The largest Dish TV providers in the country Dish Network has been working to provide quality service at an affordable price since its inception. For years Satellite TV service has gone form hundreds of dollars to $19.99 for select Dish Network Packages. Dish Network has been competing with the other Dish TV Provider Direct TV since it began.
As Dish Network continues to improve their quality of service with more HD Programming, without raising costs on their customers. Dish Network compared to a majority of the providers,such as; Verizon Fios, ATT U-verse, and DirecTV, offers customers more HD programming, better technology, with award winning dual room HD-DVR's and the best programming package values in the Dish TV industry.
With a cost to channel beating out Dish Tv Providers in Montana, Idaho, Arkansas, Iowa, in particular the service makes sense for the remaining U.S. States as well. Dish Network has better deals across the United States.
Dish Network Packages also give you the ability to add Dish Network Internet. Some areas do not receive Verizon so this is a great option for Dish Network Internet. Dish Network customer service is available 24/7 and can help with questions on any subject.
Once selected, Dish Network Packages will give you the opportunity to set up an online account with Dish Network. To access you account you will need to use a Dish Network Login to start up the Account online.
Of the Dish TV Providers, Dish Network seems to make sense for families on a budget. If you have Direct TV switching to Dish Tv makes sense too. There has never been a better time to get more and spend less.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
When it Comes to Sports - I'm Blacked Out
Can someone explain to me why it seems almost every professional sports team has either changed their colors, added to their colors or adopted the dreaded alternate uniform, in BLACK!
It is a trend that quite frankly has irritated me for quite some time now. I know I shouldn't be that concerned with such trivial matters as the color scheme of a few pro sports teams, especially in light of all the financial and political chaos in this country, but I am. Sports are about tradition and tradition has always been about building something meaningful and
being proud of what you are and where you come from.
I did not reach my level of concern without first trying to understand and adapt to the current trend in pro sports apparel. I considered that black may be slimming and, that alone would be a legitimate reason to adopt the color. However this method of reasoning soon left my mind when I gazed upon Warren Sapp looking just as fat in Raider silver and black as he did in Buccaneer red and pewter. We'll discuss pewter later!
I know my disgust will not be enough to cause a sufficient ground swell of emotions to overturn this trend in sports fashion, and I recognize that there may be some who disagree with my viewpoint. So, let me bring some solid factual insight to this matter.
Let's start with the NFL.
Sometime after the 1990's the Philadelphia Eagles began to wear black. At first they began subtly adding it in the form of trim and then openly began wearing a black alternate jersey. The Eagles are a proud and historic franchise that dates back to 1933. Their team colors have always been green and white, sure they added a splash of silver in the 1970's, but it was
the disco era and it was understated and tastefully done. Clad in the traditional green and white they played in three consecutive NFL championship games from 1947-1949, winning twice, 1948 and 1949. The colors would lead them to another championship in 1960. Wearing black the Eagles reached the NFC Championship game five times in eight years (2001-2008), losing four times - the one time they were successful they lost the Super Bowl. They were arguably the better team and at home for several of those games - blame the black.
The Detroit Lions entered the NFL in the 1930's sporting the colors Honolulu blue and silver. Why you'd ever want to mess with Honolulu blue is a puzzle, but let's stick with facts and save the commentary for later. Sporting their traditional colors, the Lions won NFL Championships in 1935, 1952, 1953 and 1957. Now I know they've had a little dry spell that has lasted some fifty years now, but adding black has provided them with eight consecutive losing seasons. It's not the answer. Other examples would include the Baltimore Ravens, Super Bowl Champs in purple. In black, nothing but disappointment. Teams that are also kidding themselves would be the Carolina Panthers; stick with the Carolina blue please. The Atlanta Falcons, sure they made the Super Bowl when they switched to primarily black uniforms, but it resulted in defeat, to the Denver
Broncos, who were the worst Super Bowl performing team in history to that point - go back to red and stay true to yourselves boys. Jacksonville, go back to the blue, black will slow you down in the hot Florida sun - I'm just saying. The only teams that are approved to wear black in the NFL are the Oakland Raiders, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints. Bengal fans settle down, your team should be thrown out of the league for the tiger striped horror show
that appears every Sunday on television screens across America, trumped only by the "creamsicle" orange alternate uniforms adopted a few years ago.
Let's examine our national pastime, Major League Baseball for a moment.
Allowed to wear black are the Chicago White Sox, the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates - that's it. I acknowledge there is some gray area with the Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants, but what makes fashion sense in baseball is to be traditional and wear white at home and gray on the road. Some suggestions would be the following; Orioles, I'm fine with black as a third uniform for you, but truth be told in the 1970's when you first opted to have a third uniform you chose orange. Maybe you should be made to live with that decision. Marlins, black has been part of your original color scheme from the beginning, although you look more professional in the blue uniforms. Rockies just wear the purple and Giants you also took the path of the Orioles and chose orange in the 1970's.
Wearing black for no apparent reason, the Toronto Blue Jays, winners of back to back World Series in 1992 and 1993 wearing their traditional sky blue uniforms and in black, nothing but losing.
The Arizona Diamondbacks seemed to have come to their senses as an organization, after having dabbled with many looks over the years, including the dreaded black uniform; they seem to have settled on red as a primary color and it looks sharp. Kudos to the D-backs.
The New York Mets entered the National League in 1962 and pronounced themselves "the team" for all of the former Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants fans, who no longer had a team to call their own. They even made a big deal of announcing that they were adopting the colors blue (in honor of the Dodgers) and orange (in honor of the Giants). Wearing those colors they would win the World Series in 1969 and 1986. Then for whatever reason early in this decade, they adopted black into their color scheme. Perhaps they thought black would make them look tougher! In October of 2000 the Mets found themselves in the World Series again this time against their cross-town rival Yankees, the team probably most responsible for hastening the demise of the Dodgers and Giants in New York during the 1950's. The Mets lost, of course, black in the uniforms to blame and the looking tougher, well that theory went out the window when Roger Clemens fired a piece of Mike Piazza's broken bat at him and Piazza and the Mets did absolutely nothing about it! Perhaps yellow may have been a more appropriate color choice.
The NBA is absolutely ridiculous and I am reluctant to test my blood pressure any more than necessary, so lets leave it at this, the San Antonio Spurs are the only team that should be wearing black in the NBA, period!
The Celtics, Knicks, 76ers and Bulls should know better than to mess with success. The Kings are probably just trying to toughen up after being called the "Queens" for years by Shaquille O'Neal. We know now that doesn't work - see Piazza and the Mets. The Miami Heat should stick to red, the Orlando Magic, blue and the Utah Jazz, purple. The Portland Trail Blazers switched to black from red and now lead the league in arrests - your team colors are red; note your 1977 NBA championship team.
Hockey sadly has many of the same issues.
The Philadelphia Flyers with one of the most distinct uniforms in the league, orange trimmed in black and white, won Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. In this decade they have bowed to the trend and adopted a black uniform. The Flyers of the 1970's certainly didn't bow to trends, in fact they fostered a reputation of going against trends in the NHL and this new
generation of Flyers should adopt the same stance.
The Chicago Blackhawks have traditionally sported, what I believe to be the nicest uniform in hockey. They get a pass here though, as originally they wore predominantly more black than red and won Stanley Cups clad in both red and black uniforms. A pass also goes to the Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning, though I like them better in red and blue respectively.
The Flames should never have deviated from the red and yellow that brought them a Stanley Cup in 1989. The Washington Capitals are looking better these days in their new federal blue uniforms - nice job. The Dallas Stars, cup winners in 1999 wearing green, have done nothing wearing black. The Anaheim Ducks or Mighty Ducks - forget it, they should be thrown out of
the league for ever having been known as the Mighty Ducks.
Approved to wear black in the NHL, the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Of course with everything there is an exception to the rule and the Penguins are it. They originally entered the NHL in 1967 wearing powder blue and black. In 1979 they legitimately adopted the colors black and gold to keep themselves in line with the city's other two sports residents, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Steelers had won four Super Bowl Titles at that point and the Pirates had just won their fifth World Series. The Penguins had suffered through seven losing seasons in their first decade. Since the switch to black and gold they have won three Stanley Cups.
Checking the "tale of the tape", teams stated, wearing traditional uniforms have won 15-championships, when switching to black uniforms nothing! The Penguins are excluded, remember I legitimized them. So facts are facts and numbers don't lie. If you want to be successful in professional sports keep your teams operating in the "black" and playing in their
traditional colors.
By the way, any of you who read this and said to yourselves, "the Chicago Bears and New York Yankees wear black and he forgot to mention them." They wear blue - and that's a topic for another day!
Watch these teams and all your favorites in crystal clear High-Definition on Dish Network.
It is a trend that quite frankly has irritated me for quite some time now. I know I shouldn't be that concerned with such trivial matters as the color scheme of a few pro sports teams, especially in light of all the financial and political chaos in this country, but I am. Sports are about tradition and tradition has always been about building something meaningful and
being proud of what you are and where you come from.
I did not reach my level of concern without first trying to understand and adapt to the current trend in pro sports apparel. I considered that black may be slimming and, that alone would be a legitimate reason to adopt the color. However this method of reasoning soon left my mind when I gazed upon Warren Sapp looking just as fat in Raider silver and black as he did in Buccaneer red and pewter. We'll discuss pewter later!
I know my disgust will not be enough to cause a sufficient ground swell of emotions to overturn this trend in sports fashion, and I recognize that there may be some who disagree with my viewpoint. So, let me bring some solid factual insight to this matter.
Let's start with the NFL.
Sometime after the 1990's the Philadelphia Eagles began to wear black. At first they began subtly adding it in the form of trim and then openly began wearing a black alternate jersey. The Eagles are a proud and historic franchise that dates back to 1933. Their team colors have always been green and white, sure they added a splash of silver in the 1970's, but it was
the disco era and it was understated and tastefully done. Clad in the traditional green and white they played in three consecutive NFL championship games from 1947-1949, winning twice, 1948 and 1949. The colors would lead them to another championship in 1960. Wearing black the Eagles reached the NFC Championship game five times in eight years (2001-2008), losing four times - the one time they were successful they lost the Super Bowl. They were arguably the better team and at home for several of those games - blame the black.
The Detroit Lions entered the NFL in the 1930's sporting the colors Honolulu blue and silver. Why you'd ever want to mess with Honolulu blue is a puzzle, but let's stick with facts and save the commentary for later. Sporting their traditional colors, the Lions won NFL Championships in 1935, 1952, 1953 and 1957. Now I know they've had a little dry spell that has lasted some fifty years now, but adding black has provided them with eight consecutive losing seasons. It's not the answer. Other examples would include the Baltimore Ravens, Super Bowl Champs in purple. In black, nothing but disappointment. Teams that are also kidding themselves would be the Carolina Panthers; stick with the Carolina blue please. The Atlanta Falcons, sure they made the Super Bowl when they switched to primarily black uniforms, but it resulted in defeat, to the Denver
Broncos, who were the worst Super Bowl performing team in history to that point - go back to red and stay true to yourselves boys. Jacksonville, go back to the blue, black will slow you down in the hot Florida sun - I'm just saying. The only teams that are approved to wear black in the NFL are the Oakland Raiders, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints. Bengal fans settle down, your team should be thrown out of the league for the tiger striped horror show
that appears every Sunday on television screens across America, trumped only by the "creamsicle" orange alternate uniforms adopted a few years ago.
Let's examine our national pastime, Major League Baseball for a moment.
Allowed to wear black are the Chicago White Sox, the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates - that's it. I acknowledge there is some gray area with the Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants, but what makes fashion sense in baseball is to be traditional and wear white at home and gray on the road. Some suggestions would be the following; Orioles, I'm fine with black as a third uniform for you, but truth be told in the 1970's when you first opted to have a third uniform you chose orange. Maybe you should be made to live with that decision. Marlins, black has been part of your original color scheme from the beginning, although you look more professional in the blue uniforms. Rockies just wear the purple and Giants you also took the path of the Orioles and chose orange in the 1970's.
Wearing black for no apparent reason, the Toronto Blue Jays, winners of back to back World Series in 1992 and 1993 wearing their traditional sky blue uniforms and in black, nothing but losing.
The Arizona Diamondbacks seemed to have come to their senses as an organization, after having dabbled with many looks over the years, including the dreaded black uniform; they seem to have settled on red as a primary color and it looks sharp. Kudos to the D-backs.
The New York Mets entered the National League in 1962 and pronounced themselves "the team" for all of the former Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants fans, who no longer had a team to call their own. They even made a big deal of announcing that they were adopting the colors blue (in honor of the Dodgers) and orange (in honor of the Giants). Wearing those colors they would win the World Series in 1969 and 1986. Then for whatever reason early in this decade, they adopted black into their color scheme. Perhaps they thought black would make them look tougher! In October of 2000 the Mets found themselves in the World Series again this time against their cross-town rival Yankees, the team probably most responsible for hastening the demise of the Dodgers and Giants in New York during the 1950's. The Mets lost, of course, black in the uniforms to blame and the looking tougher, well that theory went out the window when Roger Clemens fired a piece of Mike Piazza's broken bat at him and Piazza and the Mets did absolutely nothing about it! Perhaps yellow may have been a more appropriate color choice.
The NBA is absolutely ridiculous and I am reluctant to test my blood pressure any more than necessary, so lets leave it at this, the San Antonio Spurs are the only team that should be wearing black in the NBA, period!
The Celtics, Knicks, 76ers and Bulls should know better than to mess with success. The Kings are probably just trying to toughen up after being called the "Queens" for years by Shaquille O'Neal. We know now that doesn't work - see Piazza and the Mets. The Miami Heat should stick to red, the Orlando Magic, blue and the Utah Jazz, purple. The Portland Trail Blazers switched to black from red and now lead the league in arrests - your team colors are red; note your 1977 NBA championship team.
Hockey sadly has many of the same issues.
The Philadelphia Flyers with one of the most distinct uniforms in the league, orange trimmed in black and white, won Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. In this decade they have bowed to the trend and adopted a black uniform. The Flyers of the 1970's certainly didn't bow to trends, in fact they fostered a reputation of going against trends in the NHL and this new
generation of Flyers should adopt the same stance.
The Chicago Blackhawks have traditionally sported, what I believe to be the nicest uniform in hockey. They get a pass here though, as originally they wore predominantly more black than red and won Stanley Cups clad in both red and black uniforms. A pass also goes to the Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning, though I like them better in red and blue respectively.
The Flames should never have deviated from the red and yellow that brought them a Stanley Cup in 1989. The Washington Capitals are looking better these days in their new federal blue uniforms - nice job. The Dallas Stars, cup winners in 1999 wearing green, have done nothing wearing black. The Anaheim Ducks or Mighty Ducks - forget it, they should be thrown out of
the league for ever having been known as the Mighty Ducks.
Approved to wear black in the NHL, the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Of course with everything there is an exception to the rule and the Penguins are it. They originally entered the NHL in 1967 wearing powder blue and black. In 1979 they legitimately adopted the colors black and gold to keep themselves in line with the city's other two sports residents, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Steelers had won four Super Bowl Titles at that point and the Pirates had just won their fifth World Series. The Penguins had suffered through seven losing seasons in their first decade. Since the switch to black and gold they have won three Stanley Cups.
Checking the "tale of the tape", teams stated, wearing traditional uniforms have won 15-championships, when switching to black uniforms nothing! The Penguins are excluded, remember I legitimized them. So facts are facts and numbers don't lie. If you want to be successful in professional sports keep your teams operating in the "black" and playing in their
traditional colors.
By the way, any of you who read this and said to yourselves, "the Chicago Bears and New York Yankees wear black and he forgot to mention them." They wear blue - and that's a topic for another day!
Watch these teams and all your favorites in crystal clear High-Definition on Dish Network.
Friday, November 27, 2009
WildBlue Satellite Internet - The Broadband Satellite Leader
In June 11 2009 WildBlue revealed the future of Broadband Satellite Internet with a hands-on demonstration of its “next generation” satellite capabilities in the Washington D.C..
The demonstration showcased download speeds of 18 Mbps, nearly 12-times faster than satellite internet providers current capabilities. Members of Congress got to compare than enhanced Wild Blue speeds with their current service. Why was Congress involved, you might ask. Because WildBlue provides high-speed Satellite Internet access to nearly 400,000 Americans in rural parts of the United States, that currently have no other options, other than dialup service available to them.
Congress believes that access to high-speed Internet provides Americans with; increased access to information and technology, which will lead to more Internet commerce, education, news, and social interaction. What is a good thing for its citizens, will most assuredly to be for the government.
The United States Departments of Commerce and Agriculture will provide $7.2 billion in federal stimulus funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, in a inititaive to provide universal broadband access to all customers, regardless of how rural.
So, why Satellite Internet and not cable or DSL. The customers that are in need of the increase in technology are rural citizens, whose local Cable or DSL providers, can’t or won’t provide the means to bring those customers current. Satellite Internet needs no infastrucure to provide service to customers. A Satellite dish, a Satellite Internet modem, and a clear view of the southern sky is all that is required. WildBlue has been an active advocate in Washington, D.C. for the advancement of their Broadband technology.
In August WildBlue applied for and received $30 million in Broadband Stimulus, which helped subsidize Satellite Boradband connections for about 10,000 homes in Colorado and Wyoming and another 10,000 in Arizona. The areas mentioned all were out of reach of the high-speed cable, fiber and DSL lines. Wild Blue will continuing effort to provide Satellite Internet access to customers is centered around the launch of the WildBlue 3 satellite, at a cost of $300 million and a development and activiation timeline of nearly three years.
The Satellite Internet industry and the efforts of WildBlue to provide high-speed Internet access to everyone without, came into focus in October when ViaSat acquired Wild Blue for $568-million. The merger should strengthen Broadband Stimulus efforts.In acquiring WildBlue, ViaSat gains one of the most successful and fastest growing wholesale and retail broadband service providers in the United States. In less than five years, WildBlue has become one of the top twenty broadband U.S. ISPs. WildBlue pioneered the use of “unprocessed” Ka-band spot beam technology to increase capacity and lower bandwidth costs, portending the value potential for the technology innovations ViaSat-1 will make possible.
ViaSat, a satellite communications equipment maker for defense and consumer markets will boost WildBlue’s service and technolody levels and bolster the chances of getting government money earmarked for Broadband solutions. ViaSat and WildBlue applied for $500-million in stimulus funds. Both companies have recently partnered with satellite provider EchoStar Communications on seperate bids for grants and loans under the Federal Broadband-Stimulus program.
ViaSat is scheduled to launch a satellite, ViaSat-1, in the first quarter of 2011 that will enable WildBlue to offer speeds of 2 Megabits per second to 8 Megabits per second— closer to those offered by cable operators. Currently, WildBlue’s speeds top out at a DSL-like 1.5 Mbps. ViaSat plans to hold prices essentially the same for consumers, which range from $39.95 to $79.95 a month for speeds of 512 kilobits per second to 1.5 Mbps. The higher speeds will enable easier downloads of videos and other multimedia for WildBlue’s clients.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
The Rural Broadband Solution
People living in rural areas are stuck with a dialup Internet provider, because there are no other options right? Think again. Providing broadband service to rural areas of the country has been a great challenge for years. Low population densities mean cable companies won’t be running any lines your way, ever in most cases. And, unless their local phone company is going to upgrade its rural technology, they may not be offered DSL anytime soon. Wireless Internet Service Providers have been popping up recently, but the service is wrought with pitfalls and limitations. So what are farmers, ranchers and other rural Americans to do?
Broadband Satellite Internet has been around for more than a decade now and with the improvements to technology, may be a solution worth looking into. Because it is satellite it’s available everywhere you can get a clear exposure to the southern sky. It provides an always-on connection, which is not reliant on a telephone line. Speeds are currently comparable to DSL services, however the ViaSat-WildBlue merger announcement will enable WildBlue to ramp up to speeds as fast as cable providers by early 2011.
The only existing challenges with Satellite Internet are a half-second latency delay, which is only noticeable if you are playing real-time games and videoconferencing. There is also a Fair Access Policy to negotiate, which limits the amount of bandwidth assigned to an individual end user. WildBlue says that just 4% of its customers are ever affected by FAP, so the upload/download thresholds are set pretty high. Chances are if you have been on dialup all this time, you’re not in the habit of downloading a whole lot anyway.
Installation is fairly straightforward, an installer places a satellite dish on your physical property or it can be placed on a poll in the yard. The hardware is minimal, just an Ethernet cable connected to your computer from a satellite modem, which is connected with coaxial cable from a wall outlet that is connected to the dish. There is no software to download.
The reliability has come along way, improved with the technology over the last decade to keep a signal at a reported 96% of the time. Only sunspot activity, which is rare seems to be the only thing known to hamper the signal, precipitation issues are a thing of the past with the improvements over the years.
If you decide that Satellite Internet is a solution for you, there are two to choose from HughesNet and WildBlue. My recommendation is Wild Blue, lower upfront costs, lower monthly costs, better promotions and better and more efficient equipment. Customer service rated pretty high as well, with 24/7 technical support available and support techs that actually work in the United States.
Broadband Satellite Internet has been around for more than a decade now and with the improvements to technology, may be a solution worth looking into. Because it is satellite it’s available everywhere you can get a clear exposure to the southern sky. It provides an always-on connection, which is not reliant on a telephone line. Speeds are currently comparable to DSL services, however the ViaSat-WildBlue merger announcement will enable WildBlue to ramp up to speeds as fast as cable providers by early 2011.
The only existing challenges with Satellite Internet are a half-second latency delay, which is only noticeable if you are playing real-time games and videoconferencing. There is also a Fair Access Policy to negotiate, which limits the amount of bandwidth assigned to an individual end user. WildBlue says that just 4% of its customers are ever affected by FAP, so the upload/download thresholds are set pretty high. Chances are if you have been on dialup all this time, you’re not in the habit of downloading a whole lot anyway.
Installation is fairly straightforward, an installer places a satellite dish on your physical property or it can be placed on a poll in the yard. The hardware is minimal, just an Ethernet cable connected to your computer from a satellite modem, which is connected with coaxial cable from a wall outlet that is connected to the dish. There is no software to download.
The reliability has come along way, improved with the technology over the last decade to keep a signal at a reported 96% of the time. Only sunspot activity, which is rare seems to be the only thing known to hamper the signal, precipitation issues are a thing of the past with the improvements over the years.
If you decide that Satellite Internet is a solution for you, there are two to choose from HughesNet and WildBlue. My recommendation is Wild Blue, lower upfront costs, lower monthly costs, better promotions and better and more efficient equipment. Customer service rated pretty high as well, with 24/7 technical support available and support techs that actually work in the United States.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Rush Limbaugh Buying The St. Louis Rams?
Apparently Rush Limbaugh and St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts have partnered in a bid to buy the St. Louis Rams, worth an estimated $929 million and owners of the NFL’s longest current losing streak 14-consecutive games.
The children of the late Georgia Frontiere, having inherited 60% ownership in the team upon her death in January 2008, currently own the team. Missouri billionaire Stan Kroenke owns the remaining 40%.
Limbaugh a native of Cape Girardeau, Missouri is known nationally for his conservative radio show and is often referred to as the voice of the Republican Party. This venture would not be his first in professional sports, having once worked for the Kansas City Royals. Nor is it Limbaugh’s first play in the National Football League, having worked briefly on ESPN’s NFL pre-game show in 2003. A job he resigned from following controversy over his comments about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. Limbaugh asserted that the media overrated McNabb because they wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.
The Rams have been rumored to be sold almost from the time of Frontiere’s death. It is known by its fan base that her children have no interest or ties to the team, being involved in other business ventures. The concern among pro football fans in St. Louis is the loss of another team. The St. Louis Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1987, leaving the city without an NFL presence until 1995, when Frontiere moved the Los Angeles Rams from the country’s second largest market to her hometown.
A clause in the terms of the Rams move from Los Angeles allows the team to move back as early as 2014 if the stadium in which they play, the Edward Jones Dome is not among the NFL’s top quarter of NFL venues. The stadium is currently lacking and there is a strong belief that the NFL would love pro football back in Los Angeles.
Rams fans might want to be careful here – you might just get what you wish for. The team may stay in St. Louis with a Limbaugh backed ownership, but with a team that has as many issues as the Rams, Limbaugh’s conservative approach may not translate to wins. I am assuming because every play would be run to the right!
Mike Tyson’s Rise and Fall
I was not alive to watch boxing greats like Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, and Joe Frazier, but I was alive to watch the rise and fall of Mike Tyson. My dad was a huge boxing fan and being in the military there were always get together’s on base for every big boxing match one of the first fights I remember seeing was the Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Marvin Hagler in May of 1986. I only remember that fight because there were about 40 grown army soldiers outraged that after Hagler dominated for most of the 12 rounds the decision went to Leonard. I did not understand boxing and didn’t really care until later that year.
On November 22, 1986 me and my two other brothers went with my dad to his friends house to watch an up and coming boxer named Mike Tyson, he was fighting for the WBC title against Trevor Berbick. Before the fight started most of the guys were bragging how Berbick was going to mop the floor with the young Tyson. People had heard about Tyson but not many thought he could win the fight. I remember sitting on the floor in front of the Satellite TV with the other kids at the party playing with our G.I Joes waiting for the fight to start.
As they entered the ring to tap gloves and agree on a clean fight, when the cameras did up close shots of the fighters staring at each other Berbick looked like this was going to be a walk in the park. But Tyson had this grim reaper look on his face, and once the fight started Berbick’s face quickly changed to the expression of a deer in headlights. As Tyson started pounding Berbick with powerful body shots and quick combos it looked like Berbick was in fear of his life. Once the bell rang to signal the end of the first round everybody in the room was saying I cannot believe this kid is taking it to Berbick. As the second round started Tyson just went in for the kill and sent Berbick down to the canvas twice in the second round. Berbick tried to get up three times after the second knock down but there was no use, he didn’t know where he was and almost feel out of the ring.
From that moment on, Mike Tyson became not only mine but millions of boxing fans favorite boxer to root for. Tyson was the first boxer to knock out Larry Holmes on his way to win 19 straight fights by knockouts with 12 being in the first round. As his fame began to grow his fighting skills started to go down from lack of proper training. He lost his championship belt to James “Buster” Douglas by a knockout in the tenth round in February of 1990 and his life was never the same after that.
In 1992 he was arrested and sent to prison for three years for sexually assaulting Desiree Washington. Once he was released he went back to boxing, he seem to be back on track until he lost to Evander Holyfield by an 11th round TKO in 1996. When the two fighters met up again for a much anticipated rematch, Tyson did the unthinkable and bit a piece of Holyfield’s ear off while they were tangled together on his way to be disqualified. After that Tyson became a reckless mess he ended up finishing his career with a professional boxing record of 50 wins, 44 knockouts, 6 loses, and 2 no contest.
As kid growing up watching Tyson rise and fall from greatness I wondered how someone so gifted could just throw it all away. Like many people I never really understood the craziness behind him, I just seen him as your normal rising star gone bad. It was not until my early twenty’s that I learned about Tyson harsh childhood. I was shocked to learn that he had been arrested 38 times by the age of thirteen. When he was sixteen his mother died and he was split up from his brother and sister, when he moved in with his boxing trainer Cus D’Amato in upstate New York. If D’Amato did not step in and help Tyson turn his life around he would of most likely been dead by the age of 18. Once Cus died Don King entered his life and forever changed Tyson to the crazy barbaric many people think of him as today.
Now that he is finally retired, Tyson is trying to make amends for all the bad things he did in his life, he knows that he will probably at some point mess up again but he is trying to change that. On May 26, 2009 Tyson’s daughter Exodus passed away from a freak treadmill accident. Tyson was not present when it happened, and still till this day does not want to know the full details of what happened. He knows if he finds out all the details his rage would come out against his ex-wife who was watching her at the time. For most people not knowing what really happened would just eat away at them. For Tyson not knowing is part of his healing process on his way to become a better man and role model for his kids.
On November 22, 1986 me and my two other brothers went with my dad to his friends house to watch an up and coming boxer named Mike Tyson, he was fighting for the WBC title against Trevor Berbick. Before the fight started most of the guys were bragging how Berbick was going to mop the floor with the young Tyson. People had heard about Tyson but not many thought he could win the fight. I remember sitting on the floor in front of the Satellite TV with the other kids at the party playing with our G.I Joes waiting for the fight to start.
As they entered the ring to tap gloves and agree on a clean fight, when the cameras did up close shots of the fighters staring at each other Berbick looked like this was going to be a walk in the park. But Tyson had this grim reaper look on his face, and once the fight started Berbick’s face quickly changed to the expression of a deer in headlights. As Tyson started pounding Berbick with powerful body shots and quick combos it looked like Berbick was in fear of his life. Once the bell rang to signal the end of the first round everybody in the room was saying I cannot believe this kid is taking it to Berbick. As the second round started Tyson just went in for the kill and sent Berbick down to the canvas twice in the second round. Berbick tried to get up three times after the second knock down but there was no use, he didn’t know where he was and almost feel out of the ring.
From that moment on, Mike Tyson became not only mine but millions of boxing fans favorite boxer to root for. Tyson was the first boxer to knock out Larry Holmes on his way to win 19 straight fights by knockouts with 12 being in the first round. As his fame began to grow his fighting skills started to go down from lack of proper training. He lost his championship belt to James “Buster” Douglas by a knockout in the tenth round in February of 1990 and his life was never the same after that.
In 1992 he was arrested and sent to prison for three years for sexually assaulting Desiree Washington. Once he was released he went back to boxing, he seem to be back on track until he lost to Evander Holyfield by an 11th round TKO in 1996. When the two fighters met up again for a much anticipated rematch, Tyson did the unthinkable and bit a piece of Holyfield’s ear off while they were tangled together on his way to be disqualified. After that Tyson became a reckless mess he ended up finishing his career with a professional boxing record of 50 wins, 44 knockouts, 6 loses, and 2 no contest.
As kid growing up watching Tyson rise and fall from greatness I wondered how someone so gifted could just throw it all away. Like many people I never really understood the craziness behind him, I just seen him as your normal rising star gone bad. It was not until my early twenty’s that I learned about Tyson harsh childhood. I was shocked to learn that he had been arrested 38 times by the age of thirteen. When he was sixteen his mother died and he was split up from his brother and sister, when he moved in with his boxing trainer Cus D’Amato in upstate New York. If D’Amato did not step in and help Tyson turn his life around he would of most likely been dead by the age of 18. Once Cus died Don King entered his life and forever changed Tyson to the crazy barbaric many people think of him as today.
Now that he is finally retired, Tyson is trying to make amends for all the bad things he did in his life, he knows that he will probably at some point mess up again but he is trying to change that. On May 26, 2009 Tyson’s daughter Exodus passed away from a freak treadmill accident. Tyson was not present when it happened, and still till this day does not want to know the full details of what happened. He knows if he finds out all the details his rage would come out against his ex-wife who was watching her at the time. For most people not knowing what really happened would just eat away at them. For Tyson not knowing is part of his healing process on his way to become a better man and role model for his kids.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Internet – A Gamers Paradise
For most gamers, the Internet has become a virtual playground offering a wide variety of gaming options. Whether it’s online poker, a huge virtual world, or a good old shoot’em up, the Satellite Internet delivers to all. You can play almost any game no matter what your Internet connection is. Unfortunately the type of Internet can affect the quality and speed of the game play.
Online games can range from simple text based games to games incorporating complex graphics and virtual worlds populated by many players simultaneously. Many online games have associated online communities, making online games a form of social activity beyond single player games.
There is an endless amount of games that can be played with a dial up connection. The downside is that dial up speeds are only able to support low quality games. High quality games require download speeds of 256 kbps (kilobits per second) to run smoothly. Dial up Internet can only run at speeds of 56kbps. So if it’s a simple card or puzzle games that you love to play and you don’t mind the slow speeds, then dial up will fit you just fine.
For the average online gamer, card games just won’t cut it. Most people are looking for that action packed virtual world when it comes to their online gaming. If this is the case, then you will need a Cable or DSL Internet connection. This will give you much cleaner images, (no blurring) quicker loading when going from level to level, and reduces the chance that you will get a system error.
Most online games like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI and Lineage II charge a monthly fee to subscribe to their services, while games such as Guild Wars offer an alternative no monthly fee scheme. Many other sites rely on advertising revenues from on-site sponsors, while others, like RuneScape, the games made by Artix Entertainment and Mabinogi, let people play for free while leaving the players the option of paying, and unlocking new content for the members.
More of the “hardcore” gamers like to use the high-tech pay sites to play games online, like Xbox Live, Playstation Network or World of Warcraft. With these sites you are able to play with other gamers across the globe. Trying to use this type of gaming on a dial up speed is pointless, and simply will not work. They require a Cable or DSL Internet connection to be run.
Online gaming has become more of a technology rather than a genre, a mechanism for connecting players together rather than a particular pattern of game play. One advantage of online games is the ability to connect to multiplayer games, although single-player online games are quite common as well.
Massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) were made possible with the growth of broadband Internet access in many developed countries, using the Internet to allow hundreds of thousands of players to play the same game together. Many different styles of massively multiplayer games are available, such as:
So what category you fall into when it comes to gaming, depends largely on the type of Internet connection you have. Hopefully this should help you pick the Internet provider that fits you best.
Online games can range from simple text based games to games incorporating complex graphics and virtual worlds populated by many players simultaneously. Many online games have associated online communities, making online games a form of social activity beyond single player games.
There is an endless amount of games that can be played with a dial up connection. The downside is that dial up speeds are only able to support low quality games. High quality games require download speeds of 256 kbps (kilobits per second) to run smoothly. Dial up Internet can only run at speeds of 56kbps. So if it’s a simple card or puzzle games that you love to play and you don’t mind the slow speeds, then dial up will fit you just fine.
For the average online gamer, card games just won’t cut it. Most people are looking for that action packed virtual world when it comes to their online gaming. If this is the case, then you will need a Cable or DSL Internet connection. This will give you much cleaner images, (no blurring) quicker loading when going from level to level, and reduces the chance that you will get a system error.
Most online games like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI and Lineage II charge a monthly fee to subscribe to their services, while games such as Guild Wars offer an alternative no monthly fee scheme. Many other sites rely on advertising revenues from on-site sponsors, while others, like RuneScape, the games made by Artix Entertainment and Mabinogi, let people play for free while leaving the players the option of paying, and unlocking new content for the members.
More of the “hardcore” gamers like to use the high-tech pay sites to play games online, like Xbox Live, Playstation Network or World of Warcraft. With these sites you are able to play with other gamers across the globe. Trying to use this type of gaming on a dial up speed is pointless, and simply will not work. They require a Cable or DSL Internet connection to be run.
Online gaming has become more of a technology rather than a genre, a mechanism for connecting players together rather than a particular pattern of game play. One advantage of online games is the ability to connect to multiplayer games, although single-player online games are quite common as well.
Massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) were made possible with the growth of broadband Internet access in many developed countries, using the Internet to allow hundreds of thousands of players to play the same game together. Many different styles of massively multiplayer games are available, such as:
• Role-playing games
• Real-time strategy games
• First-person shooter games
• Social games
So what category you fall into when it comes to gaming, depends largely on the type of Internet connection you have. Hopefully this should help you pick the Internet provider that fits you best.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Mike Tyson’s Rise and Fall
I was not alive to watch boxing greats like Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, and Joe Frazier, but I was alive to watch the rise and fall of Mike Tyson. My dad was a huge boxing fan and being in the military there were always get together’s on base for every big boxing match one of the first fights I remember seeing was the Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Marvin Hagler in May of 1986. I only remember that fight because there were about 40 grown army soldiers outraged that after Hagler dominated for most of the 12 rounds the decision went to Leonard. I did not understand boxing and didn’t really care until later that year.
On November 22, 1986 me and my two other brothers went with my dad to his friends house to watch an up and coming boxer named Mike Tyson, he was fighting for the WBC title against Trevor Berbick. Before the fight started most of the guys were bragging how Berbick was going to mop the floor with the young Tyson. People had heard about Tyson but not many thought he could win the fight. I remember sitting on the floor in front of the Satellite TV with the other kids at the party playing with our G.I Joes waiting for the fight to start.
As they entered the ring to tap gloves and agree on a clean fight, when the cameras did up close shots of the fighters staring at each other Berbick looked like this was going to be a walk in the park. But Tyson had this grim reaper look on his face, and once the fight started Berbick’s face quickly changed to the expression of a deer in headlights. As Tyson started pounding Berbick with powerful body shots and quick combos it looked like Berbick was in fear of his life. Once the bell rang to signal the end of the first round everybody in the room was saying I cannot believe this kid is taking it to Berbick. As the second round started Tyson just went in for the kill and sent Berbick down to the canvas twice in the second round. Berbick tried to get up three times after the second knock down but there was no use, he didn’t know where he was and almost feel out of the ring.
From that moment on, Mike Tyson became not only mine but millions of boxing fans favorite boxer to root for. Tyson was the first boxer to knock out Larry Holmes on his way to win 19 straight fights by knockouts with 12 being in the first round. As his fame began to grow his fighting skills started to go down from lack of proper training. He lost his championship belt to James “Buster” Douglas by a knockout in the tenth round in February of 1990 and his life was never the same after that.
In 1992 he was arrested and sent to prison for three years for sexually assaulting Desiree Washington. Once he was released he went back to boxing, he seem to be back on track until he lost to Evander Holyfield by an 11th round TKO in 1996. When the two fighters met up again for a much anticipated rematch, Tyson did the unthinkable and bit a piece of Holyfield’s ear off while they were tangled together on his way to be disqualified. After that Tyson became a reckless mess he ended up finishing his career with a professional boxing record of 50 wins, 44 knockouts, 6 loses, and 2 no contest.
As kid growing up watching Tyson rise and fall from greatness I wondered how someone so gifted could just throw it all away. Like many people I never really understood the craziness behind him, I just seen him as your normal rising star gone bad. It was not until my early twenty’s that I learned about Tyson harsh childhood. I was shocked to learn that he had been arrested 38 times by the age of thirteen. When he was sixteen his mother died and he was split up from his brother and sister, when he moved in with his boxing trainer Cus D’Amato in upstate New York. If D’Amato did not step in and help Tyson turn his life around he would of most likely been dead by the age of 18. Once Cus died Don King entered his life and forever changed Tyson to the crazy barbaric many people think of him as today.
Now that he is finally retired, Tyson is trying to make amends for all the bad things he did in his life, he knows that he will probably at some point mess up again but he is trying to change that. On May 26, 2009 Tyson’s daughter Exodus passed away from a freak treadmill accident. Tyson was not present when it happened, and still till this day does not want to know the full details of what happened. He knows if he finds out all the details his rage would come out against his ex-wife who was watching her at the time. For most people not knowing what really happened would just eat away at them. For Tyson not knowing is part of his healing process on his way to become a better man and role model for his kids.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Sail Away to a Healthier You with Sea Salt
Why use Kosher Celtic Sea Salt over your everyday table salt? There are many reasons why sprinkling this sea salt over your food is healthier that using your average iodized salt. It also tastes much better! Once you’re used to the flavor of sea salt, you can certainly taste the difference when you eat something that contains regular salt. The regular salt will taste like pure chemicals and you will not want to go back to using it. Celtic Sea Salt is significantly more expensive than, say, Morton’s but you will use less. You can sprinkle regular salt on your food and a few seconds later not be able to taste it at all, then you’ll add more and more until the flavor finally suits your palette. Sea salt has slightly bigger granules that soften on your food but do not completely dissolve in shape or flavor.
Why is sea salt the healthier alternative? First of all, let’s clear a few things up. Sea salt doesn’t cause high blood pressure and can actually work to fight it. Mixed with water a small amount of sea salt will calm a racing heart. Those with mild asthma may find that after drinking a few glasses of water, putting sea salt on your tongue will give you a similar effect to using an inhaler. You will want to do the same method if you have a nagging dry cough since sea salt acts as and antihistamine, it will break down mucus in the lungs allowing you to have a more productive cough. Just a few glasses of water and a few sprinkles of sea salt on your tongue right after helps you get a great night’s sleep and wake up rested in the morning!
Sea salt helps your body avoid becoming too acidic. This is a wonderful weapon against Alzheimer’s disease because it balances the acid in your brain. It also regulates blood sugar level- this is a necessity for diabetics in particular. Sea salt does wonders for people with certain psychological disorders. Lithium, which is used to treat people with bipolar disorder, is actually a salt substitute! It helps to regulate the neurotransmitters in the brain that regulate our sleep-wake cycles and aid in our emotional well-being. Sea salt is therefore a wonderful and natural way to reduce stress since it is a gentle antidepressant! Some doctors even believe that sea salt is one of the essentials for fighting cancer. It promotes the mobility of immune cells in the blood to reach all of the areas in the body allowing them to destroy cancerous tissue.
Even though sea salt has many benefits, we need to be careful with how much we consume. Each person requires a large amount of water to a small amount of sea salt to maintain hydration. We don’t want to overdo the salt and become dehydrated! To reap the many benefits of sea salt, all that is recommended is one quarter of a teaspoon of sea salt per quart of water each day!
Why should you not consume your everyday table salt from the grocery store? Sea salt is as it sounds- directly from Mother Nature and into a bottle since it is derived from evaporated seawater! Iodized salt does not contain magnesium, potassium or calcium. It is mined from salt deposits that have formed underground and is processed with anti-caking agents. It has no health benefits; in fact, it does just the opposite of sea salt. According to UMASS Medical Center, your average table salt can contribute to high blood pressure as well as stroke. Other researchers claim that table salt helps cause kidney disease, eczema, heart problems, osteoporosis and even stomach cancer.
Be sure to buy sea salt that is not washed or boiled because it will not have the benefits that I mentioned as the essential minerals are destroyed in the processing. Don’t be afraid of the sea salt, as it is not as white as your typical salt but rest assured that it tastes much better and does not debilitate your health but greatly improves it. I prefer Celtic Sea Salt but there are also more reasonably priced sea salts that are almost as good for when you need to cut cost.
Check out BBC America with Dish Network Satellite TV for more information on health related topics!
Why is sea salt the healthier alternative? First of all, let’s clear a few things up. Sea salt doesn’t cause high blood pressure and can actually work to fight it. Mixed with water a small amount of sea salt will calm a racing heart. Those with mild asthma may find that after drinking a few glasses of water, putting sea salt on your tongue will give you a similar effect to using an inhaler. You will want to do the same method if you have a nagging dry cough since sea salt acts as and antihistamine, it will break down mucus in the lungs allowing you to have a more productive cough. Just a few glasses of water and a few sprinkles of sea salt on your tongue right after helps you get a great night’s sleep and wake up rested in the morning!
Sea salt helps your body avoid becoming too acidic. This is a wonderful weapon against Alzheimer’s disease because it balances the acid in your brain. It also regulates blood sugar level- this is a necessity for diabetics in particular. Sea salt does wonders for people with certain psychological disorders. Lithium, which is used to treat people with bipolar disorder, is actually a salt substitute! It helps to regulate the neurotransmitters in the brain that regulate our sleep-wake cycles and aid in our emotional well-being. Sea salt is therefore a wonderful and natural way to reduce stress since it is a gentle antidepressant! Some doctors even believe that sea salt is one of the essentials for fighting cancer. It promotes the mobility of immune cells in the blood to reach all of the areas in the body allowing them to destroy cancerous tissue.
Even though sea salt has many benefits, we need to be careful with how much we consume. Each person requires a large amount of water to a small amount of sea salt to maintain hydration. We don’t want to overdo the salt and become dehydrated! To reap the many benefits of sea salt, all that is recommended is one quarter of a teaspoon of sea salt per quart of water each day!
Why should you not consume your everyday table salt from the grocery store? Sea salt is as it sounds- directly from Mother Nature and into a bottle since it is derived from evaporated seawater! Iodized salt does not contain magnesium, potassium or calcium. It is mined from salt deposits that have formed underground and is processed with anti-caking agents. It has no health benefits; in fact, it does just the opposite of sea salt. According to UMASS Medical Center, your average table salt can contribute to high blood pressure as well as stroke. Other researchers claim that table salt helps cause kidney disease, eczema, heart problems, osteoporosis and even stomach cancer.
Be sure to buy sea salt that is not washed or boiled because it will not have the benefits that I mentioned as the essential minerals are destroyed in the processing. Don’t be afraid of the sea salt, as it is not as white as your typical salt but rest assured that it tastes much better and does not debilitate your health but greatly improves it. I prefer Celtic Sea Salt but there are also more reasonably priced sea salts that are almost as good for when you need to cut cost.
Check out BBC America with Dish Network Satellite TV for more information on health related topics!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Health Benefits of Organic Noni Juice
Do you love watching television shows about health topics? I’m a fan of networks such as Discovery Health, BBC and RFD-TV because they, along with local and national news and health magazines, keep me updated on ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I learned about the benefits of organic Noni juice while reading a magazine from my local health food store and have been drinking it here and there ever since. I just had to share it with those of you health conscious people who have not yet heard about this miracle juice.
Noni fruit grows from trees that are part of the coffee family. Tahiti is well known for this fruit as it is more abundant there, but it also grows in French Polynesia, the Indian subcontinent, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. The trees can grow up to 30 feet tall and boast large green leaves along with the green Noni fruit. People living in the Pacific Islands eat Noni fruit as a “famine fruit” or a regular staple. It contains many seeds that can be eaten more easily when cooked. The fruit is consumed both in raw form and after it has been cooked.
The most nutritional part of the Noni fruit is located in the pulp as the fruit contains mostly Vitamin C. This entire little 6 cm fruit can yield the following: Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Potassium, Iron, Calcium, Niacin and Carbohydrates. Noni fruit also contains the following phytochemicals that offer many health benefits: fatty acids, alkaloids, lignans, polysaccharides, iridoids, flavanoids and more! So what do all of these wonderful nutrients do?
We’ve learned about the benefits of many vitamins but equally important, if not vital, are phytochemicals. These are naturally occurring chemicals found in fruit and vegetables that can make a marked improvement on your health when consumed on a regular basis. Let’s look at just a few, starting with fatty acids. The words “fatty acids” would probably frighten people away who don’t know their benefits. Fatty acids help to distribute oxygen throughout your body through your blood stream. They are “cell food” because they work hard to repair damaged cells and add strength to your tissue and organs. Ladies, you know you would love to find the fountain of youth. Fatty acids are great for cell regeneration and work to fight the effects of aging. Want to lose a few pounds? Fatty acids help your body break down cholesterol and keep your thyroid functioning properly. They help to regulate blood pressure and strengthen your immune system! This ingredient alone is enough for me to run out and buy a bottle of Noni.
As if fatty acids weren’t enough, you will also reap amazing health benefits from lignans. Lignans are currently being studied for their ability to fight cancer, more notably, breast and colon cancer. Most cancers grow in estrogen. If there is already a decent amount of estrogen in the body, lignans replace the existing hormone and push it from the cells. This is one of the ways lignans may protect us against breast cancer and other cancers. Lignans can also be found in flaxseed, pumpkin seeds and cranberries. Some animal studies have already received favorable findings.
These are just two of the many beneficial nutrients found in the Noni fruit. Imagine what a combination this is when it is attached to all of the other vitamins and phytochemicals! You can find organic Noni juice at your local health food store. Make sure that the label states that it is organic because it is slightly expensive and you don’t want to pay for a juice that has been diluted. Hold your breath each day as you gulp down an ounce of this powerful fruit juice. You will wake up with a spring in your step, clear and calm thoughts and energy! More importantly, you’ll be on your way to a healthier you!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The Internet Provides Limitless Culinary Delights
The Internet, with all of its cooking and entertaining websites, provides a delicious place to search for new recipes. Whether your interests are low carb, no carb, low fat, French cuisine, exotic fare, menus for entertaining, seasonal ingredients, or meals in minutes; the Internet is guaranteed to have a website that covers it.
No Limits
Ever buy a cookbook only to find you don’t like more than a couple of recipes in it? The Internet allows you to browse through recipes and cookbooks without ever buying a book. You can find all the recipes you like on a particular chef without buying all the cookbooks he ever wrote, or find a hundred different recipes for chicken soup, your options are limitless.
Quality Pictures
Years ago my husband bought me a cookbook without pictures – it probably was a very good cookbook but I will never know because I didn’t read it. I could not get past the fact that there weren’t any pictures – I need to see the finished dish! Online you will find sharp, clear photos of the dish you are attempting.
Travel to a Different Country
With the Internet you can travel to a different country without ever leaving your home! Experience France or Italy by creating authentic dishes from that country. You will find entire websites dedicated to a specific country’s cuisine.
My family has an annual Chinese dinner with authentic Chinese dishes. Each member of my family is responsible for one dish, and it must be different from the previous year. Week’s prior to the dinner, I search the Internet to find the perfect dish. We tend to get a bit competitive and end up rating each other’s dishes. I am happy to say I have taken first place two years running, and I have the Internet to thank!
No Cost
Most cooking magazines now have a companion website which supplements the magazine. Many times I find there is more information on the website than in the magazine itself. You may be familiar with the line “for more recipes visit our website”. Very often you can sign up to receive newsletters via email. These newsletters are full of tips and recipes for the home cook. The good news is there is no cost to sign up, and in most cases you don’t even have to be a subscriber to the magazine.
Space
Use the Internet to save and organize your recipes online – no more recipes stuffed in a drawer. Myrecipes.com allows you to save and organize recipes, create menus and even customize your shopping list!
Share
Share your favorite recipes with other foodies like yourself. Get ideas and tips from people who love to cook as much as you do. Or make it personal and share your recipes with friends and family on myrecipecircle.com.
Here is a list of some top websites for people who love food and cooking.
Food Network is a well known and popular website – not only is it full of great recipes from top chefs, but it also has videos that teach cooking techniques. I have used this site for years to get recipe ideas, and learn new techniques.
The Recipe Link is a website that has important tips on ensuring food safety. It also has a calorie counter and information about nutrition.
The Science of Cooking website teaches us that cooking involves science. It is full of recipes that demonstrate how cooking and science work together to make great tasting food.
Cook and Eat is a website with amazing pictures that will inspire you to get cooking! The website boasts “tasty photos and recipes”. This is a website I visit when I am feeling a bit adventurous!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar-Mother Nature's Remedy
Okay all of you “health nuts” out there… you’re eating your share of fruits and vegetables and drinking your milk (all organic of course). Are you taking your daily dose of raw apple cider vinegar with the mother? Whose mother? What? You’re probably questioning why you would take 2 tbsp. of something as bizarre as apple cider vinegar every morning. When most of us think of vinegar we associate it with salad dressing or marinades, maybe even something you’d use to wash the floors in your house! You’ll be amazed when you learn about just how handy this is to have at home and how beneficial it can be to your over all health.
First let’s talk about the many uses of apple cider vinegar. Did you know that you can use it to wash your hair and the smell goes away in five minutes? That’s right. All the ladies out there are probably gagging thinking about pouring stinky vinegar in their lovely locks as I did when I first heard of it. Believe it or not this is better for your hair than the most expensive shampoos. The trick is to scrub your scalp and work your way down your hair with baking soda! Rinse the baking soda out of your hair then pour on the vinegar and massage it through and rinse again. This will clean your hair better than any shampoo out there and it is so much cheaper! Shampoos and conditioners contain alcohol that can dry out your hair and other ingredients that can leave a film behind. Unless they’re organic they most likely contain propylene glycol, a chemical found in antifreeze and poisonous if consumed in large quantities. This is just one of the uses for apple cider vinegar.
My bathroom tub is constantly getting clogged with hair even though I have the slotted drain that is meant to catch most of it. My hair is just past my shoulders and my daughter’s goes all the way to the bottom of her back so, of course, there is always hair left over from bath time and showers. I use this vinegar to wash my hair twice a week and the rest of the week I use organic shampoo and conditioner. My tub drains perfectly now that the vinegar is working its way down the drain every once in a while. Pouring just a little down the kitchen and bathroom sink and tub once a week will get rid of excess build-up in your pipes and they will be less likely to get clogged. This is basically the way apple cider vinegar works in our bodies when we consume it.
Apple cider vinegar with the mother helps to clean the inside of our bodies as well as the outside. It helps to break down fat and aids in digestion, making it easier for our bodies to rid of waste. It helps to clear your colon walls of many years worth of built-up toxins when you take just 2 tbsp. a day. Folks trying to lose a few pounds will be amazed by how easy it will be to shed some weight when you get rid of toxins that have made themselves at home in your body. People who do not need to lose weight don’t need to worry because the only weight that will be lost will be the trash that your body doesn’t need. If your body is not toxic and in need of some waste management, you won’t lose weight and you will have an easier time maintaining your figure.
Here are some of the many things that can be helped with apple cider vinegar with the mother:
* High cholesterol
* High blood pressure (I kid you not when I state that my husband’s high blood pressure
is gone and we attribute it to this vinegar)
* Chronic fatigue
* Acid Reflux
* Gout
* Arthritis
* Acne (It also gives pale people like me some color on their cheeks!)
* Colds
* Allergies (Taken at the first sign of a cold or allergy, this vinegar may stop it dead in its
tracks!)
* Flu
* Sinus infections (This vinegar thins mucus immediately helping you to fight the
infection!)
You will reap the most benefits by consuming Bragg's Raw Apple Cider Vinegar with "The Mother". This type of vinegar is the purest in the market as it is derived from crushed apples that have been aged in oak barrels. “The mother” is the sediment floating at the bottom of the bottle from the fermentation process it has undergone in the barrels. Raw ACV with the mother is not pasteurized, distilled or refined. These processes destroy the cider’s benefits. Not everything that is great for you looks and tastes as good as it works. The vinegar is strong but certainly worth it, so take a deep breath and a quick swig and your body will thank you for it!
Check out RFD-TV on Dish Network Satellite TV for more information on healthy eating habits!
First let’s talk about the many uses of apple cider vinegar. Did you know that you can use it to wash your hair and the smell goes away in five minutes? That’s right. All the ladies out there are probably gagging thinking about pouring stinky vinegar in their lovely locks as I did when I first heard of it. Believe it or not this is better for your hair than the most expensive shampoos. The trick is to scrub your scalp and work your way down your hair with baking soda! Rinse the baking soda out of your hair then pour on the vinegar and massage it through and rinse again. This will clean your hair better than any shampoo out there and it is so much cheaper! Shampoos and conditioners contain alcohol that can dry out your hair and other ingredients that can leave a film behind. Unless they’re organic they most likely contain propylene glycol, a chemical found in antifreeze and poisonous if consumed in large quantities. This is just one of the uses for apple cider vinegar.
My bathroom tub is constantly getting clogged with hair even though I have the slotted drain that is meant to catch most of it. My hair is just past my shoulders and my daughter’s goes all the way to the bottom of her back so, of course, there is always hair left over from bath time and showers. I use this vinegar to wash my hair twice a week and the rest of the week I use organic shampoo and conditioner. My tub drains perfectly now that the vinegar is working its way down the drain every once in a while. Pouring just a little down the kitchen and bathroom sink and tub once a week will get rid of excess build-up in your pipes and they will be less likely to get clogged. This is basically the way apple cider vinegar works in our bodies when we consume it.
Apple cider vinegar with the mother helps to clean the inside of our bodies as well as the outside. It helps to break down fat and aids in digestion, making it easier for our bodies to rid of waste. It helps to clear your colon walls of many years worth of built-up toxins when you take just 2 tbsp. a day. Folks trying to lose a few pounds will be amazed by how easy it will be to shed some weight when you get rid of toxins that have made themselves at home in your body. People who do not need to lose weight don’t need to worry because the only weight that will be lost will be the trash that your body doesn’t need. If your body is not toxic and in need of some waste management, you won’t lose weight and you will have an easier time maintaining your figure.
Here are some of the many things that can be helped with apple cider vinegar with the mother:
* High cholesterol
* High blood pressure (I kid you not when I state that my husband’s high blood pressure
is gone and we attribute it to this vinegar)
* Chronic fatigue
* Acid Reflux
* Gout
* Arthritis
* Acne (It also gives pale people like me some color on their cheeks!)
* Colds
* Allergies (Taken at the first sign of a cold or allergy, this vinegar may stop it dead in its
tracks!)
* Flu
* Sinus infections (This vinegar thins mucus immediately helping you to fight the
infection!)
You will reap the most benefits by consuming Bragg's Raw Apple Cider Vinegar with "The Mother". This type of vinegar is the purest in the market as it is derived from crushed apples that have been aged in oak barrels. “The mother” is the sediment floating at the bottom of the bottle from the fermentation process it has undergone in the barrels. Raw ACV with the mother is not pasteurized, distilled or refined. These processes destroy the cider’s benefits. Not everything that is great for you looks and tastes as good as it works. The vinegar is strong but certainly worth it, so take a deep breath and a quick swig and your body will thank you for it!
Check out RFD-TV on Dish Network Satellite TV for more information on healthy eating habits!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Satellite Internet – Your Health May Rely On It
Internet service has become essential to have greater access to health information, products and services. Though this may seem ordinary to us, rural communities have long faced challenges in getting adequate local health care, let alone the benefits of acquiring information we take for granted. The ability to acquire high-speed broadband Internet access would almost assuredly transform small rural communities in terms of economic benefits by reducing transportation time and expenses, reducing missed time at work, increasing the effectiveness of lab and pharmacy work and provide savings to health facilities.
The funds set aside by the Government in the Broadband Stimulus plan to provide rural Internet users with options better than dial-up services, is not the first interest the Government has taken here. The USDA has administered many programs aimed at improving medical technology through the use of Broadband Internet access and the 2008 Farm Act also helped to expand these programs to rural America.
Studies have shown that Telemdicine, which can only be practiced through a high-speed Internet connection, had an immediate and dramatic cost-benefit to facilities that practiced it. Because rural hospitals are almost always at least partially funded by local sales taxes, the community in which they serve found greater economic savings due to the advancement of broadband technology and the efficiency of Telemecidine.
Telemedicine mainly benefits hospital savings by reducing the outsourcing of specific procedures, transportation costs associated with outsourcing of patients, income savings from reducing the time missed from work, and the increased abilities and proficiencies of laboratory and pharmaceutical work. All of these factors improved patient turnaround and was the greatest benefit noted by hospital staff members.
Broadband Internet’s value in rural areas was estimated to be nearly $400,000 annually when considering the cost savings of patients and their employers. The savings due to increased efficiencies and the increase of business the hospitals realized due to Telemedicine.
The funds set aside by the Government in the Broadband Stimulus plan to provide rural Internet users with options better than dial-up services, is not the first interest the Government has taken here. The USDA has administered many programs aimed at improving medical technology through the use of Broadband Internet access and the 2008 Farm Act also helped to expand these programs to rural America.
Studies have shown that Telemdicine, which can only be practiced through a high-speed Internet connection, had an immediate and dramatic cost-benefit to facilities that practiced it. Because rural hospitals are almost always at least partially funded by local sales taxes, the community in which they serve found greater economic savings due to the advancement of broadband technology and the efficiency of Telemecidine.
Telemedicine mainly benefits hospital savings by reducing the outsourcing of specific procedures, transportation costs associated with outsourcing of patients, income savings from reducing the time missed from work, and the increased abilities and proficiencies of laboratory and pharmaceutical work. All of these factors improved patient turnaround and was the greatest benefit noted by hospital staff members.
Broadband Internet’s value in rural areas was estimated to be nearly $400,000 annually when considering the cost savings of patients and their employers. The savings due to increased efficiencies and the increase of business the hospitals realized due to Telemedicine.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
H1N1 and Fever Reducers- A Deadly Combination
Every time I hear something about H1N1 on the TV or the radio it is always revolved around support for the vaccination. This is the same type of vaccination that caused Guillan-Barre syndrome in some of the people who took it back in the 70’s. This new version of the vaccine was hardly tested before it was handed out to mass quantities of scared citizens. Somehow they didn’t tell us that you should not take Tylenol when you have the flu because a little boy has now died from doing so. How many times have we given our children Tylenol or Motrin to reduce a fever when they have the flu or after they’ve had their vaccinations? How many times have our pediatricians recommended this?
Many people who die with complications related to H1N1 are young people. If you do your homework, you’ll find that children and teenagers who take aspirin while they have the flu are at risk for Reye’s Syndrome. This disease is horrific and destroys the internal organs very rapidly with the liver and the brain getting the worst of it and eventually causing death. The weird thing is, I’ve heard about this syndrome but wasn’t really sure what it was until I did a little research of my own. My child’s pediatrician certainly never pointed it out. Good thing I never gave my daughter aspirin when she had the flu last year. Phew, that was close. The doctor will tell you what to give your child, but doesn’t always tell you why not to give them something else. Tylenol and Motrin were supposedly okay to give to our children and now they’re not. Doctors are now recommending cool baths and more old-fashioned techniques for fever reduction when your child has the flu. We probably should have stuck with those in the first place.
There have been many deaths in Mexico linked to a combination of the flu and fever reducers because patients have not been informed of the deadly effects. Japan put a stop to the use of NSAID’s (ex. Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, etc.) for reducing fever for children with the flu in 2000 and the fatality rates for children with the flu declined. Many people with flu related deaths between 1918 and 1919 in the U.S. were found to have complications beyond pneumonia at the time of death that were attributed to taking aspirin. Just before the high rates of death occurred, the Surgeon General and other health organizations recommended aspirin to the public. According to The British Medical Journal, antipyretics (pain relievers and fever reducers) are the cause for many flu related deaths and people should not take any of these should they get H1N1.
The H1N1 pandemic has been haunting us since last year and you would think that I would not have to dig for this type of information to find it. The deadly combination of flu and fever reducers should have been public knowledge well before this pandemic even began. The government is so obsessed with pumping out this ridiculous flu vaccine that they are not paying attention to the fact that people are dying from something as simple as Tylenol and aspirin.
Keep yourself informed as this story changes daily, Fox News, CNN and Discovery Health Channel on Dish Network have all dedicated coverage to H1N1.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Strangest MLB Merchandise
Last week the New York Times ran a really weird article about Yankees Sod, a new product that’s pretty much just what it sounds like. It is grass that’s been licensed by the New York Yankees for sale to fans. The turf actually comes from the same 80-acre plot as the grass that was recently installed in the new Yankee Stadium. If you go to a New York-area Home Depot you can pick up a a five-square-foot patch of this grass for around $7.50.
To most fans, this idea seems kind of crazy. By some kind of strange logic of MLB product licensing, there’s nothing odd about it. In fact, there are a lot of unnecessary things a MLB team has licensed. Here are a few other “currently available” products that give Yankees Sod a run for its money in the ridiculousness department.
A Wincraft Chicago Cubs 5 Quart Galvanized Pail
At some point in his career, a dairy cow runs into the same problem. He doesn’t know what MLB team to moo for. This galvanized milk bucket can help out any confused cow pick a team to graze the pasture for. Well worth the $15.99 asking price.
Still not convinced? Well maybe this sales pitch from MLB.com will help you out: “They have a waterproof sealed bottom and are great for holding ice, water, dirt, or anything else you would like to carry or hold in these great decorative pail.”
Really? That’s your selling point for a bucket? That it won’t leak and you can put stuff in it? This is a bucket. It’s just like every other bucket you’ve ever seen, but with a Cubs logo on the side and more expensive. Shouldn’t the Cubs logo make it less expensive?
Fleer New York Mets B2 Stealth Bomber
You want your kid to play with sports toys, but he loves military ones. What to do? For just $25, you can buy a die-cast stealth bomber replica covered with New York Mets “stickers” logos. There’s no underlying logic that ties the team and the plane together, so this novelty is just a bit of licensing absurdity. If the Mets fans want to talk about something quiet, fast, and awesomely destructive, they can talk about the team’s bullpen.
Caskets and Crematory Urns
Has a lifetime of being a Pirates fan not been quite enough for you? Now you can take your frustration into the afterlife with MLB-licensed funerary products from Eternal Image, Inc. In early 2007, the company started selling MLB-themed urns, and towards the end of 2008, it introduced its MLB caskets. They sold out within a week. The urns, which will run you $799, come with a baseball as part of the display. The product’s website notes that the family can replace the ball with one from their collection. Just don’t take the ball start playing with it; that’s a one-way ticket to a haunting.
Garden Gnomes
Ever think your garden should start to show a little more team spirit? Forever Collectibles has a line of lawn gnomes where the hats feature MLB logos. I don’t know really what to say about this one. Just, why? A garden Gnome? It’s just going to get stolen.
ProMark Arizona Diamondbacks Level and Hammer
When Brandon Webb does home improvement projects, do you think he uses just any old hamer? Of course not! If he’s got any team loyalty!! He picks up his special 10-inch Diamondbacks level and matching hammer when he starts to work on his house. For around $40 you can hammer in style. “The comfortable molded rubber grip is designed to fit the sport.” What sport, baseball or competitive hammering?
You can find cool auction items like these on online auction sites. If you are hampered by a slow dial up connection, switch to WildBlue Satellite Internet and give yourself the speed you need to land some of these unusual items.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
DIRECTV Customers Get Slashed During Hockey Season
I live in Boston, where we take pride in our sports teams and it’s a good time to be a sports fan in Boston. The Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins all have had some great success. Boston has had six world championships since 2001. The Patriots with Super Bowl wins in 2001, 2003, and 2004. The Red Sox were champs in 2004 and 2007, and the Boston Celtics coming from last place to win the championship in 2008. This leaves us with the Bruins to be the only team not to bring home a championship thus far. After seeing how well they bet up the Montreal Canadiens in last year’s playoffs. I have a feeling that this is the year that Zdeno Chara is drinking beer out of that Stanley Cup. There is just one little problem… I WON’T BE ABLE TO WATCH IT!!!
Here is my story. Earlier this year DirecTV came to me and said… “We have the most sports programming then any of our competitors.” Being from Boston I said “Gotta have my sports! Where do I sign up?” So when I first got it I was like, this is Great! I got the NFL Sunday Ticket, and it gave me every football game that played on Sunday. I was able to switch back and forth from the Pats game to check out what else was going on around the NFL. Then I got to thinking, did I just blow $300 to check out scores? I could of done that on ESPN. Unless you are John Madden and have 12 TVs set up in your living room, you can’t watch every game. Guess I won’t be doing that again next year! So I sucked it up and dished out $300 for nothing.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love The Patriots but I bleed Bruins black and gold! Hockey season is my favorite season of the year. Granted they haven’t won a championship in a while but I still love them! Here in Boston we are not like those little smelly, greasy, stupid New York weirdoes, were when their team does bad they fire the coach! Anyways… I love hockey, and when you take away my hockey, that when I draw the line!!
Last night was the season opener for the Bruins. I was so excited. I threw on my Patrice Bergeron jersey, ordered a pizza, grabbed some snacks, sat down with my buddies, I turned on the Versus Network and … NOTHING!!!! All I saw was a big DirecTV logo that said “ Sorry for the inconvenience but DirecTV no longer carries the Versus Network. WHAT!! Inconvenience? This just wasn’t an inconvenience it was an abomination.
So after I stopped crying, I gave my good friends at DirecTV a call. They told me that Comcast owns the Versus Network and they were charging DirecTV too much money to air the network. You mean to tell me, that DirecTV can pay $750 million dollars for that dumb NFL Sunday Ticket but you won’t spend the money for Versus? The lady on the phone then tried selling me NHL Center Ice. It’s just like the NFL Sunday Ticket but with hockey, but because the Bruins are a local team those games would be “Blacked Out.” Some how DirecTV made it so that I couldn’t even pay to watch the Bruins.
Plane and simple DirecTV just didn’t deliver on their promise for more sports. Not only did I waste $300 on the Sunday Ticket, I would have to pay a cancellation fee if I want to get rid of DirecTV. If I would of known they would have ruined my hockey season I would have gone with Dish Network Where by the way…they have the Versus Network. Thanks DirecTV!
Here is my story. Earlier this year DirecTV came to me and said… “We have the most sports programming then any of our competitors.” Being from Boston I said “Gotta have my sports! Where do I sign up?” So when I first got it I was like, this is Great! I got the NFL Sunday Ticket, and it gave me every football game that played on Sunday. I was able to switch back and forth from the Pats game to check out what else was going on around the NFL. Then I got to thinking, did I just blow $300 to check out scores? I could of done that on ESPN. Unless you are John Madden and have 12 TVs set up in your living room, you can’t watch every game. Guess I won’t be doing that again next year! So I sucked it up and dished out $300 for nothing.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love The Patriots but I bleed Bruins black and gold! Hockey season is my favorite season of the year. Granted they haven’t won a championship in a while but I still love them! Here in Boston we are not like those little smelly, greasy, stupid New York weirdoes, were when their team does bad they fire the coach! Anyways… I love hockey, and when you take away my hockey, that when I draw the line!!
Last night was the season opener for the Bruins. I was so excited. I threw on my Patrice Bergeron jersey, ordered a pizza, grabbed some snacks, sat down with my buddies, I turned on the Versus Network and … NOTHING!!!! All I saw was a big DirecTV logo that said “ Sorry for the inconvenience but DirecTV no longer carries the Versus Network. WHAT!! Inconvenience? This just wasn’t an inconvenience it was an abomination.
So after I stopped crying, I gave my good friends at DirecTV a call. They told me that Comcast owns the Versus Network and they were charging DirecTV too much money to air the network. You mean to tell me, that DirecTV can pay $750 million dollars for that dumb NFL Sunday Ticket but you won’t spend the money for Versus? The lady on the phone then tried selling me NHL Center Ice. It’s just like the NFL Sunday Ticket but with hockey, but because the Bruins are a local team those games would be “Blacked Out.” Some how DirecTV made it so that I couldn’t even pay to watch the Bruins.
Plane and simple DirecTV just didn’t deliver on their promise for more sports. Not only did I waste $300 on the Sunday Ticket, I would have to pay a cancellation fee if I want to get rid of DirecTV. If I would of known they would have ruined my hockey season I would have gone with Dish Network Where by the way…they have the Versus Network. Thanks DirecTV!
Monday, November 09, 2009
Tears of Blood - A Medical Condition Or a Miracle?
Are tears of blood a miracle or a medical condition? There have been many interesting accounts of such tears with people from all over the world, but it is obviously more difficult to prove a miracle than it is to rule out possible causes for this. There is more of a focus on the scientific explanations for such occurrences and a sense of doubt pertaining to religious explanations. We want an immediate answer for things like this but we don’t always get one. Anyone who brings up the religious angle is destined for ridicule and bound to be called a “religious nut”.
I was listening to The Early Show on CBS the other morning while I was getting ready for work and something I heard grabbed my attention. “Stay tuned for our next story with a 15 year old boy who cries tears of blood.” What? This has to be a unique story to say the least. I dropped my makeup and dashed to the living room to see the interview with the boy and his mother. Calvino Inman of Tennessee and his mother Tammy Mynatt brought the video of him crying tears of blood hoping to reach out to someone who can help them with this situation. His tears did not appear to be diluted in any way, they were pure blood! Calvino said that he thought he was going to die when he began crying the bloody tears. It happens randomly about 3 times a day and lasts for up to 15 minutes. The crying is not provoked by emotion as Calvino is not feeling sad when this happens or doing anything that would induce normal tear production.
There is a condition called Haemolacria that causes people to shed bloody tears, but the doctors cannot yet say for sure if he has this condition. Calvino went to five doctors with his mother and his condition has each of them baffled. He had an ultrasound, CAT scan and an MRI which were all normal. Haemolacria is usually a result of a larger underlying medical condition but he seems to be in good overall health. Calvino and his mom are continuing their search to find a diagnosis for his condition. He claims that the tears burn and are annoying. His peers at school teased him at first by calling him names and saying he was possessed but they have since apologized realizing that Calvino cannot control his situation and has visited many doctors in a quest to find its diagnosis.
According to information provided by CNN, a doctor from the University of Tennessee’s Hamilton Eye Institute has studied this condition extensively and said that there were only four cases of this mysterious occurrence between 1992 and 2003. He is amazed that it is happening to a healthy young boy. He claims that Haemolacria can be caused by deep emotional trauma or a head injury, but agrees that Calvino doesn’t even fit the bill for this disorder. Another doctor at the same institute said that the condition that Calvino has can be something very miniscule in size which can be difficult to pinpoint with any of the tests he has undergone thus far. He claims that they may have to wait for more symptoms to surface to get the full picture of what the cause might be. Evidently, the condition can be the result of anything from a tumor to a simple infection. It may be a repeat occurrence of the four cases from ‘92-’03 when the bleeding mysteriously stopped on its own.
This is claimed to have no religious significance. It is spelled out that religion is not a factor on most of the websites that I visited to gain more information. Could it be better for each of these unexplained cases to be a religious phenomenon rather than a medical condition? I understand that people want closure, especially the children and their parents. I also realize that it has to be extremely difficult to deal with this in your everyday life but history has shown that it doesn’t last forever as the tears of blood will most likely stop as spontaneously as they began. Why is it such a taboo to consider this to be a miracle? There might not be a medical explanation for this simply because it hasn’t been researched enough since it alone doesn’t seem to be life-threatening. Perhaps it is something that is beyond our grasp of true understanding.
Some believers may say that this is a result of “vicarious suffering” which is believed to be the act of involuntary suffering for other people’s sins so they can be forgiven. There is a 13 year old girl named Twinkle Dwivedi in India who is currently experiencing such tears and is displaying what is believed to be stigmata. Her palms, head and feet all emit blood yet she has no wounds. National Geographic will air her story on September 13th with Dish Network.
There are two religious statues of The Virgin Mary that cry tears of blood and are deemed to be genuine miracles according to the Vatican (others turned out to be staged). The two documented statues are the weeping statue of The Virgin Mary in 1949 in Syracuse, Italy and Our Lady of Akita in 1988 in Japan. Religious believers who feel that this phenomenon is a miracle are not sure why it’s happening. Some believe an occurrence like this is a sign from God and are unsure as to whether it is good or bad. Some believe that the weeping statues are reflecting sadness for these difficult times of war, poverty and violence.
Calvino’s story and the occurrence of weeping statues remind me of the young girl Audrey Marie Santo in my home town of Worcester, MA who was in a coma for 19 years before she passed away. Audrey was found in her pool at home when she was three and never regained consciousness. Doctors informed her mom that Audrey would only live a few years and suggested she place her in a nursing home. Her mom is a believer and decided that if the doctors can’t help, perhaps a miracle can. She took Audrey to the shrine of Medjugorje. Audrey had a moment where she began to move and attempt to speak, which did not last very long before she returned to her previous state.
According to her parents, many religious experiences occurred in her room such as religious statues that wept oil and blood. One might think that the parents saw things they needed to see at a very sorrowful time, but this story reached neighbors and eventually the newspaper and news. Soon enough, people from all over the world came to visit her and to pray for her recovery and for miracles. Many visitors also gave testimony that they were present when such miracles had occurred. Audrey was said to have responded to one man’s prayers for a loved one with a tear. Perhaps there was a miracle at the shrine of Medjugorje, not only for obvious reasons, but for the fact that Audrey lived to be 23 years old. She never had a bed sore, even with the fact that she was bed-ridden for 19 years.
Calvino Inman is from Tennessee which is a state well known for the amount of churches housed there in the Bible belt. Could there be a miraculous connection with Calvino and the religious beliefs of the people in his community? Could it be something even larger than that? I’m not stating that I believe this is a miracle, but I would rather hear that than find out this young teenager has a serious medical problem.
There is no scientific explanation for why this boy cries blood and there was none for Audrey Marie Santo who survived until the age of twenty three. There were no tangible explanations for what occurred with the religious statues in Japan and Italy. Will we ever know the reason behind these phenomena or will they forever remain a secret?
Some believers may say that this is a result of “vicarious suffering” which is believed to be the act of involuntary suffering for other people’s sins so they can be forgiven. There is a 13 year old girl named Twinkle Dwivedi in India who is currently experiencing such tears and is displaying what is believed to be stigmata. Her palms, head and feet all emit blood yet she has no wounds. National Geographic will air her story on September 13th with Dish Network.
Friday, November 06, 2009
A Fenway Park Survival Guide
For those of you that do not have the privilege of living in New England or have never had the opportunity of making a trip to Fenway Park. I wanted to give you a little insight into how to survive a day on Yawkey Way.
The first decision is transportation. Boston has a great Public Transportation System known as " The T " whether that stands for Train or transportation I am unaware. It is the quickest and easiest way to get to the game. Boston being one of the bigger cities in the U.S. has a traffic problem and an even larger Parking problem that compliments the 40-dollar fee to do so. On the T you can take the Green Line and enjoy a 10-15 minute walk to the Shrine of Baseball known as Fenway. Just follow the crowd wearing Red Sox Apparel or if lost look for the large Citgo Sign Of course all this is assuming you have tickets. On your way to the game you will pass by offers and shouts of " tickets " by those who make mass purchases of tickets and sell them in the secondary market at an increased profit (Scalpers). Unlike New York these resellers have provided legitimate tickets when in the time of need. As you continue your walk you will pass by Street Performers and establishments known in Boston for their before the game festivities. Make your way to the park do not get distracted and do not stop at a street vendor unless it is the "Sausage Guy" He's actually opened a real restaurant due to how well he did outside of Fenway. Upon arrival at the Gate you will be frisked, water is allowed and bags and purses will be tagged with a wristband to show they have been searched. If you are wearing an opposing teams logo now would be a good time to cover it up as you will be subject to heckling.
Now you are in. Your walk throughout Fenway's halls is similar to walking under a Deck at home with occasion food and beverage lines. Do not apply for Credit Card offers in pursuit of a free towel. Seems fun the first time but this info is an actual credit check, social, etc... I'm sure there are easier ways. Do try to arrive early, as you will be feet away from your favorite player as he takes batting practice. Then find your seat. There's a few options here depending on your social network: Boxes are ideally used for Business Persons...Grandstands for families, couples, and social drinkers...The Bleachers for college crowds and the rowdy (tends to get a little crazy)...And the standing room only gets you in to the park.
You are now in Fenway Park!!! The same park the christened Babe Ruth and the 1918 World Series still remains and you are in it! The same park where men that were once grandsons now bring their children!!! Pesky's Pole! Jim Rice! You standing in a piece of History, it is truly awe-inspiring and never really goes away no matter how many times you go. The field is also a close distance from anywhere. The bleachers you will find have a certain fondness of the right fielder (for years it was Trot Nixon) and also provide a birds eye view of the bullpen. Boxes allow you to root your player or root against the opposing team and they can actually hear you.
Once seated there are vendors everywhere. They wear bright yellow. Do buy a Fenway Frank or two and peanuts and do accept an offer for a Fenway Photo to be later viewed and purchased online. Your beverage choice will decide how the rest of the game is spent. I prefer a Dunkin Donuts coffee for the night games. There are plenty of pricey adult beverages. If this is your preference I would recommend a warm up at one of the Establishments passed by on the way and a late 1st inning arrival (normal Circumstances) It will save you money once inside. Once the game is in progress you will enjoy it more than any other you have witnessed.
During the game do get drinks and food outside at Yawkey Way a new outside addition. A longer walk but there are smaller lines, a better experience, and the ability to smoke if needed. Don't get intoxicated, as you will be asked to leave. But do participate in the wave, the chants of "Lets go Red Sox!" and you must participate in the seventh inning stretch. This consists off Take me out to the Ballgame but the real Fenway Tradition is Neil Diamonds "Sweet Caroline"
Don't leave early, regardless of where seated originally, you will always find a seat feet away from the dugouts or home plate. If losing the Red Sox always make a late rally. You may witness the entrance of Bullpen Ace Jonathan Papelbon to the Dropkick Muphy's " I'm Shippin' off to Boston" and be able to cheer him on from a front row seat! The game will ends and "Dirty Water" will commence. If you want to witness your favorite player exit the park a crowd always gathers outside to do so. I have done this a few times recently and would recommend if time permits you do so.
I guess to sum all of this up you will have a "Wicked fun time at Fenway Pahk".
The first decision is transportation. Boston has a great Public Transportation System known as " The T " whether that stands for Train or transportation I am unaware. It is the quickest and easiest way to get to the game. Boston being one of the bigger cities in the U.S. has a traffic problem and an even larger Parking problem that compliments the 40-dollar fee to do so. On the T you can take the Green Line and enjoy a 10-15 minute walk to the Shrine of Baseball known as Fenway. Just follow the crowd wearing Red Sox Apparel or if lost look for the large Citgo Sign Of course all this is assuming you have tickets. On your way to the game you will pass by offers and shouts of " tickets " by those who make mass purchases of tickets and sell them in the secondary market at an increased profit (Scalpers). Unlike New York these resellers have provided legitimate tickets when in the time of need. As you continue your walk you will pass by Street Performers and establishments known in Boston for their before the game festivities. Make your way to the park do not get distracted and do not stop at a street vendor unless it is the "Sausage Guy" He's actually opened a real restaurant due to how well he did outside of Fenway. Upon arrival at the Gate you will be frisked, water is allowed and bags and purses will be tagged with a wristband to show they have been searched. If you are wearing an opposing teams logo now would be a good time to cover it up as you will be subject to heckling.
Now you are in. Your walk throughout Fenway's halls is similar to walking under a Deck at home with occasion food and beverage lines. Do not apply for Credit Card offers in pursuit of a free towel. Seems fun the first time but this info is an actual credit check, social, etc... I'm sure there are easier ways. Do try to arrive early, as you will be feet away from your favorite player as he takes batting practice. Then find your seat. There's a few options here depending on your social network: Boxes are ideally used for Business Persons...Grandstands for families, couples, and social drinkers...The Bleachers for college crowds and the rowdy (tends to get a little crazy)...And the standing room only gets you in to the park.
You are now in Fenway Park!!! The same park the christened Babe Ruth and the 1918 World Series still remains and you are in it! The same park where men that were once grandsons now bring their children!!! Pesky's Pole! Jim Rice! You standing in a piece of History, it is truly awe-inspiring and never really goes away no matter how many times you go. The field is also a close distance from anywhere. The bleachers you will find have a certain fondness of the right fielder (for years it was Trot Nixon) and also provide a birds eye view of the bullpen. Boxes allow you to root your player or root against the opposing team and they can actually hear you.
Once seated there are vendors everywhere. They wear bright yellow. Do buy a Fenway Frank or two and peanuts and do accept an offer for a Fenway Photo to be later viewed and purchased online. Your beverage choice will decide how the rest of the game is spent. I prefer a Dunkin Donuts coffee for the night games. There are plenty of pricey adult beverages. If this is your preference I would recommend a warm up at one of the Establishments passed by on the way and a late 1st inning arrival (normal Circumstances) It will save you money once inside. Once the game is in progress you will enjoy it more than any other you have witnessed.
During the game do get drinks and food outside at Yawkey Way a new outside addition. A longer walk but there are smaller lines, a better experience, and the ability to smoke if needed. Don't get intoxicated, as you will be asked to leave. But do participate in the wave, the chants of "Lets go Red Sox!" and you must participate in the seventh inning stretch. This consists off Take me out to the Ballgame but the real Fenway Tradition is Neil Diamonds "Sweet Caroline"
Don't leave early, regardless of where seated originally, you will always find a seat feet away from the dugouts or home plate. If losing the Red Sox always make a late rally. You may witness the entrance of Bullpen Ace Jonathan Papelbon to the Dropkick Muphy's " I'm Shippin' off to Boston" and be able to cheer him on from a front row seat! The game will ends and "Dirty Water" will commence. If you want to witness your favorite player exit the park a crowd always gathers outside to do so. I have done this a few times recently and would recommend if time permits you do so.
I guess to sum all of this up you will have a "Wicked fun time at Fenway Pahk".
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Understanding Satellite Internet Access
Satellite Internet services are used in every location in the United States were DSL and Cable Internet is not available and customers need an always on, fast Internet service that dial-up ISP’s can’t provide.
Although there are some technical issues for end users to be aware of, such as latency, this only affects customers seeking to play real-time interactive games online. Signal loss due to precipitation is extremely minimal and the service is up to 30-times faster than dialup Internet providers and considerably more reliable.
Latency is caused when the request for data is transmitted from your satellite modem to the satellite orbiting the earth and then returned. The delay is approximately half a second, not noticeable if you are browsing the Internet, reading email or even downloading. It can however cause significant headaches to customers trying to use applications like VOIP, VPN and video conferencing.
Another way satellite Internet differs from cable, DSL or dialup is the use of a Fair Access Policy, a device put in place to guarantee that every end user can download a pre-determined amount of files, using an allotment of bandwidth, without affecting other users. Ever been on a DSL connection that for whatever reason begins to crawl or attempted to connect to a dialup server but couldn’t because of capacity issues, satellite providers afford their customers this protection policy. It is also important to note that only 4% of all WildBlue Satellite Internet customers are ever affected by FAP. HughesNet considerable higher by comparison, however HughesNet offers a daily allotment of bandwidth to it users, while WildBlue uses a revolving 30-day period, in other words whatever you use today you will receive back in your account in 30-days. This rolling 30-day period makes going over your bandwidth threshold less likely.
Satellite Internet is not as scary as it seems, for the timid, the hardware involved is as follows:
Satellite Modem – connected to your computer through a USB port, this allows the ISP’s routers to connect to proxy servers, which enforce bandwidth limits and guarantees fair use by all end users.
Satellite Dish – The satellite modem connects to a cable that is run to the satellite dish, either mounted to the physical property or a pole.
That’s it!
For dialup and DSL users, no need for a phone line. The service is always on.
For customers seeking to use Satellite Internet’s speed over that of a dialup ISP, for the purposes of working from home or distance learning or e-learning, a word of caution about the use of VPN’s. VPN or Virtual Private Network software doesn’t handle the delay or latency of packets sent to VPN servers. Because the VPN acts as a tunnel from one network to another it requires authentication and once accepted needs to keep that handshake throughout the process of working on that network. The latency will break that authentication handshake and cause the end user to constantly have to validate to access the VPN. Not recommended with satellite Internet, but consult the IT guru for the VPN for their input. Special IP stacks and possibly proxies can lessen the effects of latency, so check into it.
Satellite Internet is one of the fastest growing consumer electronic products out there and its target demographic continues to be rural America, where dialup is the only option. However the pending merger between ViaSat, a satellite equipment maker and WildBlue, the leading satellite Internet provider, will merge their technologies and provide customers with speeds comparable to cable Internet speeds within the next year.
Although there are some technical issues for end users to be aware of, such as latency, this only affects customers seeking to play real-time interactive games online. Signal loss due to precipitation is extremely minimal and the service is up to 30-times faster than dialup Internet providers and considerably more reliable.
Latency is caused when the request for data is transmitted from your satellite modem to the satellite orbiting the earth and then returned. The delay is approximately half a second, not noticeable if you are browsing the Internet, reading email or even downloading. It can however cause significant headaches to customers trying to use applications like VOIP, VPN and video conferencing.
Another way satellite Internet differs from cable, DSL or dialup is the use of a Fair Access Policy, a device put in place to guarantee that every end user can download a pre-determined amount of files, using an allotment of bandwidth, without affecting other users. Ever been on a DSL connection that for whatever reason begins to crawl or attempted to connect to a dialup server but couldn’t because of capacity issues, satellite providers afford their customers this protection policy. It is also important to note that only 4% of all WildBlue Satellite Internet customers are ever affected by FAP. HughesNet considerable higher by comparison, however HughesNet offers a daily allotment of bandwidth to it users, while WildBlue uses a revolving 30-day period, in other words whatever you use today you will receive back in your account in 30-days. This rolling 30-day period makes going over your bandwidth threshold less likely.
Satellite Internet is not as scary as it seems, for the timid, the hardware involved is as follows:
Satellite Modem – connected to your computer through a USB port, this allows the ISP’s routers to connect to proxy servers, which enforce bandwidth limits and guarantees fair use by all end users.
Satellite Dish – The satellite modem connects to a cable that is run to the satellite dish, either mounted to the physical property or a pole.
That’s it!
For dialup and DSL users, no need for a phone line. The service is always on.
For customers seeking to use Satellite Internet’s speed over that of a dialup ISP, for the purposes of working from home or distance learning or e-learning, a word of caution about the use of VPN’s. VPN or Virtual Private Network software doesn’t handle the delay or latency of packets sent to VPN servers. Because the VPN acts as a tunnel from one network to another it requires authentication and once accepted needs to keep that handshake throughout the process of working on that network. The latency will break that authentication handshake and cause the end user to constantly have to validate to access the VPN. Not recommended with satellite Internet, but consult the IT guru for the VPN for their input. Special IP stacks and possibly proxies can lessen the effects of latency, so check into it.
Satellite Internet is one of the fastest growing consumer electronic products out there and its target demographic continues to be rural America, where dialup is the only option. However the pending merger between ViaSat, a satellite equipment maker and WildBlue, the leading satellite Internet provider, will merge their technologies and provide customers with speeds comparable to cable Internet speeds within the next year.
Satellite Internet - an Investment in Education
You wouldn't paint a house with a toothbrush, or cut a tree down with a steak knife, so why would you ever attempt to educate yourself online with a dialup Internet service. In all three instances, way too slow and, more importantly, not the right tool for the job.
Anyone who has, or is attempting to earn a degree or certification will tell you, education is an investment toward a brighter future. The costs of housing, books, tuition, student loans and supplies have driven more and more students to the Internet. School is hard enough without the constant fight to get connected, stay connected, only to endure the painfully long waits to access information on the Internet though a dialup connection. Satellite Internet can provide students with an always on, reliable and more importantly fast Internet service. With Satellite Internet you can access the information you need and even download up to 30-times faster than dialup connections, for a cost that rivals most DSL services. Better yet, Satellite Internet doesn't use a phone line, so you won't be cut off from the world while you learn.
Having a fast Internet connection can open you up to a world of educational possibilities. Everything from Certifications to full-blown Doctorate Degrees are out there. The costs of learning online in some cases can be less than one-tenth the cost of a traditional education.
More and more traditional schools are offering distance learning now. Schools such as; Boston University, Bowling Green, George Washington, Gonzaga, Indiana State, NYU, and Cincinnati to name a few. There are also the online giants of the industry, DeVry, Kaplan and the University of Phoenix. Students are able to take their entire course load online and work at their own pace or take traditional classes and supplement the course work online, the options are limitless.
The need for a high speed Internet connection is not just limited to college courses, the computer age has come to grammar schools, middle schools and high schools. Though the Internet is not a substitute for a library, it does allow students to access information quickly and efficiently in the comfort and security of their own home. Students are able to accomplish homework assignments, term papers and projects. Some schools even upload homework assignments online and students are required to download them from home and upload them back to the schools site. If your child is on a dialup connection expect homework to take the better part of the evening.
Many educators feel that children who access information over the internet are more likely to get ahead in class in the areas of history, science, mathematics, reading and writing. Students and parents should explore the plethora of help sites out their for grade schoolers. Sites including online math homework help, homework help for middle school science, researching with the web, homework and study groups for children, building good homework habits, homework helper for grade 2 math and so many more.
The need for a fast, always on Satellite Internet connection is never more evident than when you are attempting to learn while you earn. Many full-time career people, moms and dads and even students who must support themselves, need the reliability and speed satellite provides. The precious little time a working individual spends to improve themselves through certifications, job developmental requirements or even a degree, shouldn't be wasted trying to connect to information.
Learning online or e learning allows you to choose when, where and how often you participate in classes. Courses are usually conducted through a schedule, but with no live classes to attend, lectures and assignments take place when you want them to. Even if you have not been a student for years - or - weren't a very good student back in the day, the control and pace has proven in studies to make individuals better performers the second time around.
Don't let the "trailing edge" technology of dialup Internet services stop you from being all you could and should be. The sky is the limit and WildBlue Satellite Internet can get you there.
Anyone who has, or is attempting to earn a degree or certification will tell you, education is an investment toward a brighter future. The costs of housing, books, tuition, student loans and supplies have driven more and more students to the Internet. School is hard enough without the constant fight to get connected, stay connected, only to endure the painfully long waits to access information on the Internet though a dialup connection. Satellite Internet can provide students with an always on, reliable and more importantly fast Internet service. With Satellite Internet you can access the information you need and even download up to 30-times faster than dialup connections, for a cost that rivals most DSL services. Better yet, Satellite Internet doesn't use a phone line, so you won't be cut off from the world while you learn.
Having a fast Internet connection can open you up to a world of educational possibilities. Everything from Certifications to full-blown Doctorate Degrees are out there. The costs of learning online in some cases can be less than one-tenth the cost of a traditional education.
More and more traditional schools are offering distance learning now. Schools such as; Boston University, Bowling Green, George Washington, Gonzaga, Indiana State, NYU, and Cincinnati to name a few. There are also the online giants of the industry, DeVry, Kaplan and the University of Phoenix. Students are able to take their entire course load online and work at their own pace or take traditional classes and supplement the course work online, the options are limitless.
The need for a high speed Internet connection is not just limited to college courses, the computer age has come to grammar schools, middle schools and high schools. Though the Internet is not a substitute for a library, it does allow students to access information quickly and efficiently in the comfort and security of their own home. Students are able to accomplish homework assignments, term papers and projects. Some schools even upload homework assignments online and students are required to download them from home and upload them back to the schools site. If your child is on a dialup connection expect homework to take the better part of the evening.
Many educators feel that children who access information over the internet are more likely to get ahead in class in the areas of history, science, mathematics, reading and writing. Students and parents should explore the plethora of help sites out their for grade schoolers. Sites including online math homework help, homework help for middle school science, researching with the web, homework and study groups for children, building good homework habits, homework helper for grade 2 math and so many more.
The need for a fast, always on Satellite Internet connection is never more evident than when you are attempting to learn while you earn. Many full-time career people, moms and dads and even students who must support themselves, need the reliability and speed satellite provides. The precious little time a working individual spends to improve themselves through certifications, job developmental requirements or even a degree, shouldn't be wasted trying to connect to information.
Learning online or e learning allows you to choose when, where and how often you participate in classes. Courses are usually conducted through a schedule, but with no live classes to attend, lectures and assignments take place when you want them to. Even if you have not been a student for years - or - weren't a very good student back in the day, the control and pace has proven in studies to make individuals better performers the second time around.
Don't let the "trailing edge" technology of dialup Internet services stop you from being all you could and should be. The sky is the limit and WildBlue Satellite Internet can get you there.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Teaching Your Child Spanish As a Second Language
It is common knowledge that in today's world it is very beneficial to learn a second language. In addition to being able to meet more people, and getting to experience more of the world's diverse cultures, being bilingual opens the door wider to opportunity when it knocks, more so than it would for someone who is monolingual. In the United States, Spanish is the second most spoken language after English. Being able to speak and understand Spanish in the USA welcomes more job opportunities and higher earnings.
There are many ways to go about learning Spanish. I myself learned Spanish in high school and supplemented my education by listening to Spanish language music and using Spanish language chat sites. Other adults have learned by programs such as Rosetta Stone, taking night classes, or by hiring tutors.
Being an adult who has learned Spanish, I know how difficult it can be. Studies have proven that is much easier for children to learn not only a second language, but also numerous languages at once. For that reason, I am now in the process of teaching my 1-year old son Spanish.
There are many tools available for children including toys, books, and educational games. In my home we use all of the above. My son has maracas that count and name the colors of the rainbow and a drum that sings the alphabet in both Spanish and English. We also have a collection of Disney board books that tell entertaining and educational stories in both languages that we read to him every day.
Another tool that we use which is a very beneficial resource for parents trying to help their children learn Spanish is television. There are many bilingual television shows available on public, cable, and satellite television. Some popular examples of such shows include Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go, PBS's Dragon Tales and Maya and Miguel, and Disney's Handy Manny.
There is no doubt that the aforementioned shows are all positive educational programs. They are English Language children's programs that introduce Hispanic cultures and Spanish vocabulary. However, instead of just teaching my son vocabulary words, I would like that he also learn conversational skills. In order to do so, I also expose him to 100% Spanish language programming.
I highly recommend having English speaking children learning Spanish to actually watch the Spanish Language versions of Dora the Explorer or Go Diego, Go on Univision rather than or along with the English versions. It opens their minds to more vocabulary and allows them to take on a higher level of conversation.
Univision has a block of 100% Spanish language programming for children on Saturday mornings called Planeta U. Planeta U shows include both Dora and Diego as well as Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks or as they call it Jakers! Las Aventuras de Piggley Winks, and an Inspector Gadget show about traveling called Los Viajes del de Inspector Gadget.
Although it's the most popular, Univision is not the only Spanish Language Network in the United Sates. There are many other networks, which show Spanish language children's programming. The two favorites in my house are V-me and Cbeebies. V-me has over twenty quality program options available in Spanish for children. It is the home of the Mexican version of Sesame Street Plaza Sesamo, and host to other shows dubbed from English to Spanish such as Lazy Town, Pororo, and 7 pets. There is a new show coming out on V-me that I am looking forward too called Thalia and Eebee Adventures. The host of the show Thalia is a very famous Mexican pop singer.
The network Cbeebies is a Spanish Language channel dedicated to Children broadcast by BBC. In the USA it is only available to Dish Network subscribers. We have only had Dish for a couple weeks so we don't have any favorite Cbeebies shows yet but I can already tell that this channel will be a big competitor to V-me in my home.
There are many ways to go about learning Spanish. I myself learned Spanish in high school and supplemented my education by listening to Spanish language music and using Spanish language chat sites. Other adults have learned by programs such as Rosetta Stone, taking night classes, or by hiring tutors.
Being an adult who has learned Spanish, I know how difficult it can be. Studies have proven that is much easier for children to learn not only a second language, but also numerous languages at once. For that reason, I am now in the process of teaching my 1-year old son Spanish.
There are many tools available for children including toys, books, and educational games. In my home we use all of the above. My son has maracas that count and name the colors of the rainbow and a drum that sings the alphabet in both Spanish and English. We also have a collection of Disney board books that tell entertaining and educational stories in both languages that we read to him every day.
Another tool that we use which is a very beneficial resource for parents trying to help their children learn Spanish is television. There are many bilingual television shows available on public, cable, and satellite television. Some popular examples of such shows include Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go, PBS's Dragon Tales and Maya and Miguel, and Disney's Handy Manny.
There is no doubt that the aforementioned shows are all positive educational programs. They are English Language children's programs that introduce Hispanic cultures and Spanish vocabulary. However, instead of just teaching my son vocabulary words, I would like that he also learn conversational skills. In order to do so, I also expose him to 100% Spanish language programming.
I highly recommend having English speaking children learning Spanish to actually watch the Spanish Language versions of Dora the Explorer or Go Diego, Go on Univision rather than or along with the English versions. It opens their minds to more vocabulary and allows them to take on a higher level of conversation.
Univision has a block of 100% Spanish language programming for children on Saturday mornings called Planeta U. Planeta U shows include both Dora and Diego as well as Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks or as they call it Jakers! Las Aventuras de Piggley Winks, and an Inspector Gadget show about traveling called Los Viajes del de Inspector Gadget.
Although it's the most popular, Univision is not the only Spanish Language Network in the United Sates. There are many other networks, which show Spanish language children's programming. The two favorites in my house are V-me and Cbeebies. V-me has over twenty quality program options available in Spanish for children. It is the home of the Mexican version of Sesame Street Plaza Sesamo, and host to other shows dubbed from English to Spanish such as Lazy Town, Pororo, and 7 pets. There is a new show coming out on V-me that I am looking forward too called Thalia and Eebee Adventures. The host of the show Thalia is a very famous Mexican pop singer.
The network Cbeebies is a Spanish Language channel dedicated to Children broadcast by BBC. In the USA it is only available to Dish Network subscribers. We have only had Dish for a couple weeks so we don't have any favorite Cbeebies shows yet but I can already tell that this channel will be a big competitor to V-me in my home.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Tips For Better Barbecue and Cookouts
The following tips will help you step up your barbecue game. Turn you hamburgers and hot dogs into something memorable.
Hamburgers...Frozen Patties are easy and they taste that way too. I am in the process of Building the "Worlds Best Burger" If you buy fresh ground beef you can basically mix anything into it (tenderizer, bacon, etc) and cook them.
Think of better Cheeses, toppings, and Buns...These also affect the quality of your burger. Ban ketchup if you make a good enough burger there is no need for ketchup I think of it as insult recommend people trying without
Hot Dogs.... All Beef and again get creative with your toppings
Chicken.... There is a key ingredient that I tampered with last year.... A Dry rub.... Dry Rub, Dry Rub, Dry Rub....I cannot stress this enough Then BBQ Sauce last 10 or so minutes Sweet Baby Rays is my preferred
Steak...I Started off as a big fan of tenderloin tips.... That was until I seen Bobby Flay's Food Network's Throwdown where It was Bobby Flay's Filet Mignon vs. Chuck Steak...The Chuck won! The reason it was marinated for a few hours...This works, its cheaper, and it tastes a lot better! Rule of meat do not over cook I Let People try a Medium Rare Steak if not cooked enough and they don't feel safe I heat it up a little more, usually this is not the case
Salads.... no store bought Macaroni or Potatoes as a main side ...Look up "red potato salad" find one that looks interesting to you and own it, stop being so traditional it's boring ...Store bought can be a filler if you don't have the time for extras
Entertainment.... Play some good Music, Bob Marley always a no fail for any summer day
Desert leave that up to your Friends ask them to bring some
Have fun.... Nobody likes to see a stressed out host.
In conclusion, all entertainment channels, learn the facts on Food Network and see them both in crystal clear high-definition on Dish Network.
Hamburgers...Frozen Patties are easy and they taste that way too. I am in the process of Building the "Worlds Best Burger" If you buy fresh ground beef you can basically mix anything into it (tenderizer, bacon, etc) and cook them.
Think of better Cheeses, toppings, and Buns...These also affect the quality of your burger. Ban ketchup if you make a good enough burger there is no need for ketchup I think of it as insult recommend people trying without
Hot Dogs.... All Beef and again get creative with your toppings
Chicken.... There is a key ingredient that I tampered with last year.... A Dry rub.... Dry Rub, Dry Rub, Dry Rub....I cannot stress this enough Then BBQ Sauce last 10 or so minutes Sweet Baby Rays is my preferred
Steak...I Started off as a big fan of tenderloin tips.... That was until I seen Bobby Flay's Food Network's Throwdown where It was Bobby Flay's Filet Mignon vs. Chuck Steak...The Chuck won! The reason it was marinated for a few hours...This works, its cheaper, and it tastes a lot better! Rule of meat do not over cook I Let People try a Medium Rare Steak if not cooked enough and they don't feel safe I heat it up a little more, usually this is not the case
Salads.... no store bought Macaroni or Potatoes as a main side ...Look up "red potato salad" find one that looks interesting to you and own it, stop being so traditional it's boring ...Store bought can be a filler if you don't have the time for extras
Entertainment.... Play some good Music, Bob Marley always a no fail for any summer day
Desert leave that up to your Friends ask them to bring some
Have fun.... Nobody likes to see a stressed out host.
In conclusion, all entertainment channels, learn the facts on Food Network and see them both in crystal clear high-definition on Dish Network.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Internet Providers in My Area Comparison
Consumers sometimes forget how much aggravation and time they goes through to find a High Speed Internet Provider. I would like to provide a few comparison's and what to look for that may shorten consumers calls to Internet Providers.
Cable providers usually have Internet speeds around 5 Megabytes (5,000 Kilobytes)
Some Common Providers are Cox Communications, Charter Communications, and Comcast Communications. They will always try to get you to bundle Tv phone and Internet I would advise against this.
Hi Speed DSL Providers usually require a Phone Line with Internet Speeds up to 3 Megabytes (3,000 megabytes)
Hi Speed DSL Providers speed and prices vary as to whether or not bundled services would be required (Phone and Internet Bundle) which some do require. You will need a phone line regardless so factor that into your budget along with the up sells, taxes, and FCC Charges.
Verizon Fios Internet and ATT Uverse Bundles.... No
Air Card Internet Providers / Wireless DSL Providers (speed Unknown) Very tricky... Many people have paid 60 dollars and lost that money to find out the area they live is too far away from a cell tower to receive a solid signal. Good Idea yes...reliable no.
Satellite Internet Providers....
The two most popular are Wild Blue and Hughesnet .... Wild blue Satellite Internet offers speeds of 512 kilobytes to 1.5 Megs (10's -30 x's Faster than Dial Up). Hughesnet Satellite offers Speeds of 1 Megabyte ( 1000 Kiloytes) to 5 Megabytes (5000 Kilobytes) and is priced accordingly.
Mom and Pop satellite Internet Providers.... No
Alternative Internet Providers.... The Internet is comprised of a lot more than a mom n pop shop can provide you and their going to be really expensive and or service is going to lack.... Satellite Internet Providers have actual Satellites in Space. They are not random 3-5 person operations advertising in local yellow pages and driving pickup trucks.... When it comes to reliability you need to really think about whom you want to rely and depend on as your internet provider.
To sum it up place these calls in order when looking for Hi Speed Internet providers
There is a quite a comparison of speeds
Cable, DSL, then Satellite as an option to any cable provider not faster than 3 Megs.
Your option if no Cable Internet provider or DSL Internet Provider is available should be a Satellite Internet Provider. We all know no matter how well you dress up a pig ( DialUp Internet Providers ) it is still a pig. The hispeed alternatives for dial up users do little to no improvement.
Your day is going to consist of 2-3 hours of hold times and answering questions re. usage. I just figured I'd help you find a High-speed Internet provider.
Cable providers usually have Internet speeds around 5 Megabytes (5,000 Kilobytes)
Some Common Providers are Cox Communications, Charter Communications, and Comcast Communications. They will always try to get you to bundle Tv phone and Internet I would advise against this.
Hi Speed DSL Providers usually require a Phone Line with Internet Speeds up to 3 Megabytes (3,000 megabytes)
Hi Speed DSL Providers speed and prices vary as to whether or not bundled services would be required (Phone and Internet Bundle) which some do require. You will need a phone line regardless so factor that into your budget along with the up sells, taxes, and FCC Charges.
Verizon Fios Internet and ATT Uverse Bundles.... No
Air Card Internet Providers / Wireless DSL Providers (speed Unknown) Very tricky... Many people have paid 60 dollars and lost that money to find out the area they live is too far away from a cell tower to receive a solid signal. Good Idea yes...reliable no.
Satellite Internet Providers....
The two most popular are Wild Blue and Hughesnet .... Wild blue Satellite Internet offers speeds of 512 kilobytes to 1.5 Megs (10's -30 x's Faster than Dial Up). Hughesnet Satellite offers Speeds of 1 Megabyte ( 1000 Kiloytes) to 5 Megabytes (5000 Kilobytes) and is priced accordingly.
Mom and Pop satellite Internet Providers.... No
Alternative Internet Providers.... The Internet is comprised of a lot more than a mom n pop shop can provide you and their going to be really expensive and or service is going to lack.... Satellite Internet Providers have actual Satellites in Space. They are not random 3-5 person operations advertising in local yellow pages and driving pickup trucks.... When it comes to reliability you need to really think about whom you want to rely and depend on as your internet provider.
To sum it up place these calls in order when looking for Hi Speed Internet providers
There is a quite a comparison of speeds
Cable, DSL, then Satellite as an option to any cable provider not faster than 3 Megs.
Your option if no Cable Internet provider or DSL Internet Provider is available should be a Satellite Internet Provider. We all know no matter how well you dress up a pig ( DialUp Internet Providers ) it is still a pig. The hispeed alternatives for dial up users do little to no improvement.
Your day is going to consist of 2-3 hours of hold times and answering questions re. usage. I just figured I'd help you find a High-speed Internet provider.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Better Business Bureau Gives DIRECTV A Failing Grade
We have all heard the horror stories on the Internet and on our local news about DirecTV’s shady business practices.
Over 20,000 DirecTV customers have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau in the past three years. Those complaints are just regarding cancellation fees that customers were never informed of and don’t include everything else that could go wrong with their service. The result of all these complaints is that the Better Business Bureau has changed DirecTV’s rating from a grade of C-minus to NR for “No Rating.” This means that the company has received so many complaints that the company's grade is now below failing.
I know when I signed up for DirecTV they did tell me about the two-year contract, but informed me of cancellation charges. So being a DirecTV customer I couldn’t help but feel somewhat concerned. So I did a little digging, actually a little is an understatement; a lot of digging sounds more like it. Sure people are complaining about cancellation fees but there must be a reason why they cancelled in the first place, right?
The first thing I tried doing was to find their contract. This was a mission in its self. After several hours, about 50 different websites, and a couple of Hot Pockets later, I finally found the “Terms and Conditions.” They read more like stereo instructions then a contract, but from what I could understand the fee for canceling their service is $20 x Months Remaining. This I was unaware of. I have had DirecTV for six months now and I have never seen this contract, nor did anyone tell me when ordering. Now I understand why this fee came to be a surprise to most people. They don’t tell the subscribers about it and the fees are hidden so well with in that contract, it’s like they were hiding buried treasure from a boat full of angry pirates.
Still they will only charge you these fees if you cancel your service. So I decided to look into some of the reasons why people have cancelled their service. Some of the things I found were normal everyday stuff you would expect when running a business. On the other hand there were some things I found that concerned me.
Local channels are huge for a lot of people when it comes to TV, even if you don’t watch them regularly. ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX are local channels. Now if you were a customer coming from cable, you wouldn’t think twice about the availability of these channels. They have always just, been there. Well, what DirecTV fails to tell you is that your local channels are not always available. So if you don’t ask they won’t tell, which seems like a reoccurring theme with them. So you might be signing up for two years of television service without your locals. That means no local news, no local sports, and no Simpsons! I lucked out on this one. I live in a major city so my local channels were available. If you live too far away from a major city you may not be so lucky.
The major reason I found for people canceling their service is somewhat ridiculous. I couldn’t believe it at first, but it starts with DirecTV’s prize possession the NFL Sunday Ticket. Now try to follow this because it’s a crazy scheme DirecTV has come up with!
DirecTV has a football package called NFL Sunday Ticket. What they do is rope you in by offering their best programming package “Premier” free for five months, if you order the NFL Sunday Ticket. Here is the price break down:
NFL Sunday Ticket = 5 Payment of $59.99 Premier Package = $109.99 (first 5 month’s free)
So there is some savings there but that’s how they get you. When you sign up for DirecTV and the installer comes to your house he will hook up a DirecTV receiver to each TV. What they fail to tell you is, that you will get whatever model receiver the installer has to best fit your package. You couldn’t request the newest models even if you wanted to. So if you are getting an HD programming package and the installer has an older model HD receiver lying around that’s what you’re getting.
Most people wouldn’t even notice the difference when it comes to the receiver and that’s what DirecTV counts on. When you sign up for the NFL Sunday Ticket they don’t tell you the terms and conditions. Why? Because you didn’t ask! It states, “**A D10 (or later model) interactive DIRECTV Receiver is required.” So you’re probably thinking what happens if the installer doesn’t give me the right receiver for your Sunday Ticket? No problem DirecTV’s got you covered. If you want a new receiver whether it’s because you want a newer model or even if the receiver broke DirecTV will gladly replace it and here is how.
On most occasions they will make you pay upward to $199 to upgrade your receiver. If it’s broken they will replace it for free with the same model. What they didn’t tell you “because you didn’t ask” is that, every time you upgrade or replace a receiver it renews your contract with them for another 2-years. This is the main reason why 20,000 people are surprised when they receive a cancellation fee of $480. I would be surprised too!
They offer you this great deal to save money. They sell you the NFL Sunday Ticket, and then give you the wrong receivers forcing you to buy new ones, putting you into a longer contract. So in the long run you end up spending more money then you were going to save! ONE BIG SCHEME!!!
I have read a lot of stories about how customers confront DirecTV about this. Some people get hung up on, some get calls from collections, and a lot of them are forced to pay the cancellation fee, but all of them just hit dead ends with no way out.
If DirecTV is going to treat its customers this way, how will they treat me if I ever have a problem? I don’t know, but I don’t want to stick around to find out. I have no intention of staying with DirecTV, and you should be extremely cautious if you are considering it.
Over 20,000 DirecTV customers have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau in the past three years. Those complaints are just regarding cancellation fees that customers were never informed of and don’t include everything else that could go wrong with their service. The result of all these complaints is that the Better Business Bureau has changed DirecTV’s rating from a grade of C-minus to NR for “No Rating.” This means that the company has received so many complaints that the company's grade is now below failing.
I know when I signed up for DirecTV they did tell me about the two-year contract, but informed me of cancellation charges. So being a DirecTV customer I couldn’t help but feel somewhat concerned. So I did a little digging, actually a little is an understatement; a lot of digging sounds more like it. Sure people are complaining about cancellation fees but there must be a reason why they cancelled in the first place, right?
The first thing I tried doing was to find their contract. This was a mission in its self. After several hours, about 50 different websites, and a couple of Hot Pockets later, I finally found the “Terms and Conditions.” They read more like stereo instructions then a contract, but from what I could understand the fee for canceling their service is $20 x Months Remaining. This I was unaware of. I have had DirecTV for six months now and I have never seen this contract, nor did anyone tell me when ordering. Now I understand why this fee came to be a surprise to most people. They don’t tell the subscribers about it and the fees are hidden so well with in that contract, it’s like they were hiding buried treasure from a boat full of angry pirates.
Still they will only charge you these fees if you cancel your service. So I decided to look into some of the reasons why people have cancelled their service. Some of the things I found were normal everyday stuff you would expect when running a business. On the other hand there were some things I found that concerned me.
Local channels are huge for a lot of people when it comes to TV, even if you don’t watch them regularly. ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX are local channels. Now if you were a customer coming from cable, you wouldn’t think twice about the availability of these channels. They have always just, been there. Well, what DirecTV fails to tell you is that your local channels are not always available. So if you don’t ask they won’t tell, which seems like a reoccurring theme with them. So you might be signing up for two years of television service without your locals. That means no local news, no local sports, and no Simpsons! I lucked out on this one. I live in a major city so my local channels were available. If you live too far away from a major city you may not be so lucky.
The major reason I found for people canceling their service is somewhat ridiculous. I couldn’t believe it at first, but it starts with DirecTV’s prize possession the NFL Sunday Ticket. Now try to follow this because it’s a crazy scheme DirecTV has come up with!
DirecTV has a football package called NFL Sunday Ticket. What they do is rope you in by offering their best programming package “Premier” free for five months, if you order the NFL Sunday Ticket. Here is the price break down:
NFL Sunday Ticket = 5 Payment of $59.99 Premier Package = $109.99 (first 5 month’s free)
So there is some savings there but that’s how they get you. When you sign up for DirecTV and the installer comes to your house he will hook up a DirecTV receiver to each TV. What they fail to tell you is, that you will get whatever model receiver the installer has to best fit your package. You couldn’t request the newest models even if you wanted to. So if you are getting an HD programming package and the installer has an older model HD receiver lying around that’s what you’re getting.
Most people wouldn’t even notice the difference when it comes to the receiver and that’s what DirecTV counts on. When you sign up for the NFL Sunday Ticket they don’t tell you the terms and conditions. Why? Because you didn’t ask! It states, “**A D10 (or later model) interactive DIRECTV Receiver is required.” So you’re probably thinking what happens if the installer doesn’t give me the right receiver for your Sunday Ticket? No problem DirecTV’s got you covered. If you want a new receiver whether it’s because you want a newer model or even if the receiver broke DirecTV will gladly replace it and here is how.
On most occasions they will make you pay upward to $199 to upgrade your receiver. If it’s broken they will replace it for free with the same model. What they didn’t tell you “because you didn’t ask” is that, every time you upgrade or replace a receiver it renews your contract with them for another 2-years. This is the main reason why 20,000 people are surprised when they receive a cancellation fee of $480. I would be surprised too!
They offer you this great deal to save money. They sell you the NFL Sunday Ticket, and then give you the wrong receivers forcing you to buy new ones, putting you into a longer contract. So in the long run you end up spending more money then you were going to save! ONE BIG SCHEME!!!
I have read a lot of stories about how customers confront DirecTV about this. Some people get hung up on, some get calls from collections, and a lot of them are forced to pay the cancellation fee, but all of them just hit dead ends with no way out.
If DirecTV is going to treat its customers this way, how will they treat me if I ever have a problem? I don’t know, but I don’t want to stick around to find out. I have no intention of staying with DirecTV, and you should be extremely cautious if you are considering it.
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