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June 29, 2007
Create Your Own Simpsons Character
Marge Simpson she is not! ;o)
Make your own Simpson's Character here.
Posted by Dianne at 2:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 26, 2007
Enjoy Your Green Stay
Remember when all a hotel had to do to show its concern for the environment was to ask its guests to reuse their towels?Hotels now are rolling out all sorts of green programs, in part because their business guests in particular are demanding it, and in part because the hotels are finding that going green saves money.
“Environmental issues are one of the hottest issues within the travel industry right now,” said Bill Connors, the executive director of the National Business Travel Association. The association is addressing the topic of eco-friendly elements in hotel design and operations for the first time at its annual convention in July.
Mr. Connors’s view is borne out by the rise in hotels registering to be certified under the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, a commercial-building rating system. “I think it’s a really noticeable trend,” said Max Zahniser, a program manager.
There are currently two certified hotels in the United States — a Marriott in Maryland and a Hilton in Washington — and several more are on the way. “At least three-quarters of the projects that have registered are in the last year or two,” Mr. Zahniser said.
I'm always amused (ok irritated) when people who don't know what they are talking about start yelling about how being green costs more, when in reality it can save you money. Turn your thermostat up in the summer and down in the winter you save money. Use CFL bulbs and you'll save money. Buy a car that gets better gas mileage, or look at how to cut down the miles you drive and you'll save money. The examples go on and on, but you get the picture.
Anyway now businesses, and in this particular case the travel industry, are catching on to just that! There are some really neat green ideas they put forth. You will see more and more of this sort of thing as time passes, but it's interesting that one of the first certified hotels is right here in Maryland!
Go green and save money. If you happen to be a business, you might just make some too.
Found via The New York Times.
Posted by Dianne at 3:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Yahoo! Names the 10 Greenest Cities in America
TOP 10 GREENEST CITIES
1. Hastings, NE
2. Pelzer, SC
3. San Carlos, CA
4. Mill Valley, CA
5. Topeka, KS
6. Dover, DE
7. Spring, TX
8. Lawrence, KS
9. Walnut Creek, CA
10. Fairfax, VA
How does your city rank?
Posted by Dianne at 2:15 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
June 24, 2007
Dead body is pregnant Jessie Marie Davis, official says
CANTON, Ohio (CNN) -- The body recovered Saturday in a northeastern Ohio park is that of Canton resident Jessie Marie Davis, who was pregnant when reported missing more than a week ago, the Summit County Medical Examiner's office said Sunday.In a phone recording, the examiner's office announced it had "positively identified the remains found," adding "fetal remains were also recovered."
The cause of death was pending, the office said.
Davis, 26, had been due to give birth in early July when she disappeared. She was last heard from June 13.
The examiners began the autopsy Sunday after the body was recovered in the area of Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Summit County.
Officials have been tight-lipped about exactly where the body was found and how it was discovered.
On Sunday, a source close to the investigation told CNN that Canton police patrolman Bobby Cutts Jr., 30, led police to the body.
Yet another heartbreaking ending to a heartbreaking story. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her son and family. May she rest in peace and may justice be served.
Found via CNN.
Posted by Dianne at 6:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 22, 2007
Alexis' New Quilt
Donna finished the quilt for Alexis' bed and it turned out beautifully!
It looks fabulous on Alexis' bed!
Not only does Alexis approve but...
Wolfie, Ha Ha, Magi and Dog do too! ;o)
Posted by Dianne at 10:14 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 21, 2007
Happy Summer Solstice!
It's summer. That much closer to fall and winter as far as I'm concerned! ;o)
Happy Summer Solstice everyone!
Posted by Dianne at 2:33 PM
How Does And Entire Lake Disappear Virtually Overnight?
100-foot deep Andes lake disappearsSANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- A five-acre glacial lake in Chile's southern Andes has disappeared -- and scientists want to know why.
Park rangers at Bernardo O'Higgins National Park said they found a 100-feet-deep crater in late May were the lake had been in March. Several large pieces of ice that used to float atop the water also were spotted.
"The lake had simply disappeared," Juan Jose Romero, head of Chile's National Forest Service in the southernmost region of Magallanes, said Wednesday. "No one knows what happened."
A group of geologists and other experts will be sent to the area 1,250 miles southeast of Santiago in the next few days to investigate, Romero said.
One theory is the water disappeared through cracks in the lake bottom into underground fissures. But experts do not know why the cracks would have appeared because there have been no earthquakes reported in the area recently, Romero said.
Given that there was no seismic activity leading up to the disapperance this is just more than a bit odd. It will be interesting to see what/if they discover the true cause. Most definitely something to keep an eye on.
Found via CNN.
Update: 1:38 PM: The BBC is saying that scientists in the area do think it may have been seismic after all. They are eyeing a large earthquake in nearby Aysen in April that may have opened up a crater that drained the lake.
Posted by Dianne at 1:30 PM
Scientists simulate jet colliding with World Trade Center
A frightening, terrifying look at what happened from the inside out done by scientists from Purdue's Physics department.
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A computer simulation of the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center, posted on the Web site YouTube by Purdue University researchers, shows how hijacked planes crashed through the twin towers, stripping fireproofing materials from the steel columns and eventually leading to their collapse.The 3-D animation, part of a Purdue study that took two and a half years to complete, will hopefully help engineers design safer buildings, researchers said.
"When the developers of the World Trade Center first designed the complex, they did take into account of an accidental plane crash," said Christoph Hoffman, one of the study's lead researchers. "The only thing they didn't anticipate is the fire. If the crash impacts the water line, then a fire can burn for a long time."
Read more over at CNN.
Posted by Dianne at 1:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Perfect Man
This is another cute, fun little movie with heart! I TiVoed it the other day and just finished watching it this morning. If you haven't seen it, check it out!
Posted by Dianne at 1:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 20, 2007
Optimash Prime
More than meets the eyes*There's a war going on, people, right under our noses. Highly advanced robotic life forms are battling each other, all the while hiding from human sight. But no more; it's time for us to spill the beans, so to speak. At first we thought these robots were only turning into cars and planes and 80's boomboxes, but now they have devised a new tactic. They are transforming (if you'll pardon the term) into vegetables. How a giant robot can turn into a semi truck and a potato, we'll never know. But it's a truth we must accept.
Optimash Prime - leader of the Autobots - has sworn to protect Earth from the evil Decepticons. Why? Because he's just that kind of spud. He's also leading a squad of highly lethal (and luckily on the side of good) team of robots searching for the AllSpice - the source of the Transformers' power. Will M-egg-atron and the Decepticons prevail? Will you help Optimash protect the universe from evil? Or will you just bring Optimash into your home because he's cute? Only time will tell....
Each Optimash Prime comes with one full size Mr. Potato Head Body (6" tall), a nice assortment of body/facial parts, and a mini transformed version (i.e. semi truck).
*Get it? 'Cause taters have eyes, plural? Get it? Oh, nevermind.
The folks over at Think Geek are my kind of people! Check out their website and get an Optimash Prime of your own! ;o)
Posted by Dianne at 10:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Baby found miles from where pregnant woman vanished
CANTON, Ohio (AP) -- A newborn girl was found in a basket on a doorstep 45 miles from where a pregnant woman vanished, authorities said Tuesday.A DNA sample was taken from the infant and given to authorities investigating the disappearance.
Thomas Maurer, sheriff in neighboring Wayne County, said a doctor determined that the baby was less than 24 hours old. He said he didn't believe the baby was related to the missing woman, Jessie Davis, but that officials were using "every caution we can" to eliminate that possibility.
Davis, 26, who is due July 3 with a baby she planned to name Chloe, has not been heard from since last Wednesday evening when she spoke to her mother by phone.
This whole story is so tragic. From what her son has said in terms of what he might have seen and the fact that she hasn't turned up yet, I have a feeling this story is not going to have a happy ending. I just don't understand why people are drawn to do something so vicious and inhumane. The sad fact of the matter is that she has a son and a daughter on the way. If the baby does turn up then two children are without their mother and if the baby does not then a small boy has lost not only his mother, but his sister as well. How does someone sleep with themselves in terms of killing the mother of two children or for that matter killing a child? It's just sick!
Found via CNN.
Posted by Dianne at 9:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 19, 2007
The Evolution of Dance
Now that's funny!
Posted by Dianne at 2:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
'Tornado of flames' kills nine firefighters
CHARLESTON, South Carolina (AP) -- Fire swept through a furniture warehouse, collapsing the building's roof and claiming the lives of nine firefighters in a disaster the mayor described Tuesday as "difficult to fathom or quantify.""Nine brave, heroic, courageous firefighters of the city of Charleston have perished fighting fire in a most courageous and fearless manner, carrying out their duties," Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley said at a morning news conference. "To all of their loved ones, our heart goes out to them."
There are a lot of broken hearts in Charleston this morning. So send out some thoughts or prayers or whatever you do their way this morning, because they are trying to fathom something that not only seems inexplicable, but also took their loved ones from them and that is something that is very hard to come to terms with.
Found via CNN.
Posted by Dianne at 8:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 14, 2007
What Kind of American English Do You Speak?
| Your Linguistic Profile: |
 25% Dixie 10% Yankee 0% Midwestern 0% Upper Midwestern |
Posted by Dianne at 2:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like A Princess Party
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June 11, 2007
Yes, What They Said!!
And so it "ends"...
If you watch The Sopranos and haven't seen the last episode don't click on the extended link below!
Spoiler Alert: Spoilers Below The Fold!! Click Only If You've Seen the Finale Or Don't Care To Know What Happens!!
In the end, it was Tony Soprano, Carmela, Meadow, A.J. – and Journey.HBO's The Sopranos ended its 8-year-run Sunday with the New Jersey gangster very much alive, eating onion rings with his family while "Don't Stop Believin'" played on a restaurant jukebox.
And despite fan predictions, there was no bloodbath, no redemption, no closure – only Brooklyn mob boss Phil Leotardo met a gruesome demise, in a gas station parking lot.
Fans were almost unanimously outraged by the ending. Among the posts on the HBO message boards, Mamamia22 writes: "These characters deserved to go out with a bang and this finale was pathetic." Seconds Bergin77: "There should be some sense of closure and a tying of loose ends. Last night's ending left too many questions unanswered."
What the H - E - Double Hockey Sticks?? Seriously!?!? What is it with show creators and these ambiguous freaking endings? I'm sure David Chase thinks he did the "right" thing, but he is seriously deluded!!
Recently we got sucked into reruns of the show Angel on TNT. I had never watched the show before, but I saw an episode one morning and actually liked it much to my surprise given it was a Buffy spin off and the title character of that show irritates the living day lights out of me! Anyway, after that I added it to TiVo and got Jamison hooked too. All of that to say that Angel ended much like The Sopranos in that you don't know what actually happens to the title character.
There is a reason America "hates" Hollywood...We need definitive endings! If you know that a show is going to end or even think that it might (*cough*cough* Veronica Mars!!) and in the case of Angel and the Sopranos who knew they were going, then freaking END the show! Wrap up the loose ends. If that means killing off the title character then do it, or if it means letting them live that's ok too, but put forth a definitive ending and don't leave it up to speculation! These non-ending did they die or didn't they suck!
I'm sure they are possibly thinking of spinning out a major motion picture or some such nonsense, but seriously a series finale should be FINAL!! Loose ends should be tied up, story lines should intersect and ultimately END. That is the very definition of FINALE! In short Mr. Chase and many other creators like him need to realize that the reason your show is on the air is because of the fans, loyal fans, and in the case of Mr. Chase and the Sopranos fans who waited somewhat patiently between large gaps in between seasons only to tune back in and watch once again. You owe those fans some closure, not this sloppy, almost half thought ending that appeared to take you five minutes to scribble down on the back of some bar napkin while you knocked back one too many drinks. It's simply unacceptable.
Read more over at People.com.
Posted by Dianne at 1:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 8, 2007
World's tigers on "catastrophic" path to extinction
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The world's wild tigers are on a "catastrophic" path to extinction as numbers continue to decline because of increased poaching, habitat destruction and poor conservation efforts by governments, a new report has said.In less than a century, Asia's largest predator has been relegated to isolated populations residing in only 7 percent of the areas they once occupied, according to a research paper published in the June edition of BioScience journal.
The report, titled "The Fate of Wild Tigers", said the loss of their habitat and the persistent killing of the wild cats had left areas such as the Caspian region and the Indonesian islands of Bali and Java devoid of tigers.
Countries such as India -- a stronghold of the tigers -- were inadequately implementing conservation policies and mismanaging funds set aside for the survival of the big cats, it added.
"While the tiger as a wild species will most likely not go extinct within the next half-century, its current trajectory is catastrophic," said the report, authored by 16 wildlife experts.
Very sad indeed. The path to extinction is often hard to get off of. Hopefully conservation efforts will prevail. Only time will tell.
Found via Reuters.
Posted by Dianne at 8:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
What Flavor Margarita Are You?
| You Are a Lime Margarita |
 Hyper and driven, you despise lazy behavior of all kinds... especially lazy drunks too tired to dance! |
Posted by Dianne at 10:30 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
How Phobic Are You?
| You Are 28% Phobic |
 It's okay to be afraid of a few things. You wouldn't be human if you weren't. |
Posted by Dianne at 10:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Are You An Optimist or Pessimist?
| You Are a Realist |
 You never try to make a bad situation seem better than it is... But you also never sabotage any good things you have going on. You are brutally honest in your assessments of situations - and this always seems to help you cope. |
Posted by Dianne at 10:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
What Kind of Cake Are You?
| You Are Strawberry Cake |
 You're a total flirt, who never would turn down a sugary treat. Occasionally you're a bit moody - but you usually stay sweet! |
Posted by Dianne at 10:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 7, 2007
Two and a Half
Posted by Dianne at 10:49 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Art
Posted by Dianne at 10:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 5, 2007
Happy World Environment Day!
Celebrated every June 5th, World Environment Day is a way to draw attention to issues involving our environment across the globe. This year's celebration is focusing on the issues surrounding the world's rapidly melting ice.
Go the official page for more info!
Happy World Environment Day!
Posted by Dianne at 1:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Peas In A Pod
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June 4, 2007
Tomatoes!
Posted by Dianne at 1:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Altair
Astronomers have captured an image of Altair, the first time anyone has detailed the surface of a star like our own sun.While astronomers have recently imaged a few of the enormous, dying, red-giant stars, this is the first time anyone has seen the surface of a relatively tiny hydrogen-burning star.
An international team of astronomers captured the portrait of Altair using four of the six telescopes at a facility on Mt. Wilson, CA, operated by the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA).
The CHARA telescopes made the breakthrough observation owing to a novel system that cleaned up some of the distortions from Earth's atmosphere, the Michigan Infrared Combiner. Recent advances in fiber optic telecommunication technology made this new combiner possible.
Using the telescopes as an interferometer, a multi-telescope system, the researchers captured infrared lightwaves like a giant telescope 265 meters by 195 meters (100 times the size of the mirror on NASA's Hubble telescope and roughly 25 times the resolution).
This is a really amazing image of the star Altair that is featured over at Space.com as their image of the day. The star appears to be much like our sun. It's amazing what they can do these days with a few telescopes. The quaulity of the image is astounding.
Read more over at Space.com.
Posted by Dianne at 1:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack