USA Trend

Baked Sweet Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:25:00 +0000

Serves 6| Hands-On Time: 05m | Total Time: 50m
Ingredients

* 6 medium sweet potatoes, unpeeled
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Pierce each sweet potato several times with the tines of a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Make a slit in the top of each sweet potato. Top with 1 tablespoon of butter and season with the salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information

* Per Serving
* Calories 214Calories From Fat 50%

* Fat 12g
* Sat Fat 7g
* Cholesterol 31mg
* Sodium 230mg
* Carbohydrate 26g
* Fiber 4g
* Sugar 5g
* Protein 2g

source: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/baked-sweet-potatoes-10000001537621/index.html

Green Bean Casserole Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:17:00 +0000

Baby boomers fondly remember the simple classic green bean casserole as a Thanksgiving favorite. This version is updated a bit to add fresh mushrooms. It also uses frozen green beans which contain less salt and retain more color. The traditional dish is considered almost decadent these days with cream of mushroom soup and crispy fried onions on top. Feel free to make the noted substitutions to fit your diet, but it will not taste quite the same. You may find you will need more salt than when using canned green beans.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:

* 8 ounces fresh white mushrooms, brushed clean, trimmed, and quartered
* 1 teaspoon butter or olive oil
* 1 pound frozen green beans, unthawed (or 2 cans (16 ounces each) cut green beans, drained)
* 1 can (10.10-3/4 ounces) undiluted condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1/2 cup heavy cream, half-and-half or milk
* 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
* 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
* 1 can (2.8 ounces) French-fried onions, divided use
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
* Kosher salt to taste

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. F.

Place a heavy skillet over medium high heat. When pan is hot, add mushrooms and butter or olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Saute mushrooms until they release their liquid and mushrooms begin to soften. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add frozen green beans, cream of mushroom soup, heavy cream, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, half of the fried onions, pepper, and salt to taste. Mix until combined.

Pour green bean mixture into a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with the remaining half can of fried onions. Bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes until onion topping is browned and crispy.

Notes: Green bean casserole is a traditional Thanksgiving comfort food for many, but enjoyed year-round. If you wish, you may substitute blanched fresh green beans, non-fat or low-fat milk, and low-sodium cream of mushroom soup, but do not expect it to taste like the original that Mom or Grandma used to make!

source: http://homecooking.about.com/od/vegetablerecipes/r/blv305.htm

AMAs 2011: Jennifer Lopez, OneRepublic embarrass themselves

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:39:00 +0000

Pop & Hiss will be posting live throughout the night. There may be typos.

This is a post largely about a couple of songs that don't even deserve to be written about. Jennifer Lopez gave what will surely be the most cringe-inducing, embarrassing performance of the night at Sunday's American Music Awards with her "On the Floor." It wasn't that Lopez wasn't really wearing any clothes, as audiences expect that nowadays. Instead, it was Lopez's choice of an accessory, which in this case was a car. When the actual commercial ran not too long after the performance, the only difference was the emphasis on the name of the brand.

Worse, however, was OneRepublic, which arrived simply to tell the world that it'd been living quite well off its one massive hit, "Apologize." New song "Good Life" is little more than a city-by-city list of where the band has thrown away cash. "My friends in L.A., they don't know," sang Ryan Tedder, "where I've been the past few years." He then told us: China, Paris, Colorado, etc. Fascinating, Ryan. Tell us more.

The awards show's now about half over, and the best moment of the night so far came when Nicki Minaj won favorite album for her "Pink Friday" over releases from Jaz-Z & Kanye West and Lil Wayne. It was her second award of the night. "This one is actually going to make me cry," she said. "I can't believe this is happening." She thanked God and Lil Wayne, and said her mom had a publicist and was putting out a gospel album. "I'm like, Mom, please, you can't be serious."

-- Todd Martens
Photo: Jennifer Lopez performs at the 2011 American Music Awards. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press
source :http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/11/amas-2011-.html

'Transformers 3' $150M For First 6 Days? Now 3D Opening On 7th Day: Tuesday 9PM

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 06:30:00 +0000

UPDATE: Turns out Paramount can't count any better than I can. (And I'm math-impaired.) I've just learned that Paramount is low-balling its internal projections and saying Transformers 3: Dark Of The Moon should make $150 million in the first 6 days of release starting Wednesday, June 29th, and continuing through Fourth Of July's long holiday weekend because it's tracking "very good". But the studio is set on eking out every last dollar at the North American box office and just announced an exclusive 3D and IMAX engagement beginning on a 7th day -- Tuesday, June 28th at 9 PM. in locations across the country. This is the first of Michael Bay's Transformers franchise to be shot in 3D which Paramount's Vice Chairman Rob Moore said in a statement today was "an incredibly engaging and immersive 3D experience" from the director. So let's get real: a $150M/5-day result for Transformers 3 would be disastrous, especially since the pic is 3D.

Remember that Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen opened to a 5-day overall of $200M from 4,234 theaters. Included were 169 IMAX screens which contributed $14.5M to that total. Internationally, the robot sequel made $166.1M with a cume of $190.3M including the early debuts in Japan and the UK. So that made for $390.4M worldwide those first 5 days.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/06/transformers-3-150m-for-first-5-days-now-3d-opening-on-6th-day-tuesday-9pm/

Coming Up… June 15th Total Lunar Eclipse LIVE

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:09:00 +0000

Don’t say we didn’t warn you ahead of time! The upcoming total lunar eclipse will happen on June 15, 2011… and it’s a rare one. This time the Moon will pass directly through the center of the Earth’s shadow cone – an event that hasn’t happened in 11 years and won’t happen again until 2018. The eclipse visibility path will be over Africa, and Central Asia, visible rising over South America, western Africa, and Europe, and setting over eastern Asia. In western Asia, Australia and the Philippines – visible just before sunrise. But before you just read on to another article because you can’t see it from where you live, remember I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve…

Thanks to this fantastic magic we call the Internet, all you need to do is tune into our friends around the world! The first listing of our live eclipse broadcasters will be Astronomylive.com. Coordinating the eclipse project and different activities for this year is Mohan Sanjeevan, a science and science fiction writer from India. Since May 2011, Mohan volunteers as the Event & Broadcast Organizer of AstronomyLive covering his country. But Mohan is more than just a coordinater, he’s also involved in other venues like writing poetry – including science poems (freelance science writing for more than twenty years; writer of nano science and tech articles for Nano Digest, a monthly magazine from India), popularization of science and creating awareness on global warming, alternative sources of energy and making the planet a more livable place. Space and astronomy are his natural areas of interest. To top it off, Sanjeevan is also a researcher – full of implementable ideas for space and future technologies.

AstronomyLive is a center for LIVE astronomy and you can participate, too! Host your broadcasts of various types on this free service. Amateur astronomers, professional astronomers, observatories, astronomy associations and more are all very welcome. The current team consists of Sander Klieverik, Voskuh and Dennis from the Netherlands, LesD from the United States, Mohan Sanjeevan, Aakanksha, Prof. M. Jothi Rajan, Jhon Kennedy, Bhaskar, Abhilasha and Sanyam Kumar Shrivastava from India. All of these great people came together to share the view with you!
And there’s more…

The great folks at Bareket Observatory have expanded tremendously over the years and now they’re pleased to announce the launch of the Astro-Edu Network, a free state-of-the-art astronomy education database for teachers, students and the general public. Among the goals of AStro-Edu is increased communication and understanding within the population of the Middle East using astronomy as the catalyst. Astro-Edu net can be translated to more than 60 different languages using the integrated translation module (move your cursor over the flag in the upper left to translate the materials).

So don’t sit out the total lunar eclipse on June 15, 2011 – 17.00 – 23.00 UTC (GMT). Be sure to enjoy the event with our friends around the world!

http://www.universetoday.com/86522/coming-up-june-15th-total-lunar-eclipse-live/

Lily Allen is married and pregnant! British singer weds Sam Cooper, announces she's expecting

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 16:02:00 +0000

Lily Allen has two reasons to smile.

The British singer wed her longtime beau, art dealer Sam Cooper, on Saturday -- and also announced she's pregnant.

Her new hubby reportedly shared their secret that Allen, 26, is a few months along with well-wishers at the reception. Her rep later confirmed the happy news.

Allen's bump was barely visible under her lacy Delphine Manivet gown -- but her happiness was clear, as the bride beamed and waved to fans outside the centuries-old church in the English countryside where she and Cooper said "I do."

Lily Allen and Sam Cooper exchanged vows on Saturday in the English countryside. (INF)

About 100 guests watched Allen walk down the aisle, while 300 were in attendance for the reception, which was held on the grounds of an estate she owns in Cranham.

Her father, actor-musician Keith Allen, walked her down the aisle. He later serenaded the couple with a ukulele.

"It's beautiful that she is pregnant, and I am very happy for her," Allen’s designer Manivet told Britain's The Telegraph. "She is very happy about that – it is something wonderful. For me, and for her too, when you're pregnant you want to show that, but also be respectful, so the dress was perfect for her for that moment."

The newlyweds first began dating in 2009 and got engaged last December, just two months after Allen suffered a miscarriage while six-months-pregnant.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2011/06/12/2011-06-12_lily_allen_is_married_and_pregnant_british_singer_weds_sam_cooper_announces_shes.html#ixzz1P4uHC0f6

Honorary Weekly Worst Dressed Celeb: Amanda Bynes

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 15:57:00 +0000

Terrible, terrible shoes.

We didn't include Amanda Bynes in the Weekly Worst Dressed because we didn't see this terrible monstrosity of an outfit until after we posted our list. But now we've seen it and we wish we hadn't.

Amanda was once a celeb to look up to, especially because she went the comedy route and we like that. But she's been out of the loop and her fashion sense is just really off. Amanda showed up to the MTV Movie Awards wearing what we can only describe as "Cookie Monster colored fringe boots" aka they're the ugliest things we've ever seen.

It also didn't help that it looked like a 5 year old did Amanda's make up. Her eyeliner was waaaay too thick and not even straight.

The dress is ok. Another color would've been preferrable but Amanda TRIED to be trendy by going with a bandage dress, so points. But srsly, those shoes should be burned and then the ashes buried deep into the earth.
http://www.posh24.com/amanda_bynes/honorary_weekly_worst_dressed_celeb_amanda_bynes

Gabrielle Giffords Photos: First Images Of Congresswoman Since Arizona Shooting

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 15:43:00 +0000

PHOENIX (Associated Press) -- The first photos of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords since she was shot in the head in a mass shooting in Tucson about five months ago were released early Sunday.

The photos appeared on her Facebook page.

SCROLL DOWN FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTO)

The Facebook photos, taken May 17 outside her Houston hospital, are the first clear snapshots of Giffords since the shooting five months ago during a constituent meet-and-greet in a Safeway parking lot in Tucson.

The photos showed how far she has come since she was wounded in the left side of her forehead, but her spokeswoman, Pia Carusone, has cautioned that Giffords still has a long way to go in her recovery.

They show the congresswoman outside, the greenery of the hospital lawn in the background. She smiled directly into the camera in one, while in the other she smiled downward as she sat next to her mother, Gloria Giffords.

Giffords has been in a Houston rehab facility since two weeks after the Jan. 8 shooting. Six people were killed and 13 were injured, including Giffords.

Carusone said Friday that Giffords could be released sometime this month.

She said doctors and family are considering "many factors" while making the critical next-step decision to release Giffords from TIRR Memorial Hermann, the hospital where she has been undergoing intensive daily rehabilitation since late January.

"We're looking at before the end of the month. We're looking at early July," Carusone said. "We don't have a date."

But in an interview published this week in the Arizona Republic, Carusone made clear that Giffords remains a shadow of her former self as she has difficulty stringing together sentences and relies heavily on gestures and facial expressions to communicate. She also faces some difficulty in expressing bigger, more complex thoughts, Carusone said.

While Giffords' release from the hospital after five months of intensive inpatient therapy will mark an important step in her recovery, she still must undergo months of outpatient rehabilitation that will include speech, occupational and physical therapy.

Since the shooting, the only time the public has gotten a glimpse of Giffords was April 27 as she boarded a plane to Florida to watch astronaut husband Mark Kelly launch into space. The grainy footage, taken from afar, showed Giffords slowly but purposefully walk up the airplane's stairs.

The newly released photos, shot by Tucson photographer P.K. Weis just before surgery on her skull, provide a much clearer image.

Last month as Kelly was orbiting Earth, doctors repaired Giffords' skull, finally freeing her from wearing a cumbersome protective helmet that her staff members say she hated.

Since the shooting, Giffords has made remarkable strides, requesting her favorite foods, singing her favorite songs, and relearning how to walk and talk, although she struggles to string sentences together.

In an interview with The Arizona Republic published Thursday, Giffords' Chief of Staff Pia Carusone said Giffords' limited speaking ability has led her to rely primarily on facial expressions and hand gestures to communicate.

"She is borrowing upon other ways of communicating. Her words are back more and more now, but she's still using facial expressions as a way to express. Pointing. Gesturing," Carusone said. "Add it all together and she's able to express the basics of what she wants or needs. But, when it comes to a bigger and more complex thought that requires words, that's where she's had the trouble."

Carusone also said that if Giffords' recovery were to plateau now, "it would not be nearly the quality of life she had before."

"All that we can hope for is that she won't plateau today and that she'll keep going and that when she does plateau, it will be at a place far away from here," she said.

Jared Lee Loughner, 22, has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the shooting and is being held at a Missouri facility. A judge declared him incompetent to stand trial, but prosecutors hope his competency can be restored so he can answer for the charges.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/12/gabrielle-giffords-photos_n_875498.html

Andy Murray beats Andy Roddick to reaches Queen’s final

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:36:00 +0000

Andy Murray of Britain overwhelmed Andy Roddick 6-3, 6-1 to reach the final of the Aegon championships at Queen’s Club on Saturday.

The British No. 1 controlled the match from the outset, breaking Andy Roddick at the first opportunity in both sets on his way to a victory in just 59 minutes.

Andy Murray will now face either Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or James Ward, the British number 2, in Sunday’s final, but if he replicates the form he showed against Andy Roddick, he will be unstoppable. Andy Roddick was simply blown away as Murray, who has put concerns over the ankle injury he suffered at the French Open behind him, produced some sublime tennis.

Andy Murray mixed his game up magnificently, passing Andy Roddick with some exquisite winners and teasing the American with some traditional drop-shots.

“I got off to a good start,” said Murray. “Andy is one of the toughest guys to break on the tour. I managed to get a break early in both sets, everything that touched my racket was going in. That doesn’t happen much on court. I was lucky.”

After a scratchy first couple of rounds at Queen’s his eye is firmly on the title he won in 2009. Murray received an unexpected day off on Friday when his quarter-final opponent, Marin Cilic, withdrew from their last eight tie with an ankle problem of his own.

That would have allowed Andy Murray time to treat his injury – and he came racing out of the blocks, moving into a 3-0 lead before going 4-1 up with 2 perfect drop shots. Murray took Andy Roddick to deuce before the American held for a 4-2 lead but he had no way back into the set.

The world No 4 fired down 2 aces to claim a 5-2 lead and then fizzed three more past a stunned Andy Roddickto wrap up the opening set.

There was no let-up from Murray in the second set as he fired 2 forehand winners past Andy Roddick to claim a pair of break points. He needed only one as Roddick netted a volley.

Andy Murray held for 3-1 and then moved a second break up with another deft drop shot, before unleashing a forehand winner on the run. Andy Roddick had no answer to Murray from the back of the court or from the net.

Constantly pouncing on Roddick’s usually deadly serve, Andy Murray he despatched a backhand and then a forehand winner before breaking for a third time to seal a stunning victory. Ahead of Wimbledon, Murray could not have had a better preparation.

http://www.hotslive.com/andy-murray-beats-andy-roddick-to-reaches-queens-final/

Willard Student Wins Earth Day Poster Contest

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:31:00 +0000

First grader Gregory Lawson wins "Earth Day...Every Day" poster contest by R&S Landscaping

One lucky 1st grader and his Willard School class will be treated to a pizza party after his poster for "Earth Day...Every Day" was declared the winner by environmentally-conscious R&S Landscaping.

Gregory Lawson, a student in Chris Kearn's first-grade class at Willard Elementary will be treated to a pizza party with the other lucky kids in the class as well as have his winning poster up on R&S's website and at the Ridgewood Public Library.

The contest was designed to encourage how students could develop day-to-day environmental awareness to promote sustainability and better practices while also being creative. The contest was open to Bergen County students in grades 1-8 across three themes – water conservation, plants or planting.

"We were very impressed with so many of the entries that it was hard to pick just one winner, but the enthusiasm Gregory expressed in his bold and colorful poster really stood out," said Robert Schucker, president of R&S Landscaping.

"We are pleased to be part of an encouraging event that helped students learn about environmental practices in a creative manner and hope they will put some of what they learned to good use at home."

R&S was on-hand at Earth Day 2011 with a rain water barrel to showcase some simple sustainability methods while also getting dirt under their fingernails by teaching kids how to plant saplings.

The company does pretty much any landscaping job for residential, public and commercial properties in the areas of design/build, grounds maintenance, irrigation, lighting and plant health care.

R&S specializes in low-impact outdoor designs, focusing on the installation of green roof systems, ecologically-sensitive outdoor solutions, water efficient irrigation design and installation and bio-diverse landscape design.

http://ridgewood.patch.com/articles/willard-student-wins-earth-day-poster-contest

E3 2011 – Namco Bandai Plans Power Rangers Games, Acquires Rights

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:28:00 +0000

The previous spring, the Rangers had taken the Sabres to a sixth game in the second round of the playoffs, after sweeping the Thrashers in the only four playoff games the Thrashers would ever play. Drury was a member of that Sabres team, and if not for

Announced during the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo, the new Namco games are Ace Combat 3D (working title), Pac-Man Party 3D, and Power Rangers Samurai, all due out later this year. According to Namco Bandai's description, Ace Combat 3D will offer

The previous spring, the Rangers had taken the Sabres to a sixth game in the second round of the playoffs, after sweeping the Thrashers in the only four playoff games the Thrashers would ever play. Drury was a member of that Sabres team, and if not for

I only lost one life, and that was at the boss battle. The game is also filled with cinematic sequences from the TV show, which the fans are sure to enjoy. Power Rangers Samurai will be out this holiday season for both

I only lost one life, and that was at the boss battle. The game is also filled with cinematic sequences from the TV show, which the fans are sure to enjoy. Power Rangers Samurai will be out this holiday season for both

http://www.dainterwebs.com/e3-2011-%E2%80%93-namco-bandai-plans-power-rangers-games-acquires-rights/

Dungeon Siege 3, Xbox 360 demo a blast to play

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:23:00 +0000

Dungeon Siege 3 will arrive for PS3, Xbox 360, PC and OnLive on June 17 (Europe) and June 21 (North America), recently the game’s demo hit Xbox Live and Alexander Nachaj over at XboxFreedom.com has been playing it a lot since it arrived, he recently published a hands on review which can be read here.

His hands on is accompanied by lots of screenshots, in our article we will highlight some of the main points raised, however check out the link in the first paragraph for more details.

In the demo you get to play both single player and cooperatively, the demo allows you to play as two of the game’s four characters these are Lucas and Archon, both of which have lots of abilities to learn and equipment to carry, they also boast two separate fight stances to allow access to difference equipment and abilities. Alexander seemed very impressed by the depth of character and how much they differed from eachother.

During co-op play Alexander said that at times there was not enough action to go around, whether this will be different in the proper game is unknown, however it is slightly worrying, perhaps increasing the difficulty level will help out this minor issue.

In terms of development and story line the demo is said to be solid, on the whole there has been plenty of attention to detail and the dynamic maps show this, also the game’s music is suitable throughout. Some minor criticisms include the sometimes poor voice acting and the linearity of the maps is quite limited, surely RPGs should let you take whichever path you want rather than walk along a limited mapped-out route?

XboxFreedom’s hands-on sums thing up by saying the demo was a blast to play and should be worth waiting for, have you played the demo? If so, do you think it as good as Alexander made it sound?

http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/06/10/dungeon-siege-3-xbox-360-demo-a-blast-to-play/

Duke Nukem Forever is Out (Outside the US, Anyway)

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:16:00 +0000

Today's a historic day, as Duke Nukem Forever finally explodes onto the scene some 15 years after its predecessor -- in Europe, Australia and Japan, anyway.

It is once again time to kick ass and chew bubblegum just as your supplies of said gum have been depleted. Duke Nukem Forever has finally released in non-US territories, kicking off with a midnight launch and a big party in the UK.

"June 10 in the UK will forever be celebrated as the day that the legendary Duke Nukem Forever went from video game folklore to Earth shattering reality," said Christoph Hartmann, president of publisher 2K. "For 15 years fans have waited in limbo just yearning to hear those two little lovely words strung together, Now Available. Today, the acronym 'DNF' changes its meaning to a 'Day to Never Forget.' I am proud to announce that the wait is finally over and that Duke Nukem Forever is truly Now Available."

Whatever your feelings on the new Duke demo following recent showing at PAX and the demo, this is a historic moment for the games industry -- the world's most notorious piece of vaporware has finally made it to release.

Duke is out next Tuesday (June 14) in the United States and, unsurprisingly, carries an M rating. Amusingly, though, the notoriously prudish Australian ratings board has allowed the game to be released uncut with an MA15+ rating.

http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/220307/duke-nukem-forever-is-out-outside-the-us-anyway/

Celebs meet PlayBook

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:21:00 +0000

Last night, celebrities were invited to get a taste of the BlackBerry PlayBook which will soon be available in South Africa.

Celebrities such as Bonang Matheba, Edith Venter, DJ Euphonik, Louise Carver, Fourie du Preez and Slikour were among some of the first in South Africa to get a taste of the game-changing BlackBerry PlayBook tablet at an event held in Johannesburg.

On 8 June, they took part in an evening where celebrities and media competed in a quiz to determine which of them would be the true Brain of BlackBerry. The winning team of this quiz compromised of team members such as Lyndon Ferns, Cindy Nell-Roberts, David Tlale and Tatum Keshwar.

Jaco Pretorius, Fourie du Preez and Wynand Olivier

This event celebrates the upcoming South African launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook, which is due to hit local shores within the next few weeks.

The professional-grade BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry Tablet OS offer a wealth of new possibilities for mobile computing. Perfect for either large organisations or an “army of one”, the BlackBerry PlayBook is designed to give users what they want, including uncompromised web browsing, true multitasking and high performance multimedia.

Jaco Pretorius, Fourie du Preez and Wynand Olivier

It also provides advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise support and a breakthrough development platform for IT departments and developers. This beautifully designed and incredibly powerful tablet is ultraportable, ultrathin and super convenient for both work and play.

Measuring less than half an inch thick and weighing less than a pound, the BlackBerry PlayBook features a vivid 7” high resolution display that looks and feels great in the hand. With support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR and HTML-5, the BlackBerry PlayBook provides customers with an uncompromised, high-fidelity web experience and offers them the ability to enjoy all of the sites, games and media on the web.

For those BlackBerry PlayBook users who carry a BlackBerry smartphone, it will also be possible to pair their tablet and smartphone using BlackBerry Bridge - a secure Bluetooth connection. This means they can opt to use the larger tablet display to seamlessly and securely view any of the email, BBM, calendar, tasks, documents and other content that resides on their smartphones.

Kim Engelbrecht

BJ's Wholesale shares rise after buyout report

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:14:00 +0000

WASHINGTON

Shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. rose Wednesday after a report that two private-equity investors are preparing a joint bid to buy the company.

Leonard Green & Partners and CVC Capital Partners are expected next week to make a joint buyout offer that would value the warehouse retail chain at a minimum of $2.8 billion, the New York Post said late Tuesday night.

The offer would represent a 7 percent premium over Tuesday's closing price for shares of BJ's, the Post said.

Leonard Green already owns nearly 10 percent of BJ's, the Post said. The investment company convinced BJ's to put itself up for sale in February, the Post said. But it has had trouble finding partners to back a bid, the newspaper reported.

Leonard Green teamed up with CVC on an investment in Leslie's Swimming Pool Supply last fall, and on an unsuccessful bid last month for discount retailer Big Lots, the Post said.

No other bids for BJ's have been submitted, the Post said. Bids are due on June 16.

Representatives for BJ's and Leonard Green did not return calls seeking comment. A spokeswoman for CVC declined to comment on the report.

BJ's operates warehouse clubs that sell food, small appliances and other consumer goods. As of May 18, it ran 190 clubs in 15 states.

Shares of BJ's rose $1, or 2 percent, to $48.70 in afternoon trading.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9NNQU0O1.htm

Sheryl Crow Accidentally Flashes Underwear on TV

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:09:00 +0000

Shania Twain wasn't the only star who suffered an embarrassing gaffe on Wednesday's CMT Music Awards in Nashville.

PHOTOS: Most embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions ever

While Twain, 45, wiped out as she approached the stage to present an award, Crow, 49, endured a slightly different indignity while performing "Collide" with the show's host (and her ex beau) Kid Rock.

Wearing a short, white skirt to croon the song on a stool alongside Rock, Crow briefly flashed her underwear to the camera when she stood up -- in a DVR-replay moment that quickly went viral online.

The Grammy winner and mother of two was chill about the flub about an hour later while presenting an award with singer Sara Evans.

After all, it could have been way worse, Evans pointed out at the podium. "At least you were wearing underwear," she cracked.

Joked Crow: "I was wearing underwear because I'm good, clean, wholesome family fun."

http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmusic/news/sheryl-crow-accidentally-flashes-underwear-on-tv-201196

Meredith Vieira Says Goodbye After Five Years of Today

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:31:00 +0000

The Today show is now officially yesterday's news for Meredith Vieira.

After five years cohosting the NBC morning show alongside Matt Lauer, Vieira delivered her last round of news this morning, in an emotional (and potentially viral) send-off that paid tribute to her half-decade on the show.

MORE: How did the Today show crew celebrate off-air? Get the deets on their pizza party!

"It's a hard one," she said at the top of the show, which, despite being quite Vieira-heavy also managed to sprinkle in some actual news over the course of the first three hours. "Very mixed emotions. I know it's right, but it's hard."

Joined by her husband Richard Cohen and the family dog Jasper, the whole Today show crew rallied together to say goodbye to Vieira, paying tribute to her throughout the morning with retrospective clips and a fair share of surprises.

First up, a surprise performance by Carole King, who sang one of Vieira's favorite songs, "You've Got a Friend."

"I don't know what to say," an already emotional Vieira said.

Thankfully, Lauer, Al Roker, Ann Curry, Kathie Lee Gifford, Hoda Kotb, Natalie Morales and the rest of the faces of Today did.

"It's been a privilege working with you over these past five years. I know the folks at home have enjoyed starting their day with you as well," Lauer said, ramping up to the biggest surprise of the morning—a technically and creatively impressive, continuously shot group lip-sync, in which every single member of on- and off-air talent wore I [Heart] Meredith T-shirts and serenaded her with Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."

Guiding her through the Today studios, up to the offices, through the control room and finally out to the plaza, where an audience of hundreds was waiting to join in the song. Surprising her along the way was Abe Vigoda and Jimmy Fallon.

Needless to say, she was full of emotion throughout the massive effort, tearing up throughout the song, and proving her earlier point that what she'll miss most about the show is "the sense of family."

Before she signed off for good, she was treated to one final dose of sentiment.

Sitting out on the Plaza with Matt, Ann and Al, the trio one by one paid personal tribute to her.

"I kept coming up with jokes and sarcasm," Lauer told her, explaining his process of trying to think of what to say. "I realized it's because I'm afraid that if I really tell you how I feel, I'm going to turn into a blubbering idiot. But it's your last day, so a little blubbering.

"I adore you, and I have since the night we had dinner five and a half years ago. Your talent and your warmth and your generosity…your sense of humor I will remember most, you made me laugh every single day here, and I thank you for that. But the bottom line is this: I have marveled over the fact that someone who has talent as prodigious as yours, how small your ego is. You've taught us all how to be great teammates, and that's the gift that I'll take away from you. Thank you so much.

"I don't want to go now," Meredith laughed (and cried). "[But] I went upstairs and they changed the lock on my dressing room.

"Life is about changing. I love you all, you are the best bar none, it's such a family and it's really hard to leave a family, so I'm not going to say goodbye, at all…All of you I'm putting in my heart so I'll never ever lose you. I love you so much."

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b246124_meredith_vieira_says_goodbye_after_five.html#ixzz1Ohryz8yl

Mediterranean Diet for Your Effective Weight-Loss Diets Program

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:04:00 +0000

The Mediterranean diet has extended been touted as being a nutritious 1, as well as a ranking of well-liked eating plans just released by “U.S. News & World Report” pegs it at #2 in terms of overall health benefits.But when it comes to triggering weight loss, the Mediterranean diet – which focuses on produce, nuts, whole grains, olive oil, and seafood – doesn’t even crack the top 10.

Have you heard of the Mediterranean Diet? It’s got to be one particular of the healthiest eating plans on the market currently. It has been proven that men and women who live in Greece and other areas of the Mediterranean live longer lives and have less diseases than people in other parts of the world, mainly due to their heart healthy way of eating.
The Mediterranean Diet meal plan includes eating foods such as vegetables, nuts, fruits, fresh fish, olive oil, and whole grain breads and pastas. The diet also allows for red wine each day, which is a welcome change from most plans that eliminate alcohol all together.

'White Collar' Season 3 premiere: A 'Phoebe Cates' and the stolen Nazi loot

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:27:00 +0000

After last season's cliffhanger of priceless Nazi-plundered art seemingly going ka-boom, then popping up in a storage locker from an anonymous source, the "White Collar" Season 3 premiere is back and guess who stole the art? Mozzie. Which should have come as less of a surprise than it did, I think.

Mozzie comes clean as the thief to Neal and they decide to run with the loot. Peter's big clue to who stole the stuff is the scrap of one of Neal's paintings he saw at the explosion. It turns out Mozzie used Neal's art in the swap so the forensic tests would find paint and canvas in the warehouse and Neal is sweating. Peter can't go to the Bureau with his suspicions yet, so Elle offers to call in a favor at a gallery to test the scrap and see if it's old or new.

Neal and Moz decide to swap the scrap out for one painted with 1930s paint. To make the switch, they run a con called a "Phoebe Cates," which is hilarious. Obviously it is named because a beautiful girl takes her top off as a distraction. "Fast Times," anyone? Love it. They use June's super-cute granddaughter as their Phoebe.

Neal slips in, dupes the painting using samples they took from the old collection and slips away. Seems hard to believe, but we'll go with it because it's awesome and it's for slick stuff like that that we watch this show in the first place.

Meanwhile, the case of the week is David Lawrence, a guy wanting to smuggle $60 million out of the country that he stole from the treasury. He wants Gary Rydell's help (one of Neal's aliases) to get the money out and the Bureau sends in Neal as Gary.

Neal and Moz are going to use David's smuggling arrest at a shipyard as their cover to fly away with the loot. But when David makes Agent Jones tailing Neal and is going to kill Jones, Neal sacrifices his getaway plane to Lawrence as a "back-up plan" in order to save Jones' life. Aww. Neal's such a good guy.

The Feds converge on the getaway and Lawrence is taken down. Moz is a hero and we eagerly await his aubergine-colored cape.

The test comes back authenticated as being a scrap of a 1930s painting and Peter is still a smidge suspicious, but he goes to Neal's place and they make up. Except - dun dun dun. The u-boat manifest was found and there are 21 paintings that the Bureau knows for sure were on the boat. Peter tells Diana to keep it between them, Jones and the evidence guys.

Meanwhile, Mozzie and Neal have to fund their escape, so now they are trying to figure out which painting to sell first. Will it be one of the paintings on the manifest? We're so eager to find out.

So does this mean that all season will be Neal and Mozzie trying to figure out how to run off with the treasure? How does the show resolve it, since there's no show if Neal runs off? Or if Neal runs off and Peter spends a season chasing him, then where are they? That doesn't end well at all. We are very intrigued to see where the show takes this. What do you think?

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/06/white-collar-season-3-premiere-a-phoebe-cates-and-the-stolen-nazi-loot.html

DASH Diet Guidelines: Study Shows New Diet Benefits For Teen Girls

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:56:00 +0000

The DASH diet was never intended for teen girls, but that doesn't mean it's ineffective.

Originally created to treat adults with high blood pressure, the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is showing new promise in reducing weight gain in teenage girls. According to USA Today, girls whose diet most resembled DASH showed the smallest increase in body mass index (BMI) over 10 years in a new study.

They also recorded the lowest BMIs during the study's follow-up period.

The diet plan itself essentially cuts out red meat and many forms of carbohydrates, focusing on fruits, vegetables, lean meat and whole grains. According to DashDiet.org, the main focus of the plan is to reduce salt intake, which helps to reduce blood-pressure in older dieters.

The study followed 2,379 girls between the ages of 9 and 10, and tracked them for 10 years, according to the LA Times. While the participants were socioeconomically and geographically mixed, over half the girls in the study were black.

The study was especially important, the LA Times reported, because those who showed the best results, didn't even fulfill all of the DASH requirements. Even those in the 95th percentile had a higher than recommended sugar intake and did not necessarily eat the recommended number of servings of fruit per day, were they actually following the diet.

You can learn more about the diet plan here, at DashDiet.org.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/07/dash-diet-guidelines-stud_n_872481.html

Tila Tequila Chokes on… Shawne Merrimans hands?!

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:37:00 +0000

PhillyD.tv My Racist Puppy Vlog www.youtube.com Babies are Racist!: bit.ly Tila Tequila choked by Shawne Mememememememme: bit.ly Hilarious iPhone App for Lazy BF’s: bit.ly KOTOR MMO Footage Released!: bit.ly Contact Phil: PhillyD.tv Send Letters and Not-Nudes n Schtuff to: Philip DeFranco 13428 Maxella Ave #286 Marina del Rey CA. 90292

http://www.fullbredpuppies.com/puppy-related-youtube-videos/tila-tequila-chokes-on-shawne-merrimans-hands/

OPEC Stand Off As Saudi Arabia Tries To Help Obama's Reelection Chances By Hiking Crude Output; Iran, Venezuela, Iraq Not Convinced

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:31:00 +0000

Contrary to ongoing wideranging skepticism, Saudi Arabia continues to posture that not only does it have substantial excess capacity, but that it will bring it online any... minute...now. After all, Saudi owes the US a big favor (i.e., lower gas prices) in exchange for America's (or rather its Fifth Fleet) continued presence in Bahrain, which even those living in a cave know has been under a full media blackout to keep the ongoing religious tensions under wraps and keep the Saudi-Bahrain border safe (not to mention the Ghawar oil field). So even as Saudi had promised to hike its output as Libyian production went offline only for it to be discovered that the country had in fact lowered production, so now too the song and dance has hit fever pitch. Reuters reports that "Saudi Arabia is planning to lift oil output sharply in June, whatever policy OPEC adopts this week, in an effort to rein in high fuel prices. Riyadh expects to lift production by more than 500,000 barrels a day in June to its highest for three years, a senior Gulf industry official familiar with Saudi oil policy told Reuters.

" We can't wait to hear how Saudi's unilateral plan to boost Obama's reelection chances is met by other OPEC members such as Iran, Venezuela, Iraq and Libya. "Worried about the impact on economic growth of inflated energy costs, Saudi will act alone if necessary to keep a lid on prices now at $114 a barrel for benchmark Brent crude." Wait, isn't OPEC a "cartel", or a place where unilateral decisions are not allowed, for precisely this reason? Of course, at the end of the day, with recent Wikileaks disclosure that Saudi Arabia admitted it has overstated its reserves by some 300 billion barrels, or 40% of total, this latest ploy to push gasoline prices lower into the summer season will have a half life that is shorter than the SNB's FX intervention attempts.
From Reuters:

The biggest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Saudi wants the cartel to lift formal output limits at a meeting on Wednesday to show consumer countries that it sees the danger to the economy of runaway oil prices.

So far it only has the support of its Gulf Arab allies Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates among the 12-member cartel.

"I expect OPEC to increase output during this meeting but I am still unsure how much," Kuwaiti Oil Minister Mohammad al-Busairi told Reuters.

"The market will be tight," said UAE Oil Minister Dhaen al-Hamli.

Riyadh's production intentions may overshadow an OPEC meeting which Gulf Arab producers want to restore credibility to the producer group's out-of-date supply limits.

The Gulf producers want, at least, to close the 1.4 million bpd gap between OPEC's two-and-a-half year old official production limit of 24.8 million bpd and actual output, estimated by OPEC in April at 26.2 million.

"There is a need for more supply in the market," said Kuwait's al-Busairi. "I expect demand to be strong in the third and fourth quarter, the demand will mainly come from Asia."

There is strong opposition to any production increase from price hawks Iran and Venezuela, with most neutral countries yet to show their hand.

One of them, Iraq, said it was happy with the market as it stands.

"In my opinion the current level is not too high," said Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul-Kareem Luaibi of $114 Brent. "Recent indications from the oil market as far as the stocks and supplies is good -- there is good supply."

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/07/2011 10:29 -0400
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/opec-stand-saudi-arabia-tries-help-obamas-reelection-chances-hiking-crude-ouput-iran-venezue

Valentine's Day Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:41:00 +0000

Valentine's Day shouldn't be a stressful holiday. Read through our guide below for romantic ideas and romantic gifts to make your February 14th the most romantic Valentine's Day ever!

With news of a worsening economy filling the news and budgets tightening everywhere, we decided to pull together some incredibly romantic, but cheap Valentine's Day ideas. These cheap Valentine's Day ideas just require a little creativity and a lot of love.

1. Give your Valentine a certificate, trophy, or engraved plaque with a special title, such as the 'World's Best Lover' or 'Most Beautiful Valentine'. You can print certificates for free in our romantic printables section.

2. Buy a wooden frame from your local craft store and print out a favorite photo of the two of you to fill the frame. Use paints, beads, ribbons, or anything else that you can find at the craft store to decorate the frame for your sweetie.

3. Create a 'Wish' jar full of little strips of paper and give it to your sweetie with instructions to write their wishes of things that they'd like you to do on the strips of paper. These wishes can be as simple as doing the dishes, or as romantic as a candle lit dinner at their favorite restaurant. Each week or month (depending on how many strips you put in the jar), take one out and grant his or her wish!

4. Using your webcam, digital camera, or camcorder, create your own love video for your partner. Spend the time telling him or her how much you love them, what you love about them, or sharing your favorite memories of your time together. Plan to watch the video together at home eating you Valentine's take out dinner or dessert.

5. Buy a package of red or pink construction paper and cut out a bunch of hearts (31 for a month, 365 for a year, etc). On each heart, write some sort of love message. It can be a romantic love quote, a simple 'I Love You', a wish for your future, a favorite memory, a sexy suggestion for later on, or just a few loving words. Put all of the hearts in a decorated enveloped or jar with instructions to take one out each day until they're all gone.

6. Create your own custom love coupon book complete with date night coupons, relaxing massage coupons, intimate & sexy coupons, and more. Check out our romantic printables section to print your own immediately.

7. Head to the nearest dollar store and browse the toy section. Look for items that could potentially describe your feelings, such as a compass, which you could include with a note that says "I'd be lost without you." Other toys could include a plastic sword ("You are my knight in shining armor"), a toy clock ("Time stands still when I'm with you"), a plastic frog ("Kiss me. I'm your prince."), or a plastic pill container ("Your my prescription for love.").

8. Make your own Valentine's Day card! It can be as simple as cutting a large heart out of red construction paper or as elaborate as a beaded, glittered, stickered, crafted craft. The most important part of any card that you create though are the words.

9. Create your own romantic Valentine's Day puzzle. Buy a thick piece of poster board and then decorate it with a romantic message, pictures, etc. Cut the board into a puzzle, then let your sweetie piece together your love. If you're short on time, check out our romantic printables section where you can print out ready to cut Valentine's Day heart-shaped puzzles.

10. Buy a box of children's Valentine's Day cards (some even come with candy, so pick your partner's favorite!) and then write a romantic message inside every single Valentine in the box. Give them to your sweetie all at once or throughout the day on Valentine's Day.

11. Write you Valentine a love poem. The only cost for this gift is a little bit of your time. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to be overly romantic or creative. A love poem can be as simple as coming up with a romantic phrase to describe your partner or your love for each of their initials. If you're still unsure of what to write, grab a famous love poem and add it to a romantic Valentine's Day card.

12. Have a Valentine's Day picnic in your own house! Instead of braving the crowds this year, spread out a blanket on your living room floor, light some candles, turn on some music (love songs, of course), then wine and dine together in an intimate Valentine's picnic.

Best Inexpensive Nice Gift for Her - 6" Rosewood Jewelry Box w/ Brass Double Happiness Symbol

City High’s Robby struggles with alcoholism on A&E’s Intervention

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:48:00 +0000

(Robby, Claudette and Ryan in the 90s. And Mr. and Mrs Ryan Toby in 2006)

(Robby from City High, on Intervention)
Wow, tonight’s episode of Intervention on A&E revealed a sad blast from the past for fans of R&B group City High. Group member Robby Pardio is shown chugging vodka and is then confronted by his family about his alcoholism.
Robby says that he went into a depression after his group member and girlfriend Claudette Ortiz left him and married City High partner Ryan Toby instead. And that was compounded by his failed music career.
Here’s some quotes…
“The music industry destroyed Robby. I gave the music industry a cub scout who was trained on Italian arias, and they gave me back, a drunk.” -Robby’s mother
“I buried Robby long ago, my children have a fictional character for an uncle. So I’m not hopeful, I’m not optimistic. I’m numb.” -Robby’s brother at the pre-intervention meeting
“When I was in labor, I had to call and get you out of the bar. You don’t realize how much that hurt me. I’ve had the burden of being both parents [to daughter Lyric]. We have a beautiful little girl that I’m prepared to raise by myself if you don’t get help.” -Robby’s girlfriend [the parts showing their relationship are so infuriating and pathetic]
I won’t reveal what happens at the end of the intervention, check A&E for the trailer and airtimes.

source:missinfo.tv

Johny Depp Dead In Car Crash?

noreply@blogger.com (EASY LIFE) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:08:00 +0000

The motion picture named, Pirates of the Caribbean super star role playing actor, Johnny Depp got involved within a motorcar fortuity, this very morning. is Johnny depp dead? that is what every one is asking about at the very moment hearsays are circularizing that Johnny Depp is at present dead but this isn’t in reality quite true. so you can ask again if or is Johnny depp dead? told you before no, Johnny is in quite a good shape but his automobile has barely been demolished up due to the motorcar fortuity.

The hearsays are as well circularizing along that Johnny Depp was pretty boozed when a tourer came face to face with his damaged car at the Bordeaux, within the French Republic. As of now Johnny Depp have not replied to the current matter concerning him since he is way to busybodied, so let us all await for additional up-dates about the matter that, is Johnny depp dead? As well as let’s assure if Cap. Jack is as yet alive or dead. But we trust that the hearsay is not at all real.

source: makli.com
At this very moment every one of us is getting, airheaded hearsays such as the demise of Johnny Depp comme il faut the most blistering as well as the sheering subject matter on various of the websites, as has came about nightlong. To even think about the topic within the current rumor base is pretty empathetic as their is still no word out of the original person affected or not, with the sad car crash.

Public Enemies (Single-Disc Edition) Another Michael Mann Masterpiece