Sachas Blog

Tagline: You are who you eat.

I’ve always been a sucker for movies that are a bit outside the norm. Hell, who am I kidding? I love movies that are way outside the norm. Sure, most of them may be doomed to box office failure and critical ridicule, but they’re a nice change of pace from the mindless drivel Hollywood routinely churns out. Now, don’t get me wrong–I actually like some of the aforementioned mindless drivel, but variety, as they say, is the spice of life. It’s just like pop music. There’s nothing wrong with liking Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake, but, if you don’t occasionally broaden your horizons, you’ll end up with the intelligence of a stump (which might explain some of the people I see in my local Wal-Mart). And, as we all know, nothing will broaden your horizons like a cannibal film set in the 1800’s and featuring liberal amounts of black humor, gore, and David Arquette.

Did that last sentence get your attention? Good. Let’s proceed.

After receiving a promotion for bravery during the Mexican-American War, Captain John Boyd (Guy Pearce) is transferred to an isolated fort in California when his commanding officer realizes he’s not as brave as initially thought. Once there, Boyd meets the inhabitants of the sleepy outpost: Colonel Hart (Jeffrey Jones), the bookish commanding officer, Major Knox (Stephen Spinella), the alcoholic second-in-command, Private Reich (Neil McDonough), a tough-as-nails soldier, Private Toffler (Jeremy Davies), the nervous chaplain, Private Cleaves (David Arquette), the soldier who likes certain herbs a little too much, and an Indian brother and sister named George and Martha (Joseph Runningfox and Sheila Tousey). As Boyd settles in, the fort receives a late-night visitor in the form of one F.W. Colqhoun (Robert Carlyle), the near-death survivor of a doomed wagon train. As the terrified man tells his story, the residents of the fort are unwittingly drawn into a ghastly web of murder, deceit, and cannibalism.

Two quotes open the film. Both are fairly well-known, and each gives the audience a clue as to what kind of movie they’re about to see. The first is from Nietzche. He that fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. The second quote is attributed to an anonymous source. Eat me. A simple but effective way to establish the darkly humorous tone which is to follow.

But make no mistake about it-Ravenous, for all its moments of twisted mirth, still has more than enough frights and gore to please the horror crowd. After all, this is a movie about cannibalism. Based on the myth of the Wendigo, the basic premise is that a person may steal another’s strength by consuming his/her flesh. And, trust me, that’s a theme we see explored over and over throughout the story.

Director Antonia Bird (who replaced the original director two weeks into production) and Editor Neil Farrell demonstrate an excellent understanding of pace and shot selection, allowing the movie to roll briskly along while creating scenes of remarkable tension. Take, for example, the scene in which Colqhoun tells his horrible tale to the residents of Fort Spencer, or the one where Boyd flashes back to being trapped under a mountain of his dead comrades- their blood and guts flowing into his eyes and mouth. These are scenes dripping with suspense and ones which would have been far less effective in the hands of someone else. They also serve to once again remind us just how important editing and scoring are to the finished version of a film.

Speaking of scoring, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the excellent soundtrack. The rustic, backwoods music drives the picture relentlessly and further enhances the feeling of inevitable doom. If Deliverance had been set in the 1800’s, this would have been the soundtrack.

A solid cast of actors were put together for the film, and this becomes obvious in the more over-the-top moments. Less experienced thespians might have really camped it up and ruined the overall tone of the film, but these fellows downplayed even the most gruesome moments, and, despite the outlandish subject matter, the restrained performances gave the picture a greater sense of realism and horror.

Jeffrey Jones is excellent as always, and the character of Colonel Hart allows him some room to stretch his acting muscles (something Jones, a veteran of comedic films, doesn’t always get a chance to do). Even when Hart begins to develop less-than-socially-acceptable-behavior, Jones convinces us that we should still like and care about the character. Guy Pearce is also solid, although he doesn’t really have a particularly strong role to work with. Captain John Boyd is an introspective sort of fellow who doesn’t utter a full sentence until about 25 minutes into the film. While he gets more dialogue as things get rolling, I couldn’t help but think that Pearce’s talents weren’t fully utilized by the Ted Griffin script. And let’s not forget about Robert Carlyle. I first saw his talents on display in the otherwise horrible Trainspotting, and I’ve been a fan ever since. His performance as Colqhoun is another fine moment in what’s becoming a very impressive career. From pitiful to sadistic, Carlyle gets a demonstrate a wide range of emotions as we peel away the various layers of his character.

On the flipside, I didn’t really care for Jeremy Davies as Pvt. Toffler. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such a nervous and irritating character (well, there was John Leguizamo in The Pest). Having also seen Davies in Saving Private Ryan and Secretary, I suppose it’s just his style. But that doesn’t mean that I always have to like it. Viewing Davies is often like watching an addict trying to kick the habit–lots of mumbling, sweating, and twitching. Still, at least he’s original, and that’s more than can be said of many of today’s actors.

And, in a way, that might best sum up Ravenous- At least it’s original. Sure, the film loses momentum around the halfway mark and becomes a bit generic. Sure, David Arquette plays another goofy jackass. And, sure, the final showdown is a disappointment. But you won’t find many films out there which are able to blend themes of cannibalism with wry, dark humor and actually pull it off. It’s got bite (insert cornball joke here), and that’s more than can be said of most films these days.

Shane Rivers

Reuters - U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama called the situation in Afghanistan “precarious and urgent” on Sunday after meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai during an overseas trip meant to burnish his foreign policy credentials.

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1. CELEBRATE VALENTINES DAY EVERY DAY: Love is a practice. Say I love you in the morning and at night… more is better.Share with one another the things that give you the greatest pleasure and help one another’s dream come true. For example if you partner loves music, bring home CDs or tickets to concerts often. If your partner loves football watch with him on a regular basis. Remember these are GIFTS and are done without resentment;you are dream-makers. A good relationship is like good sex—both partners give and receive what they want.

2. HEAT UP THE BEDROOM: Since most men are visual,they appreciate lingerie.Women tend to need to be talked up during the day. However,everyone is different so you need a love map to one another.

3. MAKE CONNECTIONS: Research shows that happy couples connect often with their eyes, soft voice ,body language. Cool couples have habitual ways they distance. Communicate connection. Use soft eyes when you look at your partner and touch often.

4. LIVE PASSIONATELY AND NOT JUST FOR PASSION: A wise Native American once said, As you go the way of life you will see a great chasm. Jump… It is not as wide as you think. If your life is cool, how can your relationship stay hot?

5. IN LOVING THE SPIRITUAL IT IS DIFFICULT TO DESPISE THE EARTHLY. Develop a spiritual practice together. You can use prayer, inspirational readings, meditation. Offer gratitude to one another by sharing one thing you appreciate about your partner before you go to sleep. This practice builds a positive emotional bank account. Spiritual practice generates warmth that heats up the relationship.

6. DON’T JUST SURVIVE,VISUALIZE: Visualize your dream relationship. Close your eyes and feel the warmth and connection. Affirm what you want. Our unconscious mind is filled with negative thoughts. Retrain your brain. Many people never saw a model of a hot relationship so they need lots of visualization practice. A famous neuroscientist observed, In the brain, practice makes permanent

7. WE CANNOT STOP LIFE’S SORROWS BUT WE CAN CHOOSE JOY: Mother Theresa said, Our best protection is a joyful heart Have fun together. Act like kids. Masters and Johnson observed good sex is like two children under the sheets.

8. WAKE UP WITHOUT MAKE-UP: We cannot have true intimacy unless we drop our masks.Live every day like Valentines Day instead of Halloween!

As William Blake attests, men and women are not alien creatures….we all want the same things . Positive touch is so important it helps people love longer, decrease blood pressure, and improve the immune system. Renee Spitz was the first to identify that although babies in orphanages were fed and changed if they weren’t held, they’d die.

Dr. Linda Miles has been a psychotherapist for over thirty years and is determined to share many of the things she has learned. She had seen countless couples who behave in a cold and indifferent way to one another because they lack the skills to keep the fire burning. If they could have life-affirming, lived experiences instead of celebrating what is dead, their disagreements would seem trivial and the distance cold and lonely. She offers these keys to more meaningful connection.

Dr. Linda Miles is deeply committed to helping individuals and couples achieve rewarding relationships. She is an expert with a doctorate in Counseling Psychology, and has worked in the mental health field for over thirty years. She has been interviewed extensively on radio, TV, and in newspapers and magazines. Find more relationship ideas and relaxation techniques on her web site and in the award-winning book she co-authored, The New Marriage: Transcending the Happily-Ever-After Myth, and Train Your Brain: For Successful Relationships, CD. www.drlindamiles.com http://www.drlindamiles.com .

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As the world continues to get more dangerous, the last thing you want is to bring that danger directly into your home. Newspaper stories tell the tale babysitters abusing children when their parents are off at work. There’s been workers who have been hired in good faith to repair or maintain your property, stealing both from inside and outside the house. It’s unfortunate, but the reality is that unless you are vigilant and careful, your family, home and possessions could be hurt by people.

The answer is to be diligent and use caution when hiring anyone. Check references, though many previous people don’t or won’t give you all the information due to a fear of being sued by the person. Still, if you ask for references and check them, you have a much greater chance of getting good people. Let’s be clear that the majority of people are very responsible and trustworthy and all they want is the opportunity to work. That said, there is the very small minority that are the problem and make it more difficult for both the worker and the owner.

Using surveillance cameras is one way to keep better control on your home or business. These little devices are great to placing discretely around your home and office. The reason for using cameras however are twofold.

First, there is the keeping honest people honest idea. This is nothing more than building on the fact that people act differently when they think they’re being watched. Put security cameras in the office and let people know about them and they tend to behave differently. There’s less of an argument when a customer makes claims against your employee and you need to sort through the information to get to the truth. So this first potential use for surveillance or security cameras is to allow you the potential to see what actually happened.

In a home setting, it’s possible to view how the kids are behaving when the adults are gone. Who comes into and leaves your home when can also be captured. This doesn’t mean that you don’t trust your family or employees, only that by having security camera around, people will be better behaved.

The Second reason why it’s important to consider a security camera system is to catch bad behavior or illegal activities. By having your home secured with this technology, you are able to easily identify people that shouldn’t be around your home like would be burglars.

There also is the latest in surveillance camera technology, the nanny cam. This is nothing more than a hidden camera within your home to monitor the behavior of people you leave in charge of your children. Some entertain guests while you’re away and drink heavily while watching television instead of watching the kids. Although most babysitter- nanny types are great, you need to recognize that if the person you leave in charge isn’t responsible, your children could be at risk of being hurt or worse.

Surveillance camera systems have come a long way in the just the last few years. The cameras themselves are getting much smaller and easier to set up. No longer is it necessary to have a specialized security company set up and place a surveillance system in your home or business.

Surveillance cameras now come with a wide variety of options. From capturing color images, motion activated, auto pan and close up functionality from your computer, and even wireless cameras are all available at very attractive pricing. Everyone should consider the importance of having a security surveillance camera for peace of mind of the family and themselves.

Abigail Franks writes on a variety of subjects which include family, Health, and Home. For more info on Home Security Cameras visit the site at www.surveillance-cameras.fixituptoday.com http://www.surveillance-cameras.fixituptoday.com

AP - Twice convicted of felonies, James Francis Barton Jr. faces charges of violating a federal law barring felons from owning guns after police found seven pistols, three shotguns and five rifles at his home south of Pittsburgh.

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INTRODUCTION

French Country is a popular home design style nowadays, both exterior and interior.

This article addresses the French Country home design style on the exterior.

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

Do you think that French Country, or the effected Country French, is a home design style? We’d say, Not exactly.

French Country is a range of home design styles -

1. From an early French farmhouse to not quite a French embassy

2. From residential design styles, including but not limited to Rustic French, Rural French, French Provincial, French Eclectic, Chateau (French version of the English Manor House), and the namesake French Country

3. From in-between Cajun style and Louisiana Plantation style

4. From the time period in America bracketed roughly by WWI and WWII

Comment: There is a stylistic kinship of sorts with other home home styles that are casually (and incorrectly) taken as singular and not as a set. For example, American Victorian is a/k/a (Victorian, in each instance) 2nd Empire, Gothic, Italianate, Queen Anne, Folk, Stick, Shingle, and Richardsonian (Romanesque). Or for example, Southern Colonial ranges from Warburton House (1680) in James City County, VA or Christ’s Cross (a/k/a Cris Cross) (circa 1690) in New Kent County, VA and simpler, all the way up to Bacon’s Castle (1650) in Surry County, VA and Stratford Hall (1725) in Stratford, VA [noting that other examples abound either standing, or artistically captured earlier-on or reproduced, the author having chosen these for their geographical and temporal proximity, Post-Medieval English roots, and breadth of character].

You’ll find beaucoups publications about French Country on Amazon.com and at your local bookstore. To wit, along with a slew of other design-oriented books, a while back we ordered Provencal Inspiration: Living The French Country Spirit by Home Planners, and immediately received a notice that Amazon’s out of stock. French Country is back bigtime. As another, more recent example, our just completed custom house plans in French Country Style for a property in Asheville, NC will be offered later this year at $4+ million [and the facades really do have a rural sense to them].

French Country style reminds us more than most of Craftsman style - multiple roof slopes; windows of different sizes and heights; broad overhangs and soffits; knee braces and other exposures of construction structure; front-facing gables; a mix of gable, clipped gable, shed, and hip roofs; natural materials; masonry exterior, especially stone; a mix of finish clads; restraint in exterior accessories and adornments. French Country style can be comfortable and inviting in its more relaxed presentations.

However, French Country home design departs from the Arts & Crafts Movement in several respects: high-peaked, steeply sloped roofs at pitches way above Craftsman’s; a refinement in exterior trim particularly in rakes; an understatement of observable structure; gutter systems sometimes with gussied-up copper appointments; curved rooflines to accommodate steep slopes, larger windows, unpierced ceilings and interior walls; broad soffits; arches and curve-topped dormers, elaborated ironwork; balconies; turrets; Classic columns; masonry accessories in relief, some interest in symmetry, etc. Simplicity and elegance.

There are ways to botch French Country home design, e.g., hold rooflines to one pitch to assure consistent soffit depth and single-level eaves - in the name of cheap, easy, and stylistically insensitive; apply Corinthian columns in lieu of, say, Tuscan, or flute the Tuscan columns; confuse French styling with English, unbalance vertical and horizontal to favor horizontal; not mullion grouped windows, not apply true French casement windows; use plastic shutters, S-dog the shutters, not apply true French doors, asphalt shingle the roof, insist on broad facia and frieze boards, etc.

And there are ways to develop French Country home plans by using - contemporary technologies, among them, e.g., cost-efficient cultured stone, particularly in its fieldstone representations - perhaps by Owens Corning; and by using artistry, e.g., the half-round copper gutter systems of A. B. Raingutters, Inc., Classic Gutter Systems, L.L.C., the gas or electric luminaires of Charleston Lighting Company or the aluminum wrought-like railing of Southeaster Architectural Metals, the garage doors of the Carriage House Door Company, and the like.

French Country style encourages applying design principles of excellent residential design, such as, Russell Versaci’s Creating a NEW OLD HOUSE: Yesterday’s Character For Today’s Home, The Taunton Press, 2003, and Jacobson, Silverstein, and Winslow’s Patterns of Home: The Ten Essentials of Enduring Design, The Taunton Press, orig. 1941, reprint 2002; and, separately, sacred geometry. Here again, you can embrace and succeed or disregard and fail in the design effort.

Take, for example, the layering and other arrangement of finish clad, notably in steeply sloped gable ends. In Versaci’s realm of signaled, or suggested, age, it is the wise designer who specifies supposedly older, heavier (looking) materials - fieldstone and the like - from grade up to, say, L1, and then some lighter material higher up. Such arrangement and layering would be particularly in-keeping with more steeply sloped roof gable ends which would most unlikely be originally run up 2 stories under high, hard to support roof pitches. That is, L2 should and would appear to be of more recent vintage than L1, and presenting a story of age without such attention to detail is to send the gift horse packing.

Finally, in the vernacular of Patterns of Home, again for example, the French Country style readily lends itself to creating a courtyard, or Creating Rooms, Outside , and to dormered space demonstrating design keystones of Refuge and Outlook under a Sheltering Roof, particularly if the rooflines are low-profiled and trimmed more simply on L2 than on L1.

Ralph Pressel

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Angelina Jolie is a babe. Kate Beckinsale is a babe. Beyonce Knowles is definitely a babe. So are Kareena Kapoor, Yana Gupta and Amrita Arora. There are some gals/women/girls you see and the only way to describe them is, Whmm! Now that’s a babe . And again, there are women who no matter how hard they try, are always Wanna-babes! But who is a wannababe? Are you dating one?

Don’t be in the blind. Here’s how you spot a wannababe and completely avoid her!

When you’re at a party

The first signs of a Wannababe? She hangs in a gang and that gang giggles the loudest. While a babe will do her own thing, wannababes are the ones who find everything funny-they’ll laugh at the waiters, at the music that is playing, at the men who pass by and at other women. And no, there is no logic to the laughter.

When you are at work

These are the women who are always running to the loo… to powder their noses, answer their phone calls, bitch about other women, crib about the maids who run away. They also ask the stupidest questions in meetings. And these chicks will try everything from rolling their eyes, to trying to be cute when talking to the boss. Particularly if it’s a male boss.

Before you get into bed with her!

Oh boy, wannababes are really not the ones you’d consider something casual with. Usually having no idea about contraception, they’d be screaming, Marry me! before you know it. They obviously lack the maturity to be able to see a fling for what it is. Wannababes want to marry whoever they are dating, preferably after the first date itself! Stay away mate!

When it’s time for goodnight

Sorry dude, forget the goodnight kiss. And if you disregard, check for yourself. Wannababes have a thing about cheaper ones - you are more than likely to find her dad, her sister, mother peeping from behind some curtain somewhere. You also run the risk of ‘outraging her modesty’ with a simple kiss.

When you’re playing the field

The final indication you’re with a wannababe is that she’s forever comparing. Herself to others, you with others, her dress with someone else’s, the restaurant the other people went to… If a woman isn’t certain of herself, how proud will she be of you? Hot women can be smart too, dude. Do yourself a favour and go look for the real thing.

Michael Douglas is dating expert and he is the owner of www.love-lectures.com http://www.love-lectures.com where he offers healthy relationship tips and dating ideas to help you in building healthy and successful relationships.

LiveScience.com - Kevlar is great stuff. It’s strong, lightweight and fire resistant,making it an ideal material for suits worn by firefighters, police andother emergency workers. It is used in everything from tires to bodyarmor.

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Shopping the Online Deals!

Shopping online offers many positives: convenience - you shop in the comfort of your own home at any time of the day or night you choose; selection- thousands of stores at your fingertips; security- contrary to what many believe, online transactions with secure sites can be the more secure than handing your credit card to a sales associate, or walking through a mall and subjecting yourself to possible theft; and perhaps most inviting, the opportunity for substantial savings!

I have to admit to being a devoted online shopper. But, I am even more devoted to finding the best deal possible. There are dozens of ways to save online.

First, of course, the stores themselves often offer online discounts not available in brick and mortar (B&M) stores. Plus, the online stores that do not operate B&M stores, like Amazon.com not only discount most items on their sites, but regularly offer additional savings in the form of discounts, free shipping, or both. For the novice, try the Amazon.com Friday only sale!

Next are the “deals” sites. Most of these sites provide two or three services. First, they alert you to special savings on virtually any product daily. Next, they catalogue all of the discount codes that can be used in ordering to reap greater savings. And, third, some will even hunt down a bargain on a specific item for you. There’s even a site that posts the “Black Friday” sales at major B&M stores like Best Buy and Kmart weeks in advance, and one that posts on Saturday the grocery coupons that will appear in your Sunday newspaper supplements. It doesn’t take long to do your homework, investigate the best sites for your needs and bookmark them for use when you are ready to shop.

There are also member sites (free membership) that provide monetary rebates, or the opportunity to accumulate points for discount redemption. All these sites ask is that you click through them to reach the store site you plan to shop with. The actual rebates are usually small - 1% to 6% of your purchase. But they add up, and how exciting when that forgotten about $15 or $20 check comes in the mail every few months!

Here’s an example. I needed a new pair of black pants. I found what I wanted - style and size - at an online store. They were onsale - marked down from $29.00 to $24.00. I went to one of my bookmarked deals sites and found a discount code for 40% off any item. Then, I opened my member rebate site, clicked to open the store site, located my pants and put them in my “shopping cart. I went to checkout, entered my discount code, bringing the cost of the pants to $14.40. Shipping was $4.99 - bringing the total to $19.39. I paid no tax; I didn’t drive my car, so spent nothing on gas or parking; and the entire effort lasted about 15 minutes and I did it in my robe and slippers. Then I received a credit from my rebate site for an additional $1.54.

Sometimes you can find “stackable” codes that allow both a percentage discount and free shipping. Many of the major retailers offer consistent free shipping - some with a purchase minimum, some with no minimum.

If you haven’t shopped online, but are looking at the shrinking power of your dollars, I strongly suggest hopping on the online shopping train!

Feel free to contact the author for specific site recommendations.

Gayle Wiegand heads up a marketing communications consulting group, Outreach Pros - www.outreachpros.com http://www.outreachpros.com . She has directed projects for private industry, not-for-profit, and government contracts. With an M.S. in Communications and a B.A. in Theatre, Ms. Wiegand has an extensive background in education, healthcare, entertainment, retail and hospitality. www.giftsalley.com http://www.giftsalley.com is one of the ventures Ms Wiegand is involved with.

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Considered high-risk borrowers and defaulters people with a bad credit scores in the past often face lots of trouble while securing a loan. Bad credit secured loans are a healthy way for banks to facilitate defaulters with financial aid while at the same time securing their own interest in the shape of a collaterals or securities which they demand from the borrower.

Well understanding how dreaded the term bad credit ratings is , in the financial market it is not difficult to picture what a borrower would have to go through, in the process of securing financial aid in shape of a loan from a back etc

But with secured bad credit loans at your service you can beat the heat of a poor track records and financial crisis easily. It’s a simple give and take scenario where a lender asks the borrower to pledge a collateral, preferably a property to the bank while securing a loan. However the bank is entitled to stake claim on the security in case of any failures in repayments from the borrower.

This is a practice that allows the banks and lenders to be able to give a loan to a past defaulter with a guarantee of no loss in case of any troubles in repayments in future.

While it also is an opportunity for the borrower to obtain financial aid when he requires it the most besides giving him a chance to improve his credit ratings for the future by repaying the loan with no arrears and penalties.

Alexa Wilsoon is a business writer specializing in finance and credit products and has written authoritative articles on the finance industry. He has done his master in Business Administration and is currently assisting Chance4financ as a finance specialist. For more information please visit: www.chance4financ.co.uk http://www.chance4financ.co.uk .

Born without legs, Kevin Connolly snaps photos of people staring at him — turning the watchers into the watched.

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On 21 September 2006, Nielsen Media Research, Inc. revealed the latest statistics about America’s TV habit. Americans now watch an average of 4 hours 35 minutes of TV every day. This is up three minutes from last year. Furthermore, a TV is playing in the average American household for 8 hours and 14 minutes every day. That is also another record.

This means that if you are an average family, you are probably having difficulty controlling your TV watching and your quality family time is suffering. These two simple strategies will help you painlessly reclaim a portion of your family time from the tube.

1) Start by turning off the TV at dinner. Approximately half of families today eat dinner in front of the TV. However, dinnertime is the perfect time for the whole family to connect. It is an opportune time to relax and get the news about everyone’s day. The family news is far more important than any evening news. You will also avoid real family drama, when you stop watching family entertainment shows and start listening to the cares and concerns of your real family.

2) Second, reserve an hour per day for family time. Turn off the TV, computers, and video games and set aside an hour for interactive quality family time. Put up a Do Not Disturb sign on your front door. This may seem like a large chunk of time at first, but it will be relatively painless if you take it from some of your TV programming. Although many families complain about a time crunch, the average family has a TV playing for a phenomenal eight hours per day. Turn it off.

You could even continue watching all of your favorite shows by planning ahead. Record the shows ahead of time, and skip all the commercials. Every hour of TV has approximately 16 minutes of commercials (some have more). The average family that is watching 4.5 hours of TV is viewing over an hour of commercials every day. Skipping the commercials is a painless way of getting an hour to spend every day with your family.

With only one hour of that chunk of TV time, you could enjoy many activities together as a family. Instead of watching TV, you and your family could go for a walk. You could all go outside and play together as a family. You could read together, swing together, catch together, kick together, bike together, hike together, fish together, run together, jump together, cut together, paste together, sing together…. You get the idea. Your family could enjoy so many fun activities. All you have to do is turn the TV off for a while.

Source: www.nielsenmedia.com http://www.nielsenmedia.com

Katherine Westphal is the founder of TrashYourTV.com and the author of the revolutionary TV-Free System. Go to tvfree.trashyourtv.com http://tvfree.trashyourtv.com to get in control of your TV addiction today.

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In theory, no cat owner should have a finicky cat - as most cats, if they are hungry enough will eat whatever is put in front of them. But as every cat owner knows, cats can be notoriously finicky and if a cat won’t eat, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is sick.

If your cat is finicky, there may be other reasons than the actual food. A cat may actually have trouble eating from a bowl that is too small or too light. And some cats don’t like where their food bowl is placed - try simply changing its location.

If you have other cats or pets, a finicky cat may be intimidated by other animals. A cat may find it difficult to eat from a bowl placed near a dog’s bed, near a noisy appliance or near a busy area of the house. Many dogs will instinctively try to eat cat food when it is placed down.

And consider how long a bowl of cat food has been left out - food left out overnight or in hot weather may be unappetizing to your cat. And cats - even indoor cats - tend to eat less in warm weather.

If you are changing the type of food your cat eats, one effective method is to gradually mix in the new food with the old over a period of several days. On the first day, the serving should consist of ¾ old food and ¼ new food, on the nest day ½ and ½ and so on, until it consists of entirely new food.

If your cat’s diet consists of mostly dry cat food, try giving it a treat of canned cat food occasionally, or add a little broth to its food. Some older cats or cats with sore gums or teeth can find dry food difficult to chew.

Variety really is the spice of life - even for cats. A finicky cat may simply just be bored if it is eating the same flavor of food all the time. To prevent your cat from becoming a finicky eater, try to vary the flavors and varieties of food - ideally, starting when your cat is a kitten.

Laurie Buckley is a long time pet lover and owner. Find more articles and resources about cats at www.4yourcatshealth.com http://www.4yourcatshealth.com .

AFP - Nobel laureate and former US vice president Al Gore echoed president John F. Kennedy on Thursday as he urged Americans to shoot for the moon and make a total shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy in 10 years.

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Ours is a changing world, and recent events have caused people the world over to take on new security measures, both personally and on a corporate level. Traveling to a foreign country, and even within your own country, has become more stringent with enhanced security requirements.

To beef up security and enhance customer service, many airlines, like TSA, are now conducting individual passenger screening at security checkpoints. TSA staff and screening equipment are concentrated at these checkpoints to perform random searches. Every passenger is required to have a boarding pass and photo identification in order to pass through a security gate. Tickets and ticket confirmations are longer accepted as valid identification at these checkpoints.

Many airlines now offer four methods of purchasing a boarding pass. New and convenient options include using the curbside check-in option, the airline’s self-service ticket kiosk in the airport lobby, and the opportunity to purchase and print the boarding pass directly from your airline website. Of course, you can also pick up your boarding pass at the airline’s ticket counter in the airport.

Check with your airline or travel agent to confirm the time you should arrive at the airport. It’s also a good idea to confirm that there are parking lots available at the airport, or if shuttle service might be required.

Double-check to make sure that you have all of your valuables with you, as well as the documents required for boarding. Make sure that you have your boarding pass or ticket confirmation ready, as well as a piece of government-issued photo identification such as a driver’s license or passport. If you have a medical implant or other device that can trigger the security alarm system, make sure that you have certified documentation from your doctor. Remove any prohibited items, such as pocketknives, before going through airport security.

It’s a good idea to stay on the alert at all times. Keep close watch on your luggage, carry-on bags and other belongings. Never agree to carry a parcel for a stranger. If you find unattended bags at the airport, report it to a security officer rather than trying to pick them up yourself. If you see any individual that looks or acts suspicious, point it out to airline security. More than ever before, airline security is very serious business. Never joke about having bombs or firearms on board a plane or at security. The mere mention of such items can lead to lengthy questioning and possible expulsion from the airport.

You have definite rights as an airline passenger, but remember that this is a commercial service and your agreement may be subject to changes. In the case of a delayed flight, airlines will usually try to accommodate passengers by offering a seat aboard the next available flight. Rescheduling your flight on another airline is also an option, but there may be cancellation policies in effect.

Airlines typically overbook flights so double check your reservations to make sure you’re guaranteed a seat. When a particular flight is overbooked, the airline will ask for volunteers to wait and board the next flight, and may offer cash or a free trip as an incentive. If there are no volunteers and you are involuntarily bumped, the airline will reserve another flight and you will be compensated for the inconvenience. If you fail to confirm your reservation or meet the check-in deadline, and if the plane has fewer than six available seats, no reward is offered for involuntary bumping.

You can easily avoid boarding hassles if you know your rights as a passenger and understand the airline terms and conditions for boarding. For your own safety and the security of airline personnel and other passengers, you need to take extra caution to avoid inevitable circumstances.

Being well informed is the ticket to enjoying a safe, secure, and pleasurable flight.

David Wilson contributes to several web magazines, such as milep.com http://milep.com and liferecreation.com http://liferecreation.com

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