Gift Card Purchases

I got this warning via email and verified that it is true on snopes.com:

Well the crooks have found a way to rob you of your gift card balance. If you buy Gift Cards from a display rack that has various store cards you may become a victim of theft. Crooks are now jotting down the card numbers in the store and then wait a few days and call to see how much
of a balance THEY have on the card. Once they find the card is "activated", and then they go online and start shopping. You may want to purchase your card from a customer service person, where they do not have the Gift Cards viewable to the public. Please share this with all your family and friends...

Where should these folks live?

This random couple in New York have turned to the internet to decide where they should live after they get married. They chose 250 towns across the continental United States and want people to vote for where they should live. You can vote as many times as you’d like for any combination of towns you like. Once a town receives 1,000,000 votes, they are going to move to that town for at least one year (and update the world on what they think of the town they end up in). Personally I think they should have narrowed it down some - 250 towns is way too many, but I guess they wanted the media hype in all those towns across the country. They probably should have worked a little harder on their website design as well ... but then, I'm just picky about things like that.

So where do you think they should live. I have submitted several votes for my hometown of Columbia, MO (which is currently number 33 of 250). Below is the top 10, just to give you an idea of where things stand.

So cast your vote!

The Scream

Here is the infuz rendition of The Scream by Edvard Munch.

The evolution of an AOL logo...

AOL recently changed their logo...again. The company has only existed for 15 (or so) years and already has had 3 different logo designs. I guess they have to constantly reinvent themselves to keep their company afloat.

The November 7th Election

I realized the other night that while I knew how I was going to vote on the big issues that will be on the November ballot (US Senator, Amendment 2, Amendment 3, Parkway's Proposition R), I didn't know about all the other issues that are not as widely known, but still important. Here is a list of what people in my area will be voting on. To find out what people will be voting on in your area of St. Louis county, click here. In this particular post, I am not endorsing any particular candidate, I'm just informing people what they will be voting on so they can make an informed decision. The important thing is that you GET OUT AND VOTE (after you read up on the issues and make an informed decision)!

US Senator:
Jim Talent (republican)
Claire McCaskill (democrat)
Frank Gilmour (libertarian)
Lydia Lewis (progressive)

State Auditor:
Sandra Thomas (republican)
Susan Montee (democrat)
Charles W. Baum (libertarian)
Terry Bunker (progressive)

US Representative - District 2:
Todd Akin (republican)
George D. Weber (democrat)
Tamara A. Millay (libertarian)

State Representative - District 92:
Charles R. Portwood (republican)
Beverly White (democrat)

County Executive:
Joe Passanise (republican)
Charlie A. Dooley (democrat)
Theo "Ted" Brown, Sr (libertarian)

Prosecuting Attorney:
Robert P. McCulloch (republican)

County Council - District 7:
Greg Quinn (republican)
Steven Biggs (democrat)

Supreme Court Judges:
William Ray Price
Mary Rhodes Russell
Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr.

Court of Appeals Judges:
Kenneth M. Romines
Nannette A. Baker

Constitutional Amendment - No. 2
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to allow
and set limitations on stem cell research, therapies,
and cures which will:

• ensure Missouri patients have access to any therapies and cures, and allow Missouri researchers to conduct any research, permitted under federal law;
• ban human cloning or attempted cloning;
• require expert medical and public oversight and annual reports on the nature and purpose of stem cell research;
• impose criminal and civil penalties for any violations;
  and
• prohibit state or local governments from preventing
  or discouraging lawful stem cell research, therapies
  and cures?

The proposed constitutional amendment would have an estimated annual fiscal impact on state and local governments of $0-$68,916.

Constitutional Amendment - No. 3
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to create
a Healthy Future Trust Fund which will:

1. be used to reduce and prevent tobacco use, to
   increase funding for health care access and treatment
   for eligible low-income individuals and Medicaid
   recipients, and to cover administrative costs;
2. be funded by a tax of four cents per cigarette and
   twenty percent on other tobacco products; and
3. be kept separate from general revenue and annually audited?

Additional taxes of four cents per cigarette and twenty percent of the manufacturers invoice price on other tobacco products generates an estimated $351- $499 million annually for tobacco control programs, health care or low income Missourians, and payments for services provided to Missouri Medicaid beneficiaries and uninsured Missourians. Local governmental fiscal impact is unknown.

Constitutional Amendment - No. 6
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to include a tax exemption for real and personal property that is used or held exclusively for nonprofit purposes or activities of veterans' organizations?

It is estimated this proposal will have a minimal cost to state government. The estimated costs to local governmental entities range from zero to approximately $45,000.

Constitutional Amendment - No. 7
Shall Article XIII, Section 3 of the Constitution be amended to require that legislators, statewide elected officials, and judges forfeit state pensions upon felony conviction, removal from office following impeachment or for misconduct, and to require that compensation for such persons be set by a citizens' commission subject to voter referendum?

It is estimated this proposal will have no costs to state or local governments.

Statutory Measure - Proposition B
Shall Missouri Statutes be amended to increase the state minimum wage rate to $6.50 per hour, or to the level of the federal minimum wage if that is higher, and thereafter adjust the state minimum wage annually based on changes in the Consumer Price Index?

The proposed revisions to Missouri’s wage rate laws generates an estimated $3.3 million to $4.3 million annually in state revenue. The impact on local government is unknown.

Parkway School District - Proposition R
Shall the school board of the Parkway C-2 School District be authorized to increase the operating tax levy for purposes of lowering class size, purchasing textbooks, equipment and supplies, improving technology, and managing the increased costs of educational programs by thirty-seven cents ($0.37) per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation? If this proposition is approved, the adjusted operating levy of the school district is estimated to be three dollars and fifty-three cents ($3.53) per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation.

Special School District - Proposition S
Shall the School Board of the Special School District of St. Louis County, Missouri, be authorized to increase the operating levy for the purposes of educating students with disabilities, providing
screening and diagnostics testing and providing technical education to students in St. Louis County by eighteen cents (18¢) per one hundred dollars ($100.00) of assessed valuation?

If this Proposition is approved by the voters, the adjusted operating levy of the Special School District is estimated to be one dollar ($1.00) per one hundred dollars ($100.00) of assessed valuation.

Silly Blogger!

I switched my blog over to the blogger/google beta version and now aparently I cannot post on anyones blog that has not been switched, and anyone without a google accout (just a blogger account) cannot post on mine. This is really annoying, so feel free to post annonymously and just put your name in the post message if it won't let you post like normal.

To Clone or not to clone?

Missouri is trying a bait and switch tactic on its voters to try and get amendment 2 passed - and if voters don't pay attention they will fall for it.

The language on the ballot and the language in the actual constitutional amendment are different. Here's what you will see on the ballot with the myths unveiled (in red):

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

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to allow and set limitations on stem cell research, therapies, and cures which will: TRUTH: Amendment 2 doesn't set any new limitations on stem cell research that isn't already in federal law.

• ensure Missouri patients have access to any therapies and cures, and allow Missouri researchers to conduct any research, permitted under federal law; TRUTH: All US citizens (including Missourians) ALREADY have the same access to medical breakthroughs, and there is currently no laws keeping Missouri scientists from conducting research that the federal law allows now.
  
• ban human cloning or attempted cloning; TRUTH: Amendment 2's fine print defines cloning as resulting in a fully grown human baby, but does not consider cloning for research to be cloning.
  
• require expert medical and public oversight and annual reports on the nature and purpose of stem cell research; TRUTH: According to the full text of Amendment 2, this "oversight" would consist of the human-clone researchers policing themselves.
  
• impose criminal and civil penalties for any violations; and
  
• prohibit state or local governments from preventing or discouraging lawful stem cell research, therapies and cures? TRUTH: because "lawful stem cell research" described in amendment 2 requires human cloning, this means your tax dollars will be used to fund this research, and no state, county or local government will have the power to say no.
  

The proposed constitutional amendment would have an estimated annual fiscal impact on state and local governments of $0-$68,916.

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

For more information see 2tricky.org or moroundtable.org.

UNPROVEN, UNNECESSARY, UNETHICAL: Embryonic Stem Cell Research

It worries me how many people are FOR embryonic stem cell research and ammendment 2. Please read the following and consider it before you vote on November 7. PLEASE NOTE: I am not against stem cell research using adult stem cells...only research that uses embryonic stem cells.

• Adult stem cells have already been successfully used in human therapies for many years. As of this moment, there are 72 successful treatments/cures using adult stem cells. NO therapies in humans have ever been successfully carried out using embryonic stem cells. In fact, the ONLY reported use of embryonic stem cells in humans was an attempt to cure Parkinson's disease, and resulted in some patients actually becoming worse.
  
• Embryonic stem cells are harvested from a human embryo. During the process of harvesting the cells, the embryo is destroyed, thus destroying a human life. In adults, stem sells are obtaqined from body tissues such as bone marrow, umbrilical cord blood, fat cells, etc. There is no damage to the donor in any way.
  
• Embryonic stem cells have produced tumors in animal lab testing due to the fact that they continue to replicate themselves indefinately.
• The harvesting of embyros from women causes substantial risks to the woman donors health. Not to mention the fact that women will be paid to donate their eggs which has the likelyhood to exploit poor and uneducated women.

Brawny Academy

You might have seen the tv commercials...Brawny Paper Towels developed an online reality show where they brought in some men in need of some improvement (according to their wives and girlfriends). The men come into the show as slobs and leave as changed men - along the way learning valuable skills such as replacing a toilet. It's funny, cheesy, dorky, and overall a brillent ad campaign. Check it out for yourselves!

Brawny Academy

All I can say is WOW!

This is an incredible commercial for Sony Bravia. The first time I watched it I thought maybe it was photoshopped somehow... Well it has been color corrected, but it is actually paint, and actually buildings...

• Check out the commercial
• Check out the behind the scenes
  

It's so neat for a lot of reasons...one thing that strikes me as interesting is that the buildings they used seem to be abandoned. If you watch the behind the scenes video you will see that there are broken out windows, rusted playground equipment, graffiti covered hallways - it appears to be projects, or slums that were used as the backdrop to an amazing commercial. I can't even imagine how much it cost to produce that!

Thanks Ryan for showing me this!

Just how observant are you?

This quiz is based on U.S. info, so use all lobes of your brain. This can be more difficult than it looks - it just shows how little most of us really see! There are 25 questions about things we see every day or have known about all our lives. How many can you get right? These little simple questions may be harder than you think...

Put your thinking caps on. NO CHEATING!!! BE HONEST!!! No looking around! No getting out of your chair! No using anything on or in your desk (including your phone) or computer!

The average person gets only 7 correct. How many can you answer? Write down your answers as you go. Check your answers on the comments page, AFTER completing all the questions.

LET'S JUST SEE HOW OBSERVANT YOU REALLY ARE.

1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom?
   
2. How many states are there in the USA? (Don't laugh, some people don't know)
   
3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty's torch?
4. What six colors are on the classic Campbell's soup label?
   
5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them?
   
6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg? (Don't you dare get up to see!)
   
7. How many matches are in a standard pack?
   
8. On the United States flag is the top stripe red or white?
   
9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial?
   
10. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise?
    
11. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run?
    
12. How many channels on a VHF TV dial?
    
13. On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons?
    
14. Which way do fans rotate?
    
15. How many sides does a stop sign have?
16. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side?
    
17. How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel?
    
18. How many sides are there on a standard pencil?
    
19. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing?
20. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?
    
21. On which playing card is the card maker's trademark?
    
22. On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats?
    
23. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits?
    
24. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip?
    
25. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise?
    

Raising Chinchillas

Raising Chinchillas

You must check out this commercial!!!

My Celebrity Look-alikes

Upload your photo and find out which celebrity you resemble the most! Here are the ones that supposedly look like me. You be the judge, then try it yourself.

Birthday Calendar

This is a pretty nifty little tool. It tells you all kinds of useless little details, like how many hours, minutes, and seconds you are old and when you were probably conceived.

Birthday Calculator

Here are some interesting little things I learned:

• I was concieved on or about February 8, 1982 (which is the same day my sister was born in 1986)
• My "life path" number is 5. I am most compatible with peoples whose "life path" numbers are 1, 5 and 7. (Tom's "life path" number is 6...)
• I am 209,556 hours old (as of right now...11:53 am on September 27, 2006)
• Lyle Lovett has the same birthday as me.
• One of the top songs of 1982 was "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. No wonder I'm best at that song in Guitar Hero.
• My age is the equivalent of a dog that is 3.41722 years old.
• There was a full moon on the day I was born.

Do you love to travel?

Below I've marked an "x" in front of each state (plus Washington DC) that I've been to. I've been to 22 and have 29 left.

STATES I'VE BEEN TO:
[ ] Alabama
[ ] Alaska
[x] Arizona (flagstaff, phoenix, gila bend - ha)
[ ] Arkansas
[x] California (san diego)
[x] Colorado (grand junction in the most crappy motel ever)
[ ] Connecticut
[ ] Delaware
[x] Florida (disney world!)
[x] Georgia (atlanta for the 2004 golden key conference)
[ ] Hawaii
[ ] Idaho
[x] Illinois (mostly chicago and peoria where my family is from)
[x] Indiana (drove thru it on the way to naz farm)
[ ] Iowa
[x] Kansas (drove across it)
[x] Kentucky (drove thru it)
[ ] Louisiana
[ ] Maine
[x] Maryland (when i went to Washington DC)
[ ] Massachusetts
[ ] Michigan
[ ] Minnesota
[ ] Mississippi
[x] Missouri (duh)
[ ] Montana
[x] Nebraska (region 8 APO conference)
[x] Nevada (Los Vegas)
[ ] New Hampshire
[ ] New Jersey
[x] New Mexico (Albuquerque and Tucumcari - a modern day ghost town!)
[ ] New York
[ ] North Carolina
[ ] North Dakota
[x] Ohio (drove thru it)
[x] Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
[ ] Oregon
[ ] Pennsylvania
[ ] Rhode Island
[ ] South Carolina
[ ] South Dakota
[x] Tennesee (drove thru it)
[x] Texas (Amarillo)
[x] Utah (the only place i've ever seen a sign reading "no services 108 miles")
[ ] Vermont
[x] Virginia (DC trip)
[ ] Washington
[x] Washington DC (4-H trip in 10th grade)
[x] West Virginia (naz farm!)
[ ] Wisconsin
[ ] Wyoming

OTHER PLACES I'VE BEEN:
Ocho Rios, Jamaica

You know you're from Missouri when.......

I've seen this list before...but I still have to laugh every time. Some are just a little too far...but see how many you nod your head to as you read the list!

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

You know you're from Missouri when...

1. You've never met any celebrities.
   
2. Everyone you know has been on a "Float Trip."
3. "Vacation" means driving to Silver Dollar City, Worlds of Fun or Six Flags.
4. You've see all the biggest bands ten years AFTER they were popular.
5. You measure distance in minutes rather than miles. For example, "Well, Sikeston only 30 minutes away."
6. Down south to you means Arkansas.
7. The phrase "I'm going to the Lake this weekend" only means one thing.
8. You know several people who have hit a deer.
9. You think Missouri is spelled with an"ah" at the end. (I personally hate this one...it drives me NUTS when people say "Missourah" - and this seems to be said by people NOT from Missouri usually.)
   
10. Your school classes were canceled because of cold.
11. You know what "Party Cove" is.
12. Your school classes were canceled because of heat.
13. You instinctively ask someone you've just met, "What High School did you go to?" (St. Louis only - people in Columbia aren't so concerned - after all, we only have 3 high schools)
    
14. You've had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
15. You think ethanol makes your truck "run a lot better."
16. You know what's knee-high by the Fourth of July.
17. You see people wear bib overalls at funerals.
18. You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with no one in it, no matter what time of day.
19. You know in your heart that Mizzou can beat Nebraska in football.
20. You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition Example: "Where's my coat at?"
21. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, or grain.
22. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
23. You think of the major four food groups as beef, pork, beer, and Jell-O salad with marshmallows.
24. You carry jumper cables in your car and know that everyone else should.
25. You went to skating parties as a kid.
26. You only own three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup.
27. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
28. You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightie.
29. The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page, but requires six pages for sports.
30. You think I-44 is spelled and pronounced "farty-far." (St. Louis only.)
31. You'll pay for your kids to go to college unless they want to go to KU.
32. You think that "deer season" is a National Holiday.
33. You know that Concordia is halfway between Kansas City and Columbia, and Columbia is halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City, and the Warrenton Outlet Mall is halfway between Columbia and St. Louis.
34. You can't think of anything better than sitting on the porch in the middle of the summer during a thunderstorm.
35. You know which leaves make good toilet paper. (I think this is a little exaggeration...)
    
36. You've said, "It's not the heat, it's the humidity."
37. You know all four seasons: Almost Summer, summer, Still Summer and Football.
38. You know if another Missourian is from the Boot-heel, Ozarks, Eastern, Middle or Western Missouri soon as they open their mouth.
39. You know that Harry S Truman, Walt Disney and Mark Twain are all from Missouri.
40. You failed World Geography in school because you thought Cuba, Versailles, California, Nevada, Houston, Cabool, Louisiana, Springfield, and Mexico were cities in Missouri. (And they are!)
41. You think a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.
42. You know what "HOME OF THE THROWED ROLL" means.
43. You actually get this and forward it to all your Missouri friends.

News of the Weird!

Chinese surgeons report penis transplant

Yup...the article title says it all...very interesting...

Spreading the Word: Priestie Boyz

The press release below is for a friends band which just released their first album:

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (download in PDF format)

Contact: Address: Phone: Email: Website

Jeff Geerling 5200 Glennon Drive St. Louis, MO 63119 314-792-6340 priestieboyz@kenrick.edu www.priestieboyz.com

ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC SEMINARIANS PRODUCE ALBUM
"Priestie Boyz" release alternative CD

SAINT LOUIS, MO — September 19, 2006.

A group of local Catholic seminarians (and former seminarians) has released a CD of "inspirational Catholic alternative music." Priestie Boyz, a group of Roman Catholic seminarians studying for the priesthood at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, are selling the album Lost in Ecstasy on their website, www.priestieboyz.com.

Founded in 2004, the Priestie Boyz describe their music as embodying "love for the Church and Jesus Christ and a joyous attitude," according to spokesman and sound engineer Jeff Geerling, who is also a seminarian.

"We strive to return our talents to the One who gave them to us. We believe our music is a prayer, and we hope it is a prayer for those who hear it," Geerling said.

After production began, band members Mike Bauer and Anthony Podesta left the seminary, but continue to work alongside the remaining seminarian band members.

Lost in Ecstasy can be purchased online at www.priestieboyz.com, as well as in some St. Louis stores and at music events (details on the band's website).

###

For more information, email the Priestie Boyz at priestieboyz@kenrick.edu or call Jeff Geerling at 314-792-6340.

Coming soon to a TV near you...

For those of you who don't know, I'm obsessed with 7th Heaven and Gilmore Girls. Both premiere next week for their 10th and 7th seasons. Here is a sneak peak directly from the CW website of what this fall has in store in the tv world...so much for not giving much details on the Gilmore Girls front...


7th Heaven (premieres Monday, September 25 at 7 pm):
This season, Eric and Annie’s family issues are pushed to the wayside when Eric is diagnosed with a fatal heart condition and told he only has six months to live. Of course, as you would expect, the news will drastically alter the way they view life and how they interact with the community around them. Eric will make each decision as if it might be his last which will prove heartbreaking and even humorous at times, and Annie will attempt to fight fate by seeking guidance from psychics, healers and therapy groups.

Additionally, at the end of last season, Matt, Mary and Lucy all announced that their respective families were expecting twins, following in the footsteps of Eric and Annie. Sadly, the season opener reveals that Lucy has lost the twins over the summer, leaving her to reevaluate what’s next for her and her family. Kevin is a good husband and wants to help his wife during this difficult time, but, unfortunately, his efforts at making Lucy feel better only result in pushing her further away. In addition to being a stay-at-home father, this season Kevin will take a troubled young boy -- the boy who accidentally shot him last season -- under his wing in an effort to change the course of his life.

Martin returns to Glenoak after realizing that he misses his son and wants to become more active in his life. His son’s mother, Sandy, is in love with Simon, but finally comes to terms with the fact that she has to move on with her life after Simon returns to school. She decides to attend seminary school and become a minister, creating an unspoken rivalry with Lucy who is also a minister and feels like Sandy is on her turf. It also doesn’t sit well with Lucy that the troubled teens from church, who had previously come to her for advice, now flock to Sandy who has a dark past that is more relatable.


Gilmore Girls (premieres Tuesday, September 26 at 7 pm):
As season seven unfolds, Lorelai and Rory will turn to one another to get through the complications in their respective romances. It may be that Lorelai's relationship with Luke has been irretrievably marred now that she has once again let Christopher come between them. Even so, she and Luke still have to co-exist in tiny, close-knit Stars Hollow with the town's watchful eyes on them and all their charged history. Meanwhile, Rory will attempt to keep her long-distance romance with Logan alive, even though communication has never been their strong suit, and London is far away.

New Website!

Our website, www.chinchillalove.com, has gotten a facelift. Instead of giving info about our wedding (that has been over for 3 months), the website now focuses on our life together. All the wedding info has been condensed into one page. The photo album now features slide shows actually within the site instead of linking out to facebook photo albums, and there's some fun new features, like "choose your color" where you can choose one of four background colors for the site to be displayed in.

Web geeks please note - I have not gone over the site in internet explorer on a PC so there could potentially be some bugs. Let me know if you find any and I'll get them fixed ASAP.

Glass in the Garden

Gimlet and I checked out the Chihuly: Glass in the Garden exhibit this weekend at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. All I have to say is AWESOME. The exhibit is there through October 31, 2006. Check it out before it's gone! However, I don't think that I'll be able to go back to the gardens after the exhibit is gone and not miss it and wish that it was still there.

The glass work is just beautiful. It's organic and goes so well with the nature surrounding it. Some of the pieces even feel like they just grew from the ground alongside the trees and plants. We took a ton of pictures. You can check them out here, but they really don't do justice to seeing it in person!

no internet...

Gimlet and I have had no internet for several days now. We canceled with SBC/ATT because they suck (they wouldn't give us a new dsl modem - the one we had died and they claimed that it was "out of warrenty" and told us we'd have to purchase a new one from them). We signed up with Earthlink DSL on Saturday, but have to wait for them to send us a modem to begin using it. At least we can use Earthlink dial-up until the modem arrives....it's better than nothing.

On another note...the power supply cord for my laptop died this weekend as well, so I cannot use my laptop until I get a new cord...why does everything always happen at once?

Daisy!

Daisy has arrived! Gimlet and I went over to see her last night. She is so tiny, but she loves her tbonz dog treats. We brought her a welcome home basket complete with Tiny Tbonz treats, Beggin' Strips, Chew-eez Rolls, a doggie bandanna, some toys, and a doggie picture frame for her human mommy and daddy. All the presents were given to her in a basket which she immediately claimed as her own.

Show them we haven't forgot

I hate email forwards, but I thought I'd pass this one on via my blog. It's a simple request to fly the American flag on September 11. I recently heard that in a survey of US citizens, 30% did not know what year September 11th happened!

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

On Monday, September 11th, 2006, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States. Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this fifth anniversary of our country's worst tragedy. We do this in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds.

Action Plan: So, here's what we need you to do...

1. Spread this message to everyone you know. Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.
2. Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11.
   

Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day.

Thank you for your participation. God Bless You and God Bless America.

Medical Miracles

For the last month or so I've been keeping up with the Herrin Twins of Utah's story. The girls are 4 years old and were born conjoined. They just underwent the first ever surgery to separate twins who shared a kidney. They have been doing wonderfully, and I even get excited for them (even tho I've never met them) when I read the updates their parents post online each day. They are leaving the ICU today where they have been since their surgery on August 7.

These little girls are amazing to me, how quickly they are recovering. There are pictures of them (post-surgery) on the family website and they look really good!

http://www.herrintwins.com/

show-me your nuts!

This is seriously the best billboard I've ever seen (even better than the KFC one that I wrote about a few months ago). It's located on north 55, just before you hit downtown. I haven't yet seen Everybody's Nuts! Pistachios in the grocery store, but you better believe I'm going to try them when I do! It's a clean design, little spice with the logo sticking up over the billboard, and bold, easy to read text. I love it!

I've seen 2 other Everybody's Nuts! Pistachios billboards in the St. Louis area - one says, "Everybody's Nuts, including you," (located on hwy 44 west as you're leaving the city limits) and the other proclaims, "Bigger than clydesdales!" (hwy 70 east near the Airport).

Nothing like marketing directly for your audience!

If you are going to have a website....

If you're going to have a website...and put it out for the public...here are a few things you might consider keeping in mind:

1. Don't put up a site that is "under construction." Once someone goes to your site and sees that there is nothing there except an annoying annimated gif of a construction saw horse, they aren't going to come back...no matter how big your text is, or how polite you are "please come back soon." Just finish your darned site and put it up for the world!
   
2. If your site is "under construction" (see #1) DO NOT put the date that you updated it. That way, when I go to your site there is a small chance that I will come back. (I WON'T come back if your site states "site coming soon...updated July 9, 2004).
3. Don't use animated gifs. period. They are annoying.
4. Don't use an annimated gif as your background image...even more annoying than #3.
5. Make sure your site works on both Macs and PCs...and that it works in all browsers (not just internet explorer!)
6. Sound Sucks....especially when you aren't expecting it!
   

Yeah...I'm Wild.

You scored as Rice Krispies. You're Rice Krispies. Originally, people had to add all kinds of stuff to you to make you cool (sugar, cinnamon, beer), or make weird treats out of you (Rice Krispies squares, Rice Krispies Liverwurst, Rice Krispies Roll-ups), but you're retro! Make yer comeback there, kid! You can even be Cocoa Krispies if ya wanna get wild!!! Rice Krispies 75% Lucky Charms 65% Grape Nuts 50% Cheerios 45% Corn Flakes 20% What Breakfast Cereal Are You? created with QuizFarm.com

My first grade teacher was wrong!

Astronomers have declared that Pluto is no longer a planet!

Well...save those children's space books...they'll be collectors items in a few years! We'll say to each other, "remember when they used to have Pluto in these books" when our children are learning about the planets.

You probably used some sort of an acronym to remember the order of the planets - something like "My Very Excellent Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas." What will school children use now to remember the planets???

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune...

A major change....

Payless Shoe Source recently changed their logo...I saw it in person for the first time at Chesterfield Mall on Saturday. It's quite a change. They updated from a circa 1980s logo design to a web 2.0 styled logo.














I think it is interesting that they chose to go with a symbol next to their brand name. It almost seems like they were trying to go for a "Nike" look with a swoosh. The color shift is also interesting - shifting to orange and gray instead of yellow and orange. Any thoughts on this logo redesign?