1. People on the streets all are looking for short stories in all the genres. The book shop is all sold out of short story collections. EastOfTheWeb.com has a library with unknown writers, which are just as nice to read as published works, I think.
2. Everybody seems to like sincere film recommendations. Telegraph.co.uk put together a list of the best films of the last 10 years. These films are low-key and not so much blockbusters, if that's what you like.
3. Telegraph.co.uk also reports that today's youth think Hitler was a famous German soccer coach. They have bizarre concepts of other World War 2 terminology. I won't even say what they are!
4. In 2003 when the Iraq war started, the masses declared that it was a Exxon-Mobil scheme to buy oil fields. Six and a half years later, Exxon-Mobil are buying oil fields.
5. Google.com, which started out as a search engine, has ambitious plans to publish electronic versions of millions of old, out-of-print books, many of them forgotten in musty university libraries. The plan is controversial to some. I think it's a good idea, myself.
6. LiveScience.com reports that music significantly improves brain function. This means everyone from the casual listener to the classical piano player. If you like heavy metal, your brain is functioning!
7. On one end of modern science, you have people trying to clone the Woolly Mammoth. On the other end, you have people making genetic zoos. This means if something terrible were to happen, all the animals can be cloned and reborn, if they died.
8. When you need some classical music and you need it now, try ClassicalConnect.com. As soon as you load the site, music plays.
9. India is a country that has poverty, yet people often live to be 100. Reports suggest that it's their curries that does the trick. Cook with corriander, tumeric, and fenugreek!
10. I am pro-cannabis legalization mainly because it could turn America's trillion-dollar debt into a trillion-dollar surplus. With taxation I mean. Now, reports suggest that cannabis is helpful for shellshocked troops who come home from the war. That's a sign that legalization is just around the corner. If Manitoba, Canada makes more money from cannabis than it does wheat, that says something.
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| User: |  aphonik |
| Date: | 2009-11-07 12:03 |
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| Security: | Public |
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http://feeds.reference.com/click.phdo?i=fb926dfe7d8f9a9789fd9443992ff0e7 http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/archive/2009/11/07.html abeyance: suspension; temporary cessation.
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I've been listening to this album a lot today. I really like her voice, plus she's Canadian and adorable, eh.
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| User: | aphonik |
| Date: | 2009-11-06 12:03 |
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| Security: | Public |
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http://feeds.reference.com/click.phdo?i=4ba4305b9f3c012fccdbd75ececf7136 http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/archive/2009/11/06.html felicitous: apt or appropriate; also, delightful.
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http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=4ba4305b9f3c012fccdbd75ececf7136&p=4 
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Beezy (aka BZ), a young rap artist from the southeast, has already been slated by many as the next teenage rap sensation. His current single "My J's" (aptly named after the popular shoes branded after Michael Jordan) is spreading through the southeast like wildfire, and will premiere on MusicDishTV on Wednesday, November 4, 2009. The popularity of the shoes coupled with the song and the raw, but somewhat comical video has started to create quite a buzz for the young 17-year-old artist.
http://www.myspace.com/beezy1000
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I am looking for songs about Autumn/October/Fall?
Any genre would do but I am looking for stuff like the following:
In This Moment - This October
This Weary Hour - In Autumn Twilight
Eternal Tears of Sorrow - Autumn's Grief
Cradle of Filth - Thirteen Autumns and a Widow
Opeth - Forest of October
Opeth - Dirge for November
Opeth - Harvest
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| User: | aphonik |
| Date: | 2009-11-05 12:04 |
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| Security: | Public |
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Why being grumpy can be good for you
Nov 4 2009 Brian McIver
It may take more muscles to frown than to smile - but being grumpy is better for you.
A new study into behavioural health has discovered people who are always crabbit are less gullible and better at decision making.
Psychology expert Professor Joseph Forgas revealed his startling results in this month's Australian Medical Journal.
His findings show even the most negative emotions, such as sadness and grumpiness, can prove more valuable than happiness and other positive feelings.
But if being like Victor Meldrew can be better for you when it comes to making decisions, what can other emotions or behaviour do for you?
GRUMPINESS
According to Prof Forgas, grumpy people make better eye witnesses, are harder to fool and will make better judgment calls than cheerier people.
He believes that a negative mood "triggers more attentive, careful thinking and we pay greater attention to the external world".
SADNESS
Another part of Prof Forgas' study compared the benefits of being sad to being happy. He found that a sad person can cope with demanding situations better than a happy person because of the way mood affects the brain's information processing systems.
One of the many tests Prof Forgas used to prove his theories involved asking happy and sad people to judge the merits of urban myths spouted in movies, and found that the sad ones were less likely to be conned.
SWEARING
It might not be big, clever, politically correct or polite but, according to scientists, unleashing a four-letter word outburst can be very good for your health.
A study at Keele University found that swearing helps us deal with pain and that potty-mouthed people can endure pain for 50 per cent longer than non-swearers.
FLIRTING
A cheeky nod or wink can be good for your health - it's official. Studies have shown an inoffensive flirt, even if you are not looking to follow it up, can be a great way to build confidence and reduce stress.
And as long as it is not intended or perceived as sexual harassment, studies have also shown it can improve office morale and camaraderie in stressful times.
GIGGLES
Laughter can be the best medicine and since 1995 a form of laughter yoga has been taught around the world to encourage the giggles. It helps with heart health and is also effective in pain management, stress reduction and fighting depression.
GRINNING
A big cheesy grin may be quite off-putting to some but the widest kind of smile is also good for you, with some incredible benefits.
These include a drop in blood pressure, a boosted immune system and a reduction in stress. It also helps produce endorphins, which relax the body, as well as the happy hormone serotonin.
CRYING
Letting go and having a good blub can be one of the best things for you. Tears include a powerful hormone, leucine enkephalin, which regulates pain and other hormones which regulate stress. So tears could be a physiological way for the body to reduce stress.
SHOUTING
A good scream is not only a good workout for the lungs but it is also good for the soul. Primal Scream therapy, popularised in the 1970s and enjoyed by people such as John Lennon, uses shouting to connect to subconscious stresses and issues and get them out.
LAZINESS
People who get up early and busy themselves all day long are heading for an early grave, says public health expert Professor Peter Axt.
He believes lazing about is the key to a long life and an antidote to professional stress, provided people are otherwise healthy.
He says: "People who would rather take a midday nap instead of playing squash have a better chance of living into old age."
ANNOYING THE NEIGHBOURS
Blasting out loud music is the best way to upset your neighbours but it can boost your brain power.
According to researchers at Manchester University music fans are stimulating part of the inner ear known as the sacculus, which responds to the beat in music.
This gives the brain pleasure and makes us feel good - during the music and afterwards.
FIDGETING
A fidgety work colleague can drive you mad but fidgets are actually keeping themselves slim.
A study in America found that people who constantly tap their fingers or twitch and stretch are using up an extra 350 calories a day.
Endocrinologist James Levine, who led the research, said: "There are huge differences in the amount of fidgeting between people who are lean and those who are obese."
BEING UNTIDY
An unmade bed may appear to be the height of laziness but it could help prevent asthma.
Scientists at Kingston University found house dust mites - which can bring on an asthma attack - cannot survive in the dry exposed conditions found in an unmade bed.
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http://feeds.reference.com/click.phdo?i=8f339e5bc8210c1c9f5e0695e7ef3f9b http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/archive/2009/11/05.html maunder: to talk or wander aimlessly.
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1. Don and I were driving to the forest, to see the elusive alchemist, Mr. Wu.
2. We called a taxi in Downtown Milwaukee, and by 11:30 A.M. we were on our way.
3. The cab driver asked us if we minded stopping at Brookfield Square if he waived half the price. We said sure. He went inside the complex and he came out with an elderly woman.
She got in the taxi with us like there was nothing strange about it. So, we more-or-less thought there was nothing strange about it. Don and I were both excited about going to see the alchemist.
4. When we got to Mr. Wu's store and tea bar, the street was filled with people. Most of them were laughing very loud. They looked like they were having the time of their lives. We went in the store and headed to the back. The cab driver and the old woman waited.
5. We greeted Mr. Wu in his laboratory and he said we got the appointment time wrong, which we didn't. He had a mean look on his face. He said "I will see you now, but since you are not here at the right time, it will cost you 20%". I wanted to leave. But Don wanted to stay. So we both agreed.
6. Don and I both wanted the Divine Afterglow health potion. It costs $185. Mr. Wu makes it from scratch. He announced every ingredient as it was being put into the blender. Most of the ingredients I never heard of. They must be from China.
7. He made the Divine Afterglow and poured some in two goblets. "Please, drink," he said. I was feeling so well that I was grateful to give him an extra 20%.
8. Don said let's walk through the woods. I said that would be fine. The hair on my head felt brand new. My skin felt tingly as if it were breathing. My stomach felt other-worldly calm. My eyes saw everything with pure gratitude. Don said, "Do you know what I like about November, it feels like June but without so much humidity." Then he said, "Do you know what I like about dreams? You're not afraid to think of anything." Then he said, "I wish I was as smart as I am in dreams." I thought his comments were wonderful.
9. We got in the cab. The old woman was smiling. I was at the place where health and pleasure meet. Don was never happier. But not as happy as the old woman!
10. Tonight I found a bug in my clothes. The old woman bugged me and learned Mr. Wu's secret recipe! From now on, I will buy Divine Afterglow as much as I can. I owe it to Mr. Wu to see that he stays in business.
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http://feeds.reference.com/click.phdo?i=52e31edc8fb47bc4c87531f832beb788 http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/archive/2009/11/04.html skulduggery: devious, dishonest, or unscrupulous behavior or activity.
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http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=52e31edc8fb47bc4c87531f832beb788&p=4 
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-my legs are still dead from my first (and only?) marathon. the hardest part was hitting 'the wall' at around mile 19 and having my body start to lose control and my mind fade in and out of reality. i mean, i soldiered on, but at times my legs started cramping up and i'd have to stop and strech, or things would start getting hilly and i'd have to start walking it because of my bad knee (which i'm surprised didn't go out completely on me). still, i made it in 5 hours and 4 minutes. i beat my half-marathon time from berlin by like 5 minutes, too.
-the funniest/scariest part was the second i passed the finish line and both my calves cramped up like a motherfucker, crippling me. it's as if my body bitchily knew to stop functioning the second my mind dragged it across the finish. i immediately toppled over since i was unable to stand and four nice volunteers totally caught me and held me up. i started squealing in pain and apologizing and thanking them profusely for catching me, and they passed me over to four strapping army guys in fatigues who steadied me on their knees and eventually put me on a stretcher to get a leg massage in the medical tents. i was screaming 'fuck!' and 'shit!' while they were carrying me cuz of the pain and they kept telling me to lay back and not look at the two stone boulders my calves had become. when i did, i realized they could read my 'legalize gay' american apparel tank and i got a little embarrassed, but then i started feeling all diva that these hot dudes were totally cleopatra-ing my queer ass to a massage! i shook their hands afterwards, even after one of them asked me '¿si habla español?'
-apparently my legs pulled that shit on me cuz i didn't eat salt packets along the way like i should have. i mean, i've never eaten salt for any of the runs i've ever done in all my years of running... so why da hell would i have changed any of my routine? i guess i learned the hard way. similarly, i never ever drink or eat anything before or during any of my normal runs cuz of stomach cramping, but i was totally downing special-formula gatorate and water and power protein smoothie packets during the marathon like there was no tomorrow, and i was fine. a bizarre and wondrous thing, the human body is.
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http://feeds.reference.com/click.phdo?i=9a7ee576b41c5069cb30a009538fc8bb http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/archive/2009/11/03.html sommelier: a waiter, as in a club or restaurant, who is in charge of wines.
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It sounds fucking awful but I am consistently surprised about how difficult I find doing a PhD. I really did think it would be a piece of piss. Ludicrous.
WORKING ALL NIGHT HOORAY
Also have some Spotify playlists -
http://open.spotify.com/user/stylishbastard/playlist/1AeoktQIBN9yNo8x4XtfrB
http://open.spotify.com/user/stylishbastard/playlist/5skGZzbBmpjajV54MO9Mc1
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1. You've heard of Last.fm right well now there's Swift.fm, a place to get music recommendations based on what your closest friends are listening to.
2. Nowadays writing a dossier is a complex task. You have to write the text, record voice messages, and install videos. Well it's all easily done at CinchCast.
3. I go to six Renaissance Fairs in the Midwest and Canada, and all of them keep an hourly web-log of what is going on. It's a good way to stay in touch with my friends. Now you can easily manage a business microblog, with Taweet for the Twitter system.
4. HelloHealth is a free internet service that lets you have video-chats with your doctor, if you both have a camera. The service also has text messaging. Ask your doctor.
5. This one is going to take your hat right off like the wind. StuffBuff is an auction house with nice stuff, like corporate gift cards and electronics. You can win an auction and get something for 70% off, and if you lose you can opt to buy the item at retail price minus what your bid was. Sometimes there is an exceptional value!
6. Dropico is what they're talking about on the streets around here. This site lets you drag photos and graphics from one social-network to another. Useful!
7. Do multi-player video games float your boat? OMGPop is like a social-network and it's based on arcade games you play with your friends.
8. Ontheroad.to is a remarkable travelogue site. With this you can make a presentation with text, videos, and maps. I'm going to be using this one next July when I'm in the Italian Alps.
9. ReadFresh is a service that tells you when your favorite websites are updated.
10. In the news, it says that Russia has finished a prototype of a robot soldier. Let hunks of metal do the fighting!
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1. I climbed the stairs to the Cathedral and Father Theo said Sister Marie was on holiday for the week. I went to her sitting room and lit a candle. Even as she wasn't there I felt emotionally comfortable being in her sitting room. The lovely stone walls and 19th century French tapestries brings very nice calm. I had brought with me a cannister of expensive tea (three cinnamon blend) and I set it on a shelf where the gifts for Sister Marie go. The shelf was so full I could hardly make room for the tea.
2. "Is that for me?" said Sister Marie in the most fond voice. I turned around and looked at her and she had the warmest smile. "Aren't you on holiday?" I asked. "Yes I am, and I'm on holiday right where I belong. In the Cathedral." She really liked the tea. Years ago her taste in tea was bland and cheap, but now she has gained an appreciation of finer teas, and spicier ones. "You know, Joe, this kind of tea is perfect for early November, it is lively and rich and warming." I was smiling that she liked it.
3. The tea put her in a fine mood. She talked about the achievements of the Cathedral staff and the other Sisters and the Priests. She said she has never worked with such a friendly and cooperative group of people. She meant that. Then she talked about a homeless man they took in off the streets called Victor. Victor has no residence, but he has a job. The church is letting him stay there. Victor came up with an idea that cut the cost of gardening in the courtyard by two-thirds. It costs less and it looks nicer. "You should always consider those you know who are practical and forward-thinking," she said.
4. Just then Chloe, Sister Marie's young assistant, brought in a stack of papers. Sister Marie scanned them. You always can tell when she demands silence, she does it with the look in her eyes. One of the papers said that a group of thieves have made a camp under a freeway bridge. It said these thieves are from Iowa, and they prefer living outdoors over spending their money on an apartment. She looked worried. "It won't take long before these bandits are in our shops, our hotels, and even our homes. Calling the police has been rendered useless, because they always return." I was feeling very stoic when she said that.
5. Sister Marie started to cry. Chloe embraced her, which was appreciated. Just then I thought of an idea. I'll have my friend Clyde go to the bridge camp and try to sell them knives. He is a hunting knife salesman. When the bandits buy up his stock, I'll visit Sister Marie and have her call the police. When they show up at the camp, the bandits will get a bigger charge than having an illegal encampment and an illegal campfire. Hopefully that will drive the bandits out of town.
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