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In the Race
Now, here, you see, it takes all the blogging I can do to keep in the same place. If I want to get somewhere else, I must blog twice as fast as that! You see, I'm in the Red Queen's Race...
January 2008 - Posts
By Janet Evans
Thursday, Jan 31 2008, 11:45 AM
One of our regular readers, Scott Thinnes, left the following comment on my "Instant Replay" blog today:
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Jan 31 2008, 07:15 AM
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"Wackjobs?" "Nuts?"
Seems that 's what people (besides me) think of Brattleboro, Vermont citizens who have been circulating a petition to have Bush and Cheney arrested for War Crimes if they ever set foot in their state.
One upset person who emailed the town officials even suggests there might be something in their water that led them to go to such extremes! Ha! That's a thought.
Read the story from Yahoo.news
Vermont Anti-Bush Petition Lambasted à here
These fruitless efforts by shameless Bush-haters, along with those who have promoted similar efforts in the past in other cities across the United States, including in Wisconsin, need to come to a stop.
Shameless because they are wasting the time and resources of all taxpayers.
As sad as that is, what is even more sad is that these people haven't got a clue about the laws of impeachment.
They haven't got a clue of what real War Crimes were or are.
It just goes to show you, more time needs to be spent on history and civics in high school and college.
I'm sure Vermont won't be the last state with people who need to get a life who come up with new ways to hate Bush before he leaves office.
This is going to be an interesting ten months ahead of us.
***Note to self: Drink bottled water next time you visit family in Vermont.....****
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ANOTHER waste of time!
I've been to Vermont.
I have family who lives there.
Vermont is one beautiful state!
But there are a lot of citizens in Vermont who refuse to come out of the dark ages.
There are a lot of citizens there who refuse to let any progress come forward in their towns.
There are a lot of citizens who listen to too much Canadian radio and their views, instead of those in the U.S.
"The latest count showed a total 600,000 people died in the war?"
Where the heck do Vermont citizens get their information from?
What war are they speaking of?
The Department of Defense updates that information on a regular basis.
As of January 25th the total count is 3,931.
Oh, they're speaking of that disputed study done back in 2006 saying that 600,000 Iraqi citizens have been killed.
Espionage?
Is this River City out of The Music Man?
If Hitler showed up in Vermont they would arrest him for war crimes?
Well, isn't that noble of them....
Bush isn't Hitler.
I think Vermonters need to brush up on their history of exactly WHAT Hitler was.
Maybe Vermonters need to "think outside the box" and find something positive to talk about regarding our troops.
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Jan 31 2008, 07:00 AM
‘We Will Prevail in This Ideological Struggle,’ Bush SaysBy John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
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| WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2008 – The U.S. will prevail against extremism by protecting the homeland, staying “on the offense,” and replacing hope with despair, President Bush predicted today.
During a speech at the Emerald at Queensridge venue in Las Vegas, Nev., Bush laid out a strategy for winning what he described as an ideological struggle between those who advocate the march of freedom and those favoring chaos through asymmetric war.
“We will prevail in this ideological struggle because liberty is powerful; liberty is hopeful,” he said. “The enemy we face can only convince people to join their cause when they find hopelessness.”
Describing the second tier of his plan, Bush advocated staying on a daily, relentless hunt “to find (extremists) and bring them to justice.” He said conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are not separate, but rather they’re part of the same war on terrorism, which must be conducted with fervor.
“It's hard to plot, plan and attack America if you're running and hiding. It's hard to recruit if you're cutting off money. It is hard to spread your poison if other reasonable people join the cause,” he said. “And so we spend a lot of time doing everything we can to keep the pressure on these folks, and we got some good people working it.”
Before U.S. forces deployed to Afghanistan, Bush said, the Taliban-governed country presented a hopeless life for its residents.
“These thugs didn't believe in freedoms. They didn't believe in women having equal status. They didn't believe young girls should be educated,” he said. “And if you dared express your opinion that didn't mesh with theirs, you'd be whipped in the public square or killed.”
Bush said Operation Enduring Freedom liberated 25 million people and gave them a chance to realize the blessings of liberty. Since toppling the Taliban and routing al Qaeda from Afghanistan, he said, a safer Afghan populace has voted for a president and a parliament, girls are free to go to school, and highways and health centers are being constructed, Bush added.
“It's in our interest to help them because we believe that liberty is transformative, and a part of the world that was once a safe haven for an enemy to attack us will be a more hopeful place when freedom takes hold,” he said.
On Iraq, the president said the decision to remove Saddam Hussein was correct and that the world is better off without him in power. Since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Bush said, Iraqis have written a constitution and participated in democratic elections.
In what he described as a surge by Iraqis, the country’s citizens created 100,000 new soldiers and police in addition to 80,000 local citizens who volunteered to help patrol their own neighborhoods.
The original decision to begin military operations in Iraq was a tough one, based not “any Gallup poll or focus group,” but on sound judgment from military people and “a lot of folks who were following Iraq.”
“It was based upon what was right for the future of the United States, and that is, as opposed to pulling troops out, send more in,” Bush told the audience.
Bush noted that the surge, which was initiated in early 2007, marked an influx of forces that included more than just members of the U.S. military. Diplomats and public service officials also surged, he said, improving life in areas where insurgents had been purged.
The president said pursuing enemies requires cooperation by all U.S. assets: sharing information across intelligence communities, applying muscle with military forces, and ratcheting up pressure from allies.
“America must not relent,” he said. “If our most important job is to protect the American people, we have got to stay on the offense and defeat the enemy overseas so we do not have to face them here at home.”
Bush conceded that there are cynics who doubt freedom’s ability to take hold in parts of the world, but said he concluded that “liberty is transformative.”
“People want to be free and, if given the chance, will be free, do the hard work necessary to be free. And liberty has got the capacity to transform an enemy to an ally,” he said. “Therefore, we ought to have confidence in liberty's power to bring the peace we want, and not shy away from helping people realize the great blessings of freedom.”
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jan 30 2008, 08:25 PM
Lost
is back!
At least part of the new season....
It's about time.
Thursday night:
7:00 Lost
"Past, Present & Future" The mysteries of the island and its inhabitants; secretes that have been revealed and secrets that remain unanswered.
8:00 Lost
"The Beginning of the End" Convinced that rescue is near, the survivors are uncertain whether to believe Charlie's final message warning them about their apparent rescuers.
And now some info from Entertainment Weekly and Doc Jensen:
LOST TIME A personal reflection on the season past and the season to come (Doc Jensen):
Flashback, Jan. 31, 2007: Lost was at a low point. Critics and fans had turned on the show after a shaky start to a weirdly scheduled season. Ratings were on the wane. The big question: Had Lost lost it? The answer seemed far from certain, but hopes were high that the first episode of the new year, the Juliet-centric ''Not in Portland'', would mark a return to health.
***SPOILER*** "In the season premiere, titled ''The Beginning of the End,'' you will meet a man who gets some bad news. His best friend has just died. The tragedy hits him hard, so hard that it threatens to imperil the meaning of his hard-fought survivor's life. But he makes a choice — a choice to live a life worthy of his friend's sacrifice. This will prove very difficult, maybe even impossible, and it will invite many unforeseen consequences. But it doesn't make his conviction any less true or the choice any less correct. If I didn't like this guy before, I love him to pieces now. He's a dude after my own heart. " Read Doc Jensen's entire article on EW.com"Lost" Your Pre-season Cheat Sheet ... The Big Tease à here
And..."I" will be back here on Friday to discuss the first episode of LOST!
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jan 30 2008, 04:15 PM
Earnhardt Gears Up to Drive Guard-Sponsored Cars
By Tech. Sgt. Mike R. Smith, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
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CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 29, 2008 – As he drives its sponsored race cars at NASCAR's top auto racing competitions this year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. hopes to learn more about the National Guard.
NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. speaks with reporters Jan. 23, 2008, at Hendrick Motorsports headquarters outside Charlotte, N.C. Earnhardt will drive the National Guard's co-sponsored No. 88 Sprint Cup car and will join Landon Cassill to co-drive the Guard's primary-sponsored No. 5 Nationwide Series car. NASCAR's auto racing season starts in mid-February at Daytona International Speedway, Fla. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Mike R. Smith, USAF
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. | | "It's going to be a year-long introduction of myself to the Guard (and) how I can be an asset to them," Earnhardt said here Jan. 23.
With the 2008 NASCAR auto racing season less than a month from its first competitive laps, Earnhardt said he has hopes for a successful racing season with a new lineup of team members and sponsors, including the National Guard.
"It's just really overwhelming, everything that's happened this year to get to this point," said Earnhardt. "There's not enough hours in the day to explain everything that I have learned, everything that I have seen."
This year, Earnhardt will drive the National Guard co-sponsored No. 88 Sprint Cup Series car and will co-drive the Guard's primary-sponsored No. 5 Nationwide Series car with Landon Cassill. This is also the first year Earnhardt will drive under the Hendrick Motorsports banner.
HMS owner Rick Hendrick said he also is excited about Earnhardt's Guard sponsorship.
"He is a huge spokesman for the Guard," Hendrick said. "I think it's good to see the folks in uniform at the track. We owe them a lot, and we appreciate what (they) do to keep us free so we can go do this stuff."
Earnhardt said he is optimistic about racing with HMS, and he is working with other HMS drivers in their preparations. Seeing Guard members at the track this year, he said, will be a fun part of his race day.
"Lord knows what they have been up to or what they have been doing or what their responsibilities currently are, but for them to be at the race track and for us to be able to show them what we do and see some excitement in their face, especially when we do well, it's a lot of fun to have them along,” said the son of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, who crashed and died in the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
More popularly referred to as "Junior" by race fans, Earnhardt, one of the nation's most popular sports figures with 17 Sprint Cup wins and two Nationwide Series championships, spoke with other HMS NASCAR icons here, including Hendrick, two-time defending Sprint Cup championship driver Jimmie Johnson, as well as drivers Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears, about "accelerating into 2008."
Earnhardt will make his debut in the National Guard's sponsored cars during the Nationwide Series season opener – the Orbitz 300 – Feb. 17 at the Daytona International Speedway.
The National Guard will co-sponsor the No. 88 Sprint Cup team with Mountain Dew/Amp, which means Earnhardt will drive one of two Sprint Cup cars throughout the year: either the white and blue National Guard car or the white and green Mountain Dew/Amp car.
The Amp car will be driven for the Sprint Cup season opener Feb. 18 in the 50th Daytona 500.
Sprint Cup Series auto racing is NASCAR's highest-level competition and its most popular. NASCAR's second-highest auto racing competition is the Nationwide Series.
For NASCAR's Nationwide Series, the National Guard is a primary sponsor. Landon Cassill will drive the Nationwide Series No. 5 "Guard car" for 19 races and Earnhardt will drive it in the season opener and at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Fla., Nov. 15.
Hendrick said the teams were focused on "coming out of the gate strong." Forty-five Sprint Cup Series teams will compete to place among NASCAR's top 12 drivers who make up "The Chase" for the championship.
"If we make The Chase, we want to battle for the championship, but we know it's going to be a super tough year," Hendrick said.
For the Sprint Cup series, Earnhardt and HMS driver Casey Mears will team up on the track to help each other reach top finishes. Earnhardt said both teams are more prepared than ever before.
"I know the race cars look amazing when I go into the shop – Casey's cars, our cars – they just look so good from the inside out; it gives me a lot of excitement about the season," said Earnhardt.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series season opener will broadcast Feb. 17 at noon EST on ESPN2. The NASCAR Sprint Cup's season opener will broadcast Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. EST on Fox.
Starting in February, Guard members can go to the National Guard's racing Web site, http://www.ngb.army.mil/features/NASCAR/default.aspx, for current news, race results and photos.
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for Karen T. : ) Good luck!
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jan 30 2008, 11:15 AM
A remake of Michael Jackson's Thriller music video by prison inmates from the Philippines has become a popular viral video.The video was uploaded to YouTube by Byron Garcia, a security consultant for the local government, who is also credited with starting the program of choreographed exercise routines for the inmates. On December 19, 2007, Time Magazine placed the inmates' Cebu Thriller as 5th in the list of chosen 10 "most popular viral videos" of the years. Time's stated description of the prisoners was: "Orange-jumpsuited accused murderers, rapists and drug dealers paid homage to Michael Jackson's Thriller in a dance performance filmed at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines (CPDRC).
As of December 20, 2007 the inmates' video hit 9,570,353 views with comments - 22,146 and favorited - 47,249 times.
Comparatively speaking, as of December 27, 2007, Michael Jackson-Thriller YouTube video had only 4,311,237 views, Comments: 10,292, Favorited: 25,922 times, while the inmates' video had 9,966,810 views, with Comments: 22,732 and Favorited: 48,488 times.
Thus, on December 27, 2007, Vice Mayor Michael Rama, acting mayor of Cebu City, noted the inmates’ request to be in the Sinulog Festival as Sinulog Foundation executive director Ricky Ballesteros informed the former of the possibility of CPDRC’s participation.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Here is a shorter, practice video of the CPDRC's:
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Oh, yeah.....This is a great idea to me!!!
Murderers, rapists, drug dealers....pretending to be dancing with the stars!
How about some hard labor?!
Yeah...the Philippines really needs a court yard full of strutting, crotch grabbing, zombie hard criminals learning how to dance.
And Michael Jackson is the perfect roll model too!
If you HAVE to have dancing as an activity for "exercise," how about some ballet lessons?
Maybe that music will soothe the wild beast in these criminals.
They certainly don't need "Thriller."
Ridiculous!
If Michael Jackson is ever contemplating anything that may "lead him to a prison term," at least we know what country he should be living in next.
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jan 30 2008, 06:06 AM
Your classic car should be anyway...
MILWAUKEE - There's another casting call set for the movie "Public Enemies" - but for vehicles not actors.
Filmmakers want people with antique cars, trucks and buses from 1930 to 1935 to bring them, or pictures of them, to Milwaukee's Miller Park between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday. Read more ... " Public Enemies" filmmakers looking for 30's era vehicles ç here
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Jan 29 2008, 09:10 PM
LONDON (Reuters) - Middle age is truly miserable, according to a study using data from 80 countries showing that depression is most common among men and women in their forties.
The British and U.S. researchers found that happiness for people ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe follows a U-shaped curve where life begins cheerful before turning tough during middle age and then returning to the joys of youth in the golden years.
Read the article
Middle-Age is Truly Depressing, Study Finds ç here
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Boy, oh, boy!
If I make it to my 70s....I won't be depressed anymore!
I'll find the childhood joys of youth!
Right!
I can barely walk on some days now!
I'm supposed to look forward to my 70's so I can be relieved that I will get out of the depressive slump I am supposedly in?
Maybe I am a little depressed now that I think about it....
I am a little depressed when I think about the fact that I may not be able to have the proper health care I need when I hit those joyful 70s...and I worry someone may force socialized health care on me and I'll have to wait months for ANY care.
I do worry that I won't be able to live in my home anymore, and may have to move to a Southern state because I can't pay my property taxes ...that's certainly depressing.
Well, it'll all be O.K.
I guess I'll be so "full of joy" when I'm 70 that these things won't matter then.
Either that, or someone who did this study is "full of it."
(Oh, yeah, I know I'm older than 40....)
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Jan 29 2008, 11:10 AM
Top action images from Reuters Sports in the 21st Century
 Milwaukee Bucks forward Joe Smith (8) attempts a shot with Philadelphia 76ers forward Chris Webber and centre Steven Hunter (45) providing a tight defence in the first quarter of NBA action at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. 23 November 2005. Reuters/Allen Fredricksen
Catch this excellent slideshow, presented by Reuters, which includes the above shot of Joe Smith from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jump!
View Slideshow ç
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Jan 28 2008, 09:01 PM
 Edward H. Holpfer
414-425-1889
steelman8860@yahoo.com
Ed and his wife Barbara have been residents of Franklin for 26 years.
They have a son and daughter who both graduated from Franklin High School.
Ed has run his own Building / Consulting business since 1998 and recently accepted the position of Sales Manager for a company specializing in Commercial and office interiors. He also has executive management experience, having served as Vice President of Administration for a thirty million dollar business with over 400 employees. He was also the President / Executive Director of the West Allis Chamber of Commerce.
Ed has been active in the community for well over twenty years and has served on the following Boards and Commissions:
Franklin Public School Board 2002-2003
Board and Commissions Review Task force
Franklin Board of Public Works
Franklin Storm water Management Task force
Franklin Facility Needs Study Task force
Franklin Civic Celebrations Commissions
Franklin Library Building Committee
Franklin Education Foundation - Charter member
Future Olympic Athletes Training Fund
Franklin Chamber of Commerce Board Member -
eight years on the Board/ four years as President
Board Member West Allis Business Incubator
West Allis School /business Partnership
Past Member:
Franklin Jaycees West Allis Rotary Club
I can sum up Ed Holpfer this way, “What you see is what you get.” At least, that’s my take on him after my interview.
Ed is running for School Board because he is not happy with the direction the Board has taken over the past few years and he believes he has the knowledge, experience, leadership skills and vision to help the Board become more effective. There can be a large learning curve for new people coming in, making it difficult to be an active participant at first. Ed believes his previous experience as a Board member would allow him the opportunity to have an immediate impact. He has a good command of the process and how the district operates and he would be an active and contributing member immediately.
He believes a School Board member supports the functions of the Board by being well informed and active. While two major functions of a School Board are policy making and evaluation, they also serve as executive management for the district, and as such, provide strategic vision and direction to the Administration. They act as a liaison between the school district and the community to ensure that the community’s educational requirements and desires are met, as well as State and Federal requirements.
As a School Board member, Ed hopes that his experience and business background can help the Board to function more effectively and more in tune with the citizens of Franklin. He hopes his perspective helps people see things in a different light and perhaps he can challenge the Board and the district to stretch beyond their comfort levels to reach higher and try harder. Ed also hopes he can help to foster a feeling of openness and trust, as well as communication and accountability.
I questioned Ed about what issues he felt were in the greatest need of being addressed by the Board. He responded that in the short term, the Board needs to regain the confidence of the community and get on with the business at hand. Obviously, at some point the district’s space needs will have to be addressed in both the short and long term. He believes there needs to be some discussion regarding the budget process and how that information is disseminated among the board and the greater community. Given his past experience and knowledge of the District, there are many issues that Ed would like to see addressed over the course of a three-year term.
I asked Ed what his vision is for the performance of the Franklin Public School District. He responded by saying his vision of the District's performance really only counts if it is a shared vision with the rest of the Board. He would like to establish a set of criteria by which to judge performance against the surrounding Milwaukee metro area districts on core competencies with an additional subset of criteria comparing only schools of same size and budget. Ed would work in conjunction with the Board, the staff and the community to establish what is important to be measured, how we would measure it and what percentile of proficiency we want to achieve. More importantly, what level would the community support financially? For example, if the goal is to be in the top 10% in all competencies, but in the lowest percent for salaries and benefits, then the goal of top 10% would probably be unrealistic.
Regarding achievement, Ed said he would rate our district at a “B.” He feels it is a little above average, but certainly not the best it could be. When asked how he would measure achievement, he said some of the benchmarks that he feels important are, in no particular order, grades, test scores, participation, graduation rates, extra curricular participation, community service, college acceptance, trade school acceptance, employability, attainment of district goals, and meeting Local, State, and Federal standards.
On taxes, while he does not agree with the Board on all budgetary issues, Ed believes the Franklin Public Schools have generally been fiscally responsible. He has first-hand knowledge as to the complexities and limitations of the budgeting process. He said there was a time when he was very vocal in his opposition to the way this district spent its money, but over the years, the district has done a much better job in how it has handles the budget. While there are some current concerns over how things were done in the last budget, publicly calling the board fiscally irresponsible would, in his opinion, be a misstatement.
I asked Ed if he saw any areas where cuts in spending might be made. He said, when you look at the large percentage of the budget that goes to cover mandated programs and costs, the percentage of discretionary spending is pretty small by comparison. He is not prepared, at this time, to name areas that he thinks could be cut without performing some due diligence and looking at a cost/benefit analysis.
When asked, if necessary, how he would convince others that cuts in spending needed to be made, Ed responded that to sit on a Board and just vote no to spending issues (especially if you’re the lone no vote) really won’t accomplish anything. The key to positive change is to come to some consensus on priorities and by defining the differences between wants and needs. When the due diligence is done and the facts are presented, you need to have an honest and open discussion of what the priorities are and what options are available, as well as a comparison of costs to benefits. All parties need to have an open mind and some room for compromise. Ed said, throughout his career, he has demonstrated an ability to build consensus and help to move things along.
Regarding reducing spending without adversely affecting student achievement, Ed said over the years he has heard candidates and the general public say, “we need to cut the fat” or “eliminate waste” and yet he has not really seen any major results. As he mentioned previously, the discretionary portion of the budget is relatively small. In his estimation, the way to reduce waste is to reduce or eliminate activities that provide little or no value. If they are mandated activities, how do you meet the needed requirements in less time with lower costs?
Whether you use Lean methodology, continuous quality improvement practices or some other performance enhancing discipline, these require a total commitment from the top to the bottom of the organization and should not be taken on half-heartedly, and without extensive research to find a process that fits our application and gives the most likely chance for success. By eliminating activities with little or no value you would not have a negative impact on student achievement.
On the issue of programs and extra-curriculars, Ed feels that as a candidate, and not an active member with current knowledge of the effectiveness of all the activities and programs available to students, he can’t say with certainty that a particular activity or program makes absolutely no contribution to student achievement and could or should be cut. He would prefer to look at how many students are involved and at what cost to achieve what benefits when reviewing potential activities to cut or reduce. Ed would also like to look at what could be combined with other schools to keep an activity available if it was providing a benefit.
Having put two children through the district, he remembers the fundraisers he participated in over the years. As inconvenient as it was at times, we did it because it was for our children. The district already has in place activity fees to help offset some of the costs of these activities. Ed said he would probably support some increase in these fees if it were necessary to keep these activities available. However, as an elected official, he would need to consider the impact of higher fees on families that may find those fees prohibitive. As a member of a public Board you have responsibilities to a very diverse constituency.
Ed feels the Superintendent is responsible for the operation and effectiveness of the district and serves to fulfill the goals and objectives of the district as determined by the Board (reflecting the desires of the community) the staff and all appropriate regulating bodies. He feels it is the hiring of a Superintendent with the same core values and philosophies that represent those of the Board and the community is essential in achieving success in the district. You need to have the right person in place and the last Superintendent was certainly not the right fit.
As a Board member, communicating with the public would be a priority for Ed. He feels there is currently room for improvement. He also believes that no matter how hard you try, there will always be someone that says “nobody told me.” You have to do the best job you are able to do and listen to the public and find out the best ways to share the information, documenting all of your efforts and making them public. Public input is critical in Ed’s decision making process because he believes the direction, standards and expectations of the district should reflect what the community expects from their school system. That input needs to come from all stakeholders in the district, including those residents that do not have students in the system, the businesses in the community that may employ our students, and the colleges that will continue their educations. That public input serves as a filter to help evaluate and prioritize information in conjunction with input from internal sources, as well as other external sources.
Ed closed by saying he has served on and worked directly for several Boards. He knows how to conduct Board business. He has a vision of how good this district could become and would be a good steward of citizen tax dollars. His desire is not to focus on the mistakes of the past. That won’t solve the issues we face. He would rather spend his time and energy making sure those mistakes are not repeated and that we are focused on making the best district possible given the resources available.
We need a school district that is open and completely transparent in its dealings.
We need a school district that reflects the standards and expectations of the residents of Franklin.
We need a school district that performs at a high level, achieving high results while operating as efficiently as possible.
If elected, those would be Ed Holpfer’s goals.
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Jan 28 2008, 07:15 AM
L.L. Bean, out of Freeport, Maine has been around since 1912. I visited their store back in the 1960's two times and remember the visits well, even though I was a child. Back then, there was no other sporting goods store like it. While there are other stores now, L.L. Bean can still be trusted for quality. They have everything from kayaks, fishing equipment, shoes and boots, and clothes.
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I know you've seen this brand in the store. Who hasn't? Oxo, out of New York, is a great brand of Kitchen tools. But you can't always find that item you want in the store. So why not check out all the products available right from the source, online? Oxo has:
Kitchen Tools
Household Cleaning Tools
Bath Products
Barware
Barbecue Tools
Garden Tools
Storage and Organization Products
Automotive Cleaning Tools
OXO Good Grips
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Neato.com is a trusted place to shop online for deals on computer related media...DVDs, CDs, cases, labels, photo paper, all kinds of stuff. I know you can get this stuff at the store... but if you want to shop online, this is the place to go. And they almost always have a coupon. Here's the latest coupon:
20% OFF CD/DVD LABELS,BLANK MEDIA,INSERTS, STORAGE,
SURGE PROTECTORS, CELL PHONE ACCESSORIES &
OUR NEW DISCGEAR PRODUCTS
at neato.com with Coupon FDWA
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Stops from past Internet Shopping Trips:
Okay, all you men out there...with Valentines Day just around the corner, it's time to at least think about what you will give your sweetheart for that special holiday. If it's flowers, you can't get more beautiful bouquets than from Martha Stewart Flowers. They are simply gorgeous, top quality flowers. You can't keep your eyes off of them when they are in a room. Unless you are looking at that special somebody! They are delivered straight to you door in a flower box.
Moonstruck Chocolate Company is out of Portland, Oregon.
You've got to see their chocolates to believe them! But tasting them is even better.
And I'm bringing you this just in time for Valentines Day!
Starwest Botanicals is out of Sacramento, CA. They offer bulk organics, herbs, spices & teas, essential oils, aromatherapy, extracts, and many other products. I scent my shampoo with their essential oil and recently needed some glycerin for a project and was able to find a huge bottle here.
WEST ELM Peeperspecs
Red Envelope
ALTERRA
Koeze Company
Z Gallerie
Hale Groves
Couture's Maple Syrup Shop
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Mrs. Hanes Hand-Made Moravian Cookies
ZABAR'S
SHOP ELVIS.COM
Harbor Sweets
Hilltop Restaurant
Barbara Ford Doyle Calendars
Zingerman's
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Jan 28 2008, 12:10 AM
By Janet Evans
Sunday, Jan 27 2008, 06:15 PM
"The Green Bay Packers didn't win the National Football Conference championship game earlier this month, but needy people in some other countries around the world are expected to soon be sporting T-shirts, sweat shirts and hats proclaiming that they did."
That, according to Susan McBride Rothman, the NFL's vice president of consumer products. 200 T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats proclaiming the Packers as NFC champs were made by either Dick's Sporting Goods or Sports Authority and they have been making the donations to places like Zambia and Nicaragua since 1994 for the needy.
Read the story on the Examiner.com
Gear Saying Packers Won the NFC Title Going To Needy Overseas à here
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Jan 27 2008, 03:16 PM
Good news for all of you beer drinkers out there.
Good news for all of you non-beer drinkers out there, too.
Researchers at Oregon State University discovered the cancer-related properties of a flavonoid compound called xanthohumol, which is found in hops.
Hops are mainly used in beer.
Healthier beers are now being developed with higher levels of this compound.
So, in the near future, feel free to drink your beer with the toast
"To your health!"
Read about healthy properties of hops on Biology News Net
Anti-Cancer Compound In Beer Gaining Interest ç here
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