Archive for August, 2006
Move over Mary Poppins. With the Hollywood baby boom still at its peak, the latest and trendiest addition to the coolest families is the ?Manny?.
Like the ?Murse? (male nurse), the Manny has morphed the nanny from the traditional female role to a pretty cool male one. Remember the Friends episode when Ross and Rachel hired a fabulous Manny in the guise of Freddy Prinze Jr? Freddy was every Mom?s dream, but every Dad?s nightmare. He could cook, clean and diaper, was up to date on the latest news on child rearing, was extremely maternal and put on a great puppet show. In fact many of the Mannies now also take it upon themselves to arrange play dates, offer organic kid-gourmet cooking, as well as thoughtfully email the parents throughout the day with photos and funny anecdotes of the kids ? just so they don?t miss a thing.
In Hollywood, members of the Manny brigade include Britney Spears, Rosie O? Donnell and Gwyneth Paltrow ? but its spreading fast, and Mannies are now to be found all over New York, Washington DC, and even London. So is this the latest trend for the growing new generation on metrosexuals? Well, with free food and accommodation in often very comfortable hoes, decent salaries (around $40K a year) and a chance to be youthfully silly again, it could very well be.
We all know that there were predators on land, some of which were a major threat to their own kind. We knew there were some in the sea as well, after all we have sharks and crocodiles today. Did you ever imagine though that our whales may have evolved from predator so strong, it has now been considered the T-Rex of the Sea?
The find was made in Australia. 25 million year old fossils of an ancient relative of the blue whale, the largest creature to inhabit the earth. Unlike the blue whales however, this ancestor had teeth, very sharp ones. The teeth measure about 3 cms (1.2 inches) in length.
Research has shown these scientists that the fossil is an early type of baleen whale. This type includes the humpback whales, minke whales and the blue whales. The term baleen refers to the comb like plates in their mouth that allows them to filter their food. The only difference is, this ancestor doesn’t even have a baleen.
Erich Fitzgerald of Monash University in Australia says that this whale was actually rather small, measuring only 3.5 meters (11 ft 6 in) in length. He speculates that their food of choice were probably sharks, large fish, or other whales.The fossil was found south-eastern Australia near a town called Jan Juc, earning the fossil the name of Janjucetus (formally known as Janjucetus Hunden). Discovered in 1990 by a teenage surfer, it sat unstudied until Fitzgerald, a graduate researcher saw it on the desk of PhD student.
They tell us that it is a piece of cake. We walk into a bar or a party and have a good time. Meet a few people, mingle and maybe make a new friend. Easy! Nothing to it, right?
Unfortunately, as we all know, it isn’t easy for a lot of people. Most of us are shy. We haven’t been trained in the arts of conversation. Our generation is no longer as competent in the social arena. So when we see someone that you really want to get to know, you lose the opporunity cause you can’t even get their attention.
The good news is there is now a school that will try to help you get the hang of it. Check out Charisma Arts and see if they can help you get over your discomfort.
Wayne Elise, co-founder of the company says many people have the misconception that they are out to teach guys with no confidence how to chat up women. In truth that is just a side effect. What the school really teaches guys is how to relax and be themselves no matter how unique the environment, how to approach strangers and get people comfortable enough to get a good conversation going.
The school does not give the student canned lines or spiels that they should memorize and use when they go out. Instead, they aim to teach their students how to think naturally around women, react quickly yet speak like a gentleman.
They have a boot camp which is a three day crash course in the art of seducing women (make that charming women). Some people have already taken the “Charm School Boot Camp” with varyingdegrees of success. Check out their website for yourself and see if they have lessons in your area if you are interested.
It is finally here! For all the many Yahoo messenger and Windows Live Messenger users who wished that they could chat with their friends in the other community this is great news. You can now chat with your friends even if they aren’t using the same messenger you are.
After almost ten months, MSN and Yahoo! have come through for their communities. Since their announcement of the agreements in October last year people have been waiting to see this feature come true. Now here it is at last!
In order to be able to chat with your friends and family on the opposite network, you just need to download the latest version of the messenger you prefer to use. That will be Yahoo! Messenger version 8 and for MSN users, switch to Windows Live Messenger version 8 if you are still utilizing the older MSN Messenger. Please note that both you and your friend must download the latest version in order to be able to use the feature.
Once you’ve installed the latest version, you will need to sign up for the beta testing. Yes, that means that it is still under testing so bear with the two companies as they work to improve the service. All going well, you will experience nothing but flawlessy interaction between the two platforms.
Once you’re signed up and signed in, you just need to add your friend to your contact list and start chatting away. No more need to have two different messengers open. You can pick your favorite and maintain just that but still get to talk with all your contacts from the other community. Is that cool or what?
Barbie Doll collectors will be very excited. On September 26, 4,000 Barbie dolls will go up for auction.
This impressive collection comes courtesy of Letje Raebel, a Dutch housewife. She bought her first Barbie as a gift for her daughter, Marina. Her daughter scorned the doll but Letje loved it and continued to buy more pieces.
Her collection is very impressive. She has collected not only the dolls but Barbie’s many outfits and accessories. She loved the many fashions created for Barbie, having been a bit of a seamstress herself.
The collection is valued at around 100,000 pounds. The value is very high because Letje Raebel kept all of the various items of Barbie in their respective boxes. All of them are unopened and have never been played with. Truly it is a collector’s dream.
Barbie Millicent Roberts (better known as simply Barbie) has been around since 1959. Invented by Ruth Handler, co-founder of US Toy giant company Mattel, the doll is named after her daughter Barbara. Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, is also named for one of her children.
Barbie has become the top selling doll all over the world. She has been dressed by such high fashion designers as Christian Dior and Calvin Klein. For many little girls, she has been the symbol of glitz, glamour and possibility. She has been an astronaut, a teacher, a model, even a policeman.
This collection is not just about a doll, it is also a showcase of history and the changing fashions. Truly it is a very valuable piece of history.
