rave: target + neiman marcus full look book
target + neiman marcus full look book was released today on a bullseye view. the release happened in conjunction with target's 50th year celebration. and the collection did not disappoint. i can totally see something for everyone. below are some of my favorites. i'm not sure how many of these will end up being gifts though...
rant: invisible children
rant: r.i.p. McQ
if you haven't read cathy horyn's profile of mcqueen in the nyt's t magazine from september 2009, it's a good read. my thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones.
rave: good reads on nytimes.com
rant: chocolate chart for dogs
rant: happy earth day!
happy earth day! over the years, b and i have become more aware of how my actions impact our environment. my parents have always good about recycling and using what we have (that was mainly because we were thrifty!) they are also big on growing their own food. my parent's backyard is like a jungle...fruits galore! my mommy also compost, she also does it b/c it is good for her garden. in our daily lives we know there are many more things i can do, but here's a couple things we try to do consistently.
- even when buying coffee, i bring my own travel mug. it decreases trash and keeps my coffee hot longer (my favorite is the contigo autoseal mug...coffee stays hot for 6+ hours!).
- polycarbonate/aluminum water bottles...especially at work since they only provide Styrofoam cups.
- packing lunch in reusable containers and using non-disposable utensils.
- reusable shopping bags when going to the grocery store.
- instead of buying trash bags, we use the supply of plastic bags we get when shopping at target. they are just big enough for our under sink trash can
- we shop in bulk
- this one belongs to b...he installed an reverse osmosis water filtration system so we could stop using our Britta filters.
- reuse file folders at work
- trade supplies in the company
- recycle junk mail, envelopes, magazines and packaging.
- b rides the bus to work - i'd love to but public transportation in austin is not so great.
- shop local. i like visiting the farmer's market when i can
so what do you do to help keep our earth green? are you taking part in any earth day activities?
chocolate and zucchini's blog is doing something awesome (and really easy) with flip & tumble for Ripple Africa. here's the deal: for every person who leaves a comment* at the bottom of today's post on the c&z blog, flip & tumble will fund the planting of a tree in one of the community nurseries that Ripple Africa is working to build, and c&z will match that donation! So just go to the comment box, type "Plant trees for me!" (and whatever you want to add) and two trees will be planted. there's also a give-a-way on that post so go check it out and help plant trees in africa!
rant: noah's ark landed in hong kong?
okay...so technically it did not land in hong kong. the city's three billionaire kwok brothers built the world's first life size replica of noah's ark. they even built it to the biblical specifications. as stated on wall street journal's article, "The message in its 450-foot-long hull, its rooftop luxury hotel and 67 pairs of fiberglass animals: "The financial tsunami will be over," says Spencer Lu, the Kwoks' project director at Noah's Ark, which is opening soon. The land-bound ark wasn't built in response to the current global turmoil; it has been in the planning for 17 years. But the financial storm provides a nice marketing hook for the Kwoks' ambitious project, which will probably need to lure visitors from beyond Hong Kong's city limits to be an economic success." the kwok brother's also tried to install a permanent rainbow but apparently the science became too difficult.
the project reflects thomas kwok's christian faith. in the 1990s, he set up a church in the top floor of the sun hung kai's central plaza office complex. the noah's ark project was initially conceived as a theme park with rides, until Mr. Kwok decided the project should be something more. the construction on the ark's foundations started 2004. the kwoks' version of the ark, which sits on 270,000 square feet of space and was developed in conjunction with five christian organizations, houses a restaurant, exhibition hall (important: which will have a full presentation of the gospel) and children's museum in addition to the noah's resort hotel.
i find it impressive this group of businessmen and pastors have completed the project and especially in hong kong. with hong kong being part of communist china now, i am very surprised that the government approved the project, which i partially a christian education theme park. maybe in this time of economic turmoil, the citizens of hong kong, china and asia will discover god's grace.
b & i have been discussing a trip to asia/hk soon. we'll have to make a stop to see noah's ark and the 67 pairs of fiberglass animals. looks pretty darn cool to me!
click here for the complete article and more images of recreated arks. for more photos, check out flickr.com's tags.
courtesy of pawnation.com and wsj.com
rave: my peeps!
yes, i'm am speaking about those sugar coated marshmallow objects that delights easter eggs and baskets. personally i like them...they are even better if you poke a couple holes in the packaging and then wait a couple weeks to consume. they are also fun to stick in a microwave.
2. Buy the appropriate number of Peeps.
5. Photo submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. March 15, but keep your masterpieces intact. In the ensuing weeks, we'll pick five finalists and send a courier to pick up those dioramas to be photographed professionally and judged in person. We will run photos of our semifinalists and winners on Easter Sunday, April 12.
6. The grand prize winner -- as voted by Style staffers -- will receive a $100 AmEx gift card and eternal bragging rights. Four runners-up will receive $50 each.
for complete contest rules, visit www.washingtonpost.com/postcontests.
here are two of my favorites from last years semifinalist...
rant: why is being cheap only chic during a recession?
on ccn.com's living section, there was an article today about how cheap is now chic since we are in a recession and it's just not cool to flaunt that you have disposable income...even if you do have some. like buying a ferrari now would be a big no-no. why can't being cheap always be chic? i admit it...i like nice things...some ridiculously expensive and frivolous things. there is one certain thing/brand i have paid a crazy amount of money for at...i hate to say it...full retail. but that was a rare occasion. for most things, it is bargains, sales, outlets and online.
i am cheap and i am proud to admit it. i have no shame admitting that i have always shopped the clearance racks first, i love tj maxx and marshall's, outlet malls are better than real malls (really! why would i pay $100+ for a pair of pants at banana republic when i can get almost exactly the same pair for less than $50 regularly at the outlet...or for the really frugal, the clearance rack for less than $30.) and then there's target, costco and sam's. (both costco and sam's sell name brand clothing, purses and such...i got joe's jeans at sam's for under $50!) I will even go as far as hunting online for the best deals with coupon code discounts and free shipping thrown in.
when i find a good buy and i know i scored a deal, i wear it proudly as a badge of honor and am willing to share that news with whoever will listen. like this great skirt i purchased at forever21.com for $28 when i saw a designer one just like it for over $300. or for my nephew's birthday present...i really wanted to get him a remote controlled dino. but all the cool ones were over $100. i though that was a little much since he may not even play with it. but by chance while at costco i found d-rex and he was selling for $35. i was so happy...not only did auntie mindy get a great toy, it was a steal! i called my sister immediately to share the great news because i knew she'd appreciate it.
i believe it's a persons right to spend their money as they see fit. who am i to judge what you think is a good deal? people may think i'm crazy because i like nice purses. but i also think paying $100+ for a pair of jeans is nuts. but that is me. everyone has different "must haves". but bargain hunting, cheapness, frugality, or just smart shopping shouldn't be chic just because we are in a recession.
Maybe it's because of how i was raised...bargaining is not just acceptable, it is expected. both my parents and my sister are big on finding great deals...we are proud of our bargain finding abilities and share our finds willingly. my paupau is the queen of cheap...cheap in the good, now chic way. i never thought trying the get the most bang for your buck was exceptional...it is just how i live. i mean, why pay more for something when you can get it at least half off if you put a little effort and/or wait a week or two? i mean, if you really need it/want it that badly, isn't a little work to get it worth it?rave: livestrong goes guerrilla marketing
rant: 1 reason not to eat at luby's
i'm a luby's fan. one of my family's favorite place to eat when we first moved to the states. my paupau and mommy love the liver, daddy always gets fish of some kind. i really didn't care for protiens so i always demanded fried okra and mac and cheese :) there use to be a luby's buffet here in atx...inside barton creek mall. b and i use to frequent it. but lately, i have not visited...not only due to lack of convient locations, but also the not so healthy aspect of the food. but this is another reason not to visit. most of their locations are pretty old and not kept up too well. i am glad that no one was seriously injured...i hope the city finds out why.
rant: *new* instant coffee by starbucks?!?
Just read an article on nytimes.com about starbucks entering the instant coffee market. Due to hard economic times, companies are needing to change their market stragegy and positioning...understood. Sometime those changes are risky and sometimes risk pays off...understood. instant coffee accounts for 40% of all coffee sold globally, making it a $17 billion business. of course, starbucks would like to get a piece of that...understood. what i am confused about the way they are going to start selling it...why start selling inside their coffee shops ( in seattle and chicago only on launch day March 3 and then they will start moving it out to other markets.)? wasn't the whole point of going to starbucks is to get a fancy drink made for you? wasn't it more about the experience and the luxury of going then just coffee? this could go 2 ways...really well and starbucks will gain new customers during these hard times or it will totally backfire and people and loyal coffee fiends will turn their backs on those tempting white and green cups.
americans are not big on instant coffee. it is definitly more popular and acceptable in europe and asia. americans equate instant coffee to senior citizens. i for one am a huge fan of instant coffee. i drink it every day at work. this is usually b/c i am too lazy to make drip coffee at home...okay i rather sleep a little more. so i have vinacafe 99% of my mornings. and i have to say, its better than that brown water that is served up here at the office...much better...even smells better. my co-w0rkers agree. and at the price of 24 packs fo $2.99 ($.13 per cup), i can't complain...especially when i drink 2! so switching to the new starbucks brand, via, wouldn't be a huge deal...except for the price tag...12 packs for $9.95 (about $.83/8oz cup). still i think i'm willing to try it. will it become my only instant coffee? not likely. but then again...they will be selling it at costco and target in late spring...and you all know how much i LOVE those places. rave: true meaning of christmas...hope
There are some games where cheering for the other side feels better than winning.
by Rick Reilly
It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School and everything about it was upside down. For instance, when Gainesville came out to take the field, the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through.
Did you hear that? The other team's fans?
They even made a banner for players to crash through at the end. It said, "Go Tornadoes!" Which is also weird, because Faith is the Lions.
This all started when Faith's head coach, Kris Hogan, wanted to do something kind for the Gainesville team. Faith had never played Gainesville, but he already knew the score. After all, Faith was 7-2 going into the game, Gainesville 0-8 with 2 TDs all year. Faith has 70 kids, 11 coaches, the latest equipment and involved parents. Gainesville has a lot of kids with convictions for drugs, assault and robbery—many of whose families had disowned them—wearing seven-year-old shoulder pads and ancient helmets.
So Hogan had this idea. What if half of our fans—for one night only—cheered for the other team? He sent out an email asking the Faithful to do just that. "Here's the message I want you to send:" Hogan wrote. "You are just as valuable as any other person on planet Earth."Some people were naturally confused. One Faith player walked into Hogan's office and asked, "Coach, why are we doing this?" And Hogan said, "Imagine if you didn't have a home life. Imagine if everybody had pretty much given up on you. Now imagine what it would mean for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you."
Next thing you know, the Gainesville Tornadoes were turning around on their bench to see something they never had before. Hundreds of fans. And actual cheerleaders!
"I thought maybe they were confused," said Alex, a Gainesville lineman (only first names are released by the prison). "They started yelling 'DEE-fense!' when their team had the ball. I said, 'What? Why they cheerin' for us?'" It was a strange experience for boys who most people cross the street to avoid. "We can tell people are a little afraid of us when we come to the games," says Gerald, a lineman who will wind up doing more than three years. "You can see it in their eyes. They're lookin' at us like we're criminals. But these people, they were yellin' for us! By our names!"
Maybe it figures that Gainesville played better than it had all season, scoring the game's last two touchdowns. Of course, this might be because Hogan put his third-string nose guard at safety and his third-string cornerback at defensive end. Still.
After the game, both teams gathered in the middle of the field to pray and that's when Isaiah surprised everybody by asking to lead. "We had no idea what the kid was going to say," remembers Coach Hogan. But Isaiah said this: "Lord, I don't know how this happened, so I don't know how to say thank You, but I never would've known there was so many people in the world that cared about us." And it was a good thing everybody's heads were bowed because they might've seen Hogan wiping away tears.
As the Tornadoes walked back to their bus under guard, they each were handed a bag for the ride home—a burger, some fries, a soda, some candy, a Bible and an encouraging letter from a Faith player. The Gainesville coach saw Hogan, grabbed him hard by the shoulders and said, "You'll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You'll never, ever know."
And as the bus pulled away, all the Gainesville players crammed to one side and pressed their hands to the window, staring at these people they'd never met before, watching their waves and smiles disappearing into the night.
Anyway, with the economy six feet under and Christmas running on about three and a half reindeer, it's nice to know that one of the best presents you can give is still absolutely free.
Hope.
rave: world AIDS day 2008
December 1 is World AIDS Day; a time to celebrate the many lives saved by HIV prevention and treatment programs. It also serves as a reminder that we all must do more—as individuals, communities, and as world citizens—to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Around the world, 33 million people are living with HIV with nearly 7,500 new infections occurring each day. An estimated 3 million people are now receiving antiretroviral treatment in low and middle-income countries.
In the United States, CDC estimates that about 1.1 million people are living with HIV. These numbers will most likely increase over time, as antiretroviral drug treatments extend the lives of those with HIV and more people become HIV infected. As expected, as the number of people living with HIV grows, so does the opportunity for those with HIV to pass on the virus to others.
Protecting Health
CDC currently estimates that approximately one in five persons living with HIV in the United States is unaware of his or her infection and may be unknowingly transmitting the virus to others. Since anyone can be at risk for HIV, CDC recommends that adults and adolescents between the ages of 13 and 64 years of age be routinely screened for HIV infection in healthcare settings. Pregnant women in the U.S. should be screened for HIV infection as part of their routine prenatal testing.
Once tested, individuals can take steps to protect their health or, if infected, they can gain access to health-sustaining treatments and care, and help prevent the spread of the disease to others.
On this World AIDS Day 2008, we all need to commit to expanding the reach of effective prevention efforts to those at risk and those living with HIV in order to stop the further spread of HIV in the United States.
What Can You Do?
Wherever your work, or whatever you do, you can join CDC and its partners in supporting World AIDS Day. Your support will help end the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Individuals can:
- Get tested for HIV. To find a testing site center near you, visit hivtest.org or, on your cell phone, text your zip code to Know IT (566948).
- Participate in the Facing AIDS campaign. Take a picture of yourself wearing a red ribbon and add the photo to the "World AIDS Day 08" Flickr group*, your social network profiles, Twitter, blog, and/or Web site before December 1. Leave it up for at least a week.
- Stand up against stigma, racism, and other forms of discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS.
Donate time and money to HIV/AIDS organizations.
Organizations are encouraged to:
- Promote World AIDS Day in your organization. Useful materials are available at hivtest.org
- Encourage employees to get involved in World AIDS Day.
- Educate staff about HIV/AIDS.
- Develop HIV/AIDS policies for the workplace.
World AIDS Day Resources:
Podcasts and Online Videos
- World AIDS Day 2008 Public Service Announcement ( 52 seconds)Produced by Discovery Health, the video features Dr. Julie Gerberding and Kenneth Cole
- Saving Lives Creating Hope ( 15:00 mins)Produced by Warner Brothers, this video provides an overview of the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
- HIV/AIDS Advances in Hope ( 8:11 mins)Produced in partnership with Discovery Health and amfAR, this video focuses on the history of HIV/AIDS from 1981 through 2008.
Web Sites
- Key Resources from CDC
- HIVtest.org
- AIDS.gov
- World AIDS Campaign
- World AIDS Day (Department of Health & Human Services)
More Information
- World AIDS Day Media Statement By Dr. Kevin Fenton, Director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
- CDC HIV Testing DatabaseLocate an HIV testing site near you
- CDC HIV/AIDSCDC's Web site for HIV/AIDS in the United States
- CDC Global HIV/AIDSCDC's Global AIDS Program
- CDC Business and Labor Responds to AIDSCDC's HIV/AIDS resource for businesses and labor organizations
- CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN)The US reference, referral, and distribution service for information on HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and tuberculosis (TB)
for more information about World AIDS Day 2008, please visit the official World AIDS Campaign website.
information courtesy of the CDC.gov website.
rant: why should women be punished for taking care of themselves?
rant: julia child = WWII spy? huh?
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Famed chef Julia Child shared a secret with Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg and Chicago White Sox catcher Moe Berg at a time when the Nazis threatened the world.
They served in an international spy ring managed by the Office of Strategic Services, an early version of the CIA created in World War II by President Franklin Roosevelt.
The full secret comes out Thursday, all of the names and previously classified files identifying nearly 24,000 spies who formed the first centralized intelligence effort by the United States. The National Archives, which this week released a list of the names found in the records, will make available for the first time all 750,000 pages identifying the vast spy network of military and civilian operatives.
They were soldiers, actors, historians, lawyers, athletes, professors, reporters. But for several years during World War II, they were known simply as the OSS. They studied military plans, created propaganda, infiltrated enemy ranks and stirred resistance among foreign troops.
Some of those on the list have been identified previously as having worked for the OSS, but their personnel records never have been available before. Those records would show why they were hired, jobs they were assigned to and perhaps even missions they pursued while working for the agency.
Among the more than 35,000 OSS personnel files are applications, commendations and handwritten notes identifying young recruits who, like Child, Goldberg and Berg, earned greater acclaim in other fields -- Arthur Schlesinger Jr., a historian and special assistant to President Kennedy; Sterling Hayden, a film and television actor whose work included a role in "The Godfather"; and Thomas Braden, an author whose "Eight Is Enough" book inspired the 1970s television series.
Other notables identified in the files include John Hemingway, son of author Ernest Hemingway; Quentin and Kermit Roosevelt, sons of President Theodore Roosevelt, and Miles Copeland, father of Stewart Copeland, drummer for the band The Police.
The release of the OSS personnel files uncloaks one of the last secrets from the short-lived wartime intelligence agency, which for the most part later was folded into the CIA after President Truman disbanded it in 1945.
"I think it's terrific," said Elizabeth McIntosh, 93, a former OSS agent now living in Woodbridge, Va. "They've finally, after all these years, they've gotten the names out. All of these people had been told never to mention they were with the OSS."
The CIA had resisted releasing OSS records for decades. But former CIA Director William Casey, himself an OSS veteran, cleared the way for transfer of millions of OSS documents to the National Archives when he took over the agency in 1981. The personnel files are the latest to be made public.
Information about OSS involvement was so guarded that relatives often couldn't confirm a family member's work with the group.
Walter Mess, who handled covert OSS operations in Poland and North Africa, said he kept quiet for more than 50 years, only recently telling his wife of 62 years about his OSS activity.
"I was told to keep my mouth shut," said Mess, now 93 and living in Falls Church, Va.
The files will offer new information even for those most familiar with the agency. Charles Pinck, president of the OSS Society created by former OSS agents and their relatives, said the nearly 24,000 employees included in the archives far exceeds previous estimates of 13,000.
The newly released documents will clarify these and other issues, said William Cunliffe, an archivist who has worked extensively with the OSS records at the National Archives.
"We're saying the OSS was a lot bigger than they were saying," Cunliffe said.
Courtesy of the AP from CNN.com
rant: when shit hits the...
A giant inflatable dog turd by contemporary U. S. artist Paul McCarthy blew away from an exhibition in the garden of a Swiss museum, bringing down a power line and breaking a greenhouse window before it landed again, the museum said Monday. The artwork, titled Complex S---, is the size of a house. The wind carried it 200 metres from the Paul Klee Centre in Berne before it fell back to Earth in the grounds of a children's home, said museum director Juri Steiner. The inflatable turd broke the window at the children's home when it blew away on the night of July 31, Steiner said. The artwork has a safety system that normally makes it deflate when there is a storm, but this did not work when it blew away. Steiner said McCarthy had not yet been contacted and the museum was not sure if the piece would be put back on display. The Los Angeles-born McCarthy is infamous for his graphic, provocative sculptures and installations, many of which feature allusions to bodily fluids.
rant: hong kong government says, "smoking kills"
they sure don't joke around about it. no fluff about what smoking can do to you.
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The Liberty11 hours ago
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simple chicken tacos1 week ago
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Miso walnut chocolate chip cookies2 weeks ago
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AGJ x HWTF: DIY Lifeguard Hat4 months ago
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