Horray for Open Borders

I was just looking at Shakira's tour schedule. She it crossing a lot of borders lately. From what I can see she will be waving at the Bundesgrenzschutz 7 or 8 times. Some lucky Bundesgrenzschutz is going to start thinking of this as a relationship.

I have already marveled at the amount of transatlantic flying Shakira has been doing recently. I suspect that she is going to take a long vacation this summer

Belisi is Beautiful

Belisi is beautiful. And I'm not saying that just to suck up to the fashion folks at Belisi. I'm saying it to highlight the old adage that everything is beautiful in it's own way. The fashion photos that I have seen on Belisi's blogs and online store show a certain kind of sophisticated beauty. The accessories that Belisi features in his store are also beautiful.

But a rock is also beautiful. A lemon is beautiful. A rat is beautiful (I know not everyone will agree with that). I was once walking home from the beach and I heard a bustle in a nearby pomegranate tree. My daughters are avid bird watchers so I always do my best to identify whatever I happen to see so I can report back to them about it. As I leaned over the rock wall surrounding the farmers field and focused on the source of the noise, I saw that it was in fact a rat in the tree. It was eating the inside of a pomegranate fruit and leaving the empty rind on the tree. Like almost all humans, I am reflexively repulsed by rats, but in this instance the revulsion passed quite quickly and I began appreciating the scene in the same way that I do most other moments spent observing nature.

Belisi asks, "What's Beautiful to You?" The thing that is the most beautiful to me is the laughter of children.

Belisi draws from two sources for his styles, The Old World exquisite charm of Italy and the sharp chic cache of Palm Beach.

More Carnival Knowledge

I believe carnival and carnal come from the same old word. I'm just sayin'

There is some hip movement at about the one minute mark of this video.

Shakira at Brazilian Carnival

This article in the Guardian lists Shakira as being among the foriegn performers that are sullying the Brazilian flavour of the biggest Carnival event in the world.

This is news to me, I did a search last month trying to find out where she would be for Mardi Gras, and it appeared that she would be resting between European dates of her world tour. Now that I do a search with Salvador and Shakira, there are all kinds of hits. I haven't found a report of her actually being on a float, just reports that she was booked to do so.

Reality Takes Smaller Bites and Chews Well

At first, I thought that reality tv and PayPerPost were not a good fit. Eventually I realized that I had fallen into the trap of expecting certain conventions, even in reality tv. RockStartUp turns some of the new reality tv conventions upsidedown. Once a convention is upsidedown, they proceed to rub it's belly and say nonny, nonny, nonny. That is how you calm a tv convention into submission. Am I making sense? No, of course not.

My favorite episode is Can't Hardly Weight.
The staff were/are having a weight loss challenge of sorts. What I liked the most about the show was all the different sized coworkers stepping up to the scales and shouting out the real numbers. Take a close look at the video, Kirstie, and consider revising your revisionist weights and measures.



Best of luck to all the losers.

Limited Edition T-Shirt

Go back a few posts to find out about the limited edition shirt that Shakira designed for Hard Rock's Signature series. I didn't notice the limited edition part of the announcement. I am going to have to decide about getting one soon. It would make a great gift. I was just talking about making my own tie-dyed shirt in the kitchen a moment ago the artichokes had boiled over on the stove and I noticed as I was cleaning it up that the water was very, very green. You can make dyes from a lot of different everyday stuff. I was talking about putting my own pictures of random stuff on my blog posts yesterday. I took a bunch of pictures today but the batteries are dead so I can't transfer them.

osCommerce Templates that Work

OsCommerce is open source software that is used to create functional online stores. It seems like just about everybody is using it these days. You might wonder then why every single online store does not look or work exactly the same. This question highlights one of the things that is great about osCommerce. It is a very bare bones kind of program that allows for lots of customization in both its functionality and its appearance.

osCommerce Café is the main online source of osCommerce Templates. They have so many templates built now that they break them down into all the following categories:

Animals & Pets
Art & Photography
Books
Computers
Electronics
Fashion
Flowers
Food & Drink
Games
Gifts
Jewelry
Hobbies
Interior & Furniture
Kids & Toys
Music
Outdoors
Seasonal
Software
Sports

This might seem almost excessive, but when you think about it every category has some very unique attributes. To make an analogy, just think about the bricks and mortar versions of all these stores types of stores. An Electronics Store for instance would want to put the latest big sellers in a highly visible location and keep the extension chords on a back shelf while a jewelry store might want an impressive display of as many items as possible. Also, when a store sells items that have their appearance as a major selling point the appearance of the store itself is very important. Just look at some online art stores at random and then look at some auto parts stores.

So I guess I will use this last paragraph to give you my reviews of a few templates. I am going to try to be randomish about what I choose. The Art Jewelry Store is template number 72. It is very attractive. There are graphic elements with organic curves and most of the text and functions are in the bottom 1/4 of the page. I like it. I was thinking about jewelry making recently. Second random template...number 35 ,Clothes'n'More . It is very professional looking. There are no fancy graphic elements to distract from the product images. I think one great thing about a simple looking template is that a company that already has a graphic logo of some sort doesn't have competing elements on the page.

With over 70 templates. OsCommerceCafe.com is the first place you should look. You can get a 3 month membership for $89, compare this to competitors that charge $150 for one design.

The Day the Music Died...

Wow, I can really use hyperbole when I want to. Actually all that happened was that I was really feeling confident about my guitar playing and singing and I was going to record something, but it turned out that both of the cheap microphones that I have are broken.

Anybody who has some guitar skills should try Love Generation if they haven't before. It's C#////////////Fm//////F#//////...over and over again for the whole song.

A Site For Everybody, Sort Of

I like sites like itsmymarket.com it is local in scope, but broad in appeal. And it is just so useful. There are classifieds, community events, competitions, and even personal blogs.

There is a certain new website look and feel to it, but it is already being fully exploited by the people who have discovered it. For instance, I saw that there are about 215 automobiles in the classifieds. Whether you are looking for a tutor or a flan recipe, this is a great place to begin your search. You will no doubt get side-tracked, but that is part of the fun.

Curry night with entertainment?...I can't make it but I feel somewhat entertained as it is, thank you.

Press Release about Hard Rock Shirt

Here is a link to the press release about the Hard Rock T-Shirt.

I need to figure out what the deal is with press releases. If I knew that I was allowed to republish the picture from it, I would. Copyright is increasingly becoming an issue on the internet. I am considering going out and taking a bunch of random photographs of shiny things so I can have some kind of photo in every blog post without worrying about whether I am infringing on anybody.

The shirt looks really good. I hadn't really noticed that snug t-shirts have become the style as opposed to baggy tees.

Affordable Prada Sunglasses

You can get these chic Prada Sunglasses at BestBuyEyeglasses. If you use this discount code, you can even get an extra 5% off of their already discounted prices: ETP5P

The important stuff to know, like the return policy and the prices are all at BestBuyEyeglasses.com. This site has the widest selection and the best prices anywhere. Prada was founded in Milan. I mentioned earlier in this blog that everything about Milan is crazy expensive. I mostly stand by that, but I guess you can get Prada sunglasses at a decent price. I don't know if you could if you were in Milan.

Shakira Designed Shirt on Sale Now

Proceeds from the sale of a t-shirt designed by Shakira will go towards the Fundacion Pies Descalzos. The shirt is the 23rd in a long running series of artist designed shirts sold by Hard Rock.

I think I might buy one of these, I have to run it by the potential wearer first. I think that Shakira's foundation is a worthy cause, but I have already put a lot of money into Kiva.

Cell Phone Deals for Sprint Customers

Good news for cell phone users...existing Sprint customers who are renewing their contracts can get a free phone when they upgrade through Wirefly. Not only that, but you can also get great free extras like a bonus headset.

Sprint cell phones include this awesome RAZR.


Here is a paraphrase of what an avid electronics reviewer had to say about this phone. He is not associated with my site or Wirefly.

Its thin and light and loaded with features. It does its primary job better than the XDA II. He did wish that synching had worked better on his PC just so he could have tested that more. It was hard to find much to fault with this phone. The battery life was good. Reception was great. The user interface was great in most areas. The LCD screen on both the inside and outside is a fantastic feature. Knowing that he can take this phone anywhere in the world is great.

Wirefly is a leading online source for cell phones and wireless service plans. They offer more carriers, plans and phones than all the other online cell phone stores. They offer resources to help you pick out the best phones and the best wireless plans—. Their cell phones are backed by a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.

Wirefly is one of the most popular electronics shopping sites on the Internet. Their e-commerce platform is used by other online cell phone retailers including Radio Shack, Motorola.com, and AOL Mobile. Wirefly.com is certified by Trust-e, Scan Alert and VeriSign.

In 2005 Wirefly.com was presented with Keynote System’s Web Performance Award for Best in Overall Customer Experience. I tend to put a lot of stock in what it says on someones BizRate. I have seen sites offering other services that included some mixed user reviews on the feedback. Customer feedback is overwhelmingly positive for Wirefly.

Reasonable Shakira Facsimiles?

You probably can't afford to pay the real Shakira to deliver a singing telegram to someone. There are people who are willing to do their best impersonation of Shakira, and they may be within your budget. I think most of them have day jobs.

This Philadelphia lady has hips that will lie. I'm not sure how convincing they are. This California based woman will drive all night (250 miles from several major cities) and also does Celine Dion and Cher.

I am willing to impersonate Shakira anywhere, anytime for $50,000 plus travel and accomodation. I am a middle-aged man with a limited singing range and a bad knee.

Enjoy Some Music

I like the idea of this site called Unsigned.com. It is specifically designed as a promotional platform for independent musicians and it encompasses a large variety of genres from Ska Artists to Christian Artists to Death Metal. I think an artist has a better chance of reaching new fans through this site than with MySpace because you simply can't see the forest for the trees there. Plus, MySpace has become primarily a social site, the band promoting thing is quite secondary.

Instead of rambling on dryly about how good the site is, I am just going to take a moment to see if I can find a band that I personally like. Third time is a charm for me ALJADAQUI is a fun sounding Latin band. Something I have to rave about is how well the music is streaming on the site, why can't other sites work this good?



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Safe in a Crowd

I was trapped in a dense crowd of people at Carnival last night. I was not overly concerned and was actually having a fairly good time. My companion was a bit overwhelmed and stressed out.

I have been thinking about the real dangers posed by crowding after experiencing it, and I found this article about how to take steps to be increase your safety.

I think the most crucial thing to think about is avoiding being swept into a crowd in the first place. Obviously, crowds happen because there is a particular place that everyone wants to be, like in front of the stage.

Get Away To It All

Deciding to go to the city for some excitement isn't the kind thing that requires a lot of careful thought. However,finding a hotel room for a city break can be an involved process,especially if you are headed to some popular concert or sports match.

The very last show on Shakira's european tour will take place at Wembley Stadium on 18th March. Wouldn't it be great to include that event in a city break in London with your mates? I'm going to use the search tools at HotelShopUK.com to see what rooms would work well for this event.

I did a search, the best price near the Stadium now is £ 120. It is short notice.

I don't really have tickets for the show anyway. How about a break in Leeds instead, that would be a hoot. Only £49.98 for a night. Maybe you could combine a break with the Film Festival.

A Song that Affected Shakira as a Child

I just finished reading an old Rolling Stone article about Shakira. In it she described being obsessed with this Depeche Mode song when she was twelve. In particular, she was physically affected by the guitar solo. I am once again at a computer with no sound. I might edit this post later with my impressions of the song.

The video was filmed on top of the WTC. I am physically affected by seeing old footage of those two towers.



Shakira

Belisi Rocks!!!

Seriously, Belisi Rocks. He also has been known to Lounge on occasion. He is a man of contrasts. The latest thing that fashion guy Peter Belisi is putting his name to is an eclectic online radio station. Belisi Radio will feature classics and cutting edge tunes from a variety of genres. Here are a few of Peter's own words:

"Belisi Music is my attempt to take the same qualities I look for in fashion – sophisticated, classic, beautiful – and take it to music"

Belisi is a luxury online retailer of great silk ties, women’s handbags and scarves. The Belisi brand combines Italian beauty and sophistication with the bombastic cache of Palm Beach.

I have known about Belisi for some time and I have to say that I have not seen a single item on his website that does not meet my definition of stylish. I think there is some risk of my wife buying a handbag from Belisi. I am so lucky that I am not married to a collector of such things. She had a friend tell her that women should have something in the range of ten handbags. My wife stands by her opinion that that is excessive. I love her, and I think she should get one more handbag. Something that will look at home in Europe.

A Great Tool For Singer/Songwriters

I have been using a free version of AUDACITY for quite a while now. When I was a kid, back in the days before the internet, I always fantasized about having a four track recorder so I could put two different guitar parts and some vocals together. I did the best I could with a bunch of old portable stereos and all kinds of connecting lines.

Audacity is a downloadable virtual recording studio of sorts. It has a lot of great features and the learning curve is not very steep at all. Even if you are not a singer or songwriter, you could have a lot of fun making remixes from your MP3s.

Here is a silly recording I made of a couple tracks of me playing guitar and also my kid laughing and being silly.

Audio:Boring
by innocuous1

PayPerPost Shows You The Money

I have been blogging every single day since I found out how I could make money blogging with PayPerPost. They have offered some really big money to bloggers recently. There is an opportunity for high profile bloggers to make $1,000 for one blog post. All they would have to do is post on an approved blog that meets all the requirements for the opportunity and talk about the reality show that is being produced about the PayPerPost people. The cool thing is they don't even say you have to be positive. Your honest opinion can get you some big money.

A disclosure statement is required from all bloggers. See the link for mine up in the left corner, it's big, you can't miss it.

The folks at PPP only take a 35% commission from advertisers. They are a good value for anyone looking to create some buzz. I like reviewing unique ideas or unique people. I really want to increase traffic to this blog so I can get more of the music related opportunities, but I am fine with talking about fashion, travel, politics. I can put in my two cents about just about anything and get a few dollars in return. I have enjoyed researching emerging artists, writers and singers for my posts. I would be happy to review a laundry service, too. Just show me that money.

Will Shakira Perform in Israel?

The Jerusalem Post is talking about a possible Shakira concert in Israel. They report that Shakira's representatives are talking about a stop there in August. I have to wonder if this is something that will happen.

International artists may choose to avoid performing in Israel for fear of losing fans and revenue that they may have in Arab nations. For most acts this isn't a political statement, it's just choosing to cater to a large market as opposed to a smaller one.

Israel
Shakira

E-cards Make People Laugh

Did you forget about Valentines Day? Were there dire consequences for your absent mindedness? Here is a plan that can help you out. Today is the day after Valentines Day. If you were to get a yearly subscription for $13.99 at this e-card site, you can use their convenient scheduling system.

It is great for birthdays, too. You could make a point of sitting down for a evening and planning out a whole years worth of cards. If you want to try it out. they have a 30 day free trial version as well. Just take a look at these
free funny eCards. If they don't at least make you smile um, well they should.

I am going to Learn to Play some Shakira Songs

I haven't mentioned on this blog before that I am a musician. I have decided after seeing the slow acoustic start to Hips that Wyclef and Shakira did on the Grammy show that I am going to try to learn some of her songs on guitar. Even though I am not very good at speaking Spanish, I find it easier to sing. One song with some Spanish lines that I have been singing for years is Lawless Avenues.

Otra guerra sin razon
Otra guerra sin fin, sin honor
(another war without reason,
Another war without end, without honor)

I use Audacity to record songs. If I make a recording that I am happy with, I will post it on here.

Verizon RAZRs for Free

The mobile phone market is competitive and changes rapidly. The battle for your business is fought on two fronts. The first one is the battle to provide the best service coverage and Verizon has been a Super Power on that front. The second front involves providing customers with phones that have the style and features that they want. This battle has gone back and forth quite a bit. Besides the features and technology, trendiness plays a role. RAZR's have recently become the must have phone. Now Verizon cell phones include a selection of great RAZR's like this one:



And right now you can get one free with a Verizon plan.

I just read that these phones have a tough shell made of aircraft grade aluminum. That reminds me of a cool mobile phone story. I was living on the East Coast back in the late 90's when there was a big event with huge wooden sailing ships from around the world. There was a galleon from some Latin country at the dock and one night there was a party going on with a live band and dancing. I wasn't invited, I think the criterion for coming aboard was some algorithm involving gender age and hemline. Anyway the deck was higher than the dock so the jealous tourist were facing the feet of the revelers.
I got to see some girl drop her phone and she and her dance partner were obliviously dancing on it for about 1/2 a minute before he noticed and picked it up. I don't know if the phone survived or not. I found the whole thing quite entertaining.

'Who' did Shakira Wear to the Grammy's?

Carolina Herrera, that's who Shakira wore for the red carpet at the big awards night on Sunday. CarolinaHerrera.com is a pretty stylish site. I don't know who designed that gold top that Shakira wore during her performance. Whoever you are, know that I love you. I really mean that.

shakira

Drug Addicts Lie

Drug addicts lie. I don't mean to single them out, lying is human nature. But an addiction can elevate this behavior to that of an art form.

An effective drug rehabilitation program has to account for and correct for the lying that goes on in an effort to feign recovery. I think most comfy voluntary programs have such a low success rate because people can fake success long enough to get away from the recovery process and they haven't changed who they are in any significant way.

Stone Hawk is a place with an amazing success rate. If you want a simple explanation of the regimen, you basically have intensive, effective detoxification coupled with learning some of the life skills that addicts have typically not yet learned.

I knew a young woman who had grown up under the tough love and derision of an ex-alcoholic ex-boxer born again blow hard. When she left home for a co-ed campus, she was at a loss. I was a Residence Assistant and I also tried to be her friend but she was on a downward spiral of drugs, alcohol and sex. When she couldn't get anyone to use with her or supply her in our building anymore, she moved to another house. A week later I had to accompany an RA from that residence to the hospital where the girl was on suicide watch. Many people tried to reason with her during the few months that it took her to reach bottom, but there was just no stopping her. Getting kicked out of school was, thankfully, the start of a change for her. Her family, who had kept their distance for whatever reasons they had, stepped in and got her to go to Stone Hawk. As is often the case with addicts, she tends to avoid the places and the people she knew then. But I heard through the grapevine that she was working in the family business and in a positive relationship. I was going to get into some of the lies she told while she was using, but I kind of changed my mind. It's like I want to respect her being able to move on. I hope that if an addict ever reads this post that they see themselves in the story and can look past the end towards a whole life beyond addiction.

Shakira Did Not Win a Grammy

Shakira caused a stir with her Grammy performance, but the votes had been cast long before then and she was to go home empty handed. Actually, I don't know if she has time to go home. Her current world tour is still ongoing.

Were there any big Grammy surprises? Well, the Dixie Chicks won way too many statues. I like them, but it seems like they got a lot of votes that weren't about the music.

A Reminder to a Boxer

A Baltimore City Police detective and his wife were struck by an oncoming car while on a motorcycle. Brother of former heavyweight boxing champion Hassim Rahman, Karim Rahman, had recently stolen the car after robbing a convenience store. Police were in pursuit at the time of the occurrence. Karim is currently serving a twenty year sentence in a Maryland prison. Karim Rahman did not contest the lawsuit that was filed against him by Ingerman & Horwitz, LLPon behalf of the Honaker Family. Rahman had no insurance at the time of the car accident and the Honaker's attorneys say that it is unlikely that any of the judgment will be collectable.

Boxer Hasim Rahman stated at his brother's sentencing that he intends to "donate a percentage of the rest of my career for family to offset some of the financial burden to the family." To date, Hassim Rahman has not contacted the Honakers or their attorneys regarding this promise.

The source of this information is a press release authored by Alan Horwitz. I think using the internet to widely disseminate this information is a forward thinking move by this lawyer. The press release is presently the fifth item on the google search page for the boxers name. Unfortunately, his first name has several common spellings. I would like to see this story at the top of the page.

Will Shakira Music Videos Disappear From YouTube ?

There are several different uploads of this video on YouTube. The copyright may belong to Sony. I am a bit of a fence sitter with the issue of protecting copyright. I don't actively participate in piracy, I haven't bought any DVD's on the street. But I don't have television at my house and if there is good programming up on YouTube, I will watch it. This includes every Shakira video I can find.

My Personal Vacation Rental Experience

My experience with vacation rentals was a very positive one. I have to say that I enjoy renting a well supplied vacation rental much more that either a hotel stay or even a B&B.

We had some amazing features and extras in the place where we stayed. There were pleasant surprises like a cache of beach toys waiting for us at the end of the boardwalk, and a remote control for the gas fireplace. The place also had a sort of take-a-book/leave-a-book library, I read Dorian Grey while we were there.

I did some browsing on the VLBO site and one place that interested me was Heather's House in Victoria, Canada. It's a new house in an old town. If you have no idea what Victoria is like I can just say briefly that it has one of the mildest climates in Canada and the town has a very British history and feel to it. It is known for it's gardens. The wider area of coastal British Colombia is impressively beautiful.

Shakira does not Disappoint at Grammy's

I didn't even have to search for video footage of Shakira at the Grammy's, the woman who works beside me has become a fan through osmosis and she was watching the performance earlier today. It is really great how Shakira and Wyclef keep it subdued long enough that you almost start to believe they are going to keep the number low key...AS IF.

The dancing that Shakira pulls off is incredible. And she manages a to get the lyrics sung quite nicely as well, although it really is a bit of a compromise to do that much moving and sing. She was a bit breathless at times. I prefer that to lip synching anyday.

About All My Children

This post is not about all MY children. For the most part they are very boring and if I published the interesting stories they might kill me in my sleep (not really, they are little angels).

This post is about ALL MY CHILDREN the long running soap opera. I think it has had some of the most memorable characters in soap opera history. Soap.com has all kinds of information and discussion realted to the show including the ever popular, but sometimes avoided All My Children Spoilers.

I love putting these things on the Internet whenever I get the chance, I like to imagine that aliens pick them up on satellite and think they are really important. I'm talking about the ominous:

Spoiler Alert

Kendall and Zach head to Las Vegas to check on his father's grave. They are stunned to discover that the coffin is filled with rocks and a letter...

Oh my goodness, I sort of wish I hadn't looked at that, it sort of spoils the surprise. Luckily, Thorsten Kaye and Alicia Minshew are professional actors, they will be able to act surprised.

Will Shakira Win a Grammy ?

I am reading a long piece about how Grammy Voting Works. Even though the voters of the Academy are not quite as obtuse and conservative as they used to be, you can still expect a few instances of very popular, very good musicians walking away empty handed on Sunday.

The article says that there is still a built in bias towards Major Label Artists. This will work in Shakira's favor. Her nationality will probably be a slight disadvantage.
If you are intensely interested in any genre of music tha is not in the American Mainstream, you can't expect to see your favorite artist on the live TV broadcast. However XM Satellite Radio is broadcasting all the awards that are not being televised.

Shakira only has one nomination: Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals Pop for Hips Don't Lie Featuring Wyclef Jean

I want to apologize for any of the times that I may have mixed up Wyclef's first and last names, I am always thinking about Shakira's hips when I type his name.

Say it Safely with Flowers

I will probably have a few more posts this week with suggestions for what to buy for Valentine's Day. I will say right now that the safest thing you can possibly do is have flowers delivered. So before you get it in your head to do something more original, like preparing sushi for her for the first time or getting her a ferret...stop thinking, it is dangerous. Go to this online flower delivery site and get something traditional and romantic. If you want to put a personal touch, do some research on the meaning of different flowers and get her an arrangement that you can explain to her at length later.

Shakira Must Love Airports These Days

Shakira is in the midst of a tour of Europe. Where is she right now? California, of course. She is preparing for her performance at the Grammy's with Jean Wyclef that will take place on Sunday. After that it is back to Europe again for upcoming concert dates in France, Germany and Italy. I hate long flights. I am always too cheap to buy the headphones and then I can't sleep so I watch the movies. I still am very confused about what was actually happening on Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants but I'd rather continue to go through life confused than rent the DVD. Here is a Paparazzi video of Shakira leaving a restaurant.

Bling For Men

The site featuring this Men's Jewelry has some very nice stuff. I think a man should choose one metal and stick to that one metal for all his jewelry needs. I have settled on white gold. Stainless steel is another great choice. Actually a man might do well to consider coordinating his jewelry collection with his automobile. Some of the bracelets are a combination of steel and rubber.

Here is a short annecdote about men's jewelry, I was taking a course with people about 10-15 years younger than me this past summer. This one guy commented on my ring...he thought it was a LOTR replica. I had to disappoint him by telling him that it was my wedding ring. To me it IS the ONE, but just to me.

Shakira Concerts During Carnival Week

A few European cities will host Shakira during Carnival season. I have not been able to find out if Shakira will participate in a carnival in any way. Regardless, the exhuberance of Carnival will probably everflow into the stadiums where Shakira will be performing.

Test Driving A Hotel Reservation Site

As an exercise in wishful thinking, I am going to use this real Hotel Reservations site to find hotel rooms for to stay in while I follow Shakira around for the rest of her current tour.

Night #1:
Date: 16/02/07
Venue: Bercy - Paris, France

Using HotelReservations.com I found a choice of 26 Hotels. I can sort them by Value, quality, price or just alphabetically. I'm going to go for the cheapest this time, LE BLANC-MESNIL for $47.90. By the way, you can choose which currency you want to use when you are searching.

Night #2:
Date: 18/02/07
Venue: Olympiahalle Munich - Munich, Germany

This time I am going to go for the best value. Shakira wasn't impressed with my cheap hotel room in Paris. K & K HOTEL AM HARRAS for $68.61. Many of these deals are only available online, you could expect to pay more as a walk in.

Night #3:
Date: 21/02/07
Venue: Hallenstadion Zurich - Zurich, Switzerland

Time to stay in the best hotel. I made a withdrawal from my imaginary Swiss bank account while I was on my imaginary road trip. The Zurich Marriott Hotel is pretty posh, maybe Shakira is going to be in the same hotel as me. Even with quality like this you can still stay for only $185.86. I'm going to have to economize by not going to the second show here.

Night #4:
Date: 27/02/07
Venue: Datch Forum - Milan, Italy

The Hotel Leonardo Da Vince is the cheapest nights stay that I could get in this town with HotelReservations.com it costs $90.88. Milan is the most expensive place to stay that I have seen so far. You know, it might be a good idea to use the site to compare how expensive cities are. If you are coming to Europe just to enjoy the old buildings and the culture and stuff, you might as well go to a place that is old and affordable. Shakira only seems to be going to places where people spend lots of money.

Shakira Memorabilia at Hard Rock

Shakira donated several custom-made stage costumes to the Hard Rock
Cafe Margarita, on Isla Margarita, Venezuela, including a pair of plaid pants that she wore on her last world tour.

The Hard Rock Cafe made a generous contribution to her charity, "Fundacion Pies Descalzos” to show their appreciation. I could not find a picture of Shakira in plaid pants. Maybe she didn't like them.

Toronto is a Great Place to Visit

When our kids were still young enough to actually be impressed by something, we decided to take a week long vacation that involved driving our car all the way to Toronto and staying in a short let apartment. We did e few really smart things during that vacation.

The first thing was that as soon as I got to the hotel parking lot I parked the family car and it stayed put until the day that we left Toronto. We wanted our kids to get a real taste of big city public transit. This might sound weird to people from New York or Chicago, but the TTC is actually not that scary or unpleasant. You could rent a car in Toronto, I wasn't keen on city driving.

The second stroke of genius was that we had pre-ordered groceries for the week online from a Toronto company that specializes in online scheduled grocery orders. All the food and water that we would need for a week of sightseeing arrived a few hours after we did, two elevators full of regular food. The children did not eat at a restaurant even once. The two of us had one special dinner at a fine restaurant in Toronto while a friend escorted the kids to a movie.

Toronto has a long list of must see stuff, we missed a couple of things. The CN Tower is impressive. The museums are amazing. The zoo is huge and a full day of fun for a family. The kids loved the big black squirrels that live in the many parks in Toronto.

I recommend taking a family vacation in Toronto. If you were to tie your vacation to a concert or event it would be even better. The Skydome is a very modern event location.

Do You See A Video ?

Unless you are looking at this post shortly after it was published, chances are that YouTube will have taken down the offending video in compliance with the wishes of media behemoth VIACOOM. The clip is taken from MTV, one of the many many cable stations owned by Viacom.

I think that some musicians and comedians see YouTube as a great promotional tool, but the big important guys in suits do not agree. If you like MTV clips or Jon Stewart or Cartman, you should load your desktop up with YouTube tonight, because the party is over. I think music videos will continue to find their way onto the website despite recent decisions.

Free Online Dating

In the much the same way that the December holiday season makes those of us who are away from our families feel it more acutely, Valentines Day makes a lonely heart feel just that much more lonely. If you are lonely, I have some good news for you...Free Dating has returned to the internet. I remember a few dating sites that were actually free back in the 90's but since then, they have been very rare.

I am a bit of a veteran of online dating. I am not single, so I have only done a sort of functionality check on Just Say Hi. It is a genuinely free online dating site. If you are interested, I would suggest you just go for it. Have fun and please for the sake of yourself and others, please be honest about who you are and what you want from a partner.

Shakira's Hair Not an Issue

The definitive poll on celebrity hair makes no mention of Shakira. Eva Longoria has the best hair and Courtney Love has the worst. I started researching what other people thought of her hair because I saw some insulting remarks about her hair on YouTube comments. It is sometimes hard to tell whether people are expressing their honest opinion or just trying to be hateful.

Some Skin Care Products

SkinAct.com is an online resource for skin care products. SERIOUS skin care products. I can imagine that Shakira and every other pop star that is over 30 years old are investing a lot of time and money into fighting against the ravages of time. A healthy diet, lots of fresh air, NOT SMOKING, adequate sleep, avoiding excess UV radiation...these are all things we can do to have healthy, young looking skin longer, but it isn't enough.

SkinAct.com has a full line of products from SkinCeuticals to help you prevent, protect, and correct. They have great treatment strategies for acne as well.

Eminence Organic Skin Care products are elegant and luxurious as well as effective. I like their logo.

Guinot has some intriguing products in its line as well. I should mention that I had sticker shock when I arrived at the front page. SkinAct.com chose to put the best of the best on the front page and the prices are pause for thought. Every line of treatments has dozens of products which are generally less that 1/3 the price of the stuff on the front page. For example MD Formulations has a great exfoliating cleanser for $30.00. Don't be frightened by the big ticket items on the front page, check out the special offers.

Shakira is 1/4 Italian ?

When I discovered this while researching my last post, I was surprised that I hadn't taken note of it before. The focus is always on her Spanish culture and heritage, with the anecdote about her learning belly dancing from her Lebanese grandmother coming in second. I will search and see if I can find any instances of Shakira talking about her Italian heritage.

Just to stir the melting pot a bit more, here is a singer who is popular in Italy, but is a native of Java.

Italy is Beautiful

Shakira is 1/4 Italian. Shakira will perform in Milan, Italy on February 27, 2007

I love so much about Italy. The food, the wine, the culture, the beautiful people, the architecture, the history...it is simply a fantastic country. It is a country of contrasts as well. You saw the mountainous skiing areas during the last Olympic games. You really should focus your Google Earth, if you have it, on the volcanoes of the island of Sicily. You can see the steam coming from the vent of Etna. And the Mediterranean coast is just something you have to experience to fully appreciate.

Having property in Italy would bring you close to all of these things. Is a villa in Tuscany asking to much out of life? Start with asking and then try and make it happen.

Shakira and Jean Wyclef will do that thing they do at The Grammy's

CBS and the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences made the announcement today. Shakira will perform at the big awards night. I think we know what song she will be singing. The only surprise will be the costuming and possibly the number of backup dancers. I think I have already seen this number performed as well as I could possibly hope for at previous awards shows.

The Art of Purvis Young

Up until today, I had never heard of Purvis Young. He is one of those real artists that the Art World likes to use the label Outsider Art to describe. I think they do that because the volume and quality and POWER of his work and the work of others like him shine a light on a lot of the pretense that exists in what I will call Insider Art.



Purvis Young has been witness to the tragic decline of a community. He still lives in Overtown, Florida despite his celebrated work. He wears dark glasses in public in part to hide the tears that he often sheds when he observes the human condition that surrounds his everyday life. He has always painted on whatever surfaces were made available to him, scrap wood, metal platters, anything. I love the color choices that he makes. And I like the faces that he draws. There seems to be a recurring character in many of his pieces, I don't know if it representative of his own self or a sort of everyman. He also has interesting pieces that feature groups of people. There is really no individuals in the groups, they are like a singular entity, sometimes dancing, sometimes marching in anger. In one painting it appears to be a group of young men turning their backs on the observer in a very overt gesture of dismissal. I don't want to make it sound bleak, there is a dreamlike grace and beauty to most of the work.


I would like to briefly mention the Hospitality Photography of Daniel Aubry. It is very professional, he has a widely recognized knack for revealing the essence of a space.

This is ...Interesting

The above picture is an advertisement for a Shakira concert that was held in Egypt. It is the work of designer Amr el sharkawy. Good work, sir. If you were to rummage through the archive of this blog you would see that I am the worst graphic designer in the history of civilization.

Take a Look at Egypt

Shakira has visited Egypt during previous World tours. I can only assume that the history and the beauty of that country had as much to do with her schedule as the ticket sales.

I'm linking to a great photo blog about Cairo Egypt, there are lots of great shots of the Pyramids and other ancient stuff. What really interests me the most when I travel are the people. This is a great photograph of a horseman and various family members and shelters. Click on the picture to see it in full size on the site.

If This Ever Loads...

I think SonyBMG has the Beyonce Shakira duet streaming online. I'm am writing this while I wait for the page to load (Darn kids are cloggin' up the tubes again). Sorry, false alarm. Beyonce has two tracks on this playlist at the moment. It might be a good place to check back.

Home Office Desks

I have personally bought 6-7 home office desks in the past few years. I will probably buy a few more eventually. One thing I would recommend to anyone is to avoid styles that are designed very specifically for one style of PC because monitor technology changes and PCU designs change. You may also change your mind about what peripherals you do or do not need.

I love the style of the the above desk. It is simple and elegant and I think it would be quite versatile, too. GreatPricedFurniture.com has stuff that is either side of this in the fancy department. I picked this one to feature because, for me, it is just right.

Check out these big Hi-Res Photos...

I am linking to this huge Shakira image for a few reasons.

I think this fundraiser is pure marketing genius. I mean look, Shakira is getting in all the automotive blogs.

Shakira looks good when she goes casual. It's interesting that the lighting on this stage has been adjusted to make the car look its best rather than the people.

The sum of money on the giant check that Shakira and some auto exec. are holding is not huge. The contest runs til May, so expect to see enough to build a school or two in Colombia by then.

Notice that Shakira is wearing a Beatles shirt.

A Few Words about Car and Home Insurance

Many of us have the level of insurance coverage for our cars determined by our finance company. Most often they will require that you obtain comprehensive car insurance before you get to drive away with your car.

If you are entering to win the Shakira designed Leon Pies Descalzos, you might want to compare car insurance so you can be on the road with your prize that much sooner.

Lenders often dictate what level of home insurance you need to have as well. I think that even if you are renting there are some possible losses that you should be insured against. I have heard a lot of horror stories about people who get their basement apartment flooded as the result of someone else's negligence and are still stuck with the expense entalied by all the damage to their possessions. Theft insurance is something worth looking into as well. I spent some time living in a bad neighborhood a few years back and I lived in fear of being burgled. We had a home business operating there. I'm curious as to whether you can be insured against lost earnings if the computers containing a portion of your business information are stolen? Probably not.

A Blast From Shakira's Past

I was snooping through Archive.org and I though readers here might enjoy a look at the old graphics for the official Shakira website. This is from the Laundry Service days. I prefer the new look for her site. The looping animation from the Wherever, Whatever video gets a bit annoying after a while. Nearly all the tabs go to 404 pages, that is typical of the archiving.

My Latino Friends

I worked in the specialty coffee industry for a couple of years and I met some really cool people from the Latino communities of the USA, and also from some of the World's coffee producing nations.

I met a lot of young, smart people who were making their careers in either the technical side of making great coffee, or the marketing of coffee. I made a friend, and had an anecdote for life, when I was a volunteer for this big international coffee tasting event. I was one of many people who were exactingly making hundreds of cups of coffee for the tasters. It was a job that was mostly busy, but involved some standing around waiting for things to boil as well. My table partner was a stylishly dressed 20 something Puerto Rican. I was to soon find out that he was a comedian. When he found out that I was Canadian he told me that he had heard this news story about how the low-carb diet craze had caused a huge drop in Maple Syrup sales and that as a result there were Maple trees blowing up all over Canada. The funny part of the joke was that he had a captive audience and he was very persistent that is must be true. I asked him why they didn't have dairy cows blowing up in Wisconsin during the low-fat craze and he thought that maybe they had been and that there was some kind of cover up.

But this post isn't just to talk about my Latino friends, i want to talk about how Latino-Friends.com is an all-in-one Latino Community website. It's like a MySpace but it is specifically for the Latino Community. I like the layout of the site. It is very new. They are looking for bloggers to help fill up their blog section. Go check it out.

My Forum is Being Ignored

I started a forum on this site weeks ago, and it hasn't really taken off. If you want to talk about anything related to Shakira, you should post something on my FORUM.

¿Habla Español? I would be happy to have people post in Spanish, or any language.

shakiraforum

Enjoy Brazil Starting at $1

Don't get too excited, that's the reserve bid for an auction that is being held online for a vacation package at Othon Hotels in beautiful Brazil. Brazil is one of the places on my mind right now as Carnival season approaches.

SkyAuction.com is an established travel auction marketplace. You can choose between "Bid On" or "Buy Now" on discount packages to Othon Hotels in Brazil, and many other South America destinations. Save money on hotel resort nights, vacation rentals, cruises, and more. SkyAuction.com have provided over half a million travelers with a means to get more from their money than they ever dreamed.

Happy 30th Birthday Shakira!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

My gift to visitors today is this art. Click on it to visit the site of the Colombian artist Fernado Botero. The still life depicts a typical birthday table in Colombia.

Call Cheaply With Pingo

I just love to live in an time period when long distance communications are so affordable. I was recently talking to a woman at a party who is in her early sixties. She was telling me this story about how when her future husband emigrated to America she had to stay behind in Europe. Way back then, there was only one phone in every village and it cost the equivalent of about $5.00 per minute to talk to someone overseas. Now, companies like Pingo can give you four hours of international calling time as an incentive to sign up. Check out these Poland calling card rates, awesome or what?

The calling card rates are literally pennies per minute. I have relatives scattered all around the World and I spent some time running the numbers with the this rate checking page. It appears that you could expect to save a lot of money with this prepaid card system.

In addition to the great rates, you will receive up to 4 hours of free International calls for signing up, linking to Pingo.com, or going to this International calling card service and emailing link@freeautobot.com to receive a free phone card.

Pingo’s affiliate program pays $15 for each new customer you refer.
This is a sponsored post.

Pingo
long distance

Shakira's Hair

I have given myself the thankless task of readin the comments sections of various webpages and it appears that criticizing Shakira's hair is a favorite pastime for haters. I am considering going to a stylist friend of mine for a professional opinion. I think what the teenage girls don't understand is that to another segment of the population, messed up hair is kinda hot. Please feel free to leave comments. Don't bother trying to say anything insulting about what you think Might be wrong with MY hair, becasue I don't have any. Man, I hate haters.

$50 Cash Back from T-Mobile

This is a sponsored post.

I cut right to the chase with that title. I guess things have moved beyond just getting a free phone in the competitive world of mobile phone service. You can now get a free T-Mobile RAZR and receive cash back when you get a plan that is $34.99 per month or more.

I have been going the pay as you go route ever since I moved a little over a year ago. I'm starting to think about getting a plan now that I have settled in. And I am frankly a bit freaked out when I see all the features that are available on phones these days.

The RAZR has a slim profile. The RAZR V3 is a quad-band phone for use around the World that also includes Bluetooth, a 4x zoom VGA camera, and a giant 2.2” color screen. You can use this phone to record video clips and send them to your friends. You can also chat via the built-in AOL Instant Messenger.

Oh, if this is getting you interested you need to decide soon because this T-Mobile rebate deal is only valid until March 31, 2007.

Shakira is the Seventh Most Desired Woman

Shakira is ranked #7 on a list of 99 Top Women. I wonder if her being in a relationship cost her a few places. Ranking above her are, in order, Beyonce, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Adriana Lima, Jessica Biel and Alessandra Ambrosio.

More than 8.5 million votes were cast in this poll over a six week period.

The most interesting change from last year's top 10 is a drop from #3 to #9 for Angelina Jolie.

MUY MUY CALIENTE

This is a sponsored post.

I don't want to turn this into one of those ridiculous, sex-obsessed sites. But let's face it, it is one of the joys of life, right up there with eating and breathing. If you are in a relationship, or just dating , this post might intrigue you.

Rob Breszny has just come out with a book entitled "How To Have Great Laughing Sex" that might be of interest to you. I was at a dinner party last year and there was a brief discussion in which I found out that one of the women there needs to be made to laugh in order to get her in the mood for sex...and that her husband only knows one joke. It was a noisy party, I might have missed some parts of that discussion.

Shakira Turns 30 Tomorrow

I am going to just throw up a few links to people talking about turning thirty for your consideration.

This one, A survivor's guide to turning 30 is a bit flippant and contains the word shagging more than once.

This one bores me, but maybe you will like it.

This one is for the guys, it's kinda funny.

This one focuses on career goals, comparing generations and stuff like that. It is insightful but not entertaining.

Financial stuff to do before you turn 30...ahhhhh I'm 37 and I haven't done any of these...AHHHHH!!!

shakira

When the Chips are Down

This is a sponsored post.

We relate to the world around us using five senses. I haven't played a lot of poker, but I have observed both cheap, plastic poker chips and good quality Clay Poker Chips with several of my senses. Clay chips sound better. I'm saying that first because it is the first thing I remember, that sound of chips being stacked, tossed raked in, everything that you can do with chips. They look better, that's a no-brainer. They feel better. I think they smell better too. I haven't tasted any clay poker chips. I haven't tasted any plastic ones in decades either.

Shakira Concert set to be Biggest Ever, in Dubai

Phil Collins managed to sell all the tickets for his Dubai show. They now have crews working at an expansion project for the huge sports stadium in anticipation of an upcoming Shakira concert. We are talking about over 25,000 people. But to put that in perspective Wembley Stadium in the UK seats 75,000 for concerts.

Are You Looking For osCommerce Solutions?

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osCommerceCafe.com is the place where you can go choose a suitable osCommerce template for your needs. It's worth pointing out that you can't find these templates anywhere else. Well actually, you sort of see them hard at work on websites all over the Internet.

osCommerce is being used on more and more websites every day because of it's functionality and it's flexibility. osCommerce is not an ultimate solution for eCommerce. What is great about it is that you aren't burdened with unnecessary complexities like people were with some previous eCommerce programs.

At osCommerceCafe.com, an affordable membership gives you unlimited downloads of all of their templates. Whether you are an entrepreneur or a workhorse of a developer, you will get value for your money from this. They are only charging $89 for a 90 day membership. Some companies are charging $150 for one design job.

I think there is a fast approaching era when web personalities of all sorts with all kinds of different types of value and credibility are all going to start looking for ways to monetize their worth. You might be one of these people, or you might be a web savvy person who knows one of these people. Either way, you should look at osCommerce when you are making those plans for world domination or cornering the market for online sock puppet sales, whatever.

I'm going to just ramble on about my favorite three templates for the rest of this post. The Art Jewelry Store looks like a great option if you are selling some kind of visually appealing craft item. I like how the front page highlights three items in an organic kind of layout that doesn't give an implied order to the products.

In stark contrast to that is the Game Destiny template. It puts a featured game right in the eye catching sweet spot of the page, with much of the rest of the template being comprised of muted grays.

Finally Electronic Store is just a store, simple design for people who know what they want before they arrive.

Who is Antonio de la Rúa ?

Antonio de la Rúa is engaged to Shakira. He proposed to her in 2001. His father was once President of Argentina, but left office as the country's economy and political landscape was in chaos in 2001. The elder statesman ran for high office using the ad campaign "Dicen que soy aburrido..." ("They say I'm boring...")

His son is noted for being less boring.

Cheap Flights Rock

This is a sponsored post.

Besides being sad that I can't enter the León Pies Descalzos contest, I am also sad that the current Shakira tour is passing me by. The sponsor of this post has some Cheap Flights, I am going to see if they might take me where Shakira is going...

So, FlyMonarch is a discount carrier that specializes in flights between the UK and a variety of Southern European destinations. Most of the destinations are coastal or island resort areas. They do fly to Lisbon and Barcelona. All of Shakira's Spanish dates are over. Anyway, she will be in the UK at the end of her tour.

I think I dealt with the same service desk people who handle passengers for this airline when I was in Gatwick last year. Actually, I have done enough air travel to make a generalization that discount airlines are a very good option. I think with larger carriers, you pay three times as much for service that is at best 50% better. Please note that these are vague approximations.

See the Car that Shakira and SEAT are Giving Away

I knew it wouldn't be long before someone posted a decent gallery of images of the actual car. I am a bit sad that I can't enter the contest. I had a discussion with some car enthusiasts today about SEAT cars. I guess they used to be essentially Spanish versions of Fiat models until fairly recently.

The León Pies Descalzos fund raising campaign started in connection with Shakira's first concert date in Hamburg and will end on May 15 when the León Pies Descalzos is handed over to its lucky recipient during the Barcelona Motor Show at the beginning of June.

Does Shakira Use Botox?

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Which celebrities do you think use botox?

Shakira is going to turn 30 next month and she has admitted to being a bit preoccupied with the significance of that number. I don't think she is using extreme measures like botox.

Older celebrities like Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Liz Hurley are rumored to be using botox. Botox is a toxin that is used to paralyze muscles in the face to smooth out lines. The effect is temporary, but repeated use can have more lasting effects.

botox
shakira

Shakira's Concert Demands

Shakira performs barefoot for many of her performances. It seems to me that having the stage carefully cleaned before she steps on it is a very reasonable demand. But it is interesting enough to make a blog entry about. With all the preparation of equipment and stage design going on before a show, it would be quite possible for there to be some kind of hazard on the floor.

A concert stage is a workplace, Shakira is just meeting her responsibility as far as enduring her work area is safe. Read more about workplace hazards in the arts.

How have Soap Operas Changed?

This is a sponsored post.

It has been around a decade since Shakira was a young soap opera actress. It has also been around a decade since I have been a soap opera viewer. I was actually more of a soap opera listener. When I worked on a farm in the summer we usually had a siesta of sorts through the hottest part of the day. After eating a big meal, I would flop onto the couch and the television was always tuned into my mom's shows. I liked The Price is Right more than the soaps, but I did sometimes get caught up in the drama.
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There are General Hospital Spoilers coming up. Soaps.com has plot summaries of all the big shows including General Hospital. The list of details in the spoilers page is huge. There are bombs and bongs as well as all the affairs and romances and arguments and office politics. Some of it occurs in a hospital. It looks like several plot lines are meant to imitate various current prime time hits like 24 and Weeds. I think copying the pace and production values of prime time is probably a good idea. I would have to watch in order to say whether it was working.

Where are all the Photos of Shakira?

A huge part of Shakira's appeal is visual. I am very carefully avoiding copyright infringement with this blog and it is becoming a bit scant on images as a result. I just discovered a photoblog with lots really great Shakira pics. If you are a fan, you have probably already seen many of them, but probably not in the larger sizes and high resolutions that are on this site.

There is even a few old pics from when Shakira hadn't yet decided on the great look that she maintains today, one is kind of a late 90's Britney look. Oops.

shakira

Free Podcast Hosting

This is a sponsored post.

Podcasting is something I have considered as a creative outlet. I became acquainted with a really cool guy from England who does a combination of live streaming radio and podcasts. He really broadcast himself as a personality to anyone in the world who was listening.

Back a year ago, he was constantly transitioning from one service to another, looking for workable Free Podcast Hosting. I'm going to send off an e-mail telling him about mypodcast.com, it has free membership, unlimited storage and unlimited bandwidth. They also have some kind of thing going on where podcasters can potentially make some money. I might actually tell more than one person about this, oh wait I just made a post about it DOZENS of people will read about it now, cool.

Shakira Car Commercial

I didn't have any problem finding this SEAT commercial on YouTube. Since it is an advertisement, I'm sure nobody is going to have any copyright issue with it. Any Americans reading this are probably unfamiliar with the SEAT brand. They are a Spanish company that is at present part of the Audi Group.

Accounting Service For Small Business

This is a sponsored post.

This post is a review of a small business accounting service that operates online bookkeeping services for as little as $50 per month. They are called AccountingParadise.com. QuickBooks, the program that the company uses, and also sells, is a highly recommended accounting software by some reviewers and harshly criticized by others. The software aims to be sort of a middle ground between Quicken, the affordable basic accounting sofware more suitable for personal finances than small business and the more expensive business accounting software like PeachTree. Basically QuickBooks is a good fit for a small business and AccountingParadise does people's books using the software for an affordable rate. They also mention that they do not make customers commit to any contract so you can take over your bookkeeping from them at any time.

There is a New Shakira Track Online

It is on the page promoting the fundraising contest that she and SEAT Motors are holding. People living in most of the EU can enter for a chance to win a car customized with the personal participation of Shakira. You can details about the Catch the Fever contest here.

The car that Shakira helped outfit is unique and I plan to post a picture soon. It is a really beautiful metallic purple color.

Bodies In Action

This is a sponsored post.

What business does a post about fantasy MMA have on a Shakira blog? Passion and how we express it with our bodies. Shakira wants to be at the top of the pops and she isn't using just her words and her voice, she is using the precise movement of her body. People like Tito Ortiz want to make it to the top of their field using precise body movement as well. I guess the biggest difference between Tito and Shakira is that Tito's body parts tend to make momentous contact with the body parts of other people. Who do you think would win in a fight between Shakira and Britney?

MMA Playground is a free to use site where you have a chance to win $500 in a fantasy competition.

Hips Don't Lie/Bollywood Mashup

After over 2,233,000 views of the officially released video for Hips Don't Lie, maybe people are ready for something different. Something involving actual women who can dance, I saw the spoof (has your mother seen it yet?). I am not sure who the original creator of this video is, but he/she put in some effort. If you watch it carefully, you can see that every effort was made to put the dancers in synch with the music. I love Bollywood.

A Post About Credit Cards

This is a sponsored post.

So, this post is about a site that is your basic one stop place for credit card news and comparing the offers currently being put out by several of the major lending companies.

Besides being a portal thru which the credit card companies can compete for your business, the site also discusses different financing options like
0% balance transfers. Many people are frightened at the prospect of high interest charges. I remember a small percentage of the stuff I learned in economics class. For some reason depreciation frightens me more than interest. Taxes just make me mad.

The number of different credit cards UK residents have to choose from is interesting. I had never heard of the one called EGG until I went to this site. If you are behind in your payments, do you suppose they send over a beatle impersonator who introduces himself repeatedly as 'The EGG Man'?

Lost in Translation

I want to express my gratitude to the Italian blogger who I borrowed an open letter from. I resort to using google translator sometimes. It is a useful tool but not perfect. Feel free to compare this with the original letter if you know Italian.

I know Shakira that you will not never read this post. In any case I would want to use mine blog in order ringraziar you. In slid August I have seen one series of your video. That day I whispered same me: “This woman when they dances is one true outbreak of life beyond that of erotismo. It has made me to come wants to learn to dance “. I would have never thought that you can have made to be born in me a similar desire. Today I can say to have old the darker and unfortunate period definitively. You have given a fundamental contribution to my existence: I feel of new in me the joy of living.

Thanks.

PS: 27 February to Milan is the concert of Shakira. Who thinks to go to us can contact to me with a mail in how much will not lack of being present!

Fundraising Ideas For Schools

This is a sponsored post.

When Shakira's foundation accomplished the goal of building a school they immediately set out to build a second school.

Anyone with an active role in running a school knows that there are many many ongoing costs beyond just the physical structure and the payroll for teachers. Very often the money for special initiative or even basic needs for a school must come from grassroots fundraising. Fundraising.com has free fundraising ideas on thier website. Some of them are pretty cool. I think alot of people in the community are happy to give to schools, but expect to be engaged and entertained in the process, a useful product is nice to have too.

Shakira's Vengeance Is Dramatic

I think I may have already discussed the car destruction that actress Shakira brings to singer Shakira's video for Don't Bother.

When I was in my early 20's my girlfriend filled my room up with leaves and spilled laundry detergent, and she de-tuned my musical intruments and emptied all my drawers onto the floor. I think there was more, I tried to forget it. I hadn't been unfaithful, just inattentive. I didn't own a car at the time.

I think that Shakira's fictional actions were the most hurtful thing she could do to the guy, well maybe it comes in 2nd, but they can't show number one on television.

shakira

Will Shakira Age Gracefully?

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I hope so.

I am not a big fan of botox injections, I mean they are a toxin. Why put a toxin into your body for the sake of vanity? I mean, maybe if you wanted to look a bit more virile because you thought that it might help you put George W. Bush out of office, that's not vanity, it's sanity. I have a debate about whether laugh lines are good or bad with the woman I love. I like to make her laugh, there's going to be lines.

Actors and singers using botox? I guess in a sense that is a business decision as well. But is it a smart one? I think actors like Rob Lowe look creepy when they try and avoid looking old. I think I preferred the golden age of film where they just kept adding more lense filters as an actress got older.

Shakira is probably never going to use botox. I don't know what she is going to do about her belly if she has kids before her belly dancing gigs are finished. Nelly Furtado sparked a bit of controversy when people found out that CGI effects were used on her post-partum belly for the Like a Bird video. Maybe Shakira can just do that too.

Watch Out For Shakira Contests

I was just looking around Shakira.com, listening to the streaming music etc., when I noticed a link to Epic's contest page. There are mostly only contests for free merchandise from new bands and stuff like that at the moment. If you are a compulsive contest entrant, you might want to bookmark it or something. Later peeps.

Buy Perfume For Someone Special

This is a sponsored post.

When you buy perfume for someone, you should ideally know what they like in the way of scents. SendMeScent.com has a huge selection of perfumes and colognes for men and women.

If you are taking a risk and buying him or her something based on reputation, the site has a most popular box for each gender on the front page. The site guarantees that the products are genuine. I am not a big purchaser of scents, but the prices seem to be a good value.

There are loads of great product descriptions and pictures. If you know nothing about scents just get something with a really nice bottle.

The Hard Decision For Stars Touring the Middle East

Shakira is playing a huge concert in Dubai. From what I can find out, she is not perfoming anywhere in Israel. Last year Kelly Clarkson cancelled a scheduled stop in Israel.

Travellers are warned not to enter many Muslim countries with a passport in your possesion that has an Israeli stamp on it. If you only have one passport, Israeli officers may be willing to attach a removeable slip of paper with you permission stamped on it. People have actually had problems in the past because they were detained in a muslim country and someone saw the ink that had transfered from the loose paper that the Islraelis had given them. This means nothing to celebrities. If they give a concert in Israel they will offend people in countries surrounding Israel, but also they will offend some individuals and groups outside the region as well.

I wish that something as positive as music could be held above and beyond politics. It can't. Jethro Tull will play in Israel this year.

Review of a Jewish Dating Site

This is a sponsored post.

I am not actually doing a review, because from what I can tell from the link for this Jewish Dating Site there is no particular site. As of January 24, 2007 the link redirects to Yahoo personals.

I approve of targeted personals ads in general. Personals that are for a particular heritage or religion tend to include a lot of people who are seriously looking towards marriage. Personals that focus on a common interest may also have people who are looking for lifelong partners. For me, the important criteria that I always judge them on are whether or not they have attractive people on the site. If you are not attracted to a person it is dishonest and inconsiderate to enter into a dating situation. I am very often attracted to Jewish women. They rock.

Shakira Has a New Major Sponsor

SEAT is an auto manufacturer that is less familiar to North Americans than it is to Europeans. Shakira has entered into a realtionship with the company that will have her featured advertisement across multiple media and even feature an unrealeased Shakira track on television ads. Here is one of the companies current commercials.

I think IBIZA is just about the best car model name in history. Better than GOLF,better than HUMMER.

Seriously, who wants to marry a millionaire?

This is a sponsored post.

I think that focused personals sites serve a great purpose. With more general personals sites, you are never sure, even in the broadest way, what is on another's mind.

Well,Millionaire Singles now have another place on the net to flaunt their wealth and pick through the gold diggers that flock to their profiles to find someone that meets whatever criteria they have set up. I am not sure how the site verifies that people are as wealthy as they claim. If I was running the site, I would do it by charging them like $1,000 a month for membership. I'm sure they don't do that.

I feel most at ease with people who are in approximately the same tax bracket that I am in. I do like eating lunch for free occasionally. If any millionaires want a dinner date with an open minded blogger, just leave a comment. Um, so yeah money makes people feel good about themselves. Paper money has a really nice texture. I have wondered what it would feel like to have a big loose pile of money to just jump in and roll around. Money that is old enough to not have any crisp edges, but still new enough that it hasn't been in the same g-string twice.

Shakira set to Perform in Dubai

Dubai is a city that goes big in a lot of ways. There is a mall with an indorr ski hill.

Shakira will be playing in a 25,000 plus seat sports arena that is expected to sell out.

Shakira is actually more excited about about the city than she is about the crowd of fans:

“I hope I get time to see some of Dubai. I have heard the desert is magnificent and would love to shop in the Old Souk. I am very excited about performing for my Middle Eastern fans for the first time – I have heard a lot about Dubai and performing here for the first time will be something special. It will be one of the biggest shows on my 2007 tour.”

Dubai is a place that I would like to visit someday as well.

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