celebrity lifestyle

Abraham Lincoln

2011-01-08T19:37:00.001-08:00

We would like to assume all of our presidents of the United States had been truly nice men and to be sure, just dealing with the awesome duty of the presidency takes a special sort of individual. One of the unique and great issues concerning the system of presidency in America is the concept of citizen leadership. That is the idea of an atypical citizen rising up and turning into president for a while after which returning to private life.

But of the handful of males who've held that office, a couple of have stood out for his or her nice achievements and leadership in a time that modified the country for ever. And one in every of these really nice presidents was Abraham Lincoln. In all probability greater than some other president, Lincoln had to handle an inner civil struggle that was excess of shouting and title calling. This was a dispute that could have torn the country in half and starting a rupturing that would have resulted in dozens of small weak impartial states instead of the powerful nation we all know as America today.

It was Lincoln’s leadership, his dedication to values and his sturdy ethical fiber that made it doable for America to seek out its approach via that war after which to start the healing process that will eventually lead the nation again to unity once again. Lincoln’s time period of service from 1860 till his demise was one in every of considerable challenge. If he solely had the issue of coping with the attempt by the south to succeed from the union and his capability to maintain these states as a part of the American nationwide territory, he could be lauded as an excellent American indeed.

One of many little identified management types that Lincoln used to his advantage within the organization of his presidency was his appointment of proficient nationwide figures from opposing political parties to be a part of his cabinet. Lincoln felt that he wanted to have close advisors from the opposing viewpoint to maintain from having his presidency turn into insulated from the American people and one sided. By gathering members of the “loyal opposition” into his trusted internal circle, Lincoln was all the time aware of both sides of each subject which made him a stronger leader.

But that's not even his greatest accomplishment or the one which we keep in mind him for the most. His bold and unchanging opposition to slavery is with none doubt his biggest contribution to the history of America and certainly to world history as well. When he was keen to put all the pieces on the line to stop this barbaric social sin, Lincoln made a stand, against the popular opinion of the time in many instances that he could be the figure to bring slavery to an end.

It was not a stand that came with out cost. The civil conflict was one of many bloodiest and costliest within the nation’s history if for no other motive than all casualties; on each side have been casualties of America. It could take many a long time for the ravages of that horrible battle to be repaired. The schism between north and south continued for decades and is still a part of our national persona in this country.

However the finish end result was what Lincoln needed to be his legacy. By issuing the Emancipation Proclamation to make the top of slavery permanent, Lincoln adopted that up with the passing of the thirteenth, 14th and 15th amendments which made permanent the freedoms that had been hard fought and won in the Civil War.

The liberty that was won for therefore many black Individuals in that struggle permanently enshrined the memory of Abraham Lincoln as one in every of our greatest presidents within the hearts and minds of all Americans. Small wonder the monument honoring him on Washington’s national mall is among the most revered spots in the nation and one that thousands flock to every year to provide respect for this nice president that made liberty and freedom a reality for all Americans, not only a few. And his face on Mount Rushmore is well deserved so the very mountain itself shouts out, this is among the biggest leaders within the history of this great country.

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David Hasselhoff Has Jerry Springer's DWTS Vote

2010-09-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

New Dancing with The Stars cast member David Hasselhoff can count on Jerry Springer’s vote.

A third season DWTS alum and fan favorite, Springer believes The Hoff has what it takes to snag the coveted mirror ball trophy. “I think David will do very well. [He] knows how to dance, which is something that never crossed my talent pool,” the TV host told PEOPLE last week while promoting America’s Got Talent‘s 25-city tour, “He’s such an out-sized personality that I think much of the show will gravitate towards him.”

All eyes will be on Hasselhoff, 58, as he sashays into the ballroom in the famously flamboyant DWTS costumes with partner Kym Johnson. Springer, 66, who was also paired with Johnson believes the combination will have audiences glued to their televisions. “When he walks in a room, everyone’s paying attention to David — and Kym is a great partner, “ Springer said.

After a messy divorce and recent stints in rehab, the show could be a bright new chapter for the Baywatch star. As Springer points out, “He barrels through. Life isn’t a smooth line and he’s handled his bumps very well and inside there’s a real good person there and it shows, ultimately, when things get tough. He’s there.” – Michelle Ward and Cynthia Wang

Michael Kovac/FilmMagic; Mike Marsland/WireImage

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Paris Hilton Eats, Plays, Loves in Maui

2010-09-24T07:13:00.000-07:00

Paris Hilton in Maui

Courtesy Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton has left her troubles with the law behind as she lives it up in Maui.

On Sunday, the heiress, 29, indulged in a home-cooked Italian feast for two, one of whom was presumably her current squeeze Cy Waits, a Las Vegas nightclub executive.

"Cooked a delicious lasagna dinner for my love and watched a movie," Hilton Tweeted. "Now going to bed. Sweet dreams everyone."

There was more eating on Monday, but this time it was on the beach and was capped off with a movie. "Had a beautiful romantic dinner on the beach," she later Tweeted. "Now in bed about to watch Precious. I love this movie, so moving and emotional."

Next up? Scuba diving.

"I felt like Ariel the little mermaid under the sea today," Hilton wrote after her scuba experience. "So much fun!"

After visits to island art galleries, Hilton finally wound down and crashed out in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, explaining that she, "just finished watching Eastern Promises. What a dope movie! Viggo Mortensen is bad ass! Going to bed. Sweet dreams everyone. Xo Paris :)"

At some point after her vacation in paradise Hilton will have to face the music. She was charged with felony cocaine possession following her weekend arrest in Las Vegas. The drug charge carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison if convicted.

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Lily Allen's Pregnancy Health Scares Left Her 'Living in Fear'

2010-09-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

While her dreams may be finally coming true, the expectant mum insists she has no plans of combining her successful career — including a Grammy nomination — with her personal life.

“I don’t think it’s that much a part of me, to be honest,” she says of her decision to not tell her future children of her pop star days.

“It’s something I’ve done, that I enjoyed doing, and I may go back to doing it in years to come, but I’ve got to believe that there is more.”

What will take center stage, then? Raising her kids in as normal and family-oriented environment as possible, Allen explains.

“It’s not that I didn’t enjoy my childhood, because I did, but I suppose I was always quite fascinated by how a normal family would operate,” she muses. “Because everyone I knew when I was growing up came from divorced parents. I do remember when I had my first proper boyfriend at 16, going to his parents’ house in Ireland and we all sat round had dinner together and I was really overwhelmed by the whole thing.”

– Anya Leon

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First Top Chef Winner Harold Dieterle Marries Fellow Foodie

2010-09-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

By Alison Schwartz and Liza Hamm

Update Sunday September 05, 2010 04:00 PM EDT Originally posted Sunday September 05, 2010 09:00 AM EDT

Harold Dieterle and Meredith Lynn Davies

Kristen Alexander

Congratulations – or should we say bon appétit? – to 2006 Top Chef winner Harold Dieterle, who tied the knot with fellow foodie and longtime girlfriend Meredith Lynn Davies Saturday.

In traditional Southern style, the pair married in Davies's hometown, Atlanta, at a downtown church. They then celebrated their nuptials at a reception held at the Capital City Country Club, where Davies donned a Pnina Tornai gown, and Dieterle wore a Paul Stuart white dinner jacket.

And the wedding ceremony was a Top Chef affair: Fellow season one competitors Lee Anne Wong and Stephen Asprinio were among the 175 guests to attend. Not in attendance? Judge Tom Colicchio, who dished out a few words of wisdom to Dieterle even though he couldn't make the ceremony due to his shooting schedule.

"He just wished me good luck and had some advice," Dieterle tells PEOPLE.

The couple, who met at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colo., which was part of the prize package for Dieterle's Top Chef victory, treated guests to a fox trot to Ray Lamontagne's "You Are the Best Thing" for their first dance.

The biggest surprise: The Top Chef stayed out of the kitchen – he didn't even know what was on the menu, which was catered by the country club, prior to the reception.

The newlyweds are jetting off to Rome Sunday morning for an Italian honeymoon, which will also include stops in Positano and Sicily.

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Jon Hamm & Ben Affleck's (Imaginary) Sex Scenes Too Raunchy for the Movies

2010-09-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

Ben Affleck and Jon Hamm

Getty; Landov

Ben Affleck shares some steamy scenes with Blake Lively and Rebecca Hall in his new film The Town – and don't forget about costar Jon Hamm.

"My sex scenes with Ben, which were cut, I think, wisely … were raunchy," Hamm joked Friday at the Toronto International Film Festival, as the entire room roared with laughter.

Even if they didn't ever share a bed, Hamm did work closely with Affleck, who directed and stars in the thriller. And how would the Mad Men star describe their collaboration?

"It was an awful experience," he deadpanned. "[Ben's] a horrible human being. Talent-free, I guess we could probably say. It was pure misery … two-and-half months of absolute, abject terror."

Or maybe not.

"No, it was truly a wonderful experience," Hamm said. "To actually have to bring that intensity and the wonderful performance that he brought in front of the camera, it's an amazing achievement – and I'm very proud to be associated with it."

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Danielle Staub Is Planning Her Next (Reality TV) Move

2010-09-22T05:25:00.000-07:00

Don’t worry, Real Housewives of New Jersey fans: Danielle Staub may have bid that show farewell, but she’s not planning to disappear from reality television altogether.

“I’ve been approached by some very large networks and production companies that are very happy to try to steal me away from Bravo,” she tells PEOPLE. “I’m keeping my options open now.”

As for a show format? It will be all Staub — all the time.

“It will be my own show but it will be a lot more of me,” she says, laughing. Also joining her prospective show: her daughters Christine, a model, and Jillian, who has recorded a song. “It will be everyone who is around me every day who loves me and cares about me and it will cover the relationships we have,” she says.

But don’t expect a completely lovey-dovey atmosphere if the show makes it to air. “We do fight. And we get into it. There’s a lot of drama in my life,” says Staub, 48. “But there’s also a lot of resolve. Wouldn’t it be great to have that?”

“I think people who want to see more of me might be careful what they wish for,” she says. “There’s a lot more of me to come! I’m the Susan Lucci of reality TV.” – Charlotte Triggs and Rennie Dyball

Tell us: Would you watch Danielle Staub’s new reality show? Will you miss her on Housewives?

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Ethan Zohn Jogging Through Post-Cancer Life with a Full Head of Hair - Again

2010-09-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

Jenna Morasca and Ethan Zohn at Stand Up to Cancer

Matt Baron/Beimages

Now that Ethan Zohn's rare form of Hodgkin's lymphoma is in remission, the former Survivor contestant is savoring every healthy moment, and even took a triumphant run past the hospital where he spent months fighting for his life.

"I just – for the first time ever – jogged past the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City," Zohn told PEOPLE at the Stand Up to Cancer telecast in L.A. Friday, "and that was a big moment for me."

A robust-looking Zohn, once again sporting the trademark dark curls he lost after chemotherapy treatments, said the experience was exhilarating. "When I left that hospital on Jan. 12, 2010, I couldn't even walk," he said. "I had to be taken out in a wheelchair. So to be able to run by there, healthy, that was the best feeling in the world!"

Zohn, 36, has been in remission since April, but still goes for regular checkups. "Until you get to five years, it's not considered cured," he explained. "But now I'm just happy to wake up in the morning [and] go for a jog."

The reality star appreciates "Stand Up to Cancer" for funding treatments and research like the experimental stem cell transplant that saved his life when chemotherapy failed. But he also has the support of girlfriend (and fellow Survivor alum) Jenna Morasca.

"I never, ever doubted he was going to beat it," she told PEOPLE. "But there were times when I felt like I just wanted to throw my hands up and say 'I can't do this anymore. It's too much.' "

"Those were the times when I'd call my girlfriends and say ‘Can I just come over to your house and cry? Please don't talk to me. Just let me cry,' " Morasca recalled. "If I didn't have good friends, I wouldn't be able to make it through that."

One positive out of the experience: Morasa is newly smitten with her beau's much-shorter hair.

"I'm excited about the faux-hawk, because I wasn't too into the curls," she said, teasing. "It was too preppy-good-guy. This is like a badass look for me, so it's kind of like having a new boyfriend. So it's like a win-win for me."

The couple hopes to return to television together – and possibly even try Survivor again.

"I don’t know – maybe in another year or so, when I'm healthier," Zohn said. "Just so I can beat Jenna."

Reporting By DAHVI SHIRA

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Eddie Cibrian Gives LeAnn Rimes Birthday Jewelry

2010-09-21T04:36:00.000-07:00

Leann Rimes and Eddie Cibrian

Felix Gonzalez IPHOTO

All LeAnn Rimes wanted for her birthday was a little solitude.

Well, she got that last week in Mexico. This week, though, she got some expensive jewelry from her boyfriend Eddie Cibrian. No, not that kind of jewelry.

"Eddie gave me some rose gold bangles which were beautiful," she said Saturday while celebrating her birthday at Tabu in Las Vegas. "It was very sweet."

Rimes, who turned 28 last week, said she only wanted "peace and quiet" for her birthday, and she satisfied that wish with a recent trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with Cibrian, her live-in boyfriend. The relaxation is needed now that two children are a consistent presence in her home. Cibrian shares custody of his two children – Mason, 7, and Jake, 3 – with his ex, model Brandi Glanville.

"It's quite chaotic," the country singer said of the household. "I went from being by myself to having two kids in the house. It's really amazing. They're really incredible."

Rimes is embracing her new life, as well as her increasing age.

"I'm actually one of those strange people that actually enjoys getting older," she said. "My age was made such a big deal out of when I was little, so I always wanted to get older. I'm still kind of in that frame of mind. Maybe when I hit 30 that will change."

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Niecy Nash Is Engaged!

2010-09-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

Jay Turner and Niecy Nash

Todd Williamson/WireImage

Niecy Nash will be a spring bride.

The Style Network's Emmy-winning Clean House host is engaged to boyfriend Jay Tucker, PEOPLE has confirmed.

"They're very happy and are in love and are looking forward to sharing the rest of their lives together," her rep Joseph Babineaux says.

Nash, 40, a former Dancing With the Stars contestant, and her electrical engineer beau announced their plans to get married at a weekend party where guests included her Dancing partner Louis van Amstel. Tucker then surprised her by presenting her with a diamond engagement ring, according to Entertainment Tonight.

"I cannot believe that God has been this kind that he would gift me this man," Nash tells ET. She adds: "Falling in love was the easy part, planning a wedding – yikes!"

The wedding will be in May 2011. Nash was divorced from her first husband, Don Nash, in 2007. They have three children.

• Reporting by MIKE FLEEMAN

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Demi & Ashton Help James Van Der Beek Celebrate Baby on the Way

2010-09-20T03:36:00.000-07:00

Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore

Eric Charbonneau/WireImage

It was an A-list fete Sunday when Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher came out to celebrate the recent wedding and baby girl on the way for pals James Van Der Beek and Kimberly Brook.

Joined by Moore's daughters Rumer and Scout, the group spent the day at the pink-themed Hollywood Hills home of hosts Balthazar and Rosetta Getty.

"The party was very small and intimate," a source tells PEOPLE. "Ashton and Demi looked happy and totally unaffected by recent relationship rumors. James and Kim were glowing. Despite being about to burst, Kim looked amazing."

Guests of the low-key affair, catered by H.wood and h.wood tea beverages, were served sushi, sliders, beet salad and mixed veggies.

Brook, due this month, tied the knot with Van Der Beek in a private ceremony in Tel Aviv, Israel, in August.

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Kevin Federline Has Lost 25 Lbs. - and Counting

2010-09-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

Kevin Federline in July 2009 and Aug. 2010

John M. Heller/Getty; Pacific Coast News

Say goodbye to K-Fat.

At least, that's what Kevin Federline is hoping as he whips himself back into shape after gaining enough weight to prompt some to label him with the unkind nickname.

"Kevin has lost 25 lbs., and is working on getting back into top shape," Federline's rep Marilyn Lopez tells PEOPLE.

Along with a new physique has come a renewed passion for getting back to work, Lopez says of the former back-up dancer. "He can't wait to start acting and dancing again and going on auditions next year."?

? Britney Spears's ex-husband – and father of her children – is also going strong in the romance department, according to a Federline friend.

"Kevin and Victoria are really doing great," says the friend, referring to his relationship with former college volleyball star Victoria Prince. "Although he and Britney don't talk much, they are co-parenting as best they can [and] working together to make the best decisions for their boys."

Earlier this week, Federline, 32, defended his ex-wife against allegations of sexual harassment by a security guard. His lawyer told PEOPLE Federline "is satisfied that the allegations are a product of economic motives."

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Kate Hudson: The Fewer Clothes the Better

2010-09-19T01:11:00.000-07:00

Courtesy Elle Magazine

Kate Hudson may rock some high-octane looks on the red carpet, but she prefers a more relaxed vibe when it comes to her everyday attire. “My personal style has never changed,” she tells Elle UK in its October issue, adding: “I love comfortable clothes and a lot of accessories.” In fact, the fewer clothes the better, says the actress and mom, who took time out from her Tuscan vacation with six-year-old son Ryder and British rock star boyfriend Matt Bellamy, to pose for the magazine’s cover. “I don’t like clothes that constrict me. It’s like, would you like to put some clothes on? No, I wouldn’t!” But one thing she’ll happily pile on? Her coveted accessories, especially her mom’s jewelry gifts. “For my birthday this year, she made me a gold necklace with a comedy/tragedy mask pendant. It has a little diamond as the tear,” she says. Claiming not to splurge on sartorial investments, Hudson says she does like to buy nice furniture like “chairs and lamps” and has one particular cabinet which is very close to her heart, as it’s full of her favorite scarves…Hermès scarves. “I have nearly 200 and I buy them all over some new, some from eBay, some from weird little places. I have a cabinet that I lay them out in. I love them they’re so beautifully made.” –Monique Jessen

Edited by Melissa Liebling-Goldberg

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PHOTO: Bristol Is Miss Modest in Her Dancing Costume

2010-09-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

Making good on her pre-Dancing with the Stars season promise, Bristol Palin is literally encased in black lace for her newly-released publicity shot. Definitely more modest than what fans are used to seeing the stars spin around the floor in — but still with a bit of skin exposed!

Palin, 19, calls herself “naturally shy” and wants to make sure she sets a good example for her son, Tripp, 20 months.

Would you like to see her stick to her non-revealing plan or spice it up a bit more?

Bob D’Amico/ABC

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Has Kim Kardashian Found Her Perfect Match?

2010-09-17T23:55:00.000-07:00

Kim Kardashian

Mathew Imaging/WireImage

Does Kim Kardashian have eyes for someone (or something) besides beau Miles Austin?

"She's dating her work," sister Kourtney Kardashian said. "Kim is a workaholic."

Clearly joking about her ubiquitous sister's love life, Kourtney said she simply wants Kim to be happy. And Kim seemed happy in Dallas last week, visiting Austin and cheering his team, the Dallas Cowboys, during last week's game.

"[Kim] is having fun," Kourtney said at Las Vegas's Hard Rock Hotel at an event for Beach Bunny Swimwear. "I don't think she's found that perfect person for her yet."

"Everything happens for a reason, like Khloe [Kardashian] and Lamar [Odom]," Kourtney added. " One second you meet someone, and you're married a month later. You never know. There is no time limit. Not everyone meets their perfect person at the same age."

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Taylor Swift - and Kanye West - Will Perform on VMAs

2010-09-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

Kanye West and Taylor Swift

Foc Kan/WireImage; George Napolitano/FilmMagic

Will there be another showdown? ?

?Both Taylor Swift and Kanye West are set to perform on Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards, a source tells PEOPLE. But the stars are not expected to share the stage during the ceremony at L.A.'s Nokia Theater.

While West's performance was announced last month, Swift's appearance was set to be a surprise. Other previously announced performers include Drake and Usher.

The two made headlines when West infamously interrupted Swift's acceptance speech as she attempted to collect her best female video trophy at 2009's ceremony. (West thought the award should have gone to Beyoncé.)

Weeks before the ceremony, this year's host, Chelsea Handler, said she'd love to reunite the pair on the show. "We've never really seen them together since then," she said.

West has subsequently apologized to Swift, and even Tweeted that he had written her a song, "that's so beautiful and I want her to have it." ?

?A rep for Swift could not be reached for comment, and MTV declined to comment.

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Sophie Dahl & Jamie Cullum Expecting a Baby

2010-09-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

Bauer-Griffin

It’s shaping up to be a big year for newlyweds Sophie Dahl and Jamie Cullum!

The couple — married in January — have confirmed that they are expecting a baby.

“In response to a number of recent inquiries, Jamie Cullum and Sophie Dahl are delighted to confirm that Sophie is four months pregnant,” they said in a statement to the U.K.’s Telegraph newspaper. “There will be no further comment at this time.”

Baby-on-the-way will be the first for singer-songwriter Cullum, 31, and writer and former model Dahl, who will celebrate her 33rd birthday this week.

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Suri Cruise Charms Katie Holmes's Romantics Costars

2010-09-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Jason Webber / Splash News

Suri Cruise‘s fan following just got a little bigger: the cast and crew of The Romantics have been won over by her charm!

The 4-year-old — who was a regular on the set while Katie Holmes was filming — had no problem making friends, Mom’s costars reveal.

“We all shared her,” jokes Malin Akerman at the movie’s New York City premiere on Tuesday. “We drew, we played hide and seek, we played dogs and cats, ate cupcakes together.”

Actors Elijah Wood and Adam Brody were equally captured by Suri’s outgoing personality. “Adorable, super sweet,” Wood raves, with Brody adding, “She’s a charmer!”

And while some spent time playing with Suri — including producer Ron Stein who “brought her Silly Bandz … cars, dinosaurs, and princesses” — others like Rebecca Lawrence took the opportunity to sneak a peak at her sense of style.

“She’s very creative,” Lawrence says. “She had great little outfits, like she had this beautiful red coat that fit her perfectly, and it was so stylish. And I wanted one in my size.”

However, despite all of the attention Suri receives, actor Josh Duhamel insists she is no different from any other little girl. “She’s very sweet. She just wants to play, what is she? Four, five?” he explains. “They make her out to be this girl who’s much older than she is. But she’s a four or five year-old girl, she’s just fun.”

– Anya Leon with reporting by Jeffrey Slonim

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Marcia Cross: I Never Told My Daughters Their Dad Had Cancer

2010-09-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

Marcia Cross

John Sciulli/WireImage

Marcia Cross takes pride in knowing her 3½-year-old twin girls Eden and Savannah have carefree lives – and she intends to keep it that way.

Even though the Desperate Housewives star's husband Tom Mahoney battled cancer over the last year, she says the couple never considered telling their daughters.

"There's no point in telling our kids," Cross, 48, tells PEOPLE on Friday at the "Stand Up to Cancer" telecast in Los Angeles. "They were so young and anything to them is normal, so they didn't know things weren't normal."

"They're enjoying their life," she says. "Daddy's fine. It's in the past. He has nothing to say."

While her husband's health has improved considerably, Cross says she is at a good place in her life. "My kids are great, work is great, my husband's really, really fantastic," she says. "I'm very blessed. All of my dreams have come true."

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Kourtney Kardashian: Counseling Helping Her and Scott Disick

2010-09-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

Kourtney Kardashian

David Becker/WireImage

Their relationship problems are chronicled on TV prompting recent tabloid headlines scream that Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick have finally split. But nothing could be further from the truth.

"It's ridiculous," Kardashian said Saturday in Las Vegas at a party for her swimwear line, Beach Bunny Swimwear. "All the [rumors] you just have to laugh at."

For the record, she says things are going well for the couple.

"We've been working on our relationship and we're doing the best that we can," Kardashian, 31, said at the Hard Rock Hotel event. "We're in a really good place right now and taking it day by day and it's good."

While it's been well-documented in the media and on E!'s Keeping Up with The Kardashians that the couple has been through multiple rough patches, Kardashian says she and Disick, who have a 8-month-old month old Mason together, have been helped through counseling.

"I think [counseling] is really important and we always love going and feel so much better after," she said. "I think everyone should go. People are like, 'It's so expensive and this or that,' but that's more important than buying clothes or a handbag or shoes. It's your life."

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One Love: U.S. Open Couples!

2010-09-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

Credit: Wenzelberg/NY Post/Splash News; INSET:Andrew Gombert/EPA/Landov

Updated: Tuesday Sep 07, 2010 | 05:15 PM EDT By: Cara Lynn Shultz

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Jessica Simpson Pays Tribute to Her Dog Daisy

2010-09-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

Jessica Simpson

Gregg DeGuire/PictureGroup

Jessica Simpson is taking time out Tuesday to remember the love of her life – her dog Daisy.

"This day last year my life changed because I lost my baby Daisy Mae – the best pup of all time," Simpson Tweeted Tuesday. "Give your dog some extra love today!!"

Last fall, Simpson's maltipoo was snatched by a coyote, leaving the singer "heartbroken," she said at the time.

"Today, pay tribute to sweet Daisy Mae by chasing a squirrel & eating some chicken! I miss her & love her so very much!" Simpson wrote in a separate post Tuesday.

But one thing that has changed for the better for the singer: One year ago, she was still getting over her breakup with Tony Romo. But now, Simpson is happily dating former NFL player Eric Johnson.

"I met a wonderful man," she wrote on Twitter over the weekend. "Damn I'm lucky!"

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Teen Mom's Maci and Ryan: Doing a 'Very Good Job' Co-Parenting

2010-09-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

Maci Bookout

Joe Kohen/WireImage

When she first appeared on 16 and Pregnant, Maci Bookout was sure her future with Ryan Edwards was solid. So sure, in fact, that they were engaged for a short while – only to have the relationship fall to pieces on Teen Mom when Ryan seemed unenthused about parenting their son, Bentley.

"When I knew it was done and when I knew I'd tried my hardest and when I knew there was nothing more I could do, then I could leave," Maci, 19, tells PEOPLE as part of its Teen Mom cover story. "It finally got to that point."

But now, Maci says the two are "doing a very good job" co-parenting their 22-month-old son, despite the fact that both are in new relationships.

"We've had our ups and downs where he wants this and I want this, and just stuff like that, but the only thing we talk about and the only problems we have are about Bentley," she says.

Still, their relationship is far from perfect. In this season of the hit MTV reality series, viewers watched Maci bring Ryan to court to demand child support. "Ryan really does try to be as difficult as possible," she says. "I just think that he wanted it in writing to know that he was paying. So he wasn't going to pay me without it being noted so that there's proof." And while she claims that Ryan's mom is the person who does the most for Bentley when he's spending time at his dad's, she does acknowledge that her ex has been doing "a better job."

"Now [Bentley] is excited to see him or he's sad to leave him," she says. "If he sees a truck that looks like Ryan's, he'll say, 'Da-da.' There's an emotional connection there that wasn't there before."

Another influential man in her son's life? Maci's boyfriend of eight months, Kyle King, who has yet to meet Ryan.

"For a while, Kyle acted more like a father than Ryan did," she says. "He'll want to put him to bed, or put his pajamas on him, stuff like that. Stuff that I was used to doing by myself. I was just like, 'Are you supposed to do that? Is this how it works?' So it's strange, but it's really, really good."

For much more on Teen Mom stars – including our story with Catelynn and Tyler – pick up this week's new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now

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Heidi Montag: I Massage My Implants

2010-09-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

Heidi Montag

Pacific Coast News

Heidi Montag has her hands full.

The plastic-surgery prone reality star spent some time Tuesday morning massaging her ample bosoms – but not just for a good time.

"Giving my self a soft tissue breast massage," Montag Tweeted around 10:30 a.m. from Costa Rica. "Ladies we have to keep those implants soft."

Plus, she has some more words of advice for anyone considering plastic surgery. "Warning: to anyone who is thinking about getting their ears pinned," she writes. "I learned after the fact it is the most painful surgery a person can get."

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Capt. Phil Harris's Sons Will Keep His Memory Alive on Deadliest Catch

2010-09-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

Captain Phil Harris and with sons Jake and Josh

David Yellen

Captain Phil Harris would be proud.

The late skipper's two sons, Josh, 27, and Jake, 24, have signed a new contract with the Discovery Channel for the next season of Deadliest Catch, according to a New York Times report.

The move is a poignant one in light of their father's death at age 53 last February.

The brothers, who have struggled with their loss, will get more screen time next season and, according to the network, "expand their participation," on the show, which documents the tough lives of crab fishermen. They plan to "increase their experience on the sea with the hopes of becoming captains."

"Right now, they want to get back to fishing and we are doing everything that we can to support that," Discovery president Clark Bunting said in a statement.

The sons have also been looking to buy their dad's fishing vessel, the Cornelia Marie, outright.

"I will try to get it back up and running at full strength, and be the full owner, and my guys can keep their jobs," Josh told PEOPLE recently. "I will achieve my goals. One way or another, it will happen. There is no failure in a fisherman."

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Nicole Richie Throws Sparrow's First Birthday Party

2010-09-12T06:18:00.000-07:00

Nicole Richie may have parted from her past party girl ways, but she can still throw a good bash – especially if she's celebrating her son's first birthday.

Richie, along with fiancé Joel Madden and big sis Harlow, 2 ½, held a party for Sparrow Saturday. He turns 1 on Sept. 9.

About 50 guests, including actress Ellen Pompeo and her daughter Stella Luna, 11 months, and Sparrow's uncle Benji Madden, gathered in the backyard of the family's Hollywood Hills home and noshed on birthday cake. The backyard was decorated with red, green, orange and purple "Happy Birthday" balloons for the occasion.

"Nicole was keeping the party simple to not overwhelm Sparrow," a source at the party tells PEOPLE. "Everyone seemed to have a great time."

Reporting by PERNILLA CEDENHEIM

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Couples Watch: Pink & Carey Hart's Relaxing Sin City Getaway

2010-09-11T17:45:00.001-07:00

Pink and Carey Hart

Alexandra Wyman/WireImage

• Pink and hubby Carey Hart, sharing a relaxing Las Vegas getaway at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The couple checked into the hotel's Tower and for almost a week, and they spent time hanging at the Beach Club with friends and playing blackjack. Pink also pampered herself with some treatments at Reliquary, the hotel's spa.

• Tyra Banks, sharing breakfast at Wall & Water at N.Y.'s Andaz Wall Street Hotel with beau John Utendahl. The supermodel was casually dressed in leggings and a shirt, while her boyfriend sported a suit. He spent most of the meal reading the Wall Street Journal as Banks ate eggs and worked on her iPad.

• Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, doing some post-dinner partying at Skybar at the Mondrian Hotel in L.A. The couple first shared a romantic meal at Asia de Cuba, then held court with friends at a corner table at the bar. Soon, Hudgens and her girlfriends headed back inside the hotel to SPiN, the ping-pong club, for a spirited game.

• Jessica Szohr, celebrating her recent Nylon cover with a bash in New York. Joining her? On-again beau Ed Westwick, and her Gossip Girl costar Leighton Meester, among others. Szohr was presentd an enormous tower of cupcakes, and guests sipped Svedka and danced all night.

• Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade and girlfriend Gabrielle Union were having a blast over dinner at Miami Beach's Café Prima Pasta, where they split chicken parmesan and pasta. "They looked happy and were laughing and holding hands the whole time," a source tells us.

• By JENNIFER GARCIA, LINDA MARX, LESLEY MESSER and DAHVI SHIRA

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Victoria Beckham Reveals the Secret to Her Success

2010-09-11T17:41:00.001-07:00

Richard Young/Startraks

As New York Fashion Week approaches, it’s British style maven Victoria Beckham that seems to be at the forefront of many fashionistas’ minds. From her recent British Fashion Council nomination for designer brand of the year to landing the front page of The New York Times‘ coveted Sunday Styles section, Posh seems to have earned herself the unlikely respect of the fashion crowd—no easy feat in the overcrowded celebrity-designer space. Her secret? “I don’t do anything by halves,” she tells the Times. “If you’re going to do something, do it properly, I think. Otherwise there is no point in doing something at all.” That philosophy extends to her hands-on approach to the design of her wildly popular dresses—favored by A-listers like Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez. “I might get a piece of fabric and tie it around me, then ask an assistant to pin it for me,” she says. “I’m not claiming to be a master draper. The bottom line is: Would I wear this?” And that attention to detail, fit and construction is what has earned her respect among retailers and fashion editors alike, even if Posh herself admits that she has “a long, long way to go” as a designer. Still, there is one star client Beckham would love to add to her growing list: First lady Michelle Obama. “I really would love to dress her.” –Gillian Koenig

Edited by Melissa Liebling-Goldberg

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First Top Chef Winner Harold Dieterle Marries Fellow Foodie

2010-09-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

Harold Dieterle and Meredith Lynn Davies

Courtesy Harold DieterleCongratulations – or should we say bon appétit? – to 2006 Top Chef winner Harold Dieterle, who tied the knot with fellow foodie and longtime girlfriend Meredith Lynn Davies Saturday.

"He just wished me good luck and had some advice," Dieterle tells PEOPLE.

The biggest surprise: The Top Chef stayed out of the kitchen – he didn't even know what was on the menu, which was catered by the country club, prior to the reception.

The newlyweds are jetting off to Rome Sunday morning for an Italian honeymoon, which will also include stops in Positano and Sicily.

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Has Kim Kardashian Found Her Perfect Match?

2010-09-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

Kim Kardashian

Mathew Imaging/WireImageDoes Kim Kardashian have eyes for someone (or something) besides beau Miles Austin?

"She's dating her work," sister Kourtney Kardashian said. "Kim is a workaholic."

"[Kim] is having fun," Kourtney said at Las Vegas's Hard Rock Hotel at an event for Beach Bunny Swimwear. "I don't think she's found that perfect person for her yet."

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Kate Hudson: The Fewer Clothes the Better

2010-09-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

Courtesy Elle Magazine

Edited by Melissa Liebling-GoldbergPrivacy Policy

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Tom Cruise Showers Katie Holmes with Roses

2010-09-07T14:55:00.001-07:00

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes

Jackson Lee/Splash News Online

It's been 5 years since Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise began their whirlwind romance, and the couple's relationship is hotter than ever.

"My husband has red roses for me everywhere I go and whenever we travel," Holmes told PEOPLE at the New York press conference of her new film The Romantics on Tuesday.

A true romantic like her husband, Holmes, 31, believes in love and is very affectionate and caring especially with her her 4-year-old daughter Suri. "Being a mother is so dreamy," she says.

And whether it's eating cupcakes to picking out shoes together in the morning, Holmes is reveling every minute with Suri.

"You have to keep the activities up," says Holmes, "but she's so comfortable and she loves to sing and dance."

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Kanye West Writes Taylor Swift a Song

2010-09-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Kanye West and Taylor Swift

Foc Kan/WireImage; George Napolitano/FilmMagic

No more interruptions: When Kanye West and Taylor Swift meet again at the MTV VMA Awards Sept. 12, he has a special gift for the singer – hopefully, she will let him finish.

"I wrote a song for Taylor Swift that's so beautiful and I want her to have it," he said on his Twitter Saturday morning. "If she won't take it then I'll perform it for her."

Perhaps a sly nod to her pop anthem, "You're Not Sorry," which was released on her 2008 album Fearless?

Nearly a year since he first apologized to Swift, the hip-hop artist is still offering up I'm sorries, calling her "justa lil girl with dreams like the rest of us" on his Twitter.

"She deserves the apology more than anyone," he Tweeted, before thanking the creators of Twitter for making a public platform for expression. "We're both artist[s] and the media and managers are trying to get between us. Everyone wants to capitalize off this [in] some way."

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Eddie Cibrian Gives LeAnn Rimes Birthday Jewelry

2010-09-07T02:41:00.000-07:00

Leann Rimes and Eddie Cibrian

Felix Gonzalez IPHOTO

All LeAnn Rimes wanted for her birthday was a little solitude.

Well, she got that last week in Mexico. This week, though, she got some expensive jewelry from her boyfriend Eddie Cibrian. No, not that kind of jewelry.

"Eddie gave me some rose gold bangles which were beautiful," she said Saturday while celebrating her birthday at Tabu in Las Vegas. "It was very sweet."

"It's quite chaotic," the country singer said of the household. "I went from being by myself to having two kids in the house. It's really amazing. They're really incredible."

Rimes is embracing her new life, as well as her increasing age.

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Real Housewife Caroline Manzo Tells Jersey Shore Cast: 'Do Your Thing'

2010-09-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

The cast of MTV’s reality hit Jersey Shore has been accused of promoting stereotypes and misrepresenting the state of New Jersey but Caroline Manzo doesn’t understand what the all the fuss is about.

“Everybody has their opinion of the Jersey Shore just like they have an opinion about our show. They’re young kids doing their thing,” the Real Housewives of New Jersey star told PEOPLE at the celebration for her guest stint in the Off-Broadway comedy My Big Gay Italian Wedding.

Manzo, who has a self-described “live and let live” attitude, believes Snooki and the gang should not be expected to serve as an example. “We have to understand that they don’t represent the state, they don’t represent the culture. They represent themselves. “If they make a fool of themselves, they’re just making a fool of themselves. Do your thing.” she says.

But don’t expect to catch Manzo’s Housewives costar Teresa Giudice doing the Jersey fist pump anytime soon. On Monday’s reunion special Giudice said she was “not fond of” the fast paced hookups on the show but took a dig at castmate Danielle Staub saying, “I think Danielle could relate to them.”
– Sabrina Ford

Richie Buxo/Splash News Online

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Five Things to Know About Camp Rock Newcomer Matthew 'Mdot' Finley

2010-09-06T01:47:00.000-07:00

Matthew "Mdot" Finley

Jennifer Graylock/AP

There's a new camper in town.

Meet Matthew 'Mdot' Finley, who costars with Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. But who is this 23-year-old actor joining the battle of the music camps? Here's five things you should know about the Disney Channel star.

1. Call Him "Mdot"
When he noticed his name was listed as M. Finley on music credits, the budding musician took it up a notch. "I decided to spell out the dot," he tells PEOPLE of his moniker.

2. He Loves R&B
When he's not on set, he's in the studio. The Camp Rock newbie is recording an R&B album. "I'm working with Darkchild (Rodney Jerkins) and Pharrell Williams," he says of the disc, which, "drops next year."

3. He's a Ladies' Man
Finley's never had a problem getting girls on the dance floor: As a teen, the Dayton, Ohio, native performed with an all-girls dance group, the Gem City Dance Crew. "I was the only guy in this girl hip-hop dance group," he says. "I loved being with all those girls."

4. He's Above Par
Finley always knew he wanted to go pro – pro-golfer, that is. "I actually planned to play [golf] professionally," he says, "before I went to the Berklee College of Music in Boston."

5. He Has an Avatar-Crush
When it comes to crushes, Finley has a blue babe in mind: Avatar star Zoe Saldana. "I'd love to have a date with her, and she can show up in her Avatar suit."

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David Hasselhoff Has Jerry Springer's DWTS" Vote

2010-09-05T12:08:00.001-07:00

New Dancing with The Stars cast member David Hasselhoff can count on Jerry Springer’s vote.

Michael Kovac/FilmMagic; Mike Marsland/WireImage

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True Blood Stars Rally Behind "Sexiest Thing Ever"

2010-09-05T03:10:00.000-07:00

Rolling Stone; Jon Kopaloff/Filmmagic; Michael Caulfield/WireImage

Vampires, fairies, and werewolves stick together.

Amid the controversy surrounding the most recent Rolling Stone—with a naked and bloody Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, and Alexander Skarsgård—stars of the hit show are defending the cover and Alan Ball's fab creation.

"It's funny and smart," dished True Blood's delectable werewolf Joe Manganiello, but he doesn't stop there:

"If it was simply gratuitous, it would be a different story. But the writing is very clever and Alan

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Joosten Slams "Albatross" American Cancer Society

2010-09-05T02:55:00.000-07:00

Mathew Imaging/WireImage.com

You've read our thoughts on the Centers for Disease Control's effort to ban smoking in films and TV, so we thought we'd check in with Emmy nominee and lung cancer survivor Kathryn Joosten to get her sassy view on the matter.

The outspoken babe, who told us she has "no cancer at this time" (yay!) has bigger fish to fry than the CDC.

"I have to condemn the American Cancer Society," Kath told us over Emmy weekend. Why's that, K?

"Certainly I understand smoking is an issue, but it's not the only reason for lung cancer and other diseases," the Desperate Housewives star told us at the Emmy nominee reception, looking fab and spunky, as usual, in purple.

"To spend so much time and effort on just that distracts from attention that should be paid on finding a good diagnostic procedure or to find some better search and targeted therapies."

Continued Joosten: "And I have to condemn the American Cancer Society. They are such an albatross—they are 20 years behind the times, and their statistics are 20 years behind the times.

"Little-known fact about the American Cancer Society: When you donate money to the ACS and designate it for a specific disease, unless it's for more than $4,500, it goes into the general fund. You know when it says, ‘In lieu of flowers make a donation to the ACS'? It's bull. It doesn't happen."

With the help of ACS or not, Kath is back to her sassy self.

"I'm perfectly healthy," she smiled when we asked how she's doing.

But as for whether she'll be back facing what's sure to be another big battle on the divalicious set of Desperate Housewives this season: "Who the hell knows?"

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Photos: 2010 Emmys: Winners

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Five Reasons Why Paris Is "Dumb Like a Fox"

2010-09-05T02:40:00.000-07:00

GSI Media

Has there ever been anyone who has fallen from grace—and subsequently hoisted her ass back up—more times than Paris Hilton?

Mom Kathy Hilton told us awhile ago that, in a nutshell, daughter Pare-Pare is, "dumb like a fox." And oh, how brilliantly true that description is. After all, mama knows best, right?

Y'see, Paris' recent, er, incident with la coca is just another opportunity for her to show off how slyly she deals with all the, er, incidents in her life:

1. She keeps her friends close, but the media closer.
You might laugh at the gal who sends texts and emails to reporters in the third person ("Sources say that Paris had a great time with her new boyfriend" is something she might send out), but one thing is for sure: Paris knows exactly how to keep reporters at no more than at text-message's length. She notoriously takes journalists out to lunch every friggin' week, and they love her for it. Where's our invite, sugar-stuff?

2. She keeps a contact everywhere she goes.
While Lindsay Lohan runs around Hollywood like a bewigged chicken with its head cut off, Paris isn't usually too messed up to at least establish some kind of connection with someone everywhere she goes. This includes clubs, bars, hotels, entire villages. That way there's someone to protect her, or to run to, at every corner where trouble almost always lurks.

3. The "dumb" thing throws people off.
Paris isn't actually the Simple Life girl we fell in love like with all those years ago. That's not to say that she's a rocket scientist, but for anyone who's met her, they know that there's a level of, let's say, show business that the girl puts on. And again, we'll reiterate that she is not a rocket scientist. But she's also not the "I thought it was gum" girl that you think she is. This will be bad news come court time, unfortunately.

4. She knows the art of reacting.
Paris isn't a one-trick pony who will give the same denial or look dumbfounded when every little road bump hits the little Hilton. While she might act stupid with one arrest, or play the crying game with another, or even give a casual wave-off to a less important tabloid scandal, she's always keeping it somewhat believable. And you know that if Lindsay's reaction to scandal is going to party at Colony, Paris will be sitting at home, "devastated"—and telling absolutely everyone with an iota of media connection about it.

5. She's finally discovered what she's good at.
There was a time when Paris tried to solely emulate her famous entrepreneurial lineage, conquering the entertainment/product-placement business with cameos, biz endeavors galore, guest-hosting gigs, and even attempts to do the musician, reality star or supporting actress thang. A simple leggings/suntan-line girl she is not. But it's been about two years since Hilton mostly stopped the efforts, and we've been more tolerant of her for it. However, she's since focused on her socialite status, and that's the only reason she got to be famous in the first place, isn't it?

We smell the rebirth of Paris in a matter of seconds. OK, maybe months...or years. Don't forget, it's in her blood.

—Additional reporting by Taryn Ryder

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Behold! The many faces of Paris Hilton!

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Blind Vice: Parrish Gets Pissy with His "People"

2010-09-05T02:25:00.000-07:00

How does the saying go? Hell hath no fury like a young pretty boy scorned? Yeah, pretty sure that's it. And, girlfriends, is Parrish Maguire ever pissed!

First, it's important to note, we rarely, if ever, run the same Blind Vice star on concurrent Fridays. But Parrish must be so peeved these days—as we noted in last week's installment—that he's taken to...

Doing the exact opposite of what his worried handlers have been telling him to!

Now, remember how we told you the hunky celeb Maquire's handlers chastised him for too openly getting his (closeted) gay on at parties and select guys-only events? Yep, and Parrish did not like being told to curb his natural man-on-man desires, and, as a result, started getting pretty nasty with his friends—taking his bad mood out on an unlucky few.

But now, Parrish seems to have had a change of heart, and more recently, is directing the frustrations of living a closeted celeb life out on the very people who told him to watch it: his peeps.

Fabulously passive-aggressively, Parrish can be seen riding around town in a ridiculously expensive toy that belongs to one of the primary folks Parrish's management team told him to stay the hell away from.

Love it! It's like a daughter who decides to marry the bad-boy because her 'rents told her not to!

You keep the rebel up, Mr. M! We're likin' you a whole lot better all of a sudden.

And it Ain't: Joe Jonas, Xavier Samuel, Daniel Radcliffe

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See more Blind Vices in our archives!

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Say It Ain't So! Are Julia and Jennifer Already Dunzo?

2010-09-05T02:10:00.001-07:00

Mike Marsland/Getty Images; Joe Kohen/Getty Images

A truly awful thought popped into our heads today: Are Jennifer Aniston, whom we loved for years on Friends (though haven't always loved in everything since) and Julia Roberts, who was America's go-to classy lady from 1990 to about 2002, both completely dunzo career-wise?

The Switch was a bomb. Eat Pray Love eat pray sucked. And let's be honest, nobody is expecting either flick to suddenly skyrocket at the box office this weekend.

And now with flicks like Easy A, starring Emma Stone, and You Again, starring soon to be rom-com queen Kristen Bell, guaranteed to spark some interest at the box office, we can't help but worry that these former A-listers have been put out to pasture by the younger crowd...

Julia's flick was supposed to be the belle of the box office, the diamond in a rough summer of Vampires Suck and Piranha 3D. But she barely beat out those two, and she was still beat by The Expendables, sweaty old men with a completely different target demographic.

Where were the girls and women who would have supported Julia had Eat Pray Love come out in 1998?

And what about Jennifer? We've given her chance after chance after chance after, well, you get it (you've done it too!). We've tolerated cheesy romantic comedies in the hopes that the next will be (a) better or (b) will at least star another adorable puppy.

But after the rom-com debacle that was The Switch, is it about time to throw up the white flag and surrender our wallets to a different funnygal (it pains us to say, but...uh, maybe Katherine Heigl?).

The problem with both ladies is that they just haven't found a way to speak to the core moneymakers of today: the Twitter-using, Facebook-friending female audience from ages 12-25.

College-age girls had barely been born when Pretty Woman came out, and they only remember Julia as "that woman from Ocean's 11." But hey, at least their parents can tell ‘em Julia is a good actress.

Jennifer, meanwhile, has her Friends fans, but they are becoming fewer and fewer as the years build up between her last Central Perk appearance and whatever rom-com she's starring in as a quirky everywoman, bumbling her way toward the perfect man.

We really hope these two luscious divas don't fade from the classy-image spotlight, pushed out of the way by other young starlets like Anne Hathaway or Drew Barrymore, and the even younger divas like Lea Michele and Carey Mulligan (not to mention K.Bell and Emma Stone).

Find something to reinvent yourselves with, ladies. How about a television series for Julia? A tearful drama for Jen? Or something the Twilight-loving, Harry Potter-obsessed, JoBro-worshipping crowd can relate to!

Hell, if Betty White can do it, you can too!

Ted has no friends. Cheer Ted up on Facebook!

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At least she's still fashionable! Fashion Spotlight: Jennifer Aniston

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Monkeys And Bananas

2008-01-16T17:11:00.033-08:00

One wonders why bananas and monkeys have been associated, especially in cartoons. How did this happen? My take on this is that it happened as a result of colonialism. The United States of America bought the Philippine Archipelago from Spain for $20,000 and occupied it for 50 years. In the beginning of the occupation, there was resistance on the part of the Filipinos. There were several fierce fights between the insurrectos and the American soldiers resulting in the death of thousands on both sides of the combatants. Civilians were also killed. Obviously and logically, the colonizer feels superior to the colonized. Americans looked down on Filipinos. Some soldiers even called the Filipinos monkeys without tails. And they sang songs with words like ...in Zamboanga the monkeys have no tails. Filipinos love bananas. Then and now one of the main agricultural products is banana. So, Americans saw Filipinos always eating and enjoying several varieties of banana. Yes, monkeys love bananas, too. But their main diet in the jungle, their natural habitat, is not a banana. Bananas don t grow under the trees and in the thick of wild growth. They grow in open and sunny spaces. Filipinos planted bananas in their yard. Monkeys thrived on insects and fruits other than banana. The pet monkeys in captivity, of course, were served bananas since bananas were abundant in the Philippines. Some Americans did business by exporting monkeys to the U.S. for experimentation in laboratories. They fed the monkeys with bananas. Cartoonists naturally drew monkeys eating bananas.

Three Famous Blondes all Dead: Marilyn Monroe-Jayne Mansfield-Anna Nicole Smith

2008-01-16T17:11:00.032-08:00

On the sad news that Ann Nicole Smith had died in Florida, I naturally reflected on Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. Anna Nicole recently lost a son and gave birth to a baby. Her death will continue to generate a frenzy because there is money involved. The father of her child will be first in line with a blood sample to be checked against the DNA of the baby, the obvious inheritor of Smithâ™s wealth. That wealth could be humongous after the courts decide on what she should inherit from her aged husband. The first thing I said to my wife was that Anna Nicoleâ™s death would probably be interpreted as murder. I donâ™t really think that she was murdered but if she was found dead like Marilyn Monroe, someone is going to start the murder myth. I hope I havenâ™t started it here right now. Tomorrow the autopsy will be held and eventually the results will be revealed to the public. By then the murder theorist will have a well developed scenario and they will use the autopsy to reinforce it. The motive will be murder, of course. I wrote an article on Marilyn Monroe and showed how theorist develop what I called âœobvious truths.â UFO-ologist use that tactic all the time. The media loves stupid thinking and will join on the bandwagon. A good story can make you a good deal of money on the lecture tour and by authoring books. Anna Nicole seemed to have little talent other than gaining publicity. Like many nobodies with great bodies she started as a Playboy BunnyÂ®. Hugh Hefner said he hoped that she was now happy with her brother. I didnâ™t know that Hugh actually believed in anything of a religious nature but I guess he does. Marilyn Monroe on the other hand had acting talent. Jayne Mansfield, who died in a horrible automobile crash, was probably in between the two talent-wise. A good summary of Anna Nicoleâ™s life can be found at hollywood.com/news/3654096 It saddens me to see young lives cut short. The media attention to a famous person can cause disaster. They thrive on the media but the media and money drives them to drink and drugs. James Deanâ™s death at age twenty-four is a good example where money put him in fast cars and reckless behavior. Dean was a talented actor and is still missed by his fans. Read about the car accident at history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/deandies.htm It seems that the celebrity life goes double time. Jayne Mansfield died racing to get to New Orleans in the wee hours of the morning. Her three children survived. Read about the death of Jayne and a number of other celebrities that died in auto accidents at who2.com/deathbycarcrash.html including Princess Grace (who may have suffered a small stroke ) and Princess Diana. I hope that Jayneâ™s death will be a warning to other celebrities with more money and than they can spend and more fame than they can tolerate. That includes athletes who are not use to celebrity status or money. The call to fame can be very rapid in our media circus. Many celebrities we old folks donâ™t even know other than we see them on television walking down a red carpet dressed to the âœTee.â We donâ™t know why they are celebrities but they are in some obscure soap opera or such where we never see themâ"but they have money. Here is some advice for celebrities that were not born rich and donâ™t know how to handle money and fame: Stay away from drugs and avoid excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages. Prescription drugs can destroy you. Donâ™t go to multiple doctors for prescription drugs. Some over-the-counter drugs are not safe. Donâ™t drive and drink. Avoid high speed and reckless driving and stay out of cars having such a driver. Wear your seat belt. Learn how to manage your money and donâ™t trust others with your money to the extent that gives them control. New friends and experts can hurt you. Trust the banker in your home town if you know one well. Let him lead you to proper asset management. Donâ™t over do it. You have to have some time off from work. Drug usage is often because of overwork. Why am I writing this? Celebrities donâ™t read my stuff. Well, the rules are good for everyone. Rest in Peace, Anna Nicole. The End John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of RandD for Lenox China, is author of detective and western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine. He is Executive Representative of IWS sellers of Tyler Hicks wealth-success books and kits. He also sells TopFlight flagpoles. He calls himself Taylor Jones, the hack writer. More info: tjbooks.com Business web site: tjbooks.com .

Birthday Invitations - Celebs RSVP For A Fee

2008-01-16T17:11:00.031-08:00

More and more D-list actors and out-of-work celebrities are accepting holiday and birthday party invitations, for a reduced fee that is. It s not enough to get a festive party invitation, a full buffet and an open bar anymore. Well-to-do private and corporate party hosts are turning to celebrities to make their events truly impressive, spectacular and unforgettable. The current trend appears to be the wealthier the host, the larger the appetite for celeb meet and greet party appearances. A-list celebrities can cost anywhere from $500 to $1M. Jessica Simpson can request as much as $1 million where Anson Williams, Potsie from Happy Days, is a mere $3,000 to $6,000 depending on the shindig and travel requirements. If Linda Blair from The Exorcist accepts your holiday party or birthday invitation expect to pay around $5,000, although her fee goes up the closer your event is to Halloween. Justin Timberlake allegedly accepted a birthday party invitation overseas for $1.5 million. Some parties may require a celebrity to perform in character, however, in many cases celebs may accept a holiday or birthday party invitation and not even have to recite their signature lines, sing or tell jokes. The host just expects them to make an appearance and mingle with their guests for a short time. Whether celebrities are embarrassed to accept a complete stranger s birthday invitation or holiday gig is up for debate. With figures skyrocketing into the six figures for the right talent, the bottom line no doubt supersedes any humiliation. So who would you like to meet for your birthday? Paul is a sometimes writer for tinyprints.com Tiny Prints is an online stationer where you can find unique and stylish personalized baby photo birth announcements, birthday party invitations, holiday cards, thank you cards and more!

Cross Tattoos

2008-01-16T17:11:00.030-08:00

The deep symbolic meaning of cross tattoos have expanded to include a wide range of personal creations that may or may not depict religious significance. As one of the most flexible of tattoo designs, the cross is often combined with many other additions that utilize hearts, flowers, animals, names, and faces that enhance the overall meaning, Crosses are often chosen as the design for many first-timers, which often follows the loss of a loved one. The acceptance that this tattoo does not always refer to religious conviction is currently widespread, as there are plenty of individuals who choose this design simply because they are attracted to the shape of the cross. For this reason, tattoo artists are often knowledgeable in the various tattoos that represent both religious and non-religious beliefs. Popular tattoos showcasing religious crosses include the Latin, Celtic, and St. Andrew s cross. Non-religious crosses often selected include the Ankh and the Gothic Cross. The Latin Cross is highly recognizable in the world of tattoos, as it is comprised of a vertical line intersected at right angles by a shorter horizontal line positioned around 1/3 of the way from the top. This uncomplicated design is often associated with Christianity and is frequently used to pay tribute to others. One of the most attractively designed crosses is the Celtic selection, where a knot is created in the space where both lines cross. Most options highlight an intricate border that involves a series of Celtic knots. With the St. Andrew s Cross, the style is much different from the traditional design of a T and instead presents an X. The Gothic Cross mirrors the German style of elaborate wrought iron work displayed during the Edwardian and Victorian periods. This type of cross is often used to express pain, anger, and the Goth culture. Many designs associated with the Gothic Cross utilize dark imagery, such as barbed wire and daggers. It is also not uncommon to view cross tattoos that are full of mystery or even depict an unsettling image. See some more kick-butt info, recommendations, photos, and much more. Visit the number one content site about tattoo designs on the internet: modern-tattoo-designs.com/cross-tattoos.html

Helpful Tips For Finding Your Perfect Tattoo Design

2008-01-16T17:11:00.029-08:00

Once you have decided that you want a tattoo and have found the artist that you are going to use then the next stage is to decide on the particular tattoo design that you want. This is where the hard work really starts but it can also be a lot of fun looking at all of the possibilities. Of course, the type of artwork that you select for your tattoo is very much a personal choice but there are some that are more common than others. For example, a rose or butterfly tattoo pattern is always popular with women. These sexy adornments are often discretely placed on the back of the shoulder, top of the thigh, close to the navel or other area of the body that is not normally exposed. Men may prefer a larger Celtic tattoo design that may be a cross tattoo or a more complex Celtic band that wraps around the upper arm. The choice of designs is endless and finding the right tattoo design may seem a daunting task but there are a number of sources of inspiration available to help you. The Internet is a good place to start your search as it is full of websites relating to body art. There are a number of sources of free tattoo design samples available. These can vary greatly in terms of size and complexity. Some of the tattoo design examples will be shown after the work has been performed for a client, while others may just be the tattoo design itself. You will also find a large number of sites that have a tattoo gallery with pictures that are copyrighted and you will need to purchase a copy before you can use it. Obviously, the cost will depend on the size and complexity of the design but it is also affected by the popularity of the actual artist. A tattoo design from a star tattoo artist who has celebrity clients will obviously cost more than one from a lesser known one. People often want to have the same body art as their favorite movie star, singer, sports star or other celebrity and this demand is reflected in the cost. Your chosen tattoo parlor is also a good source of inspiration for designs. After all, this is where you are going to have your artwork done. You will see hundreds of designs on display in the window and on the walls. It is worth bearing in mind that these may not be the work of the tattoo artist who runs the tattoo shop and may actually be examples of another artist s work. A tattoo design that has been printed onto a piece of paper or card is known as a tattoo flash. These were originally unique hand drawn designs created by the artist himself and used to promote his work to potential customers. Also, many artists will also have a portfolio of their designs with photographs of them after they have been completed for a customer. Nowadays the Internet has led to many tattoo artists creating multiple copies of their designs and selling them to other professionals and customers. This means that the shop s artist may not be able to recreate the tattoo design exactly but can use it as the basis for your own unique piece of artwork. For more information about how to pick that perfect tattoo design , click over to Awesome-Tattoos.com where you will find additional useful tips and tattoo related advice.

Harry Potter and Its Audience

2008-01-16T17:11:00.028-08:00

Why Harry Potter the movie became one of the most fascinating movies? While we all know that the movie is full of visual effects created with the aid of the advance technology, the effects to the movie goers seems to be overwhelming and it does tickle most of the crowed. Why such a movie becomes so accepted by movie goers? Where did it start anyway? It all started from the imaginative minds of the writers. That using a descriptive technique, lets a reader visualizes the situations in which it stimulates the fiber senses human. The vivid presentation of scenes in the written version of the story is a factor that it could be presented in the wide screen. The second factors to consider will be the producer who wants to venture on the said story. That what is written will be accepted by the movie goers. In here, the massive advertisement plays a vital role for a movie to be watched. Advertisements of preview scenes could stimulate also the audience senses. The nicest way of advertisement is when a famous star is announcing to the public via interviews that the movie is good. It adds color and intensity to the movie. The last factor to be looked on will be the characters. Most of the celebrities started from the bottom. Celebritiesâ™ key advertiser is their manager. This person (the manager) is the one marketing for a celebrity to be chosen on a certain project. The producers are really looking for the best celebrity to represent the character especially the protagonist and antagonist. In some movies or even in a simple TV program, producers are conducting elimination process through challenging obstacles just to select the best one that could perform the personality of the character. There are lots of factors to be considered for a movie to be accepted in the society. The launching should be timely that there are, if possible, no competitor movies launch at the same time. Harry Potter movies, hit the big screen not only because of its quality, but because of the target market â" the age bracket that composes most of the people going to the cinema. The popularity of the celebrity can be remedied through massive promotions. Of course, a famous celebrity to perform the main character is an advantage to hit the big screen. Advertisements and promotions still have something to do if a movie will be accepted or not. If you notice, most of the famous movies that hit the big screen have more ads than the others. I am fond of collecting beautiful faces and sexy pictures on the net. I spend time online about Celebrities that attracts my attention. View some of my Celebrity Collection

Add Star Power To Your Advertising

2008-01-16T17:11:00.027-08:00

Celebrity endorsements are big business, with over 20% of all ads today featuring a famous face. The reason is simple: Stars sell. Consumers pay more attention to stars because they are attracted to the familiar. Using a celebrity to advertise your business adds awareness, credibility and star power to your company. 3 ways a celebrity can be used by your business include: 1) Advertising Ã¢â‚¬âœ Celebrities can pitch your product via print, television, radio, etc. 2) Appearances and events Ã¢â‚¬âœ Celebrities can make personal appearances for your business at events ranging from charity fundraisers to grand openings. 3) Media opportunities Ã¢â‚¬âœ Your spokesperson can speak on your behalf on TV talks shows, or at press conferences, trade shows or other media events. Things to keep in mind when hunting for a celebrity spokesperson include: Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Define your objectives Determine what you expect from your partnership with your spokesperson and how to best utilize their talents. Clarify your needs and expectations from the get-go. Get-It-Done: Brooks International and Burns are a couple of many agencies who specialize in booking celebrity and sports talent. These talent brokers can help you assess your needs. Ã¢â‚¬Â¢Find the right fit It s important that the spokesperson you hire is a good match for your product or service. The clearer the link between your company s product and your talent, the better the partnership will work. (Think Michael Jordan and Nike!) Get-It-Done: The Hollywood-Madison Group uses a proprietary database called the Fame Index to match businesses with appropriate talent. The Fame Index contains the names of 10,000 stars and uses 250 categories to match talent to businesses and products. Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Plan well in advance When deciding on a celebrity spokesperson for your business, start early. Make your plans at least 6 months in advance. The bigger the name, the longer the lead time. Get-It-Done: Celebrity Focus and The Celebrity Source are two talent agencies who can connect your company with talent and help you navigate the celebrity maze. Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Consider the costs Talent fees and celebrity endorsements run the gamut from a few hundred dollars for a local DJ appearing at a business to literally millions of dollars for an international movie star. Catherine Zeta-Jones long-term endorsement deal with T-Mobile was reportedly worth 20 Million, but T-Mobile s U.S. sales jumped 25% during the campaign. Get-It-Done: If you re looking for major star power, you can go with Hollywood biggies like William Morris or PMK/HBH Public Relations. On a smaller scale, many local celebrities can be contacted directly or through their management. Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Make contact Talent agencies, entertainment marketing firms and even speakers bureaus can put you in touch with potential celebrity spokespersons. Contacting talent can be easier than you might think. Get-It-Done: In addition to some of the agencies listed above, the Screen Actors Guild provides an actor-locator service. Other things to keep in mind when shopping for a celebrity spokesperson include: Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Don t be afraid to ask. Maybe that certain superstar is not out of your reach or budget. Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Consider B-List stars who may be more available and less expensive. Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Local celebrities or athletes may turn out to be your best bet. Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ Make sure you have an out clause in case your celebrity gets negative press or is involved in a scandal. (Sorry Britney!) Hollywood TV veteran Lou Bortone is an award-winning writer, marketer and television producer who more than 20 years in the television industry, including stints at Fox and E! Entertainment TV in L.A. Today, Lou specializes in helping entrepreneurs create breakthrough TV and video for the Internet. Email Lou at lou@theonlinevideoguy.com or visit theonlinevideoguy.com

Hip-hop Jewelry and Today s Stars

2008-01-16T17:11:00.025-08:00

Hip-hop Jewelry and Today s Stars Watch any of the major movie, television, and music award shows on television today and one of the first things youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll notice about the celebrities on the red carpet, aside from their extravagant (and sometimes outlandish) attire, are the amount and size of the jewelry they are wearing. Hip-hop jewelry, more commonly known as bling-bling, is definitely not understated fashion. The bigger and the flashier it is, the better. Preferred by many of todayÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s celebrities, hip-hop jewelry adorns the fingers, necks, arms, even the teeth of many stars. Oversized studs and chains are the trademarks of hip-hop jewelry and are preferred by celebrities such as Sean Combs, or P. Diddy. At the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, he sported a diamond ring, bracelet, and watch from Jacob and Company. Rapper 50 Cent is another celebrity who is hardly ever seen without his hip-hop jewelry. On his web site, 50 Cent offers more affordable, though just as flashy, bling-bling for those of us who do not earn the megabucks that he and his fellow celebrities rake in. There are also many other web sites that offer low-priced hip-hop jewelry inspired by popular rap artists. Hip-hop jewelry comes in many shapes and sizes, all of them meant to catch the eye and attract attention. Heavy chains of silver or gold (or both) can oftentimes be seen on celebrities such as LL Cool J and Ja Rule in their music videos. Hip-hop jewelry web sites offer fully Ã¢â‚¬Ëœiced-outÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ bling-bling, or watches, rings, bracelets and earrings that are heavily decorated with real or faux diamonds. So-called Ã¢â‚¬ËœspinnerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ watches and rings are big best sellers in the hip-hop jewelry category. Also available are customized, removable gold, silver and platinum teeth which may be studded with jewels and gemstones, so even the pearly whites can have their share of hip-hop jewelry. Women celebrities are keeping pace with their male counterparts when it comes to wearing hip-hop jewelry. Stars such as Beyonce, LilÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ Kim, Ashanti and Missy Elliott are regularly seen in pictures wearing large diamond jewelry items of various colors. Even young female celebrities are getting on the bling-bling bandwagon. Teen stars like Jo Jo and Hilary Duff are said to be avid hip-hop jewelry enthusiasts and count themselves among the large number of bejeweled stars today. Large, ostentatious pieces of jewelry did not start becoming popular only because of the hip-hop cultural phenomenon (think Elvis Presley and Tom Jones), but hip-hop has altered the jewelry market in a big way. Fans see what their favorite celebrities are wearing, and there are numerous options for them to emulate their idols Ã¢â‚¬âœ at least in terms of fashion. Jewelry has always been a part of popular culture, and todayÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s hip-hop jewelry and the celebrities who wear them are even more so in this age of instant information. Sam Serio is an Internet Marketer, musician and a writer on the subject of jewelry and gemstones. For more information on jewelry and gemstones, we cordially invite you to visit morninglightjewelry.com to pick up your FREE copy of Ã¢â‚¬Å"How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off.Ã¢â‚¬Â This concise, informative special report reveals almost everything you ever wanted to know about jewelry and gemstones, but were afraid to ask. Get your FREE report at morninglightjewelry.com

Who is The Top Gear

2008-01-16T17:11:00.023-08:00

Who is The Top Gear andquot;Stig?andquot; The anonymous Stig s mission is to produce perfect lap times in exotic supercars and execute death-defying stunts with immaculate precision. With BBC s Top Gear returning to our screens this weekend, Auto Trader is kicking off Top Gear week by tackling the biggest mystery in motoring: Who is the Stig? Last week, stunt driver Russ Swift hinted that it could be him - and bookmaker William Hill rank him as 2/1 favourite. Trackside s Keith Collantine surveys the field. What do we know about the Stig? Top Gear appearances suggest the Stig is male and of average build, with eclectic musical tastes. But theories abound there are actually multiple Stigs. Could there be more than one man behind the mask? Let s find out. Russ Swift Pros: If there are two Stigs, then Russ Swift must be one of them. No-one is better equipped to pull off the Stig s dangerous tricks than this holder of multiple stunt driving records. We put the question to him last week and his response was: No comment. What we... (laughs) what Top Gear like about the Stig is the fact that nobody knows who it is. It is not one person. Cons: He spends a lot of time out of the country making international motor show appearances. But that hasn t stopped him working for Top Gear in the past - he taught three grannies how to do doughnuts... Ellen MacArthur Pros: The fastest celebrity to lap the Top Gear track in the old Suzuki Liana. Cons: Although MacArthur clearly lacks nothing in driving skills or mental fortitude, her physical stature (female, short) and the Stig s (male, tall) don t match up. Plus, given the enormous amount of time she spent circumnavigating the globe in a dolled-up dinghy, it s doubtful that she could have met the filming commitments. New and Used Car News and Reviews - Auto Trader UK

Chinese Tattoos - Meaning of Chinese Dragon Tattoos

2008-01-16T17:11:00.021-08:00

Chinese Tattoos have always been hugely popular. At one stage they were the realm of criminals and the mafia. Now it seems even Hollywood celebrities seem to have caught on to the mystery and allure of the Far East. While it is undeniable that classic Chinese tattoos have an attraction which can easily be appreciated regardless of whether one can understand the often subtle meanings or not. Aesthetics should be the primary consideration when getting tattooed, and Chinese characters are very well suited to this purpose. While tattoos have always been conversation pieces, Chinese tattoos add another element, since the typical viewer will probably ask you the meaning, which allows the wearer to not only translate the characters, but to explain the story behind the decision to make such a lasting statement. Meaning is an important question however and for this reason can make Chinese tattoos date very quickly. Often it is not quite what the wearer was told by the tattooist at the tattoo shop or the meaning can become irrelevant after a few years. Hopefully the person being tattooed has done his or her research and consulted with a native Chinese speaker about the meaning before being inked. Some non Chinese speakers have unwittingly tattooed their bodies with Chinese symbols which when translated become meaningless. The most common Chinese tattoos are ones that are supposed to represent ideas and qualities like love or strength. Keep in mind that the concepts are aimed at English speakers, and on that level peace, love and happiness are easily understandable. But before you run off to the studio to get one done you should do your research. Selecting a Chinese tattoos deserves careful study and attention. It should have less to do with style and more to do with your character, work, and values. It s permanent, so it s a pretty important decision in your life. In the end, it is important to choose something of lasting appeal not something faddish. Chinese Dragons For centuries, the Chinese dragon has been a symbol of power and mystery. Depicted in countless legends, both Eastern and Western, the dragon has provoked man to fear and worship it. In medieval Europe, it was a bloodthirsty, fire-breathing figure. Its malevolence and ferociousness struck terror in all. However, in Asia, it is the contrary. The mighty dragon is a mythical beast long celebrated for its benevolence, intelligence and good will. The Chinese dragon has been a common symbol of identity for Far Eastern cultures. In fact, Chinese people all over the world are affectionately known as âœlung de chuan renâ, or the descendants of the dragonâ. There are several distinct species of Chinese dragons. The Horned Dragon is considered to be the mightiest. The Celestial Dragon supports the heavens and protects the Gods. The Earth Dragon rules all of the earth. The Spiritual Dragon controls the wind and rain. The Treasure Dragon is the keeper of precious metals and gems. The Winged Dragon is the only dragon with wings. The Coiling Dragon dwells in the ocean. The Yellow Dragon is a hornless dragon known for its scholarly knowledge. Tattoo Site for Tattoo Lovers Subscribe to Kinky Ink eZine FREE

Temporary Tattoos 101

2008-01-16T17:11:00.019-08:00

This day and age, more and more people decide to take the permanent tattoos, leaving their mark on the choice of their skin. If the tattoo is applied by an artist, the risk is minimal. As it is sad that, however, many people who get tattoos eventually go to the studios that use unsanitary equipment resulting from infections or other serious problems. A few years ago, tattoos were found temporary quarters in machinery, packaging bubble gum, and even toy sections of the local store. Children loved to get these temporary tattoos, they presented as a way for children to have a tattoo, the one that was completely safe and rinse. Today, even adults are starting to think that this idea is correct. The temporary tattoos today are no longer just for children, like most long-lasting, making them perfect for adults. The best thing about it, is the fact that they are temporary. You do not have to worry about equipment infections or unhealthy, because there is no drilling of the skin. Temporary Tattoos are safe, and remove easily with soap and water. This cost is quite unfriendly, as well as permanent tattoos require surgery to remove. If you have thought about doing a tattoo, you must first give a temporary tattoo try. The temporary tattoos are a great way to test models, and to see whether a tattoo is for you. If you do not, all you have to do is wash off. Then you can buy another and see if you like best. There are literally thousands of temporary tattoos that exists, with illustrations that are sure to please everyone. If you decide to get a permanent place tattoo, you are pretty much stuck with it. To get rid of a permanent tattoo, you need to have it surgically removed, which can cost thousands of dollars. You can also face the risk of infection, with a permanent scar. Permanent tattoos are great, if you are happy with the tattoo. In most cases, temporary tattoos look just like a tattoo. To use them, simply lick the tattoo or use water and apply to your skin. When you wherever you want, just apply pressure for a few seconds. They are easy to implement, and the last until you wash off. If you decide to get a longer duration of temporary tattoo, it will last for a longer period of time. This way you can decide whether a tattoo will be the value of the investment. You can find temporary tattoos in local stores or on the Internet. They are very affordable, even cheaper if you buy in bulk. Tattoo artists also sell them, and generally have a wide choice of the hand. In this way, you can look through the available choices and find the tattoo that best fits your style. In general, temporary tattoos are easier to implement permanent as tattooing, and they pose no risk to the skin or to your health. Those who are afraid of needles tend to like them, as it gives you the chance to have a tattoo without going under the needle. Before you rush and get a tattoo, you must be permanent tattoos try. They will not cost you a lot of money, but they will give you an opportunity to see how you look with a tattoo-and decide whether this is something that you want. Please visit protattoos.blogspot.com thank you

Celebrity News Gossip Photos

2008-01-16T17:11:00.017-08:00

When it s celebrity news and gossip you want, there s never an end to the latest scoop on the hottest ladies in Hollywood. It s as if they are required to do something stupid on a schedule. From child neglect to private home movies exposing their most personal photos, the girls from the big screen and the music venues are forever letting it all hang out. Currently it seems Britney Spears can do no right. With her losing custody of her children to now losing her visitation rights to boot, Britney is the hottest media ticket in town. With an endless supply of beauties, you can always expect to see some of them in the National Enquirer or on the tube shows, like Extra or the Inside Edition, Hollywood episodes. Lindsey Lohan has filled the tabloids lately with her early checkouts from rehab. Britney Spears has totally lost it. Even her own mother applauded the court rulings against her. Seems as though her mother is to the point of administering a tough love approach to her situation. The top 10 celebrity females are Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Vanessa Minnillo, Hayden Panettiere, Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie, Pamela Anderson, Eva Longoria, Aishwarya Rai. While Jessica Simpson is an equal from the hottie s category, she appears to be staying out of the limelight, or at least she s behaving and that doesn t make the celebrity new circuit. Celebrity News and Gossip keeps the home fires burning for those of us without a life and we live to see what our age matched famous counterparts are up to. Other than the great weight loss programs they seem to pull off, I for one am completely satisfied that all my dirty laundry comes out of the washer and is washed down the pipes. For more celebrity news and gossip stop by our site for more up to the minute news of the celebrities. Celebrity News Gossip Photos and Videos wealthsmith.com/celebrity-news-gossip-photos-videos.htm Jim is an online writer and reporter of subjects his readers find interesting and current. Today he talks about an ever popular subject of celebrity news gossip photos and videos: wealthsmith.com/celebrity-news-gossip-photos-videos.htm

Rental Markets Rise as Home Sales Slump

2008-01-16T17:11:00.015-08:00

Two years ago, thousands of people rushed to get a piece of the booming housing market. Mortgages were easy to get, even for buyers with little or no credit. Once interest rates shifted however, buyers who received sub prime mortgages were no longer able to make their monthly payments. Now the housing market is being flooded with foreclosures. Lenders have learned their lesson, and are much stricter with their lending policies. Now, many people who would like to enter the housing market are unable to obtain sufficient financing. This has led to a serious drought in the buyers pool. There are also many people who were considering buying a home, but have now been scared off by the rate of foreclosures. With buyers hesitant to make a purchase, sellers are having a tough time unloading their homes. This stalled housing market has led to a substantial rise in the rental market. Buyers who are unable to secure financing must face the reality that they can t purchase a home at this time. These folks need to sit tight in a rental unit while they work on building their credit rating, and save money for a down payment. Experts are saying that the housing market will bounce back within a year or two, so potential buyers should focus on improving their credit and financial situation until things shift. Buyers who are eligible for home loans are also finding this a good time to take a step back until the housing market is on steadier ground. Young urban professionals Cheryl 28, and Raoul, 34, already have enough money in the bank for a down payment. Their credit is good, and both have steady incomes. They have decided to rent until interest rates go down. Says Cheryl, With all the doom and gloom you see about real estate these days, we figured it d be a good idea to just wait a year or two. We want a home, definitely, but we don t want to pay through the nose. We can save money for now by renting, so that s what we ll do until the market changes. Many owners who have lost their homes to foreclosure are now heading into the renting world. Their credit has been badly damaged, and they don t have enough money to buy a new home. Without a suitable rental unit, many of these people would end up on the streets. They have no choice but to take a rental while they rebuild their financial security. This foreclosure situation is the main reason that the cities that were booming in 2005 are now becoming rental hot spots. Places like Miami, where buyers flocked to scoop up the great housing deals, now find themselves in trouble. Foreclosures are most rampant in these cities, and the housing market has stalled completely. In these areas, where demand is high, there has been a substantial increase in rental rates. In other areas of the country, where new construction has led to an increase in available units, rents are decreasing slightly in order for landlords to remain competitive. Consider riding out the housing market turmoil by renting. You can find a beautiful property to suit your family s needs, while saving money and building your credit at the same time. National Rental Properties is the premier online resource for bringing rental properties together with prospective tenants. Search homes for rent from all over the country!

Small Feminine Tattoos

2008-01-16T17:11:00.013-08:00

Body art comes in different forms, the most common of which are tattoos. Tattoos are one of the most ancient forms of body art, for which you will be providing the canvas. And because tattoos have soared in popularity over the past decade, there is no shortage of tattoo studios more than willing to practice their artistry on you. Tattoos originated as ancient, symbolic art forms, and many of them retain their symbolic meanings today. Although there are still some people who get tattoos strictly based on the design, some of those people tend to regret their choice of tattoo later on in their life. Tattoos can be quite beautiful, and capture a lot of positive attention. Most people who decide to get tattoos today choose them for their symbolic meaning, as well as the beauty. Men and women alike have tattoos, some small tattoos, some large tattoos encompassing their entire body and today tattoos are more common than ever, particularly small tattoos. Tattoo artists are no longer willing to place dull lifeless designs in a seemingly haphazard way, but they tend to treat the body as a three-dimensional canvas onto which each tattoo is placed, to live in balance with the body and any existing tattoos. Permanent tattoo designs differ depending on culture, religious affiliations, gender, or personal liking and selections. For certain tattoo designs, some people prefer to look at real life photos or browse through artwork for ideas pertaining to their tattoo designs. Many individuals select tattoo designs from those presented at a tattoo parlor, while others prefer to do some research and help ensure that their design is unlike any other. While there are tattoo designs that are gender specific, it is important to keep in mind that getting a tattoo is a very personal thing and the image that is ultimately chosen should be one that reflects something that is important to the wearer. Although there are some exceptions, most men and women will naturally be drawn to different tattoo designs. Of all tattoo designs, women commonly select small feminine tattoos with hearts, butterflies, flowers, lettering, etc. Men, on the other hand, often prefer that their tattoo designs be placed on the upper arm, like a Robbie Williams tattoo on the chest or back. Some of the more popular themes center around the following: *Butterlies *Dragons *Flowers *Crosses *Fairy *Irish *Celtic *Animals *Dolphins *Tribal Some popular sub themes are: *cat tattoo designs *zodiac tattoo designs *dolphin tattoo designs *heart tattoo designs *small feminine tattoos With the exception of those that have already chosen their preferred image, it can be very difficult to select from the many tattoo designs on the spot. Most of the time, people do not take the time to really think about why they choose a particular tattoo and look at other tattoo designs that are available. It takes a lot of decision-making as well as researching for meanings of different tattoo designs and ideas. There are millions of designs out there for tattoos - including different color combinations that have helped to make tattoos the phenomenon they are today. If you are ready to make a significant investment in your body art then custom design tattoos are for you. If you are ready to move forward and want to find that perfect tattoo, the tattoo you will always be proud of, then we recommend you read a review that has taken all the legwork out of your search. Go to tattoo designs .

What Are The Signs Of Anorexia Bulimia?

2008-01-16T17:11:00.011-08:00

What Are The Signs Of Anorexia Bulimia? How can a parent recognize the signs of anorexia or bulimia? Why is it important to recognize these signs? And why is it so difficult to recognize the signs of anorexia? These are good questions and are questions that every parent should know the answer to. The signs of anorexia bulimia are hard to recognize because the person suffering from the disease do such a great job of hiding the facts from their parents, so the parents need to learn what signs to look for. While anorexia nervosa and bulimia can affect young men, it is predominately a disease that affects young girls. This is due in part to the unhealthy fixation that the western world has being thin and beautiful. The modeling industry has told everyone that it is important to be skinny, and movies and magazines are always showing photos of thin movie stars and celebrities. As a result, it is only natural that young girls going through puberty want to be popular and associate being thin with being popular. The first sign that a person may be suffering from anorexia nervosa is their weight. Does your child look a lot thinner than their friends who are the same age and height? If so, you may need to pay closer attention the some of the other signs. Other things to look for include not wanting to eat with other people or eating in public. An anorexic will often hide food and dispose of it later to keep their parent from knowing they haven t eaten. Someone suffering from bulimia will gorge themselves and later regurgitate their food. So if your daughter eats excessively large meals and never seems to gain weight, she may be suffering from bulimia. People that suffer from this tend to have discolored teeth from the stomach acids discoloring the enamel when they vomit. They also tend to have sour smelling breath. Once the disease progresses further, the anorexic will develop serious health issues. By the time these symptoms appear, it becomes much harder to treat the disease, in fact, you have having to spend so much energy and time treating symptoms, it is hard to get past the physiological issues that cause the disease in the first place. The most horrific thing about anorexia bulimia is the fact that so many sufferers actually die from the effects of this disease. It is estimated that over 15% of anorexics die prematurely as a direct result of the organ failure associated with anorexia nervosa. Remember to look for the early signs of anorexia bulimia in order to head the disease off before it is too late. The easiest is sign to recognize is being underweight. However, with preteen girls, this can be very difficult to recognize. The easiest way is compare your daughter to her friends, if she is grossly underweight compared to other girls her age; get a medical opinion as soon as possible to determine if there is a problem. Sydney Heiden has a website dedicated to information about Anorexia Nervosa. To learn more about the effects of anorexia, go to anorexic-info.com

Why I Want To Be Osama Bin Laden s Publicist

2008-01-16T17:11:00.009-08:00

Why I Want To Be Osama Bin Laden s Publicist Just before the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden released a new videotape. Osama recently released yet another message calling for new attacks. The hype surrounding the release of Osama s new tapes got me to thinking-- if Osama was a rap star or a big movie actor like Tom Cruise, I would probably be the richest publicist on the planet. So rich I could buy up all the world s oil and sell it in cute little bottles at the 99cent store. He seems like he would be a typical client... always wanting the world to hear what he s got to say. And, he would always be coming up with some new idea or theory for me to publicize. Just like most celebrity clients, he would be somewhat hard to get on the phone. It wouldn t matter if people liked me or not because I would be holding the key to the voice of the most notorious person on the planet. Imagine it. This guy releases a new tape almost every year and if it was available on iTunes, it would make a killing (not literally). He changes the color of his beard and people pay attention. Osama is, in fact, the new Britney Spears. And just like Britney, at some point people will no longer pay attention to what he has to say and who knows, one day an Osama tape just might flop. But none of that will happen until Osama walks the red carpet in a hideous outfit. But then, that would be new, news right? Prada Jones is a former publicist and writes a daily blog about how brand and name recognition move quickly online, on television, in print and in every possible media platform with an entertaining, bold voice. Check out her blog at ILoveMyPublicist.com

What Is An MAI Appraisal?

2008-01-16T17:11:00.007-08:00

What Is An MAI Appraisal? MAI appraisals are among the most sought after appraisals in the commercial real estate world. MAI stands for Member of the Appraisal Institute, a trade organization which monitors appraisers and holds them to a higher standard than appraisers who are merely licensed and do not belong to such an organization. There are other appraisal trade organizations active in the world of real estate. However, MAI is the best known, and thus the most popular. Technically, there is no such thing as an MAI appraisal. There are only appraisals performed by an appraiser who has completed the MAI Appraisal Institutes class offerings, and holds this designation. However, it s often much easier to refer to the appraisal itself as being certified than to hold to technicalities. An appraiser who has earned the MAI designation is qualified to and experienced in the performance of both residential and commercial properties. Many other appraisers are only qualified for residential property. At one point, lenders were likely to require that an appraisal be done by an MAI certified appraiser, or a member of another trade organization. However, this has been unlawful since 1989, as there is not federal regulation of these organizations. Still, certified appraisals can increase the chances of a favorable lending situation, since the lender will feel more comfortable. An MAI certified appraisal offers lenders a reliability that allows them to be confident in their investment. A commercial appraisal by an MAI certified appraiser can include many things. Generally, it will provide an overview of the community, neighborhood, and general area in which the property is situated, as well as a detailed description of the site and all buildings it contains. Zoning analysis, an analysis of the highest and best use for the property, and an in depth discussion of the property s value from several different approaches will also be included. The appraiser may also make a recommendation of which valuation is most appropriate in his or her opinion. Appraisers tend to be conservative in their estimates. However, this does not mean that one will receive a low appraisal. An MAI certified appraisal firm assumes liability if the appraisal is too high, and the property cannot be sold for the price they recommend. The firm also assumes liability if the price is too low and the property is sold for too little money. Because of this, appraisers have a vested interest in making sure that their estimates are in the middle range. Which sales an appraiser places the most emphasis on will depend in the type of market. In a rising market, emphasis will be placed on higher recent sales, and in a falling market, that emphasis will go to lower recent sales. A good appraiser is interested in giving clients the most accurate estimate possible. Anthony Seruga and Yolly Bishop of Maverick Real Estate Investments, Inc. work with builders, developers and other players in the commercial real estate industry to acquire and develop properties. They use progressive investment strategies that have proved extremely profitable. In addition to their own deals, they teach both seasoned and inexperienced investors how to be big players in the game. Visit the website for more info.

Celebrity Love

2008-01-16T17:11:00.005-08:00

There is no doubt that love for some celebrity exists within us all. This is not the traditional definition of love but rather defined by an excessive admiration for a famous person whom we will probably never meet. The use of âœloveâ is appropriate here as we who love celebrity tend to exhibit signs of undue influence by those highly visible. Famous people, the non-elected representatives of the human race, have always held some influence over the masses. In the days before mass media, television sets and computers fame was circulated orally, carried by the gossipy nature of social beings. Today, we open our eyes and cannot avoid these people. Of course, in a developed society entertainers are necessary. We laugh and sometimes cry at a quality performance. Our memories are seared with images, movies and songs which have touched us, frightened us and stimulated us. They dramatize the political, the romantic, the good and bad. We see in them the potential for perfection of man or woman as an expression of utopian ideals of love and success. Yet, have we gone too far? How much influence should they have over us? Our choice of clothes, jewelry and hairstyle, our languages and ideas are often areas that we look toward celebrities to define. If you deny this then you are exceptional; the rest of us are invariably, more susceptible. Our culture has become saturated with celebrity influence. We watch their every move including who they are with and what they do. We absorb their politics and gobble up their quotes. We think about what it may be like to be that beautiful, rich and powerful. Fame is an aphrodisiac or so it seems to the unrecognized. Today we have TomKat(Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes). Yesterday it was Bennifer(Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez). Public Interest in these people is frighteningly obsessive in nature. After all, their claim to fame is usually based on pretense or non reality. They are the constant pretenders, illusionists with screens as their canvas. The entertainment value of a celebrity stretches beyond the screen or stage and they are wholly aware it. We are witness to carefully arranged relationships, sudden sightings in sports arenas and controversial quotes days before a new movie or show opens. They appear on your screen suddenly seemingly not to promote themselves but rather attempting to come across as natural, likable, smart and funny. Sometimes we get a glimpse into what certain celebrities are really like. Unfortunately, it is usually when they do something wrong. Drugs, infidelity and physical assaults are a few areas where celebrities have slipped in their public presentation. Mug shots and unflattering photos of famous people are the currency of entertainment news outlets. Being a celebrity has its drawback in this regard as they are monitored as closely as governmental heads of the biggest nations on earth. Alas, the power of celebrity is here with us to stay. Or is it? Can we teach our children who the chancellor of Germany is before we explain the history of Madonna? If we canâ™t, America will become a nation of uninformed celebrity worshippers numb to the more important realities of the world. Derek Belay works for Jewelry Payless.com and KingIce.com as a marketing manager.

Anorexia And Ecstasy Have The Same Nature

2008-01-16T17:11:00.003-08:00

The mystery of anorexia biochemical cause could be unraveled according a new research of Dr. Valerie Compan of Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Montpellier, France. The findings of this new study showed that both anorexia and ecstasy reduce people s appetite by stimulating the same receptors in the brain. These receptors are located in the part of the brain which is responsible for pleasure, addiction and laughter. It also gives us reward feelings. The research was done only on animals at this stage. They stimulated these receptors in the brains of Mice: this led to the mice starting anorexic-like behavior that significantly reduced their appetite. The researches also noticed that stimulating these receptors make the mice produce the same kind of enzymes in their brains, which are produced as a response on amphetamine and cocaine use in humans. When these receptors were blocked, the mice s appetite increased and the researchers found that the mice were less sensitive to drugs like ecstasy. This study indicates the possibilities of developing new kinds of drugs, which affect this particular part of the brain by blocking its receptors and reversing the effects anorexia has on the pleasure centers of the brain. To conclude, this research showed that anorexia and ecstasy addiction have the same biochemical base. And this new research could lead to a possible fix for the biochemical cause of anorexia by developing a new treatment regime for it. Although this is a good breakthrough in understanding eating disorders and how they play out in the brain; there are other causes involved in developing eating disorders. These causes are environmental, social and behavioral which still have to be addressed separately. It is normally these causes that lead to an eating disorder in the first place, before the chemical reaction hooks the sufferer into continuing their unhealthy behavior. Find out more at mom-please-help.com Dr Irina Webster is the Director of Women Health Issues Program which covers different areas of Women Health. Dr Irina Webster has a holistic approach to medicine and her favorite area is to discover natural treatments for Women health problems and share these treatments and methods with other people. Dr Irina Webster believes that the majority of women health problems can be treated naturally without drugs or surgical treatment. At present she does Eating Disorder natural treatment research. mom-please-help.com Dr Irina s web-site: womenhealthsite.com

Real Estate, Supply And Demand

2008-01-16T17:11:00.001-08:00

Real estate is really a game of supply and demand. The trick is finding the demand and being in the position to supply. This is the kind of situation investors and builders run up against all the time. It is a matter of assessing the market and trying to find the perfect area at the perfect time. One those variables are known then action can be taken, investments can be made and profits can be collected. So the question remains, where is a good area for this kind of action? Arizona comes to mind. Over the past number of years Arizona has been one of the hottest real estate markets in the country and this trend shows few signs of slowing down. There are a number of reasons that Arizona can make this boast and it would seem that there are going to be a few more boasts made over the coming months. People love to go to Arizona, it is one of the most traveled to destinations in the country and it s not hard to see why. Fantastic weather, scenery, golf, recreation and many other attributes can be claimed by this state. Real estate has been in high demand in this state for many years. This is partially due to Arizona s popularity as a retirement destination and it s notoriety as a destination resort location. In fact tourism is one the strongest aspects of Arizona s economy pouring millions of dollars per year into this state. Arizona is a state that is ideal for any recreational pursuit. This is one of the main locations for MLB spring training as the home of the Cactus League. Arizona is also known as the home of some of the most amazing desert scenery in the world. However Arizona is much more diverse in land than one might think, the northern part of the state is home to the Colorado Plateau, a more forested and cooler area. Arizona has always been known as a great place to visit. However, with the abundance of education, the excellent economy and a great and stable real estate industry. Hopefully this has explained why there is such a demand for quality homes and properties in Arizona. Supply and demand does not work unless there is interest from both sides and Arizona is a perfect example of a balanced area where supply meets demand. Rick Leforce is a specialist when it comes to Peoria Arizona Real Estate . Let Rick and Jen inform you about Peoria real estate in sunny Arizona. Contact us anytime or visit us online at personalizedhomesearch.com

The Media - How to Make Yourself an Expert

2008-01-16T17:10:00.036-08:00

The press and media love an expert. It provides them with a valued opinion on a story and also helps them to move the story on. Making yourself an expert in the eyes of the press and media is hugely valuable. It gives you exposure to many people and used wisely will help to support your business. So, what can you do to make yourself an expert? Demonstrate your expertise - If you are good at what you do then you should be able to demonstrate your expertise. This could be through awards, how you have helped individuals, businesses etc, your past experience in providing comment, your years of experience, the major projects you have been involved in. Very often itâ™s what you might say to other business people when networking to illustrate how you have helped customers. Shout about your credibility - Itâ™s no good being shy - no one will think you are an expert if you avoid talking about yourself and what you and your business have achieved. Your position as an expert must filter through to everything you do and every piece of marketing material. Demonstrate your expertise on your website and through other promotional literature. Submit articles to directories like ezinearticles - Itâ™s important to get your name out there. Journalists, just like everyone else, are searching for information on the Internet â" they want background information that will help to support a story. Submitting articles to directories like ezinearticles will help to establish your expertise. Approaching relevant publications to offer comment - In addition to submitting articles to directories, you should consider approaching target publications with ideas for articles and comment you can provide. Online publications, in particular, are on a constant search for material. The nature of the Internet is that these publications are always looking to keep their sites fresh with new material to draw readers back. Articles for online publications give you access to key target groups as well as helping to build credibility with journalists. Propose an expert column - As well as providing articles there is often scope for suggesting an expert column to publications, or that you might be a worthy addition to the current panel. That in itself brings huge kudos and helps to build your profile â" with readers as well as editorial staff. Approach the press and media on the back of a breaking news story - Once a news story breaks journalists rush around to get comment from experts â" you need to ensure that they know what subjects you can comment on. There are a number of ways to approach this. You can submit your details to expert databases that journalists subscribe to. Or, you can be the first off the mark when a relevant story breaks and directly approach the press and media. The latter is more time consuming and relies on you having a good idea of the press and media and those likely to cover a particular story. In an ideal world you would do both. Secure speaker opportunities - The more speaker opportunities you can secure the more you can build your profile and demonstrate that you have something worthy to say. Certainly, if you can amass a number of speaker opportunities then this can look very impressive. Donâ™t forget your local press and media - National journalists do pick up stories from local papers and never forget that many local journalists have ambitions with the national press. If you can build relations with local press and media then that can be hugely valuable. In addition, itâ™s useful to get experience of handling the press and media at a local level before embarking on targeting national journalists. Call yourself an expert - If you donâ™t call yourself an expert then no one else will. How do people know unless you tell them and demonstrate it to them? Be available - Itâ™s important that when press and media call you for comment you can make yourself available. Do this on a consistent basis and you will build a healthy working relationship â" a â˜win-winâ™ relationship that will encourage them to come back to you time and again for comment. Journalists need you as much as you need them. Give what they want - well-sourced and credible opinion and views and you will be one step ahead of many of your competitors. Using PR to build your profile and protect your reputation can help you influence the audiences that are important to you - I invite you to access more free articles, tips and information on this and other subjects by visiting the free stuff section of the website - profilematters.co.uk/resources.php You can also receive regular advice, support and information by signing up to the newsletter via the website as well as accessing the DIY PR Toolkit, designed to give businsses a step-by-step approach to doing their own PR. Debbie Leven - Profile Matters - PR Consultants UK

The Skinny Jean: A Brief History

2008-01-16T17:10:00.035-08:00

Skinny Jeans, whether you love them or loathe them, theyâ™re everywhere. But where did they come from? 1950s and 1960s fashion: Jeans became the symbol of rebellion and passionate youth worn by the sex symbols of the day. James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Elvis wore their jeans straight and slim. Although women in the 50â™s didnâ™t often wear jeans; Audrey Hepburn, Sandra Dee, and Marilyn Monroe wore the 50â™s fashion of slim, close fitting pants that had the same sexy silhouette as todayâ™s skinnies. By the 60â™s womenâ™s jeans were more common (even though the zipper was in the back) and they continued to have that skinny silhouette. The look could be super sweet like the girl next door, or sexy and rebellious like those greaser chics in the musical and movie of the same name. Rock and Roll was coming of age and tight jeans were the uniform. 1970s Fashion The essence of Rock and Roll stays strong in skinny jeans despite the fluff and flash of the Disco era. When we think of 70â™s fashion, we think of elephant bells and groovy flare jeans; but dig a little deeper and youâ™ll find the beginnings of the punk movement and the skinniest jeans in history. Tight from the waist to the ankle, safety pins were often used to keep them snug around the body and increase that bondage appeal. Think of The Sex Pistols and The Ramones as prime examples. Vivian Westwood had her own shop selling this âœanti-fashionâ to the ultra hip crowd. 1980s fashion Flash Dance collides with Spandex to bringing a whole new look to the denim scene. Tight jeans were definitely in for women and men. Tight and stone washed, (still no stretch in denim) 80â™s fashion is where tapered leg jeans really made their mark, and the style lasted well into the early 90â™s. Remember those oversized sweatshirts and the colorful leg warmers? Pat Benetar, Chrissie Hynde and The Rolling Stones, all the serious rockers wore their denim tight (without the leg warmers of course). 1990s Fashion While mainstream fashion heads toward the boot cut, skinny jeans recapture their cool. No longer popular in 90â™s fashion, tight jeans could still be found on the music scene. The Rolling Stones were still rolling along, and underground Punk with its Goth cousin were entrenched in tight skinny jeans (anti-fashion once again). Ever wonder why âœRock n Rollâ is so often mentioned in reference to jeans? For mainstream America the skinny jean had taken a disturbing turn, evolving into tapered leg styles and even the horrors of faux denim leggings (some people just have trouble moving on). 2000-2003 Denim is everywhere, after years of boot cuts and flares, the skinny jean looks suddenly fresh and new. Here we are again, but skinny jeans didnâ™t just pop up over night. It has taken a while to hit the mainstream. In fall of 2002 cutting edge designers were showing skinny jeans scrunched over high heels and tucked into boots. Stella McCartney, Versus (Versace), and Rock and Republic are all showing skinny jeans. By 2003 the trend becomes even more prevalent on the runways and all the premium denim brands are on board. You have to admit, it looks great on those runway models. 2004-2005 The Power of celebrity is omnipotent, if Kate is wearing it, itâ™s got to be good. Designers are still pushing the skinny, and the trend catches on in London. Visitors to High Street feel totally out of date in their tried and true boot cut jeans. JBrand Jeans is launched in LA, producing straight and skinny jeans in dark washes with minimal detailing. Celebrities such as Kate Moss, Angelina Jolie, and Sienna Miller embrace the new trend and look fabulous in it. Our very own fashionista, Ada, bought her first pair of skinny jeans in 2005, but mainstream America is still slow to catch on. Lucky Brand Jeans introduces skinnies to their customers only to watch them languish on the store shelves. 2006 The Skinny Jean is all the buzz! Itâ™s hard to wear but you know what they say: âœNo Pain, No Gainâ. Itâ™s here, itâ™s there, itâ™s everywhere! Suddenly Americans are seeing Skinnies in every store. Almost all denim brands offer at least one version of a skinny, cigarette, or super straight. There are other jeans out there, but these are the ones that are on the top of everyoneâ™s list. Stores are pushing the new look, and everyone from fashion editors to bloggers are writing about this new trend. Early in the year news reports are varied, predicting that this is a style that just wonâ™t catch on with mainstream America. But by the fall season you can get your skinny fix everywhere from the trendiest boutiques to the local discount store. The skinny is definitely at the peak of popularity right now. How long will the style last? Whatâ™s next? Letâ™s look to London and see, is that a wide leg jean? Visit zafu.com to find out which jeans fit you best. The zafu jean finder provides personalized recommendations for your body type. zafu makes jean shopping easy .

Sedu Celebrity Hairstyle - An Easy How To

2008-01-16T17:10:00.034-08:00

The hit TV series Friends, featuring Jennifer Aniston, sparked a new craze for sedu celebrity hairstyles. All of a sudden, everybody wanted to have the sleek, straight hair sported by this stunning star. It became so popular, in fact, that someone started a website dedicated entirely to pictures of Jennifer Aniston and her sought-after Sedu celebrity hairstyle. What you may not know is that sedu is short for seductive â" a Sedu celebrity hairstyle is a seductive hairstyle, which is why women who want to look sexy get themselves a sedu hairstyle. If you follow the tips below, you too could be adopting the seductive secrets of Jennifer Aniston. First things first, sedu hair is clean and healthy hair â" clean, healthy, shining hair is already on its way to becoming seductive. Regular shampooing and thorough brushing is a must if you are to achieve your ideal Sedu celebrity hairstyle. Start imagining yourself as Rachel in Friends. For the sedu look to work, you have to walk the walk and talk the talk, sedu is an image, it is a way of expressing the passionate side of your character. But I wasnâ™t born with that lovely straight hair , I hear you say. No problem. If you donâ™t have naturally straight hair, the next best things are the ceramic straightening irons on sale now â" some of which will moisturize your hair as it straightens it. The hair is divided into sections and then the irons are placed round a section and drawn down the length of it. Repeat the process with each section, then comb and spray lightly. Let one side fall over your eye for extra sedu emphasis and there you have your sedu celebrity hairstyle. See below to find out how you can see what your own uploaded photo looks like with different Jennifer Aniston Sedu style. See what YOU look like with the latest celebrity hairstyles - view them on your own uploaded photo now! Try On 5,000 Hairstyles! FREE Demo thehairstyler.com

Tattoo Stencil Paper

2008-01-16T17:10:00.033-08:00

When you are a tattoo artist, nothing is as important as getting the designs your customers want right. Permanent mistakes can ruin you as a credible artist. The tool most often used by professional tattoo artist to make sure the designs are right is tattoo stencil paper. Read on to learn how it works and where you can get it. Tattoo stencil paper is a very useful tool for the tattoo artist. Its purpose is to transfer designs temporarily onto skin in order to use as a guide for the tattoo. There are a couple of different kinds of tattoo stencil paper, but most work in the same way. The design is either printed or drawn onto the stencil paper using a special transferable pencil or ink. The paper is then pressed onto the skin to transfer the image. The image can then be traced in order to ensure a perfect tattoo. Why should you use tattoo stencil paper? Perhaps you think you donâ™t really need stencil paper. But mistakes are possible, even with very experienced tattoo artists. Perhaps the design wasnâ™t effectively communicated by the customer. If you use tattoo stencil paper, the customer has a chance to view the design before anything permanent is done. This also allows the customer to be sure they like the design and where it is going to be located. Now that you know about tattoo stencil paper and why it is such a valuable tool, where can you purchase it? Tattoo stencil paper is usually available at any tattoo supply store, whether online or retail. There are different kinds of tattoo stencil paper available as well as tattoo stencil pencils and ink. Consider trying a few different kinds in order to see what styles you prefer. From needles, ink and machines to body piercing jewelry and equipment, we can provide you with all the info as well as industry news and new products. Beginning with tattoo equipment, it s important to research the types of equipment that are out there and the pros and cons to using each. Tattoo guns , needles, tubes, machines, tattoo transfer paper , and inks are all key elements to starting a studio, shop, parlor or business. The guns and machines are usually hand crafted or homemade. As for the inks, it is crucial to carry a wide variety of colors so you as the artists can create rich and unique tattoo designs .

Americas First Celebrity Bartender

2008-01-16T17:10:00.031-08:00

The cocktail is practically an American institution. One of the very first Bartenders to popularise the cocktail was Jerry Thomas, Americas original Celebrity Bartender . Thomas wrote what is widely considered as one of the first books to contain cocktail recipes, âœThe Bartenders Guideâ. When I first came across this little volume (last published in 1887) in a dusty old book shop I was blown away. Here at last was cocktail history laid bare! I bought it on the spot and literally sat up all night and read the book cover to cover. For anyone with even a flicker of interest in cocktails and drinks its an enthralling read. Jerry Thomas is to cocktail culture what Louis Armstrong is to Jazz! Here at last, set down on paper, were some of the very first cocktail recipes ever recorded. It was amazing, but it wasn t just cocktails, the book contained a host of other recipes, for Punch, Egg Nogs, Juleps, Smashs, Cobblers, Mulls, Sangarees, Toddies, Slings, Sours, Flips, Negus, Shrubs, Pousse CafÃ©, Cups and many, many more. In total there were some 230 original recipes. Some were famous, some I d never even heard of! They represented an amazing cross-section of exciting and wonderful drinks. Jeremiah P. Thomas was born in Jefferson County, New York in November 1830 and first learned the bartending trade in New Haven. He then went to San Francisco and the California gold fields. In 1851 he opened the first of four saloons in New York, below Barnum s Museum at Broadway and Ann Street. He then seems to have travel around the US for several years. Working as head bartender at top hotels in St. Louis, Chicago, San Francisco, Charleston, S.C., and New Orleans. Slowly turning himself into Americas first celebrity bartender! In 1859 he visited London and Paris. He took with him a set of solid silver bar utensils constructed at a cost of $4,000! Returning to New York Thomas became the principal bartender at the Metropolitan hotel. Then in 1866 he opened his most famous bar located on Broadway between 21st and 22nd Streets. Thomas was an imposing and lordly figure of a man, portly, sleek and jovial, yet possessed of immense dignity . His trade mark was a jacket of pure and spotless white which encased his great bulk . He also sported a huge moustache, in the Walrus style! Obviously a man once seen, not easily forgotten! The various saloons he operated became showplaces where he demonstrated his mixologist s art. They were very popular with the sporting and theatrical celebrities of the day. To quote the New York times on his death in 1885 he was at one time better known to club men and men about town than any other bartender in the city, and he was very popular among all classes . He is credited with inventing the Blue Blazer and the Tom and Jerry and certainly popularised many other early cocktails and drinks. In reference to the Blue Blazer the Bartenders Guide says, âœThe novice in mixing this beverage should be careful not to scald himself. To become proficient in throwing the liquid from one mug to the other, it will be necessary to practise for some time with cold water.â Thomas s book was first published in 1862, and quickly went through half a dozen printings. The book was updated in 1876 and the final edition published in 1887. In the first edition there were ten recipes which Thomas referred to as cocktails (by the 1887 edition the cocktails numbered some 20 ). His book was probably the first to include actual recipes for cocktails and certainly the world s first bartender s guide. Martin Lloyd is a long time cocktail enthusiast. He has recently published a new digital edition of the Bartenders Guide which can be downloaded from cocktailoriginals.com

TV Shows Recorded In New York City

2008-01-16T17:10:00.029-08:00

New York or the Big Apple has been home to various television shows for years. From hit late night programs to award-winning talk shows. The following TV shows are all filmed in the studio or shown live in New York City. These television shows cater to all types of audience from the news hound to the comedy addict. If you live in New York or you are just visiting, you can even be a member of the studio audience of many of these programs. It is free and really fun but getting tickets can be tough so you should do so way ahead of time! The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - Shown on the Comedy Central network, this television show airs every week night with a celebrity being interviewed. It s one of the hippest shows on television today and it s audience is more well informed than that of many real news programs. Good Morning America - This ABC program airs every morning on weekdays. This is where you can see Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Chris Cuomo and Sam Champion. The Early Show - This CBS program mainly focuses on lifestyle and news as well as the latest daily issues. This airs every morning. The Late Show with David Letterman - This popular late night comedy talk show on CBS has won multiple Emmy awards. It airs on weeknights and feature celebrity guests. Live with Regis and Kelly - This is one of the longest running shows in New York. It is hosted by Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbin. Saturday Night Live - SNL has become an NBC tradition having been on the air for more than 30 years. This television show airs every Saturday night. It features a celebrity guest host and musical act every week. Late Night with Conan O Brien - This Emmy award-winning show airs weeknights on NBC, it features a wide range of comedic material, stand-up comedy performances, celebrity interviews and musical guests. The Today Show - This NBC daily morning show mainly features lifestyle stories and provides some news. The show features Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry, Matt Lauer, Tiki Barber and Al Roker. Total Request Live - This popular MTV staple is filmed in Times Square. The View - ABC s Emmy-award winning daytime show features an eclectic all woman panel currently composed of Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, and Elizabeth Hasselbeck. For more information on traveling to New York City read the NYC Travel Blog . It is recommended that you make all of your New York Hotel Reservations online with New York Hotel Deals.

Celebrity Big Brother Breakdowns

2008-01-16T17:10:00.027-08:00

Celebrity Big Brother is upon us again. And lets face it we love it. This years Celebrity Big Brother will be the fourth after it was originally conceived as a fund raiser for Comic Relief in 2002. The show was won by a rather grumpy and embarrassed Jack Dee who actually staged a successful escape during the show. He still refuses to be interviewed on the subject but it didnâ™t do his career any harm! Anyway the real drama came from the larger than life presenter, Vanessa Feltz. Celebrity Big Brother proved very good at spotting fading celebs who are on the verge of imploding and to the eye-balls-glued-to-the-TV horror and delight of the millions watching, Vanessa let nobody down and imploded with some style. This sort of on-screen celebrity unravelling was to set the standard for the second and third Celebrity Big Brother series and boy they havenâ™t disappointed. Series two saw former Take That singer and all-round nice guy, Mark Owen, win it but the real interest was provided by the marital angst of not-so-funny-man, Les Dennis. Poor olâ™ Les was Celebrity Big Brother Twoâ™s imploding unravelling celebrity. It seemed like he was the only one in the country who didnâ™t know Amanda was about to walk. Cringe! Last year we were spoiled for spectacle. Celebrity Big Brother excelled themselves when they managed to get the freak show that was John McCririck, Brigitte Nielsen and Jackie Stallone, in the same house. Will we ever forget the horror of McCririck (in full frame) pulling a juicy bogey from his nostril and then greedily lapping it up or his massive moody and being denied diet coke (of all things!) by Big Brother! Or the horror on Brigitteâ™s face, when ex-mother in-law Jackie Stallone was introduced into the Celebrity Big Brother pit. Fantastic. Baz from the Happy Mondays walked off with the prize, upsetting the bookies favourite child rapper, Blazinâ™ Squadsâ™, Kenzie. So on to this year and Celebrity Big Brother Four and if Celebrity Big Brother were looking for a washed up fragile celebrity who could spectacularly unravel, right down to his DNA, before a hungry public, they can only have had one man at the top of their list. Step forward Mr Michael Barrymore. Yes folks the former multiple winner of the UKâ™s Entertainer Of The Year is rumoured to be going in to the Celebrity Big Brother House (for a fee of Â£150k). Already, the father of the boy who drowned in mysterious circumstances in Mr. Barrymoreâ™s pool, is asking for him to be grilled on the subject by his housemates. Ouch. So who are the other housemates likely to be? The list is endless but the best supported rumours for Celebrity Big Brother Four are, girly Boy George, saggy girl Lisa Nicole Smith, Dead or Alive front girl-man, Pete Burns, boy who looks like a girl Macaulay Culkin, funny girl Liza Tarbuck, toothy girl Esther Rantzen, lovely girl Fern Cotton and â¦ well Iâ™m out of girlie prefixes so Iâ™ll leave it there. So thatâ™s it. Thursday January the 5th on C4 will kick-off the madness. Canâ™t wait. Author Mike Kearney Â© celebrity-big-brother.com This article may be re-published but must be left unchanged and must include the URL to celebrity-big-brother.com

Best Times to Buy

2008-01-16T17:10:00.025-08:00

Properly timing the sale of your home could mean tens of thousands of extra dollars in your pockets. Real estate, like many industries has cyclical periods that could have serious effects on buyers and sellers. As strange as it may sound, you can approach the real estate market like a farmer would consider his activities. We can very easily identify the 4 seasons of spring, summer fall and winter in real estate. Lets use an investment property as an example and assuming that you want to be in the game for a long period of time. A farmer would typically plant in the spring and harvest in the fall. Plan in the winter and tend in the summer. So how does this relate to real estate? Real estate cycles donâ™t necessarily reflect the temperature outside or a particular calendar month. It illustrates the fact that prices donâ™t go up in a linear motion and there are months or years when prices increase more or less. Just like a farmer would read books and educate himself about different products in the winter a real estate investorâ™s job is to take courses, learn new strategies, etc. when prices arenâ™t increasing at all. When real estate prices start to rise, investors need to start purchasing or planting their seeds as a farmer would do the same. Summer is the best cycle to be in either as a farmer or as an investor. When prices are still continuing to grow we need to look after our real estate portfolios. Sometimes we have to complete smaller renovations at our properties, find new tenants etc. At the end of the day our whole purpose is to manage our investments and make sure that our investment will be in great shape for harvest when itâ™s time to sell. Fall, this is the most exciting time out of all 4 seasons. Lets rake in the profits! If you are a wine lover, you know that the sweetest wine comes from a late harvest. However the people producing the wine are sometimes risking all yearâ™s work in case of an early frost. To determine the best time to sell, you really need to be on top of your game. I always recommend selling before everyone else does. Never wait to get out at the very top, leave something on the table for someone else to be greedy. To determine when it is the right time to sell, you need to be able to do your own due diligence about whatâ™s driving the real estate industry. Far too often, we listen to daily news and we only base our decisions on the short term outlook. Not that long ago, I read a newspaper article about our former Premier, Ralph Klein. In that article I was surprised to find out that he never reads the newspaper because he doesnâ™t care much about the daily news. He rather do his own research from an independent source who has no interest in providing bios information. What if you arenâ™t looking at real estate as an investment? Rather you just want to decide what is the best time to sell your principal residence? July, August, December and early January are usually the best times to buy. The reasons have to do with prices softening during these months and less buyers to compete with as most have taken a break from the market to go on vacation or they have committed themselves to some family time with holidays or recently succeeded in buying their home in the spring or fall. Another reason these months can be good for buying pertains to the cycle of price increases--often in September (the fall market) and early spring (the spring market) the prices go up in our appreciating market. Just waiting an extra few weeks at certain times such as mid-August or early January can cost one 5-10% on their home purchase. Paying tens of thousand of dollars extra is an insane amount of money for waiting a few weeks longer for what one was planning on doing anyway when it was more convenient just because you waited an extra month. Usually the increase in the fall is less than the one in the spring but several percent on a $500,000 house is very significant. If one is going to buy... it s non-sense to do it several weeks late and spending $10,000s of extra for the same property. In the fall the buyers come back to the market again as they get into their routines--kids going to school, working, vacation planning and a whole new set of buyers that are just starting with the hopes of being in a new home by the end of the year. For sellers, the worst time of the year to sell are the months listed above that are the best time for buyers to purchase. Sellers listing in July/August/late Nov/Dec/Jan/early February are not going to get the highest dollar for their house. List at the time the demand is highest and when inventory takes a dip. It pays off to think ahead a little bit and plan your moves in advance. Remember, just like a farmer knows when to spend time to educate himself, plant the seed and bring in the harvest. If you do the same, chances are good that you will maximize your profit. Posted by JoeSamson.com Professionalism Joe Samson is an Alberta based real estate professional and licensed member of the Real Estate Council of Alberta - Proudly representing MaxWell Canyon Creek Realty. Joe began building his personal real estate career in 2000 and hasn t looked back since. Using unique real estate strategies he managed to help countless clients of his to become on route to be financially independent and happy home owners. At that time, Joe worked as a Project Manager for a major International gas compression manufacturer. After regular business hours Joe managed to dedicate a large amount of his time to his passion - Real Estate. Joe spent countless hours educating himself of how to buy, where to buy and what to buy while minimizing risks and maximizing returns. Then he took that knowledge and began working with clients who were interested in purchasing revenue-producing real estate using his own unique strategies. Over the years, Joe has dramatically increased his personal net worth, along with that of many of his clients.

Medium Hairstyle

2008-01-16T17:10:00.023-08:00

The medium hairstyle is among the most popular hair lengths sported by both the common woman and the celebrity diva alike. The medium length hair in fact is a compromise between the long hair and the short hair, offering up advantages of both the worlds of the short haired woman and the long haired woman. The woman with medium length hair has a wide range of styling options from which she can choose. Some of the more popular haircuts of the woman with the medium length hair revolve around the layered haircut. This is in fact one of the most versatile haircuts that a woman could get. Quite simply, it can compliment almost any type of face and can be very easily re-invented for a different look. With razor cut layers, the flipped out layers would look ever so chic and sassy, while the graded layer would take the years of an older womanâ™s age. In addition, the layered hairstyle is one that can be very easily swept up into a simple ponytail or brushed open for a more playful look. It is very important for young professional women to find a hairstyle that can very easily change from the professional look to the club look. The layered hairstyle does this very sleekly and smoothly. The bob is another popular medium length cut, as is the shag. These styles are very popular among the chic and confident women, though not necessarily so among the more professional or mature women. Although both these styles include some layering, they are difficult to pull up into the more severe looks required on the job, and therefore not acceptable in some professional professions. But in addition to the cut, the medium hairstyle is also versatile in that its range of textures can be easily transformed into the other so that you never get bored with your hairstyle or run out of styles for those different events. The curly hair can be straightened and the straight hair can be curled; the frizzy hair can be tamed and the tame hair can be teased; the wavy hair can be crimped or the crimped hair can be made wavy â" the options are endless with the medium length hair. You can even choose if you want a semi-permanent change or a temporary one or even a semi-permanent one. Curling irons and ceramic straightening irons, even traditional curlers are all temporary means of changing oneâ™s hair texture for a single special event or outing. On the other hand, chemical treatments are more permanent or sometimes can give a semi-permanent effect. Chemical treatments can be used on any type of hair to get it to the desired texture â" the curly, wavy or frizzy hair can be relaxed to give the straight hair, or the straight hair can be permed to give the curly hair. Some semi-permanent options include straw curls and temporary relaxer treatments. David Yu - write medium hairstyle for Idola Fashion. He also writes about Bikini , Lingerie and more. Get Your fashion experience on idolafashion.com/

Success With Commercial Infill Developments

2008-01-16T17:10:00.021-08:00

The term Ã¢â‚¬Å"infill developmentÃ¢â‚¬Â refers to any kind of new, significant construction in an already established area. Infill development can take many forms, including developing previously vacant lots and replacing older buildings that aren t in great shape. Infill development offers a great opportunity for real estate investors, since it s encouraged by many community governments. In California, the California Infill Opportunity Law permits any city or county to designate particular areas as Ã¢â‚¬Å"infill opportunity zones.Ã¢â‚¬Â To become one of these zones, an area has to meet four major criteria: 1. It must me zoned either for infill residential or mixed use development. If the area isn t already zoned this way, the city or county has to change the existing zoning as part of the first step. 2. The area also has to be located within a third of a mile of a transit stop featuring frequent service. In this case, Ã¢â‚¬Å"frequentÃ¢â‚¬Â is defined as having no more than fifteen minutes between buses and trains for at least five hours per day. 3. The area must be located in a county where the population is at least 400,000. In California, this is a little less than half of the counties. 4. Last, these zones have to be designated in an area where the community plans call for higher density infill development, to make sure that the development that occurs in the infill opportunity zone is consistent with existing planning. If you re a developer or prospective developer who d like to get involved in infill development, this law is a great opportunity. It allows you to find areas where the local planners want your development. This means you ll have a much easier time getting things underway. If you don t live in California, but would like to see a similar law in your state, read the full text of the law, and get in touch with the Surface Transportation Policy Project for more information about how the law was enacted there. With this information, you ll be able to campaign for a law like this in your state, giving others the opportunity to take advantage of infill opportunity zones. Many local decision makers might be unaware of the benefit that infill development can bring them. Therefore, it can be advantageous to the success of your project if you help spread the word about it. There are a few things you can do to help get local officials on your side. Knowing your community is step one. If you identify the areas that would best benefit from infill development or from being designated as infill opportunity zones, you can share that information with local and city officials. Areas that need more affordable housing, are in failing commercial areas, or that need better amenities for people on foot, bicyclists, and public transit users are all prime candidates for infill development. Be sure that you look for the area s ability to accommodate the development, too. There should be a large number of vacant areas, structures that have been abandoned, large parking lots, or older low-density structures. Once you ve done your research, you can get in touch with the City Council or other officials to let them know of these areas. If you can show them how infill development will benefit the area, they ll be much more interested in assisting you with your investment plans. Anthony Seruga and Yolly Bishop of Maverick Real Estate Investments, Inc. work with builders, developers and other players in the commercial real estate industry to acquire and develop properties. They use progressive investment strategies that have proved extremely profitable. In addition to their own deals, they teach both seasoned and inexperienced investors how to be big players in the game. Visit the website for more info.

Using The Popularity of Celebrities and Currrent Events to Promote Your Business

2008-01-16T17:10:00.019-08:00

In this article, we want to explore the idea of using the popularity of celebrities and current event (news) topics to help market any internet business. The Idea Celebrities and news events are not only popular topics, they are also popular keywords in the major search engines. Thousands upon thousands of users everyday search the engines to find the latest info. The idea is to build mini sites that target this market. We call these pop surfer sites. It sounds a bit far fetched at first, but with a little strategy, these pop surfers can help sell our products - NO MATTER WHAT WE SELL, or at least generate a decent amount of qualified traffic. To get an idea of the type of traffic, have a look at these sites: buzz.yahoo.com 50.lycos.com wordtracker.com google.com/press/zeitgeist.html Look at the terms in these lists. I m sure you recognize most of them, as they are an indication of what and who is happening right now. Also, keep in mind these sites (Yahoo, Google, Lycos, etc.) are among the most visited sites on the net. The Pop Surfer Mini Site The first step is to develop a pop surfer mini site (or sites - the more the better). It doesn t have to be the greatest or prettiest site ever created. Don t put as much work into it as you would your primary site. The key to these sites is to get the popular names and terms on the page so the search engines can find and spider them. When developing your pop surfer page, keep in mind that you want a page that will 1) get into the search engines, and 2) grab the pop surfers attention while they are searching for their favorite artist, news story, etc. The Strategy After we have our pop surfer mini site(s) built and listed in the engines, how do we use it get customers to our businesses? There are two models that we will call the Indirect model and the Direct model. Each approach has it s own advantages and uses. In one model we indirectly target the pop surfers , and in the other model we directly target them. The Indirect Model This model gives us the most qualified visitors. In this model, we utilize the power of traffic exchanges . After we start getting our share of pop surfer traffic, we use the exposure ratio from these exchanges to drive qualified, targeted visitors to our primary business site. This works because exchanges allow us to target our visitors. When signing up for an exchange you are usually asked what category you want exposure in. They often give you a list with such categories as Health and fitness or Business Opportunities. This gives us control over where we want our primary sites information viewed. Some exchanges have a 1:1 ratio where one exposure on your page is worth one exposure on someone else s page. Others use different ratios such as 2:1 which gives two exposures on your page for one exposure on someone else s. There are several types of exchanges. The more popular ones are: Banner Exchanges, which gives banner exposures in exchange for placing other banners on our site. Exit Exchanges display your whole website, usually as a pop under window when a visitor leaves your site, in exchange for your site being displayed (as an exit pop under window) on someone else s site. The most powerful, however, are: Opt In list exchanges. These are special, because in every marketing circle, the number one rule for promoting your online business is to obtain an opt in list of subscribers. Opt in exchanges deliver the most targeted, and qualified visitors we can get with the exchange model. How they work is when someone enters or leaves your site, a list of newsletter, or business opportunity sign up forms are generated in a small unobtrusive window. When that happens, your newsletter or biz-opportunity is listed on someone else s website - IN THE TARGETED CATEGORY THAT YOU CHOSE when you signed up. Put the exchange code(s) on your pop surfer sites, and take advantage of the traffic. The Direct Model The direct model is more of an indirect approach in that we may not necessarily use the pop surfers for our primary business but we can still profit from them. How? One way is by utilizing Pay Per Click. Not pay per click in the sense that we bid for our sites exposure in a search engine, but Pay Per Click in the sense that we place listings on OUR sites and GET PAID for having them there. Every time someone clicks a result in your page, you get a percentage of the bidding amount for that click. If you use pay per click strategically, it can be very profitable. Merchant affiliate programs work well also. Amazon.com, for example, sells books, music, toys, and more. They let you place their products on your website, and you get a percentage when someone buys from you. Several other merchants work the same way. Do a search for merchants who sell CDs, books, video, toys, or clothing, and have an affiliate program. There are many out there. Finally, you don t only have to look for affiliate programs. If you have a business or product that you think might cater to popular culture, target the pop surfers directly!! For instance, if you print T-shirts, you could probably sell some with hottest stars faces on them. Do your research for your pop surfer page topic. You can bet that if a celebrity or topic has recently made news, the traffic is sure to follow. Rony Perry is an internet marketer with a B.S. In Computer Science. He maintains websites on various popular topics. fasbnet.com/celeb/

Toronto - 8 Interesting Facts About the Largest City in Canada

2008-01-16T17:10:00.017-08:00

Toronto is a city full of surprises. Besides being the largest city in Canada, it has many of its own characteristics which make it unique. Below is a list of eight interesting facts as an evidence... Toronto is smoke free - Since the city has passed the third phase of the of the No Smoking By-law, all bars, restaurants, workspaces, bowling centres, dinner theatres bingo halls, casinos, billiard and racetracks are required to be smoke-free. Smoking is banned in all enclosed spaces in the province which are public. Lots of Canadians to meet - One quarter of Canadaâ™s population lives within a 160 km radius of Toronto! Diversity - Besides being a bilingual city, 43% of Toronto s population consider themselves as visible minority. Chinese, South Asian, Black and Filipino minorities all add to the colorfulness and diversity of the city. Large amount of educated people - Over half of Toronto s labour force has a university degree or college diploma. Money - Toronto is the largest and most important financial centre in all of Canada and the fourth largest important economic centre in all of North America. Walkpaths - Toronto has 10,033 different streets and more than 7,000 km of sidewalks! If you like green areas, there s lots of them. 8,000 hectares of ravines, valleys, woodlots, waterfront natural areas, parks and farmlands. You have plenty options to choose from! Safety - Besides a great police force with good reputation, Toronto has a CityWatch program that encourages City workers and professional emergency services to be more aware of and alert to what is going on around them during the normal course of their work day. Attraction - At 550 meters, the CN tower is the tallest free standing structure in the world and it is located in downtown Toronto. You can take the glass elevator to the 340 meter foot glass floored outdoor observation deck for a bird s eye view of the city. Julie Kinnear has been helping people in Toronto sell and buy their homes for the last 13 years. She knows her city inside out and has been an award winning realtor for many year. To find out more about real estate in Toronto , visit juliekinnear.com

How To Choose Sizzling Hairstyles For Medium Length Hair

2008-01-16T17:10:00.015-08:00

If you have searched for hairstyles for medium length hair , you may have been a little bit dismayed at the options. Medium length hair, most often categorized as hair that ends from below your ears to just around shoulder length, can be hard to wear well, but with a little effort and consideration, you can find a style that suits you. One excellent idea for women who are looking for new hairstyles for medium length hair is the addition of bangs. Far from being a boring fringe across your eyebrows, you can cut your bangs in a variety of ways to achieve an fun, modern look. For women with longer, oval faces, think about cutting your bangs to hang around mid-cheek level, emphasizing the contours of your face. For something a bit more daring , think about having your bangs cut in an asymmetrical style; this is an especially attractive look if you have a rounder face. (See below for the best way to test different hairstyles on YOUR face shape). If your hair has a lot of body, this can be a problem, creating a puffed look. Even a faint hint of curl can give your hair too much body and make it spring up. If your hair is curly or just naturally prone to frizz, you might want to speak with your stylist and see if an undercut is possible. Another way to combat puffiness is to consider a styling product that will not only tame your locks but encourage them to hold gentle waves. Loose waves can be quite attractive on medium length hair; just try to avoid a tight curl, which will make your face seem overly wide. If you are looking for hairstyles for medium length hair , there are more options than you think. There are lots of looks available to you, so keep looking until you find the perfect one! See what YOU look like with different hairstyles for medium length hair AND the latest celebrity hairstyles - view them on your own uploaded photo now! Try On 5,000 Hairstyles! FREE Demo thehairstyler.com

Three Techniques For Generating Publicity For Your Business

2008-01-16T17:10:00.013-08:00

When your goal is to grow your business, one of the most important things you can do is spend time learning how to generate publicity for your organization. The key to getting publicity for your company is to develop and implement a sound public relations plan that focuses on activities designed to attract positive media attention to the activities of your business. Three of the best techniques for generating publicity include: 1. Special Events Hosting a special event is a great way to generate publicity for your company. There are many ways to generate free publicity for events that are open to the public. Many websites and newspapers have special sections dedicated to community events, and you can submit information about any events that you have scheduled for publication consideration. For example, if you are opening a new location, you might want to consider holding a ribbon cutting ceremony. Even if you arenâ™t moving, you can schedule an open house event. While the news media arenâ™t likely to attend the actual event, any pre-event publicity that you generate can boost your business, and you will enjoy the added benefit of giving customers and prospective customers a good excuse to visit your business. 2. Public Speaking Engagements Most civic and professional organizations schedule speakers for their weekly or monthly meetings. Come up with an idea for an interesting topic that is related to your business offer to speak to local organizations such as Kiwanis, Rotary, the American Business Womenâ™s Association, and others. The speaking engagement itself will give you an opportunity to make contacts and let a new group of people know about your company. You are also likely to find your name in print before the meeting, as most organizations distribute news releases announcing upcoming speakers to the local media and in print speaker bios in their own newsletters. 3. Cause Marketing Pick your favorite non-profit organization and do something that benefits the charity. By aligning with a non-profit, you are able to do something for the good of the community. This positions you as a good corporate citizen in your area, which can have a positive impact on your image. The news media in most communities tend to look very favorably upon activities that benefit charitable organizations. When you engage in promotional activities that directly benefit well-known, reputable nonprofit organizations, you may receive positive press as a result of your efforts. By no means are these the only ways of generating publicity for your company. There are many different ways to generate publicity for all types of businesses. The first step in creating the perfect public relations plan for your company is to learn everything that you can about different means of garnering positive press for your company. Mary Gormandy White is Director of Continuing Education and Corporate Training at Mobile Technical Institute mobiletechwebsite.com She teaches seminars, classes, and makes conference presentations on teambuilding and a number of additional management, customer service, and communication topics. Visit Maryâ™s blog ( dailycareerconnection.com ) regularly for useful professional development tips and career advice.

Three Natural Methods for Preventing Hunger Attacks

2008-01-16T17:10:00.011-08:00

Loosing weight is not just about sweating and watching your daily caloric intake, appetite suppressants have a great impact on each weight loss attempt. Let us face it; dieting motivation is the hardest thing to maintain on the long run. Add those regular hunger attacks to the whole picture and you end up with diets that simply will not work for you but against you. Let us go through four appetite suppressants that will curb hunger and make you loose fat fast, even very fast. 1. Warm Water Drinking warm water is probably the worldâ™s most efficient natural appetite suppressant. Though it may sound silly but any doctor on this planet will confirm that. Warm water has a relaxing effect on your stomach. Besides that, your stomach does not know the difference between two glasses of warm water or 2 portions of french-fries. The volume is the same, the temperature is the same, and the stomach will send the same signals to the brain with water as it will do with french-fries. The message will be: âœI have taken in food, stop that feeling of hunger now!â 2. Time What do we mean by that? Just read the last sentence of the previous paragraph. The time passing between your stomach reporting to the brain it is full and your brain stopping the actual feeling of hunger, is somewhere between 10-20 minutes. It means that hunger carves wont stop while you are eating. They will stop after certain time passes from the moment you STOP eating. That is right. This prehistoric mechanism in our body served human kind well a million of years ago. Where eating was a rare occasion and humans had to stuff themselves to extreme, as nobody knew when the next meal will come by. Today this protective mechanism destroys so many lives in America. People are eating and eating, hoping that the hunger will disappear from itself. But remember, there is no way that your body will tell you to stop eating in the right moment. Now, your body will wait till your stomach physically can not handle a single bite more. 3. Things of interest We are not going metaphoric on you here. But your hobbies, things that intrigue you, things that you love to do, all those activities will be your best appetite suppressants you could think of. Boredom and lack of goals in ones life are two of the most significant factors why people think of eating constantly, making eating their hobby, their only pleasure. And from the society evolution point of view it is not getting any better. People are getting divorced all the time; singles are flooding the continent, lack of social motivation locks people into stuffing themselves with calories. And than again it is so easy to prevent that from happening. Sometimes acquiring a pet can do wonders. Having someone close to you, someone that requires attention and pays with love for it, means you will have less time and less interest to eat. Click over to Appetite Suppressants website to learn more on appetite suppression and herbal appetite suppressants.

Want to Be a Top Real Estate Agent? Start With a Business Plan!

2008-01-16T17:10:00.009-08:00

Want to Be a Top Real Estate Agent? Start With a Business Plan! Crafting a business plan is one of the first steps that any smart entrepreneur takes when they first decide to go into business for themselves. While real estate agents fall into the entrepreneur category, there are many agents out there that don t take the time to formulate a solid business plan. It is a time consuming process, and one that requires difficult decision making and goal setting. It can seem tedious to an agent who would rather be out in the field, generating leads. In the real estate industry, changes occur all the time, with a bustling housing market one year and a slump the next. What is the point of having a business plan in such an unpredictable industry like real estate? Planning is the key to any good business, and real estate is no exception. You need to figure out what you want to achieve and then formulate a plan to get there. To start, experts recommend coming up with a wish list for your business. How much would you like to make over the next few years? Be realistic, yet optimistic. You don t want to set your sights too high and feel like a failure, or set them too low and not realize your full potential. Once you have your income goals and a time line set, you need to decide which tasks you will undertake to achieve those goals. Where will you place your energies and resources? Generating internet leads, or meeting people locally? Figure out how many clients you will need to have during an average year to meet your meet your needs. Then you need to your calculate all of your fixed and variable expenses, which is hard for many agents to do. Be very specific, and budget carefully. Vaguely described expenses are almost always higher than anticipated. Once you have your expenses figured out, you may have to readjust your revenue goals appropriately. It is also a good idea to do a market analysis, and to always be on top of developments in the industry. You need to consider the potential rising and falling of local markets so you have the ability to ride out a slow period. Making a business plan is different from simply outlining your goals. While it is good to have an overview of what you want to accomplish with your real estate business, it is vital that you sit down and map out the details. These details are what make up the business plan. It is action oriented and offers specific measures that you need to take, and in what time frame in order to accomplish your goals. Plan now, and a bright real estate future will be yours. Bob Nachman is an award winning REALTORandreg; that specializes in Arizona real estate . Be sure to check out the wonderful properties featured on the Arizona MLS .

Mother-in-Law Apartments Or Granny Flats

2008-01-16T17:10:00.007-08:00

About 35 million senior citizens are residing in the U.S. whose average life expectancy is 77.9 years. This is going to increase further in the coming years due to the availability of better living conditions and improved health facilities. Providing accommodation to these senior citizens is one of the challenging aspects encountered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. A mother-in-law apartment or house is a unique concept that has evolved as a probable solution to this kind of problem. A mother-in-law apartment or a home can be aptly described as an accessory dwelling unit or a secondary suite that is associated with the primary residence. These sorts of dwelling units are primarily constructed with a separate entrance, kitchen, bathroom and a living area. The primary objective of constructing such a dwelling unit is to provide accommodation to an elderly relative who is unable to lead life on their own. Apart from being in close proximity to the near and dear ones, this concept also ensures maximum privacy and freedom to the senior citizens. Several municipalities do not permit construction of a secondary suite since they are not originally included in the building plan and violate the district zoning regulations. However, there are certain municipalities that permit the construction of a mother-in-law apartment on the clause that these units should not be given on rent and must be occupied by an elderly relative. Mother-in-law apartments or granny flats offer quite a number of advantages. An elderly person can take up the responsibility of a nanny, overseeing the general well being and security of the growing kids. They can also take a major role in house-hold management and important household responsibilities like receiving courier, or attending phone calls. Apart from these, mother-in-law apartments can also be used as a potential source of earning retirement income. The homeowner can himself move into the granny flat and rent out the main house. With the growing inflation, mother-in-law apartments also provide a money saving and economical alternative to independent living or assisted living facilities, both of which are quite expensive. Check Out More Articles: Las Vegas Real Estate Broker Online , Refinance Home Equity Loan , Nevada and Savanah Vacation Houses Condos

MySpace Celebrity Profiles

2008-01-16T17:10:00.005-08:00

Have you ever wanted to find out more about your favorite celebrity? Maybe even information like future appearances, movies, what they are up to? Or possibly you want to find out what they are really like as a person, not how the media perceives them? Well, you can try weeding through all of the fan sites that might give you some info. But most fan sites are filled with garbage like ads, bad links, or even information that is extremely outdated. The best place to find your favorite celebrities might be the last place you would think, MySpace. More and more MySpace celebrity profiles are showing up each day. Some stars even spend a lot of time speaking to fans through comments or messages. I know for a fact that a few friends of mine have spoken to Bam Margera through MySpace messaging. Celebrities are finding MySpace to be a great way to connect with fans on a more personal level than before. Fans can even leave comments on their pages and even send them messages. Another great fact about MySpace celebrity profiles is that celebrities often post up content that you cannot get anywhere else but on MySpace. Some bands announce tour dates on MySpace even BEFORE they are announced to the rest of the world. There are several bands that have even released exclusive music, and celebrities that have posted personal photos that cannot be found anywhere else but on MySpace. Unfortunately, not all celebrities will find the time to respond. In fact, a lot of celebrities donâ™t even create their own MySpace profile. Most of the time, a big celebrity will be way too busy to spend time on MySpace. So they will often hire someone to create, maintain, and update their profile so fans can get up to date information. Although this sounds depressing to most hardcore fans, this really isnâ™t all bad. With someone hired to update a MySpace celebrity profile, you know that their profile will be up to date, and most of the time your comments and messages are given right to the celebrity so they can read them. So rest assured that most of your comments are making it through. Now because of the mass volume of people on MySpace, there are plenty of fake profiles out there. Sometimes the fake profiles are so realistic, that you canâ™t even tell the difference. Thatâ™s one major problem with MySpace celebrity profiles. Some good ways to spot fakes are by the comments. Most die hard fans can always spot the fake profiles, so you will notice a lot less comments on a fake profile than a real one. This is one way to ensure you are viewing a real MySpace celebrity profile. Another great way is to go online and search for some good MySpace celebrity profile sites. There are a lot of sites out there devoted to separating the real MySpace celebrity profiles from the fake ones. So it seems the days of surfing the web and reading the latest gossip magazines for celebrity info are over. All you have to do is sign onto MySpace and start searching for your favorite MySpace celebrity profiles. PaulG is an expert on internet social groups, especially MySpace. Check out his blog MySpace Trends for more great tips and ideas about MySpace.

Hollywood Anorexia Nervosa

2008-01-16T17:10:00.003-08:00

Anorexia Nervosa is probably more common in today s media focused era more than it ever has been before. Anorexia Nervosa is a very complex eating disorder/disease that involves both psychological and sociological components which result in the voluntary starvation and exercise stress by an individual. Anorexia Nervosa : A psychophysiological disorder usually occurring in young women that is characterized by an abnormal fear of becoming obese, a distorted self-image, a persistent unwillingness to eat, and severe weight loss. It is often accompanied by self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, malnutrition, amenorrhea, and other physiological changes. Our daily definition of this condition often overlooks the actual psychological part of the condition which is often times the greatest factor. Medical professionals are still not able to completely characterize the causes of anorexia, and as such are the subject of debate in several instances. Generally we have been able to agree that it is both physiological and psychological. If we look around at the media and the pressure that is placed on women to conform to a certain image, it s easy to understand why anorexia is a growing problem in our society. Paula Abdul, Courtney Cox, Elton John, Calista Flockhart, Marie Osmond, Elvis Presley and Mary-Kate Olsen are a few on the growing list of celebrities themselves that have suffered at one point from an eating disorder. Self Confidence is a crucial element in developing this aspect, and as individuals is something that we should always strive for, before trying to be peer-confident. Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks. Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of Anorexia Area - anorexia-area.com , which is the best site on the internet for all anorexia related information.

How To Get Started With Autograph Collecting So You Don t Lose Your Shirt

2008-01-16T17:10:00.001-08:00

How To Get Started With Autograph Collecting So You Don t Lose Your Shirt As with any new endeavor it is best to start out small when you first begin in the autograph market. It is much better to start small and then increase your exposure as you learn so that your risk of loss is as low as possible. Even if you aren t intending to resell the autographs you are purchasing right now you still don t want to pay too much for them. Some of the questions that you want to ask an autograph or collectibles dealer include things like how long the dealer has operated their business, the source of the particular autograph you are interested in, and possibly even references from prior clients. Still, you could end up with someone who you may not care to do business with if they are not totally honest and upright with their answers. A reputable dealer will be as proud of their reputation and the quality of their merchandise as they are of their overall collection. Even though time can sometimes work against you in collecting memorabilia of any kind it is better to take the time to do your due diligence than to make a hasty, foolish, and possibly costly mistake. Do your research and talk to other people and also bear in mind that if they are offering some rare item at a low price it is probably fake. Once you have paid your dues in terms of time and experience you will be better able to spot obvious scams and fakes but in the beginning you need to protect yourself from those kinds of things because no one else will. You can get some great deals with online auction but they can also be fraught with fraud and lack of authenticity. One of the biggest risks from buying online as far as autographs is that they could be forgeries. There are great deals on things like comic books, trading cards, and other collectibles. One of the other risks is that the person could be using a fake identity and just disappears once they get your money. This is another reason it is crucial not to get caught up in the rush and hype of auctions. You need to do your research and know who you are dealing with. Another reason for being cautious when buying autographs and other such items is that it could be a long time before you even know you have been ripped off, it could literally be years! You don t need an army of people to buy from, you only need a few people that you can trust to do business with. Join a trade organization that specializes in celebrity memorabilia and autographs so that you can keep your finger on the pulse of the market. Gregg Hall is an author living with his beautiful wife and family in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about Hollywood memorabilia as well as Hollywood collectibles at shop4hollywoodcollectibles.com

Celebrity Hairstyle Secrets - How You Can Look Like the Stars

2008-01-16T17:09:00.019-08:00

You are probably wondering how celebrities like Britney Spears , Paris Hilton and Reese Witherspoon look so gorgeous all the time? How does their hairstyles always look so perfect and such dazzling colors? Well, one of the big celebrity secrets is hair color . Just look at the hair colour of Angelina Jolie , Jennifer Aniston and Debra Messing to see what I mean. Dazzling Color A really effective way to change your hair is the colour. The richer and deeper the colour, the healthier you will look and the more attractive you will appear, itâ™s a well acknowledged fact. So if you havenâ™t already booked an appointment at your local salon to have a colour analysis, or follow these steps to the perfect celebrity look-a-like hair colour: Firstly look at your natural hair colour; does it seem lifeless and dull? Take a long look at your hair in the mirror and look at your friends and work colleagues- also donâ™t forget to ask your hair stylist for advice. The next step is to determine your own hair colour if you donâ™t already know this. A good tip to remember is that men can often be the best judge of hair colour, because they can sometimes be more objective. Once you have worked out what your hair colour is, try thinking of shades that are really rich in your mind but sticking to your own colour palette. For example, if your hair is a dark blonde colour, but also has some dark brown and red strands in there, colours that would work for you would be reds and browns. Another good example is Keira Knightley, she looks at her best with chestnut-coloured hair because this is closest to her natural colour. Consider trying colours that are slightly darker than your normal shade, and always try colours that are redder than your normal shade. Red hair is really popular at the moment, with stars like Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts endorsing it. If you want to dye your hair yourself, try some wash-in wash-out formulas before you commit to a permanent colour. This way you can be sure of the colour and whether it suits you. The usual recommendation is just to go one shade darker each time. Also, if you just want to look good for one special evening you can then use one of these formulas and not permanently change your colour, but still look astounding. Perfect Nutrition = Perfect Hair You may have heard this many times before, but a healthy diet is really important if you want to have great hair. The stars that look the best are the ones that eat the right foods and focus on a good diet. Gwyneth Paltrow and Heidi Klum are great examples and look great without starving themselves or resorting to strange diets. There are a few key things that you need to make sure you get enough of that will help your hair look at its best. The first is to drink plenty of water , this gives the hair its shine and without enough it can leave your hair lank and frizzy. The usual recommendation is eight glasses a day, but donâ™t stick rigidly to this, just drink as much as you can. Secondly, protein is really important to your hair as this is what itâ™s made of, so be sure to eat enough dairy and meat products. Minerals like iron, zinc and copper are also really important. The iron helps deliver oxygen to your hair to keep it alive and fresh looking, so eat plenty of red meat and dark green veggies. Zinc is effective in keeping the hair strong, and prevents the hair falling out; it can be found in seafood and meat. Copper is really important in maintaining the colour of your hair, and enough of this will really give your hair colour a boost, so make sure you eat enough shellfish, seeds and fresh vegetables. Vitamins are also effective in maintaining a good scalp and a great overall condition of your hair, especially vitamins A, B and C. These can be found in fruits and vegetables. A great celebrity secret is the sweet potato , which is full of vitamins A and B and other great nutrients which will give your hair great life and body. It s Simple! Look after your health and people will actually comment on the fact that you are glowing with health . Get your hair color right and you can change the look of your hair overnight - and look stunning into the bargain! You don t have to spend a fortune to understand the beauty and hair regimes of the celebrities - these simple tips can help you copy the hairstyle of your favorite celebrity! For further tips and ideas for how to get great looking hairstyles, just like your favorite celebrity, visit Celebrity Sedu Hairstyles - Britney, Paris and Reese This article was submitted by Alissa Carter, for great fashion tips and to find dresses for that special occasion, visit Dress Search - Designer Dresses, Fashion and Occasion Hairstyles website.

Secrets of Using Celebrity Short Hairstyles - 4 Celebrity Case Studies!

2008-01-16T17:09:00.017-08:00

Although being able to pull off one of the many celebrity short hairstyles may look impossible, it s much easier than you may think. Celebrity Short Hairstyles - The Controversial Victoria Beckham Victoria Beckham brought along her stylish bob when she came to the United States, and it has been turning heads all over the world. The longer layers in the front and short layers in the back make her look sleek and sophisticated, and all she has to do in the morning is run some hair wax or moose through her hair to make it look more defined. Beckhamâ™s bob can be worn to the park or on a date, since its versatility can portray almost any look. Celebrity Short Hairstyles - Halley Berry Style! Another great style that many would love to have is the famous Halley Berryâ™s short and wavy look. It works best for those who have either wavy or curly hair, but can still work for those who are willing to use a curling iron every morning to achieve the same look. By cutting the hair into different chunks, the hair is left looking smooth and full of volume at the same time. Hair spray or gel will keep the different chunks in their place, or you can use your hands to scrunch the hair for a more playful look. Halley Berry has one of the most manageable celebrity short hairstyles, and it can be easy to achieve and maintain. And, Of Course - Kate Blanchett! Cate Blanchett is very well known for her wide variety of hairstyles, many of which have been short and sexy styles that can be easily duplicated. Although her classic long blonde hair can look beautiful for almost any occasion, her short styles can make her look sophisticated and like a classic beauty. One of her favorite looks was when her hair was cut just below her ears, especially since she had many different options for various hairstyles. At the premier of her movie âœBabelâ, Blanchett chose to wear her hair pulled back into a small bun with tight waves flowing over the side. The style was amazing, and was very simple to achieve. She also wore the same cut in chunky and straight layers, which can easily be done with a little hair wax or spray gel. Short hairstyles have given Blanchett, as well as many other actresses, the ability to wear their hair in a number of different styles without having to do much work. The Kirsten Dunst Version Of Celebrity Short Hairstyles Kirsten Dunst is another beautiful face that doesnâ™t need to be hidden behind hair, and she sure is happy to keep her hair short all year long. Hair right above the shoulder is a look that she really likes; yet it still provides the same versatility as long hair does. It can still be pulled back into a ponytail or bun to run out the door, or can be curled or crimped for a more prepared look. She normally wears her hair straight with her natural wave, which can be exaggerated by adding hair wax or gel to bring out the different strands. The style can also be curled under for a more sophisticated and sleek look, or completely straightened for a chunky style. Celebrity short hairstyles look great on the celebrities that wear them, and they can look great on you too. See what YOU look like with the latest celebrity short hairstyles - view them on YOUR own uploaded photo now! Try On 5,000 Hairstyles! FREE Demo thehairstyler.com

Don t Expel Jews from Gaza!

2008-01-16T17:09:00.015-08:00

Don t Expel Jews from Gaza! Read and weep for the Israeli Jews of Gush Katif/Gaza, on whose behalf I wrote this article in July 2005 before their illegal expulsion by the bribed Ariel Sharon and criminal company working for foreign interests. Many of them remain homeless, depressed and basically abandoned by their lying government -- their former homes history, stripped bare and destroyed by marauding Arab enemies who are now fighting among themselves, one terrorist group (Hamas) against another terrorist group (Fatah). The following photos and words are shared with us from Israeli Yuval Zaliouk (who is from Haifa but also has a home near Toledo, Ohio). See for yourself how the Israelis, by the grace of God, have made the desert blossom as a rose, and how Ariel Sharon and President Bush coldheartedly intend on uprooting such productive Israeli citizens and turning their labors of love, their blood, sweat and tears over to their sworn enemies! It s an outrage that must be stopped, so help us God. Imagine -- God forbid -- Bush blathering we can no longer prevent illegal aliens from taking over the Southwest, so in order to have peace with Mexico, we must expel the law-abiding and productive Americans living there and surrender their homes and property and businesses to Mexicans before they start terrorizing the rest of the United States to create their new homeland called Atzlan. After all, we seized those territories with superior force and must now return them to right an alleged wrong. Don t be surprised if our government rewards illegal immigration and the madness goes that far, as part of the curse we re suffering for disobedience to our Great Creator God (Deut. 28:43, Dan. 9:11). Now, adding insult to injury, is Condi the zombie Rice (blindly following Bush s Judenrein policies) calling for the Israeli army (whose purpose is to protect Israelis) to destroy the homes and businesses of the thriving Jewish community around Gaza and pay their sworn enemies, their peace partners who refuse to have any Jews in their neighborhood (Israel has lots less land, but where s the peace?), the Nazi-Muslims, to clean up the mess and gloat all the while about having driven the Jews out! Will the American government soon pay illegal immigrants to do the same in our southwest? May God bless Bush and Rice to come to their spiritual senses, to read and heed the Bible that only recognizes the Promised Land of ISRAEL, and stop rewarding terrorism by pimping Palestine and calling for violence against the Jews of Gaza. - DBA Dear friends, The biggest outrage of all is the flippant arrogance of all those in Israel who support the eviction and deportation of 8000 fellow citizens from Gush Katif, without ever having set foot in Gush Katif to see for themselves the haven that has been created there. Sitting in Israel s center, such as Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, or in the comfort of other countries, they have the audacity, chutzpa, nay, malice, to determine the fate of the most dedicated modern-time vanguards Israel has produced in recent times. I had the greatest privilege of visiting Gush Katif last month. I was honored to meet the diligent, tenacious, dedicated, ingenious and courageous people who live there. Every Israeli, every Jew, and all those who seek justice, Jewish or not, must be deeply proud and grateful for what these incredible people have created. For all of you, my readers, I posted the photos I took during my visit. You will find them in: Beautiful photos of Gush Katif What you will see is the wonderful hospitable family of Nissim and Nurit in Ganei Tal where I stayed. Their children Stav and Nadav. Their unbelievable greenhouses in which they produce the best tomatoes ever, which they pack and ship to markets in Europe. Pay attention to the paradise these people created in what used to be nothing but Saharan sand dunes. You will see the prosperous communities, the lawns, flowers and the trees miraculously grown by these industrious people. You will also see the Memorial Day ceremony and exhibition in memory of those family members who were murdered by terrorist villains. Pay attention to the concrete blocks erected to protect the people from Arab snipers. There are 5 folders with total of 68 photos to flip through. I hope my photos will add a dimension to your considerations. The eviction of these excellent people must be opposed with all legitimate means. Their fate is our fate and their fall is a victory for terror. If you love Israel, if you believe in Zionism, raise your voice. Help stop the injustice. David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe s Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.

How to Make A Great Press Kit - A Musician s Guide

2008-01-16T17:09:00.013-08:00

How to Make A Great Press Kit - A Musician s Guide As an owner of an independent record label, I often get asked how to put together a great press kit. I have found that young musicians understand their music, but are often intimidated by the marketing end of the business. In this article I will help you figure out how to position yourself, whether you are a Latin female vocalist building her base, or an upstart garage band just looking for a break. What is a Press Kit: First of all, there is nothing magical about the term âœpress kitâ. All we are talking about is a little background on you/your band, some basic facts, good quotes about your music, a couple of good pictures, and a sample of your music. You will use this to send to newspapers, lawyers, radio stations, AandR reps, promoters, and anyone else who is willing to spend five minutes reviewing your material. Additionally, on the internet you will hear about an electronic press kit, or EPS. An EPS is the exact same thing as a conventional press kit, except it is downloadable as an electronic file instead of a hardcopy form which must be mailed. The main purpose of the press kit is to generate interest in the artist and their music. What to include: Include a limited amount of background information on yourself. It is fine to say where you are from, but no one really wants to hear about every singing performance you did during elementary school. Sometimes less is more. Talk about your music. Who do you sound like, and who does your music remind people of. The reader needs to be able to have a good idea of what your music sounds like just from your description. Be thoughtful and feel free to be a little funny here (but stay professional). Saying something like your band sounds like a cross between âœMaroon 5 and Green Day after 20 cups of coffeeâ helps the reader understand. Remember, if you donâ™t generate enough interest in the first minute, they will never listen to your demo. Talk about what you are good at. What makes your band special and different from others? What skills and experiences do you bring to the table? Remember if you are looking for a record deal, you need to prove to your reader that you have all the right ingredients for them to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars marketing you. Launching a new artist is risky, so you need to help the record exec understand why you are a solid investment. Include quotes and/or press clippings as you generate them. A good quote from a reputable source (not your brother-in-law) can add a lot of credibility to your press kit. It lets the reader know that you have already been reviewed and your material is worth listening to. Ninety percent of press kits unfortunately end up in the trash, some good quotes and positive reviews can create the momentum necessary to get heard, and who knows â" maybe even become famous. You can go with one page dedicated to a bio (biography), and a separate page focused on quotes about your music, or you can combine the two into what some people call a âœone pagerâ. My personal preference is to boil everything down to a tight one pager. My desk gets cluttered and papers get separated. If you have you quotes separate from your bio, there is a possibility that I could misplace one or the other. With the advent of digital photography and high quality color printers, it is even possible to include a small picture on your one pager to make it even more complete. Make sure the overall language and tone of the press kit is consistent with your image. If you have someone help you write your bio, make sure they have heard you music and know what you are all about before they hand you something that might sound great, but isnâ™t about the real you. Include a couple of different 8x10 pictures that show off different features about you and your band. Include shots that would be appropriate in a news article, but also highlight your key assets from a visual perspective. Your press kit should look professional, but your pictures should reflect your style and music, so you pictures can be much more crazy and creative. Make sure you clearly label the picture with you name and contact information. If you donâ™t have good pictures of your band, one of the best ways to get some is to go to a modeling agency and ask for a referral to a good local photographer. These photographers are often willing to do some great work for around $300 for the whole package. Make sure you get an agreement upfront that you own the copyrights after the shot and get the high resolution digital images on CD (with a copyright release you can print these photos at any major retailer). A photographer who does work with models is very different from a photographer who takes family pictures. They have a much better idea of what you want, they will encourage your creativity, and they are much more willing to give you the copyrights. A current gig sheet can also be useful showing where you have recently played and where you are playing in the near future. This can demonstrate that the music is current and has a following in the community. And of course, your music. Send a high quality CD demo, preferably mastered if you budget permits. Avoid burning your own CD on your home computer with a stick on label â" it looks cheap. There are many new CD duplication services on the internet that will manufacture you CD with a printed color insert, and on disc printing even if you only want a few copies (CD replication is for batches over 1,000 but CD duplication is for batch sizes as small as 1). Expect to pay around $5 a retail ready disc for 1-5 CDs, with prices dropping off for larger batches. Make sure you clearly label the CD and the case with you name and contact information. The worst thing in the world that could happen is that they love your music, but they have already lost the rest of the press kit and donâ™t remember the name of the band. What Not to Include: Donâ™t oversell yourself. Saying that you are the greatest band that ever lived, might be true, but it probably isnâ™t. Be positive and promote yourself, but focus on statements that are credible. People in the music business hear hype all of the time, and for the most part are numb to it. Hype is good to use with the general public on things like posters (they often believe it), but your press kit reader is more sophisticated and will see it as cheap theatrics. Including too much of your personal history can make you seem like an amateur with nothing meatier to talk about. Your reader wants to understand your music today, only your psychologist needs to know about every little detail of your childhood. Donâ™t include anything that makes you look too desperate. You want to come across as a quality professional artist. Remember, you make great music. If your band is called the Chicken Heads, then it might be cute to include a rubber chicken in the box, but otherwise I would stick to the basics â" bio, quotes, gig sheet, pictures, and music. How to Package It: Include a professional looking, personalized cover letter targeted at the person you are sending the press kit to. Your message needs to be different if you are sending it to an AandR rep at a label seeking a record deal, versus sending it to your local newspaper for a review in their music section. Be brief and to the point. Also, be clear and state exactly what you would like from them. Put it all together in an organized package. Since you are most likely mailing your press kits, make sure that the CD does not bend the photos, and that your kit will arrive looking the way you intend. You may even want to test a press kit (send it across the country to a wrong address, and then it will come back to your return address) to evaluate your packaging. Your Music Is Art, But Your Press Kit Is Business: Remember, be professional. The person you are sending this press kit to probably gets hundreds of them, most of them are garbage (and thatâ™s where they end up too). Your music can be crazy and wild, but your press kit needs to be more business like. You are asking someone to spend their valuable time reviewing your material. You may also be asking them to enter into a high risk expensive financial relationship with you. The person you are dealing with is in the music business, they need to make a living. The only way they can do that is to deal with real talent. By presenting a professional package you give them confidence that you are dedicated to making great music, and not just messing around. A Word About Unsolicited Press Kits: Avoid wasting your time and money sending a press kit to someone you have not talked with already. Always call and make contact first, ask who you should send it to and what their process is. If possible, have someone who knows the person act as an intermediate and make the initial introduction (this can work wonders). The music business is all about contacts, create and leverage your network. After sending your press kit, call in a couple of weeks and follow up to make sure they received it and got a chance to review it. Example: To see a good example of a press kit, go to Legend Vegaâ™s website at legendvega.com. Scott Richards is the president of an independent record label, 3JVL Productions, Inc. Want to hear great music? Visit Legend Vega s Official Website legendvega.com Like to download great tunes? Download Free MP3s Interested in pictures of beautiful models? View sexy hot pics

Create Website Publicity Buzz

2008-01-16T17:09:00.011-08:00

Having a website is an important element of your public relations mix but it needs to be working for you. What else can you do to get people to click on your site? Well you could incorporate some PR activities around your site. Public relations is essentially communication, letting people know what your do, why you do it and how you make a difference. One aspect of PR is publicity. Creating word of mouth interest in your business by getting free editorial coverage of your business in the media. Publicity stories in the media are very effective but you won t get one for your website unless you have a new idea, controversial story, sensational aspect to your website, something unusual or completely different. Get the idea? Some story ideas: are you the first to use this technology? Have you made a huge sale through your website? Does your website help or benefit people in any way? Are you running a unique online competition or survey? Have you a heart-warming personal story to tell? My point is that you need to have a point. Let me give you an example of publicity that was designed specifically to attract people to a particular website. There s an online travel company Zuji.com.au and what they did was implement a publicity campaign to drive traffic to their website. It was a simple idea really. They put together on online competition asking people to write in their travel secrets of their favourite destinations throughout the world and they could win a valuable travel prize. They told the media about it and although a simple idea it captured the attention of the travel media. Consequently the media promoted the competition quite heavily resulting in heaps of visitors to the Zuji website. And of course it involved real people telling their own stories so the human interest element worked. It worked brilliantly for the company. Firstly they were successful in getting lots of free publicity from the competition and they also collected the email addresses of all of the people that visited their website. Plus they captured some really interesting stories and content to put on their site. So an online competition works well but you do need tell the media about it. Once you ve developed a good newsworthy story you ll need to contact the relevant journalists who will help you reach your target market. Don t contact everyone, just the media that are appropriate to you and your product. Contact them by sending a media release (it of course includes your website address) or just telephone them. Research your target media by checking out the newspapers, magazines and wherever else your competitors are being featured. You can buy media directories. Don t forget to let journalists know there is a media room on your website where they can obtain further information. Another way to publicise your website is to put your domain address everywhere. Anytime you do send out a media release or newsletter or write a letter to a potential client or sponsor an event, not only is it really important to put your name on everything but put your website address there as well. So for instance you might have some fantastic caps or t-shirts designed for your business that you want people to wear that look great and effective and but why not on the back of that cap put your domain name. Every where that you communicate, put your web address. Include on your voice mail, stickers, business cards, your car, caps, t-shirts on everything! Sue Currie, the director of Shine Communications Consultancy and author of Apprentice to Business Ace - your inside-out guide to personal branding, is a business educator and speaker on personal branding through image and media. Sign up for free monthly tips on personal and professional PR at shinecomms.com.au/contactmanager/default.cfm and learn more about how you can achieve recognition, enhance your image and shine.

The Pefect Updo Hairstyle - Professional s Secrets Revealed On How To Get Yours

2008-01-16T17:09:00.009-08:00

The Pefect Updo Hairstyle - Professional s Secrets Revealed On How To Get Yours An updo hairstyle is the finishing touch for dazzling beauty. It is a classy hairstyle that will have you turning heads It is timeless and is a safe choice for any occasion. Whether you re enjoying the ocean breeze or relaxing over a candle lit dinner, your hair can look fabulous gently gathered atop your head. Here are some tips to pull off your own perfect style: Before getting started, you need to decide what kind of style will work best for your hair type and length and also what compliments your face. For example, does your face look best with your hair completely pulled back or accented with some tendrils cascading along your jaw line? Do you intend to have it twisted up or in curls? All these are things to consider when choosing the right style for your hair. After you ve chosen your updo hairstyle, you need to have the right tools to get the job done! First, be sure to have bobby pins and clips to suit the style you re looking for. If you want some to be shown, there are many decorative pins you can buy to add a little elegance. Another set of items you ll want to have on hand are rubber bands. Small pony tail holders are great to use to keep hair in place. Next, you need the proper hair care products. Hair is often best styled when it is a little dirty. Wash your hair the night before you plan to go out, put a light weight mousse in and blow it dry. Now, make sure you have a good, professional quality hair spray. Finally, you need some electronics. A curling iron (or a few various sized curling irons) and a flat iron are two great tools to have on hand to give your up do some body and finishing touches. Now you re ready to get started and look fantastic! By following these suggestions and secrets of the professionals, you can create a beautiful, classy updo hairstyle of your own! See what YOU look like with the latest celebrity hairstyles - view them on your own uploaded photo now! Try On 5,000 Hairstyles! FREE Demo thehairstyler.com

Lesbian Celebrity Hairstyles - Check Out The Different Styles

2008-01-16T17:09:00.007-08:00

Lesbian Celebrity Hairstyles have set the trend for many fashion conscious women around the world of all sexual persuasions. And with good reason! If you re wondering what hairstyle is in fashion, then looking at the various celebrity hairstyles is a very cool place to begin. But, there are some important things to consider before you copy those particular hairstyles whether you re looking at lesbian celebrity hairstyles or what others. Copying Celebrity Hairstyles - Mistake #1 - Too High Maintenance Do you have a team of hair care professionals on call to tidy up your hair at a moment s notice? If not, don t expect your hairstyle to remain looking fabulous all day. If you like the look of a particular celebrity hairstyle, ask your hairstylist how much work is involved in producing and maintaining the end result! It could be more than you ve bargained for! Copying Celebrity Hairstyles - Mistake #2 - Wrong Style For Your Face Shape Does your shape face suit the particular celebrity hairstyle you like? It may look absolutely great on your favorite lesbian celebrity but it may do nothing enhancing for your look!. Here are the different shape faces to consider: oval, rond, rectangular/oblong, square, heart-shaped, triangular, and diamond. (Keep reading to discover how you can quickly and easily test out for sure, how the different hairstyles would suit your face): Copying Celebrity Hairstyles - Mistake #3 - Avoid Trying to Make Your Hair Something It Just Isn t! Is your hair type suited to the lesbian celebrity hairstyle that you d like? Some styles are created by the use of a flat-iron to get the straight look. If you want a style that is dead straight and you have hair with a natural curl, this is going to take some time! On the other hand, if you want the romantic, long locks of curls and your hair hasn t a single wave to it, you re going to need a salon semi-perm or daily curling. Try to find a celebrity hairstyle that fits your hair type for ease of maintenance. Copying Celebrity Hairstyles Of 2006 - Mistake #4 - Get A Different Hairstyle Without Being Sure What It Will Really Look Like On You Nothing is worse than the acute embarrassment of a hairstyle that looks out of place with YOUR face! And let s face it - you re not going to really know, until it s possibly too late! But the internet has made it possible for you to actually get a very good idea of what different celebrity hairstyles would look like on YOU! Services are available where you can quickly and easily upload a picture of your head and shoulders, and the internet program will display different hairstyles on your photo, so you can make a careful and informed choice, and avoid any painful embarrassment! See the links below to discover how you can choose from amongst the famous celebrity hairstyles, including choosing from lesbian celebrity hairstyles, and make the best one for you, yours! Upload Your Photo To Try On 5,000 Hairstyles! FREE Demo thehairstyler.com

Making Waves! 10 Super Summer Hairstyles

2008-01-16T17:09:00.005-08:00

You walk out the door and are bombarded by a swarming mass of onlookers. Click, click, click, is all you hear, and flashes are all you see from cameras snapping in every direction. Everywhere you walk heads turn and stare. Whispers of praise fill the air. With a fearless sense of style and uninhibited sway in your step, you strut down the catwalk. Today, you are the star, and you owe it all to your fabulous new summer do. While you may not actually be walking down a runway, there s no reason you can t look like it. You want to be a rock star, a socialite, a surfer girl -- how about a glamour goddess or a sophisticated diva? You can pull off any look you want with the right hairdo. The secret to wearing the hottest celebrity looks in real life begins with scissors. This season the most wanted styles are no-fuss, easy-to-do and simply sexy. In order to pull off these effortless looking styles, you must have the right cut. With a great haircut, the rest is easy. This spring and summer the streets will be sizzling with sexy style. While the main buzz may be to simply state it, these new looks are simply hotter than ever. French twists, basic braids and loose ponytails are favorite picks. This look is about saying it without screaming it. It s a no-fuss, less-is-more look that can be worn anytime. In order to keep up with the latest trends you will also have to get ready to travel back in time. You are going to bump into some new versions of old favorites. Don t worry, you won t have to dust off your leg warmers, but you will have to get your fingers ready to start scrunching. Bigger is better this season, and a little scrunching and the right cut is all you need. This time around it s a softer, lighter and more natural scrunching look. Another popular blast from the past style is popping up on foreheads everywhere. That s right! Bangs are back and they re sexier than ever. Celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Mandy Moore, Charlize Theron and Rachel McAdams have helped them make a strong comeback. Long, short, heavy or wispy -- everywhere you turn, you will surely bump into bangs. Alan Kurkland, Top Stylist and Manager of Salon 151 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, says, The hottest trends we are seeing for the summer are just above the shoulder cuts with small, swooping bangs or long bangs. Texture and layers are the secrets behind achieving these great looks. Kurkland says: Nicole Ritchie s hair has been a favorite. Many of my clients want the same look. The long layers at shoulder length with the swooping bangs is very popular. For shorter hair, I recommend lots of texture and movement. The main idea is embracing the effortless sexy look in any style you choose. In other words, don t look as you ve spent hours in front of the mirror. Look terrific without going over the top. Blonde hair and summer have always gone hand in hand, but this year browns are moving in with a vengeance. There s been a brunette boom, and it s not slowing down -- from Britney to Brittany. You will undoubtedly start seeing darker shades on the beaches. There are still, however, plenty of blondes and light highlights to go around. We are seeing lots of partial highlights and lots of contrast, light on top and dark underneath, says Kurkland. The sun is out and shining strong along with this season s most wanted looks. Have fun, feel sexy and show off your sense of style. You don t need to walk on a runway to turn heads. Nothing will heat up the streets and spark up the summer season like a hot new hair style. Here s a list of the top ten most wanted: 1. Longish and Somewhat Irregularly Cut or Layered Bangs 2. Modern Scrunch 3. Relaxed Up Dos 4. Layered and Textured Bobs 5. Shaggy Surfer Style Layers 6. Choppy Crop 7. Softer Layers for Longer Hair 8. Short, Blunt Edgy for Shorter Hair 9. Shoulder Length Curls 10. Wavy Locks Carolina Diaz-Bordon eDiets.com Staff Writer At eDiets, there s something for every body. Click here to choose from more than 20 personalized diet plans!

Unique Tattoo Design

2008-01-16T17:09:00.003-08:00

Getting a unique tattoo design can be a little work you need to look at a lot of different designs to help you decide on what you want do not just pick the first thing you see take your time and think about all of the reasons you want the tattoo and try and pick or design your own using all of the designs you have looked at for inspiration. You can spend a lot of time and money looking for unique tattoo designs you may find one or 2 designs that you think are unique but the only design that will be unique is the one that comes from your head. You might have some ideas from other designs incorporated into yours but the design as a whole will be unique because it came from your head. Again think of the reasons for the tattoo and let that help you in your search maybe tattoo A represents a lost love and tattoo B is a memorial to the lost love or another person that is no longer with us And tattoo C is just a design you think is great. Using your imagination try and combine the tree tattoo designs into one unique tattoo design. There are a lot of good quality sites that can help you with this they have thousands of designs to look at so you do not have to drive all over to find the one you want. You can print out your designs so you can alter them to your unique tattoo design. Then you can post it on the site and get some feed back on it and show off your skills. Then when you are ready the site has a feature that will help you find the tattoo studios in your area. I found a few sites that will help you get your unique tattoo design I had 5 on the site but the other threes quality has dropped now there is only two that I would recommend. There are two good sites available for you to look at so you can pick the site that is right for you click the link to check them out. usfreeads.com/938883-cls.html

How to Get Started in the Real Estate Game Fixing and Flipping Houses

2008-01-16T17:09:00.001-08:00

If you re looking to get started investing in real estate by fixing and flipping houses, you ll want to know what to type of property to buy. Many real estate investors make millions turning ugly houses into dollhouses. On the other hand, some inexperienced investors lose money buying houses that just don t turn a profit. Three Tips to Help You Find the Perfect Fixer 1. Learn Your Market Your first task, exploring your market, helps you know a bargain house when you see one. Look at houses for sale in your area. Keep track of sales and how long the houses take to sell. Ask about the terms of these sales because this helps you understand how sellers market their property. For instance, if a seller paid closing costs for the buyer, did the price rise from the listed price accordingly? Or, did the seller come down on the price and pay the buyer s costs, too. Examine the sales that sell quickly. What home features and financing options prompted the fast sale? Also, look at model homes. Buyer often chose resale homes because they can t wait for a new home to be finished. But, these buyers like the amenities found in newer homes. When you transform your fixer, you ll know what buyers desire and you ll make informed makeover choices. 2. Know When Bad Can Be Good When you first start out in your real estate fixer enterprise, you ll want to look for houses needing only cosmetic work. Look for houses that just need cleaning up, painting, and new flooring. Don t be afraid of stinky houses that show horribly; look for fixers with peeling paint, holes in the wall, stained carpeting, and trash in the yard. Remember, these houses won t look good to most buyers, but that other investors see them as gold mines. You need to use your imagination when viewing these homes. Try to visualize the finished product. 3. Know When Ugly Means Pass If the house has cat urine staining the carpet, the subflooring or concrete foundation may need replacing. Dog urine cleans up easier. If the walls have too many cracks and bumps, you may need to hang new sheet rock or hire a professional plaster refinisher. Look for signs of plumbing problems such as water stains under sinks and loose flooring. When you re new to real estate investing, always remember your limitations. Use caution when considering houses needing structural repairs. Some rehabbers replace walls, plumbing, structural beams, sub-flooring, and electrical systems, but they acquired those skills after years of experience or pay a professional. If you find a house with structural problems, get estimates from reliable contractors to do the work. Experience teaches you how to do more over time. Until then, rely on experienced contractors to do the repairs. Take professional estimates into account before deciding whether or not to purchase an investment property. Why would anyone want to do this? How much does the average investor make? In Philadelphia, real estate investors only make offers on houses they expect to make $30,000 on. In Southern California, many investors make $50,000 to $100,000 on each house. Summary: You can make a fortune fixing ugly houses. Learn your market. Know when ugly means bad that can be good, and when stinky means pass. Copyright (c) 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved. For more information about finding, financing, fixing and flipping houses, visit Jeanette Fisherâ™s Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars. Learn about decorating to attract buyers. Professor Fisher teaches Design Psychology college courses and professional real estate seminars. She is the author of Home Staging, credit for buying real estate, and other books. doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/ . Fixing questions? Visit Dollhouse to Dollars blog: doghousetodollars.blogspot.com/ .