free beer and wine.
And while that has its pluses, sometimes you just sort of pine for the simplicity of tiny party favors that you used to receive.
Luckily for all of us, the idea of party favors have not totally gone the way of the buffalo as grow older. Party favors are still alive and well at baby showers.
While baby shower favors are not a new thing, they ha?e hit a bit of a renaissance in the past few years. The expansion of internet purchasing habits in has led to full sites dedicated to nothing but baby shower supplies and gift. If you go to these sites youll see pages upon pages full of baby shower favors.
And heres the shocking thing: they are things you will actually like and use. Lets be honest, as much as we thought those gift bags were cool, did we ever really use those paddleballs or temporary tattoos? No, they just went into some draw and were thrown out during spring cleaning.
Baby shower gifts, on the other hand, are actually things youll like and use, like candy, candles, lip balm and soap. Plus, they wont break it three seconds like the birthday favors.
Did I mention that these baby shower gifts are darn cute too? oh yeah, because us women love the idea of cute things baby shower sites are stocked with the cutest gifts you could imagine. Love owls, monkeys and frogs?
Well, good news: there are favors just for you. I even found a cute little soap bar that is shaped like a giraffe.
The best part about all of the baby shower gifts is that they can be personalized. You can get names and personalized messages printed on everything from the soaps to the candy.
I know it seems like a small thing, but like the old 2 cent pieces of plastics, these baby shower favors will surely bring a smile to your friends faces.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Two men who have been together for 34 years have become the first couple to obtain a same-sex marriage since it became legal in Argentina on July 15.
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Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blow dryer, brooke shields, celeb, celebrity stylist, dries, dry shampoo, extreme temperatures, flat iron, hair color, hair shaft, heat tools, helena christensen, locks, massage, natural texture, psssst, redheads, riccardo maggiore, sarah jessica parker, tips and tricks
As women, we are always searching for ways to add some pop to our look.
This is most often done with color, but during summer the combination of the heat and sun leads to faster fading color.
Celebrity stylist Riccardo Maggiore (who has coiffed the locks of Brooke Shields, Helena Christensen and Sarah Jessica Parker at his NYC salon) has a few tips and tricks to help your color last through the season into the fall.
· Avoid daily shampooing in the summer which not dries out your hair (especially if you’re out in the sun a lot), but really makes your color fade faster.
Instead of washing every day, try a dry shampoo in between washes to get rid of any oiliness (Psssst is a great affordable brand and a favorite among top celeb stylists). Simply spray at the roots, massage into the scalp, and brush the product through hair.
· Heat tools will also cause color to fade faster, so try to work with your hair’s natural texture, but if you find yourself in a moment where you need to use your blow dryer or flat iron.
· Redheads already have trouble keeping their hair color vibrant, but especially so in the summer. If you’ve gone red for the summer, consider weekly or bi-weekly gloss treatments (some even help deposit color back into the hair) at your salon to help with the maintenance.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Sachin Tendulkar extended his world record to 48 Test centuries as India battled to avoid the follow-on in the second match of the series against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Wednesday.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: absolute phase, attractive appearance, audio group, axis, center channel speaker, channel speakers, complement, consistent sound, crossover networks, fidelity sound, home theater applications, perfect choice, phase technology, satellite speakers, satellite units, sound quality, speaker systems, top priority, watts, woofer
New 5.1 and 7.1 reference speakers give big sound from small enclosures.
cerwin vega center channel speakers
Phase Technology has released the CineMicro Series, a new range of audiophile-grade speakers for home theater applications. The 5.1 CineMicro One system has four satellite speakers, a dual-woofer center channel speaker and an 8-inch long-throw subwoofer in all-wood, acoustically neutral enclosures.
The system may easily be expanded to accommodate 6.1, 7.1 or 7.2 audio requirements.
The CineMicro One incorporates specially engineered features to produce sound that matches that of larger high-end residential speaker systems. The speakers incorporate Phase Technology’s Absolute Phase crossover networks for consistent sound throughout the room, with superior vertical and horizontal off-axis performance.
Small yet powerful, the CineMicro One speakers handle 100 watts per channel. The speakers complement users’ décor with a high-gloss hand-polished piano black finish on the satellite and center units. Center and satellite units may be easily wall-mounted, or can be placed on a shelf.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: castleford tigers, execu, football soccer, gareth thomas, gay equality, gay footballers, gay players, gay tennis, lobby group, martina navratilova, professional sports players, sexual orientation, soccer fans, soccer link, staffordshire university, strong signal, tennis ace, uk soccer, wales rugby, welsh rugby
A survey shows that more than 90 percent of British soccer fans would support gay players if they came out of the closet.
According to a report in Daily Star, there are lots of gay players in the game in the UK, but most will not admit to being so.
Attitudes, though, are changing, says the paper, quoting Professor Ellis Cashmore, of Staffordshire University, who said: “A lot of people said they would prefer it if gay footballers came out because they don’t think they would have to put up with that much abuse.
“The fans are of the opinion that when we watch football every week, we know we are watching gay players but actually it doesn’t matter to us.
Cashmore says players should follow the lead of the Welsh rugby ace Gareth Thomas, who came out recently and is campaigning for an end to homophobia in soccer.
A recent online survey showed that soccer was the most homophobic sport in the UK.
Tennis took the top spot, with 65 percent of respondents saying it was the most gay-friendly.
Rugby scored 29 percent, but just 6 percent of respondents said soccer was Britain’s most gay-friendly sport, says Stonewall, the UK gay-equality lobby group.
Homophobic chanting
Gareth Thomas, a former Wales rugby captain and international high-scorer who recently came out as gay – a rarity in sport – said after that survey:
“The recent decision to fine the Castleford Tigers 40,000 pounds for homophobic chanting directed at me sent a strong signal from the world of rugby about homophobia. By coming out, I hope to become a role model for any young gay people who aspire to be professional sports players.”
Summerskill said at the time: “There’s not a single openly gay professional player in British football. Perhaps if football had a wider pool of talent to choose from, our World Cup performance wouldn’t be quite so pitiful.”
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: access controls, computer programs, content scrambling system, digital millennium copyright act, dmca, documentary filmmaking, educational uses, firmware, iphones, librarian of congress, media studies students, motion pictures, software applications, sole purpose, statutory prohibition, telephone handset, university film, university professors, wireless telecommunications network, wireless telephone
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) got a huge revision today that will change the way that users may lawfully use the products and media that they own.
Today the Librarian of Congress announced DMCA Section 1201, which adds six provisions whereby “persons who circumvent access controls in order to engage in noninfringing uses of works in these six classes will not be subject to the statutory prohibition against circumvention.”
Essentially, it comes down to this:
* People may now rip DVDs to show clips for educational purposes, criticism, commentary and noncommercial videos.
Motion pictures on DVDs that are lawfully made and acquired and that are protected by the Content Scrambling System when circumvention is accomplished solely in order to accomplish the incorporation of short portions of motion pictures into new works for the purpose of criticism or comment.
It also applies when the person engaging in circumvention believes and has reasonable grounds for believing that circumvention is necessary to fulfill the purpose of the use in the following instances:
Educational uses by college and university professors and by college and university film and media studies students;
Documentary filmmaking;
Noncommercial videos
* People may now legally jailbreak their iPhones and root their Android phones without fear that a corporation will rain down upon them.
Computer programs that enable wireless telephone handsets to execute software applications, where circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of enabling interoperability of such applications, when they have been lawfully obtained, with computer programs on the telephone handset.
* People may now legally unlock their cell phones.
Computer programs, in the form of firmware or software, that enable used wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telecommunications network, when circumvention is initiated by the owner of the copy of the computer program solely in order to connect to a wireless telecommunications network and access to the network is authorized by the operator of the network.
* People may now circumvent the copy protection of PC and video games for investigative reasons. This should be a great thing for PC gamers sick of dealing with the DRM of the games they legally purchased.
Video games accessible on personal computers and protected by technological protection measures that control access to lawfully obtained works, when circumvention is accomplished solely for the purpose of good faith testing for, investigating, or correcting security flaws or vulnerabilities, if:
The information derived from the security testing is used primarily to promote the security of the owner or operator of a computer, computer system, or computer network; and
The information derived from the security testing is used or maintained in a manner that does not facilitate copyright infringement or a violation of applicable law.
* People may now get past software that's protected by an outdated hardware dongle.
Computer programs protected by dongles that prevent access due to malfunction or damage and which are obsolete. A dongle shall be considered obsolete if it is no longer manufactured or if a replacement or repair is no longer reasonably available in the commercial marketplace.
* People may now break past ebooks that don't allow the text to be read aloud.
Literary works distributed in ebook format when all existing ebook editions of the work (including digital text editions made available by authorized entities) contain access controls that prevent the enabling either of the book’s read-aloud function or of screen readers that render the text into a specialized format.
Filed under: Uncategorized
The United Nations on Tuesday corrected a news release issued July 8 that put the number of prisoners facing execution in Iraq at 12,000, nearly 10 times the true number.
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Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: amount of money, benefit plan, chairwoman, dinosaur, end result, faculty council, human resources, investment risk, leona, mu, new faculty, paycheck, retirement accounts, retirement fund, retirement funds, retirement plan, right move, university of missouri, university of missouri system, viable option
The University of Missouri System is looking at a plan that would need new faculty and staff to provide a specific amount of money per paycheck into their retirement accounts.
Under a “defined contribution plan,” new faculty and staff would pay a mandated amount per paycheck to an account for their retirement funds.
This plan would mandate the amount of money each employee contributes to the account, not the amount of money each employee receives upon retirement, said Betsy Rodriguez, system vice president for human resources.
Leona Rubin, chairwoman of MU's Faculty Council, said that at this point, she hasn't heard how much each employee would be required to contribute to the retirement fund. The system is still collecting data, so no numbers have been finalized.
Rodriguez said that in the current plan, the risk is on the employer because the system is guaranteeing a set amount upon retirement.
Although Rubin said she doesn't know whether the new plan is the right move for the system, she said the defined benefit plan isn't a viable option for the system anymore.
“I think the defined benefit plan is a dinosaur,” Rubin said.
The new plan would switch the investment risk from the university to the employee. In a defined contribution plan, the employer is just mandating a contribution from each employee but not guaranteeing an end result.
Rubin said few large companies or universities have defined benefit plans anymore.
There would be some initial costs under the new plan. In a defined benefit plan, both the employer and employees invest in the retirement plan. Employees have to work for the system for at least five years before they are considered vested and able to keep their share of the money they invest in the retirement account.
When employees leave before five years, they forfeit to the system the employer's share of the money that has already been invested. This part of the money has traditionally been used to fund remaining employees.
In a defined contribution plan, employees have immediate vesting and would be able to keep the money they invest regardless of when they leave.
Peter Bowers, contract manager for the University of Colorado-Boulder, said the university's defined contribution program has helped retention rates among faculty. He said the fact that employees are able to control their retirement fund's investment is attractive to them, which is an incentive to stay.
The University of Colorado-Boulder has used a defined contribution plan since 1924. It requires employees to contribute 5 percent to their retirement funds.
Switching plans means the system would lose out on the forfeiture money, which would raise the system's cost for a period of time. However, this increased cost is expected to diminish after about 10 years, possibly a little longer, Rodriguez said.
When researching the new retirement plan, the system considered what other universities were doing. Comparable universities in the Big 10 and the Big 12 have defined contribution plans for faculty, Rodriguez said.
“And that's actually true across the country, not just for our peers,” Rodriguez said.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has had a defined contribution plan since 1969. Gregory Clayton, director of risk management and insured benefits, said it was his understanding that the university adopted the plan after worrying about not getting enough state funding.
federal disability retirement
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: atmosphere, barcalounger, blue ray, brainer, chairs, flat screen tv, high def, high quality, home theater system, living room furniture, money, multiplex, sound capabilities, sound home theater, sound quality, speakers, television
Several people have decided the time has come to start waiting for movies to come out on DVD, rather than spending a lot of money for movie at a theater. But, the atmosphere isn’t nearly the same. But not to worry, because it’s not that difficult to create a home theater atmosphere.
But don’t leave the store just yet, because while that flat screen TV likely has a perfectly fine speaker in it, it won’t be anything like you’d find at the local multiplex. This is partly due to the sound quality of the speakers at a theater, and partly due to the surround sound capabilities that come with Dolby, a technology that is embedded in most recent DVD’s. Therefore it’s just a matter of buying the proper equipment to take advantage of that technology.
The answer is, a surround sound home theater system, which is comprised of a box to plug everything in to, several small speakers for putting in various places that surround your home theater and a big speaker to handle the booming base that comes from high quality DVD’s.
Of course you’ll also need a high quality DVD player, which now means a Blue Ray player so you can watch in high def.
To really get that home theater feeling, you might want to invest in comfortable viewing chairs, rather they try to use traditional living room furniture, because movie watching chairs (think Barcalounger) are more geared to providing the kind of comfort people have come to expect when movie watching.
After that, try to place the speakers from your surround sound system so that they truly surround everyone in the room that is watching. Also, higher is much better than lower, so don’t put them on the floor. Most of the smaller speakers can actually be hung right on the wall.
Then, hook everything together until it works, adjust the sound for your particular room and that should be it unless you want to invest in a popcorn maker. Put in a disc, dim the lights, kick back and enjoy.
