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The Emerald

2010-08-31T22:12:00.000-07:00

By EMERY P. DALESIO, Associated Press Writer Emery P. Dalesio, Associated Press Writer – Mon Aug 30, 7:07 pm ET

RALEIGH, N.C. – An emerald so large it's being compared with the crown jewels of Russian empress Catherine the Great was pulled from a pit near corn rows at a North Carolina farm.

The nearly 65-carat emerald its finders are marketing by the name Carolina Emperor was pulled from a farm once so well known among treasure hunters that the owners charged $3 a day to shovel for small samples of the green stones. After the gem was cut and re-cut, the finished product was about one-fifth the weight of the original find, making it slightly larger than a U.S. quarter and about as heavy as a AA battery.

The emerald compares in size and quality to one surrounded by diamonds in a brooch once owned by Catherine the Great, who was empress in the 18th century, that Christie's auction house in New York sold in April for $1.65 million, said C.R. "Cap" Beesley, a New York gemologist who examined the stone.

While big, uncut crystals and even notable gem-quality emeralds have come from the community 50 miles northwest of Charlotte called Hiddenite, there has never been one so big it's worthy of an imperial treasury, Beesley said.

"It is the largest cut emerald ever to be found in North America," Beesley said in a telephone interview from Myanmar, an Asian country rich in precious gems.

The discovery is a rarity for emeralds found not in the rich veins of South America and Asia but in North America, said Robert Simon, owner of Windsor Jewelers in Winston-Salem.

"Most of the stones that have come out have not been gem-quality that I would mount in jewelry," said Simon, who was part owner of a 7.85-carat, dime-sized emerald found in the same community in 1998 that has since been set in jewelry and sold to a private owner.

Terry Ledford, 53, found the roughly 2-inch-square chunk rimmed with spots of iron a year ago on a 200-acre farm owned by business partner Renn Adams, 90, and his siblings. The rural community of Hiddenite is named for a paler stone that resembles emerald.

"It was so dark in color that holding it up to the sun you couldn't even get the light to come through it," a quality that ensured an intense green hue once the stone was cut with facets that allowed light into the gem's core, Ledford said.

The North Carolina stone was cut to imitate the royal emerald, Ledford said. A museum and some private collectors interested in buying the emerald have been in contact, Ledford said.

Modeling an empress's emerald is likely to have less influence on the North Carolina stone's sale price than its clarity, color and cut, said Douglas Hucker, CEO of the American Gem Trade Association, a Dallas, Texas-based trade association for dealers in colored gems.

"A 65-carat cut emerald from North Carolina is a big, big stone," he said. But "once an emerald is cut, it's subject to the same type of market conditions that any emerald would be."

Emeralds are part of North Carolina's mineral claim to fame, though other places in the U.S. also are rich in gems. Maine mines have yielded aquamarine and amethyst, Montana bears sapphires, Idaho is known for star garnets, and Arkansas has diamonds.

It's not fully known why small, subterranean cavities containing emeralds formed in central North Carolina, said geologist Michael Wise of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, who has studied the underground world around Hiddenite for years.

Emeralds are produced where a superheated fluid carrying the element beryllium migrated through rocks that contain chromium, Wise said.

"This doesn't happen frequently," Wise said. "The conditions have to be just right to make an emerald. ... It happens to be the case at this particular place."

Adams said decades ago when his parents owned the farm, they allowed anyone with a shovel to dig for emeralds on the property for $3 a day. Virtually all of it was too full of flaws to be cut into precious stones and was mostly sold to mineral collectors, Adams said.

Ledford said they don't plan to quit after pocketing the profits from their big find, Ledford said.

"We'll definitely keep on mining," he said. "It would be good to know you don't have to go and could do it for pleasure. You feel like you've got to find something to survive but since we found this emerald, once we get it sold, there will be less stress."

I Knew It! Ricky Martin Comes Out of the Closet.

2010-03-30T00:32:00.000-07:00

Last year I talked about Ricky Martin who never have a girlfriend when he has twins without a mother. I was like something I know he actually is a homosexual man 'til I hear news from Yahoo site that he reveals he is gay. I knew it! I was right everything about him since after I graduated, I think. I always figured it out about him all time!

I remember I was in high school, my friends came to me saying Ricky Martin’s gay from rumors about him. I was like no way with smile at them. Then, I considered he seems like actually gay when he acts a feminine singer to me… I realized that he’s my biggest crush singer is because he has a super cutie smile, such nicest butt, very gorgeously handsome looking and everything! He's so brilliant person.

Braz Coffey

Ricky Martin reveals in a heartfelt posting online that he is gay. He writes on his official Website.

A few months ago I decided to write my memoirs, a project I knew was going to bring me closer to an amazing turning point in my life. From the moment I wrote the first phrase I was sure the book was the tool that was going to help me free myself from things I was carrying within me for a long time. Things that were too heavy for me to keep inside. Writing this account of my life, I got very close to my truth. And thisis something worth celebrating.

For many years, there has been only one place where I am in touch with my emotions fearlessly and that's the stage. Being on stage fills my soul in many ways, almost completely. It's my vice. The music, the lights and the roar of the audience are elements that make me feel capable of anything. This rush of adrenaline is incredibly addictive. I don't ever want to stop feeling these emotions. But it is serenity that brings me to where I'm at right now. An amazing emotional place of comprehension, reflection and enlightenment. At this moment I'm feeling the same freedom I usually feel only on stage, without a doubt, I need to share.

Many people told me: "Ricky it's not important", "it's not worth it", "all the years you've worked and everything you've built will collapse", "many people in the world are not ready to accept your truth, your reality, your nature". Because all this advice came from people who I love dearly, I decided to move on with my life not sharing with the world my entire truth. Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage. Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions.

If someone asked me today, "Ricky, what are you afraid of?" I would answer "the blood that runs through the streets of countries at war...child slavery, terrorism...the cynicism of some people in positions of power, the misinterpretation of faith." But fear of my truth? Not at all! On the contrary, It fills me with strength and courage. This is just what I need especially now that I am the father of two beautiful boys that are so full of light and who with their outlook teach me new things every day. To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where born with. Enough is enough. This has to change. This was not supposed to happen 5 or 10 years ago, it is supposed to happen now. Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment.

These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed.

What will happen from now on? It doesn't matter. I can only focus on what's happening to me in this moment. The word "happiness" takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process. Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution.

I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.

RM

Mosquito Bites

2009-09-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

By SHIRLEY S. WANG

If you're one of those people whom mosquitoes tend to favor, maybe it's because you aren't sufficiently stressed-out.

Insects have very keen powers of smell that direct them to their targets. But for researchers trying to figure out what attracts or repels the pests, sorting through the 300 to 400 distinct chemical odors that the human body produces has proved daunting.

Now scientists at Rothamsted Research in the U.K. have been making headway at understanding why some people can end up with dozens of bites after a backyard barbecue, while others remain unscathed. The researchers have identified a handful of the body's chemical odors—some of which may be related to stress—that are present in significantly larger concentrations in people that the bugs are happier to leave alone. If efforts to synthesize these particular chemicals are successful, the result could be an all-natural mosquito repellent that is more effective and safer than products currently available.

"Mosquitoes fly through an aerial soup of chemicals, but can home in on those that draw them to humans," says James Logan, a researcher at Rothamsted, one of the world's oldest agricultural-research institutions. But when the combination of human odors is wrong, he says, "the mosquito fails to recognize this signal as a potential blood meal."

The phenomenon that some people are more prone to mosquito bites than others is well documented. In the 1990s, chemist Ulrich Bernier, now at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, began looking for what he calls the "magic compounds" that attract mosquitoes. His research helped to show that mosquitoes are attracted to humans by blends of common chemicals such as carbon dioxide, released from the skin and by exhaling, and lactic acid, which is present on the skin, especially when we exercise. But none of the known attractant chemicals explained why mosquitoes preferred some people to others.

Rothamsted's Dr. Logan says the answer isn't to be found in attractant chemicals. He and colleagues observed that everyone produces chemicals that mosquitoes like, but those who are unattractive to mosquitoes produce more of certain chemicals that repel them.

Misguided Mosquitoes

"The repellents were what made the difference," says Dr. Logan, who is interested in the study of how animals communicate using smell. These chemicals may cloud or mask the attractive chemicals, or may disable mosquitoes from being able to detect those attractive odors, he suggests.

Besides delivering annoying bites, mosquitoes cause hundreds of millions of cases of disease each year. As many as 500 million cases of malaria are contracted globally each year, and more than one million people die from it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mosquitoes can also spread West Nile virus, dengue fever, yellow fever and other illnesses.

Currently the most effective repellents on the market often contain a chemical known as DEET, which has been associated in some studies with potential safety concerns, such as cancer and Gulf War syndrome. It also damages materials made of plastic. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has determined that DEET, when used as directed, is safe.

The Rothamsted team set out to get the mosquitoes' viewpoint. The researchers separated human volunteers into two groups—those who were attractive to mosquitoes and those who weren't. They then put each of the volunteers into body-size foil bags for two hours to collect their body odors. Using a machine known as a chromatograph, the scientists were able to separate the chemicals. They then tested each of them to see how the mosquitoes responded. By attaching microelectrodes to the insects' antennae, the researchers could measure the electrical impulses that are generated when mosquitoes recognize a chemical.

Dr. Logan and his team have found only a small number of body chemicals—seven or eight—that were present in significantly different quantities between those people who were attractive to mosquitoes and those who weren't. They then put their findings to the test. For this they used a so-called Y-tube olfactometer that allows mosquitoes to make a choice and fly toward or away from an individual's hand. After applying the chemicals thought to be repellant on the hands of individuals known to be attractive, Dr. Logan found that the bugs either flew in the opposite direction or weren't motivated by the person's smell to fly at all.

The chemicals were then tested to determine their impact on actual biting behavior. Volunteers put their arms in a box containing mosquitoes, one arm coated with repellent chemicals and the other without, to see if the arm without the coating got bitten more.

Significant Repellency

The group's latest paper, published in March in the Journal of Medical Entomology, identified two compounds with "significant repellency." One of the compounds, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, is a skin-derived compound that has the odor of toned-down nail-polish remover, according to George Preti, an organic chemist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, who is involved in a separate line of research into insect-biting behavior. The other, identified in the paper as geranylacetone, has a pleasant odor, though there is some question about whether the chemical is formed by the human biochemical process or is picked up in the environment, Dr. Preti says.

Dr. Logan declined to comment about the specific chemicals because of proprietary concerns. He says the findings have been patented and the group is working with a commercial company to develop the compounds into a usable insect repellent. One issue that still needs to be resolved: how to develop a formulation of the repellent chemicals that will stay on the skin, rather than quickly evaporating as they do naturally. The hope is to get a product to market within a year or two, he says.

Some of the chemicals researchers identified are believed to be related to stress, Dr. Logan says. Previous research has shown that these particular chemicals could be converted from certain other molecules and this could be as a result of oxidation in the body at times of stress, he says. However, it's not clear if the chemicals observed by the Rothamsted researchers were created in this way, and research is continuing to answer this and other questions.

Dr. Logan suggests that mosquitoes may deem hosts that emit more of these chemicals to be diseased or injured and "not a good quality blood meal." Proteins in the blood are necessary for female mosquitoes to produce fertile eggs, and Dr. Logan says it might be evolutionarily advantageous for mosquitoes to detect and avoid such people.

Other Research

Other research includes an effort by scientists at the University of California, Riverside, who published a paper in the journal Nature last week identifying a recently discovered class of molecules that inhibit fruit flies' and mosquitoes' ability to detect carbon dioxide. Mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide emissions from long ranges, so turning off the ability to detect the gas, perhaps by releasing the inhibiting molecules into the environment, may be a way of keeping the bugs at bay, the researchers suggest. Another team, at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, is launching a study into whether the taste of human skin and blood are related to the insects' interest in biting certain individuals.

Tea Healths - Natural Home Remedies

2009-07-27T04:33:00.000-07:00

My best friend, Amber, who sent me an information message about this natural remedies for cold, flu and more etc. There are some simple natural home remedies you can make using ingredients that are probably already in your refrigerators or pantries. Remember to see a doctor to make sure you aren't seriously ill and to make sure you are using these plants safely. You may also want to consult with a herbalist.

Lemons: Mixed with a little honey and hot water, lemons help soothe sore throats. For fevers, my grandmother used to squeeze a little lemon juice in a dish of cold water and apply it to my forehead with a washcloth. It is also gives you some added vitamin C to help your immune system.

Honey: Excellent for sore throats and coughs. You can take it plain, one teaspoonful at a time or mix it with some hot water and lemon.

Garlic: One of my favorite cough and cold remedies involves garlic. Chop and peel five garlic cloves. Cover with a half a cup of honey. Mix in a little cayenne pepper or ginger. Let sit for at least an hour. Take one teaspoonful as needed.

Cayenne pepper: Used in small amounts, cayenne pepper helps your immune system. Add it to food or make the garlic/honey recipe. It also helps keep you warm if you have a chill.

Chamomile tea: Chamomile is commonly used to help you relax and sleep. It is also good for stomach problems and fevers. Don't use if you are allergic to ragweed. Also don't use in large amounts if you are pregnant (more than two cups a day).

Peppermint tea: This is one of my favorite herbs to use, especially when my sinuses are all blocked up. You can either drink it, or put a few tea bags in your bath water. Don't use in large amounts if pregnant.

Ginger: One of my favorite teas to drink when I feel chilled and tired from a cold or the flu is ginger tea. Cut off a one-inch piece of the fresh root and peel it. Grate it into a mug and pour one cup of boiling water. Let it stand for five minutes. You can season it with honey if you want. This is also a good tea for stomach problems.

Thyme: This is one of my favorite herbs to use when I have a cough. To use, prepare a tea with one cup of the dried herb and one cup hot water. Let it steep for fifteen minutes. Strain out the herb and sweeten with honey if needed. Store it in the refrigerator and take one teaspoon every hour as needed. Only use this remedy for a day or two.

Oregano: This is also used for coughs and colds. Prepare it the same way as thyme.

Sage: Sage is a classic sore throat remedy. Prepare the same as thyme and oregano. You can either drink it or gargle with it depending on your preference. Sage is also good for fevers.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a remedy that may help your immune system. Add small amounts of the powder to food. You can also add the powder or a cinnamon stick to an herbal tea.

The Force Is Not With Him: Anakin Skywalker 10 Years Later

2009-07-25T00:29:00.000-07:00

by Claudine Zap * July 24, 2009

The plucky kid with the pod racer from "Star Wars: Episode I" is not a kid anymore. And Jake Lloyd wants you to know that having a major role in a George Lucas film really put a damper on things when he was growing up.

OK, fine: The guy doesn't really deserve our pity, but think of it from his point of view. Ten years old, getting blamed for ruining the Star Wars series. (Well, that was mainly the fault of George Lucas, but the kid was there, wasn't he?) And people just won't let it go. The Sci-Fi Australia blog caught up with the glum "Star Wars" alum Down Under, who sounds more Eeyore than "Episode One."

While every word drips with sarcasm (he is 20, after all) the Anakin actor also can still speak geek. On college: "You'll never find more intelligent, charming people than the drunk students of the college world." 'Nuff said.

Hey, Jake, don't worry: We know how you feel. Jar Jar Binks pretty much ruined the whole Star Wars thing for us, too.

Alice in Wonderland on March 5th, 2010

2009-07-24T01:56:00.000-07:00

Preventing Your Healths

2009-07-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

I read the article about The World's Diet Secrets, as like its trying make regular diet foods preventing cancer, diabetes, depression and heart disease. I sense a notice of Icelanders does that mostly things to eat diet secret foods whether it supports treating your body! Hmm... What an interesting information!

Iceland
Are omega-3 fats essential to preventing depression? That's what Miller concluded when she visited Iceland, a country known for its bleak winters but where depression rates are low. The Icelandic diet, which includes fish as a staple, is rich in omega-3 fats. Other sources of the healthy fats are pasture-raised lamb and wild game. To further support brain health, Icelanders also consume plenty of antioxidants in black tea, vegetables, wild berries and whole grains like barley and rye.

Read more

I Designed The Deaf Alien Website

2009-06-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

Mark Lee's owner of The Deaf Alien website that I designed it for him. He must be honored to having me as a good friend, a co-star and a crew also. I noticed Mark is very happy working with his amazing crew & co-star friends! We support Mark Lee and all Deaf community for you!

Click Here

Website Designed by

Braz Coffey

"Chris has changed!" - "Chris isn't funny anymore."

2009-05-01T02:25:00.000-07:00

"Chris has changed!" - "Chris isn't funny anymore."
Current mood: content

Ever since 'Leave Britney Alone' happened people have said I've changed. At first they said I went too Hollywood, now they're saying I'm just not funny anymore.

Constantly being told I'm not funny anymore and feeling like I have to explain why I've changed from the age 18 to 21 is not fun, which is why I am making this blog.

Here is my opinion, without getting mad..

When I first started making videos I had nothing else going on in my life. I wasn't going to school, I had no friends and no one to turn to. My camera was my only friend: which is why I started making videos. When I started making videos it gave me a chance to right my wrongs. It gave my a chance to make all the things about me that were so uncool, finally cool. It gave me a chance to make myself socially acceptable. Although that was never my goal, but it happened. Of course I have my haters, but the whole magic in the beginning was that I was a very hated person, taking out on my hate on the hate.. and once people loved me for it, the hate I felt for being hated in my earlier years was gone.

I was going through a lot at. It was me at the beginning of adulthood. I was 18 when I began videos. I am now 21. I would be one immature person if I were still that 18 year old yelling at his camera sitting on his grandmother's coffee table. I am thankful for the change I have experienced. I was angry then, I am happy now. Truly. I feel like people are more fun to watch when they are going through turmoil or sadness, and if that means I am less fun to watch, then so be it. I didn't have friends when I started making videos and I was mad at the world. I now have friends I wouldn't trade anything for, and what I don't show on camera, It just means that my friends get more of me. Before I had no one to give my love to.. now I do and I'm just much more content, to put it simply.

I use to get really defensive when people would tell me I had changed or that I wasn't funny anymore, but now I take it as a compliment when I'm told I've changed, because I am content with who I am.

I do not disagree with those who say I have changed. I do not disagree with those who say I was funnier before, but guess what? I might have been funnier but I was far less wise than I am now and I wouldn't trade this wisdom for anything. My one disagreement is the attack that I'm just not funny anymore. I may have more funny moments off-camera, but I'm still funny, I must give myself that credit. Not being funny for me is impossible. Humor is my my secret/not-so-secret ingredient for dealing with life. If something is wrong, I make a joke before I cry.. if the joke doesn't work, then I'll cry but I'll at least give the joke a shot first. That's just how I am. I will always always always be funny. I may not always capture it on camera, but just know that part of me will always remain in tact.

My fans, the ones who related with me, and understood what I was doing, broke my spell. You guys kissed my wound, so to speak. You saved me from my curse. I had been hated all my life and once I saw that people finally liked me, I felt I had nothing to prove. The earlier videos were me letting go of everything I had bottled up all the years I was made fun of in school. Once my fans loved me for it, there was no need to lash out anymore. I was content. I felt like I had done my job. I sent the message out there that you can go into the world with nothing to lose, and come out the other end of the tunnel having gained everything you possibly could.

I'm not saying that popularity made me unfunny or changed me. I'm saying this: Once I saw that some people understood my struggle, once I felt my mission was done, I didn't feel a need to put so much energy into videos. I am so blessed to have touched the people I have touched, whether it be with my sense of humor or just my heart-to-heart talks to the camera/the audience. I am also grateful that a lot of you still keep up with me even though I don't make videos like I use to.

The reason I made my song "Mind in the Gutter" was because I needed a new creative outlet. Making a song was a dream come true for me, and I plan on making more songs in the future. It's a totally different way to express myself than to make videos. With videos, I can make up fun sayings that you guys can use in your day-to-day life, but with songs.. to have you sing along is much more fulfilling. It's much more connecting.. and I can't wait to do more and I know you can't wait either! ;)

Everyone who bought my song- Thank you. Everyone who has ever purchased one of my shirts- Thank you. Everyone who has ever stood up for me to a hater- Thank you. Anyone who has ever thanked me- thank yourself. I do what I do because of you guys.

Love forever and always,

Chris Crocker

PS- I am closing this chapter in my life of videos with the release of my DVD coming out later this year. It will have all of my fan-favorites as well as an interview and never-before-seen videos!

For Mark Lee a.k.a Markie: Athena Goddess

2009-03-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

The Parthenon is the centerpiece of Centennial Park on West End. Inside is a 42' statue of Athena. Both the building and statue are exact replicas of the ones that stand in ancient Greece.

The Parthenon also serves as the City of Nashville's Art Museum.

Centennial Park is located just off West End....down the street from Vanderbilt University.

Athena resides in the Parthenon – Nashville, TN. A replica of the Greek goddess Athena, holding the goddess Nike, the goddess of victory in her right hand. Sculpted by Alan Lequire, Athena is 42’ tall and is the tallest indoor sculpture in the western hemisphere. The sculpture was completed in 1990 but the gilding was not done until 2002. We are proud to be part of the gilding team for Athena. Gilded in 23.75 karat gold is as close as historians & archaeologists believe she originally appeared. The relief at the base of the sculpture depicts the different Egyptian gods of mythology, and are also gilded in 23.75 karat leaf.

Athena Parthenos Enter
click above link!

Your awesome friend,

Braz

Robert Pattinson was uncomfortable...

2009-03-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

Robert Pattinson wasn't prepared to film his first sex scenes for the upcoming period drama " Little Ashes ." He portrays Spanish artist Salvador Dali as a young man. I heard that Robert tells GQ magazine 's April issue that he was uncomfortable as crew members watched and giggled during his graphic interlude with a male co-star. "In a lot of ways, I was kind of crossing lines of what I thought I was comfortable doing," he said. "I had to do all this naked stuff." And he also wanted to try "something weird," but the part was more difficult than he'd anticipated. He has found a way to take the edge off before: Pattinson says he took a quarter of a Valium pill before his "Twilight" audition.

Go to buy GQ magazine of Robert Pattinson, read his whole mentions.

This month on 21st of March, will be release on DVD! I will zoom to grab and buy it for sure! I love a vampire story of romance and horror and drama, too! Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen who is so fine as hell hot smoking vampire in this movie called "Twilight." I am so exciting and waiting to get it.

Roman Candles!!!

2009-02-27T23:40:00.000-08:00

I want that Roman Candles for my birthday on this December 23rd! I'd definitely trying to buy this ones!

Friends, Romans, celebrants - lend me your ears. Are you sick of counting all those passing years the conventional way? Slow the chariot down and start counting the Roman way — Roman Candles are easy and fun, and doesn’t “L” look a lot better than “50”?

Here at the eCool compound we’re psyched about these Roman Candles by Fred. They’ve packed 8 silver-trimmed candles in each set (good for ages 1 to 89) as well as a crash course in Roman numeral into each package!

Jake Gyllenhall goes Big Green Energy Bus day!

2009-02-27T04:31:00.000-08:00

Jake is a friendly autographing to his fans. He's very handsomely man in this picture.

Jake is a funnier to make his green fans laugh!

Jake Gyllenhall visits the "Big Green Energy Bus" at the Global Green USA launch of National Green Schools Initiative at Manual Arts High School on February 19, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.

Ictus seating for all, plays music for the hearing impaired!

2009-02-26T22:04:00.000-08:00

A not fairy tale night, I am surfing a geek blog of the future so coolest stuff things, and I also grab a notice of this Ictus seating for all, plays music for the hearing impaired people! I'd definitely love to get it is because it's actually my favorite color is green, but not just go green! Ha-ha! I thought I should post a fascinating seating cushion! Hope you all enjoy this!

Purposeful designing assisted by latest trends in technology has become a boon for the visually impaired. Designers have been found skeptical when it comes to churning out devices to assist the hearing impaired. However, designers Fredrik Hylten, Isabelle Olsson and Maria Johansson, have taken a stride forward to make that difference in the lives of the hearing impaired, by developing the Ictus, in collaboration with The Swedish Association of Hard of Hearing. Presenting built in vibration speakers, the Ictus is a seating cushion that lets the hearing impaired to experience sound so they can enjoy TV, gaming, cinema or music listening and develop their experiences. The Ictus will not only give an extra dimension to the gamers or viewers while playing games or watching movies, but it also allow the users to play games and watch TV late at night, without disturbing their partners or roomies. Moreover, it’ll cushion their butts from the hard surface of their seating.

By Naresh Chauhan

Abraham Lincoln's 200th Birthday

2009-02-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

10 Fascinating Facts About Abraham Lincoln

Many historians consider him America's greatest president. Buildings and streets bear his name in almost every city. Still, there are many little-known facts about Abraham Lincoln that your grade-school textbooks might have missed. In honor of the 200th anniversary of his birth on Thursday, February 12, take the time to learn more about our remarkable 16th president in this gallery of fascinating facts and images.

10. Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated
On April 14, 1865, in Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., actor John Wilkes Booth shot United States president Abraham Lincoln in the head. The president died the next day at 7:20 a.m. He had been president for four years (1861-1865) when he was assassinated. Eerily, one week before his death, Lincoln had a dream of someone crying in the White House; when he found the room, he looked in and asked who had passed away. The man in the room said the president had. When he looked in the coffin it was his own face he saw. Lincoln's last direct descendant, his great-grandson Robert Lincoln Beckwith, died in 1984. He left no heirs.

9. Lincoln struggled with depression
Lincoln was known as a storyteller and jokester among family and friends, but he also suffered from deep depression. While most modern speculation attributes his depression to genetic predisposition, ideas vary as to what brought it out of dormancy. Lincoln wept openly in public, recited sentimental poetry and spoke of suicide on several occasions. "No element of Mr. Lincoln's character," said his associate Henry Clay Whitney, "was so marked, obvious and ingrained as his mysterious and profound melancholy." William Herdon, Lincoln's law partner, said, "His melancholy dripped from him as he walked."

8. Lincoln was an animal lover
Even though he was strong, a talented wrestler and proficient with an ax (he was known as "the Rail-Splitter"), Lincoln avoided hunting and fishing because he disliked killing and harming animals, even for food. Fond of pets, Lincoln owned horses, cats, dogs and even a turkey.

7. Lincoln was the tallest U.S. president
Truly a gentle giant, Lincoln was our tallest president at 6 feet 4 inches. (If you figure in his favorite stovepipe hat, he must have towered even higher, cutting quite a formidable figure!) As you can see in this image of Lincoln at Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862, he stands at least a head taller than all the other men pictured -- even sans stovepipe!

6. John Wilkes Booth's brother saved the life of Lincoln's son
In a strange coincidence, around 1863 or 1864 in Jersey City, N.J., Edwin Booth saved Robert Lincoln's life. A crowd of people were waiting for a sleeping car late at night when Robert was pressed against the train. When the train began to move he lost his footing and fell into the space between the train and the platform. Edwin Booth quickly pulled him to safety. Booth was considered the finest actor of his generation and was very well known. Historians doubt Robert Lincoln ever told his parents of this incident.

5. Lincoln was an avid reader and largely self-educated
Abraham Lincoln's desire to learn and his efforts to educate himself have become legendary. What's less known is that because he grew up in poverty in Kentucky and Indiana, Lincoln had little formal education -- only about 18 months -- and minimal access to books. As a boy, he would often read at night by the light of the fire in his family's cabin. When his father could spare him from chores, Lincoln attended an ABC school. Such schools were held in log cabins, and often the teachers were barely more educated than their pupils. According to Lincoln, "No qualification was ever required of a teacher beyond readin', writin' and cipherin', to the Rule of Three."

4. Lincoln first encountered slavery as a boat hand on the Mississippi
In 1831, Abraham Lincoln and two others were hired to take a flatboat full of cargo down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, La. Denton Offutt, a Kentucky trader and speculator, paid them 50 cents a day plus a $60 fee. According to popular legend, Lincoln saw his first slave auction while on this trip. Referring to the practice of slavery, he is said to have declared at the time, "If I ever get a chance to hit that thing, I'll hit it hard."

3. Lincoln's in-laws disapproved of him
In 1840, Lincoln met a cultured, high-strung Kentucky woman named Mary Todd, who was staying with a married sister in Springfield. After a long courtship, they were married on Nov. 4, 1842. A week later, Lincoln wrote a fellow lawyer, "Nothing new here, except my marrying, which to me is a matter of profound wonder." Mary Todd Lincoln came from a prominent family of slaveholders. Her parents disapproved of her marriage to Lincoln because he came from a poor family. Lincoln supposedly said that while God made do with one "d," the Todds demanded two.

2. His debating skills first earned him national recognition
In 1858, Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln battled it out in a series of debates to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate. When Douglas was told that Lincoln was his opponent, he said, "I shall have my hands full. He is the strong man of the party -- full of wit, facts, dates -- and the best stump speaker, with his droll ways and dry jokes, in the West." Douglas defended popular sovereignty and accused Lincoln of trying to divide the nation. To Lincoln, however, slavery was both a political and a moral issue, and was incompatible with American democracy. In the debate at Freeport, Lincoln cornered Douglas by asking whether the people of a territory could lawfully exclude slavery prior to the formation of a state constitution. Douglas replied that slavery could be excluded from a territory, despite the Dred Scott decision, if the people refused to enact the necessary local laws for its protection. This opinion, known as the Freeport Doctrine, cost Douglas much of his support among Southern Democrats who were thinking of him as a presidential candidate in 1860. Though Lincoln lost the election, these debates with Douglas brought Lincoln national recognition.

1. The Gettysburg Address was not his best speech
Though it may be the most famous, the Gettysburg Address is generally not considered Lincoln's best speech. In 1856, Lincoln publicly identified himself as a Republican, and in May he attended the Republican state convention at Bloomington. The moderate antislavery resolutions of this convention were acceptable to Lincoln. He signified his approval of the new party by giving the main address at the convention, speaking before dozens of reporters and over 1,000 people. This speech, considered by many to have been his most compelling, has been lost. It is said that those in attendance were so captivated by his speech that no one remembered to take notes.

Wrote By Unknown Author

Posted by Braz Coffey

Indian Ocean to see solar eclipse!

2009-01-25T09:02:00.000-08:00

Fri Jan 23, 9:58 am ET

Ring of fire

A few lucky people in the Indian Ocean will be treated to a rare event when an annular solar eclipse will transform the Sun into a dark disc with a blazing ring-shaped corona around its rim. - (AFP/File/Jeff Haynes)

PARIS (AFP) – A few lucky people in the Indian Ocean will be treated to a rare event on Monday when an annular solar eclipse will transform the Sun into a dark disc with a blazing ring-shaped corona around its rim.

In solar eclipses, the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, casting its shadow on the terrestrial surface.

In an annular eclipse, a tiny shift in distance that results from celestial mechanics means the Moon does not completely cover the Sun's face, as it does in a total eclipse.

Instead, for those directly under the alignment, the Moon covers most of the Sun's surface, and a ring-like crown of solar light blazes from the edge of the disk.

For those watching from the fringe of the track, the Sun is partially obscured, as if a bite has been taken out of it.

According to veteran NASA eclipse-watcher Fred Espenak, the total eclipse track will run from west to east on Monday from 0606 GMT to 0952 GMT.

It will traverse the Indian Ocean and western Indonesia before petering out just short of Mindanao, the Philippines.

The partial eclipse will be seen in a much wider swathe, including the southern third of Africa, Madagascar, Australia, Southeast India, Southeast Asia and Indonesia.

It will be the only annular solar eclipse this year. The last was on 7 February, 2007, and after Monday, the next one will be on 15 January, 2010.

The big event for eclipse junkies this year is on July 22, when a total solar eclipse will be visible from India and China, the world's two most populous countries.

Annual solar eclipse of Jan 26

By Yahoo! News & Unknown Writer

A Year to Remembering Heath Ledger...

2009-01-22T21:13:00.000-08:00

On January 22, 2008, we lost one of the brightest young talents in film. Exactly one year later, Heath Ledger has been nominated for an Academy Award for his astonishing performance in "The Dark Knight." To mark the occasion, here is a look back at his eclectic and all too brief film career. More here coming soon!

The Dark Knight

The Academy undoubtedly upset both critics and fans when it decided to overlook the Caped Crusader’s latest adventure. Perhaps voters felt it was too violent. It’s conceivable to assume that they’ve agreed to forever shun superhero flicks. Maybe they just miss Michael Keaton. Who knows? In any case, the $1 billion-grossing blockbuster deserved to be decorated for many reasons, including Christopher Nolan’s precise directing, the groundbreaking cinematography, and Heath Ledger’s trumping of Jack Nicholson as The Joker. And, hello? If “Titanic” can win Best Picture, doesn’t “The Dark Knight” at least deserve a nom?

In Loving Memory of Bernie Coffey

2008-12-13T10:07:00.000-08:00

-December 13, 2008-

In the early morning around 7 a.m., my mom wakes me up, Bernie had cried a shout that had made my mom wake up. I am very grievously crying at the Cheyenne Tonopah Animal Hospital when Bernie has put to sleep, I hold his head looking at me, and I also am saying to him, "Don't worry, it will be alright, come on in with me. I love you Bernie". He passed away at about 9:10-9:30a.m. Bernie didn't look afraid to go. My step dad cried with me when he got the shot to put him to sleep. I am so glad he's in a peaceful place right now. I'm still feeling bad about him being gone, but it was the best thing for him.

The Last Day Being With Bernie in This Photos:

Bernie Coffey [1997-2008]

Biography

Bernie Coffey was born on September 10, 1997. My step dad bought a beagle puppy for my mom on Christmas, but she didn't want that kind of dog, and about a few months or a year later, they gave to me. I owned Bernie the beagle dog in my heart. I've never forgotten that day, he came to a new home in December. We named him Bernie. My younger sister, half-brother, and I played with Bernie around the house, such cute memories! He was so excited and curious of the house, a few years later, he loved my bed so much that he always came into my bedroom and stayed with me.

Yesterday, I arrived my parents' house from my best friend's apartment, when I came to the backyard door was locked, and I looked through the window on the door and Bernie looked up at me. So, I decided to enter through the dog door and crawled toward him. He seemed so surprised to see that I was there for him!

I went to get my camera digital, and I took pictures with Bernie.

I kissed his head because I love him so much!

Look at him!

Real Nike symbol on his neck.

In Loving Memory:

Coming more pictures soon.

Harry Potter's Not Opening, and They're Not Over It

2008-11-21T21:47:00.000-08:00

Thu Nov 20, 2008, 5:52 pm EST

Trailers click it.

Friday was supposed to be the day Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opened. Instead, over the summer, Warner Bros. rescheduled the franchise's latest adventure for next July, a move that caused a fan upset that hasn't entirely settled.

"I think most fans are disappointed more than angry, and definitely skeptical of the real motive behind the delay," said Sara Greer, editor of the Harry Potter fan site MuggleNet.

A fan identifying herself as Jen Stewart said in an email she felt the studio was "pandering" when it pointed out the reschedule, attributed, in part, to fallout from the writers' strike, meant a shorter wait between Half-Blood Prince and the first part of the two-part finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

"I don't know about everyone but I am still just as upset as I was over the summer," Stewart said.

Interestingly, the recent release of the new Half-Blood Prince trailer doesn't seem to have appeased the most seriously aggrieved. Dozens and dozens of new names are still being added to one popular online petition that's more sounding board, than call to action.

"Ahhh. I can't wait until next year! I want it this year," one signer wrote Thursday.

The post's emoticon tag—:(—left no doubt as to how bad the signer wanted it.

Greer even compared the new trailer to a "bit of torture."

"The new trailer was a treat, sure, it just made a lot of us more impatient to see the film," she said in an email. "Especially since all the Twilight fans will get their fangirl on instead!"

Ah, yes, Twilight…

In one more painful twist, the Half-Blood Prince trailer is attached to prints of Twilight, the based-on-a-best-seller movie that is opening Friday because Half-Blood Prince isn't. (Originally, Twilight was going to hit theaters in December.)

"A former MuggleNet editor commented she was probably going to see Twilight just for the new trailer in all its big screen glory," Greer said. "I think I'll just reread the books and wait for summer."

At least her emoticon tag—;)—was upbeat.

··· THEY SAID WHAT? Get today's most commented stories now at www.eonline.comHarry Potter and the Unexpected Summer PremiereRowling Rules: Judge Halts Harry Potter LexiconWarners' Puttar-Potter Suit Peters OutRate-a-Trailer: Harry Potter. Remember Him?

Twilight Playing Now!

2008-11-21T10:17:00.000-08:00

Twilight Fans of the Stephenie Meyer's best-seller have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this film. The story focuses on a high-school girl (Kristen Stewart) who relocates from Arizona to the Pacific Northwest during her junior year. And wouldn't you know it, she falls in love with one of the town's incognito vampires, the most mysterious and beautiful boy in school. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson do have some genuine chemistry as a couple, but of the vampire action sequences in the film Genevieve Koski of The Onion writes, "these setpieces are hindered by cheesy CGI effects and unfortunate styling that makes the vampires look not like impossibly beautiful killing machines, but like a bunch of dorks who fell into a vat of pancake makeup." And though the special effects and makeup aren't the strong points of this production, Richard Corliss of Time Magazine says, "So Twilight isn't a masterpiece -- no matter. It rekindles the warmth of great Hollywood romances." Edward Douglas on ShockTillYouDrop.com is less kind, breaking it down like this: "Essentially, a CW take on Anne Rice, catering to the gooey-eyed fans of Meyer's novels and their unrealistic romantic expectations." So if you are checking it out this weekend, be prepared for sold-out shows, long lines and, apparently, fans with gooey eyes.

Movie Info * Trailers & Clips * Showtimes & Tickets * User Reviews

SNL: Kissing Family

2008-11-21T07:34:00.000-08:00

Description: There is such a thing as being too close to your family.

This is making me so hard laugh, but I cannot understand what they said to each others about a kiss thing is good close to family something. That's so disgusted! I like three men they are so cute and hot too, but I don't think the dad is... Ew! (Chuckling) - Braz

Decoding the 'Star Trek' Trailer

2008-11-19T05:17:00.000-08:00

by Matt McDaniel * November 17, 2008

If you were one of the millions of moviegoers who saw "Quantum of Solace" in theaters this weekend, you may have also seen the trailer for director J.J. Abrams' new film version of "Star Trek." It's the first look we've had at Chris Pine in the role of the young Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Mr. Spock. But the preview is edited so quickly even if you saw it on the big screen you might not have deciphered all the information packed into the 2-minute trailer. So we've broken it down to uncover the biggest revelations it contains, plus we have the video so you can watch it yourself. Watch it now >>

Kirk was always a troublemaker.

James T. Kirk has always had a reputation for bending the rules and living on the edge. Apparently, he started early. The trailer begins with an 11-year-old Kirk fleeing from a robotic police officer in a classic Corvette and leaping away right before the car sails off a cliff. It also appears that in this version the Enterprise was built in rural Iowa where Kirk was raised, and not constructed in space as stated by the late series creator Gene Roddenberry.

Spock's home world is falling apart.

After getting a glimpse of Spock as a pointy-eared child, we see him as an adult beaming onto the planet Vulcan as rocks are crumbling around him. Later, there is a shot of him helping his human mother Amanda (played by Winona Ryder) down a hill as the ground quakes. In subsequent scenes, it looks like a giant laser is blasting into the surface of Vulcan from a spaceship above.

It's a long way down.

We see three figures in helmets and jumpsuits plummeting past a spire down towards the surface of a planet. They deploy parachutes as they fly past the camera. Reports from a preview screening say the away team is made up of Kirk, Sulu and Chief Engineer Olsen, a crewman in a "red shirt." Ironically, the original Kirk, William Shatner, was originally going to skydive from space in the beginning of "Star Trek: Generations," but that scene was cut.

Scotty is having fun, but Bones isn't.

We get brief glimpses of the rest of the ship's crew. Chekov (Anton Yelchin) is seen at the helm on the updated bridge. A dripping wet Scotty (Simon Pegg) happily announced "I like this ship; it's exciting!" Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban), on the other hand, tells Kirk that, "Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence." We also see the original captain of the Enterprise, Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) still in command. Sulu (John Cho) shows off his fencing skills, and Uhura (Zoe Saldana) just shows off.

Kirk and Spock aren't friends yet.

In "Star Trek II," Spock tells Kirk, "I have been and always shall be your friend." But it doesn't look like they're quite that chummy yet in this film. They face off in the bridge, and when Kirk pushes Spock too far he responds with a seemingly illogical beatdown. Plus, there is a brief shot of Spock choking Kirk against a consol. Still, there is a moment where Kirk pats Spock on the shoulder and tells him to "Buckle up," so they may well be pals by the end of the movie.

It boldly goes where no 'Trek' has gone before.

If there's one message this trailer is trying to convey, it's that this is the biggest and most dynamic "Star Trek" film yet. We see phasers blasting, fists flying, monsters roaring, and spaceships exploding. The trailer ends with the Romulan villain Nero (Eric Bana) announcing, "The wait is over." Unfortunately, that's not true yet. "Star Trek" doesn't beam down into theaters until May 9th.

Ninety Nine Point Nine Percent

2008-11-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

Photographer by RedupReda

Back to the world, against a tree as the sun bakes my face
So entwined in amongst life’s great sugar, and silver lace
Digging deeper to open this up, afraid to get so entangled
And there’s a pressure that feels like, I am being strangled

Now is it so hard to acknowledge the ideals, of similarities?
Or is it the one tenth of one percent, of all the differences?
You don’t have to climb a mountain, to swing your arm
Slight step to the side, and soon realise that there’s no harm

Fading it down and reinvent you, but it’s the same beneath
I enjoy the sunset as I know the night, begins its wreath
So turn the cheek and noticed, the skin is cooler out here
Free to dance as you are, and be yourself without a fear

Strum on my guitar like the clock, ticking the seconds away
So to counterfeit yet another and seemingly, endless today
But all in the paces of the personal perspective, of illusion
Let’s stray off the path and so bath myself, in this confusion

Lit up a first cigar after I quit now, about four long years ago
Failed to inhale as I just saw it, just burning away so slow
And figured now; if that lasts this long then I can be forever
Doesn’t it actually make a difference? But never say never

Saw the cloud sailing the sky, and wondered where they go
Are clouds emotional as they are sometimes storms, and blow?
Or a greater power at work in partnership, of fate and fortune
Where’s the fun in always trying to deny, some kind of emotion

Just better be yourself, because then only the genuine fit closer
And regard each and everyone, as the daily four leaved clover
Can’t think now of being any other way, but what I want to be
Because I am so sick of changing, it’s high time I was to be free

So close this final verse, of passive and perceptive conjuring
Isn’t a wonder we have time to be able, to fathom us slowing
To consider the considerations, we seem to forget to consider
Take it from me that you can only be anything, so much better

More here:
Poems by Vision Ghost

Eight Dream Symbols That Point to Stress

2008-11-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

by ~taykut

Author By: Dayna Davis (View Profile)

When I was a senior in high school, I had a recurring dream of my teeth falling out. I dreamt about my teeth just about every night for at least three weeks. Sometimes they’d fall out one at a time, sometimes all at once, but the worst was when they’d just start decaying in my mouth and crumble away. In one dream, I was walking around my house, toothless and crying, and nobody would help me when I showed them the collection of my own teeth I held in my hands.

I became terrified that my dreams meant I would actually lose my teeth—my perfectly straight, took-years-of-orthodontics-and-thousands-of-dollars-to-get, pearly whites.

Nine years later and about a million trips to the dreams section of Barnes & Noble, I still have a full set of teeth, but I’ve learned that when we’re experiencing stress in our lives, it tends to show up in our dreams as well, many times cloaked in these symbols.

Nudity
You’re walking down the street, going to work, or just standing in a crowd … naked. You’re mortified that you forgot your clothes, but nobody seems to notice. Sound familiar?

According to Gustavus Hindman Miller’s 10,000 Dreams Interpreted, dreaming that you’re nude in public foretells scandal and unwise engagements.

Dream Moods, a popular dream interpretation Web site, says dreaming about being naked shows you’re feeling vulnerable or shameful. You could be feeling inferior at work, or feel unguarded or exposed in a situation.

Storms
My storm of choice in dreams is always a tornado. I look outside, see a funnel cloud forming, and for some reason, I run right to it. For other people, it can be hurricanes, avalanches, or rain storms.

This one’s pretty simple to crack—dreaming of a storm symbolizes an internal storm in your life.

Dream Moods says storms signify “overwhelming struggle, shock, devastating loss, and catastrophe in your personal affairs.”

Miller says storms in dreams mean continued sickness, unfavorable business, and separation from friends—all things that will cause great distress. The good news is if the storm passes before you wake up, the stress won’t be as bad.

Crashes
Dreams of crashes—airplane, car, train, or otherwise—represent deep anxieties and fears. Many people fear these dreams are premonitions, but most likely they aren’t. Crashes can represent a feeling that your life is headed for disaster. Are you pushing yourself too hard? Are you feeling out of control? That out of control feeling may manifest itself in your dreams.

Dream Moods goes even further to break down crashes in dreams. If you dream of an airplane crash, you may have set high and unrealistic goals for yourself. Car crashes represent a shocking situation or a painful experience.

Hell
Ever dreamt about the fiery abyss of hell? Dream Moods says dreaming of hell shows that you’re suffering from an inescapable situation. You may have many inner fears and repressed guilty feelings. On the other hand, if you dream of fire, but not necessarily in hell, it symbolizes destruction, passion, desire, illumination, transformation, enlightenment, or anger.

Death
I once dreamt that my dad died, and I woke up crying and in a cold sweat. It was probably one of the worst dreams I’ve ever had. Luckily, dream experts say dreaming of death is merely symbolic and there’s no need to be afraid it’s a sign of things to come.

Miller says death dreams often mean the beginning of suspense or trials in your life.

They can also show forthcoming finalities, like the end of a marriage or a career.

Bugs
Bugs in our dreams—ants, spiders, moths, gnats, flies—could mean a number of things.

Miller says bugs are an indication that a “disgustingly revolting complication” will arise in your daily life.

Dream Moods takes bugs more literally, as in something is bugging you. To dream of bugs suggests you are worried about something and are filled with anxieties and fears.

A third interpretation is the bugs may represent your sexual thoughts.

Cats
Most experts agree on this one; dreaming of a cat foretells misfortune and bad luck.

Unless of course you’re a devout cat lover, and then it represents creativity, independence, and power.

Miller says if you’re able to kill the cat or drive it from your sight in your dream, your luck will turn around; you’ll overcome great obstacles and your fortunes will rise. But if you dream of a cat or a snake being friendly, watch out—an angry struggle is around the corner.

Losing Teeth
Ahh … the dream that’s haunted me for years, losing my teeth.

Miller says losing teeth signifies burdens that crush your pride. If your teeth are knocked out, you’ll have sudden misfortune. Decayed or snaggled teeth mean business or health struggles.

Other interpretations for dreams about lost teeth are that the dreamer is feeling powerless in life and may be in a transitional period from one phase of life to another.

Some experts say losing our teeth in a dream parallels the time in our lives when we lost our milk teeth and childhood innocence; these experts believe that dreams of losing teeth today show we’re just as insecure and uncertain as we were in infanthood.

When I dreamt about my teeth back in high school, I was trying to choose a college—definitely a stressful decision. The dreams resurfaced when college graduation rolled around four years later and I’m sure they’ll start again at the end of grad school.

A little bit of stress in our everyday lives is normal. But sometimes it becomes such a regular occurrence in our lives that it influences our dreams and causes us to lose valuable sleep. Understanding our dreams is key to identifying and ending stress in our waking hours and restoring peace and restfulness to our nighttime hours.

Related Story: Seven Common Dreams and What They Mean

First published November 2008

A Strange Place Movie

2008-10-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

Solid-Gold Kate Moss Statue Established at the British Museum!

2008-10-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

The beauty queen model of Capricorn named Kate Moss is an English model who has appeared on over 300 magazine covers. She is known for her waifish figure, uncommon modeling height for fashion models, and many advertising campaigns. She is also notorious for her high-profile relationships and party lifestyle...

She's a very popular model for her fans as gay icon too, because I've noticed some of my friends who love Kate Moss as theirs idol Moss--like fashion styles. You know?

Solid-Gold Kate Moss' Face Statue

A $2.8m (£1.5m) solid gold sculpture has been made of supermodel Kate Moss as part of a British Museum exhibition. Entitled Siren, the 50kg statue was made by Marc Quinn, who described Moss as "the ideal beauty of the moment". The statue is said to be the largest gold statue to be created since the era of Ancient Egypt. Other notable solid gold statue of celebrity was that of Gorgias in 4 c. B.C.

Look at this insanity gold statue of Moss alike Egypt-style!
A 50kg solid gold statue of model Kate Moss has been unveiled at the British Museum, in London.

The £1.5m sculpture, entitled Siren, is by artist Marc Quinn and is one of several contemporary sculptures in the exhibition Statuephilia.

Each work has been sited in a different gallery within the museum, placed with items from its permanent collection.

Quinn's sculpture is said to be the largest gold statue created since the time of Ancient Egypt.

'Ideal beauty'

Described by the museum as an "Aphrodite of our times", it sits in the Museum's Nereid Gallery, alongside its statues of famous Greek beauties.

Quinn, whose most famous work was Alison Lapper Pregnant, has said of using Moss as a subject: "I thought the next thing to do would be to make a sculpture of the person who's the ideal beauty of the moment.

"But even Kate Moss doesn't live up to the image."

Other artists in the exhibition include Damien Hirst and Antony Gormley.

Hirst has addressed his fascination with death by filling the historic wall cases of the Enlightenment Gallery with 200 specially created skulls.

Nine-metre wingspan

Gormley's Case for an Angel I will fills the entire front hall of the museum.

The work - a precursor to his celebrated public sculpture, Angel of the North - is raised high on a plinth. It boasts a nine-metre wingspan.

Ron Mueck's Mask II, a self-portrait of the artist sleeping, is in the heart of the Living and Dying: Wellcome Trust Gallery with the museum's monumental Maoi.

British Museum modern collections co-ordinator Philip Attwood said: "Perhaps because the British Museum is often celebrated as a museum of antiquities, it is not always realised that its collections also include a broad range of contemporary works from around the world."

Statuephilia: Contemporary Sculptors at the British Museum is open to the public from Saturday until 25 January.

Art appeal

Meanwhile, The National Portrait Gallery has launched a public appeal to raise £200,000 for Marc Quinn's self-portrait head cast made from frozen blood.

The gallery wants to buy the fourth head in a series, made in 2006, which is being sold by London's White Cube gallery for £350,000.

The Art Fund has offered a £100,000 grant and the National Portrait Gallery has found £50,000 from its own resources, leaving it to raise the remainder by December 31.

Quinn has made a new cast, using eight or nine pints of his own blood, every five years to document his ageing since 1991.

Apple Helps You More Healthier!

2008-10-03T12:34:00.001-07:00

Apple feels so lovely with me...but it says eat me! Uh?!

I've realizing that I need to eat some apples myself... I remember when I was a little boy that I did eat an apple that my mom told me! I never understand why I hate the apple while I taste it so sourly and funny around in my mouth. It's hard to explain what my tongue feels like...

Apple of Love
Photo by d0ufu

Autumn is defined by fresh apples, heavy with juice and still bearing a misty bloom, picked from the branch, filling your mouth with the flavor of the season. Local orchardists are unanimous that this year's crop is not to be missed. One says the fruit is "bursting with juice." Reading more...

Apples: The Live Longer Fruit
Photo by BiteTheBullet
The beginning of autumn means that we're entering apple season, which will be a time of cider, desserts, and the crisp, wholesome goodness of the fruit freshly picked from your local orchard. Apples have been a staple of healthy eating for many years, and the often-repeated line of an apple a day keeping the doctor away is far from a myth. Apples really do have a wonderful variety of nutritional benefits, and are a tasty addition to any diet of good health and longevity.
Of all of the fruits we eat, apples are the best source of pectin, a natural fiber that has several health benefits. Apples also contain phytochemicals, quercetin, tannins, and antioxidants, all of which have different healthy properties. Below is a list of the top five benefits of making apples a standard part of your daily diet.
1. Apples improve the bowels. Pectin is a source of dietary fiber and a very handy nutrient to have in one's diet. While it is also found in citrus fruits, plums, and other fruits, apples have the highest concentration of them all. Pectin works to increase the stool's volume and resistance of fluids and is therefore helpful in treating constipation, diarrhea, and generally improving the health of the bowels. Studies have also found that apple pectin reduces the incidence of colon tumors, and that has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of colon cancer.

2. Apples lower cholesterol. A study on nutrition and heart disease found that eating three apples a day for three months can help you to drop your cholesterol by at least 20 points. How does this happen? Apple pectin, that miraculous source of dietary fiber, helps to draw bad LDL cholesterol out of the system. Not only that, but the antioxidant quercetin that is found in apples inhibits the LDL cholesterol from even accumulating in the body's bloodstream. When it comes to lowering one's cholesterol, apples provide a cocktail of nutritional benefits that are hard to pass up.

3. Apples reduce the risk of cancer. Apples do not stop at merely preventing colon cancer. The high amounts of quercetin, other flavonoids, and phytochemicals found in this fruit deliver potent antioxidant activity to all who eat an apple, and with that inhibit the actions of free radicals. In addition, the phytochemicals may act against carcinogens, which will likewise help to prevent cancer. This means that apple eating prevents cancer of the prostate and lung, as well as other parts of the body.

4. Apples slow the aging process. There may have been many generations of explorers that sought the fountain of youth, but all they had to do was fight the daily stresses of life with a tasty apple! The phytochemicals that come from the bright colors you find in the skins of your favorite apple variety, along with aiding the apple's ability to lower cholesterol and fight cancer, also inhibits the onset of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and other conditions that lead to potentially debilitating situations in old age.

5. Apples help to prevent hair loss. If keeping a full head of hair will help you to age more gracefully, then chow down on some apples. Chinese medicine considers hair loss to be a sign of a depleted kidney essence, and apples are on the list of fruits and vegetables that will help you to restore this essence and nourish the blood that flows to your hair follicles.

I hope you eat your apples, and that you really do keep the doctors away. As always, I encourage you to share your own favorite longevity foods and other tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

Where is the link?

-Dr. Mao

My Mom's Birthday Today and What an Orange Day!?!

2008-10-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

Is it orange day? Eh?

Striped Orange
"The lonely orange is already striped and the lamp lighting is shining on an orange. How lonely orange is! Look at you orange, Orange!" -Braz

Cat with Stars Pumpkin

I actually couldn't believe that last night I was fallen asleep on the cough like my body and head are very straight up to sleepy! I awoken up and I puzzled like what the hell with me like this! I found this amazing B1nd1 who did carved a pumpkin and dangle stars were so beautifully lights out of it. Awesome!

I want to show a picture to you. I drawing this above picture that what I am talking about like this straight up on the couch last night! I just awoken up without pain all over my necks, guess what...nothing pain! I came back to sleep tuck in bed in a room. What a freak! I realized that day is October day. (Chuckling)

Happy Birthday, Mom!

This is not by me and it's Songficcer who drawing Piglet and Pooh so cute!

My mom was leaving this very earlier morning, came to my room and say good-bye to me. I hugged her. I forgot to tell her Happy Birthday, but I realize I was so tired. Well...I am sure she'd understand.

Halloween Light Pumpkins!

Taken today at the Boston Common, during the Great Pumpkin Festival. The event was sponsored by Camp Sunshine, and hoped to beat Keene New Hampshire's world record of nearly 29,000 lit jack-o-lanterns in one place. I still need to pick up a table-top tripod, so most of the shots came out too blurry to post here.

-salamiatomi

Have a pumpkin day!

Welcome to October First Day!

2008-10-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

A little girl visited a pumpkin patch overrun with her parents for their planning to get an October party for everyone is welcoming to October 1st day!

Matthew Shepard's 10 Years & Project Planned

2008-09-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

About Matthew Shepard:

The life and death of Matthew Shepard changed the way we talk about and deal with hate in the United States. For the past eight years, the legacy of this remarkable young man's life has challenged and inspired millions of individuals to erase hate in all forms. Although his life was short, it continues to have a great impact on both young and old alike.

The story of Matthew Shepard begins on December 1, 1976 when he was born prematurely to Judy and Dennis Shepard in the small city of Casper, Wyoming. Matthew attended school in Casper until his junior year of high school when he finished his primary education at The American School in Switzerland. His experience abroad fueled his love for travel. He took the opportunity to explore Europe and learn multiple languages including German and Italian.

Matthew was an optimistic and accepting young man. He always put his family and friends first and had a special gift of relating to almost everyone. He was the type of person that was very approachable and always looked to new challenges. Matthew had a great passion for equality and always stood up for the acceptance of people's differences. Throughout his life he expressed his love for acting by becoming very active in community theater both on and off stage.
Matthew's college career took him to a number of different universities and later ended up studying political science, foreign relations and languages at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. He was extremely interested in politics and was chosen as the student representative for the Wyoming Environmental Council.

The horrific events that took place shortly after midnight on October 7, 1998 went against everything that Matthew embodied. Two men, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, lead him to a remote area east of Laramie where they demonstrated unimaginable acts of hate. Matthew was tied to a split-rail fence where he was beaten and left to die in the cold of the night. Almost 18 hours later he was found by a cyclist who initially mistook him for a scarecrow.

Matthew died on October 12 at 12:53 am at a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. His entire family was by his side for the last few days of his life. His funeral was attended by friends and family from around the world and gained the appropriate media attention that brought Matthew's story to the forefront of the fight against hate.

This tragedy helped the nation wake up to the fact that hate and discrimination still lives in our communities, our schools and our families. Although his life was cut short, the impact of his spirit is great.

Matthew Shepard Foundation

Click this icon link.

Matthew Shepard Project Planned on October 12th, for honoring and remembering him again for his ten years since 1998.

We just needing your support and help too for giving me more short films, or and you just can take a video of yourself with a candle or more. Like...mention about him in 1998 to 2008, for example: "Why support? Why hate? And etc..." like that. You know???

Hope this does helpful to you.

Bernard Bragg's 80th Birthday Bash

2008-09-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

Transcript: What She Said

I look forward to celebrating Bernard Bragg 's 80th Birthday Bash in Kellogg Conference Center at Gallaudet University. He was my inspiringly educator and director when I was a student in Deaf Studies Department at California State University, Northridge. I remember when I was a little girl; I was in awe to see Bernard Bragg up on the stage translating Shakespeare from English text to sign language. The tickets for the Bash will be contributed to NTD and NAD. Please buy ticket now because it's deadline by September 30th. Come over and celebrate with us. Please dress up, not dress down. If you can't afford to buy nice clothes, you can go to Thrift store or Goodwill store. I always donate my clothes to Thrift and Goodwill store. They should have some nice clothes. :o)

I've met Bernard Bragg in between 1996 to 1998, but I did not have his autograph yet. And I wish I have a newspaper of all deaf students and a teacher with Bragg. He's a wonderful performer on the stage for all deaf and hearing people.

Check His Website, Life and Works of Bernard Bragg - click it link.

Who is the Next Lucy...?

2008-09-29T10:16:00.001-07:00

Debra Messing's been tagged the next generation's Lucille Ball for her breakout role in TV sitcom Will & Grace, but Debra Messing is now aiming for big screen stardom. She even looks a lot like Lucille Ball and she also should play her! I want to see the true story movie of Ball.

Don't you think?

online casino Polls

Tell me about this hot topic.

Please, leave a comment here.

Thank you.

Chicken-egg Scrambled with Vegetables Soup

2008-09-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

Chicken-egg Scrambled with Vegetables Soup Recipe:

Chicken Broth or Bouillon to add more taste flavor

2 eggs (scrambled)

Water 2 or 1 and 1/2 cups

Butter 1 or 2 tablespoons

Vegetables frozen bag 1/4 or more

Pepper 1/2

Basil 1/2

Just a pan with whatever you like to turn medium heat, and you also could egg scrambles by yourself. Add pepper and basil into it while you boiled the water for chicken broth or bouillon, and before the first one is butter for eggs. Sorry, this is so sloppy direction for you, but you can add water or butter for vegetables to taste the best ever!

Don't you try it?

It's pretty good taste and enjoy soup!

An Afternoon & Night Day Photos

2008-09-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

A night day, I started a decision to showing you some photos before I leave home by tomorrow. I am going to visit my best friend, Amber, and I also am sleepover at her house for a few days or a week. It depends on our planning right now. I'll probably make a new video or more too! Yeah! Go ahead to shout a loud like WHOO!! I know you are not a loin, excuse me! (Chuckling)

Ah! I am a ghost reflection glass door!

They are my reflection foots!

What a pretty orange flowers! Orchid?

Bernie!! I am so surprised he's sleepy in the restroom! I decided to take a picture him!

I was just trying to take a professionally photo of Bernie while he's sleepy in the restroom, because I thought it looks so cutest viewing of him. Now he came to me while I took like this picture!

Want a pickle?

I started to force him stayed with me while I took a picture! He's so stubborn dog! My gosh! I looked like a slob or cranky or something like that face!

What a sunset! This pictured I took that Labor Day.

I love this one look like a scene movie or something. Great photo!

How to decoupage with Mod Podge

2008-09-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day!

I am bored today and I decided to get turn on the computer. I am surfing around the Internet what I would like to read any blogs. I now found this about "How to decoupage with Mod Podge", and I thought it really is a cutie ones. I want to share with you all here.

By How About Orange:

"How to decoupage with Mod Podge"

This is a glass vase I decoupaged with pages from an old hymn book I found by the dumpster. Here's what I did if you want to give it a whirl.

More Info: click here!

I shall try to make like this Mod Podge when I find a glass vase. It probably goes to make an awesome vase whatever I want to decoupage on the vase with like artsy pictures sorta kinda like newspapers.

Cheers!

Thanks for reading!

Have a wonderful Labor Day!

Winged cats?

2008-08-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

Is it Hoax or Real?

My opinion about this is an actually real picture to me when I shocked to looking at a cat has wings! An Asian woman's owner pet is a winged cat looks so chilled angel, you will never believe these picture on here, and I wanted to post about winged cats discovered in western China on my blog! I thought its pretty freaking awesome!

Winged cats discovered in western China

Posted by Lisa Katayama, August 28, 2008 8:00 AM | permalink

Winged cats have been known to exist since the 19th century, but only a handful of people have actually seen—let alone owned—one. This woman in Sichuan province watched as her beloved kitty grew angel wings on his back last summer after a bunch of female cats tried to mate with him. "Many female cats in heat came to harass him, and then the wings started to grow," she said.

Geneticists have a less romantic theory. They believe it could be a genetic defect, a skin condition, or the result of poor grooming.

The Small Airplane Crashes into House

2008-08-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

Braz is doing alright now.
LAS VEGAS -- A small airplane has crashed into a home at North Jones Boulevard and West Cheyenne Avenue, about two blocks west of the North Las Vegas airport. It's the second plane crash near that airport in less than a week. Info more, check out this link:
http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/17327475/detail.html

A Permanent Grave

2008-08-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six

Hope you all enjoy!

Have a wonderful day!

-Braz-

Beautiful Memories

2008-08-11T21:39:00.001-07:00

The Deaf Family Movie: Part 1 & 2

2008-08-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

The Deaf Family: Part One - click here

The Deaf Family: Part Two - click here

The Joker Sign Name

2008-08-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

Transcription: (Coming Soon)

The Dark Knight: The Joker Is an AWESOME! Art Fans

2008-08-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

Those pictures are such amazing artist fans of The Joker. I am very proudly of fans for theirs talented artists! I will trying to draw The Joker when I can. I am telling you that you cannot steal their artists' artworks, because they already had have copyrights, folks. I am supporting they are very harder workers on drawing or painting of The Joker. Thank you for your sharing, artists. We love your artworks. You guys are very pretty awesome jobs!

This is not art, just design graphic on Heath's face and added purple, white and black.

My Older Brother's Wedding Photos

2008-08-01T13:46:00.001-07:00

Congratulation, Dustin & Liyen!!

Liyen and Dustin.

Liyen, Dustin and my parents.

Jessie's boyfriend Michael, Josh's son Colin, sister Jessie, Braz, Liyen, Dustin and Josh's son Landon, Shayla, Josh and Josh's wife Jennifer. Beautiful family.

Liyen's grandparents, Dustin and Liyen.

Oh my gosh! The pastor's hottest sons!!! I adore this left white shirt guy so cute and hot, of course! I love them both too. I know! I am such slyness person. Oops! I did it again...

The freaking hot green shirt guy!! That's the pastor's sons' friend. I wish I knew his real name was! When I walked through by him and he smiled at me. Oh my gosh! My heart was beating and melting too!

Wow! I thought I've fallen in love with this white shirt guy! Heh... Heh... I really love his super cutie smile at me! Damn hot!

Michael Layne Turner 1971-2008

2008-07-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

This day when I was studying and learning a single word meaning, and I started to decided to type "obedient" at Google images on search engine and I glanced the amazing drawing picture of The Genie from the movie Aladdin. I clicked an icon image to entering, and I surfing pages to notice "RIP Michael Turner". I was like "NO! IMPOSSIBLE!" But, I checked out at his website and I really am very sad to hear that he has passed away from bone cancer in June 27, 2008, last month ago...

He has fights cancer for eight years that what I heard. He's very bravely man.

I was crying a lot and I got a worse bad headache, but now I am alright...

He's my favorite amazing artist ever and, as he's in my heart to respect his family and friends. You know what I've never meet him in real life. I remembered when I look at the picture of M.T. and I was wanting to ask him for do a favor for me, "Would you draw something for me?", and I wanted him to draw picture of me that would be fabulous and awesome.

Michael Turner has a beautiful smile and I really fall in love with his fabulous art style. He's the best known as Witchblade, Tomb Raider (comics), Superman/Batman, and and various covers for DC Comics and Marvel Comics. He was also the president of the entertainment company Aspen MLT, as Fathom, Soulfire, Shrugged! and Ekos and more! Amazing!!

How handsome he is!!

I did not write this:

"This just came out

From Aspen Comics' Vince Hernandez

Hello all,

Unfortunately it's with great sadness that I must inform everyone that Michael Turner tragically passed away last night, June 27th at approximately 10:42 pm in Santa Monica, Ca. Turner had been dealing with recent health complications arisen in the past few weeks. More details concerning Turner's passing, and services, will be given shortly.

Anyone wishing to send their condolences to Michael Turner's family is encouraged to send to:

Aspen MLT, Inc.
C/O Michael Turner
5855 Green Valley Circle, Suite 111
Culver City, CA, 90230

Aspen also encourages anyone wishing to make a charitable donation to please send to Michael Turner's requested charities:

The American Cancer Society

Or

The Make-A-Wish Foundation

Turner has done quite a lot in his short life. From being an artist on Witchblade to creating his own comic Fathom, and starting his own company Aspen. He's also done many many covers for Marvel and DC, and has had action figures based on his art with a line for Superman/Batman in the Supergirl story, and the Identity Crisis toys. Michael will be missed greatly. He was 37."

Posted by Peter Whitney at June 28, 2008 9:58 a.m.

By GEORGE GENE GUSTINES

Published: July 6, 2008

Michael Turner, a popular comic-book artist who came to fame in the mid-1990s and was best known for creating two sexy female lead characters, Witchblade and Fathom, died on June 27 in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 37.

Enlarge This Image

Courtesy of Aspen MLT
A cover of the comic book Fathom drawn by Michael Turner. The superheroine, who possesses water-based powers, is one of Mr. Turner’s most popular characters.

The cause was complications from treatment for bone cancer, his colleague Vince Hernandez said in a statement.

Armed with only a hastily assembled five-page sample of his work, Mr. Turner was discovered at a comic-book convention in 1993 by Marc Silvestri, one of seven artists who founded Image Comics in 1992. Within months, Mr. Turner went from waiting tables to being a top-selling artist.

Mr. Turner, along with Mr. Silvestri and a few others, soon created his best-known character, Witchblade, named after a supernatural weapon that affixed itself to the arm of Sara Pezzini, a homicide detective in New York; the transformation left her provocatively clad, armed and dangerous.

The novelist and part-time comic-book writer Brad Meltzer, in a special edition of the comics-industry magazine Wizard that was devoted to Mr. Turner before he died, said: “Anyone who says they didn’t become aware of Mike when they saw one of his hot girl drawings is a liar. That’s when he hit the radar.”

Witchblade first appeared in comic books in 1995 and became the basis of a live-action series on the cable channel TNT in 2001. It ran for about two seasons.

In 1998, Mr. Turner created the aquatic Fathom, published by Top Cow Productions. In her secret identity Fathom was a marine biologist with a model’s looks named Aspen Matthews.

Two years later, Mr. Turner learned he had a type of cancer called chondrosarcoma in his right pelvis. He lost his hip, 40 percent of his pelvis and three pounds of bone and underwent nine months of radiation therapy. He eventually went into remission, only to have the cancer return several times.

In 2002, Mr. Turner founded Aspen MLT, an entertainment publishing company. The L stood for Lane, his middle name, which he rarely used. The company’s comics were delayed by a yearlong legal battle with Top Cow regarding the rights to Fathom and other properties. The case was settled out of court the next year.

In 2004, Mr. Turner began contributing work to DC and Marvel, the comics industry giants. His cover art brought him particular attention, including his illustrations for Identity Crisis, a top-selling seven-part mystery written by Mr. Meltzer, in which DC superheroes, including Superman, Green Arrow and Hawkman, are forced to question their culpability in a vengeful murder.

As with every cover they worked on, “Mike and I spoke at length about the design” of the final one for the project, Mr. Meltzer wrote in an e-mail message. The cover presented the characters as empty costumes, which ambiguously represented either the end of the age of superheroes or a rebirth.

Mr. Meltzer continued: “The only thing we argued about, as only two geeks can: whether Batman’s cowl should be flat and empty, or stiff and armored. I lost. He won. And he was right. But make no mistake, with Mike gone, the capes and cowls are most certainly empty. His covers were the first thing every reader saw. And he was the one true ‘big name’ on the book. That’s why people picked it up.”

Fans were important to Mr. Turner. He was always appreciative of people who stopped to say hello at conventions, and he signed countless autographs, even when he was confined to a wheelchair, Gareb Shamus, the publisher of Wizard, said.

Mr. Turner was born in Crossville, Tenn., on April 21, 1971, and is survived by his mother, Grace, and his brother, Jake.

In high school, Mr. Turner took an art class, but he mostly drew for his own amusement. In 1993, he was encouraged to put together a sampling of his work and to attend the San Diego Comic-Con, the nation’s largest comic convention. It was there he met the staff of Top Cow.

“We gave him his first shot,” Mr. Silvestri said. “That will always be important: that we had a little something to do with bringing Mike to the world of comics.”

One of the first tests for the new artist was to draw a building. It looked awful, “like a lump of bread,” Mr. Silvestri recalled. Still, he found Mr. Turner so affable that they tried again, this time with help from a reference book on New York architecture. The results were remarkable.

“I did a double take,” Mr. Silvestri said. “It was beautiful, incredible. More than I would’ve possibly expected from a seasoned professional. I asked him flat out, ‘Where did this come from?’ He said, ‘No one ever told me to look at a picture before.’ ”

Michael Turner's AMAZING Artowrks

More, of course!!!

Check at Aspen Comics, click it.

We will never forget you!
We love you!
We miss you!
I am remembering you forever, my hero artist, Michael Turner.
Always Love,
Brandon "Braz " Coffey

Last Thursday...

2008-07-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

I thought that very ridiculous took some pictures of my work last Thursday. You know I am a mailing equipment operator guy, heh. I just wanted to share with you all. I am fucking bored, lol!

These envelopes as pieces of papers too.

Oh boy! I worked so hard time to finish these mailings.

Suck! I was so harder worked last Thursday!

See ya later!

Sarah Roemer & Blake Lively

2008-07-11T00:27:00.001-07:00

Sarah Roemer is the best known as Ashley Carlson, the interest love of Shia Labouf's character in 2007's thriller, Disturbia .

Blake Lively is very popular in the book-based TV series Gossip Girl as the main character Serena van der Woodsen.

They look alike a bit, aren't they sisters? Maybe, they are soul twins and theirs pretty curl hair is dirty blond too.

I like both them.

The 2 Pinky Fingers with Sign

2008-07-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

Hello! My friend asked me, "What does the sign mean with the 2 pinky fingers?" I was like um...and I thought how to describe to you for the sign with the 2 pinky fingers. I cannot ever think what to say exactly how to describe. But, I just decided to take a couple pictures of the 2 pinky fingers and now I show you here you go!

"The 2 Pinky Fingers".

I am not very expecting if I am right or wrong about the sign of the 2 pinky fingers. Let me know and please leave a comment. Thanks!

Accomplished Work!

2008-06-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

I am accomplished work on this business mails in the earlier morning about 5:06. It has been four days to finished mails! I am very assiduous mailing equipment operator for my parents' Mail For Less business. I am so deeply tired! I thought I worked for Marie Callender's Pies or Lone Star but it didn't for them. I think it is Trenchant Mortgage. Whoops! I misunderstood! I really thought it was Marie Callender's Pies. Hehe... Maybe I want some pies for my dessert night.

So...I want to show you some pictures of this I took them last night before it's accomplished in this earlier morning. Here you go!

An Interview with CSDR Deaf Actor, Sean Berdy

2008-06-22T00:06:00.000-07:00

This was a month ago...! I've really missed "The Deaf Family" movie, and I found this an interview with CSDR Deaf Actor, Sean Berdy, at CSDR (California School for the Deaf, Riverside) website. He's very brilliant actor and he also is a really funnier man. I thought I'd post this video to sharing with you, folks.

Let me know if you already went to see "The Deaf Family" movie at CSDR. All of you can leave a comment on here. I'd love to hear from you how was the movie!

May 12th, 2008 ·

A CSDR student, Sean Berdy who plays the character of Wesley in the movie, “The Deaf Family” , shares his experience working with the film production company, Mösdeux. Don’t miss the opportunity to see it!!! (YOU ALREADY MISSED IT!! IT'S LAST MONTH AGO on May 15th!)

Thanks,
Braz

Got Comedy?: Lesson 1: How to speak in American, Learn English, Savio

2008-06-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

This is the first lesson on how to speak American. Making fun of old learn English videos. More to come :) SavioShow.com! Also search "learn English" on youtube.

At English Forum, I was surfing at it through board I found this video was very funny one! I am laughing so hard! They are such adorable! I am expecting this sentence is pretty good, though, don't you think?

MTV's Undressed: Gay Flirt

2008-06-15T23:38:00.000-07:00

A long time ago...I watched Undressed on MTV channel every late night, and I was still in high school student that I was not able to go bed when it's finish show. I love that show so much! I was very obsessed with Undressed! I am very happily that I found it at Daily Motion online. I miss it so much! I am forward looking for dvds as if they have or not.

Yay! I am feeling so good when I watched it. Hehe...

Happy Friday the 13th!

2008-06-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday the 13th!

Corn Joke

2008-06-01T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's about a famous corn and farmers, but after that you should watch this video. It's really funny, but gross! (Laughing) He's such a brilliant and beautiful in ASL! He has a wonderful talented man. I wish I could meet him in a real person, because he's a super cutest and hottest guy! I mean that if we could work together out for the next new film or something else... Watch this out!

Thanks for reading and watching his video!

My Dream is a Creepiest about Harry Potter in this Morning...

2008-05-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

I wanted to tell you something about my dream in this morning about J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter. I met J.K. Rowling at the book store awhile I bought her book and I saw she was sitting on the chair all alone by herself with all books to autograph for her fans, before she has to leave an early day. However, I came to her, asked for an autograph and she did willing to autograph for me of her book. I talked to her about how interesting of she has had done much with her own novel book. I told her that I am interesting into be a writer alike you, J.K. Rowling. So, she seemed to interesting in me more than her thoughts, we went out for conversation about business issues, and J.K. Rowling invites me to coming with her at the other store for Harry Potter stars are there two guys for autograph for all fans. I don't know who they are, but at least before I saw Daniel Radcliffe has played for Harry Potter and Rupert Grint who played Ron Weasley and then they disappeared while I met them then...strange. Now, I didn't know who they are Harry Potter stars in a new movie. A blonde girl seems like between 13 to 15 at her age, and this is a boy looks like Robert Knox, because I noticed his eyes are so beautiful blue something; that's very nightmare. I am freaking out that my dream about Harry Potter seems so sad and unhappy and dull day with J.K. Rowling, because she didn't want to leave me and she really likes me a lot. She kisses me and then we make out. I said goodbye to her then..., I awoke up in the morning about 11:35. That's creepiest I've ever heard about Robert Knox killed this same day I dreamed. Gasp! He looks exactly him in my dream! Oh my God! I feel very sadly about this is a horrible news. My heart goes out to his family and friends.

At Yahoo! News about Teen actor in upcoming 'Harry Potter' film killed.

Undated image released Saturday May 24, 2008, by Britain's Metropolitan Police, showing murdered actor who stared in a Harry Potter movie, teenager Robert Knox, right, with his mother Sally and 17-year old brother Jamie. Ron Knox was stabbed to death in a fight outside a bar in Sidcup, England on Saturday May, 24, 2008. Four other men were hurt in the fight, and one man is arrested on suspicion of the murder. Knox played Marcus Belby in the movie 'Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince'

Jabba the Hutt Beanbag Chair!

2008-05-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

Ah, that's actually my favorite character fiction of Star Wars is Jabba the Hutt. I didn't know why, but I liked Jabba the Hutt. I found it at Outtertorials when I was surfing around the images on Google and I saw it. I was like no way that cannot be...so I checked it out. It's really truth! I was too exciting to save the picture and to remember of this ones. Click here, there's more coolest Star Wars stuffs!

I will keep you update more...

Atonement

2008-05-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

I watched it a few days ago, and it was a suspenseful movie about a couple lovers and Cecilia's sister Briony had has a made mistaken about Robbie. Robbie didn't rape a young girl Lola. After that when Briony grew up and she saw Lola got married Paul that Paul raped her in a longest time ago... Gosh! That was such an amazing story, but it's really saddest of a couple lovers were dead by war and they were too young peoples. I love the movie. You should watch it... It's a really good movie.

The summaries of Atonement:

In England in 1935, precocious 13-year-old Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) lives on her family's country estate with her mother and sister, Cecilia (Keira Knightley). Cecilia is home for the summer from Cambrige where she had been studying with the housekeeper's son, Robbie (James McAvoy). She and Robbie have an uncertain relationship; neither is willing to act on it but a certain romantic chemistry exists between them. One day, Briony sees from her bedroom window an argument between Cecilia and Robbie at the fountain. Robbie accidentally broke an antique vase and a piece of it fell into the fountain. Angrily, Cecilia stripped to her underwear and dove into the fountain to retrieve it. Briony is confused about the sexual tension between the two of them.

The Tallises are being visited by young relatives from the north -- the twins Pierrot and Jackson (Felix and Charlie von Simsin) and their 15-year-old sister, Lola (Juno Temple), whose parents are in the process of divorcing. Leon Tallis (Patrick Kennedy) brings his friend Paul (Benedict Cumberbatch) for dinner. Paul keenly follows Hitler's political advance and predicts war. He plans to sell chocolate bars to the British military to give to their soldiers. While he tries to amuse Pierrot and Jackson, Paul and Lola flirt.

Embarrassed by his behavior earlier in the day, Robbie tries to write an apology note to Cecilia. One of the drafts includes a sexually charged declaration of his love for her. He then writes a more formal apology he intends to deliver to her. However, he accidentally gives the sexual note to Briony while walking to dinner at the Tallises that night; he gives her the note because he believes it will be less embarrassing if it comes from Briony instead of him. When he realizes what he has done, he calls out to Briony but she is too far away to hear him. Back in the house, she reads the note and is scandalized. She gives the note to Cecilia but later confides to Lola that she believes Robbie is a dangerous sex maniac. Lola has come to her with arm bruises that she accuses her twin brothers of giving to her but Briony ignores them.

Robbie arrives for dinner. He and Cecilia discuss the note and admit their love for one another. They make passionate love in the library but are discovered by Briony. At dinner, it is discovered that Pierrot and Jackson have run away. Everyone looks for them. While looking for them by a creek, Briony stumbles on Lola being raped by someone. He runs away into the darkness. Briony insists to first Lola and then the police that Robbie was the culprit and brandishes the sexual letter to Cecilia as evidence. Only Cecilia protests his innocence. When Robbie returns with the twins, he is arrested for rape. Tried and convicted, he is sent to prison. Four years later he is released into the British army and makes up part of the British Expeditionary Force that is sent to northern France in an attempt to halt the Nazi advance.

In northern France, Robbie and two fellow soldiers attempt to make their way to Dunkirk, where the remnants of the BEF are to be evacuated after the Nazis rout their forces and the French. He has a shrapnel wound in his chest. Several weeks earlier, before he left London, he saw Cecilia again. She remained true to him for four years and begs him to come back to her. She reveals that she has broken contact with her family over her love for Robbie and belief in his innocence. She gives him a photograph of a seaside cottage near Dover that they can retire to. It will give him strength as he struggles towards Dunkirk. Cecilia is a nurse in London. She learns that Briony, now 18 (Romola Garai) has decided not to study at Cambridge and is training to be a nurse herself. Briony knows that Robbie did not rape Lola, that it was Paul -- to whom Lola is now engaged and who has become a millionaire selling his candy to the British army. Briony goes to see Cecilia to admit her guilt and state her willingness to do whatever it takes to atone for her sins and clear Robbie's name. Robbie is in Cecilia's apartment when she gets there. Although they are angry with her, they tell her what she needs to do to make things right. She agrees, then leaves as Cecilia and Robbie are intimate for one last time before he is shipped to France with the BEF.

In 1999, Briony (Vanessa Redgrave), now in her late seventies and dying of vascular dementia, is a famous novelist. Her new book, __Atonement__, will be published on her birthday. The foregoing narrative had been one she created for her book, as an act of atonement for what she did to Robbie and Cecilia. In real life, she never saw Cecilia after she left the family, and Cecilia and Robbie never had a last tender moment in her apartment before he left with the BEF. Instead, he died at Dunkirk of septicemia, waiting to be evacuated. Cecilia died a few months later when a German bomb burst a water main and flooded the subway tunnel in which she and other Londoners had taken refuge during the Blitz. Briony hopes that, by reuniting them, she gives them the happy conclusion to their lives that they deserved and her readers the hope that everyone needs to survive.

Robbie and Cecilia walk down the beach on a bright, beautiful day. On the steps of the seaside cottage, they look at the beautiful white cliffs, then disappear inside.

************************************************************

THE FOLLOWING IS NOT COMPOSED BY ME. THIS APPEARS IN ONE OF THE MOVIE SPOILER WEBSITES AND IS WRITTEN BY SOMEONE CALLED 'D Schwarz'. ITS SO DESCRIPTIVE AND FANTASTIC THAT I DECIDED TO SHARE IT WITH YOU ON HERE. THE TEXT HAS NOT BEEN CHANGED IN ANY WAY AND APPEARS EXACTLY AS WRITTEN BY THE ORIGINAL WRITER. *************************************************************

Joe Wright, the BAFTA Award-winning director of Pride & Prejudice, has reunited with his filmmaking team and his Academy Award-nominated actress, Keira Knightley, for another classic British romance, starring James McAvoy (BAFTA Award nominee for The Last King of Scotland) opposite Ms. Knightley. Christopher Hampton (Academy Award winner for Dangerous Liaisons) has written the screenplay adaptation of Ian McEwans best-selling 2002 novel Atonement. Shot on location in the U.K., the films story spans several decades. In 1935, 13-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) and her family live a life of wealth and privilege in their enormous mansion. On the warmest day of the year, the country estate takes on an unsettling hothouse atmosphere, stoking Brionys vivid imagination. Robbie Turner (Mr. McAvoy), the educated son of the familys housekeeper, carries a torch for Brionys headstrong older sister Cecilia (Ms. Knightley). Cecilia, he hopes, has comparable feelings; all it will take is one spark for this relationship to combust. When it does, Briony who has a crush on Robbie is compelled to interfere, going so far as accusing Robbie of a crime he did not commit. Cecilia and Robbie declare their love for each other, but he is arrested and with Briony bearing false witness, the course of three lives is changed forever. Briony continues to seek forgiveness for her childhood misdeed. Through a terrible and courageous act of imagination, she finds the path to her uncertain atonement, and to an understanding of the power of enduring love.

The film starts out with a 13 year old Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) writing a play that she wants to put on that evening for the return of her older brother Leon. She runs through the house and into the garden and finds twenty-something year old Robbie Turner the housekeeper's son (James McAvoy) as he is tending to the flowers. They exchange conversation and its clear that she has a crush on him but he regards her as a little sister. We then see Briony's mother reading the play and loving it.

The next scene shows Briony lying on the garden with her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley). Briony asks Cecilia why she doesn't talk to Robbie anymore, Cecilia says she does, they just move in different circles. Then we see Briony rehearsing the play with her cousins, Pierrot and Jackson Quincy and their older sister Lola (Juno Temple). Lola is about 16 or so. The younger boys quickly get bored with the play and go off for a swim and Briony if left alone in the house. She is looking out the window and sees Cecilia and Robbie out by the fountain in some sort of argument. Then we see Cecilia strip down to her slip and jump into the fountain to retrieve something and she comes out and her slip is wet and sheer and Robbie looks away as she dresses and leaves. We suddenly see the same scene from the point of view of Cecilia and Robbie, as they are talking while walking into the garden, Cecilia is holding an expensive vase and as she tried to fill it with water from the fountain, Robbie tried to take it from her to fill it and she refuses and they pull on it, breaking the porcelain. It falls into the fountain, which is what Cecilia goes to retrieve.

We then see Cecilia in her room, smoking, just generally getting ready for the evening. Through her window she sees her brother Leon drive up with a friend, some rich tycoon who owns a chocolate factory. She sees Leon talking to Robbie with dismay. They meet Leon's friend, who seems rather shady. Leon, Cecilia and the friend, Paul Marshall, are all swimming I the lake and it is revealed that Robbie and Cecilia went to school together and that Robbie is pursuing a medical degree. Leon informs Cecilia that he has invited Robbie to dinner, and Cecilia is upset at this. The scene then cuts to Robbie in his cottage typing a letter to Cecilia, trying to apologize for his behavior earlier that day. He types several drafts before finally typing a rather raunchy sexual letter to her. While he is typing we see the scene cut back and forth between him and Cecilia getting ready and putting clips in her hair. (Important) He laughs as he writes it, then folds it up and places it next to his typewriter. He then handwrites a very heartfelt apology and goes to get ready for dinner that evening. As he walks down the lane to the main house he sees Briony playing in the garden and asks her to deliver the letter to Cecilia, which she does. As she is running to the house, we see Robbie suddenly remember that he put the wrong letter in the envelope and in fact, the raunchy letter is being delivered. He screams for Briony but its too late and she is already in the house and is reading the letter. She then delivers it to Cecilia, but without the envelope, so Cecilia knows that she has read it. We then see Paul Marshall wandering through the house and comes across the cousins, Pierrot, Jackson and Lola. He entertains the children but it is also clear that he is interested in Lola.

Later on Briony goes to her room to change for dinner and Lola enters her room, complaining about being tortured by her little brothers. Briony takes this opportunity to tell Lola what was written in the raunchy letter, calling Robbie a sexual maniac. She then gets ready for dinner and is running down the stairs when she sees a small hairclip on the floor. She picks it up and sees a light shining through a doorway, she follows it to see Robbie and Cecilia in an awkward position against the wall of the library, obviously having made love just moments before. We see Briony's teary face just as the scene cuts to Robbie ringing the doorbell for dinner. Cecilia answers the door and he tried to apologize for giving the wrong version of the letter. Cecilia takes him to the library and basically they admit their attraction to one another and start kissing and having sex up against the wall. In the middle of it they tell each other they love one another and then continue, until Cecilia hears the door open and Briony walk in. They disentangle themselves and leave the room, with Briony just watching them.

At dinner they all pretend nothing's happened, until Mrs. Tallis notices that the young twin boys aren't at dinner so Briony is sent to get them. She comes back down and informs the group that the boys have run away, so a search party is immediately formed. Briony takes a flashlight and set out alone and stumbles across a man with his pants down on top of Lola. As soon as the flashlight shines on them he runs away, but you don't see his face. Lola is crying and Briony runs up to her, asking her who the man was. Lola isn't sure as her eyes were covered, but Briony convinces her its Robbie.

Lola is brought into the house and the police are called and Briony testifies that it was Robbie who attacked Lola and she is sure she saw him. Cecilia tells the police not to believe Briony as she is a fanciful girl but as soon as Robbie comes back to the house, having found the two young boys, the police take him away.

The movie cuts to 4 years later and we see Robbie in France with two other privates in the army, as it is now WW2. They ask him what an educated man like him is doing as a private, to which Robbie responds, you can't get promoted if you've come out of prison and he was given a choice, stay in prison, or join the army. Then we see a scene from six months earlier where Robbie and Cecilia meet after 3 and 1/2 years and after some awkward conversation they declare their love for one another after all this time. Cecilia has become a nurse now in London and is living in an apartment and doesn't speak to her sister Briony or her family anymore. Robbie returns to the war but they continue to write letters, Cecilia tells him of a cottage by the sea they can visit the next time he is on leave and gives him a picture of it to hold on to. We see him throughout the film, going through battle and looking at the same picture every chance he gets. Cecilia also tells him that Briony is now in Nurses training and has written to her, asking to talk.

We then see a 18 year old Briony, in her nurses uniform, trying to fit in at the hospital. She writes to Cecilia, asking to talk and telling her she only now realizes the full extent of her false testimony years ago. We see Robbie wounded in France and waiting for the roundup of soldiers to be taken to the hospital and then see Briony and the other nurses tending to injured soldiers. She imagines that she sees Robbie but he isn't there. Several days later Briony then leaves the hospital to attend the wedding of Paul Marshall, who is marrying her cousin Lola. Lola sees Briony at the wedding but ignores her. Briony then goes to Cecilia's apartment and begs to talk to her, to apologize. She sees Robbie there, who wants to break her neck but instead Robbie and Cecilia make Briony fix what she has done wrong and change her statement. Briony admits that she saw Paul Marshall attacking Lola that night in the garden and they become upset because Paul has just married Lola so he has immunity. We see Briony agree to change her statement and she leaves and we see Cecilia and Robbie finally together in the apartment, kissing. Then Briony is on a train and suddenly the screen goes black and a woman says, can we stop for a moment.

We cut to present day and we see an old Briony Tallis (Vanessa Redgrave) being interviewed about her latest book, titled Atonement. She explains how it is her last book because she is dying and she wanted to be completely honest about all the events of the situation. She admits however that she wasn't honest about one part. That she never went to her sister that day to ask for forgiveness and that Robbie was never there because he died of septicemia in France waiting to be taken to the hospital a few months earlier. She also says that she never got to set things right with her sister because she was killed in a bomb blast a few months after Robbie died. Briony admits that she has had to live with this truth all her life so she changed it in her book, in order to give Cecilia and Robbie their chance to be together in her book, if not in real life.

The last scene shows Cecilia and Robbie playing on the beach and then going into the cottage that Cecilia had talked about earlier and the movie ends.

Page last updated by bwhittekin, 2 months ago

"Don't Make Be Brag!" Chris Crocker said.

2008-04-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

I probably love this photo of Chris Crocker. My gosh! I am falling in love with his covering a background, because it's my favorite colors are yellow and green. I wish he gives it to me now. Damn, he's a famous as known as Britney's Boy. I realize that there celebrities are too busy and cannot trust you, because you might be a stalker or a killer serial person. That's the reason they cannot message or comment to you. Yes, it does really sucks!

Introducing to My First Vlog...

2008-04-08T21:05:00.001-07:00

Got Facial Experession?: Braz's Funny Faces!

2008-04-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

Something Contributed Yesterday

2008-04-06T00:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my sister and I were shopping at the Borders and I bought a book called 'Everything Grammar And Style Book.' We went out to eat at Chili's, and I got the boneless shanghai wings. It wasn't bad, but it's too sweet and sour a bit.

This is a good book. I am wanting to learn more again, because I need to start to write a story on my own novel book.

Incredible! My mom went to Springdale, Utah, at Zion where she found and bought two wood color pencils. When she came back home last night and she showed them to me I was in awe. Amazing! I love it! Thanks, mom!

What Color Are You?: I am a Green!

2008-04-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

Oh, my gosh! Green! That's funny, because I love the green and it's my favorite color.

You should take a quiz and give a try it.

Have a good enjoy reading!

GREEN

You are a very calm and contemplative person. Others are drawn to your peaceful, nurturing nature.

Find out your color at QuizMeme.com!

1. Your perfect Sunday is most likely spent:
Walking through a forest.
Getting a head start on Monday's work.
Spending time with friends.
Reading a new book.
Practicing your faith.
staying in bed being naughty with your partner.
taking photographs.
singing karaoke.
spending time with your family.

2. Your dream job is closest to:
Doctor/Nurse.
Restaurant Owner.
Artist.
Zoologist.
Spiritual Guide/Religious Leader.
Porn Star.
C.E.O. of a large company.
Entertainer.
Professor/Teacher.

3. Most important:
Faith
Creativity
Fun
Knowledge
Family
Nature
Sex
Money
Friendship

4. What's the worst:
Stupidity
Being Prude
Boredom
Divorce
Pollution
Failure
Sin
Not being unique
Loneliness

5. For the best refreshment you go to:
Your lover ;)
A top-rated restaurant.
A community/church picnic.
A cocktail party at a gallery opening.
The most outrageous club you can find.
The family dinner table with everyone reunited.
An earthy vegan cafe.
A coffee shop with a good book.
Your best friend's house with a hot pizza.

6. You prefer to dress in:
Something professional and sharp.
Nothing!
Natural and comfortable clothes.
You don't really pay attention to clothes.
Something conservative but attractive.
Something original and all you.
The latest trend in a color that brings out your best.
Whatever is clean.
The cool outfit you borrowed from your friend.

7. Your next vacation would be:
a romanitic getaway just for two with nothing but room service and satin sheets.
Camping in the mountains.
A tour of historical places in Europe.
No time for vacation!
A rowdy beach party with the hottest young crowd.
A family vacation to visit your relatives.
A trip to a needy country to spread supplies, love, and faith.
Taking in museums and culture in a big city.
A cross-country road trip with your closest friends.

8. When you need cheering up you:
Surround yourself with your loved ones.
Pray/Worship.
Express yourself through art.
Take a surprise weekend getaway with your love.
Surround yourself with nature and your thoughts.
Go out drinking and dancing.
Have a long talk with someone you look up to.
Bury yourself in your work.
Go shopping with friends.

9. If you were a food/beverage you would be:
Filet mignon.
Raspberry cheesecake.
Bread and Wine.
A Margarita.
A cup of coffee.
A pita with hummus and veggies.
Pizza.
Chocolate-covered strawberries.
Apple pie.

10. Before going to bed you like to:
Watch the news.
Lift weights/have a facial.
Read.
Cuddle your animals.
Have sex.
Talk to your best friend on the phone.
Watch an artsy documentary.
Pray/Worship.
Tuck your loved ones in with a kiss.

NEW! Smallville Season 7: Descent

2008-03-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

The most suspenseful scene that you have seen...some pictures on here; the episode is called "Descent", and something major happens. The CW has released new Smallville on April 17th!

Lex pushes his own father Lionel out of the window by his office or somewhere in the building. I think Lex kills him. I don't know yet...

Major Spoiler!

Clark seems seriously disappoint and angry and sad.

Lex and Clark at the funeral cemetery by unknown whom (maybe Lionel's buried), and they became mortal enemies.

Lex looks like not care at all...

The secret of Veritas leads Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) in a dangerous direction that will put Clark (Tom Welling) and Lex in each others’ crosshairs. There is a major power struggle and one character dies. Kristin Kreuk, Allison Mack, Erica Durance, Laura Vandervoort, Aaron Ashmore and John Glover also star. Ken Horton directed the episode written by Don Whitehead & Holly Hendersen.

I cannot hardly wait to see it!
"Descent" is the mysterious part of the episode...

Pearls Before Swine: Great Pumpkin, My Fanny.

2008-03-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

Ah! This is Linus from Peanuts, my mom used to call me Linus, because I always adored my pillow and the bedtime bear also when I was a child. I am laughing this a hilarious comic strip 'Pearls Before Swine'.

I love it!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

To my friend, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Sorry, I’ve tried to taken a picture of St. Patrick, but I am not done with colors on it yet. I am willing to trying to do it, because I love the green and I am an Irish person. It’s very fun thing to do. I know you do too. I don’t have to worry about my draw picture. I posted this picture by gamingaddictmike125. He’s very amazing created this beautiful shamrock with cool background. WOW!

Have a GREATEST celebrating day!

Take Care!

Love,
Braz

Sweet 16 Is In the Angel Woman's Thoughts.

2008-03-10T00:30:00.001-07:00

The first one about girl is an angel has black angel wings, which above signed 'Sweet 16', and it means finding a path of life for your own live life. Travel life with passion. Happy Thoughts on Happiness.

This is my young sister and a present painted from me. She said likes it! I am very glad that she likes it.

This is a real artist Braz and the lovely angel girl picture painted.

There's done what I did painted this board. Incredible. How it looks beautiful and emotion. I used a watercolor painting, color pencils, gloss medium covered the board makes looking neat, graphitkreide, and some magazines which looks good on you. It's finding match your taste and style too.

Sicking. Cranky. Pleasure. Short Story.

2008-03-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

This late morning around between 2:04 and 5:40 o'clock, I have had a horrible sleeping and restless on the black futon mattress, stood up and took out of the bed. I feel like so shit... I am in a sick mood now, but at least I feel better a little bit soon. I hate an itchy throat bit.

I am tearing lots of papers in my bedroom, and I finding something from the past in high school in Creative Writing class, named Emily Weeteling, student, wrote a short story called unknown from my illustrating pictured of the quiet-elf girl, the alike firefly ball and a young angel boy with halo. I am going to typewriting on here for everyone is you are enjoying reading our short story. It's a fantasy fiction and it's a project homework.
(No Image, I cannot show you my precious character ones)

~Short Story~

Unknown title

So I was flying along, minding my own business, when I suddenly find myself running into a wall. 'Wait, that's not right' I think to myself. 'I'm in the middle of the forest. There are no walls in the forest'. So I look up and sure enough, no wall. Carefully, I inch my way forward and find, yes, there is something there. But I cannot see it. This is interesting, maybe I've reached the end of the earth. The rest is just a backdrop... then it shorts to get dark, but much too quickly. Something must be blocking the sun- a bird! But as I turn around I see a huge hand closing the lid to a... Oh no! I've been caught! It's not the end of the earth, I'm caught in a jar! Desterbingly quickly, a boys eye pops up beside me. Those humans, always sneaking up on you. I can't believe I was actually caught. Well I'm done for now, he'll probably tear my wings off slowly and then discard my poor dying body somewhere... Oh this is horrid! I must get out! Maybe if I could just - "Hey!" - wow that was loud. Must be the human. Now, where was I? "Hey! Hey you, firefly!" Pish Posh. Nosey humans. Disrupting my escape plane, wait, he said 'firefly', is he talking to me? "Yes of course I am talking to you, is there anyone else in this forest worth talking to? Aside from Ladybug, but she is obviously not a firefly."

...wait a minute, since when can humans talk to, well, anyone other then humans?

"Have you lived in this forest all your life or something? Cause your a bit behind on current events." Hey! Human!" I yell at him. "Stop invading my thoughts!" He almost drops the jar I'm trapped in, rolling with laughter. "I'm not invading your thoughts! Your talking out loud." "Oh." Drat. Sometimes I do that. Very bothersome.

By Emily Weeteling

What do you think? I think it's a charm humor and cute.

-Braz

Jobs for Deaf - Employment Discrimination and Deafness

2008-03-04T13:35:00.000-08:00

Job Searching Frustrations of Deaf/HOH

From the time deaf and hard of hearing children are young, they are told that it is a "hearing" world. And it is hearing people who do most of the hiring in the working world when deaf and hard of hearing people search for jobs.

Deaf Job Searchers Try to Hide It

I am aware that to improve their chances of finding employment, some deaf and hard of hearing job searchers tailor their resumes to hide the fact they have a hearing loss. There is no way I can hide it on mine. It would take someone with the brains of a gnat to not be able to figure it out from my resume.

Personal Job Search Frustrations

I have experienced suspected job searching discrimination. When I finished my second degree at Gallaudet University in December 1996, I had an interview at a company that called me back for a "second" interview.

The "second" interview wasn't really an interview at all - they introduced me to some people who worked at the company. Those people were clearly uncomfortable communicating with a deaf person, and an interpreter was not provided. Needless to say, I did not get the job. Eventually I realized I had to have interpreting services for the job search, and hooked up with Vocational Rehabilitation for that purpose.

Relay Services and Deaf Job Searchers

In addition, there have been companies that called the voice number on my resume, and then after discovering I was deaf and/or experiencing a relay service call, did not call again. I have lost some really good jobs as a deaf job searcher because of this. Plus, there have been times when companies said they would call but they did not. (Of course I can't be sure that all of this was because of my being deaf, but I think some suspicion is reasonable.)

Today deaf people have other options available to them; they can use personal relay phone numbers such as the My IP Relay Number (www.ip-relay.com). This number is a real voice number and employers who see it on a resume do not know that the applicant is deaf/hoh until they call. This avoids "giving away" the fact the applicant is deaf through having a TTY number and relay number on the resume because the deaf applicant can list the personal relay phone number instead. Most importantly, deaf applicants can have immediate communication with the employer calling.

CSDVRS also offers a personal 800 number. This personal 800 number enables the video relay interpreter to immediately connect to the deaf person's videophone or webcam. This number can also be put on resumes.

There has been discussion in the past on the internet that some employers apparently view deaf/hoh people as "walking interpreter bills." I put out a call in this site's newsletter, About Deafness , for other deaf and hard of hearing people to share their stories of suspected job search discrimination. Some people responded, as seen below:

Even VR Couldn't Get Me a Job

"When I was 24 I lost my hearing (all in one ear and I need an aid in the other). At 28 I went to College to take two years of Word Processing. After I graduated, (I was hooked up with the program DORS Department of Rehabilitation Services.) They told me to hand out a paper that stated to a prospective employer that DORS would reimburse them for four weeks of wages if after that time I did not work out for them. I was NOT taken up on that offer by a single interviewer. But how can you say it's discrimination? It might have been that I didn't type fast enough or my nylons had a run or some such thing! Who knows? But yes, it was very frustrating! Before my cancer, stroke and subsequent hearing loss, I never had a problem getting a job that I applied for!"

Deaf Employee Has Difficulty Getting Transferred

My girlfriend is profoundly deaf and both of us work at [a well-known chain]. She has worked in a sales department before, assisting customers. After working in the computer room and then as a cashier, she wanted to transfer into the garden department. She had to take a computer based test to move from cashier to a department. She, of course, did not pass cuz the questions were directed towards hearing people. I am hearing, and would have no problem answering the questions. but if she recieved questions such as "if you are helping a customer, others are waiting, and then your phone rings, which do you take care of first?" First of all, she can't understand voices even with her hearing aid, so she won't be on the phone. as far as the multiple customers, it is impossible to read 2 people's lips at the same time. so since most of those questions were like that, she failed. After telling me about it, i insisted that she speak to the one manager demanding a retest with fair questions.

This is in no way saying that the [well-known chain] is an unfair company to work for, but their "job preference program" needs to be redone to accomodate their deaf associates.

Deaf Job Searcher Loses to Hearing Job Searcher

This is a story which happened to a friend of mine. He is hard-of-hearing and uses strong PSE. He had applied for a job working with young deaf children in a mainstream progam through our local [school district]. There were 2 positions vacant and 3 people applied. They had him show up for an interview and had him spend a day with the student in class. After that, he was never called back. The [district] ended up hiring the other two people (hearing), one had minimal signing skills and the other was a house-wife from the local community who never even knew how to sign! Eventually, the [district] realized she wasn't going to work out, so they fired her just before her probation time was up (90 days according to the Union rules).

All during this lady's time of hire, my friend went and made sure he was "hire-worthy".

He checked to see if there was some kind of "glitch" in his application process. None was found. The [district] still had the position posted...they never called him back. Three quarters of the way through the school year... a CODA finally applied and got the job.

Deafblind Professional's Frustration

I am deafblind and a computer professional.

I was laid off from the job due to office restruction. Since the last day, I have been faxing and emailng my resumes to recruiters and now am taking computer classes to upgrade my skills. At the beginning, I used the relay number along with my phone number on the resumes and I didn't receive any phone calls. Then I left out the phone number and replaced with my email addresses. I got many good results from the recruiters asking me to call them using their phone numbers. Sometimes, I would disclose myself that I'm hearing impaired and using the relay operators. So many times, I heard nothing from them after the calls. Very few times, the recruiters would email me with list of questions. One time there was a job opening for a help desk analyst and I had a very good talk with the recruiter and at the end all of a sudden this job required managerial experience.

It seems that many recruiters first probably realize that I use the relay operators regardless I mentioned of my deafness or not and they usually screened me out and overlooked things I have pretty good computer skills and work history. I am continuing looking for job openings over the internet. My favorite job search is www.monster.com because I got many replies from the recruiters and I had a few job interviews. My job counselor has excellent job networking with companies and government agenies.

Operations Manager Can't Get Promotion

My husband who is deaf has been an Operations Manager for 7 years with a company that teaches vocational training for the disabled. He does not have a degree but has been a very loyal employee and is willing to do everything they throw at him. A certain position became open on three seperate occassions all of which he applied for. His boss told him that he was not qualified. This, despite his 7 years with the company and the fact that she herself had just been promoted without a degree. They ended up filing the position with a staff less qualified than my husband. They later had to let her go only to fill the position with another applicant that was eventually let go. We thought by this time he would be a shoe in. Of course this did not happen and they went with a staff from another office that was looking to transfer closer to home. During his search outside of his current company, I received a call from a perspective employer via the relay service, I answerd for him and as him and was surprised when she told me (under the assumption she was speaking with my husband)I wasn't what they were looking for. I was angered and asked "Didn't you look at my resume before you called?" She responded yes, and I then questioned why, if after seeing my qualificatins on my resume would you call me if I wasn't qualified. What had changed." Her only response was that she was just calling to check. He is still at the same company but still seeking other opportunities including furthering his education.

Viewed as Stupid?

I feel that I am being disciminated at work since I am the only one with a hearing loss in both ears ....as soon as I told people that I have a hearing loss is when they started looking at me like I was stupid, quit paying attention to me and do not take me seriously .... I see more and more how this world is so cruel . I am now looking into finding a job where ... people are not perfect. I would rather work with people that have disabilities and that know they are not perfect then work with people that are so high up there perfection.... not all the people are like that but I find that most of them are .... Is anybody else in this same boat ?

Also, there have been lawsuits and complaints filed by deaf and hard of hearing job searchers against companies that they claim did not hire them or give them a fair chance at jobs:

In June 1999 deaf job searchers who tried to get jobs at AOL, filed a complaint.
Wal-Mart Settles Employment Discrimination Claim of Two Applicants Who Are Deaf - This is an archived Equal Employment Opportunity Commission press release from January 2000 about what happened to deaf job searchers who tried to get jobs at Wal-Mart.

Stymied by Blatant Discrimination

I had assumed that having a Master's degree in xxxxx and passing xxx exam would impress any employer when I graduated from the university.

I had applied to many places where the Master's degree and xxx were required for the position. I knew I had met all the requirements. I had sent out the resumes, cover letters and applications. I made sure all my resumes, cover letters and applications had no mistakes before I sent them out. There was no one job interview in 7 months!

I decided to call different people and asked them what was wrong with my resumes, applications, etc.. Their responses were that they had already filled in the position months ago. I was suspicious that they decided to discriminate against me because I put down TTD/Voice number and Relay number on all of my resumes and applications. After investigating the newly hired employees, I was stunned that all of them were hearing, couldnt sign well and knew very little about Deaf culture. I was furious but I kept on searching until someone opened the door and gave me the chance. Finally, I was hired. Several months, I met a woman at the conference and knew her because I applied for the position at her company a year before. I decided to walk up to her and ask her flatly about why she didnt want to interview me at all. She admitted that she wanted a hearing person! I became furious at her ignorance about deafness. This woman should not be allowed to work with people with disabilities with that kind of thinking she had! Anyway, I interrupted her and said, "Hearing!!! That's what I thought!" She didn't say any more. She knew she was wrong. I decided to think in another positive way. I figured I should be glad not to work for that woman because she would not be a good employer! That kept me going. I am still working at this place where the opportunity is given to me, and I am going to give this agency my 100 percent best!

Are you deaf or hard of hearing and have you experienced suspected discrimination in the hiring process? Send your stories to your guide for inclusion in future revisions of this article.

I checked on the Internet and it opened a window, typing "Jobs" on search engine in awhile I am frustrated looking all the world wide webs, and I decided to typing "Deaf Jobs in Las Vegas" or not. I noticed a link 'Jobs for Deaf - Employment Discrimination and Deafness', click it and I entered the page to read all the article. I did applied different jobs at the sites. I have no luck finding a job when I suspected discrimination in the hiring process from Toy World near the casinos by downtown Las Vegas Boulevard. The lady didn't email back to me, because I told her that I am deaf which I interested in it, but there's no choice to get a better job myself. I stubbornly applying any jobs at the stupid websites.

- Braz

Braz's Short Stuido

2008-03-02T06:25:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my short studio room, as not much showing you guys all of this pictures, but that what I am doing stuff n' books .

Writing. Drawing. Working. Thinking.

There are wild papers on my carpet floor by the bed behind then.

This is self-portrait picture of me called Braz Wedui.

This is my hall closet of the books are my hobby is reading n' learning.

These sloppy stuffiest things are my hobby. I love to do something on research books, my memories things and some arts.

Vincent Fantauzzo Inspires Me!

2008-02-29T04:36:00.001-08:00

The handsome artist man named Vincent Fantauzzo inspires me a lot since I saw his artwork of "Heath". He created the last painting of late actor Heath Ledger, just one day before he died. I received the ink was barely dry on this painting when Heath Ledger was found dead. Vincent was just putting the finishing touches on his painting of the star at his Docklands on Tuesday. An one day later he found out Heath Ledger had died. I am shocked that there's a really legend about Heath Ledger, he sat for Fantauzzo on his last visit home to Perth in December, the painting depicts the notoriously private actor as three separate images; and the central, largest, image is of Ledger, bare chested, looking straight ahead, appearing pained and exhausted. I love that two background images are Ledger wearing humorous expressions, whispering into the ears of his foreground image.

Vincent Fantauzzo said he felt privileged to have worked with Ledger. "Heath was a very private person, which is one of the reasons I was so honored that he allowed me to paint him," He told reporters. He was so easy and professional to work with. He didn't need any direction, (he was) absolutely focused. Once done, he was back to his usual charismatic self."

Ledger’s childhood friend, hip hop artist N’fa, told Channel Ten News the actor couldn’t wait to see the finished work. “He was very excited about it. He was very excited to see the finished product,” N’fa said.

N’fa said the picture had captured Ledger perfectly.

“This is the way he always was. He was always a thought ahead. He was the hardest person to play chess against.”

The photo is so lifelike and brilliant in the story that it tells of what Heath was like in his final days.

Go to visit Vincent's Home page, click this link:

Vincent Fantauzzo - Artist home page

Got Comedy?: Rat*Pirate's Secret!

2008-02-28T02:46:00.000-08:00

Busted Amber!

Amber lounges with a sexiest Anubis waiters in Nile River side in Egypt.

Isn't she in Egypt?

Why did she bared all over her body in Nile River?!

Oh, my gosh!

Amber!

Nobody knows! She's such a secretly person! How talent she is! She (Amber has not been there in Egypt in real life.) has been traveled in Egypt after she painted a sleepy rat portrait on canvas. (She loves Egypt a lot, you will notice her artworks of the most Egypt, Aztec and Chinese styles. Click this link: Rat*Pirate) She seems so smug like this:

Gasping! Look at her face! She's staring at you....

How did she got smugged?!

Oh, boy! Nope. She just proud of her painted canvas that she did. You idiot! Wait a minute.... I am just kidding with you, guys!

(Laughing out loud!)

I Got You!

"Heath" is a Legend.

2008-02-19T23:03:00.000-08:00

This is Australian artist Vincent Fantauzzo painted portrait of Heath Ledger.

A portrait of the late Heath Ledger is a contender for Australia's esteemed Archibald Prize, one of the most prominent art prizes in the country. It was painted by the actor's friend, Vincent Fantauzzo.
Read more

Got Art?: Year of the Rat 2008

2008-02-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

At the beginning, I started to draw a rat of the year presence last night spent with my best friend Amber, and I stayed at her house for a week on her birthday previous was 5th. Yesterday was 7th of the Rat Year. We have had struggled with ideas for the joy year of the Rat.

I am too soon accomplishing this Chinese rat's clothes and smoking pipe in the hole as circle-looking, almost finishing as not yet...

I am accomplishing whole of this picture I drew at a time... I used the color pencils and blending shades in the all over of its.

This is looking how able we work on project for the Rat year. Three images are how we work with art supplies, books and stuff.

[Not allowed to stealing their talent artists' artworks! Warning! These are Copyrights!]

This is Amber's drawing rat alike Egyptian style as presence, but at this time is Chinese rat of the year.

Amber Horner and Braz Coffey

We proved to YOU is believing us as real artists here.

The Relax Night Day

2008-01-31T22:55:00.000-08:00

At last, Smallville is on TV show! I am watching it was so suspenseful going on with Phantom, and Clark was trapped in fortress, went to check on his girlfriend Lana at home, and Julian got killed by Lex as the mysterious homeless man who shot Julian when he spent time with the father Lionel at night. That's LEX! Damn, Lex Luthor! I am so glad that Lana has a good choice that she's holding the blue rock, put on Phantom's hand then he got blow out of his body, and Clark comes across over, and he protects Lana covered by while Phantom's body blew out! BOOM! (Laughing) So good show! It's always been great episodes.

I found this picture of the elephant painting on canvas or paper book. I love the elephants. I am very impressed with an elephant could do paint in Thailand, because I am an artist that mean I can do anything like oil, acrylic or watercolor paints--it's called I am a painter anyway.

Look at that elephant's happily with the person kissed on his trunk!

I really want to take a picture of me with the elephant in my entire life so happiness day.

Smallville, "Persona" Is Tomorrow on TV Show!

2008-01-30T17:25:00.000-08:00

The CW has prepared a promotional "poster" for the January 31 episode of Smallville, "Persona," heralding the return of James Marsters as Brainiac.

Thanks to KryptonSite and Jana!

Jude Law Rests

2008-01-24T16:41:00.000-08:00

I just adorable this actor named Jude Law he is my favorite, and I know that this images sound like too sicko as prevent person, but I am NOT! I thought would posted this for you all who love him. He's freaking sexiest alive man.

Jude Law lounges beachside in Islamorada, Florida. His latest project is a science fiction thriller entitled 'Repossession Mambo.' Jan 22, 2008

The British hunk catches up on some reading while listening to a portable radio. Perhaps he was following the news of fellow actor Heath Ledger's passing.

It's rare to see Jude without a blonde, female companion.

Heath Ledger News

2008-01-24T12:52:00.000-08:00

First Call After Ledger Was Found: Olsen

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: January 24, 2008

Filed at 9:32 a.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) -- A massage therapist who discovered a lifeless Heath Ledger in his Manhattan apartment made her first call to Mary-Kate Olsen, according to an in-depth timeline police released Wednesday of the moments surrounding the Australian-born actor's death.

Police said Ledger probably died sometime between 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday of what authorities say may be an accidental drug overdose.

Authorities found six types of prescription drugs in Ledger's apartment, including pills to treat insomnia and anxiety, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. Three of the drugs were prescribed in Europe, where Ledger had been filming recently.

Ledger's housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, arrived at his apartment with her own key and let herself in. At 1 p.m., she went to his bedroom to change a light bulb, and saw Ledger sleeping and heard him snoring. She left the room without thinking anything was wrong.

At 2:45 p.m., massage therapist Diana Wolozin showed up for her appointment with Ledger, who didn't answer when she knocked on his door. She then tried to call him on his cell phone, but again got no response. She went into the bedroom, set up her massage table and again tried to wake Ledger.

Wolozin told police that Ledger was cold to the touch, but that she assumed he was just unconscious. She grabbed his cell phone and called Mary Kate Olsen, whose number was programmed into the phone. Wolozin knew that the ''Full House'' star and Ledger were friends, and she asked Olsen for advice on what she should do next.

Olsen, who also lives in Manhattan but was in California at the time, responded by saying she would send over her private security guards to help deal with the situation. In the ensuing moments, Wolozin realized that Ledger might be dead. She called Olsen again, then called 911.

The emergency operator provided Wolozin directions on how to do CPR, but it was too late.

Paramedics arrived minutes later -- at about the same time as Olsen's security guards.

Messages left at telephone numbers listed for Wolozin and Solomon were not returned Wednesday.

Tests on Heath Ledger to Take Days

Thursday January 24 9:05 AM ET

To many who saw Heath Ledger in the last months of his life, the actor appeared to be happy, healthy and excited "in a great place," in the words of one friend.

Which only made his sudden end feel more tragic.

Haydn Ledger, one of the 28-year-old actor's uncles, said his nephew wouldn't have done anything rash. "It just wouldn't come into the equation at all," he said Thursday in an interview on CBS' "The Early Show."

He and Mike Ledger, another of the actor's uncles, deflected a question about whether their nephew had been depressed, saying that should be left to his parents to address.

Ledger told The New York Times in November that working on the films "The Dark Knight" and "I'm Not There" had been stressful, and that he was struggling with sleeplessness and had taken the sleep aid Ambien.

Medical examiner's office spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said an autopsy Wednesday was inconclusive and that authorities would know more in about 10 days, when more tests are expected to be complete.

Ledger's housekeeper and a massage therapist found the actor dead Tuesday, lying naked and face-down on his bed, police said.

There were six different types of prescription drugs in the room, including pills to treat insomnia and anxiety, and an antihistamine, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

A rolled-up $20 bill was found on the floor near the bed, but New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said lab tests found nothing to indicate the bill had been used to snort drugs. Police also said no illegal drugs were found in the apartment.

Lee Daniels, who produced the critically acclaimed 2001 movie "Monster's Ball," in which Ledger starred, strongly disputed any notion that Ledger had a drug problem.

"The definition of substance abuse is really up to one's perspective," Daniels said. "I didn't see him as a drug addict. I saw him as someone who enjoyed life. I know drug addicts he was not a drug addict."

The law enforcement officials said three of the drugs were prescribed in Europe. Ledger had recently been filming in London.

Daniels also said the Australian-born actor was in great spirits when they saw each other a few months ago.

"He was in a good mood, he was in a great place ... he was excited about living in New York," Daniels said.

Police said Ledger probably died between 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. Tuesday. At 1 p.m., the housekeeper went into his bedroom to change a light bulb, saw him sleeping and heard him snoring.

"I didn't think anything was wrong," the housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, told the New York Post. She said she was "still shaking" and unable to sleep a day after the actor's death.

At 2:45 p.m., the massage therapist showed up for Ledger's appointment, knocked on his door and got no answer. She later noticed Ledger was unconscious and called actress Mary-Kate Olsen, whose number was programmed into Ledger's cell phone, to seek advice, police said.

Olsen said she would send over her private security. In the ensuing moments, the massage therapist realized that Ledger might be dead, called Olsen again, and then called 911. Paramedics and Olsen's security people arrived minutes later.

News of the death stunned family, fans and colleagues.

"Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life," said Ang Lee, who directed Ledger to an Oscar nomination in the 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain." "He brought to the role of Ennis more than any of us could have imagined a thirst for life, for love and for truth, and a vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him. His death is heartbreaking."

Before moving to Manhattan, Ledger lived with then-girlfriend Michelle Williams in a four-story, sage-green Brooklyn brownstone with a black wrought-iron fence. Ledger was a frequent guest at the Brawta Caribbean Cafe two blocks from the house, owner Jennifer Ewers said.

"He was a perfect gentleman. He comes in here with his hoodie on, reads a book, and gives you a peace sign," she said. "He was always with his daughter, playing hide-and-seek among the plants, or on his skateboard, peeking his head in."

Fans left flowers and candles Wednesday outside the Brooklyn home and Ledger's apartment in Manhattan's tony SoHo neighborhood. Khaled Ali, 41, a stage manager for a Broadway show, dropped off a candle at the apartment building on his way to work, saying he and fellow cast members were devastated.

"I felt a connection with him as an actor, as a fellow in the theater community," he said. "With 'Brokeback Mountain' he touched me personally in telling the story of my community. It was very touching."

Intense roles became Ledger's trademark soon after he got his start in such teen movies as "10 Things I Hate About You." He buried his Australian accent and downplayed his leading-man looks as a sexually confused cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," a drug addict in "Candy," and an incarnation of Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There."

His role as the Joker in the upcoming Batman movie "The Dark Knight" may be his final finished performance.

Ledger split last year with Williams, who played his wife in "Brokeback." The two had a daughter, the now 2-year-old Matilda.

Williams and Matilda returned to their Brooklyn home Wednesday evening from Trollhattan, Sweden. The 27-year-old actress had been there shooting scenes for the upcoming film "Mammoth," said Martin Stromberg, a spokesman for film production company Memfis Film.

Stromberg said Williams had gotten the news of Ledger's death at her hotel late Tuesday night.

Streams of reporters and a thicket of satellite trucks on Wednesday surrounded Ledger's Manhattan apartment, where some letters were piled among well-wishers' bouquets and candles.

One handwritten note on plain white paper read:

"Heath, how could anyone hate 10 things about you. We couldn't find one bad thing about you. God bless your soul, you're in our prayers."

___

Associated Press writers Nekesa Mumbi Moody and Clare Trapasso contributed to this report.

Funeral Arrangements for Ledger Complete
Thursday January 24 12:57 PM ET

Funeral arrangements for Heath Ledger have been completed and his relatives were expected to arrive in New York on Friday, a funeral home spokesman said.

George Amado, the general manager of the Frank E. Campbell funeral home, refused to disclose any more details, saying that any additional information would have to come from Ledger's manager.

"The family doesn't want us to give out any information," he said Thursday.

The 28-year-old actor's body was taken to the funeral home on Manhattan's Upper East Side on Wednesday, a day after he was found dead in his SoHo loft with bottles of prescription drugs nearby.

An autopsy Wednesday was inconclusive and further test results weren't expected to be known for several days, the medical examiner's office said. Police have said the Australian-born actor's death may have been caused by a drug overdose and appeared to be accidental.

On Thursday, the makeshift memorial outside Ledger's apartment building had grown to more than 100 bouquets of tulips, daisies, carnations and tropical flowers, along with candles, signs, notes and other memorials.

A computer printout of an Australian flag bore the message: "We will always be proud of you, Heath. Rest in peace, mate. You will be missed."

Pay to Tribute for Heath Ledger and More Info

2008-01-23T22:28:00.000-08:00

"I am reacting here about Heath that he is an incredible down-to-earth actor for everyone in the world. I'd love to meet him in person. He's such a wonderful spirituality person for his family, friends and a daughter. I am respecting and blessing his family and friends. I will never forget him and we will always remember Heath Ledger." Love Braz

Heath Ledger Found Dead in NYC

Jan. 23, 2008, 3:55 AM ES

The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Heath Ledger, the talented 28-year-old actor who gravitated toward dark, brooding roles that defied his leading-man looks, was found dead Tuesday in a Manhattan apartment, facedown at the foot of his bed with prescription sleeping pills nearby, police said.

There was no obvious indication that the Australian-born Ledger had committed suicide, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.

Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the SoHo apartment that is believed to be the home of the "Brokeback Mountain" actor, Browne said. The massage therapist and a housekeeper found his naked body at about 3:30 p.m. They tried to revive him, but he was already dead.

"I had such great hope for him," said Mel Gibson, who played Ledger's vengeful father in "The Patriot," in a statement. "He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss."

Outside the Manhattan building on an upscale street, paparazzi and gawkers gathered, and several police officers put up barricades to control the crowd of about 300. Onlookers craned their necks as officers brought out a black bodybag on a gurney, took it across the sidewalk and put it into a medical examiner's office van.

As the door opened, bystanders snapped pictures with camera phones, rolled video and said, "He's coming out!"

An autopsy was planned for Wednesday, medical examiner's office spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

While not a marquee movie star, Ledger was an award-winning actor who chose his roles carefully rather than cashing in on big-money parts. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain." During filming, he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the film. The two had a daughter, now 2-year-old Matilda, and lived together in Brooklyn until they split up last year.

It was a shocking and unforeseen conclusion for one of Hollywood's bright young stars. Though his leading man looks propelled him to early stardom in films like "10 Things I Hate About You" and "A Knight's Tale," his career took a notable turn toward dramatic and brooding roles with 2001's "Monster's Ball."

Ledger's publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said in a statement: "We are all deeply saddened and shocked by this accident. This is an extremely difficult time for his loved ones and we are asking the media to please respect the family's privacy and avoid speculation until the facts are known."

In the Australian city of Perth, where Ledger was born and raised, his father called the actor's death "tragic, untimely and accidental."

"He was (a) down-to-earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving, unselfish individual, extremely inspirational to many," Kim Ledger said, reading from a prepared statement. "Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life."

Ledger eschewed Hollywood glitz in favor of a bohemian life in Brooklyn, where he became one of the borough's most famous residents. "Brokeback" would be his breakthrough role, establishing him as one of his generation's finest talents and an actor willing to take risks.

Ledger began to gravitate more toward independent fare, including Lasse Hallstrom's "Casanova" and Terry Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm," both released in 2005. His 2006 film "Candy" now seems destined to have an especially haunting quality: In a particularly realistic performance, Ledger played a poet wrestling with a heroin addiction along with his girlfriend, played by Abbie Cornish.

But Ledger's most recent choices were arguably the boldest yet: He costarred in "I'm Not There," in which he played one of the many incarnations of Bob Dylan — as did Cate Blanchett, whose performance in that film earned an Oscar nomination Tuesday for best supporting actress.

And in what may be his final finished performance, Ledger proved that he wouldn't be intimidated by taking on a character as iconic as Jack Nicholson's Joker. Ledger's version of the "Batman" villain, glimpsed in early teaser trailers, made it clear that his Joker would be more depraved and dark.

Curiosity about Ledger's final performance will likely stoke further interest in the summer blockbuster. "Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan said this month that Ledger's Joker would be wildly different from Nicholson's.

"It was a very great challenge for Heath," Nolan said. "He's extremely original, extremely frightening, tremendously edgy. A very young character, a very anarchic presence that taps into a lot of our basic fears and panic."

Ledger told The New York Times in a November interview that he "stressed out a little too much" during the Dylan film and had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker, whom he called a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."

"Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night," Ledger told the newspaper. "I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going." He said he took two Ambien pills, which worked for only an hour, the paper said.

Ledger was a widely recognized figure in his Manhattan neighborhood, where he used to shop at a home and children's store. Michelle Vella, an employee there, said she had frequently seen Ledger with his daughter — carrying the toddler on his shoulders, or having ice cream with her.

"It's so sad. They were really close," Vella said. "He's a very down-to-earth guy and an amazing father."

Before settling down with Williams, Ledger had relationships with actresses Heather Graham and Naomi Watts. He met Watts while working on "The Lords of Dogtown," a fictionalized version of a cult classic skateboarding documentary, in 2004.

Ledger was born in 1979 to a mining engineer and a French teacher and got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 in a local theater company. He began acting in independent films as a 16-year-old in Sydney and played a cyclist hoping to land a spot on an Olympic team in a 1996 television show, "Seat."

After several independent films, Ledger moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and starred opposite Julia Stiles in "10 Things I Hate About You." Offers for other teen flicks soon came his way, but Ledger turned them down, preferring to remain idle than sign on for projects he didn't like.

"It wasn't a hard decision for me," Ledger told the Associated Press in 2001. "It was hard for everyone else around me to understand. Agents were like, `You're crazy,' my parents were like, 'Come on, you have to eat.'"

Breaking News: Actor Heath Ledger dies at 28

2008-01-22T14:30:00.000-08:00

When I went to the bathroom, came to my bedroom and saw on CNN news about what happening to Heath was found dead at his apartment in bedroom. I decided to call my best friend Amber, and mentioned her about the most famous actor Heath Ledger dies at 28. We are too shocking and heartbreaking now. I could sense they are too griefs in all over the world, because we have known him sincerely films of his works. Of course, you all know what I am talking about! I will always remember him forever.... (Heath appears on sadly Yahoo! news when I am going to check my email out. Click here more info.) My friends who love Heath Ledger, that's totally woeful present this day, and I read all bulletins of my friends spoken a little bit about him for remembering him still.... Very sad! -Braz

Heath Andrew Ledger (April 4, 1979 – January 22, 2008) was an Academy Award-nominated Australian actor.

Actor Heath Ledger was found dead at a Manhattan apartment Tuesday afternoon in what appeared to be a possible drug-related death; he was 28. The actor was discovered in one of the SoHo apartment's bedrooms at 3:31 p.m., when a masseuse arrived for a scheduled appointment and the residence's housekeeper went to inform the actor of the masseuse's arrival. He was found unconscious and unresponsive; the New York Times stated that the apartment in question belonged to actress Mary-Kate Olsen, who was not present and was believed to be out of state. An initial police report also cited by the New York Times said that foul play was not suspected and that pills had been found near Ledger's body. A native of Australia, Ledger shot to fame as a teen heartthrob in 10 Things I Hate About You before graduating to more adult roles, most notably his Oscar-nominated turn in Brokeback Mountain. Engaged at one time to Brokeback co-star Michelle Williams, the two had a daughter but had split in recent months. Earlier this year, Ledger wrapped filming on the Batman film The Dark Knight, in which he played The Joker; the film is currently set for release this summer. Further details of the actor's death were not available at press time. --IMDb staff

Happy Birthday to You, Jessie!

2008-01-21T02:29:00.000-08:00

A Yellow Blanket & A Small Doll Man

(Photographer by Monika)

There been always exciting as too brightness yellow blanket, and a small doll man is entertaining into you more lighthearted person. We want to say Happy Birthday to you! Your birthday day will never be too difficult present for you....

Don't ever get a chaotic morning person, and let it gone in your head as not like eruptive sunrises--I mean the yellow blanket brings you very joyful birthday day. A small doll man is your good charm day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESSIE!!!!!!

Thanks & Always brother, Braz

In Memory of Brad Renfro: Remembering Him

2008-01-20T13:10:00.000-08:00

Last week ago on Tuesday, I clicked an icon Mozilla Firefox open up, and I saw Brad Renfro dies on Yahoo! News. I was very shocking what happened to him. I did not know that he’s only 25 year old! He’s an incredible beautiful younger man in 1995 film Tom and Huck, who-you-know actor is and his co-star Jonathan Taylor Thomas also. Brad is a good actor, but he is still remembering us of his films sincerely years and he has such greatest friends, workers, fans and families. His fims were too pretty good, but I attractive to him in Bully (2001) movie and he is too sexiest man.

I thought posted this blog about him, because I do not want to forget him forever that’s why I wanted to talk about him at once then…. I came across at IMDb site, saw Movie & TV News, clicked link about Ian McKellen has paid tribute to Brad Renfro, and he said, “I first caught sight of Brad Renfro when he was kicking a football around with Bryan Singer on the half-built set of Apt Pupil in Hollywood. He was a kid having fun and that’s how I shall always remember him. But he was more than that. He was a proper actor and when we worked together, he was determined to be accepted as such. On set, he was blusteringly confident although it was obvious he would have benefited from training as an actor. Yet, as Todd, the disturbed teenager in Apt Pupil, he tapped into an inner demonic world and carried the film on his young shoulders. He longed to belong in the alien world, which perhaps in the end overwhelmed him. He was only 25 and it is dreadful we shan't see all that he might have achieved." Check on his website @ Sir Ian McKellen Official Home Page, you will see "Brad Renfro, 1982-2008", click this link easier way for you.

I remember that when I saw Brad in somewhat films, and I thought he is too hot so I like him a lot sincerely then, but at least there's many Hollywood stars in these years were too sadnesses about theirs life in pain for us to remembering they are like Brad Renfro now. I really love James Dean a lot! See what I mean? But, I am sort of sure you all know what I mean about Hollywood lives are not too fabulous for them like Anna Nicole Smith, Chris Farley, and many stars who are too surfers from horrible rumors, no money, death, haters, etc... like that. You know? Remembering all of celebrities, friends and families in our lives, but they still are around us on the earth in the heavenly now.

Got Art?: Drawing of Emily

2008-01-19T16:10:00.000-08:00

Emily

This six days ago I drew this for my roommate's friend of Emily.

[Full head of Emily]

Left: Sketchbook Right: Paper Shades

Right one was about one and a half hour done, but when I arrived home from my parent's house last Monday at a time, and I decided to add more darker shade on her figures and glasses more better than grey.

A Job Offer Never Let It Turns Down

2008-01-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

[Dilbert comic strip is too great humor.]

This information I found it at Yahoo! news about a couple of months ago, and I decided to copy it for a good reason is we needed to know a job offer. I thought would posted this blog for you all to know. -Braz

Just Say No: Five Reasons to Turn Down a Job Offer
Caroline Levchuck, Yahoo! HotJobs

Employer caution has extended the hiring process by weeks, even months. You may interview for a position several times, in person and by phone. No matter how long the process is and how well you've gotten to know your potential colleagues, it's still perfectly acceptable to turn down a job offer. In fact, there may be many valid reasons that you should politely decline an opportunity, assuming, of course, that you're not in dire financial straits.

1. The word on "The Street."
Is the company's stock price tanking? Or is there talk of a merger? Both of these things could indicate that layoffs loom large, and the position you accept today may not exist in a few months. To calculate your risks, speak with industry experts, do your due diligence on Yahoo! Finance, and consult with family and trusted friends. If you still want to accept the position, try to obtain an iron-clad employment contract.

2. A revolving "Employees Only" door.
A certain percentage of employee turnover is normal. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average voluntary employee turnover in the U.S. for 2006 was 23.4 percent. However, high employee turnover should raise a red flag for any potential worker. Research a company thoroughly before accepting an offer. Also, be sure to listen carefully during the hiring process. Do interviewers keep referring to folks who've left the company or mentioning a total lack of redundancy? These could be signs that people are leaving faster than replacements can be recruited.

3. Money isn't everything; it's the only thing.
If money is a major factor in your decision to accept a new job, think twice before you do. In fact, think three times. Even four.
Depending on your personal financial situation and how much more you'd be earning in a new job, money may not buy you on-the-job happiness or professional fulfillment. It may not even guarantee career advancement. Assess your finances. Revisit your career goals. Look at the situation with a big-picture view of your future. Making a move for a modest increase may not be worth it if there's more long-term potential with your current employer. Also, be sure to calculate your entire compensation package to make sure that you're not forfeiting a valuable retirement or insurance plan for a bigger paycheck.

4. All work, no life.
There's a time in almost everyone's career where they have to put their nose to the grindstone and work almost to the point of burnout. If you're just beginning your career or starting a second one, this may be what lies ahead for the next few years. However, if you're a mid-careerist with a family and personal obligations, it may not be wise to accept an 80-hour-a-week job. Consider the impact your new schedule will have on you and your family. Will generous vacation make up for the longer hours? Is there flex time available so you can still attend family functions? Can you work from home? Forfeiting invaluable work-life balance benefits without assessing the consequences can have a devastating impact on your personal life.

5. A bad reputation.
Going to work for a company with a reputation that's been sullied by a corporate scandal or that isn't well respected can, in turn, sully your resume. Investigate any potential employer's standing within their industry. Solicit opinions from within your network as well as that of an executive recruiter. You may learn that it's better to be a top salesperson at an admired organization rather than a VP of sales at a suspect one.

Also on Yahoo! HotJobs:

Signing bonus: Is it what you want?
Negotiate your ideal benefits
Four reasons to update your resume

Other Helpful Tools

Short History of ASL and Deaf America by mergfkt on YouTube

2008-01-09T20:08:00.000-08:00

Actually, I just was boring and looking around the Internet on YouTube webiste, and I was too enjoyed looking at the videos theirs are deaf people, because I am Deaf. Until, I noticed the title said "Short History of ASL and Deaf America" on related videos list, and this woman is a hearing person, she is very fascinating about ASL and Deaf America history. I know that I cannot hear what she had said about it, but she wrote the begun translation about this on bottom here. So, here you go and have a good time.

About this Video:
Summary of Through Deaf Eyes. I meant for this video to be a history lesson for ignorant hearing people, but I'm adding a transcript just in case Deafies would like to read it & maybe help me correct anything. Thanks. :)

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT:
Of course, you can't learn sign language without learning knowing some history about it. So for that I really recommend that you buy a program called Through Deaf Eyes. It's a documentary on the history of Deaf Americans in the past 200 years. It's amazing. I've watched it like 4 times now (UPDATE: Now 5 times), & every time I'm just amazed & enthralled at the history.
But there's some basic things that you should know.

Deaf people have been in existence almost as long as people have, so it's nothing new. They haven't always had sign language, especially in America. There were ways to communicate, but not necessarily a language. Many people think that sign language is universal, but it's not. Not all deaf people know sign language, not all countries use the same sign language. In fact, our country's sign language is closer to French than British, which is kinda weird because Brits use -- English, & we use American English. So you'd think they might be similar, but they're not. Here's why: in the beginning of the "religious era" in America, deaf people were shut out of the movement. So, that's when the awareness started. There was a deaf teacher whose name was Gallaudet, (CORRECTION: Gallaudet was hearing.) that's where Gallaudet University comes from. But he came to teach, & there was another guy named Laurent Clerc, which... heh, in sign language there's no way to tell how to pronounce things, so for the first 2 years of sign, I thought he was 'clerk' but he's 'claire'.

Anyway... he came to America & was one of the first deaf teachers of sign language or teaching deaf people. & he noticed that some of the deaf people already had some signs that they were using, but to create a language he took his French Sign Language & blended it with some of the signs that he saw people already using in America, & that's how we got our American Sign Language. So that's why it's closer to French than British. Little known fact.

But it's important to know the history because if you don't know the history how can you get into the language, you know? You just know it, you don't really get into it.

Deaf people in schools haven't always been taught sign language. Right now there are schools for the deaf that people use sign language in, but for a while they used the oral method, which is actually something that Alexander Graham Bell pushed very heavily. Um, I think he was one of the main creators of the oral method actually... & it's kinda weird because we always think of AGB as a hero because he created the telephone, y'know? But he had a deaf wife, & I think either his sister or his mother was deaf. I don't remember which one. But he was very involved with the deaf community, & he still thought that the oral method was best. It makes me grumpy because I just don't think it's right to push that so much. For a while, signing was outlawed in schools & he was also one of the earliest eugenicists, & he thought that deaf people should not only be separated from "normal people", but also from themselves because of the theory of eugenics. One thing that is very important to know about deaf culture is that deaf people... obviously cannot talk on the phone like teenagers do. Especially not back then when they didn't have TTYs or VRS. So they were cut off from human contact, & if you've ever tried to go without human contact for even a day, it's very hard, & it really makes you clench up inside. So I feel frustrated that deaf people had to go through that. But because of that, a lot of deaf people today have speech skills. They can talk, but a lot of deaf people don't like to because people assume that since they talk they can hear, & talking is a 2-way communication. A lady from the documentary said she was very successful in the oral method, but she can't hear, so she said it's much easier to turn off her voice so people won't assume she can hear them. That's a lot of the misconceptions about the deaf community is that when they talk they sound retarded. They don't. It's surprising how "normal" they sound when they talk. There are occasional, what some people refer to as "oral failures," unable to learn voicing. But a lot of deaf people are very successful in the oral method. (CORRECTION: The number of 'oral failures' is most likely larger than the number of 'successes.' Deaf people who have residual hearing are more likely to be successful at this method.)

So, that's your history lesson for the day, I hope you enjoyed it. I'll probably post another one later, but I was just really bored & decided to make a bunch of videos for y'all. Anyway, be seeing you next time! Have fun learning!

The year of the RAT 2008!

2008-01-01T00:41:00.000-08:00

'Till February 07th.

Chinese New Year
2008 - The year of the rat

THE RAT
2008, 1996, 1984, 1972, 1960, 1948

Rats are perfectionists. They communicate extremely well, are quick-witted, level headed and always alert. They choose their friends carefully and dote on children. Rats are great strategists and make good politicians, but most importantly, their intuition enables them to suss out the enemy quite early in the game. Rats are shrewd and know how to amass wealth. They’ll gladly spend on their loved ones while outsiders will find them miserly. Their adaptability and clever manoeuvring will see them thumbing their nose at even the tightest spot. But they can be quick-tempered and overly critical, making them edgy, nervous and a downright nag with things don’t go their way. They have an opportunistic trait that will see them wheeling and dealing in exploiting situations for self-benefit.

The Chinese zodiac signs are determined by the lunar year in which you were born. The Chinese believe the animal ruling one's birth year has a profound influence on personality, and destiny.
The saying is: "This animal hides in your heart."

Enter Here

The Rat
Being born a Rat is nothing to be ashamed of. In China, the Rat is respected and considered a courageous, enterprising person. It is deemed an honor to be born in the Year of the Rat and it is considered a privilege to be associated with a Rat. Rats know exactly where to find solutions and can take care of themselves and others without problems. They use their instinctive sense of observation to help others in times of need and are among the most fit of all the Animal signs to survive most any situation.

The Rat portrayed in the Zodiac Fountain in Almaty

Years of the Rat
First in the cycle, Rat Years begin the sequence and recur every twelfth year. The Chinese New Year does not fall on a specific date, so it is essential to check the calendar to find the exact date on which each Rat year actually begins.

The Sign of the Rat
Being born under this sign determines many talents, as well as other characteristics that may not be so commendable. Rats are very lively and need a lot of mental and physical stimulation. They can be calm and perceptive, but sometimes their brains can cause a mental restlessness, tempting them to take on too much, only to discover they are unable to meet their commitments. Rats are blessed with one of the best intellects going. Add to their intelligence a curiosity and a bright imagination, and they seem as sharp as a needle.

The sign of the Rat is the first sign in the cycle giving Rat people exude great leadership qualities and are good at taking the lead. They don't mind a lot of responsibility and they demonstrate a strong presence that other people respect. For those with the Rat nature, status and monetary satisfaction are the greatest motivation.

RAT FACTS:
People born in the Year of the Rat share certain characteristics. The Rat sign is an abbreviated way of characterizing that individual's personality. Following are features associated with the sign of the Rat. First in order, Chinese name-SHU, sign of charm
Hour-11pm-12:59am Month-December
Western Counterpart-Sagittarius

CHARACTERISTICS
Smart, Magnetic, Well-liked, Affable, Quick-witted, Surreptitious, Selfish, Protective, Calculating

IN YOUR ELEMENT

The characteristics of the Rat Sign are tempered by one of the five Chinese elements of Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth overlaying a 5-year cycle of characteristics on the original 12-year cycle.

THE METAL RAT 1900 AND 1960
Of all the Rats, these are the toughest and most resolute. They are visionary and possess an emotional intensity that can lead to feelings of rage, envy, or possessiveness. They like to be in charge, and can act selfishly to get what they want. In relationships, business or personal, they can be obstinate. Metal rats have to bear in mind that meeting their partner halfway would help their relationships tremendously. They take great pride in their homes and enjoy decorating them in their impressively good taste.

THE WATER RAT 1912 AND 1972
Being guided by the Water element means these Rats have a knack for influencing people. With their strong intellectual powers and great insight, they are also great puzzle solvers. They are quick to understand others and are incredibly practical people. Rats apply their talents to their everyday lives, making them obliging, generous and compassionate to other people. Generally, they are liked and respected by everyone. Like all Rats, however, they can be determined to seek their own gain, and will not mind using these talents to achieve it - though generally without losing anyone's respect in doing so.

THE WOOD RAT 1924 AND 1984

Despite having a remarkable facade of self-confidence, deep down, Wood Rats are the least sure of themselves compared to other Rats. However, they wouldn't dream of showing this side of themselves to anyone. Only close companions of a Wood Rat would ever suspect that he or she had such self-doubt. In fact Wood Rats are often worried about downfall, despite their ability to find success. Well-liked, proficient, and good leaders at work, Wood Rats seem to function best when they are surrounded by family and friends. Cordial and delicate, they are usually well loved by family, friends and peers.

THE FIRE RAT 1936 AND 1996

Fire adds a bit of spontaneity and vigor to the already spirited Rat. These Rats like change and travel and are eager to start new projects or to take trips to exotic places. Fire Rats are likely to change their occupations and residences more often than most, and essentially shun any kind of routine. They can be anxious and impulsive, but their zest for life is quite irresistible, and they have the Rat's ability to along so well with others. Compared to other Rats, Fire Rats are likely to be more charitable, autonomous, and energetic and the least self-controlled.

THE EARTH RAT 1948 AND 2008

The Earth adds solidity to the Rat's personality. An Earth Rat is conventional and a good achiever who likes to establish roots early in order to make a secure future for himself and his family. These Rats have the typical Rat ingenuity and mental capacity, but a strong sense of reality often alludes them preventing them from going after anything that could be impromptu. Earth Rats are honorable and love to be stabilized. Slowly and steadily acquiring wealth gives them a sense of inner peace. Although they are capable of being stingy with their finances, they do possess warm feelings for their family and friends.

Health and home

RAT HEALTH
The affect of the sign of the Rat is energetic, and demonstrates enough endurance to fight most any sickness. Yet, all Rats tend to be tense, full of nervous energy, petulant and prone to stress. Rats also harbor a bit of aggression; yet, they are usually able to control it. Yoga would benefit Rats by calming their aggressive natures and helping them manage stress.

AT HOME WITH THE RAT

Rats make good homemakers who are always willing to do household chores. Rats are not usually interested in keeping up with the times, and it doesn't matter to them whether or not their furnishings are in style. What does matter is that their home is a refuge expressing warmth, comfort and vogue. Light blue is their color of choice for home decor. Because this is a sign of acquisition, the Rat person's house is presumably bursting with various knick-knacks collected over the years. Most Rats are cheerful, domesticated individuals who find happiness at home with their family.

Career and finance

THE RAT ON THE JOB
The Chinese say others should always listen to the advice of the Rat. Because of their intellect and observatory powers, Rat people possess prudence and perception. They can anticipate problems, and are always able to see the big picture. They can hone in on issues at hand and make measurable judgments. These skills, combined with their sense of aspiration also make them clever operators. Status, money, title, and recognition are important to the Rat. They have keen senses of observation that allow them to foresee upcoming business opportunities as well as potential occupational problems. The Rat makes a better boss than an employee and, although motivated, they can be pinned down by routines. Rats work better in flexible situations where they can be freely creative.

MONEY AND THE RAT
Cunning and thrifty, Rats have a knack with money and are apt to save for rainy days. When capable, the Rat is a great money saver, and in strapped times he knows how to make something out of nothing or how to turn make things advantageous for himself. Although few Rats suffer financially, the Chinese have a proverb: They who pile up grain hoards have much to lose.

RAT CAREERS
Those born in the Year of the Rat also share the same kinds of goals and objectives in life. The occupations best suited for the Rat are listed below:

RATS MAKE EXCELLENT:
Writers, Broadcasters, Actors, Advisors, Counselors, Lawyers, Politicians, Designers, Engineers, Managers, Directors, Administrators, Entrepreneurs, Musicians, Stand-up Comedians, Researchers, Historians, Race Car Drivers

CONGENIAL BUSINESS PARTNERS
Whether Rats are compatible with their business partners depends on whether their signs are harmonious or antagonistic to those of their partners. Considering the congruity of their own characters and the characters of their business colleagues can also be very useful.

Rats Ruled By	Benefit From	Are Antagonistic to
Metal	Earth Dragons	Fire Sheep
Water	Metal Rabbits	Earth Horses
Wood	Water Monkeys	Metal Snakes
Fire	Wood Oxen	Water Rats
Earth	Fire Pigs	Wood Roosters

Leisurely activities and pleasures
LIKES AND DISLIKES
Since Rats are born under the same Animal sign, they often share likes and dislikes. Following are similar likes and dislikes of the Rats personality:
Rats Like:
Color Preference: Light-Blue
Gems and Stones: Diamond, Amethyst, Garnet
Suitable Gifts: car accessories, art books, gym memberships, geographical maps
Hobbies and Pastimes: Interior design, playing basketball, crafts, painting
Rats' Dislike: Doing without things they want, strict time keeping, any routines, being at the end of the line

THE RAT VACATION
Travel delights the Rat personality and ignites his curiosity. Sunbathing is not the ideal way for a Rat to spend his vacation. Rats are adventurers. They want to explore, examine, visit and party during their time off. They want to try new foods, find new sights and experience the culture of the area they are visiting. And, of course, if they can come home with an exotic souvenir to add to their collection their vacation will have been an instant success.

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES
Generally friendly and sociable, the Rat is one of the extroverts of the Animal Zodiac. Often, the Rat is lively and genial, and has a special gift for easing the minds of others. It is not surprising that Rats have a lot of friends. They are great speakers and intriguing conversationalists, and can generally find something to say on just about any topic or subject. Of course, there is always that renowned Rat lure that allows them to charm the pants off of people! To the people they love, Rats can be amazingly charitable, popular and supportive, and will go out of their way to be certain their loved ones are content. On the other hand, if the Rat does not like someone, he is considered fair game and can be used to achieve any and all of the Rat's desires. At the end of the day, though, the Rat is a loyal friend and will be there for his companions through thick and thin.

Compatible Friends: Dragons and Monkeys
Mortal Enemy: Horses

RAT PARENTS AND CHILDREN
Rat parents are dedicated to their children. They encompass their little ones with love and attention and enjoy watching their offspring grow and experience the world. When their children are small they brood a great deal over them. Rats become concerned if their babies don't develop as quickly as other children. They anguish over whether or not they are raising their youngsters correctly. With the mental capacity to pick things up easily, Rats tend to get agitated with people who are not quite as quick-witted as they are. No wonder this trait could lead to conflict between Rat parents and their children should any of their children be late bloomers or harbor learning disabilities. Overall, Rats are indulgent parents who don't like denying their youngsters of things they want, and the children soon learn how to wrap their parents around their little fingers.

THE RAT INFANT AND CHILD
Rat babies love to be loved and cuddled. When they are young, Rat babies tend to depend tremendously on their parents, but later in life they develop natural leadership qualities. During their baby years, Rats mature slowly, but gain momentum as they become toddlers. Eventually, they begin to exhibit active mentalities, so, in the early years, plenty of sleep is necessary. In school, the young Rats are eager to learn. It is then, too, that Rats begin collecting things, and like to fill their bedrooms with pebbles, shells and keepsakes of every kind. Generally, young Rats are smart little people who are artistic and literary students. They are well-rounded and many of them do well in sports, too. Being born in the first sign of the Chinese horoscope motivates these children to be pioneers and gives them a need to be first in line.

RAT PARENT/CHILD KINSHIPS
Some parents click immediately with their children and others find they will never have a close relationship no matter how hard they try to make it happen. Following are the compatibility ratings between Rat parents and their children.

Lovers and partners

Rats are beautiful people with magnetic personalities. The Rat himself can't help but notice the admiration he receives from others. If the Chinese say there are few poor Rats, there are an even fewer number who are not sexually stimulating- especially as young people. Rat people are romantic, and are always happier to have someone to share with.

RAT ENRAPTURE
One of the Rat's greatest assets is his charm. Rats can melt hearts with their smiles. Add that to their coquettish personalities and you can easily see how they conquer the hearts of others. And, since Rats love to go out, they have plenty of chances to meet potential suitors or future partners. An annoying quirk of some Rats is they have a difficult time severing ties with former lovers. Obviously, this can pose potential conflicts for the Rat and his new lover and can even endanger his ability to develop new relationships. When the Rat finally settles down with Mr. or Ms. Right, he will find a sincere satisfaction in the intimacy of the partnership.

A RAT'S PARTNER
Although Rats like to be in the driver's seat, they do need partners who can keep up with their active lifestyles. Chinese horoscopes are very specific about which partnerships have the potential to be successful in love and in business. Yet, though destiny can point us in the right direction, we must still make efforts to maintain loving relationships. Following is a brief description of how a Rat will affect a relationship with other Animal signs.

PARTNERS IN LOVE
Rat*Rat
This is a prosperous partnership, especially in a business atmosphere. These two are bound to compete!

Rat*Ox
Very sexually enticing, yet likely to fail at marriage.

Rat*Tiger
Potential for great companionship, but you will have some major disputes.

Rat*Rabbit
Rats think Rabbits are boring. Rabbits love to be out and about. You will only frustrate each other.

Rat*Dragon
A solid, caring partnership. You value each other and get along very well.

Rat*Snake
Work on your differences and you could learn something form each other.

Rat*Horse
Don't even think about it.

Rat*Sheep
If you both try hard and make great efforts, you will survive.

Rat*Monkey
You share similar goals and will make a great match.

Rat*Rooster
It's just not worth it…there are too many conflicts.

Rat*Dog
Rats think Dogs are tiresome, but you have the potential to be a good match for each other.

Rat*Pig
Uphill, downhill, uphill…you love each other intensely, but keep an eye on your checkbooks!

EAST MEETS WEST
ARIES RAT
These are secure, bold, go-getting people who cannot pass on a challenge. Approachable and captivating, Aries Rats can also be short-tempered and touchy, especially with those who can't keep up.

LIBRAN RAT
Doubly affable, Libran Rats are smooth operators. These people are elegant and cultured. They are drawn to artistic pleasures such as music and theater. Pleasant to be around, Libran Rats excel in advertising and PR.

TAUREAN RAT
Taurean Rats are intimidating people. Their sharp minds never skip a beat and they don't lose sight of their goals. Conventional deep down, making money is their motivating factor.

SCORPIO RAT
Scorpio Rats are the strong, emotional types. Few would suspect quite sensitive these Rats are. They have an intense aura that allows them to channel their energies.

GEMINI RAT
Gemini Rats are blessed with the gift of the conversation. They are articulate and keen. Easily bored, Gemini Rats thrive on variety, and are happiest with their hands in many things. They do tend to take a long time to make decisions and once they so, to change their minds a few times.

SAGITTARIAN RAT
Sagittarian Rats sail through life and couple wisdom with perceptive. They can spot an opportunity a mile away, and are quick to act on it. Generally, these Rats are lucky but they have itchy feet.

CANCERIAN RAT
Cancerian Rats like to be individuals and to stand out. Material things are important to them, but what they value their family more than anything else.

CAPRICORN RAT
Industrial and tenacious, Capricorn Rats are profoundly enterprising and make substantial progress in their occupations. These people expect their dedication to be rewarded. They may not be that sentimental, but they are loyal and honest.

LEONINE RAT
The Leonine Rat is a mystical personality, dynamic and responsive. In addition to enthusiasm, high ethical standards and wise decision-making guarantee this Rat will be successful.

AQUARIAN RAT
A bit unorthodox, these Rats are impulsive and outgoing. They are community-minded and more selfless than other Rats. Aquarian Rats are determined to work hard in order to better mankind.

VIRGO RAT
With gifts for research and experimentation and an eye for detail, these Rats have the capability to make small assessments. The hard-working Virgo Rat will find fulfillment in any job where intense investigation is necessary. There is something naive about them that attracts quieter, frailer people as their partners.

PISCEAN RAT
This Rat is delicate and incisive, and does well as a consultant or a counselor. Piscean Rats are creative, but tend to lack the confidence necessary and thus feel a need to be part of a team.

Goofy Dancers

2007-12-24T23:45:00.000-08:00

Children See! Children Do!

2007-11-22T00:13:00.000-08:00

CHILDREN SEE!

Description: As I perform for families I see many situations where children are influenced by the adults around them... not always in a good way. This short advert, produced by an Australian organization, carries the message ... be a positive and good influence... as CHILDREN SEE... CHILDREN DO!

By: Bobby Loonie in LOONIE-PALOOZA

I really am totally agreed with Bobby that not always in a good way for children to see the adults have had bad experienced around the world. DON'T LET children see YOU are having bad situation experience...

Sincerely,
Braz

Dialogue of Dookie and Braz

2007-11-13T03:22:00.001-08:00

Created by: Braz
Self-portrait Photographed by: PiZZaDreaMs

This is old dialogue of Dookie and Braz for Creative Writing class in 2002-2003.

Narrator: Taking side of David, expressing his emotions. Setting- Coffee shop. Brandon & David meet and join at table and talk about the future.

Braz: Hi.

Dookie: Hi.

Narrator: Dookie is worried about the future and where he's goin to be in 5 years.

Braz: So, high school is over in 6 days? What are you plans?

Dookie: Not really sure. I am still trying to figure that out.

Braz: Well, at least it's over.

Dookie: Thank God for that. We don't have to deal with all the rude people of that school.

Braz: Why are you being so negative?

Dookie: I am sick of people treating as like we are dumb because we can't hear.

Narrator: Dookie has always felt like the hearing world thinks that the deaf are not as intelligent as them.

Braz: Why do you let things like that get to you? We all live in the same world.

Narrator: Dookie frustrated.

Dookie: When I first got to high school everyone was nice and wanted to learn to sign then as time went on. They didn't care anymore and didn't talk to me, and occasionally wrote letters, but then I got excluded because everyone would talk, and I wouldn't understand.

Braz: Well, that's happen to me too, but you just have to learn to let things go, because that will help you better in life.

Narrator: Dookie is glad he has such a good friend that helps him out.

Dookie: Thanks, Braz.

Braz: You're welcome. Now where is that waiter?

-The End-

::Casts::

Brandon Coffey as Braz
David Davis as Dookie

Writer & Narrator by: Ariola Paja

Story & Actor by: Brandon Coffey and David Davis

Thanks to Ariola Paja