Jesse, a new blogger at b5, has posted an article at Technosailor reviewing Newsvine:
Here’s the concept- Newsvine is divided into several categories: Top News, World, U.S., Sports, Politics, Tech, Entertainment, Science, Business, Health, and Odd News. Each category has several sub-categories (in sports, NFL, NBA, MLB, Soccer, etc.). On each page it will have the lead story from the AP wire with a picture at the top, as well as more stories below that. On the right side there are the top AP stories, then below that the top “seeded” stories (I’ll get to that in a minute), and then below that recent “seeded” stories. […]
You are given a column at the subdomain you chose, along with an account to use the features of the site. At your column you have two types of posts- Normal and seeded links. Normal posts are just that: You have a title, and then your article. Seeded links are more like Digg-You link to a story with a short description. You then add a description of the article. […]
There is also a section of your subdomain for you to add links.
After stories are written, you tag them. People can then comment on them, but they can also, er, “digg” them, I don’t know what the proper term is, but that’s the equivilent. Stories that get the most “diggs” rise higher on the sidebar. Like a combo of del.icio.us popular and digg.
Newsvine can also function as a news reader of sorts. If you find an author or subject you really enjoy, you can “watch” them, meaning that when they post new content, it gets put on your “watchlist” where you can look at what’s new.
I also have a Newsvine account, with 19 invites left to give away. If you would like one, and promise to use it only for good - email me at cj@christinacjones.com, and I would be glad to shoot one your way. Newsvine is still in beta, and therefore lots of good subdomains are still available. Get it while its hot! 
My domain is http://beauty.newsvine.com, but don’t expect much yet, I haven’t quite figured out the process. But thanks to Jesse for this article, it will help me a bunch figure out what is going on here!
From Peg.. We’ve all had trouble with our animals, but I don’t think anyone
can top this one:Calling in sick to work makes me uncomfortable. No matter how legitimate my excuse, I always get the feeling that my boss thinks I’m lying. On one recent occasion, I had a valid reason but lied anyway, because the truth was just too darned humiliating. I simply mentioned that I had sustained a head injury, and I hoped I would feel up to coming in the next day. By then, I reasoned, I could think up a doozy to explain the bandage on the top of my head.
The accident occurred mainly because I had given in to my wife’s wishes to adopt a cute little kitty. Initially, the new acquisition was no problem. Iheard my wife, Deb, call out to me from the kitchen. Honey! The garbage disposal is dead again. Please come reset it.” “You know where the button is,” I protested through the shower pitter-patter and steam. “Reset it yourself!” But I’m scared!” she persisted. “What if it starts going and sucks me in?” There was a meaningful pause and then, “C’mon, it’ll only take you a second.”
I thought my silent outraged nudity would make a statement about how I perceived her behavior as extremely cowardly. Sighing loudly, I squatted down and stuck my head under sink to find the button. It is the last action I remember performing.
It struck without warning, and without any respect to my circumstances. No, it wasn’t the hexed disposal, drawing me into its gnashing metal teeth. It was our new kitty, who discovered the fascinating dangling objects she spied hanging between my legs. She had been poised around the corner and stalked me as I reached under the sink. And, at the precise moment when I was most vulnerable, she leapt at the toys I unwittingly offered and snagged them with her needle-like claws. I lost all rational thought to control orderly bodily movements, blindly rising at a violent rate of speed, with the
full weight of kitten hanging from my masculine region. Wild animals are sometimes faced with a “fight or flight” syndrome.
Men, in this predicament, choose only the “flight” option. I know this from experience. I was fleeing straight up into the
air when the sink and cabinet bluntly and forcefully impeded my ascent. The impact knocked me out cold. When I awoke, my wife and the paramedics stood over me. Now there are not many things in this life worse than finding oneself lying on
the kitchen floor buck naked in front of a group of “been-there, done-that” paramedics. They were all snorting loudly as they tried to conduct their work, all the while trying to suppress their hysterical laughter… and not succeeding.
Somehow I lived through it all.
A few days later I finally made it back in to the office, where colleagues tried to coax an explanation out of me about my
head injury. I kept silent, claiming it was too painful to talk about, which…it was.
“What’s the matter?” They all asked, “Cat got your tongue?”
From my girlfriend, Selina, via email:
A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:
1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed . They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.
2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who’s clothing is easy to remove quickly . Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.
3) They also look for women on their cell phone , searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.
4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5: 00a.m. and 8:30a.m.
Continue reading ‘Tips to avoid being attacked’
From The Guardian:
Actor Chris Penn, younger brother of Sean and best remembered as Nice Guy Eddie Cabot in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, was found dead at his Santa Monica home yesterday. He was 40, according to police, although most reports put his age as 43.
Penn’s body was discovered in bed inside his apartment, located in a four-story condominium complex near the beach, by his housekeeper. Police said they were investigating the cause of death but stated that there were no obvious signs of foul play. […]
His latest film, The Darwin Awards, a black comedy about unusual suicides, was scheduled to premiere today at the Sundance film festival.
That’s a little wierd,eh? Wonder why he wasn’t at Sundance?
Technorati Tags: Chris Penn, deaths, Sundance, The Darwin Awards
My yummy new assignment at b5media - Pitt Watch! Nothing more exciting than looking at Brad Pitt pictures all day long. Well, there are more exciting things, but since my darling hubby is working so much now and isn’t home to entertain me as much, this isn’t a bad gig!
Look at this tapir!! Awwwwwww!
via JustALittleGuy
From my brother, via email:
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and then proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous “yes.” The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. ”Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things, your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions, things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else……the small stuff. “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18.There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. “Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.” One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers.”
Heidi is at it again:
The West Gets Wilder - New York Times
PICTURE a pleasure oasis in the Nevada desert, a collection of luxurious bungalows featuring bedrooms with fireplaces where sexual fantasies and desires are catered to. Starting at $250 an hour.But at this house, Heidi’s Stud Farm, the prostitutes will be hunky men and the patrons women.
Heidi Fleiss is planning the all-male brothel on 60 acres in Nevada, where prostitution is often legal, and there are more than two dozen brothels of the conventional sort. Lawyers for Ms. Fleiss, the ex-Hollywood madam who served time in prison in the late 1990’s on federal charges related to a high-end call-girl business, plan to apply for a license this month. Ms. Fleiss said she expects to have her house of ill repute up and running later in the year.
Technorati Tags: Heidi+Fleiss, brothel
Love/Hate Web Logs: A Blog Survey from Shai at About.com:
1) Blogs: Duh, love em!
2) Podcasts: Hate
3) Vlogs: Mediocre
4) Comments: Love
5) Trackback: Love
6) Technorati: Love
7) Bloglines: Love, hate the plumber
Technorati Tags: Shai+Coggins, blog+survey, about.com
This may not be true but…it is good reading and amusing.
This was an actual letter sent to the IRS after the author was denied tax deductions on two of his children.
Dear Sirs:
I am responding to your letter denying the deduction for two of the three dependents I claimed on my 1994 Federal Tax return. Thank you. I have questioned whether or not these are my children for years. They are evil and expensive. It’s only fair that, since they are minors and no longer my responsibility, the government should know something about them and what to expect over the next year. Please do not try to reassign them to me next year and reinstate the deduction. They are yours.
The oldest, Kristen, is now 17. She is brilliant. Ask her. I suggest you put her to work in your office where she can answer people’s questions about their returns. While she has no formal training, it has not seemed to hamper her mastery of any subject you can name. Taxes should be a breeze. Next year she is going to college. I think it’s wonderful that you will now be responsible for that little expense. While you mull that over, keep in mind that she has a truck. It doesn’t run at the moment, so you have the choice of appropriating some Department of Defense funds to fix the vehicle, or getting up early to drive her to school. Kristen also has a boyfriend. Oh joy. While she possesses all of the wisdom of the universe, her alleged mother and I have felt it best to occasionally remind her of the virtues of abstinence, or in the face of overwhelming passion, safe sex. This is always uncomfortable, and I am quite relieved you will be handling this in the future.
Patrick is 14. I’ve had my suspicions about this one. His eyes are a little closer together than those of normal people. He may be a tax examiner himself one day, if he is not incarcerated first. In February, I was awakened at three in the morning by a police officer who was bringing Pat home. He and his friends were TPing houses. In the future, would you like him delivered to the local IRS office, or to Ogden, UT? Kids at 14 will do almost anything on a dare. His hair is purple. Permanent dye, temporary dye, what’s the big deal? Learn to deal with it. You’ll have plenty of time, as he is sitting out a few days of school after instigating a food fight in the cafeteria. I’ll take care of filing your phone number with the vice-principal. Oh yes, he and all of his friends have raging hormones. This is the house of testosterone and it will be much more peaceful when he lives in your home. Do not leave him or his friends unsupervised with girls, explosives, inflammables, inflatable’s, vehicles, or telephones (They find telephones a source of unimaginable amusement. Be sure to lock out the 900 and 976 numbers).
Heather is an alien. She slid through a time warp and appeared as if by magic one year. I’m sure this one is yours. She is 10 going on 21. She came from a bad trip in the sixties. She wears tie-dyed clothes, beads, sandals, and hair that looks like Tiny Tim’s. Fortunately you will be raising my taxes to help offset the pinch of her remedial reading courses. “Hooked On Phonics” is expensive, so the schools dropped it. But here’s the good news. You can buy it yourself for half the amount of the deduction that you are denying me. It’s quite obvious that we were terrible parents (ask the other two). She cannot speak English. Most people under 20 understand the curious patois she fashioned out of valley girls/boys in the hood/reggae/yuppie/political double speak. The school sends her to a speech pathologist who has her roll her R’s. It added a refreshing Mexican/Irish touch to her voice. She wears hats backwards, baggy pants, and wants one of her ears pierced four more times. There is a fascination with tattoos that worry me, but I am sure that you can handle it. Bring a truck when you come to get her, she sort of “nests” in her room and I think that it would be easier to move the entire thing than find out what it is really made of.
You denied two of the three exemptions, so it is only fair that you get to pick which two you will take. I prefer that you take the youngest two, I will still go bankrupt with Kristen’s college, but then I am free. If you take the two oldest, then I still have time for counseling before Heather becomes a teenager. If you take the two girls, then I won’t feel so bad about putting Patrick in a military academy. Please let me know of your decision as soon as possible, as I have already increased the withholding on my W-4 to cover the $395 in additional tax and made a down payment on an airplane.
Yours truly, Bob Note:
The IRS allowed the deductions and reinstated his refund.
Oh how I hate it! I had a mild case last Monday, after babysitting my girlfriends sons the weekend prior, who had had it a few days prior to that. I thought I had escaped pretty easily, but I was mistaken. My son had it on Wednesday, the first day back to school (not for him!). My daughter had it on Friday. I woke up yesterday feeling like hell in a bucket, and slept most of the day long. Oh and tried to take care of a few required work things at b5 and wurk.net. Mostly I just caused problems for myself and my friends. Ha ha. That’s what I get for trying to keep up when I am really sick as a dog and need to stay in bed and away from hu-mans. But, I feel much better today, and along with straightening up the screwups I made yesterday and catching up on my blogging (and drinking lots of water to make up for the fluid loss!), I have to catch up on housekeeping. It is amazing how much destruction happens when I am not on top of things every minute of every day. I think the dogs had a big party here while I was sleeping. Pity they can’t clean up after themselves!
Well, the deed is done, we have decided to eliminate the eternally grieving widow from our group. This has been heartbreaking for all of us, but I think once it settles in, we will be so much better for it. That said, I have a few things I am going to resolve to do and do better this year:
- Participate more in my FLYgroups
- Get back on the Flying program like I was
- Quit feeling sorry for myself and have a bit better attitude towards certain people in my (real) life
There is more, but that’s all that is on my mind for now. The kids will be home from school soon, so it is time to wrap it up here the best I can. Hope you are having a great day!
I get letters nearly every day from people with MRSA, due to my work with MRSA Resources. So many times they are just heart wrenching, from people who just lost their parents, spouse or child to people with no insurance and no one to help them find the help and the expensive drugs that they need to battle their illness. You really can’t imagine how hard it is to write those people back sometimes.
Anyway, I just got the kindest letter:
God Bless You and all that your family has endured of
late.I happened across your story about Marshall’s illness,
not because of anything MRSA related in my life. I
was just wanting to read what it was about.What is truly incredible here is your devotion to your
husband Christina. What an incredibly inspiring story
you have told thru your keeping this diary of what has
been going on in your lives. Your attention to the
details and management of his care is astounding.I just had to write to tell you what an wonderful
person you are for all the love that you have showed
your husband and your family.May Marshall’s journey with his health continue on
this path of wellness. You both have so much life to
live for at such young ages and with so much going for
you.Thanks for the inspiration your family has shown.
How touching was that? I do absolutely adore and worship my husband, and to have lost him last year would have been a possibly truly unbearable situation for me. I wrote down and published his story online because I really felt the need to let other people know that there is hope, and more importantly the exact details of his treatment (well, as exact as I could get them with my brain shutting down). I am not sure what this has to do with the situation I whined about earlier today, but I feel there is a lesson to be learned there. I hope I get it.
MRSA, People
I am not sure why I deal with people sometimes. I moderate the FlyingInTexas group at YahooGroups, which is a statewide hub for followers of Flylady.net. I know it sounds a bit cultish, but Flylady has really made a huge difference in my life in regards to getting off my duff and getting organized and really making some worthwhile changes in my life. She is very positive and has no tolerance for negativity and whining.
ANYWAY, there is a member of our group that is a young widow of 5 years. The anniversary of her husbands death is this Sunday. Every year (this is the 3rd year), she starts in before Thanksgiving about how wretched and horrible the holidays are, and how she is glad that we are all so happy, but she is miserable because her husband is dead. It truly is very sad, but it goes on incessantly through Valentines day. When I say incessantly, I mean incessantly. It goes on all year long, but is especially intense through the entire holiday season. Over the years we have had countless people leave our group because of it. Well the first year, anyway. The last 2 years we have wisened up and put her posts on moderation just before Thanksgiving so we can delete the depressing ones before they come out to the group. And boy does she get mad and just spit venom at me every chance she gets. She tries to slip every jab she can into her posts, so I have to read each one very carefully before it goes through.
She thinks I am some wretched, insensitive bitch, but I wish she would see how hard we try, or have tried, to convince her that she has got to take all of this grief in a healthier direction. Her mother recently passed away, and I feel so bad for her, but I just can’t even explain how negative she is. She also recently found out she has a lump in her breast. She mixes up the grief and the breast problem and anything else she has to complain about in one post and then gets angry when “everyone but her can get support from the people in this group.” The only reason we haven’t kicked her out of the group is that we know that this is a life thread for her. She needs to let it go and get a real life, but so far, it isn’t happening. So year after year we coddle her, and I guess through moderating her and responding to her angered letters, we are showing her the attention that she needs. I have such a hard time with holding a grudge against her from last year, when MY husband was fighting for his life through the holidays and I had to deal with her. I wish she could see that we care, and I surely do wish she would get some professional help because it really gets to me every year. I really do feel terrible for her, but geez. I can’t stand someone who won’t help themselves. And it is impossible to do anything to help them.
funworld/fun4you: God will help me
There was a man called him Jim, who lived near a river. Jim was a very religious man.One day, the river rose over the banks and flooded the town, and Jim was forced to climb onto his porch roof. While sitting there, a man in a boat comes along and tells Jim to get in the boat with him. Jim says “No, that’s ok. God will take care of me.” So, the man in the boat drives off.
The water rises, so Jim climbs onto his roof. At that time, another boat comes along and the person in that one tells Jim to get in. Jim replies, “No, that’s ok. God will take care of me.” The person in the boat then leaves.
The water rises even more, and Jim climbs on his chimney. Then a helicopter comes and lowers a ladder. The woman in the helicopter tells Jim to climb up the ladder and get in. Jim tells her “That’s ok.” The woman says “Are you sure?” Jim says, “Yeah, I’m sure God will take care of me.
Finally, the water rises too high and Jim drowns. Jim gets up to Heaven and is face-to-face with God. Jim says to God “You told me you would take care of me! What happened?”
God replied “Well, I sent you two boats and a helicopter. What else did you want?”
I wasn’t planning on doing this just yet (if ever..haha) but my dear friend was having an issue, so I am trying to help a girl out.
Adding an edit now: Check out my friend Dr. Lei at http://www.cottontimer.com/.
Adding a second edit now: No problems to report. All of my edits are showing just fine.
Adding a third edit now: Still no problems to report. In fact this version is better than the one at eBeautyDaily! Upgrade that please!
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