LOVE IN THAILAND

almostfearless.com

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 18:20:00 +0000

almostfearless.com

Posted: 19 Apr 2010 11:16 PM PDT

Today’s guest post is by Colin from Exile Lifestyle. If you’re a traveler, being able to spin a captivating tale can be a survival technique. Here’s how to do it.

“…but it turns out that on the label it said ‘do not mix with alcohol, can cause vivid hallucinations.’ THAT'S how I ended up 8 miles from where I started, wearing half the clothes I showed up with, and why I no longer drink wine in hot tubs with French people.”

The people clustered around me at the party all display the ‘Ohhhhh!’ face of figuring out a mystery. Some laugh out loud at the surprise ending. Others give their sympathies/express their disbelief/nod in acknowledgment that, yes, these kinds of things happen, and yes, they are worldly enough to know about them.

The response is good and I take a mental note of how I told the tale this time around. Each time the pacing is adjusted just so, the milestones come earlier or later, and the intro completely changes based on how it’s brought up in conversation.

Telling a good story – especially if you’re a traveler – is like knowing verbal ninjitsu: being able to do so makes you a force to be reckoned with at any social event, job interview, court hearing or casual conversation.

Weaving a Worthy Tale

Storytelling has a history as old as articulate humans, and if you are able to improve your ability to take part in this tradition, others will be more likely to benefit from your misadventures, learn from your experiences and value you as someone who can hold their own in a crowd of two or two thousand.

There are a handful of things to keep in mind when telling a story that will elevate it from a potential snoozefest into an audience’s delight.

First

Remember that the point of telling stories is to educate or entertain, and ideally both. If you aren’t giving value to the people who are listening, then you may as well keep your mouth shut. That value can come in many forms – painting a picture of a location with your words, for example, is valuable to someone who hasn’t been there – but make sure that you’re not just making noise to hear your own voice.

It can also be quite valuable to tell people something they don’t know (“I had no idea that pouring cheap vodka through a water filter 8 times will make it the exact same quality as top shelf stuff!”) or to simply entertain with yarns about strange/awkward/unusual situations.

Second

Try to remember the details. These are the tidbits that make the whole story more vivid and believable. If you simply say ‘I got on a boat and it was the wrong boat and it was a nudist boat’ you’ve managed to take a potentially hilarious situation and turn it into a ho-hum-you-don’t-say moment.

On the other hand, if you were to say ‘As the ship jerked away from the dock, I could see the craft full of octogenarians come alive as freshly-polished brown wingtips were meticulously unlaced and removed, skirts were dropped to the deck like wadded-up Twinkie wrappers and shirts were ripped off with the reckless abandon of someone with nothing to lose and little time in which to lose it’ you’ve added a vast amount of detail to the story with just a few specific visuals.

Third

Use earth-shatteringly amazing words. Muster every erudite exclamation you can evoke and throw down those suckers like a handful of aces. In journalism school I was taught that we should write at a fifth grade reading level; keep the quarter words at home, they told me, the newspaper is a nickel-only publication.

You know what? Storytelling is no place for nickels. Body language speaks volumes, so even if someone doesn’t understand the words you use, they will get the gist of what you’re saying and very likely get more value from it than if you had used something simple. Big, crazy, fun words exist for a reason: they do a better job of elaborating and clarifying than their more commonly-used counterparts.

Fourth

Watch your timing, pacing and chronology. You needn’t tell a story from start to finish, the way it happened in real life. Real life is boring to hear about! You know what’s entertaining? Movies. And you know how many movies tell a story without any breaks or pull-aways or flashbacks or secondary-stories or plot-twists? Not bloody many, and with good reason.

Insert additional backstory when necessary! Start at the end and then go back to the beginning to show how you got there! Tell the story from a few different perspectives! Have fun with it!

I’ll tell you right now, it will likely take a half-dozen tellings before you really start to get it right. What seems interesting to you – having been there – will probably be much different than what’s interesting to the people you’re telling about it later. My best stories are ones that I’ve told over and over again, and that’s no coincidence; they’re as good as they are because I’ve been able to see over time which components of the tale get the best response.

Fifth

Know when to shut up. The only thing worse than someone telling you a boring story is someone who keeps telling it over and over again. While you’re telling a story make an effort to watch the faces and body language of the people around you. If their eyes drift, if their feet or bodies turn to point away from you, if they seem to be trying to come up with an excuse to leave the conversation, pick up on this and figure out an escape plan.

My favorite way to do this is to simply involve someone else and let them have the floor. One of the rules of being a good conversationalist is knowing how to ask good questions. If you can do this, you can control the flow of the conversation, learn a whole lot, and, most relevant to this topic, involve someone else in the story you are telling so that it spins off into a different story altogether (this one told by them). Doing this elegantly is a good way to show that you don’t want to waste anyone’s time with something that is clearly boring them and that you're not trying to hog the spotlight.

As Good As Gold

Keep these five things in mind and your next story will be…about the same as the last one you told. But CONTINUE telling that story while keeping these things in mind and it will get better and better and better.

And you know what? As you invest time in telling your stories well, you’ll start to look at the world – your life – as one big epic adventure. The best story ever written!

Having your car burst into flames will become just another experience waiting to be dissected later in order to determine the lessons learned and hilarity captured. Each and every second that you live becomes a latent investment.

Keep oral tradition – and your next party – alive.

…and be careful around French people, wine and hot tubs; I’ll tell you why one of these days.

Pic: Brainpicker

About the Author:

Colin Wright is an entrepreneur who runs Exile Lifestyle and moves to a new country every four months. Keep up with him via Twitter, RSS and his newsletter.

Watch this space for next month's free ebook... coming 5/3/10!

Free Pursuits - The 7 Deadly Sins of Designing a Healthy Lifestyle

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:22:00 +0000

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The 7 Deadly Sins of Designing a Healthy Lifestyle

Apr 20, 2010 03:31 am | Corbett

Guest post by Matt Gartland of Healthy Lifestyle Design

The free pursuit of a healthy lifestyle is an empowering force that shatters the default life plan. This force builds your confidence, challenges the status quo, amplifies your passions and destroys conformity. But, like any force for good there’s also a dark side.

Enter the seven deadly sins of designing a healthy lifestyle. These seductive traps ensnare many in confusion and frustration. If left unchecked, they can wreak havoc on your pursuit of a rewarding, joyous and liberating life.

So how about you? Do you commit any of these seven deadly sins when designing your healthy life?

1. Apathy

Have you ever achieved an amazing success without being wildly passionate about it? I doubt it.

That’s because dispassionate pursuits are destined for failure. And so it is with designing a remarkable and euphoric healthy lifestyle.

How so? Easy. Passion ignites your determination for a healthier life. Passion emboldens you to challenge the unhealthy status quo. Passion stimulates joy in all your healthy endeavors.

Simply put – passion is the elixir of a healthy lifestyle.

Without passion, apathy will curse you. Apathy is running uphill in lead boots with a parachute on your back. It cripples your momentum, resolve, and enjoyment of designing a healthier life.

Eventually, apathy will lock you in a suffocating submission hold. Game over.

So, break through the apathetic barriers of a conventionally healthy life (which isn’t really healthy at all) with your passion-imbued sledgehammer. Not only will it catapult your health to unbelievable new heights, but it’s damn fun too!

2. Sloth

Unleashing your passion is wonderful! But passion without action is sinful. Why? Because your passion is wasted. Passion alone cannot conjure the magical results you seek. Passion is merely the fuel. You still need the engine.

Bold action is your engine. Without it you fall victim to sloth – the curse of doing nothing.

Sloth is abhorring the status quo but not doing a damn thing about it. Sloth is rejecting your mediocre health but not fighting to improve it. Sloth is relying upon “get-healthy-quick” gimmicks to transform your health.

Sorry, but “get-healthy-quick” solutions aren’t real. The only real solution is tenacious action.

But let’s be clear. This fight need not be boring, protracted or painful. If it is, sloth will conquer you in time.

So do the opposite. Fight for your remarkable life in a style that’s fun, focused and efficient. After all, the journey is the destination of designing a healthy lifestyle.

3. Spite

Many think passion and action will carve a perfect path to a healthy lifestyle.

Sorry, but your path won’t be “perfect”. Nor will it be “best”. That’s normal and should be expected. But many are blind to this.

Instead, they fall victim to unfairly comparing their health to others. This resentment is the seed of frustration, anger, even hate. Do you think these emotions are healthy and helpful?

Such spite blackens your heart and corrupts your spirit. And this sin not only harms you but also those in your toxic wake.

Spite can also be born from competition. Done right, competition is healthy and constructive. It strengthens your positive tenacity. It also forges powerful relationships. But competing past the point of reason is destructive. Understand the difference.

Overcome spite by welcoming positive failures and embracing others as role models, not rivals.

4. Selfishness

Selfishness is an especially deadly sin because it’s so deceptive. Yes, the pursuit of greatness requires intense convictions and self-motivations. But the line between such self-confidence and selfish arrogance is dangerously thin.

This tipping point hinges upon a simple question – is your lifestyle about giving or taking?

The choice is plain. You must give. Giving releases you to pursue the lifestyle of your dreams. It’s simple cause and effect – the more you give the more you receive.

This works because designing a healthy lifestyle is about creating meaning – meaning for yourself and those you care about. So by giving of your healthy self you motivate others and generate amazing life experiences. You learn and grow because of it. This sparks the uplifting cycle of Healthy Lifestyle Design.

By contrast, selfishness propels a downward spiral of isolation and despair. This sin fosters greed, dissolves your passion, and invites spite. It’s a path to the dark side.

5. Impatience

I don’t think there’s anyone who has pursued a healthy lifestyle that hasn’t been frustrated with their progress at one moment or another – yours truly included.

That’s natural.

It takes time to design the lifestyle of your dreams. This acknowledgment is vital to your sanity and success. Without it you’ll succumb to perpetual impatience. That’s bad.

Why?

Because impatience is a fiercely malevolent sin. It propels irritability and irrationality. It frays the fabric of your happiness. It undermines your passions and convictions. All told, impatience is the leading killer of healthy dreams.

Conquer this sin through patience. Patience is a powerful virtue that delivers a secret weapon – momentum. You won’t build your healthy lifestyle overnight. But you will be building momentum. And the healthier you become the more momentum you’ll generate.

With enough patience you’ll equip yourself with a wrecking ball of momentum capable of demolishing any obstacle on your pursuit of an awesome healthy life.

6. Conformity

Think of all the legendary persons throughout history. What made them special? What made them memorable?

Their uniqueness.

There will never be two Albert Einsteins. Or two George Washingtons. Or two Amelia Earharts. Or two Babe Ruths. Yes, these folks achieved greatness, but they did it their way.

So, when seeking your own greatness (of health and life), why should you conform to someone else’s template? You shouldn’t.

Why? Because conformity forces you to become a second-rate version of someone else instead of a first-rate version of yourself. Thus, it prevents you from living up to your full potential because you’re expected to “blend in” and preserve the status quo. This dissolves your self-identity and true passions.

So, if you want to achieve greatness of health and life, be unique. Your healthy lifestyle must stand alone – because it’s yours to define, build, nourish, and love. Be bold. Don’t compromise. Be great!

7. Fear

Fear is the master of all the deadly lifestyle design sins. And it’s a shapeless enemy. It attacks as self-doubt. It snipes as fear of nonacceptance. It besieges as fear of failure. But only if you let it.

How can you overcome these fears?

Do what any good student does – research your subject. What you’ll discover is that people fear what they don’t understand. That’s why fear is shapeless. So, by defining and understanding your lifestyle fears you can overcome them.

But fear isn’t always to be conquered. Fear can be an asset (no, I’m not crazy). Fear generates acute focus, energy, and discipline. It also provides direction – i.e. if you’re really fearful of something then you should learn about it. These attributes are powerful resources for your lifestyle pursuits.

In the end, a healthy lifestyle is not about living without fear – it’s about understanding and embracing fear.

***

Embolden your pursuit of a remarkably healthy life by avoiding these deadly sins. Ironically, they’re not so deadly once you learn about them.

Now you know. So go seize the day and design an amazing life! If you don’t, sloth with get you!

How do you overcome these seven deadly sins of a healthy lifestyle? What other deadly sins should be noted and explored? What do you think about using health as a means to freely pursue your ideal lifestyle?

Matt Gartland is a healthy lifestyle geek extraordinaire, blogger, world traveler, coffee fanatic, web techie, and more. He writes at Healthy Lifestyle Design, where he unleashes his passion for remarkable and unconventional living propelled by an amazing healthy lifestyle. Follow him on Twitter.

photo by alexandra_z

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Gizmo's Best-ever Freeware"

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:55:00 +0000

Gizmo's Best-ever Freeware"

Create a Live Web Page from Scratch in Seconds, via Email

Posted: 19 Apr 2010 03:08 PM PDT

If you want to get something online easily and quickly then try this free web service that lets you create publicly accessible web pages just by sending an email. You don't even need to register to use the service.

http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/posterous.htm

You are invited to view "speyfly999's photo"

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 03:09:00 +0000

View Photo

Message from speyfly999:

Buddha is watching over his children of Thailand.When i look at this picture,i see "Peace"!It is my hope that today in Bangkok,Peace will win out over Violence.Jai,yen,yen!luckkyybuddha999

If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser:
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Damn Cool Pics

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:08:00 +0000

Damn Cool Pics

Octopus Steals Video Camera and Swims Off With It
Superhero Tattoos
Don’t Tell Me It’s Love
2010 Iceland Volcano Pics
Hotcut Barber Shop in Poland
Burqini: A Bikini for Muslim Women

Octopus Steals Video Camera and Swims Off With It

Posted: 19 Apr 2010 12:10 PM PDT

While trying to get video of a wild octopus, it suddenly dashed towards me and rips my shiny new camera from out of my hands, then swims off, all while the camera is recording! he swam away very quickly like a naughty shoplifter. After a 5 minute chase, I placed my speargun underneath him and he quickly and curiously grabbed hold of the gun as well, giving me enough time to reach in and grab the camera from out of his mouth.

I didn't feel threatened at all during the whole ordeal. He seemed to be fixated on the shiny metallic blue digital camera. the only confusing behavior was how he dashed off with it like a thief haha. cheeky octopus.

Superhero Tattoos

Posted: 19 Apr 2010 08:17 AM PDT

Some folks enjoy having a tattoo of a superhero or a comic book hero. Maybe such body art gives them the feeling of being a superhero? Who knows..

Don’t Tell Me It’s Love

Posted: 19 Apr 2010 07:53 AM PDT

The bigger your wallet is the hotter the girl you get (no matter the degree of man's ugliness) at least, this selection of pictures proves it good.

2010 Iceland Volcano Pics

Posted: 19 Apr 2010 04:12 AM PDT

The volcano that has erupted in Iceland disrupts the whole world. Millions of passengers can't get home because all Asia-Europe flights are stopped – governments are afraid of the fallout from the ash cloud drifting from the erupting Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Iceland volcanoes illustrate world's interconnectedness. Collected here are photos of the most recent eruption.

Hotcut Barber Shop in Poland

Posted: 19 Apr 2010 04:08 AM PDT

This is a barber shop in Poland. With sexy lady snipping up your hair :) Ok, if they had this barber shop in your community.. how many haircuts would you get a year??

Burqini: A Bikini for Muslim Women

Posted: 19 Apr 2010 02:52 AM PDT

A new twist on the bikini a "burkini" designed so Muslim women can enjoy a day on the beach. The burkini, is made from UV and water-protected polyester. It covers the whole body except for the feet, hands and face.

Its Australian designer, Aheda Zanetti, has been swamped with thousands of inquiries about the product from Europe, Britain, the United States, Asia and the Middle East. Zanetti said she started producing the Burqini as Muslim women were missing out on sports because of their dress code.

It allows Muslim women to swim in public, instead of wearing the full length dresses and robes.

almostfearless.com

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:01:00 +0000

almostfearless.com

Almost Fearless: The Documentary (and the $9,830 Challenge)

Posted: 19 Apr 2010 03:01 AM PDT

When I started this journey in 2008, I thought I was alone. I always knew I wanted to travel, but I didn't know people who made it happen over the long term. The closest I would hear about was someone taking an extended break (maybe a year) to backpack around the globe, but at the end of the trip it was back to the office, the "real world" and 2 week rushcations.

Now I know better. There's a huge community of people, all over the world, living, working and traveling where they please. The internet and wifi has made it possible to work from anywhere. They're called digital nomads.

Since I've started my own family, I’ve realized that this isn’t just about travel… it’s about being able to do absolutely anything. For us that means in addition to being able to live anywhere and to travel as we please, we also have the flexibility to pursue projects that interest us and most recently to start a family. In a time when having one parent stay home is a luxury, we’re able to both be home with the baby, tag-teaming child care and making life with a newborn a breeze. Being wireless doesn’t just change where you work, it changes how you live.

The Documentary

This summer, we're traveling to Bulgaria as our home base in Europe and we'll begin (my husband and I) a project I feel very passionate about. We'll begin primary shooting for a documentary on the digital nomad lifestyle.

We'll be interviewing and following other digital nomads as they show what their lives really look like. It's like the 4-Hour Workweek Movie or A Map for Saturday: Digital Nomad Edition. Throughout, we'll be exploring the different ways folks are able to make long term travel work:

Where do they live?
How do they make money?
Where do their kids go to school?
What is the "digital nomad" lifestyle really like?
What are the pitfalls?
How can I apply these things to my life, even if I don't want to travel abroad?

Why I'm Telling You This

Originally, there was a part of me that wanted to keep this project under wraps. After all, it's a huge undertaking and announcing my intentions up front also puts some pressure on me. If I fail, it's public. But after thinking about it, I realized that this is exactly the kind of thing I need to be transparent about. What better way to illustrate the process of going from having an idea to executing it? I had the faith to begin this journey and to document it publicly, so I can't become complacent now and start shielding myself from risk.

The $9,830 Challenge

We're funding this project completely out of pocket. And it's not going to be cheap. We need a professional grade camera, a microphone, lighting, a Mac Book Pro, editing software (Final Cut Pro), and portable storage (think terabytes). The total cost for these things? $9,830. And I have to raise it before I leave the US on July 1st.

That gives me about 2.5 months to raise nearly $10K out of thin air.

In the spirit of transparency, I’m starting this challenge to raise the cash and to share my steps (and mis-steps) as I go.

The rules are simple:

It has to be money I raised. I can't siphon off my current income, I need that to live.
I can do whatever it takes to make the money. I can use this website. I can get a job at 7-11. I can start street performing for donations. I can even sell the clothes off my back if that's what it takes.

Every Sunday I'll be posting about my progress with updates on the totals raised, and what I'm planning for that week. I'm hoping it'll be interesting to see the process, especially since $10K is about the amount that would get most people on the road and traveling, if they wanted. It's not about how I raise the money, as much as the concept of putting yourself out there and making things happen. I like to think that if you declare it, it will come. So far, that's worked for me.

Support this project

To get things started, instead of finding one well-financed angel investor to help fund this documentary, I'm looking for partners who can make a micro-payment today, in order to support a film they want to see. Any donation amount will get you a mention in the credits, but I'll also be reaching out to the folks who donated for when I have cool stuff to share (think sneak peaks, events etc).

Also you can pre-order a copy of the DVD for $25 (includes S&H). When the DVD comes out, it will automatically be shipped to you.

Pick your option (donate or pre-order) from the drop-down below:

Get Involved

If you’d like to participate in this project, you can! I’m always looking for folks with an interesting story, a good contact or even looking to roll up their sleeves and jump in. If that’s you, tell me about it.

Pic: blhphotography

Watch this space for next month's free ebook... coming 5/3/10!

Calm before the Storm!

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 03:00:00 +0000

City centre stays on red alert

Yellow shirts vow to launch counter rally

Published: 19/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

Red shirt protesters are planning to mobilise another mass rally in Bangkok tomorrow in a move sure to ratchet up tensions in the capital.

Red shirt guards direct spotlights and keep a close watch on the rooftops of surrounding buildings as security is tightened around the rally site at Ratchaprasong intersection. The move follows a statement by the government that it will position officers on the top of high-rises to prevent security breaches. THITI WANNAMONTHA

Anxieties have already been increased after the rival yellow shirts said yesterday they planned to launch their own campaign if the government failed to end the red shirt protest within seven days.

And the Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situations (CRES) has vowed to use force against red shirts who try to seize arms from officers blocking more protesters from joining the rally at Ratchaprasong.

Apart from red shirt leader Arisman Pongruengrong's dramatic escape from a police raid on Friday and the emergence of the "no-colour" movement, there have been few developments since the violent clashes on April 10.

But that could all be set to change.

The red shirt leaders have announced a plan to step up their campaign against the government by holding a mass rally tomorrow, and the People's Alliance for Democracy met in Rangsit University yesterday and issued the government an ultimatum.

The PAD led its yellow shirt supporters in rallying against the Thaksin Shinawatra, Samak Sundaravej and Somchai Wongsawat administrations and occupied Government House and Bangkok's airports at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang.

It remains unknown whether the red shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship will move to a specific location tomorrow but core leader Jatuporn Prompan said yesterday it was possible the gathering crowd could grow and spill to Silom Road.

"We have to see how big the crowd is," he said. "If the crowd grows, naturally the protest site has to expand in all directions including towards Silom."

Earlier another red shirt leader, Suporn Atthawong, proposed leading the demonstrators to the headquarters of Bangkok Bank on Silom. The proposal was met with a stern warning from the CRES.

The red shirts say the Bangkok Bank has connections with Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda, who is a former chairman of the bank's advisory board.

Red shirt leader Kwanchai Praipana yesterday called on red supporters who have saving accounts with Bangkok Bank to withdraw their money and stop doing business with the bank.

Meanwhile, PAD leaders called on the government to arrest UDD leaders and so-called terrorists and restore peace and order within seven days.

The meeting at Rangsit University yesterday was attended by 2,000 people including all core PAD leaders except Sondhi Limthongkul.

"If the government cannot deal with the problem by the deadline, the PAD will meet and determine its biggest move to defend the country and the institution of the monarchy," a statement said.

The PAD denounced the violence on April 10 and linked it to Thaksin. In conveying condolences to the victims of the clashes, the PAD called on red shirt leaders to stop using the dead bodies of red shirt protesters to pursue their political goals.

"The red shirt leaders should also take responsibility by calling off their rally so the red shirts will not fall victim to the group's [use of ] terrorist violence," the statement said.

PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang said: "Be prepared for a big and long rally. We will not disperse if the nation and the [royal] institution are still in danger.

"Decide for yourself if you will join the fight. And I am sure if the government cannot do anything in seven days, it will be our biggest rally ever."

CRES spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the CRES was stepping up measures to prevent red shirts from joining the rally tomorrow.

He said security at checkpoints would be increased to keep protesters away from Ratchaprasong.

"If there has to be a clash to keep them away, so be it," Col Sansern said. "There are rules of engagement to follow. But if there are attempts to seize weapons or vehicles or to harm authorities, they have the justification to use weapons to protect themselves. There is no other choice."

He said troops would also be sent to secure high-rise buildings around the intersection to prevent incidents.

He said the measure was meant to prevent terrorists from targetting protesters and creating more mayhem.

The UDD has said it would send its own guards to high-rise buildings, but Col Sansern said any unauthorised persons would be arrested on the spot.

He insisted the red shirts would not be allowed to move anywhere.

"They are not allowed to go anywhere. If they mobilise protesters, we will mobilise officers to match their number.

"If a clash happens, it happens. But we are not saying this is an eye for an eye. We just have to enforce the law."

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayakorn yesterday played down the cancellation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's weekly talk show on radio and TV. He said Mr Abhisit had communicated with the public through regular national addresses on the situation.

The Emergency Medical Institute's Erawan emergency centre yesterday announced a 25th person had died as a result of the clash on April 10.

Monchai Saejong, 54, died of congestive heart failure and congenital diseases including emphysema and cirrhosis. He was admitted to hospital after being affected by tear gas.

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Damn Cool Pics

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 02:06:00 +0000

Damn Cool Pics

Snow Dogs
Fail Foods
Ice Driving Fail
Fun with Polaroids
The World's Biggest Farm Tractor

Snow Dogs

Posted: 16 Apr 2010 02:41 PM PDT

These Labrador Retrievers named River and Trout absolutely love the snowy hills of Sugarbush in Warren, Vermont. They use their bodies as sleds to slide around; looks like fun!

Fail Foods

Posted: 16 Apr 2010 02:15 PM PDT

Ice Driving Fail

Posted: 16 Apr 2010 02:08 PM PDT

First you try to ride on a thin ice. Then your car crashes into the water and when the help comes it's just too late.

Fun with Polaroids

Posted: 16 Apr 2010 01:12 PM PDT

Creative examples of Polaroids in pictures.

The World's Biggest Farm Tractor

Posted: 16 Apr 2010 12:56 PM PDT

They don't make them like this, anymore, that's for sure. This bad boy is called Big Bud and it's the world's largest farm tractor. It's 27 feet long, 20 feet wide and 14 feet tall.

Big Bud was built in 1977, in Havre, Montana, by Ron Harmonn and the crew of the Northern Manufacturing Company. It was commissioned by the Rossi Brothers, for their cotton farm, in Bakersfield, California. The main purpose ofBig Bud was deep ripping, and it did the job for 11 years, until in moved to another farm, in Florida.

In 1997, 20 years after it rolled out of the Northern Manufacturing Company, Big Bud returned to Montana, to serve the farm of the Williams Brothers. Here, the giant tractor is used for cultivation purposes, pulling an 80-foot-wide cultivator. Even if you have no agricultural experience, you can tell that's a damn big cultivator.

Equipped with custom-built tires, made by United Tire Company of Canada, Big Bud can work more than an acre of land in just one minute. The Williams Brothers made some minor modifications to the engine, and the tractor is now able to produce 900 bhp, instead of the initial 760 bhp.

When its gas tank is full, Big Bud tips the scale at 50 tons.

Gizmo's Best-ever Freeware"

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:59:00 +0000

Gizmo's Best-ever Freeware"

A Free, Efficient Replacement for Windows Search

Posted: 15 Apr 2010 07:38 PM PDT

Here's a small efficient search program that can search within files just like Windows Search. However unlike Windows Search it does this without bogging down your computer by creating and maintaining huge search indexes. As a bonus it can even search inside PDF and office files.

I liked so much that I installed it on my personal laptop - a rare honor for any utility.

Damn Cool Pics

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:07:00 +0000

Damn Cool Pics

Skydiver Climbs Between Gliders
30 Zoo Animals Captured at the Right Moment
Zombie Birthday Cake
Okie Noodling Tournament
Stationery Of Horror: Bloodthirsty Corporate Stationery Design

Skydiver Climbs Between Gliders

Posted: 15 Apr 2010 08:56 AM PDT

A skydiver has pulled off an astonishing stunt by climbing out of a glider's cockpit, crawling along the wing and then somersaulting underneath and stepping onto the wing of a second glider flying below.

Paul Steiner then moves back onto the main fuselage of the second glider while the first glider turns upside down and flies overhead so that he can reach up and hold the tail fin at 100mph, forming a human link between the two aircraft. He then leaps off and parachutes back to the ground.

30 Zoo Animals Captured at the Right Moment

Posted: 15 Apr 2010 06:53 AM PDT

One of the most important parts in any zoo visit is photo shooting and a great shot mostly consists of being at the right place at the right time. Visitors make hundreds of pictures but 99% of them are boring. Only the luckiest and most patient people can make interesting and unusual pictures.

Zombie Birthday Cake

Posted: 15 Apr 2010 06:34 AM PDT

Cake Rhapsody made this Zombie birthday cake for her daughter's 8th birthday. She says, "She loves low budget zombie movies and requested a zombie girl cake with a Beetle juice/goth theme. All parts of the cake are edible except some dowels used for structural support."

Source: flickr

Okie Noodling Tournament

Posted: 15 Apr 2010 06:19 AM PDT

Every year Oklahoma welcomes the participants of Okie Noodling Tournament. This American festival is very popular among fishermen. Its participants have to catch the biggest catfish using their bare hands in order to win.

Stationery Of Horror: Bloodthirsty Corporate Stationery Design

Posted: 15 Apr 2010 04:41 AM PDT

Jacques Pense is a brilliant artist from Germany, he is really doing a great job in advertising and design, He just created Stationery of Horror, A bloodthirsty corporate design for Germany's most famous crime and horror channel, we have showcased some of it artwork.

Source: jvm

almostfearless.com

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:07:00 +0000

almostfearless.com

The Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Long-Term Family Travel

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 10:01 PM PDT

Today’s guest post is by Sarah Lavender Smith from Away Together. When she’s not being a kick-ass San Fran based writer, she’s traveling with her family. I’m thrilled to share her tips on making it work.

Above: The author and her family near Queenstown, New Zealand

A little more than a year ago, my husband and I were staring at a map on the One World airline site and feeling utterly bewildered. We had made the momentous decision to rent out our home for a year, travel the world and "roadschool" our two children — but where would we go, how would we get there and how long would we stay in any one spot?

And once we arrived who-knows-where, then what would we do and where would we sleep? We felt lost and overwhelmed — and we hadn't even left home.

Now we find ourselves in a lakeside cabin near the quaint town of Daylesford, Australia, about an hour from Melbourne. Last week, we lived at an eco-lodge in the Blue Mountains National Park, and before that, we toured parts of the United States, Argentina and New Zealand. In the months to come, we'll head to Hong Kong, Spain, Italy, and Greece.

In other words, we muddled through the highly subjective, somewhat arbitrary, always tortuous, often fascinating and just as often maddening process of planning a year-long family travel itinerary. Along the way, we learned from mistakes and developed a few guiding principles to minimize the time spent planning while maximizing the chances we'll wind up in fabulous yet affordable places.

What follows are some of the biggest mistakes a family can make while planning a far-flung, long-term itinerary (and how to avoid them). Usually these mistakes stem from the kind of well-intentioned attitudes or assumptions expressed in the bolded statements below. These are statements I personally said or thought — before I knew better.

"Let's see the whole world!"

The biggest mistake any family can make in planning an itinerary is trying to go to too many places and do too much. Keep in mind that packing, driving or flying, and then checking in and settling into somewhere new is stressful on the kids and kills the better part of a day. We've discovered our two kids (ages 8 and 11) and we are happiest when we go for depth over breadth; this is, we move around less and settle into a community for a couple of weeks.

During two months in New Zealand, we experienced both road-tripping — sleeping in a new town almost every night — and two-week stays at a couple of main destinations (Nelson and Queenstown). It was exciting to see so much, but overall we had a more satisfying time at the two-week spots, where we could get to know the community and establish normal family routines such as planning meals and doing schoolwork.

"If we're going all the way to the Mediterranean, we've gotta see the Pyramids too."

Related to the point above: Accept the fact you can't see every "must-see." While we were in Argentina, we agonized over whether to buy plane tickets and take a few days to see Iguazu Falls. Now we're in Australia, and people are telling us we're crazy to miss the Great Barrier Reef. I feel certain, however, that we've done the right thing by skipping both those destinations because of the time, money and effort it would take to get there. We've got enough "must-sees" on our calendar. Plus, some of the most interesting travel times happen outside of typical tourist destinations, in ordinary towns where real people really live.

"Won't it be great to live in some of the greatest cities?"

Buenos Aires … Sydney … Barcelona … Rome — our itinerary began by connecting the dots between some of the world's most alluring cities. We figured we would rent an apartment in them for three to four weeks and take just a few weekend trips to the outlying regions.

Then we wised up to the fact that we should limit our time in big cities, or at least balance it with time in the countryside. Cities have two main drawbacks: they're expensive, and they can be stressful for children. The noise, crowds and security concerns grow tiresome, as does the inability to go out the front door and run around freely.

We had a fantastic apartment in Buenos Aires, for example, but our children really felt ready to leave after two weeks. Then we settled into a small town in the Patagonia Lake District, and they yearned to stay longer. Our kids are happiest — and by extension, so are we — when they're in a more natural, less frenetic environment.

"I'm sure we can find someplace better if we keep looking."

True, more research usually yields better results. But beware: travel planning can turn into a giant time suck. We could easily spend eight hours a day on the Internet reading about destinations, debating one over the other, comparing lodging options, and then trading emails with apartment managers and arranging overseas wire transfers to those who won't take credit cards. We have spent days like that, and they're no fun. Rather than searching for "the best" deal in "the best" place, we found it's better to research just enough to feel that a choice seems pretty darn good, and then go for it.

"We can't impose on people we barely know or haven't seen in years."

People we kinda-sorta-used-to know live in several places we're visiting, but at first I hesitated to contact them. Then I got over my shyness and discovered how great it can be to meet up with others while traveling, especially if they have kids with whom our kids can play. In New Zealand, we met a friend-of-a-friend via Facebook and ended up having a magical day touring an area that only a local would know, and through this person we met a wonderful family who gave us the use of their house. In Italy, a couple we only met once is inviting us to their home and helping plan our itinerary around Venice. I look forward to returning the favor to a family from Sydney whom we met when they swing through our Northern California home next year.

So don't be shy while traveling — tap into networks such as alumni groups and Facebook in order to meet people in your destinations, especially if those locals also have children. You can also follow other families' travel blogs and try to meet if your itineraries cross paths.

"I can't leave home without this guidebook — we need it now to plan, and we'll definitely need it once we're there."

Before we left home, I bought at least a dozen guidebooks from DK, Lonely Planet and Rough Guide. And I loved them, I really did. I loved thumbing through their pages, highlighting their recommendations and marking them with sticky notes. They felt almost as essential to getting around as my passport.

But my husband made me leave them behind because we're traveling as light as possible. He said we wouldn't need them, and I admit it: He was right. Books are useful to get an overview of a region, but all the tools you need for travel planning are available online — including many books in PDF or other e-reader formats.

We cast a wide net on the web when we plan our itinerary and follow many travel blogs, but we return repeatedly to these sites: Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet and The NY Times Travel section. We also regularly use Google Earth and Google Maps to "see" a place in advance. (We've actually decided against certain apartments because the street view on Google reveals they're in a place that looks particularly shabby or inconvenient.) And once you get to a destination, the local tourist info office is brimming with more free guides and maps than you could ever need.

"We can't leave home until we figure this f***@#! itinerary out!"

I used to wake up in the middle of the night at home, survey the storage boxes and to-do lists scattered about, and think, How can we leave if we don't even know where we're going? How can I pull my kids out of their school and home if we don't even know what city we'll be sleeping in three months from now?

Now I realize it's okay to fill in the details as you go. There is no way we could have planned everything before we left home — it would have taken too much time, and we were preoccupied with packing and moving out. All we did was determine the outline of the itinerary so we could purchase the One World tickets (and even then we changed dates and destinations along the way), and we found apartments in our first two major destinations. We also found a special place to stay during the Christmas holiday.

"Okay, let's just go. We can wing it."

Balancing the point above is the fact that we can't just "wing it" because it takes work to find the kind of affordable apartment-style lodging or house rentals we seek. Families traveling for extended periods generally do better in suites, cabins or apartments big enough to sleep everyone together, plus a kitchen for cooking meals, which can be trickier to find than a standard hotel room. Otherwise, you'll spend more money and have less family-together time when split between two hotel rooms and eating all meals out.

You'll also need to plan ahead if you're doing some form of homeschooling so that you have regular downtime in your itinerary for schoolwork, and so you and your kids can take advantage of the wealth of educational opportunities presented by the destinations. This doesn't mean you should visit every museum and monument, but it does mean thinking ahead to where you're going and how to approach it in a way that sparks the kids' intellectual curiosity and enhances their academics.

Also, we learned the hard way to book far enough in advance for holiday seasons because some of the places we wanted to stay Down Under were already full during the mid-December through January holiday break. Similarly, if we were going to be in Europe over summer, we would have to book pretty far in advance. Generally, though, we've been ironing out the details and booking lodging approximately two to three months ahead of where we'll be, which has worked out well.

"We'll blow the opportunity of a lifetime if we don't plan right."

I start feeling flutters of anxiety about the gaps in our itinerary that we still need to fill for the last leg of our trip, but then I remember a title of a Jon Kabat-Zinn book, "Wherever You Go, There You Are." The phrase helps me relax and have faith that we can make the best of wherever we end up if we have the right attitude.

It's a mistake to think you have to plan perfectly to get the most out of your journey. Remember that choosing destinations and planning all the logistics will take you only so far on the road to happiness. Whether you have a positive experience traveling depends mainly on what you do as a family — how you interact with each other, and with other people and the surroundings — wherever you go.

About the Author:

Sarah Lavender Smith is a San Francisco Bay Area-based writer who blogs about her family's travel at Away Together. Her post Halfway There Together: Surprises and Changes So Far reflects on how seeing the world and living a nomadic life has changed her and her family; she encourages other traveling families to check it out and comment on how long-term travel has changed them, too.

Pic: Luca & Vita., oaklandnative, geoftheref, telmos32, lecercle, ljubs

Watch this space for next month's free ebook... coming 5/3/10!

Gizmo's Best-ever Freeware"

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:58:00 +0000

Gizmo's Best-ever Freeware"

Powerful but Lite Word Processing Programs

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 08:01 PM PDT

Programs like Microsoft Word and AbiWord are great word processors but are overkill for most users so we decided to look at a number of free programs that were smaller but still highly capable. Out top choice is quite an amazing product that works quite differently to most other products but once you get used to it, it's highly addictive and quite powerful as well.

http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/word-processor-replacement.htm

Damn Cool Pics

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:58:00 +0000

Damn Cool Pics

Pixels by Patrick Jean
50 Inspiring and Creative Ads from the WWF
Creative Mini Golf Courses
Turnip Rock on Lake Huron
Alternative Ending of Forrest Gump
Onbashira Festival in Japan
Kick-boxing Orangutans in Thailand

Pixels by Patrick Jean

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 08:44 AM PDT

What happens if one day, all the 8-bit gaming heroes attack the world? Directed by Patrick Jean, produced by One More Production.

50 Inspiring and Creative Ads from the WWF

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 07:23 AM PDT

WWF (World Wildlife Fund for Nature) is an organization which mission is to stop the degradation of our planet's natural environment, and build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

But also they have ones of the most creative advertising campaigns ever. Advertising at its best!

Creative Mini Golf Courses

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 06:48 AM PDT

Some mini golf courses are designed like real art. I would love to play golf at one of the following course constructions. Would you?

Turnip Rock on Lake Huron

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 06:20 AM PDT

One of the little-known wonders of Huron County, Turnip Rock stands off the the rocky shores of Lake Huron, near Michigan's thumbnail. This place is charming and unbelievably beautiful. The land around Turnip Rock is privately owned, so the only way to reach it is by boat.

Source: umich.edu

Alternative Ending of Forrest Gump

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 06:11 AM PDT

If you didn't like the real ending of this great movie, maybe you'll like this one better.

Onbashira Festival in Japan

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 02:44 AM PDT

Held every six years, in the Nagano area of Japan, Onbashira Festival is believed to have continued uninterruptedly, for the last 1200 years.

Onbashira, literally translated as "the sacred pillars", is a Japanese tradition that symbolizes the renewal of Suwa Grand Shrine. It consists of two phases: Yamadashi and Satobiki, the first held in April, and the second in May. Before Onbashira begins, 16 tree trunks, 200-year-old Japanese fir trees are cut down. Each tree can be up to 1 meter across, 16 meters tall and weigh up to 12 tons.

Yamadashi is translated as "coming out of the mountains" and is the most popular part of the festival. Teams of men have to drag the logs down the mountain, to Suwa Shrine. At some points they encounter steep slopes where they must slide the tree trunks. In a ceremony called Ki-otoshi, brave young men risk their lives by climbing on the trunks and riding the all the way down the muddy slopes. It takes 3 days to move the sacred tree trunks, over 10 kilometers, to the shrine.

Satobiki involves placing the logs at the four corners of the four buildings that make up Suwa Grand Shrine. Using ropes, teams have to pull up the giant tree trunks in a vertical position, with young men sitting on them. Those still on the logs after they are positioned, perform all sort of feats.

On Sunday, during the 2010 edition of Onbashira Festival, a man was crushed to death by a tree trunk, during Satobiki. One of the ropes came loose and hit the 38-year-old man in the head. Several others were injured in the accident.

Source: sacbee

Kick-boxing Orangutans in Thailand

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 02:25 AM PDT

Fights take place at Safari World Theme Park in Bangkok, Thailand. There are even orangutan ring girls, who look almost like human ring girls. 6 years ago the company, that arranges the fights was banned, but now it's operating again. Some people think it's cruel, other think it's funny.

Organization "Borneo Orangutan Survival" says that those animals are illegally brought from Indonesia, they can harm each other during the fights and after being rescued they can't live a normal life because they fear almost everything.

It's important to understand that orangutans are endangered. Wild species can be found only in Malaysia and Indonesia rainforests.

Free Pursuits - Transitions, Best of Both Worlds and Investing in the Process

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:13:00 +0000

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Transitions, Best of Both Worlds and Investing in the Process

Apr 13, 2010 04:42 pm | Corbett

Tomorrow Jessalyn and I are headed back to San Francisco. It’s been a fantastic season in Mexico, filled with friends, surfing, romantic walks on the beach (really), introspection and a decent amount of work.

Leaving is bittersweet. We’re sad to leave the sun, simplicity and relaxation of Mexico, but happy to be returning home to our favorite city. Transitions are funny like that, especially when you’re moving on to something familiar but loved.

We’re fortunate to have been living in the best of both worlds for the past two years. The beaches of Mexico in the winter, and the intellect, culture, art and natural beauty of the Bay Area for the rest of the year.

I Wish I Could Do That

The most common response I hear when we explain our lifestyle to someone new is, “I wish I could do that.” Friends of ours who also live location independent lifestyles often hear the same comment.

Sometimes I respond by asking “why don’t you?” Or, “what’s holding you back?” Responses I hear back usually involve a bunch of excuses and reasons why the person is stuck in his or her current city/job/lifestyle. My new acquaintance convinces himself in a matter of minutes that I am privileged and lucky, and he will never be able to break free from his current circumstances.

The truth is, yes, I am privileged and lucky in some ways, but becoming self-employed and location independent were both decisions, not some magic thing that just happened. We aren’t rich or retired, we just made a very conscious choice to pursue this lifestyle.

It’s not all roses and champagne, either. We chose to live part-time in Mexico in large part because it’s far less expensive than living at home in San Francisco (especially because we sublet our apartment when we’re gone). Because it’s much cheaper, we are buying ourselves time. Time to earn enough income to support ourselves on an ongoing basis.

We aren’t quite there yet, and so we’ve gotten comfortable with ruthlessly cutting expenses and supplementing the rest with savings. It was a little uncomfortable to think about the sacrifices required at first, but now we hardly notice the things we’ve been living without.

Determination and hard work are more important in living unconventionally than privilege and luck. I still contend that most people can radically change their lifestyles if they want to.

In general, people I meet who don’t think lifestyle design is possible for them come from a background similar enough to mine that our relative levels of privilege are about the same. Whether you live how you really want to comes down to the choices you make and what you believe to be true about the world around you.

If you want to become location independent, work for yourself or travel the world, you have to work for it. More than that, you have to commit to enjoying the process it will take to get there. Wanting the result isn’t enough. There’s a long road ahead, so choose a beautiful one.

Investing in the Process, Not the Results

Fortuitously, my friend Kyle sent me a video on this very topic just a couple of weeks ago. Srikumar Rao is a professor at top business schools around the country, where he teaches a course on creativity and personal mastery. He says we spend most of our lives learning to be unhappy, even as we strive for happiness.

The “I would be happy if…” mental model most of us grow up learning is actually responsible for our unhappiness.

We should be steadfast in our pursuit of goals, but not fixated or consumed by them. It’s the journey that we can derive true happiness from. Results are out of our control and fixating on them will only lead to disappointment, fear, insecurity, anxiety and jealousy.

I have long thought balance might be the key to avoiding becoming obsessed with results (to the detriment of actually accomplishing what we want), but the model presented in this video has gotten my attention.

This video (from the TED library) is well worth the 17 minutes to watch. I was intrigued enough that I started also reading professor Rao’s book, Are You Ready to Succeed? Unconventional Strategies to Achieving Personal Mastery in Business and Life.

Do you focus on the results or the journey? Can anyone live a location independent lifestyle if they really want to? Let’s discuss in the comments.

comments | read more

Free Pursuits, LLC

PO Box 7775 #10578

San Francisco, CA 94120-7775

Add us to your address book

Gizmo's Best-ever Freeware"

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:58:00 +0000

Gizmo's Best-ever Freeware"

Updated: Best Free File Encryption Utility

Posted: 13 Apr 2010 09:47 PM PDT

Many people encrypt their entire disk drives but sometimes it's handy just to encrypt a single file. These three freebies do that job with a high level of security combined with ease-of-use. Some are portable too so that makes them a great addition to your USB flash drive toolkit.

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-file-encryption-utility.htm

Yemeni child bride dies of internal bleeding, 3 days after wedding, following having sex with adult husband

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 04:03:00 +0000

Yemeni child bride dies of internal bleeding, 3 days after wedding, following having sex with adult husband

A 12-year-old Yemeni child bride died of internal bleeding following sexual intercourse three days after she was forced to marry an older man.

luckkyybudha999 speyfly999@gmail.com

Crimes against Humanity!The Abuse of all Children of the World,needs too be stopped!This is "2010",not the Middle Ages!Muslim Countries our at the head of this list of forcing young women into marriage to older males.luckkyybuddha999

Thai News Land

Thai Foreign Minister lashes out at international community; blasts Thaksin as "terrorist"

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 03:43:00 +0000

Thai Foreign Minister lashes out at international community; blasts Thaksin as "terrorist"

Thailand's Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya slammed the international community on Monday for failing to take action against ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whom he blamed for the country's political unrest.

luckkyybuddha999 speyfly999@gmail.com

Mr. kasit is himself naive!Mr Thasksin was not in Thailand last Saturday,and only the current Thai government,am Pm,our the one's with "Blood" on their hands!Judgment Day,is coming for the "Murders" of civilian Thais!luckkyybuddha999

Thai News Land

almostfearless.com

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:10:00 +0000

almostfearless.com

How to Get an Empty Seat Next to You On an (Almost) Full Flight

Posted: 13 Apr 2010 03:08 AM PDT

Today’s guest post is by Scott from Trekeo. I’ve tried some of these tips in the past… they work! Add your tips in the comments.

My nightmare finds myself stuck in the center seat on a 4-hour flight. To my right is a guy twice my size who decides that both armrests belong to him. He spends most of the flight fidgeting and complaining under his breath. Turns out he is a heavy breather; with a head cold. On my left is a middle-aged woman who is flying for the first time in years. The look on her face tells me that she would rather be going in for major surgery than sitting on the plane. She expresses her nervousness by talking; incessantly. For four hours I experience hell in stereo. There has to be a better way.

These are not guarantees, but here are some tips that my wife and I have used with success in getting an empty seat next to us.

Book near the back of the plane. Usually tickets are first booked at the front and then fill toward the back. We always book near the back, where there is an empty seat next to the seat we want. Some travelers hate the back because it takes more time to get off the plane. For me, an additional 5 minutes deplaning is worth the possibility of an empty seat.

Book an isle seat. This puts you in prime position to make the shuffle. What is "The Shuffle?" Read on.

The Shuffle. Once you are in your assigned isle seat, look around for an open seat. As soon as you hear the flight attendants say that the doors have been locked and you sense that there are no more passengers boarding, unbuckle your seat belt and move. Do not wait to ask the flight attendants (they don't care). Wait too long and someone else will take the empty. Strike as fast as you can.

Book non-reclining seats. Many travelers try to stay away from non-reclining seats. I would rather have an empty seat next to me than 4 inches of reclining seat.

Book an isle and a window. If you are traveling with another person, book one isle seat and one window (again, near the back of the plane). Do this only if there is an empty seat in between the seats you book. It is possible that someone will fill that seat, but the chances are slim. Most people who travel solo will look to take any seat except the one between you and your traveling partner. When you check in for your flight, double-check your seating. If your center seat is filled, find another with an empty and change your seat assignments. We have used this with success numerous times.

What have you used to make more room for you on a flight?

About the Author

Scot Longyear and his wife Stephanie author a blog at www.trekeo.com

photo by BooleanSplit.

Watch this space for next month's free ebook... coming 5/3/10!

Gizmo's Best-ever Freeware"

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:57:00 +0000

Gizmo's Best-ever Freeware"

Updated: Best Free Drive Imaging Program

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 10:10 PM PDT

We have a new top selection in the "Best Free Drive Imaging Program" category with Macrium Reflect now replaced by a newcomer with a better CD recovery disk .

If you are not yet using drive imaging for backup then now is the time to make the change, It won't cost you a cent either.

Damn Cool Pics

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 03:01:00 +0000

Damn Cool Pics

Drive on Chairs
Silicone Girls and Their Crazy Lips
Main Differences between Russia and USA
Day of Skulls in Bolivia
Schlitzie Surtees - The Most Famous Freak of the 20th Century

Drive on Chairs

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 11:55 AM PDT

This stop-motion animated video is a commercial for Nissan's efforts to build a zero emissions car. It shows people driving chairs around town, running errands and racing each other.

Silicone Girls and Their Crazy Lips

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 10:46 AM PDT

Frankly, I don't know anyone who thinks that silicone lips are sexy. And I have no idea, why so many girls are willing to ruin their faces and bodies.

What do you think? Is it pretty or scary? I must admit, some girls do look sexy, but many of them just look scary.

Main Differences between Russia and USA

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 10:30 AM PDT

I don't know who did these comparisons but some of them are really funny.

Day of Skulls in Bolivia

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 10:18 AM PDT

Dia de los Natitas (Day of the Skulls) is an ancient Bolivian ritual where skulls are decorated with flowers and pampered with cigarettes, coca leaves and other treats.

Every November 9, the central cemetery, in La Paz, Bolivia, becomes the scene of a bizarre pre-Columbian tradition, known as Dia de los Natitas. Women carrying skulls, in decorated wooden or cardboard boxes, fancy glass cases and even in plastic bags, gather outside the cemetery to show off their skulls. They are usually decorated with flower petals (hydrangeas and roses) and covered with knitted colorful caps.

Some Bolivians believe a person has seven souls, and one of them remains in the skeleton, after they've been buried. Once the other souls have left for heaven, the remains are dug up and the skull taken home and cared for. If they're not respected, skulls can bring bad luck to a household, ruin the harvest and even break up a family. But if they're properly taken care of, you can ask the skull for favors.

Schlitzie Surtees - The Most Famous Freak of the 20th Century

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 08:36 AM PDT

Well-known American sideshow performer and actor, best known as Schlitzie Surtees for his role in the movie Freaks, was possibly born under the name of Simon Metz in the New York's community Bronx in 1901. According to other rather "mystical" sources, he was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Maybe that's why many of the circus posters billed Schlitze under the title "The Last of the Aztecs".

According to many sources, Schlitzie had to wear a dress to hide diapers (he had incontinence). The idea to present him as a girl appeared later on. Schlitzie often was dressed in a muumuu in public.

At those times microcephaly was very popular in carnival business. People watched microcephalics as if they were aliens. Mircocephaly is a disorder that leaves people with very small brain, skull and a stature. Schlitzie had the cognizance of a 3-year-old child.

The history doesn't mention Schlitzie's birth parents. They were probably drunkards or beggards, and most likely sold their sick child to a sideshow.

People who knew Schlitzie said he was affectionate and sociable person. He enjoyed dancing and singing. Throughout his life-long career, Schlitzie was a major sideshow attraction. He was performing the sideshow circuit till his death at the age of 70 of pneumonia.

Red Shirts parading coffins of protesters killed in weekend Bangkok clashes, refuse further negotiations with Thai government

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:13:00 +0000

Red Shirts parading coffins of protesters killed in weekend Bangkok clashes, refuse further negotiations with Thai government

Red-shirted anti-government protesters paraded coffins of their comrades killed in the weekend clashes between demonstrators and state forces through the Thai capital on Monday, two days after after the country's worst political violence in 18 years, which left 21 people dead and over 800 wounded.

luckkyybuddha999 speyfly999@gmail.com

Stark Figures:21 dead(4 soldiers)858 wounded(216 soldiers)30 are still critical,27 "Red Shirt" leaders with arrest warrants against them!Battles still rage in Bangkok,tourist flee the Violence.luckkyybuddha999

Thai News Land

River of Tears:"Phan Fa"Siege".

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 05:10:00 +0000

LOVE IN THAILAND SAI MAI 578
Originally uploaded by luckkyybuddha

The "Siege of the Battle for Phan Fa",may be the start of a civil War in the "Land of Smiles"!The casual media viewer in a western Country like America,does not get the real picture.The real picture is one of distortion,subterfuge and political agenda's,with the end result being chaos,death,and economic ruin for Thailand's rural poor.How did we come to this point of no return?It is not the rural Thai farmers that started this avalanche of Bloodshed and rioting.This is the undoing of a democratic process by the select "Elite"political organizations on both sides of this war.War,is the correct term in this instance.The "King",may be the only way to stop this violence at this juncture.The King is old and sick,and may not be able at this point to influence the ultimate outcome,only time will tell,and Thailand is out of time!The picture of my wife and a Village friend at the "Temple/Wat" preparing food for the Local Monks,is in risk of being lost,due to this conflict of Thailand's version of "Gang Warfare" over Turf!The Turf being "Billions of dollars",that the Elite on both sides our shedding the innocent Blood of Thailand's rural poor, for their own selfish gains!Buddha,is not smiling,but crying a river of tears for his children.Please stop this killing and hatred!Bloodshed is not listed any place in "Buddha's Teachings"!Jai,yen,yen!luckkyybuddha999

Raw videos from the worst political violence day in almost two decades

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 03:13:00 +0000

Raw videos from the worst political violence day in almost two decades

The death toll on Sunday rose to 21, with nearly 900 wounded, after a night of chaos filled with tear gas, gunfire and explosions in which both sides, armed and aggressive, ended weeks of scrupulous nonviolence. With both the military and the protesters bloodied and angry, it was not clear what moves would come next after three years of turmoil that has included a military coup, months of competing protests and the closure of Bangkok's airports. A certain calm has returned to the streets of the capital Bangkok, but the stand-off is still far from over

luckkyybuddha999 speyfly999@gmail.com

Trouble in the "Land of Smiles"luckkyybuddha999.

Thai News Land

Bangkok Thailand

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 01:52:00 +0000

Battle for Phan Fa: Blood spills on both sides

Published: 11/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

What was to be a peaceful anti-government protest by the red shirts turned deadly when grenades were thrown and shots were fired at Khok Wua intersection at 8.30 on Saturday evening.

The impact of the first grenade blast left 20 soldiers lying in a pool of blood as Bang Lamphu residents watched in horror.

Residents turned out along the road to offer soldiers moral support as they moved in to begin dispersing the red shirt crowd at Phan Fa Bridge.

Led by Arisman Pongruengrong, the protesters were told to stand their ground to prevent soldiers from advancing towards their main stage at Phan Fa.

Armed with wooden sticks, stones and Molotov cocktails, the red shirts fought fiercely against the advancing columns of troops who were backed with trucks equipped with loudspeakers and armoured personnel carriers.

The soldiers were later forced to retreat after an unknown type of explosive was thrown at them followed by a string of gunshots.

Several soldiers fell to the ground and many were dragged away bloodied by their colleagues, leaving behind their weapons and vehicles. Locals gave some of the soldiers shelter and civilian clothing to help them escape the scene.

The violence started earlier yesterday on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue when protesters moved to the First Army headquarters around noon and tried to stop troops from leaving.

The red shirts, led by Kwanchai Praipana, feared the troops would be deployed to disperse their rally at Phan Fa.

The protesters tried to enter the compound, but soldiers held them off with water cannons.

The red shirts then withdrew to Sanam Sua Pa, with some hurling wood and other objects at soldiers as they left.

The soldiers managed to drive the protesters to an area in front of the United Nations building near the Makkhawan Rangsan bridge.

They fired guns into the air to threaten the protesters, and fired tear gas at them.

The army then turned water cannons on the protesters, and, when that failed, launched tear gas, forcing the protesters to retreat to the Education Ministry.

The two sides continued to clash on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue throughout yesterday afternoon.

Army helicopters dropped tear gas on protesters in the Phan Fa Bridge area in the evening, but red shirt leaders urged their supporters to keep fighting.

The two sides finally squared off near the Ministry of Education.

Soldiers used loudspeakers to urge the protesters to desist.

"You can come out now and we will provide transport back to your homes upcountry," one officer said.

Protesters ignored them and asked monks who support the red shirts to form a wall to protect them from the army.

A small clash also took place near the Chamai Maruchet Bridge on Phitsanulok Road.

Protesters wanted to seize the area because their supporters use it on the way to join the rally at Phan Fa.

However, soldiers were able to secure the spot.

Officers yesterday tried to block red shirt protesters in other areas from entering the rally venue by closing the Phra Pin Klao and Rama VIII bridges.

Many protesters gathered a short distance from the Khok Wua intersection to confront soldiers at the Phra Pinklao Bridge.

UDD leaders also told supporters to park their cars to block soldiers from entering the rally venue near the Democracy Monument, Lan Luang Road, an intersection near the Wanchart Bridge, the Misakawan intersection, and Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue.

Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said troops exercised restraint in using force against protesters.

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Bangkok Thailand

speyfly999@gmail.com (realluckkyy999) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 01:50:00 +0000

Fifteen killed, hundreds hurt in street clashes

CHAOS IN THE WARDS, CASUALTIES TAKEN TO HOSPITAL BY BOAT

Published: 11/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

Ten red shirt protesters, four soldiers and a Japanese journalist died hundreds were injured following hours of violent clashes on Ratchadamnoen Avenue on Saturday.

ONE IN THE EYE: A UDD supporter suffered a cut eyebrow on Ratchadamnoen Avenue near the Phan Fa Bridge. PHOTO: APICHART JINAKUL

Hiro Muramoto, a Japanese photographer for Thomson Reuters on assignment to Thailand from his usual base in Tokyo, was shot and killed during the riots, said the press director of the Metropolitan Hospital, Pichaya Nakwatchara.

More than 680 people were injured in the melee, said Deputy Bangkok Governor Malinee Sukavejworakit.

Most of the injuries were minor due to the effects of the tear gas and rubber bullets used during clashes between red shirt protesters and soldiers throughout the day.

But dozens were seriously injured by gunshots, as well as M67 and M79 grenades during the clashes at Khok Wua as the troops closed in on the red shirts' main stage at Phan Fa Bridge.

Earlier report: Blood in the streets

A male red shirt protester was shot during the afternoon clashes at Makkhawan Rangsan bridge. The bullet went through his abdomen and lung. He was sent to Wachira Hospital for an emergency operation, said Dr Malinee.

A private who was shot in the knee was sent to Siriraj Hospital for treatment. Another soldier was sent to Phramongkutklao Hospital after being shot in the hand, said Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit.

The injured were sent to Wachira Hospital, General Hospital, Siriraj Hospital, Police General Hospital, as well as Chulalongkorn, Mission and Hua Chiew hospitals, Mr Jurin said.

Private Sirapob Kongbuppa was stabbed in the neck with a sharp stick during afternoon clashes at Miksakawan intersection. He was sent to Phramongkutklao Hospital for surgery and was in stable condition, said hospital director Maj Gen Krissada Duangurai.

Dozens of soldiers were sent to hospital with minor injuries, he said.

Col Mana Prinyasiri said he was shot in the leg while he was in a helicopter spreading pamphlets over Ratchadamnoen Klang Avenue.

The scene at Phramongkutklao Hospital was one of chaos in the aftermath of last night's clashes at Khok Wua intersection and Democracy Monument. There weren't enough beds for injured soldiers, so doctors had to treat them on stretchers along the hallways of the emergency ward. Most of the injured soldiers were from the Royal Guards' 2nd Infantry Division in Prachin Buri.

Hundreds of medics stationed at Ratchadamnoen Avenue had difficulty bringing patients to hospital due to tear gas attacks, gunfire and bombs in the area. They even had to resort to transferring patients to General Hospital by boat, said Prajakwich Lebnark, deputy director of the Emergency Medical Institute.

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Writer: Apiradee Treerutkuarkul and Kingoua Laohong

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