Free Advertising Party

Free new tool called Viral Traffic Apocalypse

2010-05-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

What if I told you there is a way to get more visitors and online advertising automatically, and it's GUARANTEED to work?

Now what if I told you it won't cost you a fortune...in fact it won't even cost you a dime!

There's a new tool called Viral Traffic Apocalypse that will do exactly that...and it gets even BETTER...

To use the Viral Traffic Apocalypse, not only is there no cost, but also you don't need to make big changes to what you already do. Just make 1 simple change (takes about 30 seconds) and watch the visitors roll in and the views of your ads explode!

Now if you're skeptical, good! You should be...with all of the hype out there it's hard to believe anything anymore. I know I didn't buy it when I first saw the tool.

But then I USED it...

I can tell you, without a doubt, it works! In fact:

- You do NOT have to trade time or manual effort for traffic
- You do NOT have to install anything on your computer
- You do NOT have to paste tedious HTML code on your webpages
- You do NOT need to know anything about programming
- You do NOT have to agree to getting slammed with ads yourself
- You WILL increase your traffic and advertising, guaranteed
- It WILL work for you regardless of what niche you’re in
- It IS 100% legal, 100% ethical, and 100% “above board”
- You WILL be reaching REAL prospects who want to buy your offers
- The traffic and advertising you gain will INCREASE the longer you use it

This thing is great, and it's unlike anything I've seen. But the easiest way to explain it is for you to see it for yourself. Just go here....

This is REALLY cool.

William

PS - They may start charging for it soon, so get over there now...

Get Viral Traffic Apocalypse now... Click here!

Got a New Referral Here with a promo code - E-Traffic Free Ads

2010-01-29T16:18:00.000-08:00

I'm using the free advertising from the list of Promo Codes here

I am promoting a program that pays me $10 per Gold referral here

Each time I get a referral for my program, I will post which free advertising worked.
Hope this saves you time by letting you know where the latest sign ups are coming from. You can use this same free advertising for your favorite business programs.

From E-Traffic Free Text Ads:

PLEASE READ BEFORE SIGNING UP!!

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING SITE. THE PURPOSE OF JOINING THIS SITE IS TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS AND READ THE ADS OF OTHER MEMBERS SO THAT YOU CAN EARN POINTS TO BE USED FOR ADVERTISING

I OFFER A GENEROUS SIGNUP BONUS TO HELP YOU GET A LOT OF FREE ADVERTISING

BY REDEEMING THE PROMO CODE "free" YOU GET A FREE UPGRADE TO PRO-320,000 ADVERTISING POINTS and SOME FREE ADS

IF YOU DO SIGNUP YOU NEED TO DO 2 THINGS IMMEDIATELY

1. YOU WILL GET A VERIFICATION EMAIL. YOU MUST CLICK ON THE VERIFYING LINK SO THAT WE KNOW THAT THE EMAIL ADDRESS YOU GAVE IS ACCURATE.

2. AFTER YOU VERIFY YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, YOU MAY NOW SIGN IN. AFTER SIGNING IN CLICK ON THE ADVERTISING TAB. YOU WILL SEE A PROMO BOX. ENTER free AND CLICK

YOU NOW HAVE YOUR FREE PRO UPGRADE-320,000 POINTS AND FREE ADS AND YOU CAN START ADVERTISING IMMEDIATELY

DO NOT PAY THE $5 FOR THE PRO UPGRADE-IT IS FREE WHEN YOU REDEEM THE PROMO CODE

REDEEM PROMO CODE HERE

Free Pro Upgrade Plus 5 Dollar Signup Bonus - Heartland Adz

2010-01-29T09:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Heartland Adz

At Heartland Adz your advertisment is important to us. Thats why everyone that is a member is a true verified member. Some ad exchanges, but not all, might have a large amount of people on their sites but they arent true signups. They are paid signups which means they dont care about your ad and never will they just signed up to get money. Here at Heartland Adz we will not tolerate paid signups and they will be deleted and the person that referred them will be deleted. This is to make sure that you as a customer are getting what you paid for so what the member count says is true people that will be reading your ads.

YOUR SOLO ADS WILL BE SENT IN (24) HOURS OR LESS GUARANTEED!!!

WE ARE NOW HAVING A REFERRAL CONTEST IN PROGRESS CHECK INSIDE FOR DETAILS!!!

It Is a Well Known Fact That Ad Exchanges Are One Of The Most Effective Forms Of Advertising!

Important Facts!

The key to having success with ad exchanges is to build downlines, build a good downline in some of these ad exchanges you should never have to do anything to earn credits or cash. I recommend taking advantage of the downline builders of the sites that offer it.

Definition: Downline is a multilevel marketing term that refers to the distributors sponsored directly in your group, as well as those sponsored by other distributors.

Downline building is also a major key with multi level marketing (MLM), building a downline is a major key to being successful, each member that you refer or sponsor will earn you a recurring income.
We do our best so that you will receive guaranteed visitors to your business, websites, blogs, programs etc.

Earn points and cash by referring others, earn points via solos, banners, browsing Text and HTML Ads, use your points toward advertising.

Post Solos, Banners, Text Ads, HTML Ads, Traffic Links, Navigation Links and Login Ads.

Here is what we at Heartland Adz will give you to signup

Starter Pack!

FREE PRO for the first two hundred (200) advertisers you will also receive the following to get you started.

You'll get An additional 10000 Points 2 Solos and 2 Banner ads With A Thousand (1000) Views Each. Plus an additional $5.00 bonus to be used toward advertising only. Send us a support ticket after you log in for the first time to recieve your bonus!!!

Use Coupon Code: Liberty In Your Advertising Area

So come by and signup , I got a referral from the free advertising here yesterday !

REDEEM CODE HERE

I got my newest referral from Free Gold Rush Ads

2010-01-29T08:06:00.000-08:00

Earn Generous Commissions at Gold Rush Text!
Xtreme Solos To 30 Highly Responsive Exchanges

If you are a Free Member Enter the Promo Code
"goldengate" to be Upgraded to Lifetime Pro!

This OFFER includes:
3 Solo Ads!
3 Banner Ads!
3 Button Banner Ads!
3 Hot Links!
3 Traffic Links!
15,000 Points

Enter Promo Code "49ers"
REDEEM PROMO CODES

Surfs Up! Free worldwide exposure for your business promotions

2010-01-26T01:30:00.000-08:00

We reward surfers with SURFING PARTY HITS, you know that people will be watching.
As a member of EdsAutoSurf your sites can receive autosurf traffic 24/7, 365 days a year!

Hello Surfers!

Surfs Up!

While using our website promotion network, you can earn free website traffic effortlessly right now! Our members earn free advertising by watching our fully automated auto surf site rotation. While auto surfing for credits, you earn hits to your website totally free.

Simply... open your browser and we'll do the rest! We CAREFULLY screen all websites . Only high quality, Non Adult Content pages are displayed. Let us free up your time and put your website promotion on auto-pilot with our completely free Automated Traffic Exchange System. Advertise your website, affiliate link, lead capture page or product splash pages for Free to a targeted audience of INTERESTED BUYERS!

and let our automated traffic exchange system ...go to work for you!

Why Join our Free Advertising Service?

Our system offers members the ability to surf and earn hits effortlessly. These credits are turned into valuable hits to your sites. Start experiencing the benefits that automated advertising provides!

We offer stable, cost effective, and fully automated website promotion tools... that reward you TODAY and that are extremely necessary for continued success on the Internet! If you want more website traffic and free business promotion ...sign up for an Account and let us show you how our system can benefit YOUR BUSINESS!

If you are serious about your online business promotions, we want your advertising
business! There is NO substitute for website traffic, and that's what we offer - UNLIMITED TRAFFIC! All this is done 100% automatically! Our Professional AutoSurf is geared to providing you with all your traffic needs. Our High-Tech programming puts your website OUT IN FRONT...and keeps it there!

EdsAutoSurf is part of a large community of Traffic Delivering AutoSurfs...known for Top Quality Traffic and Customer Service! EdsAutoSurf guarantees clean, smooth effortless delivery of consistent traffic!

Thanks!
Edward T Cole
webmaster@edsautosurf.com

Join EdsAutoSurf For FREE! I have used Traffic Exchanges for 8 of the 10 years I have been online. So you know I am familiar with what business owners and internet marketers are looking for in a traffic exchange.

A dependable smooth running autosurf traffic exchange is a valuable tool for business promotion, getting website traffic, and boosting your Alexa ranking.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FREE!

Here your site will also be seen by people. Because we reward surfers with SURFING PARTY HITS, you know that people will be watching.

The first thing you need when promoting online is traffic, but when that traffic is LOOKING, it is more valuable.

You have my 100% commitment to keeping a clean, smooth running system for getting worldwide exposure for your business promotions.

Our goal is to build a partnership with our members. We will continually offer specials, contests and advertising incentives to REWARD You for choosing to advertise with us!

This is a No Virus, Spyware, Adware, Malware Zone

We strive to bring THE BEST Advertising Opportunities on the net to our members. We work diligently to make sure your surfing stays clean. This includes keeping offensive content off our Network!

We monitor sites daily to make sure your marketing message is seen by Real People!

Free Multiple Site Browser - How to Surf Several Auto Surfs at Once

2010-01-25T08:11:00.000-08:00

Photo by William Thomas. Gulf Of Mexico Sunset from a Grouper Boat.

How to Surf Seven Auto Surfs at Once!

I've noticed the new generation of Social Media Savvy crowds moving into and taking over Auto Surfs. This new trend makes financial sense:

it is free to participate

the Autosurfs generate massive traffic.

How I get all my sales and referrals:

1. Download the free browser and you can surf seven sites at once! I surf seven autosurfs 24 hours a day!

Free multiple-site browser

Add your urls (referral links, affiliate links, sites you want to show) to several free Auto Surfs.

Auto Surfs to run in your Free Browser

1. This one let's you build a site to advertise with free

AutosurfPro

2. These sites start you off with 5,000 free credits (shows)

Jerrys Auto Surf

Henny Hitz

Website Traffic Hits 4U

Hot Hits

These autosurfs start you off with 10,000 free credits (shows)

Honey Hits

Infinity Autosurf

3. Add your urls to each auto surf.

Some programs to add to the auto surfs to earn money:

Advertising Blowout (free to join)

CrownGPT (free to join)

Surf 24 hours a day, keep it running,

the free browser is much easier to surf with

(I blog in FireFox, play games,listen to music while my autosurfs run in the free browser listed above!)

* Mine the autosurfs for information; use them to find the newest money making programs and the best free advertising.

Note -If You do not want to use AdSense in the AutoSurfs!

To earn AdSense income, submit your blogs here and you can have the best of both worlds!

Add all your blogs to get more AdSense Revenue - YouSayToo

to recap:

Download the free multiple site browser
Add several Auto Surfs (open them up and run them)
Add your url's to each autosurf as you join free
Open all the autosurfs one by one in the browser

Keep the browser and all the autosurfs running 24 hours a day!

Check your email for referrals and commisions!

MORE ADSENSE INFO:

According to this article http://www.pinoymoneytalk.com/2007/01/10/stumbleupon-and-adsense here is what Google said about SU. Nothing explicit but I think as long as your clicks don't increase you're safe in SU.

Thanks for your response. While we're unable to comment on the compliance
of any specific tool or service, please note that AdSense participants are
solely responsible for verifying that any tools or software used in
conjunction with AdSense do not violate the AdSense Terms and Conditions.
As a reminder, any method that artificially generates clicks or impressions is strictly prohibited, including automated click and
impression generating tools.

If, in the future, you're concerned about the activity on your site, feel
free to review your site's traffic logs for suspicious activity and notify
us of your findings at
https://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/request.py?contact=invalid_clicks_contact.
This information can help us in resolving any issues, although as we've
noted in our Terms and Conditions, Google will use its sole discretion
when determining instances of invalid clicks.

How to tap into massive free Auto Surf Traffic

2010-01-24T06:34:00.000-08:00

How to tap into massive free Auto Surf Traffic

I've noticed the new generation of Tech Savvy Social Media crowd moving into and taking over Auto Surfs. This new trend makes sense financially as it is free to participate and the Autosurfs generate massive traffic.

People always ask me how I get all my sales and referrals, so here is the answer:

Download the free browser and you can surf seven sites at once!

Free multiple-site browser

AutoSurfs - Your current auto surfs will work in the multiple site browser!

!. This one let's you build a site there to advertise with free

AutosurfPro

2. These sites are running a special exchange rate surf one site and get your site seen 2 times: They each start you with 5,000 to 10,000 free credits (visits to your site)

Jerrys Auto Surf

Henny Hitz

Website Traffic Hits 4U

---------------------------------------

Hot Hits -clean smooth autosurf

- 5000 Free Credits - Surf Ratio 1:1 -
No Click Surfing - No Popups - No Rotators
No Redirects - No Adult Sites - No Framebreakers

I surf 7 sites 24/7 ( they work quietly in the background).

How many visits do I get to my site? average 50,000 per day!

Note - do not use AdSense in the AutoSurfs!

Pull them off of any blog you plan to promote with Autosurfs!

To still get your AdSense income, submit your blogs here and you can have the best of both worlds!

Add your blogs to get more AdSense Revenue - YouSayToo

Hope you all enjoy these new visitors to your sites!

Surf Party at AutoSurfPro Today - Giving Away Free Credits

2010-01-23T07:47:00.000-08:00

Exciting Surf Party Today at AutosurfPro! Our Surf Party Host is giving away credits to help you get your sites seen quickly! Hurry! He's giving them away NOW! just surf and watch for the Surf Party Win Pages, then stop the surf bar and copy and past your win into the report form! START HERE FREE

Download this Free multiple-site browser and surf several autosurfs at the same time!
Free multiple-site browser (Slim Browser)

RULES

Submit a Link to Digg, Free

2010-01-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

What is Digg?

Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. From the biggest online destinations to the most obscure blog, Digg surfaces the best stuff as voted on by our users. You won’t find editors at Digg — we’re here to provide a place where people can collectively determine the value of content and we’re changing the way people consume information online.
Take a Quick Tour of Digg

How do we do this? Everything on Digg — from news to videos to images — is submitted by our community (that would be you). Once something is submitted, other people see it and Digg what they like best. If your submission rocks and receives enough Diggs, it is promoted to the front page for the millions of our visitors to see.

And it doesn’t stop there. Because Digg is all about sharing and discovery, there’s a conversation that happens around the content. We’re here to promote that conversation and provide tools for our community to discuss the topics that they’re passionate about. By looking at information through the lens of the collective community on Digg, you’ll always find something interesting and unique. We’re committed to giving every piece of content on the web an equal shot at being the next big thing.

SUBMIT A LINK

5 dollar Sign Up Bonus for ALL New Members, plus Free Pro membership

2010-01-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

Have you heard? Crown Ads is finally Here and they are giving
the first 500 new members this:

$5 Sign Up Bonus for ALL New Members!
And Free Pro to (First 500 Members)

Take a PEEK at These Great Bonuses Crown Ads is Offering Right NOW:

Promo Code w/Free Advertising: royal
Includes:
20,000 Points
6 Solo Ads
6 Banners w/1000 Impressions
6 Traffic Links
3 Login Ads
$5 Sign Up Bonus for ALL New Members!
And Free Pro to (First 500 Members, only)

HINT #1: Contact Support After Sign Up to Grab Your Sign UP Bonus!

HINT #2: check the Pro Bonus section for a list of Free Promo codes!!

Hurry and grab these Bonuses quick, this site is going to FILL UP fast!!

SEE YOU THERE!
REDEEM PROMO CODES

Promo Code for Free Blog Advertising Package - 41 left

2010-01-10T19:03:00.000-08:00

Spotlight Ad Exchange

All New Members Will Get:

FREE Pro Upgrade Till 300 Members, 100% FREE
Hurry (only 41 left)

* 10 Solos
* 15 Banners W/1000 Views
* 2 Button Banners W/500 Views
* 1 Navigation Link For 7 Days
* 10 Hot Links W/500 Views
* 10 Traffic Links W/500 Views ...And
* 1 Login ad
Promo Code In Members Area
plus use PROMO CODE - PEACE
REDEEM PROMO CODE

Free JV Upgrade using the Promo Code prelaunch

2010-01-09T23:38:00.000-08:00

The first 250 Members will get a Free JV Upgrade using the Promo Code "prelaunch"

What you'll receive:

25,000 Extra Credits
10 Solo Ads
10 Banner Ads x 10,000 views
10 Traffic Ads x 10,000 views
10 Hotlink Ads x 1,000 views
10 Top Navigation Links
10 Bottom Navigation Links

JV Membership

25000 points on joining

150 points for every text ad read

150 points for every html ad read

200 points for every banner clicked

250 points for every hotlink ad clicked

0.0050 commissions for every paid to click ad read

250 points for every traffic link clicked

250 points for every bottom navigation link clicked

250 points for every solo ad click

1500 points for every admin ad clicked

Post 15 text ads per day

Post 7 html ads per day

Save 10 text ads

Save 10 html ads

Save 15 solo ads

Have 10 links in the Viral Link Cloaker

1000 points for every referral

100 points when a referral logs in

When a referrer earns points you earn 10 percent in points

When a referrer purchases advertising you earn 15 percent in commissions

Earn $2.99 for every SUPER JV Member referred

Sign Up Free, Then Upgrade Inside with PROMO CODE "prelaunch"
REDEEM PROMO CODES

FREE Over 700 Solo Ads - 100% FREE

2010-01-09T05:43:00.000-08:00

Over 700 SOLO Ads

700,000 Banner Impressions
Plus..login ads, text links, traffic links,
ptcs, free memberships, upgrades, ect., ect.!

Huge List of FREE PROMO CODES
All you have to do is sign up below for your FREE membership at Advertising Blowout, and then take advantage of all the free advertising offered to you from our wonderful site owners! I will be constantly be adding new sites, new offers! Once a member, always a member! And you will get any and all free advertising offers from all new sites added! ALWAYS! If you own an exchange, you are more than welcome to add your program to my list! You can also help us promote the site and earn CASH! Details are inside once you become a member.
START REDEEMING PROMO CODES

Free Pro Membership For The First 250 Members

2010-01-09T03:57:00.000-08:00

Free Pro Membership For The First 250 Members

Use Promo Code: ilovemusic
For Free Advertising Package
2 Solo Ads
5 Banner ads with 500 views, each
2 Traffic Links with 500 views each
1 Login Ad

FREE Pro Membership (150 left) Hurry!

5000 points on joining

Post 10 times a day

Price: FREE

REDEEM PROMO CODE

Free Pro for the first 500 Members - Free Solo Ads

2010-01-09T03:28:00.000-08:00

Here is a Promo Code to Start your
New Membership- use code newmember

To add it, go to advertising and enter the code in and voila! you will have

2 Solo Ads
2 Banner Ads
2 Traffic Links
and 10,000 points!

This will give you a good start for your advertising here!

FREE Pro Membership (first 500) Hurry!

10000 points on joining

Post Ads 10 times a day

Price: FREE
REDEEM YOUR PROMO CODE

Free promo code: postman - Use for Free Advertising Package

2010-01-09T03:11:00.000-08:00

Free promo code: postman - Use for Free Advertising Package

All New Members will receive, 10 Solo Ads, 10 Banners,
10 Traffic Links (1000 views each) and 10000 points.

Join free, validate your membership, go to the advertising section and enter
promo code: postman

FREE Pro Membership

2000 points on joining

Post 5 times a day

Price: FREE

REDEEM YOUR CODE

Get Twitter friends and followers FREE

2010-01-05T18:26:00.000-08:00

twiends.com is a FREE service that allows you to grow your twitter community.
It's a credit based system that provides people with an incentive to
check each other out.

Get twitter friends and followers and grow your community. You can even find people in your own country or with the same interests as you.
And there's no auto-tweeting.

Your site gives me an easy way to find active twitter users who care about their account' - David

me- I have been followed over 1000 times and counting FREE!

I like the credit system, the lack of unexpected spamming, and Dave’s straight forward honest approach' - John

You need a huge Twitter crowd to Tweet your blog posts or products to.

This is a great way to get Followers FREE!

JOIN FREE HERE

Energy Rebates - Save energy and dollars, Find tax credits and rebates

2009-11-14T09:44:00.000-08:00

Rebates/TaxCredits

* Up-to-date information on offers from your local utility, your state and the federal government
* Free home efficiency equipment offers and money-saving programs you can join
* Get detailed instructions how to apply
* Many listings include an application form you can print, save and share—like the one here on this page
CLICK HERE
and enter your zip code to get the list in your area!

Here is a List for North Dakota (58249):

FHA Energy Efficiency Mortgages

Federal loan program that allows current or potential home buyers to incorporate the cost of energy efficient improvements into their new or refinancing FHA loan. To be eligible, you must meet income requirements and be able to make mortgage payments... more

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Federal Tax Credits for Advanced Vehicles

Personal tax credit for purchasing a new energy-efficient car that will be put into service after January 1, 2006 and purchased on or before December 31, 2010. The full tax credits will be available until a manufacturer reaches 60,000 vehicles sold (... more

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Energy Efficiency Federal Tax Credit

Personal tax credit for energy efficiency improvements made to the tax-payer's primary residence. For more information, contact your local IRS offices: http://www.irs.gov/localcontacts/index.html. ... more

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Solar and Fuel Cell Federal Tax Credit

Personal tax credit for installation of alternative energy sources in a residential home. For more information, contact your local IRS offices: http://www.irs.gov/localcontacts/index.html.... more

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KitchenAid Appliance Rebates

KitchenAid is offering a special promotional rebate when you purchase 2-5 select appliances, which may include ENERGY STAR rated dishwashers and refrigerators.... more

+/-

Bosch Nexxt Washer/Dryer Rebate

Bosch Appliances is offering a special promotional rebate on any eligible Nexxt 800 Series or 500 Plus Series washer and dryer. The rebate is offered as a $100 Bosch Visa prepaid card, plus $25 if the washers is equipped with AquaStop and $25 if the ... more

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Bosch Kitchen Appliance Rebates

Bosch Appliances is offering a special promotional rebate on the purchase of multiple kitchen appliance. The rebate is paid as a Bosch Visa prepaid card. This offer is not valid in California, Northern Nevada, Lowe’s and Sears stores.... more

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GE Appliance Rebates

GE Appliances is offering a special promotional rebate when you purchase more than one qualifying appliance, which include many ENERGY STAR models. The rebate is paid as a Visa prepaid card.... more

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GE ENERGY STAR CFL Rebates

GE Lighting is offering a coupon for $1 off the purchase of their Energy Smart ENERGY STAR CFL light bulbs. ... more

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Thermador Appliance Promotion

Thermador is offering a free dishwasher when you purchase a professional range, or cooktop and combination oven. If you also purchase a qualifying refrigerator, you will receive a free cooking ventilation system.... more

Xcel Energy North Dakota Heating Equipment Rebates

Xcel Energy offers cash rebates to customers in North Dakota who install new high-efficiency heating equipment and/or ENERGY STAR thermostats in their home. ... more

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Xcel Energy North Dakota Saver's Switch Program

Xcel Energy offers bill credits to electric customers in North Dakota who allow the utility to install a remote-controlled switch on their central air conditioning system. In return for allowing Xcel to vary the cycle intervals during peak usage peri... more

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Lowes Whirlpool Appliance Rebates

Whirlpool is offering a cash rebate when you purchase two or more selected Gold Series appliances from Lowes. Qualifying models are listed on the rebate form. ... more

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Fannie Mae Energy Efficiency Mortgages

This program allows lenders to increase the amount of home mortgages by the estimated amount of energy savings due to efficiency measures installed in the home.... more

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Freddie Mac Energy Efficiency Mortgages

This program allows lenders to increase the amount of home mortgages by the estimated amount of energy savings due to efficiency measures installed in the home.... more

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VA Energy Efficient Mortgages

Purchase or refinance loan made in conjunction with a VA loan, to add energy efficiency improvements. VA guaranteed loans are made through private lenders to eligible veterans. To find out if you are eligible for a VA loan, visit: http://www.homeloan... more

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Energy Efficient Mortgages

Mortgage program designed to help buyers purchase an ENERGY STAR qualified new home by allowing the home buyer to qualify for a larger loan, reduce closing costs and/or offset the cost of a home energy rating. Unlike FHA or VA mortgages, these loans ... more

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Lowe's Electrolux Appliance Rewards

Lowe's is offering a pre-paid Visa card as a reward for purchasing 2-6 selected Electrolux appliances, many of which are ENERGY STAR rated. ... more

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Lowe's KitchenAid Dishwasher and Stand Mixer Rebate

Lowe's is offering a $100 cash rebate when you purchase a KitchenAid dishwasher and stand mixer. ... more

+/-

Staples In-Store Ink Recycling

Staples offers a $3 rebate on each empty HP, Dell and Lexmark ink cartridge brought into the store for recycling. Rebate limit of 3 cartridges per day. To find a store near you, visit: http://stores.staples-locator.com/staples/?... more

North Dakota residential solar energy incentives

2009-11-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

North Dakota residential solar energy incentives

North Dakota residential solar energy incentives

Renewable energy tax credit:

-This personal tax credit allows the taxpayer to claim an income tax credit of 3% every year for five years for expenditures including labor costs and installation of qualified residential solar-electric systems, solar water heating systems or biomass. Small wind-energy systems and geothermal heat pumps can also be accredited for.
-The excess amount of the federal tax credit may be carried forward to the next five taxable years if it exceeds tax liability.
-Systems must be new and meet all safely and performance requirements to qualify for this tax credit.

Geothermal, solar and wind property tax exemption:

-All geothermal, solar or wind energy device is 100% exempt from local property taxes.
-If these devices are part of a conventional energy system only the total amount of the renewable energy portion is eligible.
-This exemption may be claimed for up to five years from the installation date.

Net metering:

-Net metering is available to residents in North Dakota who have renewable energy systems or combined heat and power systems and are customers of an investor owner electric utility.
-If the customer has any net excess generation at the end of the month the utility will purchase the net excess generation from the customer at the avoided cost rate.
-Customers keep all renewable energy credits connected to the electricity their system generates.
-Systems must have a capacity of 100 kilowatts or less to be eligible for net metering.

Residential renewable energy tax credit:

-This personal tax credit allows the taxpayer to claim a credit of 30% of expenditures including labor costs and installation of qualified residential solar-electric systems, solar water heating systems or fuel cells. Small wind-energy systems and geothermal heat pumps can also be accredited for.
-Solar-electric systems and solar water heaters have a maximum incentive of $2,000 if placed in service before 2009. There is no maximum incentive for systems placed after 2008.
-The excess amount of the federal tax credit may be carried forward to the next taxable year if it exceeds tax liability.
-This can be carried forward until 2016, but after that, it is unknown if the unused credit will be able to be forwarded.

Residential energy conservation subsidy exclusion:

-This is a personal exemption of 100% of energy conservation subsidies provided by public utilities.
-The value of a purchase or installation of any energy conservation measure by a customer such as solar water heat, solar space heat or photovoltaics will not be included in the customer’s gross income.
-Customers of an electric utility company, who participate in the utility’s energy conservation program, may receive a rate reduction of electricity furnished or a nonrefundable credit against the purchase price of the electricity on each monthly electric bill.

Energy-efficient mortgages:

-This is a federal loan program where homeowners can use EEM (energy-efficient mortgages) to finance renewable energy technologies in a home.

SUBWAY KIDS - Help Your School with Every Bite

2009-10-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

SUBWAY KIDS™

The SUBWAY SCHOOL REWARDS™ program is a way to earn money for your school each time you dine at SUBWAY restaurants. Your school can use the money for supplies, athletic equipment — whatever it needs most.

Individuals can participate by obtaining a SUBWAY Card at a local SUBWAY restaurant, loading it with funds, using it to pay, and then linking it to their selected schools at SubwaySchoolRewards.com.

Schools can participate too! Schools just need to enroll and order free materials to distribute to their supporters. Then, participating supporters need to pay for meals using a SUBWAY Card that is linked to their school. A portion of every purchase will go back to the school.

Organic Valley Coupons - $16 in savings, print

2009-10-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

Choose the Coupons You Would Like to Print

Coupons are valid for 30 days from the date on which they are printed. Our online coupons are limited to two (2) prints per coupon offer. Our coupon offers are typically refreshed once per year, normally in the month of March. Before selecting your Organic Valley coupons, please be sure to have your printer turned on and adequately stocked with paper. GET COUPONS

Organic foods are known and appreciated for their superior taste and quality, but there are many additional reasons to "go organic." Health, community, and environment are the primary concerns of the approximately three million consumers who bought organic foods in the United States in 2004.

For individuals and families seeking high nutritional value and reduced risk of exposure to the toxins associated with factory farming practices, organic offers peace of mind.

A commitment to choosing local and regionally produced foods is a core value of the organic movement. In addition to fresher foods and reduced fossil fuel consumption, the profit from the sale of locally produced foods is more likely to find its way back into the community. Consumers and family farmers working together to support such local systems form a sustainable partnership.

Organic farming methods are helping to heal our earth by returning vitality and nutrients to the soil and keeping air and water safe from pollution caused by toxic pesticides and herbicides. Eating organic food is a great way to protect the environment.

Free Sample-LEAP Treat is a treat that has the added benefit of maintaining joint and heart health.

2008-06-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

* LEAP Treat is a treat that has the added benefit of maintaining joint and heart health. One LEAP Treat has the equivalent of 1-2 servings of LEAP.

* LEAP Treat is made with organic rye flour, organic apples and organic olives. LEAP Treat is wheat-free which means that it's easier to digest than ordinary dog bones and therefore unlikely to upset your dog's GI tract.

Leap for your free sample!

Inglis, FL Photos-Our Secret Paradise

2008-05-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

I can not describe the beauty we see every day here in Inglis, Florida...so, Ill just show you!

Whatever your need in life may be, love is the answer.

2008-05-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

Another bit of Lovely Inspiration from Fireflies: A powerful method for invoking the Christ consciousness (and all its power) is to meditate upon the words of Jesus from the Four Gospels. When you have a healing need, study Jesus' hearings and you will tune in on that same healing consciousness. When you have a prosperity need, study his miracles..

Whatever your need in life may be, love is the answer. You do not have to look outside yourself for love. Begin releasing it from within your own thoughts and feelings, and you will attract to you whatever people, situations, and conditions are for your highest good. Truly, "You walk in the charmed circle of God's love, and you are divinely irresistible to your highest good now." This is the prospering power of love.

In all phases of life, love is a success power. Many persons who are seeking a balanced life have found this prayer helpful: "Divine love expressing through me, now draws to me all that is needed to make me happy and my life complete."

Educational Links-Oceans

2008-04-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

Educational Links

Web Cameras

ADF&G Classroom Salmon Egg Incubation Program

Museums and Aquariums

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition - Ocean Planet

Features a Smithsonian exhibit on the world's oceans. Visitors can see an overview of the exhibition, find lessons and marine science activities, and read a final report documenting the educational impact of the undertaking.

Smithsonian Institution - Science and Technology

Offers 11 lesson plans for Grades 3-8 on minerals and gems, Ben Franklin, spiders, archaeology, oceans, pollination, reptiles and amphibians, and more.

American Museum of Natural History
AMNH - OLogy

The Museum's Web site for kids, at home, or at school; whenever and wherever kids are curious. At OLogy, kids can play games, meet scientists, collect Ology cards, and read stories as they dig into topics that interest them, from paleontology to astronomy to genetics.

AMNH - Rescources for Learning

Explore our extensive collection of scientific and educational materials. Browse this online catalog to find resources such as profiles, lesson plans, interactives, videos, and essays. The resources are organized and searchable by topic-such as astronomy, earth science, biology, paleontology, and anthropology.

AMNH - Black Smokers at Juan de Fuca Ridge

Everything you ever wanted to know about black smokers and the animals that live there

Monterey Bay Aquarium

NOAA

Ocean Explorer

Provides 165 lesson plans developed to bring entire classrooms "on board" for exploration and discovery. Topics include deep-sea hydrothermal vents and their spectacular animal communities, benthic creatures of the Northern Gulf of Mexico (one of Earth's most geologically complex regions), seafloor methane, unexplored deep reef habitats off the Carolinas, the Titanic, and the mystery of the Steamship Portland (lost in a 1898 storm off New England).

International Year of the Ocean -- Kid's & Teacher's Resources

Offers information about oceanography, meteorology, resource conservation, and marine biology. Links are provided to information about coral reefs, threatened and endangered species, and educational programs such as GLOBE, where students and teachers collect data that is used by scientists and researchers, and Adopt A Buoy, where National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration measurement equipment can be brought into the classroom.

National Marine Sanctuary

Provides information about our nation's marine sanctuaries -- how they were established, how they're managed, their scientific and educational programs, and events that occur in them throughout the year. Within the 13 sites are a range of creatures, habitats, historical artifacts, and flourishing maritime cultures.

NeMO Explorer

Allows students to explore a seafloor observatory geographically or by topic. Learn about seafloor animals, hydrothermal vents, mid-ocean ridges, axial volcano, lava flow, and technology and tools. Operate (remotely) a vehicle that takes you to the seafloor near an active submarine volcano. Explore black smoker vents, new lava flows, and unusual life forms.

The New Millenium Observatory (NeMO)

Which studies interactions between submarine volcanic activity and seafloor hotsprings, offers a unit called "The Case of the Missing Rumbleometer." High school and middle school students learn about locating the epicenter of an earthquake, calculating the distance to the epicenter from hydrophones (underwater microphones), identifying evidence of a lava eruption, detecting a hydrothermal vent, estimating the age of lava based on animal species in the area, and more.

Sustainable Seas Expeditions

Focuses on exploration and discovery, scientific research, cutting edge underwater technologies, and public awareness of the marine environment. Visitors will find high-quality marine science teaching materials (linked to national standards), a multifaceted approach to teacher professional development, fascinating educational opportunities for students, and much more.

Paleoclimatology Slide Sets

View slideshows of various topsics on paleoclimates. Appropriate for college level audiences.

National Science Foundataion (NSF)

Digital Library for Earth System Education

Is a geoscience community resource that supports teaching and learning about the Earth system. Find thousands of reviewed resources on topics that include atmospheric science, biology, chemistry, climatology, cryology, ecology, environmental science, forestry, geography, geology, mineralogy and petrology, hydrology, mathematics, natural hazards, ocean sciences, physics, soil science, and space science.

Oceans Alive

Explores the mountains, abysses, and other physical features of the ocean floor, as well as the movement of the continents, the water cycle, the four oceans, waves and wind, currents, tides, marine life near the surface, and ocean predators and prey. Activities are provided for learning about the water cycle, water currents, web of life, and tides.

Teach the Earth

Offers hundreds of teaching activities, visualizations, and resources for teaching earth science. Categories include biosphere, climate change, energy/material cycles, geology and human health, geochemistry, hydrosphere and cryosphere, mineralogy, ocean systems, petrology, solar system, and earth history. Special sections are provided on using data and teaching quantitative skills.

National Science Teacher's Association (NSTA)

Teaching resources and more.

University and Institutions:

The COOLroom

Rutgers University Coastal Ocean Observation Lab, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Outreach materials for fisherman, boaters,sailors,swimmers,surfers and divers

The c.o.o.l. Classroom

he folks at Rutgers Marine and Coastal Sciences have built a special website for you and your teachers so that you can join the scientists in the COOLroom as they explore the waters off New Jersey. Learn how to predict if it will be a good beach day or if the fish are running. See for yourself what the ocean looks like from 500 miles above the earth and 15 meters below the surface.

SCCOOS-Scripps- Forces of Nature: Southern California Weather
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

- WHOI Polar Discovery

Explore polar science with information and activities

- WHOI Dive and Discover: Expeditions to the Seafloor

Take a virtual tour with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the place which pioneered trips to hydrothermal vents in its deep sea submersible, Alvin.

WHOI Deeper Discovery Interactives

WHOI Dive and Discover for Teachers

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution

Societies:

American Cetacean Society

ACS Cetacean Curriculum A teacher's guide to introducing and using whales, dolphins, & porpoises in the classroom
ACS Cetacean Fact Packs The American Cetacean Society has prepared Whale and Dolphin Fact Packs that contain concise information about selected whales and dolphins on Fact Sheets. Each Sheet provides information on one species, including distribution map, feeding, natural history, current status, physical description, biology and behavior. Experts in the fields of marine biology and marine mammal research have reviewed all Fact Sheets for accuracy.
ACS Educational Outreach ProgramsEducating young and old about the plight of our cetaceans is extremely important and is one of the core missions of the American Cetacean Society.

Other

How Stuff Works - Earth Science

How Stuff Works - Life Science

Missouri Botanical Garden

ShorelinesLearn about sandy shores, barrier islands, rocky shores, tide pools, estuaries, salt marches, mud flats, mangrove forests, tides, waves, currents, and shoreline animals.
Temperate Oceans Learn about zonation, forests, patterns, Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, Food from the Sea, Dolphin Safe Tuna? and Ocean Animals.
Tropical Oceans Learn about coral reefs, and tropical ocean animals.

Office of Naval Research - Oceanography/Marine-Related Careers

Profiles careers in the oceanography and marine related fields.

Office of Naval Research - Oceanography: A Science and Technology Focus Site

Explores ocean habitats, regions, and more. Learn how waves are created and where hydrothermal vents are found, or conduct one of the site's experiments to find out why big ships don't sink.

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

Offers information about managed fish populations throughout the U.S., as well as watershed-based data and state-by-state fishing resources. Learn about freshwater and marine fishes, aquatic invertebrates, water quality and habitats, and dams and fish passage. Fishbase, a global database, provides names, pictures, and key facts about more than 25,000 fish species.

NASA Oceanography

Provides online field trips, information about ocean phenomena (such as phytoplankton, carbon, and reefs), remote sensing tools for monitoring ocean changes, and more. This website is based on NASA research and satellite missions focused on global ocean science.

Project Oceanography

Describes a marine science education program produced by the University of South Florida. It consists of weekly live television broadcasts to middle school students designed to enhance science education in middle schools and to contribute to staff development of science educators. (Multiple Agencies)

Ocean World Links

Links to web tutorials, online museums, teacher rescources, professional organizations, government agencies and more

Oceanlink

Giant Anemone, Condylactis gigantea

2008-04-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

Giant Anemone, Condylactis gigantea
It may look like a large flower with its 10-inch-wide mass of pink- and purple-tipped tentacles, but this predator can paralyze and engulf animals as large as sea urchins. The stinging tentacles surround a slit-like mouth that gapes open to swallow prey. The giant anemone is home to various shrimps, which gain protection from predators within the anemone's tentacles.

Worldwide Freebies

2008-04-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

Worldwide Freebies

Free In Europe
A travel guide of lots of awesome free things to do all over Europe.

Free Waxing Strips

Get a free sample of Waxaway hair removing strips.

Free Skin Care Samples
Get a free samples from Boscia skin care.

Free Bible Mysteries CD
Get a free CD with 9 complete books about bible mysteries.

Free Desktop Wallpaper-Koi

2008-04-10T09:26:00.001-07:00

Koi means simply "carp".
Koi are the symbol for friendship in Japan...here is a free desktop wallpaper for my friends

Fresh Freebies for my Yuwie Friends-the list I ordered from today

2008-04-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

Weird Fragrances Sample 10 weird scents such as money, boiled crawfish,	Give Feedback
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Free information kit about the risk of heart attack and stroke from PAD	Give Feedback
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Sample Of Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Liquid Foundation	Give Feedback
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Perfume Free Stuff - Free Sample Of Baby Phat Fabulosity By Kimora Lee

Poison Dart Frogs-beautiful little jewels

2008-04-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

Introduction

The family dendrobatidae is composed of the genus Dendrobates, Phyllobates, Epipedobates, Minyobates, Colostethus and Aromobates. They live in tropical forests from Nicaragua to Bolivia and you can find them from sea level to 2.600 m. in the Venezuelan mountains ("Tepuis") as is the case of Epipedobates rufulus.

The skin of these frogs has a powerfull poison and, normally, they've striking colours and patterns to advertise its predators they're dangerous, this is called aposematic coloration. The poison is very strong in the case of Phyllobates terribilis, P.auratoenia and P.bicolor. These three species could be very dangerous even for humans. Some tribus of Colombia use them to poison their darts to hunt, it's instantaneous and it lasts for a long time in the darts. The captive breed poison dart frogs don't have this toxicity because the diet we give them in our terrariums lacks some alcaloids or another chemical compounds which are the precursors of the poison.

As a rule these frogs adapt and breed well in captivity. Its wonderfull coloration, the elaborate and nice mating methods and the diurnal activity make the poison dart frogs a desirable subject for the terrariums. A big number of people breed them in captivity.

Earth Friendly Resources

2008-04-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

The Alternative Consumer

The Alternative Consumer provides product reviews, green news and info to the next wave of smart consumers - fresh thinkers who consciously style their lives with their health and the health of the Earth in the forefront of their mind; chic, savvy shoppers who integrate “green” into their everyday buying decisions.
Mother Earthbeats
My blog concerns my Love for Mother Earth and all her creatures. Nature and the health of our environment are issues I am passionate about. Creating awareness of all the beauty and gifts this planet has to offer humans is a serious goal of mine.
A Wolf Adventure
The chronicles of one wild ride living with wolves. This site takes you on a journey of the senses spiritually, physically and emotionally. Based in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada, A Wolf Adventure is not only a licensed wolf outreach, but eco center to teach the youth of our times the importance of dwindling habitat.
Haleys Green Planet
Free Resource for Living Green with lots of Freebies. Focus on the Beauty of the Planet we are working to save.
Protecting Our Environment
Protecting our wildlife, water, energy, land, resources, and planet.
Off Grid Living
Latest news and information for living off the grid with renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind and geothermal.
Blog Minded :: Globally Minded
Our Globally Minded Blog covers many issues: green living, social entrepreneurship, fair trade, socially responsible business decisions, volunteering and passionate living. Let’s live other-centric lives together!

Free High-Resolution Tiger Images

2008-03-30T04:08:00.000-07:00

Save The Tiger Fund is often approached for tiger images that can be used in various tiger-related publications. This page contains a selection of images of adult tigers and cubs donated by Brian Gratwicke that can be freely used in publications, websites and projects under a creative commons 2.5 licence. Please give credit to Save The Tiger Fund.

Note: These are high-resolution files and may take a while to download.

SEE ALL THE PHOTOS HERE

Google Earth Hour

2008-03-29T04:50:00.001-07:00

Google users in the United States will notice today that we "turned the lights out" on the Google.com homepage as a gesture to raise awareness of a worldwide energy conservation effort called Earth Hour. As to why we don't do this permanently - it saves no energy; modern displays use the same amount of power regardless of what they display. However, you can do something to reduce the energy consumption of your home PC by joining the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.

On Saturday, March 29, 2008, Earth Hour invites people around the world to turn off their lights for one hour – from 8:00pm to 9:00pm in their local time zone. On this day, cities around the world, including Copenhagen, Chicago, Melbourne, Dubai, and Tel Aviv, will hold events to acknowledge their commitment to energy conservation.

Given our company's commitment to environmental awareness and energy efficiency, we strongly support the Earth Hour campaign, and have darkened our homepage today to help spread awareness of what we hope will be a highly successful global event.

Why did Google choose this specific organization?
We believe in doing our part to help combat climate change, and found the Earth Hour initiative to be a timely, important event. Further, we think the "lights out" idea's individual-centered nature is something that millions of people worldwide can participate in. In short, we really like it. So we did something about it.

How can I get Google to do something similar for my organization or project?
We welcome your ideas on how we can become more socially and environmentally responsible. Although we can't guarantee either a placement on the Google homepage or even a response to every query, we do read every email we receive and welcome your ideas of organizations that you believe we should feature. If you'd like to submit a proposal, please send it to us at proposals@google.com.

Coral Head, Somosomo Strait, Taveuni, Fiji-free underwater desktop wallpaper

2008-03-25T05:59:00.000-07:00

800 pixels x 600 pixels (SVGA)
1024 pixels x 768 pixels (XGA)
1280 pixels x 1024 pixels (SXGA)

To make one of these images your Windows wallpaper (background image), click on the resolution you require for the selected image and allow the image to load fully in your web browser. With Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, right click on the image and select Set as Wallpaper. You're done!

Easter Chick Photos-Haley

2008-03-23T04:52:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken by photographer Haley Willis, age 11.

New Instant Win Sweeps

2008-03-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

ONLINE INSTANT WIN GAMES

If you know of an instant win game that isn't posted and you would like to see it added, FORM TO REPORT NEW INSTANT WINS. Thanks!

NEW JERSEY DEVILS: See who has won Tell us about your win
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Instantly win a gift voucher. Daily entry. Runs from 3/12/08 to 5/12/08.

DADS: See who has won Tell us about your win
Instantly win a gift card or a coupon. 2 entries per person. One instant win prize per person. Runs from 2/4/08 to 5/31/08.

THE MAIDS: See who has won Tell us about your win
Instantly win a gift certificates or a gift basket. Daily entry. One prize per person. Runs from 3/1/08 to 5/31/08.

AVEENO: See who has won Tell us about your win
Instantly win bedding or beauty products. Daily entry. One prize per person. Runs from 2/29/08 to 5/15/08.

ATT: See who has won Tell us about your win
Instantly win a gift card. Daily entry. One prize per person. Runs from 3/4/08 to 4/15/08.

COCA-COLA: See who has won Tell us about your win
Instantly win a sweatshirt, a basketball and more. Daily entry. One prize per person. Runs from 3/3/08 to 5/1/08.

See them all

Why Ligers are so much larger than Lions or Tigers-Photos

2008-03-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

Size:

Hybrid animals usually display what is known as 'hybrid vigor'. This means the offspring grow much larger and faster than either parent, and it appears that many hybridizations cause gigantism.

Ligers are the largest felid in the world and can stand 12 feet tall on their hind legs. There are several photographs within this article which show comparisons between humans and ligers; they give an idea of just how huge these hybrids are. Fortunately, these cats have quite a gentle and easy going disposition. (Note that tigons are quite a different story when it comes to size. They show a tendency towards dwarfism).

Ligers may weigh in at half a ton, up to double the weight of a fully-grown Amur tiger. 'Hobbs', the liger shown below is the offspring of a Bengal tigress and an African lion. He has an estimated weight of between 800 and 1200 pounds. As a comparison, the Guinness Book of World Records lists the heaviest Amur tiger as being a 1,025 pound male, but this is highly unusual for the subspecies and a captive Amur tiger would be very lucky to reach 650-675 pounds.

Free Kids Online Homework Help

2008-03-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

Encyclopedia Britannica
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Merriam-Webster Thesaurus

Kids!--Free "Learning about Leonardo Da Vinci" and the "Mona Lisa"
Kids!--Free English Grammar and Proofreading Skills Help Online
Kids!--Free Homework Helpers - Online Reference on a Variety Subjects
Kids!--Free Algebra Help Online - Help on All Levels of Mathematics
Kids!--Free Online Copy of the "Declaration of Independence"
Kids!--Free Word Rhymer - Enter Word and Find a Rhyming Word
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Kids!--Free Formula Calculator - Calculate Virtually Anything!
Kids!--Free US and Foreign Maps and Books - Check Pumpkins Travel Pages

Why Are Reef Fish So Colorful?

2008-03-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

Why Are Reef Fish So Colorful?

From the Page:

Coral reefs are home to many of the world’s most colorful fish species. But the purposes of the dramatic coloration of reef fish are not well understood. Research on fish that live around Australia’s Great Barrier Reef suggests that fish might use color to frighten enemies or attract mates. In this article from Scientific American Presents, marine biologist Justin Marshall explores several theories that help explain why reef fish are so brightly colored. CLICK HERE to read the article.

Free Desktop Wallpaper-Japanese Koi,symbol for friendship

2008-03-17T12:03:00.001-07:00

The word "koi" comes from the Japanese, simply meaning "carp." It includes both the dull grey fish and the brightly colored varieties. A homophone of koi means "love, affection" and koi are therefore symbols of love and friendship in Japan

Soft Coral-Papua New Guinea

2008-03-13T05:48:00.000-07:00

Soft Coral
Purple Anthias Pseudanthias tuka swim over a field of soft coral.

To download your Free Desktop Wallpaper:

Internet Explorer users
Right Click on the image and select Set as Background.

Netscape Navigator users
Right Click on the image and select Set as Wallpaper.

Mac users
Hold down the mouse button over the image and wait for the menu.
Choose Save Image As.
Open the control panel to Desktop Pictures.
Click Select Picture and load the file you just saved.
Choose Position Automatically.

Ancient Minoan Palace, Agean Sea-photos

2008-03-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

The Minoans were a pre-Hellenic Bronze Age civilization in Crete in the Aegean Sea, flourishing from approximately 2600 to 1450 BC when their culture was superseded by the Mycenaean culture, which drew upon the Minoans.

Free Desktop Wallpaper,tropical rain forest in Costa Rica

2008-03-10T03:49:00.000-07:00

This is a stream through a tropical rain forest in Costa Rica.
640 x 480

800 x 600

1024 x 768

Free Green Planet Desktop Wallpaper,Rangiroa Atoll, French Polynesia

2008-03-10T03:43:00.000-07:00

This tropical palm tree grove has very interesting symmetry and shadows.
Rangiroa Atoll, French Polynesia
640 x 480

800 x 600

1024 x 768

Sea Turtles' Mystery Hideout Revealed

2008-03-09T05:50:00.000-07:00

Once sea-turtle hatchlings hit the surf, they vanish for up to five years. Where the half-dollar-size tots spend these "lost years" while ballooning to the size of dinner plates has been a mystery, until now.

New research, published today in the online edition of the journal Biology Letters, indicates the green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) hide out in the open ocean, where they feast on jellyfish and other marine creatures.

Not only did the researchers spot their short-lived sea homes, but they discovered that these reptiles, thought to be lifelong vegetarians, are actually meat eaters as juveniles.

The results help to solve a 50-year-old mystery about the hideouts. “This has been a really intriguing and embarrassing problem for sea-turtle biologists, because so many green-turtle hatchlings enter the ocean, and we haven’t known where they go,” said study team member Karen Bjorndal, a zoologist and director of the University of Florida's Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research.

Before this study, scientists had two "snapshots" that provided scant clues about the missing information on the lives of green turtles: When they hatch, the 2-inch-long (5-centimeters) sea turtles push through seemingly colossal surf. Then, between three and five years later, the now juveniles reappear closer to shore.

"Literally, when green turtles run off their nesting beach and into the ocean as little hatchlings, they disappear. And nobody sees them again [for years]," Bjorndal told LiveScience.

The scientists collected samples from the shells of 44 green sea turtles at a site near Great Inagua in the Bahamas. They analyzed heavy and light stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen from both the oldest (earliest-grown) and newest sections of the shells. The isotopes act as fingerprints for an animal's diet (carnivore or herbivore) and where in the ocean the animal lived.

The results indicated the green sea turtles spent their lost years in the deep ocean, feeding as carnivores, before moving closer to shore and switching to a vegetarian diet of sea grasses.

The findings have implications for conservation of the green turtles, because as Bjorndal explained, "you can't protect a species if you don’t know where it is."

The Ancient Maya-photos

2008-03-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

Scholars have long puzzled over the Maya civilization's rise to glory and fall to ruin. The latest thinking is that a man named Fire Is Born made the Maya great. But no one person or problem caused the collapse. Simply put, everything went wrong.

The Kingmaker

THE STRANGER ARRIVED as the dry season began to harden the jungle paths, allowing armies to pass. Flanked by his warriors, he marched into the Maya city of Waka, past temples and markets and across broad plazas. Its citizens must have gaped, impressed not just by the show of force but also by the men's extravagant feathered headdresses, javelins, and mirrored shields—the regalia of a distant imperial city.

Ancient inscriptions give the date as January 8, 378, and the stranger's name as Fire Is Born. He arrived in Waka, in present-day Guatemala, as an envoy from a great power in the highlands of Mexico. In the coming decades, his name would appear on monuments all across the territory of the Maya, the jungle civilization of Mesoamerica. And in his wake, the Maya reached an apogee that lasted five centuries.The Maya have always been an enigma. Decades ago the glories of their ruined cities and their beautiful but undeciphered script had many researchers imagining a gentle society of priests and scribes. As epigraphers finally learned to read the Maya glyphs, a darker picture emerged, of warring dynasties, court rivalries, and palaces put to the torch. Maya history became a tapestry of precise dates and vividly named personages.But deep mysteries remained, among them what spurred the Maya's final leap toward greatness. Around the time Fire Is Born's fame was spreading, a wave of change swept the Maya world. What had been a collection of inward-looking city-states expanded their ties with their neighbors and other cultures and reached the heights of artistic achievement that define the Classic Maya period.New clues, unearthed from overgrown ruins and teased from newly deciphered texts, point to Fire Is Born as a central figure in this transformation.

Though fragmentary, the evidence that has emerged over the past decade suggests that this mysterious outsider remade the political leadership of the Maya world. Mixing diplomacy and force, he forged alliances, installed new dynasties, and spread the influence of the distant city-state he represented, the great metropolis of Teotihuacan near present-day Mexico City.

Freebies-Free Travel Products

2008-03-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

These freebies expire quickly so get yours quick!

American Byways--Free Map of 95 of America's Most Beautiful Byways
Vantage Travel--Free Travel Brochure from Vantage World Travel
Fuel Cost Calculator--Free Online Fuel Cost Calculator from AAA
Carnival Cruise Lines--Free "The Fun Ships" Vacation Kit with DVD
Coupon Book--Free Coupon Book from the Smoky Mountain Navigator
Rosetta Stone--Free Language Learning Demo CD from Rosetta Stone
Road Atlas--Free Road Atlas from the National Guard
Road Atlas--Free "Mobil Travel Guide" Road Atlas for Discover Card Users
NYC--Free Printable "Paint The Town..." Savings Card for New York City
Orlando, FL--Free Orlando Coupons and Discounts
Las Vegas--Free "Tons of Coupons" from the Las Vegas Leisure Guide
Thrifty Traveler--Free Hostelling Map of the US and Various Travel Booklets
Air Courier--Free "Air Courier" Information - Fly Internationally for 85% Less
Acela--Free Brochures and Special Offers from "Acela" High-Speed Trains
Amtrak--Free "Amtrak" Travel Planner, National Timetables, Gift Shop
BBB--Free "Better Business Bureau" Information on Travel and Travel Agencys

Blue Poison Dart Frog, dendrobates azureus,facts,photos

2008-03-05T05:07:00.000-08:00

Description of Animal

These little frogs are easily recognized by their blue color, which is generally darker on the limbs and belly and overlaid with black spots or patches, especially on the head and back.

As their name implies, poison dart frogs can release toxins from the skin that are distasteful and potentially lethal to would-be predators. Three very toxic species of poison dart frogs from Colombia and South America are utilized by Indians to poison the tips of blowgun darts.

Blue poison dart frogs are active during the day and can be found hiding among boulders and debris near streams; however, they lack toe webbing and are poor swimmers, so they are never found in the water.

Aquarist's Note

This colorful frog was not even discovered until 1968!

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2008-03-05T04:34:00.000-08:00

Pilot Whales, facts and photos

2008-03-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

blackfish or pothead either of two species of small, slender toothed whales with a round, bulging forehead, a short beak-like snout, and slender, pointed flippers. Pilot whales are about 4–6 metres (13–20 feet) long and are found in all the oceans of the world except the Arctic.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Globicephala melas -- From the Latin globus (globe, ball) and the Greek kephale (head) and melanus (black).

COMMON NAME: Pilot Whale

DISCOVERED: Lesson, 1828

EXTERNAL ANATOMY:

Bulbous forehead (exaggerated in adult males)
Slate gray-black body with light markings on throat and belly
Short, imperceptible beak
Prominent, falcate dorsal fin
Elongated wedge shaped body
Long, sickle-shaped flippers
Size: 6.2 m, 3 tons (male); 5.4 m, 2-2.5 tons (female)

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION:

Discontinous distribution with tropical waters separating the Southern hemisphere population from that of the northern North Atlantic
Temperate to subpolar distribution in all oceans except North Pacific
Abundant in North Atlantic and Southern hemisphere
Seasonal variation in migration patterns-some spend entire year offshore

NATURAL HISTORY:

HABITAT:

Cold temperate and subpolar waters
Found both inshore and offshore

FOOD & FEEDING:

Squid, octopus, cod and other fish

LIFE CYCLE:

Life Span: 40-50 years
Peak seasons for mating: spring/early summer
Calves are born in late summer after 16 month gestation period
Calving interval: 3 years
Nursing lasts 20 months
Sexual maturity at 12 years (male) and 6 years (female)

BEHAVIOR:

Travel in small groups of 4-6 individuals
At times hundreds up to thousands may gather
Tight groups while on move, loose when feeding
Methodical and unexpressive at surface (appear to be at "rest")
Sometimes hang vertically spyhopping or pitch-poling
Lobtailing is common
Do not ride bow waves
Tend to strand at times
Not particularly friendly
Deathly afraid of killer whales and will breach themselves to try to avoid avoid them

PILOT WHALE SONGS: The following .au file is a sample the song of the Pilot Whale.

Clicks [34k .au file]

Worlds Largest Bony Fish, The Bizarre Mola Photos

2008-03-03T09:21:00.000-08:00

As gigantic as the ocean sunfish can be, it still seems like only half a fish.Sunfish, or mola, develop their truncated, bullet-like shape because the back fin which they are born with simply never grows. Instead, it folds into itself as the enormous creature matures, creating a rounded rudder called a clavus. Mola in Latin means "millstone" and describes the ocean sunfish’s somewhat circular shape. They are a silvery color and have a rough skin texture.The mola are the heaviest of all the bony fish, with large specimens reaching 14 feet (4.2 meters) vertically and 10 feet (3.1 meters) horizontally and weighing nearly 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms). Sharks and rays can be heavier, but they're cartilaginous fish.Mola are found in temperate and tropical oceans around the world. They are frequently seen basking in the sun near the surface and are often mistaken for sharks when their huge dorsal fins emerge above the water. Their teeth are fused into a beak-like structure, and they are unable to fully close their relatively small mouths.Ocean sunfish can become so infested with skin parasites, they will often invite small fish or even birds to feast on the pesky critters. They will even breach the surface up to 10 feet (3 meters) in the air and land with a splash in an attempt to shake the parasites.They are clumsy swimmers, waggling their large dorsal and anal fins to move and steering with their clavus. Their food of choice is jellyfish, though they will eat small fish and huge amounts of zooplankton and algae as well. They are harmless to people, but can be very curious and will often approach divers.Their population is considered stable, though they frequently get snagged in drift gill nets and can suffocate on sea trash, like plastic bags, which resemble jellyfish.

Fast FactsType: FishDiet: OmnivoreAverage lifespan in captivity: Up to 10 yearsSize: 11 ft (3.3 m)Weight: Up to 5,000 lbs (2,250 kg)Group name: SchoolDid you know? Ocean sunfish can become so infested with skin parasites, they will often invite small fish or even birds to feast on the pesky critters.

The Pistol Shrimp's Sonic Weapon-video

2008-03-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

This defies belief! The shrimp's sonic weapon reaches the temperature of the sun!

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2008-03-01T04:09:00.000-08:00

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Snakes with Two Heads-photos

2008-02-29T04:25:00.000-08:00

Life is Confusing For Two-Headed Snakes
The two-headed monsters of myth may have a basis in reality. Two-headed snakes are rare but not unheard of, and one recently found in Spain is giving scientists an opportunity to study how the anomaly affects their ability to hunt and mate.

"We hear of one every several years," said Gordon Burghardt, a herpetologist at the University of Tennessee who has studied several two-headed snakes.

The snake in Spain, discovered near the village of Pinoso, is a two-month-old non-venomous ladder snake Elaphe scalaris. It is about eight inches (20 centimeters) long.

It's probably lucky it was captured—its chances of surviving in the wild are nil, said Burghardt.

"Just watching them feed, often fighting over which head will swallow the prey, shows that feeding takes a good deal of time, during which they would be highly vulnerable to predators," said Burghardt. "They also have a great deal of difficulty deciding which direction to go, and if they had to respond to an attack quickly they would just not be capable of it."

And that's assuming that both heads are hungry at the same time, and both are interested in pursuing the same prey.

"Having two heads would be a hindrance in the wild," agreed James Badman of Arizona State University. "It would be much harder to catch prey." Arizona State was home to a two-headed king snake that was found as a baby. It lived for nearly 17 years in captivity at the university.

Even in captivity, there are problems. Snakes operate a good deal by smell, and if one head catches the scent of prey on the other's head, it will attack and try to swallow the second head.

On the whole, though, they can do quite well in captivity, said Burghardt. Thelma and Louise, a two-headed corn snake at the San Diego Zoo that's now deceased, had 15 normal babies.

Anomaly, Not Evolution

Two-headed snakes typically occur in the same way that Siamese twins do. A developing embryo begins to split into identical twins but then stops part way, leaving the twins joined.

The Longest Fish in the World:Oarfish,photos

2008-02-28T05:55:00.000-08:00

An oarfish can easily be mistaken for a sea serpent, but they are really the longest bony fish in the sea, growing to fifty feet or more in length. Oarfish are rare but found worldwide in tropical and temperate waters at depths from the surface to 3,000 feet. Not much is known about their habits and life cycles, but they probably only come to the surface when injured or dying. They feed on very small fish, shrimp, and other invertebrates that they filter through their toothless mouths. Oarfish have shiny, silvery bodies, bright red crests on their heads, and are also known as ribbon fish. In 2001, divers inspecting a navy buoy in the Bahamas were the first to videotape a five-foot oarfish in the water.

Ancient Egyptian Jewelry-Photos

2008-02-27T05:38:00.000-08:00

The Egyptians wore regular clothes but always wore elaborate jewelry. The personal jewelry was worn for ornamention and to show how wealthy the person was. Some of the jewelry included earrings, bracelets, anklets, rings, and beaded necklaces. The gems the Egyptians put in the jewelry were garnet, onyx, turquoise, amethyst, and lapis lazuli. They also added copper, gold, and shells. Egyptians also wore necklaces of colorful beads and amulets. They thought that wearing jewelry brought good luck.

Jewelry was extremely popular throughout the history of the Egyptian nation. Excavations of tombs have shown that queens of Egypt were almost always buried with a multitude of jewelry to be used in the afterlife. The amount of jewelry worn by an individual often indicated their social position and level of wealth. Jeweled collars, such as the one depicted on the Nefertiti costume of the statue uncovered and now on display in Berlin, were very popular and usually made of very brightly colored gems. The clothing of Nefertiti was not displayed on the statue, save the headdress; however it is quite easy to imagine that her dress was just as elaborate and bejeweled. Rings, anklets and bracelets were also part of the normal ancient Egypt fashion. Earrings, even in ancient Egypt, were common among wealthy women.
Even the poor, who could not afford much, attempted to adorn themselves with as much jewelry as was possible. While not nearly as expensive, the jewelry of the commoner was usually very brightly colored and was constructed of materials such as pottery.

Quetzal, Sacred Bird of the Maya

2008-02-26T07:53:00.000-08:00

Sacred to ancient Mesoamerican people, gorgeously plumed quetzals live in the mountains of Central America.

Quetzal Profile
The resplendent quetzal is an aptly named bird that many consider among the world's most beautiful. These vibrantly colored animals live in the mountainous, tropical forests of Central America where they eat fruit, insects, lizards, and other small creatures.During mating season, male quetzals grow twin tail feathers that form an amazing train up to three feet (one meter) long. Females do not have long trains, but they do share the brilliant blue, green, and red coloring of their mates. Male colors tend to be more vibrant.Resplendent quetzal pairs use their powerful beaks to hollow hole nests in rotted trees or stumps. Inside, they take turns incubating two or three eggs—though males have such long tails that they sometimes stick outside the nest.Young quetzals can fly at about three weeks of age, but males do not begin to grow their long tail plumes for three years.

Hear the Quetzal in the cloud forest.

Genghis Kahn:Treasures of Inner Mongolia-photos

2008-02-25T11:14:00.000-08:00

WHO WAS GENGHIS KHAN?
Genghis Khan was born in the early 1160's (it has been argued between 1162 and 1167, but recently agreement has been made for 1167), the son of the Kiyat-Borjigid chieftain Yisugei. He was named Temujen because, at the time of his birth, his father had captured a Tatar chieftain of the same name. Legend says that the newborn Temujen had a bloodclot in the palm of his hand, an omen that he was destined to be a hero.
When Temujen was a boy, his father was poisoned by a group of Tatars, and the Kiyat tribe broke up and scattered, abandoning their chief's family and leaving Temujen's mother, Ho'elun, to raise her children alone. Accounts of Temujen glorify him as intelligent, brave, and an adept fighter, even from an early age, and as such a potential threat to the leaders of other tribes of the steppe. As a young man, despite extreme hardships, he repeatedly met perils and endured crises through force of character and willpower.
In 1189, after he was elected the new leader of the Kiyat, he embarked on a series of military campaigns to unify the peoples of the steppe. In 1206, after a series of skilful victories, Temujen was acknowledged as supreme leader of the steppe at a khuriltai, a traditional meeting of tribal leaders to decide upon the future military and state matters. He was given the title of Genghis Khan meaning "emperor of all emperors" or "oceanic ruler". Genghis Khan's campaigns and those of his descendants led to the creation of an immense empire that stretched from Hungary to Korea.
According to legend, Genghis Khan passed through the Ordos area during his final battle campaign and was so taken with the beautiful grasslands that he dropped his horsewhip. When attendants went to fetch it, Genghis told them to let it be and expressed a desire to be buried in the Ordos grasslands. The attendants buried the horsewhip on the spot and erected a ceremonial stone mount over it. Since the early Qing dynasty (1614-1911), there has been a shrine to Genghis Khan's memory located at the site where this event is purported to have occurred.

GENGHIS KHAN: TREASURES OF INNER MONGOLIA was produced by the People's Republic of China, in association with The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. TELUS, Canadian Airlines International, ITV and The Edmonton Journal joined with The Provincial Museum in giving visitors a glimpse of life on the steppes of Inner Mongolia.

Real Bloggers moving to Yuwie, paid to blog

2008-02-24T19:55:00.000-08:00

I've been blogging for years and even though I get a lot of traffic, I'm just not making any money. I've tried different ways to monetize my blogs, but Adsense was the only thing that paid. I knew I needed more money from my blogging-at least enough to pay the high speed bill.
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Amber-Natures Time Capsule,insects in Amber-Photos

2008-02-24T12:40:00.000-08:00

Insects In Amber

Early Venus Had Oceans, May Have Been Habitable

2008-02-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

Venus, not Mars, may have been the most likely planet in the solar system to have also developed life, scientists say.
The cloud-shrouded planet most likely started with oceans much like Earth's, which evaporated as Venus heated up, according to new research.

The oceans didn't disappear overnight, said David Grinspoon of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Speaking yesterday at a meeting of planetary scientists in Orlando, Florida, Grinspoon said that preliminary results of new computer models indicate Venus may have retained its oceans for a billion years after it formed, possibly longer.
Prior models had indicated that rising Venusian temperatures had turned the oceans to steam within the planet's first 600 million years.
The extra 400 million years are even more significant than they sound, Grinspoon added, because early Venus was constantly bombarded by asteroids, reducing the likelihood of life.
The new finding suggests that the oceans existed for much longer after the asteroid bombardment tapered off.
"There may have been a sizeable interval when [Venus] was habitable," he said.
Today, however, Venus is about 100,000 times drier than Earth and is 860º F (460º C) at its surface, Grinspoon said.
(Download a wallpaper photo of a Venusian volcano.)

Bug's "Bird Poop" Disguise Decoded

2008-02-22T13:12:00.000-08:00

This larval swallowtail butterfly's clever disguise (left) is literally a load of crap.
In its larval stages, the Asian swallowtail—also known as the Chinese or Japanese yellow swallowtail—mimics the appearance of bird droppings to prevent predators from gobbling it up.
In its last phase of development, the insect turns green (right) to blend into the leaves on which it lives.
A new study shows that a single juvenile hormone is responsible for switching on and off the "spectacular diversity" of the caterpillar's colors, Japanese researchers say.
"[Juvenile hormone] has been known to be involved in molt, metamorphosis, and some other events," study co-author Haruhiko Fujiwara of the University of Tokyo told National Geographic News in an email.
"But in this report, we found that [the hormone] regulates pattern change, which is an original finding."
Hormone levels drop when the caterpillar leaves the bird-droppings stage and begins its green color transformation.
The substance also has the power to shape the caterpillar's texture and pigment distribution, enhancing its disguise.
The study, conducted by Fujiwara and Ryo Futahashi, also of the University of Toyko, appears tomorrow in the journal Science.
—Christine Dell'Amore
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Photograph courtesy Ryo Futahashi

Camel Spider Bite-Photos,Solifugae

2008-02-21T08:07:00.000-08:00

Solifugae - Camel Spider

A Solifugid (plural form Solifugae) is an arachnid belonging to the order Solifugae. The name Solifugae comes from Latin and means "flee from the sun", a reference to their nocturnal nature. The order is also known by the names Solpugida, Solifugae, Solpugides, Solpugae, Galeodea, and Mycetophorae. The order includes 900 known species of wind scorpions, sun spiders and camel spiders.
Most solifuges live in tropical or semitropical regions, where they inhabit warm and arid habitats. Some species however also live in grassland or forest habitats. The most distinctive features of solifuges is their large chelicerae. Each of the two chelicerae are composed of two articles forming a powerful pincer; each article bears a variable number of teeth. Males in all families but Eremobatidae possess a flagellum on the basal article of the chelicera. Solifuges also have long pedipalps, which function as sense organs similar to the insects antennae. Pedipalps terminate in eversible adhesive organs.
Solifuges are carnivorous or omnivorous, with most species feeding on termites, darkling beetles and other small arthropods. Prey is located with the pedipalps and killed and cut into pieces by the chelicerae. The prey is then liquified and the liquid ingested through the pharynx.

Chimps Eat Dirt, Leaves to Fend Off Malaria

2008-02-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

Scott Norrisfor National Geographic News
February 19, 2008

Chimpanzees in Uganda swallow mouthfuls of dirt to "self medicate" against malaria, according to a new study.Clay soils consumed by both chimps and humans in Uganda's Kibale National Park contain high concentrations of the mineral kaolinite, a main ingredient in some anti-diarrheal medications.Experts had previously suggested that chimps ate the fine-grained clay to help ward off intestinal ailments or to obtain added minerals in their diet.But a French team recently observed that the chimps eat dirt before or after consuming leaves from the Trichilia rubescens plant, which contains potent medicinal chemicals. Eating the bitter vegetation alone gives the chimps no health benefit, researchers say.Instead the plant's malaria medicine is activated when fine soil particles bind with chemicals in the leaves. (Related news: "DDT to Return as Weapon Against Malaria, Experts Say" [August 1, 2006].)Chimps often select dirt that has been exposed on the roots of newly fallen trees, added study co-author Sabrina Krief, of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. "This may be to avoid worms, bacteria, and stones," she said.Krief and colleagues described the research online in the January issue of the journal Naturwissenschaften.Daily DirtIn humans, soil consumption—or geophagy—has often been viewed as a sign of metabolic disorder or even mental illness.But the practice is relatively common among animals and is now understood to yield important health benefits. In parrots and macaws, for example, clay particles are thought to help neutralize toxins present in some favored food sources.Soil-eating may also provide a soothing coating to the animals' digestive tracts. In Uganda, however, Krief and colleagues suspected that the chimps were eating soil for other reasons than simply to combat indigestion.Like humans, chimps can suffer the potentially fatal effects of malaria, although the types of Plasmodium parasites that cause the disease in chimps are different from the four known to infect people. (See a close-up image of malaria parasites attacking a human's red blood cells.)In previous laboratory studies, Krief's team had found that extracts of the Trichilia plant were effective in fighting the parasite that causes malaria in chimps."I noticed that the chimps often eat soil just before or after eating Trichilia leaves," Krief said. "I wondered what might be the effect of mixing the two substances."To investigate, Krief and colleagues constructed a laboratory model that duplicated chimpanzees' chewing and digestion. The researchers ground up leaves and soaked them in an acid solution similar to the chimps' digestive fluids. The mixture was then tested for its ability to kill the malarial parasite. Solutions of artificially digested leaves without soil showed no anti-malarial activity. But when samples of the soil consumed by the chimps were added to the mix, the researchers found a strong disease-fighting effect.Natural RemediesChimps and other apes may treat themselves for a variety of ailments by consuming plants, earth, and other materials, experts say. In another part of Africa, chimps are known to swallow certain leaves to help rid themselves of intestinal parasites. Previous work by Krief and others had shown that of the 163 plant species Kibale chimps are known to eat, at least 35 are used in humans' traditional medicine. "The shared use of plants by humans and apes shows how the tropical forest is a unique resource for wildlife, local communities, and western medicine," Krief said. Jim Moore is an anthropologist at the University of California, San Diego, who was not involved with the new study."It's been known for a long time that chimpanzees selectively eat certain plants in ways and at times that only really make sense if they are self-medicating," Moore said. "This paper is the first I'm aware of to suggest synergistic action of soil and a putatively medicinal plant, and that's important."But Moore noted that the anti-malaria effect has only been shown in the researchers' model and not yet in living chimps."It isn't clear that chimpanzees are seeking the synergy [between leaves and soil]," Moore said. "The paper isn't persuasive in eliminating other hypotheses for geophagy."Free Email News Updates
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Habitable Planets Are Common

2008-02-19T19:01:00.001-08:00

More than half of the sunlike stars in the galaxy could have terrestrial planets with the potential to harbor life, a new study suggests.The research, announced yesterday at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston, Massachusetts, is just one of a set of recent findings that suggest the roster of potential life-harboring worlds is huge—even in our own solar system."Our observations suggest that between 20 percent and 60 percent of sunlike stars form rocky planets like our solar system's," said Michael Meyer, an astronomer at the University of Arizona, at a press briefing Sunday.Meyer and his team used NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to study heat from the dust around sunlike stars of various ages, much like looking at "the smoke you see rising from chimneys in Boston on a cold day."Such hot dust implies that larger rocky bodies are forming and colliding in the "messy" business of planet formation, Meyer explained.Planet-forming dust was found at one to five times the distance from the sun to Earth, Meyer said (see an interactive map of the solar system.)The dust was also seen in young stars but was absent from most stars older than 300 million years—a perfect fit with current models of planetary formation, he added. (Read related story: "Newborn Planet Found Orbiting Young Star" [January 3, 2008].)The study will appear in an upcoming edition of the Astrophysical Journal Letters.Earth-Size Refugees?At the briefing, scientists also advanced the possibility that our solar system contains hundreds or even thousands more dwarf planets like Pluto, hidden from view in the distant region known as the Kuiper belt.There is a growing body of evidence that the poorly understood region contains several Earth- or Mars-size planets and many tinier bodies, said NASA planetary scientist Alan Stern, adding that this could very well be a "new Copernican revolution" in our understanding of planets."What we thought is, our outer solar system is actually our middle solar system," Stern said.It would be a vindication for Pluto, which was recently "demoted" from full planet status by astronomers after a lively and controversial debate.Pluto might be the best known representative of a third major class of planets, the dwarfs, "which could be far more common than either the terrestrial or gas giant planets," Stern said.The initial solar system was quite cluttered with small bodies, he explained, but these were swept out as the four gas giant planets—Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune—finished forming.Evidence for that can be seen in Uranus, which is lying almost on its side compared to the other planets, Stern said.It must have been struck by a massive object several times the mass of Earth—an extraordinary coincidence if there were only a few such bodies around.Exploring the Kuiper belt will be a slow process, Stern pointed out, as the objects in it are extremely difficult to find because of their distance from Earth.These worlds would mostly be rocky bodies with icy surfaces, though larger ones might be able to harbor gassy envelopes.But there is also the possibility that some could have "warm, wet interiors," Stern said.Some scientists think it is "likely Pluto has an ocean in its interior, as does [Jupiter's moon] Europa and many of the other satellites of other planets," Stern said.In the future, we might focus the search for life on such worlds, which could be far more common than planets like Earth with liquid water on their surface, he added.Slow Search for LifeBut directly detecting the kinds of planets that could harbor life remains a huge challenge, said Debra Fischer of San Francisco State University.Such planets fall into an "anti-sweet spot," she said—far too small to detect using any of the common planet detection methods, which have so far found about 250 or more extrasolar planets.But scientists have reasons to remain optimistic, she said. If a planet with the right mass is found at the right distance from a star—in the so-called Goldilocks zone, where it is neither too hot nor too cold—most of the work is done."The raw materials for life are common," she said. "Water is probably the most common molecule in the universe."

Stand Tall for America: Support Health Care for All!

2008-02-19T06:34:00.000-08:00

At this moment, 46 million Americans are uninsured.
But the Healthy Americans Act would guarantee every American universal, affordable, portable, comprehensive, high-quality, private health coverage that is as good or better than Members of Congress have today.Tell your Senators to support the Healthy Americans Act today!
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How much do you know about whales?

2008-02-19T05:44:00.000-08:00

Even though whales have captured the human imagination for centuries, we know remarkably little about these magnificent creatures. And despite efforts to protect whales, they continue to be threatened by whaling, pollution, ocean noise and entanglement by fishing gear.
In order to protect whales from the threats they face we must learn everything we can about where and how they live.
How much do you already know about whales? Find out: Take the Whale of a Quiz!
IFAW’s state-of-the-art education and research vessel, the Song of the Whale, travels the world’s ocean to conduct safe, non-invasive studies on whales and other cetaceans such as dolphins and porpoises. The boat’s mission is to help improve the understanding of whales and generate public and political support for their protection.
We still have a lot to learn about whales. For most species we don’t know simple things like how many there are, how they find their food or where they go to give birth.
With your help, IFAW is leading the fight to save these magnificent animals
One of IFAW’s greatest victories for whales was won in Baja California – where we saved one of the last pristine Gray whale nurseries from destruction in a campaign that won worldwide acclaim.And now we are expanding our efforts to embrace critically endangered Right whales, Western Pacific Gray whales, endangered species in the Caribbean and many other whales worldwide.IFAW-funded scientists and campaigners work to maintain existing ocean sanctuaries and promote new ones, support communities to develop responsible whale-watching programs as well as increase public awareness about whales around the world.
Take the IFAW Whale Quiz now to test your own knowledge of whales.
I look forward to sharing more of our whale work with you in the future.
Sincerely,Fred O’ReganPresident and CEO
P.S. Know anyone else who might want to learn more about whales? Forward this email to your friends and see who knows the most about whales!

PO Box 193 • 411 Main Street Yarmouth Port, MA 02675

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Chrysanthemum Flowers: Care for Chrysanthemums

2008-02-17T06:34:00.000-08:00

From David Beaulieu,Your Guide to Landscaping.
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Taxonomy of Chrysanthemum Flowers:
Although formerly referred to as Dendranthema, plant taxonomy now classifies chrysanthemums under the genus, Chrysanthemum. This is a case where the scientific plant name has become a commonly used name. Other common names for chrysanthemums are based on the shortened version ("mums") of the genus name. Thus one will hear "hardy mums" ("garden mums"), the focus of this article, versus the less hardy "florist mums." Chrysanthemum is from the Greek, chrysos (gold) and anthos (flower).

Plant Type for Chrysanthemum Flowers:
Chrysanthemums are usually considered herbaceous perennials. However, if you wish to grow Chrysanthemum plants in your area as perennials, select an appropriate cultivar. Your local county extension can offer advice in this matter. A spring planting is best, giving the chrysanthemum flowers time to become established before winter.

Characteristics of Chrysanthemum Flowers:
Chrysanthemums come in a wide variety of colors, including white, off-white, yellow, gold, bronze, red, burgundy, pink, lavender and purple. Mum plants can grow to be 2-3 feet high, depending on the cultivar and growing conditions. Chrysanthemums also come in many flower forms; that is, chrysanthemums are often grouped by the shape and arrangement of their petals. The most popular flower form is the "decorative," which is so packed with long, broad petals that you can hardly see its center.

Alaska- Wild Life viewing Paradise

2008-02-17T05:55:00.000-08:00

The pristine wilderness of Alaska is, perhaps, the last vestige of thriving populations of North American wildlife. Where else can you see polar bears, bald eagles, blue and humpbacked whales, gray wolves, grizzly bears, orcas, lynx, moose, and hundreds of other rare and endangered species in their original and undisturbed natural habitats?
see the Alaska Wildlife photo gallery at Travel Alaska

Day in Pictures-Frilled Dragon

2008-02-16T06:26:00.000-08:00

A frilled lizard eats a pinkie mouse, Friday, at an exhibit "Lizards & Snakes: ALIVE!" at the Museum of Science in Boston. (AP Photo/Lisa Poole) (February 15, 2008)

Frilled lizards are also called frill-neck lizards or frilled dragons. They belong to the family of lizards called 'dragons'.

Like other reptiles, the Frilled Lizard is active during the day, relying on the sun to warm its body.

Habitat
Frilled Lizards live in dry forests and woodland, in the northern and north-western parts of Australia. They are often found in trees, moving easily between branches.

Appearance
A frilled lizard can be up to 95 centimetres long. Its colour matches the colour of the land and the trees it lives on. This is called camouflage. Male frilled lizards are more brightly coloured than females.

Behaviour
Frilled Lizards generally live alone, and are territorial. To escape an enemy, a frilled lizard can move very fast on its two hind legs. When it is frightened, the frilled lizard opens its mouth wide which causes it to ruffle out its red and orange, scaly frill. The frill like an open umbrella. The lizard hisses loudly too and may thrash its tail on the ground. Frilled lizards will bite an enemy with its strong teeth if it is forced to fight.

Frilled lizards are not poisonous or harmful to people.

Frilled lizards are usually active during the day, hunting insects,
ants, spiders and small mammals and lizards.

Todays Fresh Freebies-Pringles,Aquafresh

2008-02-15T04:27:00.000-08:00

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Get your FREE 2-oz bottle of Selsun Blue Naturals Island Breeze with aloe.

Bookplate--Free Autographed Bookplates from Lisa Scottoline

Uno Beagle Best in Show

2008-02-13T07:06:00.000-08:00

SNOOPY would be pleased. His breed, long passed over for glory at the Westminster Kennel Club's annual dog show, has finally triumphed. Uno, a 38-centimetre beagle, has won the coveted title of best in show.
Through 131 previous events, no beagle has celebrated what terriers have more than 40 times.
There is no actual crown but a lovely celebratory bowl into which victorious toy dogs leap for a little nap while their entourage glows with pride.
The best in show judge, Dr J. Donald Jones, watched at Madison Square Garden as a standard poodle trotted out first for a lap around the green-carpeted floor, followed by an Akita, a weimaraner, an Australian shepherd, Uno, a Sealyham terrier and, finally, a toy poodle.
Dr Jones could hear Uno, who will turn three in May, baying as he gave his once-over to the standard poodle. When he completed his observations, he needed four minutes before he pointed to Uno, the winner.
On Monday Uno took one small step towards the coveted title for his breed by winning the hound group, the first beagle to do so since 1939.
"Others this special are few and far between," one of Uno's owners, Eddie Dziuk, said.
Remy, the standard poodle, won the non-sporting group, as expected, given that she was the third-ranked dog in the country.
"Her grandfather always had a smile," said Chris Manelopoulos, her handler, who grew up among toy poodles in Melbourne and now lives in North Carolina.

Show off Your Best Doodle

2008-02-13T06:48:00.000-08:00

Google on Wednesday announced the launch of “Doodle 4 Google,” a competition that invites school children to design a Google logo inspired by the question, “What If ...?”

The winning student’s doodle will be displayed on the Google homepage on May 22, 2008; the champion “doodler” will also win a $10,000 college scholarship and a $25,000 technology grant for his/her school.

The “Doodle 4 Google” competition is open to U.S. students K-12.

Participating classrooms can use accompanying lesson plans to help students start dreaming and doodling, while also integrating the project into classroom learning.
Students’ doodles will be judged on artistic merit, creativity and representation of the theme. Panels of regional judges will select 40 top doodles across age groups, from which the public will help select the final four. The grand-prize winner will then be selected by Google and announced at an event hosted at Google’s headquarters on May 21, 2008. The doodle will be displayed on the Google homepage the following day.
The customization of the Google logo started in 1999, and is now designed almost exclusively by Google Webmaster Dennis Hwang, whose work is seen by millions every time he exhibits on the Google homepage. The 29-year-old calls his drawings “doodles.”
Dennis has creatively depicted worldwide events, anniversaries and holidays with doodles that incorporate the Google logo for the world of users to celebrate.
Teachers can register their class online by going to Doodle for Google.
Registration closes March 28 and all entries must be received by April 12, 2008.

Lennon Murphy vs Yoko Ono

2008-02-13T06:34:00.000-08:00

Nobody told her there'd be days like these.

Lennon Murphy—a little-known singer-songwriter who was named after John Lennon—has found herself at odds with Yoko Ono over who has legal rights to the famous moniker.
An attorney for Lennon's widow filed a petition last week with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office seeking to cancel a trademark Murphy took out in 2003 for "Lennon" as the name of her band.
The petition cites the "likelihood of confusion" in the marketplace and "dilution" of the music icon's surname. (Lennon itself is a fairly common throughout Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic word Leannon, which means a "lover" or "sweetheart.")
The 25-year-old Murphy claims that, as a courtesy, she sought and received Ono's blessing to use the name back in 2000, when she signed with Arista Records.
According to Murphy, the label was concerned about the name issue and sent her product manager, Justin Shukat (reportedly the son of Ono attorney Peter Shukat), to approach the prickly 74-year-old artist. Ono supposedly gave her okay, clearing the way for the Tennessee-born Murphy and her eponymous band to release 5:30 Saturday Morning.
Arista dropped Murphy and her mates from the label after that debut album failed to generate big sales. However, Lennon the band continues to perform concerts and release music independently.
According to Muphy, Ono's change of heart came two days before the statute of limitations was due to run out. In her complaint with the Trial and Appeal Board, Ono claims Lennon the band "fraudulently" registered its trademark.
Another attorney for Ono, Dorothy M. Weber, tells E! Online, "We don't comment on anything currently pending, whether in court or otherwise."
In an anguished post on her MySpace blog, Murphy decries the filing and says that her career could be in jeopardy, even though she believes she's in the right.
"I'm not sure what confusion I could be causing, since I don't have the $50,000 to hire a lawyer and fight this. If people were confusing me with John Lennon and accidently [sic] buying my records, I should have more than enough money to live my life and hire a lawyer? I wish that was the case," she writes.
"I haven't worked since October 2007, so I live on just enough to get through the months until I get back on the road. I have no idea what I'm going to do yet in this situation, and I'm stressed, angry and scared."
The performer went on to defend her name: "I never falsified my intentions, I never used John Lennon for my benefit, and I never took one cent out of Yoko's bank account. I play music, my name is Lennon, and the most heartbreaking thing out of this whole situation is the insult it gives to my late mother and who she believed in; on top of demeaning the man that John Lennon was and will always be."
Although Ono has picked a fight with Murphy, the young singer has gained support from a potentially key ally.
Julian Lennon, John's son from his marriage to first wife Cynthia Lennon, himself a singer-songwriter who has had his own run-ins with his stepmom, posted Murphy's message on his MySpace blog and expressed sympathy for her situation.
"This is NOT about me but about a girl named 'Lennon,' " writes the 44-year-old Julian. "She has my full support."
Come on, Yoko, give peace a chance.

Send this Free E Valentine Card

2008-02-13T05:05:00.000-08:00

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Hollywood writers strike is over

2008-02-13T03:58:00.000-08:00

"Rather than being shut out of the future of content creation and delivery, writers will lead the way as TV migrates to the Internet and platforms for new media are developed," said Patric M. Verrone, president of the WGA, West.

On Feb. 25, writers are expected to ratify a new three-year contract that ensures them a stake in the revenue generated when their movies, television shows and other creative works are distributed on the Internet. Whether the benefits from the new contract will be enough to offset the income writers and others lost because of the strike is a matter of debate.

Steven Beer, an entertainment attorney at Greenberg Traurig, predicted that working writers may have fewer opportunities as studios use the strike as a means to cut programming budgets, greenlight fewer pilots, reduce fees and limit the number of production deals on their lots.

"Writers got hard-fought and well-earned improvements, but it could be tougher sledding for the rank and file in the future," he said.

Other experts believe the writers won a victory that transcends any financial gains.

"It was a defining moment," said economist Harley Shaiken, a professor at UC Berkeley who specializes in labor issues. "It showed that a very disparate group of individuals could act with real solidarity -- and that packed real economic power."

The walkout, which began Nov. 5, proved to be far more economically damaging than the studios had expected, shutting down more than 60 TV shows, hampering ratings and depriving the networks of tens of millions in advertising dollars.

Labor experts said the crippling effect of the strike helped writers achieve gains they might not have otherwise attained.

The new contract gives them residual payments for shows streamed over the Internet and secures the union's jurisdiction for programming created for the Web.

"They successfully faced down six multinational media conglomerates and established a beachhead on the Internet," said Jonathan Handel, former associate counsel for the Writers Guild of America, West and an attorney at TroyGould. "When you consider what they were initially offered and the enormous odds they faced, that's quite an achievement."

Handel noted that studios had originally balked at writers' demands for new-media residuals, proposing a multiyear study instead.

Yet the new contract falls short of what writers were initially seeking.

"It's a good deal but not a great one," said Handel, adding that both sides made key compromises.

For example, writers received guarantees that any guild member hired to create original shows for the Web would be covered under a union contract. But the tentative contract enables studios to hire nonunion writers to work on low-budget Internet shows, giving them the flexibility they sought to compete in the burgeoning world of Web entertainment.

The writers agreement was largely patterned after a recent deal studios made with directors. Writers, however, got some important improvements, especially in pay for shows that are streamed on advertising-supported websites.

Writers were unsuccessful, however, in their efforts to shorten the 17-to-24-day window that studios have to stream their shows for promotional purposes without paying residuals. Many writers complained that most viewers watched repeats online within days after a program was initially broadcast.
The strike is over.

Hollywood's costly 100-day walkout came to a widely welcomed end Tuesday after members of the Writers Guild of America voted overwhelmingly to go back to work.

More than 90% of the 3,775 writers who cast ballots in Los Angeles and New York voted to immediately end the work stoppage, capping the entertainment industry's most contentious labor dispute in recent history.

With the strike now over, economists are tallying up the cost to the industry and the Los Angeles region. Measuring the financial losses is inherently difficult and estimates vary widely.

Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., estimates the walkout cost the local economy more than $3 billion. Of that total, an estimated $772 million came from lost wages for writers and production workers, $981 million from various businesses that service the industry, including caterers and equipment rental houses, and $1.3 billion from the ripple effect of consumers not spending as much at retail shops, restaurants and car dealers.

Still, the total is relatively small considering that the L.A. economy generates $1.3 billion a day.

The entertainment industry employs about 250,000 in the Los Angeles region, including thousands who are self-employed.

Tech News-Vista SP1 not delayed by drivers

2008-02-13T03:38:00.000-08:00

Microsoft 'clarifies' its previous clarification

Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 8:26 AM

SOFTWARE giant Microsoft said that the phased rollout of Vista's first service pack (SP1) was not due to malfunctioning drivers.

For those who came in late, users have been up in arms because Vole has not been letting them get their paws on SP1 because they said that there were problems with drivers not working after the update was installed.

Well now Vole has issued a clarification of that original statement which says it was not the drivers that were causing the problem.

It was more that SP1 tended to bugger itself when it tried to install the drivers during the SP1 update process.

Mike Nash from Microsoft's Windows product management group said there were no problems when Vista SP1 was shipped pre-installed.

Currently users who suffer from these driver problems uninstall and re-install the drivers.

Britney Spears Teaches Kids' Dance Class

2008-02-13T03:07:00.000-08:00

Britney Spears Teaches Kids' Dance Class -- Schedules Second Lesson For Tuesday Night

Parents, kids thrilled as pop star steps into familiar role -- 'The kids loved her,' school director says.

On Monday night, at the Millennium Dance Complex in North Hollywood, California, a group of aspiring dancers between ages 4 and 7 received the shock of their lives when embattled pop star Britney Spears unexpectedly strolled in to teach the hour-long class.

According to Robert Baker, director of the complex, the role of teacher is one that suits Spears, who has taught classes at the facility before; the time she'd done so was soon after the birth of her second son, Jayden James, back in 2006.

"She's been a client for 10 years, and she loves dancing and she loves kids," Baker told MTV News on Tuesday (February 12). "She has been rehearsing in our facility for the last month and a half for her next video, and she said, 'You know, I'd love to teach a class.' It's something she's done sporadically over the last 10 years. And the kids just loved it. She asked me to pick some kids for her to teach. The kids loved her — she was warm and friendly."

Baker said Spears wore red boots, a green shirt, a black-and-white tie, black shorts and fishnet stockings.

Spears did such a good job that she's scheduled to lead another dance class on Tuesday evening — before a much larger group of 25 kids between ages 7 and 11.

"When she walked in, the kids were in shock — they didn't know she was going to be teaching, but we did tell the parents beforehand and they were thrilled," Baker continued. "She went over to the class, said, 'Hi, I'm Britney — what's your name?,' and she greeted them all individually. She got them warmed up and taught them a little routine, and they just had a blast. It was a wonderful experience for all."

Spears also taught the kids some of her signature moves, before having them form a large circle, in which one child at a time had their moment to shine, freestyle dancing in front of the entire class and the paparazzo-target; Baker said a cluster of photographers maintained a presence outside the studio for much of the night, and police were summoned to control what was "a chaotic" situation.

"She was rehearsing, and just said to me, 'I'd love to teach again,' " Baker said. "Her thing has always been giving back to the dancing community, so she loves it, and this place has been her kind of refuge away from the madness. We've grown up with her, and watched her grow up. She was with us from the beginning, and she is always welcome to teach here."

And according to Baker, the parents had no problem leaving their offspring with Spears. "One of the moms summed it up by saying, 'What a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have my child taught by someone who has inspired so many kids to dance,' " Baker said. "I thought that was a pretty powerful statement."

As for Spears' erratic behavior as of late, Baker said he's never known that side of the singer — and he'd love for her to come back and teach as often as she'd like.

"She wasn't acting strange last night, and really, we have never seen her act strange," he said. "All the speculation out there that she has a mental illness ... that's never been an issue. We've never seen or experienced any of that."

Micronesia Facts and Photos

2008-02-10T09:58:00.000-08:00

Micronesia means "small islands". These beautiful tropical islands are situated 5,150 km west-southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, and about three-quarters of the way between Hawaii and Indonesia. Micronesia is spread over 3 million miles of the Pacific and includes over 2000 islands. The distance
from one end of Micronesia to the other is 2,040 nautical miles.

The tiny islands of Micronesia are the result of volcanic activity millions of years ago. Some are the tips of huge underwater mountains, some of the atolls are the rims of sunken volcano craters which peak above the water surrounding serene lagoons, and some are combinations of both.

The high Islands have dramatic cliff faces which, rise straight from the sea. They are covered in tropical jungle and blessed with sunshine. The beautiful low coral atolls encircle blue-green lagoons. These islands are a paradise for diving and fishing.

Micronesia is a pleasant mix of traditional and the new. Micronesians today, maintain their traditional canoeing skills by recording, preservation and
practice.

The Federated States of Micronesia

The Federated States of Micronesia is a group of self-governing islands within the geographical area of Micronesia. The four states--Kosrae, Pohnpei (formerly
Ponape), Chuuk (formerly Truk), and Yap were formerly part of the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands and will become an independent nation by the year 2000. The Marshall Islands will constitute another nation while the Marianas, which include Guam, Saipan and Tinian, will remain United States territories.

History

Ferdinand Magellan landed on Guam in 1521, beginning two centuries of Spanish domination in Micronesia. Germany purchased the islands from Spain in 1898.
The Japanese occupied Micronesia in 1914 and in 1920 received the islands as a League of Nations mandate. U.S. forces captured the islands during World War II and, in 1947 they became part of the U.S. Trust Territory. In 1979 the islands became self-governing as the Federated States of Micronesia. In 1986 the
Micronesian islands assumed free-association status with the U.S. and will become independent nations by the year 2000.

Some interesting facts about Micronesia

Climate: Tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands;
located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasional severe
damage.

Terrain: Islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral
atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Truk.

Natural resources: Forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals.

Climate: Tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands;
located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasional severe
damage.

Weather to watch for: Subject to typhoons from June to December.

Details: Four major island, totaling 607 islands.

Nationality: Micronesian(s); Kosrae(s), Pohnpeian(s), Trukese, Yapese.

Ethnic divisions: Nine ethnic Micronesian and Polynesian groups.

Religions: Predominantly Christian, divided between Roman Catholic and
Protestant; other churches include Assembly of God, Jehovah's
Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventist, Latter-Day Saints, and the Baha'i
Faith.

Languages: English is the official and common language; most indigenous
languages fall within the Austronesian language family, the
exceptions are the Polynesian languages; major indigenous languages
are Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, and Kosraean.

Free Desktop Wallpapers-Nature

2008-02-10T07:02:00.000-08:00

Click on the links below the preview images for the full size wallpapers.
If the links don't show your resolution, use the nearest wallpaper size and then select 'stretch' in Display Properties.

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Pebble Beach-Golf and Nature

2008-02-09T15:56:00.000-08:00

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Every year at this time, the familiar coastline comes into view. Beamed into millions of living rooms and dens are the scenic assortment of aerials, ground-level looks from worm cams, slo-mo and super-slo-mo beauty shots of players and celebrities great and small strolling the golf course on the cliffs at Pebble Beach. To see it all unfold each February is a ritual as familiar as opening the family photo album.

And for nearly all the spectators of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, there is only one tiny drawback. The closest they will get to the most lovingly photographed hole in golf is the front of their TV.

As captivating as the CBS pictures are from the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, stepping on the 18th tee is necessary to grasp the magnitude of this “most felicitous meeting of land and sea,” as Robert Louis Stevenson called it.

There, you can taste salt air and hear waves hiss like a thousand cottonmouths across the rocks below. You can stand and peer down the fairway where golfers from Hogan to Palmer to Nicklaus to Watson to Woods all looked for the precise line to hit their drives. Look left 45 degrees at another world, out beyond an outcropping of sharply jutting rocks, to the surf spot called Ghost Tree by locals. There, at times, the sea swells and boils into waves over 60 feet that tumble and froth like clotted cream.

“Just for sheer beauty, there is absolutely no place like this in the world,” said Bob Welsh, the CBS cameraman who has captured the pictures for 32 years. “Any weather, any direction, I can swing the camera and there it is.”

Southeast, back toward the placidity of Carmel and the softly curving hogback hills in the distance, a light mist hangs over the shoreline from waves pounding the beach at the foot of Ocean Avenue. Gray whales fluke and spout out in Carmel Bay. In the foreground, just below the tee, sea otters dart in and out of kelp beds, feeding on abalone while their ponderous sea lion cousins loll, bark and sleep on the rocks amid flocks of cormorants.

Suspended above all this is the 18th tee, the square platform of grass where amateurs and professionals alike will hit their final tee shots of the day. There are more intimidating holes in golf, certainly. There are holes that require more skill, that have what golf aficionados call more shot values. There are more historic holes. Some may even argue there are more beautiful holes.

But none combine all those aspects to become as memorable as this 543-yard, crescent-shaped hole. Its unique features combine to raise the heart rate and moisten the palms of golfers from Phil Mickelson to the rankest amateur.

“The 18th hole at Pebble makes me nervous, because as a left-handed player, when I look up and tilt my head, it’s staring right at the water,” Mickelson said. “It’s a very nerve-racking shot.”

Seared into the memory of any who have played it and many who have not: the meeting of Carmel Bay and the Pacific Ocean on the left, pounding the rocks that line the shore; the array of bunkers and out-of-bounds stakes on the right; the two cypress trees in the middle of the fairway at 250 and 265 yards; the now-familiar new cypress tree to the right of the 18th green — transplanted in 2001 to replace the original that was struck by lightning and invaded by bark beetles and pitch canker.

And the sea wall. When a 1998 El Niño storm system chewed off another piece of fairway, engineers and Pebble Beach agronomists collaborated to construct the wall that runs from more than 100 yards short of the green around its back, protecting the shoreline from more erosion.

Triumphs and humiliations, good fortune and misfortune at the 18th stand out and blur together through the more than six decades of the tournament that Bing Crosby brought here in 1947, and from six United States Open Championships. During his record-setting United States Open march in 2000, Tiger Woods came to the tee after a fog delay and hooked his drive into the bay, a shot that was the only real flaw on his 15-stroke victory.

The same year, John Daly disappeared into the mists, carding a 14 on the hole. The details are gruesome. He walked out in the fog to find that his first tee shot went out of bounds, returned to the tee and hit his next two shots into the bay. Hitting seven, he found the fairway, laid up to about 115 yards, then hit his wedge shot into bay. Dropping in the bunker, impeded by the sea wall, Daly tried a left-handed shot, which he left in the hazard. On in 12, two putts for 14, Daly then withdrew.

Hale Irwin’s great good fortune at 18 in 1984 may never be surpassed. Trailing by a stroke, he hooked his drive toward the bay. As he and millions of TV spectators watched in disbelief, his ball caromed off a boulder and bounced back into the fairway. He hit 3-wood and sand wedge to the green and made the 5-footer for birdie. Naturally, he won the playoff over Jim Nelford.

Capturing it all was the CBS cameraman David Finch, who was on the ground with a hand-held camera, tethered to 800 feet of cable in the days before radio frequency cameras.

“He followed that ball from the time it left the club, all the way until it bounced back into the fairway,” Welsh said. “That’s why he’s the No. 1 hand-held camera guy.”

Shots like that are part of the lore that makes the 18th at Pebble. There will be more, in any weather, from any direction.

Wendy Vo,child prodigy -see the video

2008-02-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

Wendy Vo(Vo Thi Ngoc Diem)composes her own music and speaks 11 languages.They are Vietnamese,English,Spanish,Mandarin Chinese,French,Japanese,Hindi,Arabic,Rus sian,Cantonese and Portuguese.In this video,she speaks English,Spanish,Japanese,Arabic.You can listen to her music at showcaseyourmusic.com/wendyvo.Wendy can be reached at minhvo1@msn.com.Wendy is an 8 year-old Vietnamese-American child prodigy.Wendy was chosen by the prestigious Forbes magazine as one of America's 10 young role models.(Go to forbes.com , search for wendy vo,click on 10 role models and wait for Wendy's picture to appear.)

Shakespeare s Sonnet 18 -Farwell to Heath

2008-02-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

SONNET 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

Fall Aspens, Owl Creek Pass, Colorado

2008-02-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

Fall Aspens, Owl Creek Pass, Colorado

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Owl Creek Pass

Owl Creek Pass is a scenic drive that loops around 85 miles from Montrose on Highway 50 east 24 miles to Cimarron Road, then south for 21 miles on the Cimarron Road and FDR 858 to Silver Jack Reservoir. From there it travels 20 miles south and west on FDR 858 and Ouray County Road B, and north on Highway 550 to Montrose. Silver Jack Campground is in a stand of aspens near Silver Jack Reservoir and has handicapped facilities. The drive offers spectacular views of Courthouse Mountain and Chimney Rock. Owl Creek Pass road gives access to trailheads into the Uncompaghre Wilderness and dispersed camping. Most of the drive is on an unpaved road.

Rainforest,Cordova,Alaska-Photo

2008-02-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

CREEK IN TEMPERATE RAINFOREST ALONG EYAK LAKE, CORDOVA, ALASKA

punyic

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Deep Sea Giant Isopod-Photo

2008-02-08T19:11:00.001-08:00

Deep sea giant isopod, originally uploaded by coda.

The largest known living isopods, these animals occupy the cold, dark ocean floors, occuring at depths of 360-600m in temperatures below 9 degrees C.

Humpback Whales, mother and calf-photo

2008-02-08T18:22:00.001-08:00

looking, originally uploaded by shappell.

the calf was curious about me, but not enough to leave it's mothers side.

Rainbow Lorikeets-photo, Victoria, Australia

2008-02-08T13:18:00.001-08:00

Love Is....Togetherness and Tenderness!, originally uploaded by ianmichaelthomas.

Love Is....Togetherness and Tenderness!
What a sweet moment! This is the couple of beautiful wild and free rainbow lorikeets that I am occasionally privileged to see - and what a thrill it is when we connect together here!

It is a joy to see nature wild and free, only 30 minutes from the heart of Australia's second biggest city, Melbourne, Victoria - home to about 4 million people.

Warrandyte is my regular haunt - to enjoy the great outdoors.

These beautiful rainbow lorikeets, as featured in previous photos are very friendly birds that are wild and free! Most parrots in the bush are quite wary of people, and do not allow a close approach.
They are generally very friendly and allow me to get quite close. It is such a pleasure and a thrill!

Pound Bend, Warrandyte State Park, Victoria, Australia