Tasty Wines

Since my wife and I spent some time in Europe, the home of delicious and reasonably priced wines, I've developed some definite Champagne and Winepreferences. We drink a glass of red wine with dinner almost every night, and we particularly like Merlot. Of course, red wine doesn't go with fish very well. Then only a light white wine will do.

Over the last holiday season we bought a lovely bottle of tawny port from Porto, and that was thoroughly enjoyed with cheese, fruit, and even mincemeat tarts. But I think the most special bottle of wine we ever shared was the Moet champagne we uncorked when we were finally alone together on our wedding night!

Shakira Really Likes Chocolate

I think if you have the metabolism to burn off the calories chocolate is just about the most innocuous obsession that you can have. Shakira has said on more than one occasion that it is one of her weaknesses.

Britney Spears listed iced coffees as her addiction back when she was 18.

Shakira reportedly drinks a lot of coffee too.

DaycareBear.com Helps Parents

DaycareBear.com is an online service that offers Free daycare listings. It is a searchable resource that American parents can use to find an appropriate spot in daycare for their child. Your search can be refined to your location and your circumstances. The results will include providers with current and/or future available openings. Providers update availability in real time, so checking often is a good strategy for parents.

World Music Sampler #10

I love the djembe. It is a traditional drum that is common to many African cultures. Hippies play them sometimes, too. I still love them. I have a friend who builds these drums and also has percussion workshops at elementary schools.

Free Classified Ads

The main emphasis of It's My Market is free classified ads. Buyers and sellers can communicate freely. The layout is uncluttered and inviting to users. Besides buying and selling, there is also a lot of things like community events announcements on the site.

A visitor is free to look for things UK wide or they may choose to restrict their search to a smaller geographical area.

I am going to test out the sight with an imaginary need. This could be a bumpy ride, as I have a strange imagination...

Ok, I need a bike. Pretty boring need, but needs can be fairly basic sometimes.

Still on UK wide search, I typed bicycle into the search box and got 5 hits.

What do you think, do you suppose she's taken it over any sweet jumps? Since it's just an imaginary need, I am not going to contact the seller and offer him the imaginary money that I have.

Shakira Goes Shopping

Given Shakira's particular fashion sense, it is no surprise to hear that she went on a shopping spree during her time in India.

My source lists purchases that include cotton saris, books on Indian spirituality and a lucky charm meant to ward off evil. The charm is a replica of the string of limes and peppers that people hang on car fenders.

Mother's Day Is Coming Up

I have a very hard time remembering when Mother's Day happens. I know it is the spring, because we used to go pick Mayflowers for my mother. If we were being passive aggressive, we would imply that it was in honor of her coming over on the Mayflower. Sometimes jewelry is a better choice.

If you are looking for Unique Mother's Day Gifts for Moms amd Gift ideas, Collectibles Today is a great place to start. Most of what they have for sale is exclusive to their site. Thanks to the site, I won't forget that Mother's Day is May 13th, 2007.

They have music boxes, I love these things. I'm going to browse and see what songs they play, maybe you will see a song that has special meaning for you and your mum on my list.

"You Are So Beautiful"
"Always In My Heart."
"Ave Maria"
"All I Have to Do is Dream"
"You Light Up My Life"
"I'll be Home for Christmas"
"Immaculate Mary"
"Ode to Joy"
"Sing of Mary, Pure and Lowly"

I live next to a beautiful church that has musical bells. Sometimes the noon bells are playing "Ave Maria", actually, it is this time of year because of lent. I can't recall what the bells played during carnival week. I know it wasn't the UK remix of Eddie Murphy's "My Girl wants to Party All the Time." That was playing in the streets a lot.

My kids really like "Ode to Joy." It's probably the melody that holds up the best to repetition of all of them.

Some of the music boxes are in the form of intricate Faberge style eggs. Others are actual boxes. I didn't add this to my list but there is a crazy looking one that plays 15 different Christmas carols. That might not be a good Mother's Day gift.

Don't forget that jewelry is always a popular option for any occasion. At Collectibles Today, all of this stuff has sentiments enscribed on them.

Shakira And Her Mom

When all the collaboration and mutual admiration started going on between Shakira and Beyonce, at first I thought it was a contrived thing cooked up by record execs.

Eventually I realized that one thing they have in common is that their parents are still an everyday part of their lives. Shakira always travels with her parents. Beyonce is managed by her father. Maybe the thing that they have in common is family values.

Britney Spears does not seem to have family values. Her mother had played a part in her earlier career, but had given the reins over to more professional types. Maybe that was a bad move for everyone.

Romance is Beautiful

I am a grown man with a blog about Shakira.

I do have a girlfriend (I've been calling her my wife most of the time since we got married). She probably notices that I pay a little more attention to this music blog than the other ones that I am writing. I sometimes bring her over to my keyboard to watch a Shakira video that has a real feel of romance to it.

Right now I am staying up to write this blog when I should be going to bed with her. Romance is about connecting. I am going to go AFK for about a minute and then come back.

Now that I kissed her goodnight, I am going to type up on these little laptop keys that are too darn close together, but much quieter than my USB keyboard so she can get to sleep. Romance is about being considerate and caring.

I am always hesitant to offer anyone romantic tips because I really feel that people are either meant for each other or else they are not. I would be tempted to help out someone who was actively seeking help. Love does require some work in order to grow into a relationship.

RomanceForEveryone.com has eHarmony dating tips for both men and women. I had already found my mate when eHarmony really got going. Searching for a mate online has some huge advantages. One of the biggest ones is just the shear volume of people to choose from. Luckily sites with lots of information enable you to eliminate unsuitable suitors efficiently. My advice for everyone is DON'T SETTLE.

World Music Sampler #9

If you grew up in North America, you may have gotten pan flute overload from the Zamfir guy that sold instrumental albums on television. That is a shame, because it really is a beautiful instrument. This is a Peruvian musician.

Shakira uses this sound in some of her music production, I don't know if it issamples or live musicians in the studio. That's something that I should try and find out.

Recording Phone Calls

The only time I have ever really wished that I was able to record phone calls was after a business partnership began to go sour. It was my first time having an important business partnership with someone that I only knew online and over the phone. We were living in different countries in fact. Long story short, this person was dishonest and, like many semi-successfully dishonest people, a lot of the things that could be pointed to in hindsight were said over the phone.

Recording phone calls is legal in pretty much every situation as long as the second party is given notice that they may be recorded. Businesses do it all the time. The wording of the announcement is usually about Quality Control which is probably true to some extent, but they are also creating a document that they can use to cover their asses when a customer makes exaggerated claims about what was said.

BrickHouseSecurity.com has some pretty neat hardware that can be used for recording calls that you get on your cell phone. They also sell products that you can use from your end to prevent the other party from recording your call. Thank you Brick House...I have the sort of brain that has to go and find out how that works now.

Funny Video Project

There's this very funny American comediene that has a song that goes:

Thank you Momma, for makin' me gold pants,
Ones I can dance in, and make romance in.

There is a Youtube video or two that features Shakira shaking her ass in gold pants.

I lack the technical know how, and the motivation, to do a fun mashup of these two phenomena. Please somebody help me.

And Now For Something Completely Different: Backgammon

I'm not sure what Shakira does to help time pass during the relentless travel involved in being a touring musician. I once read a cool interview with a guy who was in a band and took up Scrabble when he quit smoking. He became hopelessly hooked on the game. He even made the interviewer play a game with him. Backgammon is in some ways similar to scrabble.

Both scrabble and backgammon are very tactile in nature while also being very cerebral. I have to confess that I have very little experience with backgammon, it is one of those games that isn't fun until you start getting good at it. I didn't have the patience. This new program with an animated backgammon playing tiger looks great. Here is a catch 22, the board games usually come out during a power outage these days. I may have to get my game on with this website so I can have an unfair advantage over everyone else in the household. Here is some details about Jean Claude the BackGammon Master:

http://www.BackgammonMasters.com is using a ground-breaking and original approach to promote and establish their skill game software in the online game market. Introducing the #1 Player at BackgammonMasters, Jean-Claude the animated tiger. BackgammonMasters creates a new dimension in online backgammon branding in their 5 part interactive animation series titled 'Life According to Jean-Claude'. Jean Claude - Backgammon Masters Animated Tiger Movie BackgammonMasters brought this character to in a well-designed and cleverly scripted effort to illustrate to a wide audience the appeal of backgammon as a skill game truly loved and played by all people, from all walks of life from around the world. Jean Claude is BackgammonMasters' pioneering mascot who is setting a new standard in online game entertainment. Viewers win prizes for trivia questions after viewing, and are offered rewards for suggestion any script ideas used. Clips can be easily forwarded to friends who will create the viral marketing buzz that only a character like Jean-Claude is capable of generating. "BackgammonMasters creates a new dimension in online backgammon branding in their 5 part interactive animation series titled 'Life According to Jean-Claude'." In the series we are exposed to a hilarious explanation and comparison by Jean-Claude of how to succeed at everything from playing backgammon to chopping onions, to fulfilling ones dreams and make important life choices. In the opening clip we, find Jean-Claude, a tiger, humoristic, mafia type, dressed in 70's clothes (bell-bottoms and cream-colored shoes, a button-up shirt with a dice print and a large dollar sign chain around his neck) sitting in his trailer in the used junk car lot he manages. No, he doesn't feel pathetic or sad amidst the junk, on the contrary. He is full of street smarts obtained during his many years in the University of Life. BackgammonMasters has maintained a high profile in the news lately not only because of Jean-Claude, they also recently launched a 3-in-1 game lobby offering games such as Backgammon, Poker and Perudo (Liar's Dice), all in one download. To get a sneak peak at the animations go to: http://www.backgammonmasters.com/jc.html To download the BackgammonMasters 3-in-1 free software go to: www.backgammonmasters.com Report by Gammonish.com - online backgammon resource for news and information. To learn more about the backgammon game and online backgammon rules visit http://www.gammonish.com.

Don Omar Remixes 'Beautiful Liar'

I have a confession to make. I was not actually very impressed with the track 'Beautiful Liar'. I will have to update my opinion when I get a chance to here the official remix.

Don Omar was sought out by Beyonce's father and manager Mathew Knowles. Don is excited about the huge opportunity to break into mainstream music.

Don has a charitable foundation that helps autistic children. Both Shakira and Beyonce are noted for their charity work as well.

Sources for this post: SOHH Latino, Wikipedia

Focused Personals

I don't have anybody that I am trying to fix up these days. There have been times when I would come across a niche personals site like this Black Dating Service and immediately have someone in mind to show it to. Personally, I think having a common cultural frame of reference is very valuable to a happy relationship. That has almost nothing to do with skin color, but at the same time, Black American culture is unique and different.

Shakira to Take it Easy on the Indian Food

Indian cooking is noted for its rich and spicy foods. The people responsible for feeding Shakira while she is in Mumbai have been asked to provide light healthy food for the performer. This means stuff like lettuce, feta cheese and fresh fruit. Her crew will be catered to with all the typical Indian foods like tikkas, dal and different Indian breads. I am drooling on the keyboard now.

Source...

Help with Home Loans

I have looked at more than one loan site in the last few weeks, PersonalHomeLoanMortgages.com is one that means business. They put a tool for crunching your numbers front and center on their landing page. It doesn't have anything too personal to fill in either.

What is the loan type?...I clicked on Home Purchase from the drop down menu.

What is the property state?...Just for fun I decided to look at Florida Mortgages, it's orange season right

What is the property type?...I clicked Townhouse, it's good to dream.

What is your credit history?...better be realistic here and say Fair.

That's all there is to fill in on the landing page.

Mortgage Refinancing is more complicated than that of course, but this table must be useful for sending customers to the right part of the site.
I'm not looking for
California Mortgages, so why should they be showing them to me, right?

So I clicked the Continue button and it goes to a slightly more detailed table to fill out. I'm not after a loan at the moment, so I won't be filling it out.

Shakira To Sing in Arabic

I am not sure if this report is accurate, but it says that Shakira will be performing one song in Arabic during her performances in the Arab world. Her concert tour includes stops in Dubai, Tunisia, Cairo and Lebanon.

This is almost completely unrelated, but did you know that Google Language Tools has a beta version of translation between English and Arabic? I hope people from both cultures will use this new tool to foster better understanding.

يمكنكم ان تقولوا لي كيف كنت؟ لقد ضيعت فرصة لي بلدي؟ لقد تغير
اي تمنياتي المخاوف والاحلام خطط لب لد

My apologies if this snippet of lyric is very badly translated. I cannot read Arabic.

arabic

Cosmetic Surgery

On a street that is so exclusive that you are not even supposed to pronounce it Row-Dee-Oh, there is only one place to go see a Plastic Surgeon. Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery has some seriously A list clientèle, but many of them don't let on. With the exception of breast augmentation, even the press doesn't notice much of the time when a star gets a small improvement.

But the press has noticed the clinic. Medical director Dr. Lloyd Krieger is being recognized for a unique program of procedures designed to reduce the amount of post operative pain and discomfort that patients experience. A lifestyle magazine mentioned how lots of movie stars were discretely going to the clinic before the Oscars to have a special type of liposuction performed on the chin and neck area. The article does not name names.

Get Shakira's Hairstyle

Shakira is rumored to wash her own undies, but I think she leaves her hair to the professionals. I did find this page showing us all how to get hair like hers with a DIY at home technique. You have to have long hair. It is a six step process and it involves rubber bands and three different hair products. Britney's hairstyle is much easier to achieve.

Cool Videos

Going to YouTube looking for cool videos is kind of like going to Walmart looking for cool clothes. Yes, there are a few items on the racks that would look good on you, but you have to search through a hundred acres of Pastel Paisley Pants endorsed by either the Olsens or Bea Arthur. Yeah...it's like that.



CoolVideoClips.com is more like a boutique. Somebody who has taste is filling a small store with ONLY the good stuff. The site has a sidebar with a sensible number of categories.

World Music Sampler #8

This is a harp guitar. The arrangement is very relaxing. A big part of the big sound involves sympathetic vibration of the long thick bass strings. This player strikes them occasionally as well.

This has to be one of the most successful novelty instruments ever.

Indian Viral Video Is Super-Cool

KONKAN is a South Asian (INDIAN) Video Distribution Website. A video that is uploaded to the site can potentially be downloaded to 10 million mobile phones, thanks to the deals that the site has struck with several providers.

KONKAN isn't building its infrastucture based on where we are with viral video, they are preparing for the future. I am impressed with the content that is already on KONKAN and I will be checking in regularly to see how it grows.

Side-Tracked

A Bollywood choreographer has been quoted as joking about kidnapping Shakira when she is in Mumbai. When I was researching that, I found this neat Bollywood related blog.

It has music clips that autoplay. But they are nice clips, they will make you smile. The categories for some awrds show in India made me smile too...Best Actor in a Negative Role.

Credit Cards and Stuff

I remember several years ago when I first got my credit cards, I used to use them for a lot of everyday purchases. This was because I had a strategy of always paying them off in full at the end of every month so I wouldn't have to pay any interest. I call that the Salad Days of my credit card experience.

Despite my best intentions, I eventually started carrying a balance. I think it was the result of a furnace emergency. After that, my credit cards were no longer the same kind of convenience. They were used on an as needed basis.

When the internet came along a few years later, I was glad that I had a credit card for purchasing memberships, shopping for books, and other stuff like that.

CardGuide.co.uk is a site where you can compare credit cards. I am considering my options concerning balance transfers and I am even thinking about trying to get one of these 0% credit cards. The site has lots of information about these things.

Crawling in Mud is Fun

I had to tell this cute story...I went to the shore with my daughters today and we ended up having to climb up this steep, slimey clay cliff on our way home. The girl that was leading the way looked back and commented that she was Shakira. To the left is the inspiration for her funny comment.

World Music Sampler #7

Here is a performance that can be accurately described as a spectacle. It is part of official ceremonies at the Olympics in Australia. The description on YouTube calls attention to the heavy metal electric violin.

I think the whole thing is horrible. It's like the love child of Michael Flatley and a rusty can opener. But that is just my opinion.

Rent a Projector

I have seen LCD projectors used for educational purposes in institutions of various kinds. I have a short attention span and sometimes I get so bored of the presentation that I start checking out the projection system and thinking about different non-educational purposes that I could put it to. Some of the things include showing embarrassing footage at parties, having a bunch of friends over for big televised sporting events, stuff like that. I'm not the type of person to spend a buch of money on electronics, so I am not ever likely to buy my own projector.

With Projector123.com, you can arrange a projector rental and have it delivered and picked up by FedEx anywhere in the USA. Besides all the social possibilities, these projectors are also great for making business presentations.

LCD projectors

Click on Confirm

So, someone decided to edit together many, many scenes featuring Shakira dancing in a somewhat provocative manner. Some YouTube users have a problem with seeing a human body in motion, even a fully clothed one. The video has been flagged as inappropriate.
Some commentors made inappropriate comments as a result of the flagging.

Body Jewelry

I was reading an interview with a 20 something celebrity and she was talking about her anxiety when she was attending her first parent teacher meeting. She was very worried about whether her clothing was effectively covering her tattoos. This kind of story makes a belly ring seem like a very practical Freak Flag to fly, because it is readily concealed by conservative clothes.

FreshTrends.com has some really neat things to stick in your belly button.

Shakira Concert in Milan

Video Phones must be very popular in Milan. There is an abundance of YouTube clips documenting this concert. I am actually wondering if promoters may have made a conscious decision to forgo the usual prohibition of cameras for this event.

I don't know if this particular video is the best example, I just chose the most recent upload. Sound quality is always an issue with these clips, but this one is highlighting a part of the show where Shakira is belly dancing, so it doesn't matter.

Diamonds Rock

If you love someone so much that you want to share the rest of your life with her, you might want to give her a tangible expression of that sentiment with a hand picked diamond of exceptional quality.

A new source for Diamonds Online that offers a host of information some of it specially assembled for the first time buyer. I'm guessing that there are a lot of people who only ever buy one special diamond. They even have an informative sound file.

I am hopefully finished all of my diamond purchases for the rest of my life. When we were shopping for an engagement ring, my wife and a jeweler were discussing the practice of going with something cheap and then upgrading a few years down the road. I dryly quipped that she would have to upgrade her husband at the same time. We ended up getting a VERY nice three stone setting. They are certified to be conflict free, although we joke that the people who dug it out of the ground were probably conflicted about getting up and going to work.

World Music Sampler #6

This is a Throat Singer from the Altai Republic. Since I don't know much about his people or his music, I am going to vent about the use of the word Eskimo. There was a conference held decades ago in the Acrtic during which people from many different countries declared that they wished to be referred to as Inuit. This is kind of like African Americans saying that they do not want to be Negroes anymore. The word Eskimo is still pretty much official in Alaska and it is used with impunity around the World. The discrepancy highlights how social change is really about responding to pressure, not doing what is right.

Love Don't Cost A Thing

There was a period of a few years where it was virtually impossible to access any kind of free dating services on the Internet. MySpace doesn't count.

When I first discovered Just Say Hi, I was doubtful about the assertion that it was completely free. I checked it out and it really is FREE. I exchanged emails with a real live human being. I offered specific words of advice and encouragement to this person. I am in a very fulfilling relationship already. My general advice to anyone who plans to use an online dating service is to be honest about who you are and what you want. My advice to the ladies is to be very choosy. Any woman who puts a profile on a personals site will get many replies. Only respond to the ones who appear to have made an effort to respond to your specific situation in an honest way.

World Music Sampler #5

Responsible young people playing lively music for the enjoyment of old people, you have got to respect that. The fact that this Bluegrass combo is actually good is a bonus.

Part of this sampler theme involves including a variety of settings. The Community Center setting isn't the best acoustics you could wish for but the lighting is pretty good. I also liked the title of this video.
This is the Girl I Love.

Find a Good Dentist

I have a confession to make. My teeth aren't very white. It's from all the coffee. I brush two or three times a day, so it's really not that bad. My wife has had her teeth whitened. It is apparently the most common cosmetic dental care in the USA. I was surprised at how happy it made her. It's kind of an interesting feedback loop, the white teeth make her happy so she smiles more, so she sees the teeth more...

I can speak from experience when I say that there are a lot of different kinds of dentists out there. I have been pretty lucky with my choices. Having had one dentist that was not the most gentle or pleasant has made it so I worry a bit when I move to a new place and have to Find a dentist. I think that the EveryDentist.com directory is a great resource whether you are considering a new dentist or even just debating about a new procedure.

Shakira's Secret Revealed

Don't tell me any secrets. I planned to keep this one for Shakira. It is streaming on the MTV website, so I guess people are going to find out anyway. She doesn't include this detail of her lifestyle in her promotions because it doesn't fit in with her hot-blooded sexy image...

...She travels everywhere, with her parents. Yeah, it's not much of a secret. I personally think that it is very endearing and sweet. Her sister has an active role in her management, so the arrangement is probably quite practical for the family.

Love Thy Neighbor

The internet has probably done more to change the mating habits of human beings than any other human invention. I think the way that it broadens our options is not necessarily a good thing. It does, however, also allow us to be more narrowly focused.

One community than can benefit from this is the Christian Community. Matters of faith rank right up there with money and sex when it comes to differences of opinions between life partners. Finding a person who very closely shares your beliefs can make for a better path through this life.

Find Christian Love at a dating site for those who share your faith. Remember to take all the precautions that you are advised to take with any type of online interaction. Men lie about being firemen, why wouldn't they lie about being Christian?

World Music Sampler #4

One of Shakira's most successful collaborations was with Wyclef Jean a native of Haiti.

Here is a video from a group of Haitian musicians practicing. Check out the amazing art covered walls in the rehearsal space. It is a sin that a place so rich in culture should suffer so much from poverty. It is even more shameful to think that this poor country is virtually in the back yard of the World's richest SuperPower.

haiti

Remote Control Trucks

Every niche interest has its own special terms, I just learned a new one for RC Trucks. RTR, it stands for Ready to Run. Many hardcore enthusiast build there radio control vehicles from the ground up. I was actually caught off guard when I walked into the basement of a local hardware store and saw what looked like a scaled down chop shop (except in reverse) the owners son is an RC enthusiast and it looks like everybody in the area brings their bodies to him for detailing. He sells gas powered radio control truck kits as well. I almost forgot that I went down there to get my knives sharpened.

I got so engrossed in the information at RadioControlToyStore.com that I almost forget that I went there to review it. The section with all the RC Videos was especially distracting.

MTV Launches Webisode #1 of Shakira's 'Dirty Little Secrets'

MTV has an interesting project that features a contest winner and behind the scenes footage of Shakira's concert tour. It can only be seen on their website. I am going to go check it out...

...it's pretty good. The contest winner is 21 year-old Rachel Newhouse. She is acting like a reporter, quite convincingly. The woman on the street bit asking people about what dirty little secrets Shakira might have is a bit awkward at times, but there is a pay-off. Shakira reveals a real secret ( But it's not dirty, it's quite sweet and innocent actually ).

Recall Info For Contact Lens Solution

Yesterday, March 06, 2007, Bausch & Lomb recalled over 1 million bottles of one brand of contact lens solution

You can find details about the ReNu Contact Lens Solution Recall at this link. If you wear contacts, you should be sure to check the lot number on any solution that you have on hand. If you are trying to make a decision between continuing to use contacts or opting for laser surgery, you should factor product safety concerns into your decision making equation.

World Music Sampler #3

Here we have a couple of women performing what they describe as an Andean piece of music together. The instruments are classical(Spanish) guitar and mandolin.

We often enjoy people playing music that they have no direct cultural connection with and we don't even think about it. From Eric Clapton wailing the Blues to Nelly Furtado rapping, it all comes down to the authenticity of the emotions.

A Phone By Any Other Name...

Changing the name of an established business is always something that is done with a great deal of trepidation. I am going to try and enlist some of the research tools at my disposal to find out what was being said back when AT&T changed it's name to Cingular...

Back when Cingular started in 2000, CEO Stephen Carter said that the company's name "shows the importance of the individual customer, as well as the unity of this joint venture."

Well, now there is even more unity in wireless service and Cingular is now the new AT&T. I think that wireless customers have always been lees loyal to one provider than wired customers. With all the competition in the market people will always have their eye out for a better deal. As a relatively new brand name in a relatively new market Cingular is not losing any ground by changing its name to The New AT&T. On the contrary, AT&T is a very old trademark. I saw the word ICONIC somewhere. In that same place, I found out that the name American Telephone and Telegraph came into being on March 3, 1885.

Having a name that has the word American associated with it that is more than a century old is a good thing.

I do feel a bit sorry fro the guy who designed the Cingular logo. I'm sure that it was a prominant achievement on his portfolio. I guess it is still something to brag about even if it only got about a half a decade of use. Maybe since it has the appearance of a happy bulbous orange person with a floating head, he could do a quick mock-up of a dejected gaunt orange guy with a floating head. I would do it, but I have too much respect for trademarks.

I like The New AT&T logo, it is fresh and exciting.

World Music Sampler #2

This clip is a little heavy on personality and light on music. I have been interested in Anoushka Shankar for years. She is a half sister of Norah Jones and the two are somewhat close, though they did not grow up together and their busy schedules do not allow a lot of time for family get-togethers. There are purists who are always ready to verbally attack people like Anoushka who use their personality and celebrity to bring the music to the World's attention. I personally think that popularizing a genre of music usually benefits all people involved in that genre, even the hyper-critical purists.

india

A Dating Site for Single Moms

In the mysterious world of dating, Single Parents probably have a more difficult time than most other people. I think that added step of determining whether a potential mate is going to be accepting of and good for your kids often overrides and bogs down the natural courtship process.

I can see real potential in the SingleMomsAndDads.com site. Basically, by posting an ad on the site you are one awkward conversation ahead of the game already. Of course you still have to use all the precautions that you use when dating anywhere else.

World Music Sampler #1

While YouTube is still around, I plan to take you on a musical tour of the World. I am going to concentrate on string instruments and possibly drums.

First stop, Persia, which is not the name of a country at this point in time. The Oud is a popular instrument there. I hope you enjoy it.

Point of Sale Software

Sometimes unexpected things will really make me stop and think. A fellow blogger had a post up celebrating his 24th birthday and he put up a video. I was expecting to see some crazy party footage, but it turned out to be video camera footage of him as a newborn baby.

Here is how I am trying to relate this to point of sale software. When I was a kid, it would have astounded me if the Mom and Pop running the local store had been able to operate a computer. These days however, the Mom and Pop are closer to my age and they are just as likely to be comfortable around computers as not.

The great thing about the point of sale software from MerchantOS is that it is made to serve the needs of small business. I think it is great that programs are designed to run well on slightly outdated computers. Things like gaming tend to drive the hardware market and it is counter productive for a company to design something as practical as POS software so that it requires the current specs. A business that is getting started with POS computers can use a second hand PC to run it. I used to work at a big production facility that had a 486 handling most of the automation, it was all that was needed.

Web-based POS software has some extra benefits. I like the idea of off-site access. You could have a family meal at a reasonable time and then do your end of day routine for the store after the dishes are cleared away.

Homogenized Pop Stars

I already mentioned the fact that I get confused about who it who during the Shakira Beyonce video. On repeated viewing, I have decided that this effect is deliberate. What is interesting to me is that Beyonce is shot with both straight and wavy hair, but Shakira is only shot with her signature wavy mane.

I'm not absolutely sure of this, I will have to watch it a few more times.

Some Loan Info

Why do people get loans? Usually it is so they can afford to do some BIG life changing thing like buying a house or a boat or a houseboat. Or maybe they need to get a loan to go to school so they can get a high paying job.

UKpersonalloanstore.co.uk can offer information and comparisons for lots of different loan products, like a secured online loan. Going to a site like theirs is a quick way to look at what is going on in the loan market because the lenders are competing side by side for your business.

If you have a less than stellar financial situation, you may want to get back on track with debt consolidation. If your past is coming back to haunt you, than you need to look at a bad credit history loan or even adverse credit mortgages. Basically, the more financial info you can get, the better off you are.

Stuff About Shakira

There is a grab bag of Shakira info in the trivia section of her Wikipedia entry. Since the section is supposed to go I will run through it for posterity.

* She speaks five languages.

I think I have heard her qualify this statement, maybe she is really only comfortable conversing in three languages.

* She does not eat bread.

This is news to me. Avoiding refined flour is one of several effective ways to prevent weight gain.

* She loves to eat chocolate.

Eating chocolate is not one of the effective ways to avoid weight gain.

* She does not drink alcohol or smoke.

I respect her decision. I do not know if it is purely a health decision or if she has some belief system that precludes alcohol.

* She was voted #7 on AskMen.com's for the Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2007.

Who are the six women on this planet that are more desirable? I need to know.

* Shakira means in Arabic: Woman Full Of Grace, and in Hindi: Goddess Of Light

That's nice.

* She is the youngest of eight siblings.

Did they all eat at the same dinner table? I had a hard enough time growing up with three siblings.

Send Flowers to Someone You Love

DigitalFlowers.com has the sentiment delivery system down pat. If flowers can't say what you want to say, you can resort to a teddy bear or balloons. If you are having something delivered to your loved one at their place of work, you should consider making it something big and showy. The Digital Flowers website is very searchable by occasion and also flower category.

I can just imagine some of the Los Angeles flower delivery anecdotes they must have. Jason Scott Lee used to be a flower delivery man. Rodney Dangerfield's wife has a flower shop. I expected to find more interesting celebrity flower delivery stories. Mariah Carey has received expensive flowers from a secret admirer. I guess getting flowers is a fairly personal thing that doesn't make it into the celebrity news and gossip sites.

Perez Does Not Think Shakira is Hot

It's not a gay thing. Perez Hilton is using some of his made up adjectives to trash the new video for the Shakira and Beyonce single. Perez has strong opinions about music. He has stated that Europeans appreciate GOOD music. That is such a provincial thing to say.

Anyway, I tried to look at the video with fresh eyes today to see what it is that he thinks is awful about it. I just don't know. I'm glad he embedded a video, YouTube took the one I first used down.

Marriage Minded Women

It is a cliche that pre-dates the internet, Single Russian Women wanting to get married to men in America or other wealthy western countries. There are stories of successful marriages and there are stories about deception and dishonesty coming from either and sometimes both genders. If you take away the preconceptions, the situation is pretty much the same as the rest of the world of online dating. In a lot of ways, all the same risks and limitations exist even if you are just dating people that you meet in real life in your locality.

What are the advantages of this type of search for a mate? Well, Russian Women get to choose a life in a region of the World with more opportunities and a better standard of living. The men get to marry someone who may have values that the men prefer to the values held by women living in the west. The most heartless of social scientists have put forth the opinion that falling in love is essentially the subconscious process of recognizing a good deal.

LoversPlanet.com has information to help people avoid being mislead by scam artists.

Norah Jones Thinks Shakira is Hot

Norah Jones also tells Maxim magazine that she picks Shakira songs when she enjoying karaoke. I like Nora Jones. Her father is famous Indian instrumentalist Ravi Shankar, so she and Shakira both benefit from having a diverse cultural and ethnic heritage, and I will go so far as to say that they are both hot.

Source...

Flowers In San Francisco

I think one of the first instances of me recognizing a continent wide delivery system was the result of the flower business. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. It's kind of strange to think that sending flowers to a friend or relative on the other side of the city or on the other side of the continent could be considered a necessity, but it must have been important for people to have been using electronic communications to get it done for many decades before there was a home computer or the internet. It is pretty unspectacular in this day and age that I can click on a link for San Francisco flower delivery and send somebody I know some flowers, probably by the end of today, if I wanted to. I want to apologize to the one person that I know in San Francisco, because I am not sending you flowers today, it was just an example.

Businesses like DigitalFlowers.com have more than just flowers. They can also deliver chocolates, teddies, balloons, gift baskets and more.

A Very Long Engagement

The most basic definition of an engagement is an agreement between a man and a woman to marry at some future date. The social implications of this (usually) verbal contract varies a lot throughout history and also throughout the World. In much of modern society, premarital sex is no longer a taboo. It remains as a taboo in other places that where a dominant religion still holds a strong influence in the society. In between are places where being engaged takes the social stigma away from premarital sex.

I may be wrong, but it is my impression that Shakira was raised in such a social structure. She has been engaged to the son of a former ruler of Argentina for many years.

Awesome Sandals

Did you know that Shakira, in partnership will a small number of other investors has purchased and begun development of a Caribbean island? I bet that she has probably bought a few pairs of sandals to wear on her island, too.

I can't afford to buy an island in the Caribbean . I can scrap up enough cash to buy some of these high quality reef sandals online. I moved much further south than I had ever imagined that I would about two years ago. I actually didn't bring any other pairs of shoes other than a half decent pair of sandals. I grew to love those sandals. Unfortunately, they really were half decent, while the uppers still looked tip top, the soles were wearing thin and had split though where they bend the most. At Active-Sandals.com, you can get the most trusted brand names, sandals that will last.

Ok, Now Beautiful Liar is on and then off of YouTube

Shakira & Beyoncé - Beautiful Liar
Uploaded by dris

Sometimes you spend so much time anticipating the release of some new entertainment for so long and with such high expectations that you end up being disappointed. This is NOT one of those times. Shakira may end up being the Great Collaborator if this keeps up. This comes just in time to replace Hips Don't Lie, which was such a huge success, and I think, getting just a little bit overplayed. I find it a bit disconcerting when I can't tell which woman I am looking at, but in a good way. This is going to be a huge hit.

shakira, beyonce