Cool Card Tricks - How to Wow! Your Spectators

Cool Card Tricks - How to Wow! Your Spectators Let's talk about cool card tricks. Guess what I think is cool? Burning something! Here, let me paint a mental picture for you. Suppose that a person wrote down a secret on a piece of paper. Then they destroy that by burning it up. They burn it up right in front of you.

After it is burnt, you deal some cards. From the cards you tell them their fortune, and at the end you reveal the secret they wrote down. I have only one question. Do you think that would qualify as being in the group of cool card tricks? Oh, yeah! Now, you want to know how it's done? Hang tight . . . Here we go. You need some kind of a reason or excuse to get your hands on the paper that the secret has been written on. Your excuse to get the piece of paper is some playing cards. You have your subject jot down the secret note. Next, they hand it to you. Here's the secret. You have an exact identical piece of paper in your hand. hidden by the pack of cards. You put the real note next to the other folded dummy. Like it's an after thought, pull out the blank paper and point with it at an ashtray (or something to burn in). Have your subject burn the paper. While they are busy with the burning, read the note under the table. Then put it in your pocket. After the fake note has been burnt, deal up some random cards. Deal them with the face up. At this point just make up stuff about the cards and your subject (like you are reading their fortune). At the end of the "reading", stare hard at the subject. With difficulty, reveal the secret that was on the paper. Cool Card Tricks - How to Wow! Your Spectators

Vedic Numerology II

Vedic Numerology II Like Pythagoras' intoxication with the Music of the Spheres( Wisdom), the Indian Sages were infatuated with Knowledge. Many scientific truths were recognized by them in higher states of consciousness which came to be known as the Vedas. One such sage was Vararuchi, who discovered the interrelationship between numbers and letters of the alphabet.

The concept of Name Number These are the various numbers given to the letters of the alphabet. A I J Q Y = 1 B K R = 2 C G L S =3 D M T = 4 E H N X =5 U V W = 6 OZ = 7 F P = 8. No letter has been assigned the number nine. Individual Name Number - The Name Number is arrived by adding all the digits which correspond to the letters in your name. For example P R A S H A N T U P A S E 8 2 1 3 5 1 5 4 6 8 1 3 5 Total 52 Individual Name No : 5 + 2 = 7 Here the individual Name Number is 7 & the Combined Name Number is 52. There are effects for both the individual and the combined name numbers in Vedic Numerology. We will deal with it in our forthcoming articles. Two - Ruled by the Queen of the Solar Logos, the Moon Moon is considered very important in Vedic Sidereal Astrology. Mental strength depends on the strength of the Moon in one's natal chart. If the Twoian is YOU! Effects for Fadic Number 2 ( Fadic Number is the number got after adding all the digits comprising your date of birth ). More quality information about Astro-Numerology and a free Astro- Numerological Report can be had from http://www.astrologiavedica.com/html/numerology.htm Personality Overview Controller of Life - Moon You are ruled numerologically by the luminary Moon. The main characteristic of Moon is its fickle& inconstant nature and this has already swayed your temperament. You are moody at times and this depression generally saps your vitality. The best remedy for you is to take recourse to yogic practices to overcome depression. Have implicit faith in God. Optimism is far better than pessimism. Your inconstant nature makes you hesitant at times. You may lack self-assertion and become indecisive at times. If you wear a ring studded with Moonstone you can overcome the negative vibrations of this number.This ring should be worn on Monday of the bright fortnight after dedicating yourself to the Lord. Lunarians are generally timid and accommodative. Hence they are sentimental and oversensitive.Heavenly topics interest you a great deal. You show inclination towards Astrology and other allied sciences. Wealthwise you are subject to terrific ups and downs corresponding to the lunar phases of waxing and waning. You will be subject to emotional suffering. You like to travel. Your honesty will be appreciated by people. Your personal magnetism will win friends and influence people. Your special charm will offset the minuspoints caused by the fickle and inconstant nature of the Moon. Mental strength and courage will be adversely affected at times. The ideal remedial measure will be to fast on Mondays consecrating yourself to the Mother Divine. In Vedic Astrology, Moon rules the mind ( Manasthu Hinagu ). If you consider Milton's statement " Mind is its own place and can make a Hell out of Heaven or a Heaven out of Hell", you can visualize how important a luminary Moon is. The Vedas averr that Moon represents the mind of the Cosmic Man (Chandrama manaso Jatha ) and is one of the important political planets. Moon rules over three constellations of the Sidereal Zodiac - Aldebaran (Rohini), Delta Corvi (Hasta) & Altair (Sravana). An Analytical Review Zodiac Sign --- Cancer The zodiac sign representing this number is Cancer. ( Do not be confused with the birth sign in Astrology) Cancer represents the heart of the Cosmic Man and Cancerians are tied and tuned to the cosmic world. Cancerians are generally adaptive to any conditions. Softheartedness is the bane of the Cancerian. Resilience is the major forte of the Cancerian. He can struggle against adversity and challenge with an intrepidity which can surprise anyone. Cancerians are generally homeloving. Love of the fine arts, music, dance and cinema are their main inclinations. Diseases of the stomach may affect them during middle age . In order to alleviate the suffering watery fruits and herbal medicines may be taken. Sloka of the Moon Dhadhi Sankhkha Thusharabham Ksheerodharnava Sambhavam Namami Shashinam Somam Shambhor Makuta Bhooshanam This sloka if recited 108 times daily can confer longevity and fortune. This is the moola sloka of the Moon. All the difficulties in your life will be erased if you propitiate the Moon. Prominent Persons born under Two Lal Bahadur Shastri, Napoelean, Adolf Hilter & Mahatma Gandhi In Vedic -Gemology, Moon represents Pearl or Moonstone. Wearing this stone on a Shukla Paksha Monday ( fifteen days after the New Moon ) will enhance the luck of the Twoians. The Sanskrit text The Jataka Chandrika assigns Pearl to the Moon ( Vimalam Muktaphalam Sheetagau ) Monday is the day of the Moon (from the Latin dies Luna & the Sanskrit Somavar). In the next article we will deal with the Threeians - who are ruled by the Number Three ( Jupiter ). Vedic Numerology II

Actor, Singer, Dancer - What's Your Main Strength?

Actor, Singer, Dancer - What's Your Main Strength? The "Triple Threat" performer is fascinating to work with - the actor singer dancer who is able to perform to a high degree in all three disciplines. But even these versatile and talented performers usually prefer one aspect of their talent - one they feel comes naturally to them. And that's what I look for!

I like to find out what my clients do that is so easy they don't even think about it, and help them transfer those innate skills into their other work areas. In the case of the triple threat, there is usually one mode of communication that is deeper, more unconscious than the others. So I will switch my coaching language to fit that mode. Say your first language is dance - I might choose to describe my technical instructions in terms of movement, physical energy or the use of muscles. Supposing your easiest mode is acting. You might understand my vocal technique suggestions if you heard them couched in terms of characterisation, emotions, descriptive keywords or plot devices. And if singing is your first, most fundamental language, I might choose to describe technical singing or acting instructions as phrase shapes, color or rhythm. When you realise which is your own main language, it becomes easier to understand what other people mean, what they actually want from you. The ability to translate a director's instructions into your own "language" can help you to understand the instructions on a deep level. And that will produce a much more authentic performance. You're happy because you successfully understood the director's instructions, and the director's happy because you did what he asked you to do, and you knew what he was talking about. And if the director thinks you understand him and where he's coming from (and assuming you can actually do what he wants), he's much more likely to hire you. There is a danger with the triple threat performer that they can become overloaded with classes or instructions, simply because all three disciplines require focus, practice and attention. Once you know what your main strength is, not only will you ease up on yourself in that area, you'll be able to apply the skills and strengths of that area in the other, more challenging areas. My early training was exclusively as a musician, and music is my first language. But I've been able to transfer my musical disciplines and skills into understanding and working with actors and dancers, and I now work with a wide variety of theatre performers and recording artists. It's human nature to dismiss something that we're REALLY good at, precisely BECAUSE we're naturally good at it. It's when you see other people unable to do something that you can do, and it really puzzles you. "But that's so easy" you might say. "Anyone could do that". But anyone can't - you have a special resonance that makes that thing feel incredibly easy to do. The more you do that is second nature to you, the more you "resonate" with your own talents, gifts and physicality. And when you "resonate" well, people are naturally attracted to you. How cool is that? When you realise that people really want you to do the thing you do best, and that you will get paid for it, life can be a lot more fun. My belief is that we are here to do what we do well. And applying what we do well to other areas of our life can make the difference between a hard life and a happy life. So what's your main strength? Actor, Singer, Dancer - What's Your Main Strength?

Vampire Pictures and Fantasy Art Design

Vampire Pictures and Fantasy Art Design You have probably noticed some great vampire pictures and Gothic type fantasy art online these days. The images and quality of the works are incredible. You also might of wondered how this type of art is produced, CG fantasy art makes use of software to produce fantasy style art.

The initials "CG" stand for computer generated and involve the artist using a variety of drawing or rendering software programs. The first movie to use computer generated imagery was Westword in 1973 but that was 2D, today's 3D Computer generated imagery used by Disney and others has come a long way since its origins. CG art can now be done by anyone in the comfort of their own home with the help of software programs like Maya, and Bryce or using more common graphic design programs like Photoshop and Gimp. The market for computer generated art is much larger than most people realize. The Internet has really expanded the commercial prospects for alternative works of art. Many of these digital artists make a living selling prints of their Gothic, fantasy or vampire pictures online. You can buy high quality prints on ebay and others sites devoted to the medium. CG digital artists often will work on a commission basis either for commercial purposes or when contacted by a customer to produce a one of a kind work. Its hard to know if CG art will be a good long term investment as the market is so new, but some of these works command high prices. If you would like to try your hand at drawing some vampire pictures or other fantasy art be patient, realize many of these digital artists have spent much of their life perfecting their craft, which isn't that long since most are fairly young. So do not expect to produce something that blows people away 5 minutes after you install the software. Vampire Pictures and Fantasy Art Design

Party Favors are Fun Entertainment

Party Favors are Fun Entertainment When used as either conversation starters or simply meant as crowd entertainment; party favors have a place of importance in any occasions that involve seated activity. Sometimes they have a game, toy or noise maker and often they are just snack foods. A party favor can be as basic as fortune cookies. It serves to entertain, feed and spark lively discussion.

What portion of the budget should be spent on party favors? That depends on the importance to be placed on the party favor. The party favor can really be something downloaded from the internet like a zodiac or crossword puzzle. These are great, inexpensive and serve the purpose. These kinds of favors should be scrolled and tied with ribbon and a sharpened pencil should be tucked inside. Often times more should be spent on the party favors so that they can serve as a small gift for the guests. Then they serve the additional purpose of saying quickly "thanks" for attending. Anytime that there is a group meeting it helps if the party favors are matched to some matter that is germane to group identity. Little hats with a flourish of ribbon for popular women's club meetings make good favors. Trinkets or charms that compliment the theme of a club's efforts are fine. A group which regularly raises money to plant trees and flowers community wide might enjoy charms of gardening tools, for instance. Formal gatherings often call for more expensive party favors. Disposable cameras are very popular items for wedding receptions. The less expensive sack of grass seed for the after reception showering of the newlyweds is traditional. Mints in decorative holders or candy coated almonds are also among the budget minded options. Party favors for graduations, holidays, birthdays or anniversaries can all be purchased especially for those occasions. Party Favors are Fun Entertainment

Printable Crossword Puzzles For Kids

Printable Crossword Puzzles For Kids Crosswords are one of the great things to develop the skills of your kid. There is no need that you have to get a book for crosswords. Due to advancements in modern day technology, these sort of crosswords can be obtained from the internet itself. They are called as the printable crossword puzzles for kids. There is a real need to develop the brain of kids. It is the right time to do so, that is when your child is a kid, to start initiating his brain to think. The crosswords and other activities will help your kid to think more and hence, his brain starts to develop. As a result of this, your kid becomes sharper and mentally very fit and competitive. Today's world is far too much competitive and hence only person with knowledge and intelligence can survive easily. Hence the need for developing a kid's brain is very significant and very much a need. There are many ways to do so and one of them is by crossword puzzles.

Crossword provide your kid with a chance to develop aptitude skills and also helps to develop other skills related to brain. There are many types of crossword puzzles involving language skills, mathematical skills and so on. Traditionally it has been the books that had these crossword puzzles. But nowadays there is internet that helps you to get them easily. There are a lot of websites that has thousands o these printable crossword puzzles or kids. They can be seen, printed and given to your kid. These sort of crossword puzzles are available free o cost in many sites. So, a person can browse through them and select a puzzle for their kid with apt difficulty level. Also they give you the option to print the puzzle. You may hand out the printed puzzle to your kid to solve. The sites also provide answer key and solutions to the crossword puzzles. But there are some sites that charge a bit for these service. Though they charge, there is quality in these sites. Many of them are devised by trained professionals, who are experts in the field. They give you the apt kind of difficulty level. They also provide with valuable feed backs and hence you can train your kid in the area, where he or she is lagging. Also these sites increase the difficulty levels on passage of time. They also have the crossword puzzle for different age limits. A person is left to choose from thousands of puzzles. So a parent must choose an apt puzzle with apt difficulty level for his kid. After choosing, the crossword puzzle can be printed and can be given to your kid. This is the basic concept behind printable crossword puzzle for kids. The printable crossword puzzle helps your kid to become sharper and more competitive. These prove to be the first steps to what is going to be a tough life for them. These help them and ensure their competitive edge and hence make them better individuals. Printable Crossword Puzzles For Kids

How to Solve Cryptogram Word Puzzles Part 1 - What Are Cryptograms?

How to Solve Cryptogram Word Puzzles Part 1 - What Are Cryptograms? I was talking with 2 different acquaintances and telling them I was a writing an article about how to solve cryptograms. Both replied with a question, "what's that?" The response was amazing to me since cryptograms have been appearing in many newspapers for several years, and I thought most people were aware of them. I, personally have been solving them for about 5 years, so why do some people not know they exist?

The word cryptogram has been defined in several ways including: A writing in secret characters A writing in cipher(where a cipher is a letter, not a number) Anything written in characters that are secret, or are so arranged as to have a hidden meaning. The cryptogram word puzzles seen in the puzzle pages of newspapers and magazines are usually quotations either by famous authors, entertainers, philosophers, politicians, and others that are changed by simply changing each letter in the quotation with another. The following example of the start of a cryptogram will give you a better idea of what a cryptogram is: "A B C D - E B F - B G H I I J K - G B A L In this case A = M, B = A, C = R, D = Y, G = L, H = I, I = T, J = L, L = B, and the deciphered sentence reads " MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB" My definition: A cryptogram word puzzle is an encrypted quotation. The quotation could be a famous public statement, part of an author's work, a proverb, or any other short work. Most I have seen published are 25 or more words in length. Future articles in this series will cover such topics as: Do brain exercises such as solving word puzzles help maintain good brain functioning? Why do people solve cryptograms? Using pattern recognition to solve cryptograms. How the frequency of use of individual letters can be helpful. Recognizing specific letter combinations and patterns and how this helps. The importance of a good grasp of rules of English grammar in solving cryptograms. Use of cryptograms to teach people more about English as a second language. How cryptograms can be used to pass on secret messages. History and origins of cryptograms. Using cryptogram solving to increase one's vocabulary. Why a large vocabulary helps in solving cryptograms The importance of reading books to solving cryptograms. Advanced techniques for solving cryptograms. How to write your own cryptograms by encrypting quotations? Much more How to Solve Cryptogram Word Puzzles Part 1 - What Are Cryptograms?

Magic Spells

Magic Spells Human perception of magic and those that practice it has been skewed by popular culture and literature. It is only recently that witches have received some positive highlights and horrible hags of yesteryears are finally receiving their due.

Magic refers to control of external circumstances through mental means and anyone who practices magic is called a witch. 'Spell' is the witch's word for prayer because like a prayer a spell is an appeal to the higher powers for the fulfillment of a desire. Thus, a spell is a way of worship and need to be enacted with the dignity a sacred rite deserves. The way a spell is cast depends up on the complexity of desire and it can be as simple as chanting an incantation or as elaborate as fertility dance. However, there are some basic methodologies that apply to all spells. The first step to magic spell is to consult the phase of the moon to determine the appropriate time for performing the spell. On the chosen day the witch casts a circle and calls of the four quarters. This basically means that the witch consecrates the space with circular (or spherical) boundaries and evokes the spirits and Gods within that space to bless their magic. The manner in which this is done depends entirely on the witch. The next step refers to the offerings given to please the Gods and direct them towards the heart's desires. These include candles, herbs, crystals and essential oils among other things. For instance, in a spell to attract wealth, there are green or gold candles, herbs like patchouli and dill and the crystal that works best is malachite. It is not necessary to have all these things present since obtaining them can be an expensive affair. If the intent is sincere enough, even the most minimalistic ritual will work. The same ritual may need to be repeated over a number of days to achieve results. Before the spell is concluded, the quarters need to be thanked then sent away and the circle has to be closed. It is essential to remember that magic works on the principle of what goes round, comes round and so individuals need to be careful what they wish for. Magic Spells

Printable Puzzles - Why People Love Them

Printable Puzzles - Why People Love Them There are puzzles of many types and verities. Some require nothing but a pen and a piece of paper to get started. Some require elaborate preparation. And there are many levels that lie in-between. Difficulty level wise there are many variations as well: ranging from moderately difficult to something that is practically impossible to solve unless you are a high grade mathematician.

But the maximum fun can be gained from the simple puzzles that will challenge your brain enough but will not be so difficult that you will lose interest long before solving it. There are some puzzles that catch the imagination of people who are good at craft. These puzzles can be built using some house hold goods like string, metal wire, cardboard and simple household tools like knife, scissors, hand drill etc. For those who enjoy craft these type of puzzle games are source of two fold fun as they get lot of fun just by making the puzzles in addition to the excitement of solving the puzzles. If you are not very good with tools still you can have some of the fun that one can have from creating their own puzzles. There are various sources in internet where you can get printable puzzles. These puzzles can be of various types from different types of mazes to jigsaw types. Look for printable puzzles on net and you will get scores that will be suitable for you test and temperament. Just print the one you would love to work with and get started. Most of the puzzles will also come with their solution but do give a good try before you look at the given solution. Printable Puzzles - Why People Love Them

Word Scramble Puzzles from News to Internet

Word Scramble Puzzles from News to Internet The history of our beloved word scramble puzzles is much the same as that of word find puzzles and other types of word games. Initially they gained popularity through the widespread medium of the newspaper, then they moved on to their own word scramble and word game books and finally they moved on to the personal computer and from there hopped onto the web as it too gained in popularity.

Word scramble puzzles and other word games are popular because they entertain while exercising some rarely used brain cells. A person sitting down to their breakfast of coffee and donuts can work the daily word scramble in their local newspaper and feel a little bit better, a little bit smarter. Word scramble puzzles are also good mediums for learning in the classrooms. Lots of kids would rather work a few word scrambles on words that they are learning the meanings of rather than writing the word in a sentence and putting down its definition. Many teachers do use word scrambles and other word games to encourage learning in the classroom through fun. Often these games offer a small treat for the student who finishes the fastest. Now a days you can find a word scramble on the internet to print out or work online with a few clicks of the mouse. No longer must you wait for the newspaper each day or go out to the store to purchase a new word games book. The sites that offer word scramble puzzles usually offer a couple of other word games and often they can be found with themes for fun or for use at a themed party. Word scrambles can be great to give to the kids at the next birthday party when you are looking for a few minutes to sit down and relax. Word Scramble Puzzles from News to Internet

Tips and Top Costumes of 2011

Tips and Top Costumes of 2011 The following are a few of the best costumes for 2011, and most are still available if you shop online. They are made of good quality and comfortable to wear. The online stores seem to have the best choices in diversity of styles. Just go to your favorite search engine and type in the name of the costume you want and you will find just what you need.

Shopping online for costumes is nice and easy and you get a wider variety to choose from. Then you just click and wait for it to get there. No going out and shopping and hanging out in traffic and lines. You save time money and frustration. Halloween is one of those holidays the slip up on you and by the time you decide you or your dog or kids needs a costume the stores have been pretty well picked over and there is nothing left that really looks like something that you want. If you wait till the last minute, the chances of getting the captain sparrow, princess, raggedy or any other costume is better than if you go to the store. Then you would have to go to another store and another store until you are just exhausted and settling for whatever "they have". Worse you may decide to make an outfit yourself and you know that is always harder to do than you think it will be. Some tips on Costumes Buy quality once and you can reuse it time and time again; buy cheap and you wear and toss it away If you have a bet dress them up, they add a lot of laughter to any event Make sure you buy for what you need, meaning if you are only inside don't over dress if you are outside then make sure you and yours dress warmly Do not forget the accessories. They will make or break your costume Wear the character and not just the costume. Study up a bit to make your costume more real If you cannot afford it, don't buy it. When my kids were young and money was short I made silly homemade costumes. They loved them. Just plug in your creativity and make it fun. Raggedy Ann Costume This is an old time favorite and never seems to go out of popularity. The character was created in 1915 by a man for his daughter and the book series came into being in 1918. The costume is cute and will have a hat, a bib dress and of course the red yarn hair. Want to see something funny then you should look up the Raggedy Ann costumes for a dog. This costume can be worn for Halloween or for playtime. The character inspires children to niceness and to be truthful and honest. Captain Jack Sparrow Yaaaaar Me Mateys - Who does not want to be a pirate? We all know the look and the lingo. It is a fun costume to wear for both adults and children. You can accessorize with swords and knives and bottles of wicked drinks. This costume is one of those that is high in demand, especially with all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies having been made. Captain America Captain America is a superhero character that first showed up in the comic books in 1941. This is a very old and popular costume as the character is well loved. He is not only patriotic and heroic but he stands for freedom. With times being tough and the moral decay seems lowered, wouldn't you like to put on the Captain America Costume and strut about proudly in the red white and blue? Robber costume A robber costume is simply fun to wear and the mischief you can get into! There are many styles and genre of the robber costume. It does not have to be the guy with a black face mask dressed in black anymore; you can be a cowboy robber, medieval or whatever the picture of a robber is in your head, add the props and your set to go. Sexy wonder women costume This is one of the top selling costumes around and it comes in all sizes from baby to toddler to adult and even has a costume for your pet dog. It is fun in bold red, white and blue. It's time to save the world. Vegas Costume Oh yeah, glitz and glamour as you step into the nightlife world of people like Elvis Presley. You can dress as Elvis in many styles or you can dress as a card girl, a dealer and any of the many characters that inhabit Vegas. Alice in Wonderland A beloved character all on her own, but in the theme of Alice in Wonderland you have many delightful characters to choose to portray if you want; Cheshire cat, mad hatter, white rabbit and the villainous queen. Final Fantasy Cosplay costumes are the "bomb" there is one great place to get any kind of Cosplay costume available with all the accessories you will ever need and that is Light in the box. They are simply superb in style and quality so would be wise to shop no place else for Cosplay costumes. A few of the other high in demand costumes are: the ever sexy Arabian, butterfly, fantasy, football and baby animal costumes. Tips and Top Costumes of 2011

Bird of Healing

Bird of Healing The Charadrius is a small maritime bird about the size of a dove in most cases. It's one of a relatively small number of birds which have or had (in the case of some extinct branches) relatives in all parts of the world.

In oral traditions, the first known mention of the charadrius is in the Jewish Torah where its listed as a bird which shouldn't be eaten. In the written records we currently have, the earliest mention of the charadrius is etched on tablets from ancient Persia. Much more was written by the ancient Greeks after Alexander the Great learned of this species during a visit to the palace of the Persian king Xerxes. Though the charadrius family comes in a multitude of colours depending on geographical location, the magical properties were only ever attributed to the white ones as far as we know. According to the ancient teachings of the Persians, the charadrius could divine whether a man was to live or die. Before attempting to save a person brought before them the Persian healers would put a charadrius near them. If the bird turned away from the person they were destined to die and the healers would have nothing more to do with them. However, should the charadrius stare intently at the sick person the healers would do all they could to save them. Naturally Alexander was intrigued. He brought several cages of the charadrius back to his palace when he returned to Greece. His healers began to work with these birds and began to discover they could do far more than divine whether a person would live or die. A charadrius, once it determined a person should live, could absorb the person's sickness through its beak. Upon taking the person's malady the charadrius would fly up close to the sun to burn away the germs and then return to the palace. The ancient Greeks found this cure was most effective with those suffering from jaundice. Of course, in order to discover all it's potentials, some healer figured it would be a good idea to eat one and write about the effects the meat had on his body. According to him, the bulk of the meat was stringy useless tripe. The marrow of the thigh bone did, however, improve his vision. When this fact went out to the common man the entrepreneurs of the time began to poach and sell this royal bird for a handsome profit on the black market. In the medieval days a further discovery was made. Some ailments could be cured simply by catching the gaze of a charadrius. This did nothing to stop the poaching, but it did change the methodology. Once the charadrius was caught, a blanket was put over its cage until it was sold. After all, what would happen to commerce if people were getting healed for free? In time, the demand became greater than the supply and the magical branch of this family became extinct to our knowledge. Now this beautiful and useful bird exists only in the astral realms, where the wise can still work with their healing properties if they know how. Bird of Healing

What Do You Do at 2AM in the Morning?

What Do You Do at 2AM in the Morning? Maybe it's just allergy season again, or I have too much on my mind. For whatever reason, I couldn't sleep last night. I awoke with a headache and took a few aspirin. But I realized I needed to get up and allow the medicine to kick in. So I tried reading for a minute or so, but that wasn't such a good idea as my pounding head told me. I tried the TV, but one can only watch just so many "Creatures of the Black Lagoon" on Nick-at-Night so I went on the Internet. In comparison, that was a fairly interesting diversion.

I understand that there are several time zones at work here. So it can be 5AM on the East coast and many people are up or even at work. But the majority of the country isn't. I first stumbled over to Yahoo Answers where I like to read the questions. It gives me a nice overview of how the country is doing as a whole. It's a bit scary, even during normal viewing hours. The grammar and spelling would lead one to believe I was back in the 3rd grade. Of course I can't tell the age of the posers, but I would think they were mostly adults. There were plenty of questions being posed and asked as I watched and refreshed. Obviously, like myself, they had no early-morning life or were some type of Zombies. Ah, another great movie, but I digress. I also enjoy wandering over to the various chat rooms to see what's shaking. I used to go to the social club chats but realized that most of them were older men, pretending to be young guys, trawling for very young girls. The talk quickly turned to sex and quite graphic at that. It reminds me of the on-going MSNBC Dateline undercover sting run by Chris Hansen. He tapes various online predators as they come wandering into a trap as they are hoping to meet a 13 year old girl they've been chatting with. Chris and company have lured everyone from a company CEO to a Rabbi to military men, mostly married by the way, into their home-like setup. Once confronted and asked about what they intended to do with the minor girls, they all said "nothing." It was amazing that they caught hundreds of men that came to this young girl's house, condom in hand, with the intent to do nothing but have a conversation, a drink or a dunk in the spa. That's the problem. They were caught and their life is now ruined. So I avoid those chat rooms like the plague. But Ebay is always fun. There is always something being bid on at all hours. Art, coins, tools, books, junk and more junk. It never ends and you can browse around that site for hours. Amazon has lots of good stuff too, but it's static. At least you can count down to zero on Ebay and see what sells for what. There are also tons of puzzle sites and online games to play against other online insomniacs. There's plenty of trivia contests and poker. I could do a crossword or jigsaw puzzle to make the time fly. Heck I could even write an online article but what would be the fun of that? Oops. The point, and I actually have one, is that the Internet is a boon to the "I can't sleep" sector of society. It's interactive and provides endless avenues of entertainment. It's silent and unobtrusive so that it doesn't have to disturb the other sleeping members of the household. I figured that, with all that time to kill, I might as well make myself useful. After writing a few articles like this one, I relatively bored myself enough to become drowsy and head back to bed. But it wasn't a total loss. You got to benefit from my sleeplessness and read this article and I got to practice my typing, writing, and reasoning skills while in a semi-coma. How do you think I did? Not bad for a Zombie, huh? What Do You Do at 2AM in the Morning?

Is it OK for a Guy to Wear a Pink Shirt?

Is it OK for a Guy to Wear a Pink Shirt? Do you notice that many guys are now wearing pink colored shirts out in public? If you do, then you probably feel a bit uneasy about them. Pink has such a stigma of femininity that some people feel that it's almost a crime against masculinity for a guy to wear a pink shirt.

It will probably never be entirely acceptable for a businessman to wear a pastel pink shirt with his suit. It is strange that blue has never been considered a masculine color. Women are not stared at when they wear blue because it is a completely acceptable color for women's clothing. Many guys wore fluorescent pink shirts back in the eighties when fluorescent colors were big. These shirts were surf tees or tank tops with gym logos across the front, but they never looked feminine. The color pink has disappeared from men's clothing now that fluorescent is out, and pastels are in. A pink shirt with the Red Sox logo across the front in gray is one of my favorite items of clothing. However, I would wear a blue shirt or a red shirt just as easily as I would a pink shirt when it comes to athletic clothing. It is really hard to imagine a guy purchasing a pink shirt, even if it has the logo of his favorite sports team across the front. Colors that are similar to pink like maroon and purple have not fallen under the same stigma as the color pink. There are a lot of purple shirts made for men and people don't glance twice at a man who is wearing a purple shirt. Men can find it hard to wear something that has been labeled as being feminine. For instance, not a lot of men are walking around wearing lace trim on their clothes or with flowers embroidered into the material. Maybe pink will always be for the girls. Anyway, it's fine with me because I like the color pink. I also don't think that I would enjoy seeing my husband wearing my pretty pink Red Sox shirt while strutting around the house. Is it OK for a Guy to Wear a Pink Shirt?

Wooden Toy Trains Collectors

Wooden Toy Trains Collectors In 1936, when he was diagnosed with Tuberculosis, the physicians instructed Marshall H. Larrabee to start taking things easy. Marshall Larrabee's response was to create Skaneateles Handicrafters. Skaneateles Handicrafters was a company that later became well known for creating wood toy trains. Skaneateles Handicrafters was established out of Skaneateles New York.

A process of modest trains that run on a hardwood track are known as wooden toy trains. Toy trains and their hardwood tracks are over seventy years of age. Collectors of old wooden trains know that the trains, vehicles use to hook together with the aid of small metal hooks, that has since changed. Now manufactures prefer to link the toy trains, automobiles with magnets, the magnets make them safer for young kids who have an inclination to pop the hardwood autos into their mouths. Yet another change toy educate manufacturers have produced to their wooden educate sets is to make some of the parts, like wheels, out of plastic. The large non-mobile pieces, including components of the layout scenery, are by and large crafted from wood. The plan of toy trains comprised of wood is very simple. As soon as you are past the standard construction the plan may be uncomplicated or complex. The locomotive and toy trains, hardwood automobiles are supplied of carved pieces of timber. The wheels are attached. A few additional bits of timber are attached to the carving in the locomotive as a way to distinguish it from the other autos. The ends of each and every piece from the monitor look like the edges of jigsaw puzzle pieces. Most toy educate companies who make wood train tracks conform for the Vario-System. By adhering to this technique solid wood train tracks manufactured by 1 corporation will effortlessly connect to a piece of track produced by an additional company. The majority of people consult with the Vario-system as the Brio-compatible, after the Biro corporation who was the most well-known wooden train manufacture globally. Surprisingly, T.C. Timber, a business that use to be referred to as Skaneateles Handicrafters is one of the handful of companies who didn't conform towards the Vario-system, A rolling stock track is really a toy educate monitor that has solid wood grooves that guide the trains wheels. Most businesses make the their educate tracks so every single piece is reversible, this allows the toy train's owner to reverse the tracks curves. The landscaping that compliments the toy educate solid wood sets are typically made out plaster, plastic, and plastic resin. Landscapes featuring, deserts, the Pacific Coast, mountain ranges, and a good many more are accessible. The worlds most famous wood educate is Thomas. Thomas the Tank Engine was a character in a number of children's books termed The Railway Series that first appeared within the United Kingdom in 1945. In 1984 Thomas produced his acting debut on a TV program known as Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. The show 1st aired inside United States in 1989. The popularity of Thomas the Tank was substantial enough that manufactures started selling patterned sets, for toy train's wood layouts. Wooden Toy Trains Collectors

Mystery Word Puzzles

Mystery Word Puzzles Imagine a grid of letters arranged in rows and columns. At first glance the letters in the array may appear completely random. However, if you look a bit more closely, you may perhaps spot a word running horizontally or vertically within the grid. If you look even more closely you may then spot another word, with a completely different starting point and most likely in an entirely different orientation. This is what is known as a "mystery word puzzle", or sometimes "word search puzzle" or "word find puzzle". The goal being, to find all the words (there can be quite a number) hidden within the letter grid.

Mystery word puzzles are very popular in newspapers and magazines, and are suitable not only for adults, but even relatively young children. The task in solving puzzles is easy to explain, but accomplishing it can be quite a challenge, especially if you are only given a rough idea (perhaps a topic or theme, and the total number of words) of what you are supposed to be looking for. In the case of children, these types of puzzles can be used to help them pay attention to the exact spelling of words, and also perhaps introduce them to new words. Of course, children can get frustrated if the puzzle is too difficult, so they are generally given a list of the exact words to look for, the grid is kept relatively small, and particularly in the case of younger kids, hard-to-spot word orientations such as right-to-left are used less frequently, or even avoided entirely. While solving mystery word puzzles is one thing, creating them is another. You might want to do this if you publish a newsletter or magazine, or if you're a teacher using word searches as a classroom or school activity, perhaps to teach spelling. I am sure in the olden days, these puzzles were once created entirely with pen, paper and brain power - but if you try this yourself, you will soon see just how difficult this is. Today of course there is an easier way: with the help of a computer and some mystery word puzzle maker software you can create puzzles very quickly and easily.   Mystery Word Puzzles

Justin Bieber: A Global Phenomenon

Justin Bieber: A Global Phenomenon Few years ago, not many people knew Justin Bieber. However, as he started posting home-made videos of him singing on YouTube, he immediately captured the attention of the whole world. Ever since, there had been lots of people who were attracted by his talent and wanted to sign him to their respective labels. It was eventually Scooter Braun who succeeded in making him one of the most influential singers in Pop music today. With R&B singer Usher, Braun helped Justin record his first EP My World which produced hits like 'One Time'. At such a young age, he has become a global phenomenon. Many teenagers, especially the female ones, from all over the world have fallen under his charm. What makes him so special? It's a tricky question yet there are several answers to that.

Justin Bieber is special because he is like no other. He is a teenager with a beautiful voice, good looks and great talents. Many people, including famous celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Rihanna, fell in love with this young superstar. His fresh sounds and beautiful lyrics enchant lots of people who are getting tired of Pop music that is dominated by profanity and overt sensuality. He can play many musical instruments ever since he was very young. His ability to play the piano, guitar, and drums seems to amaze his fans. In short, Justin Bieber is a breath of fresh air to the music industry. Another proof that he is exceptional is the fact that all seven songs from his My World EP charted on the Billboard. It's a new record for a new recording artists and he made it when he was only fifteen years old. In addition to that, he then released his debut album My World 2.0 that produced the hit single 'Baby' which until now is considered as one of the most viewed videos on YouTube. What makes Justin's career unique is the fact that he has almost equal amounts of fans and haters. The fact that his 'Baby' video got the most dislikes on YouTube shows that not all people are in love with him. Nevertheless, we still can't ignore the fact that he has built up an enormous fan base all over the world. Almost all teenage girls love him. There are even many videos on YouTube of girls from all ages, even those who are still toddlers, who wanted to meet him or at least hope that he will notice them. Justin Bieber is indeed one of a kind, despite all the hate towards him. He is without a doubt the center of world attention. Justin Bieber: A Global Phenomenon

Playing Girl Games is Lots of Fun

Today there are so many online games that there is bound to be a game that will appeal to anyone. One of the more popular new girl games categories is that of kissing games. There are so many to choose from that you never have to risk becoming bored or tired of one since you can move on to another.

For years the world of online gaming has been geared towards boys and men and there have been few games that were meant to entertain girls. However thanks to the world of online gaming today there are actually many different types of girl games available for girls and women to enjoy as well. You will find that there are so many different types of girl games that you might not know where to start playing. One of the more popular games available is School Kissing. This game offers the player a chance to try and make out with a boy while they are in school hallways. The goals is to make out as much as possible without getting caught by the teachers who are constantly checking up on you. There are games that feature you kissing your boyfriend like Kissing at the Mall, Camp Kissing, and Kitchen Kissing. There are also games where you will be hooking up and kissing a random guy that you have just met. In addition you will find popular themed kissing games that are patterned after popular movies, television, and popular culture like Kiss Justin Bieber and Twilight Kissing. No matter which kissing games you choose you are bound to have a good time. These are definitely girl games that allow you to have fun and flirt with the boys. You have to be able to answer questions right to be able to make out with the boys that you meet on the games. Some of the advantages to these games are that they are easy and fun. You do not have to be a computer gaming expert to be able to play and everyone can feel like they are the master of one of these games. These games are so simple yet they can still provide hours of enjoyment and entertainment. One of the best things about these girl games is that they are appropriate for girls of a variety of ages. They are great games for those girls who are young because they do not feature any inappropriate or overly sexual material as some other games of this nature. Plus they are fun and something that girls can play and laugh and enjoy. There are many different kissing girl games that are available for free online. This means that you do not even have to pay for the games that you are playing. In today's world of a struggling economy this is a great thing as it can help you with releasing stress and finding enjoyment without having to pay anything in return. Keep in mind that there are many different types of girl games available online. Recently some of the most popular choices have been kissing games. There are many reasons for this but the main ones are that they are great games to enjoy, easy to play, and offer a level of fun that is unlike others.

Practical Things to Say and Do When Someone Dies

Keep it Simple

Oh no, a friend I know just died. My heart is on the floor. Tears sting my eyes. What can I do? What can I say? How can I help? The death of a friend or relative puts the brakes on to our busy world. We have an urgent need to "DO SOMETHING----ANYTHING!" We find ourselves wringing our hand, afraid we might cause more hurt. Not knowing how to show our love and concern, we may opt for doing nothing rather than "intruding on their grief." I'd like to share something important with you. Survivors tell me it helps so much to have others reach out to them. Most of them are very glad you cared enough to try. For over twenty one years, I listened to people share their hurts and frustrations as they journey through the mourning process. I volunteered with Fox Valley Hospice for five years and supported bereaved families as the Bereavement Care Director at Conley Funeral Home in Elburn, Illinois. I looked for ways to help them concretely express their grief. When I followed up on them at regular intervals in the year following the death, the bereaved told me the BEST thing a person can do for someone they care about is simply: BE THERE---period! You don't have to say or do a thing. Survivors tell me over and over how a hug or heartfelt handshake is remembered more than any words. Even though we know we don't really need to say anything, we still would feel more comfortable if we had a thought or two in our back pocket-just in case. From my reading and experience with "those who have been there" I compiled a list of helpful thoughts. You can also write words similar to these on a card going off in the mail. The thoughts are short and simple. Survivors have so much to think about that many times it is difficult for them to be aware of what is happening around them. It is best to keep comments brief. At the end of the article, there is a list of hints on what not to say. Survivors shared with me that hearing these things from those who came to comfort can actually cause more hurt and confusion. Helping people is one of the things life is all about. So go to your friend with confidence, knowing that your presence will bring comfort, even if your words are not remembered. WHAT TO SAY The best advice I ever received when trying to think of something to say when there really wasn't anything to say was, "Simply say what you are feeling." Try to put into words the pain and loss you are feeling your self rather than assuming what the other person is feeling. Let the survivor express his thoughts and feelings to you first. This gives him a sense that you are really listening and trying to understand. After you listen you will have a better understanding of how to respond. The following suggestions can be put in your own words. o What a tragedy this is for you and your family. o I heard about what happened and just had to come o I hate it that this had to happen. o How terribly hard this must be for all of you. o I feel so bad about all the suffering (Name) had to go through. o I was just shocked when I heard the news. o I can't imagine what you are going through. o My heart hurts for all of you. o Tears came to my eyes when I read the obituary. o I feel just terrible about what happened. o What an awful loss to our community. o There's a big hole now in my life. o The world will never be the same without (Name). o (Name) had such a great smile, personality etc. I will really miss him/her. o I enjoyed working together with (Name). He always made the tasks easier, more fun etc. o (Name) had such a wonderful way of making everyone he met feel special. o I'm going to miss (Name) so much. o I remember when...(happy memory here) WHAT TO DO Nature provides a wonderful, natural "tool" to help the bereaved get through the first hours and days after the death of someone they love. It's called shock. When our friends are in shock, they find it difficult to think and feel. The day to day necessities of life are difficult to handle. When you are looking for ways to help your friend, be practical. The following list will need to be adapted according to the friendship you have established with the family. You will need to use your own thoughtful discernment regarding the appropriateness of these suggestions. WHEN YOU FIRST HEAR Determine whether the family would appreciate a call from you at this time or just a thoughtful little note tucked in their door saying how much the family is in your thoughts since you heard the news. In the note, you can offer several suggestions for helping the family our, such as: o Washing the cars inside and out. o Answering the phone. o Polishing shoes o Keeping track of children, driving them to lessons etc. o Gathering information, (flight plans etc.) o Picking up relatives from the airport o Grocery shopping or other errands o Caring for pets o Bringing over snacks and/or a meal o Staying at the home to receive gifts of food and/or flowers, recording who they are from PREPARING FOR VISITATION GIFTS o Rather than sending cut flowers to the funeral home, why not send a plant that can be replanted outside to your friends' home? o Choose a picture frame, figurine or piece of jewelry in memory of the loved one to give to your friend. o Prisms that make rainbows throughout the room when the sun shines make a lasting gift of hope and beauty. o Monetary gifts made to the designated memorial funds are greatly appreciated. o Make up "quiet bags" for the young children. At visitations kids don't have much to do. They don't enjoy talking with relatives. You will be a hero to them and their parents if you provide a little relief. Buy a few inexpensive quiet toys for them to play with during those long hours. (Pad of paper and pencil, a small stuffed animal to hold for comfort, magnetic games or quiet contained puzzles, white boards. o Make a memory book of blank pages that friends and family can fill in for a valued keep-sake. Ask people you see at visitation or at the luncheon afterwards to write their thoughts and memories. Make a pretty cover for it or use a fun photograph. o Make a photo album of photos of you and your friend. Everyone appreciates photos of their loved ones. SERVICES TO OFFER o Offer to "house sit" during the visitation hours or the funeral where you can answer the phone and door. Keep good messages. o Offer to coordinate the luncheon. o Offer to clean up after the luncheon. o Offer to sit with small children during the funeral at the funeral. ATTENDING THE VISITATION o Attend the visitation and offer a warm handshake or a hug. o Bring a note with special memories and/or attributes of the person who died. o Don't be afraid to show your own tears. They show the survivors that you care too. Their loved one did not live in vain. THE FUNERAL OR MEMORIAL SERVICE o When you help out by taking food, be sure to put your name and phone number on the container. Better yet, send it in a disposable container. (When preparing food, it would be especially thoughtful to consider any of the survivors who may be on a special diet). Also when you prepare food, choose something that will be especially comforting to eat like a hot noodle or potato dish. o Offer to return food containers to their owners after the luncheon. o Offer to bring the paper and plastic products for the luncheon after the funeral. o Offer to bring more chairs if needed. WHAT NOT TO SAY When someone dies, the mourners are often confused and hurt. They are experiencing a variety of feelings which make them feel especially vulnerable. It is best to not offer any explanations about the death, assume how they are feeling or even encourage them to look on the bright side. Let them take the lead with these thoughts. What they want most is to be accepted and given the right to express their thoughts and concerns without judgment. In time mourners can usually see past insensitive remarks to the heart behind the words. If you have said any of the following in the past, forgive yourself, knowing that you did the best you could with the knowledge you had at the time. Your intentions came from a heart full of love. That's what really counts. Vow to never say them again. o It must have been his time. (most survivors are not ready to hear this yet-they are still wanting the person to be alive and with them) o She lived a good life. (this does not give the survivor the room to have different feelings) o It must have been God's will. (This comment can cause anger toward God, pointing the blame and causing the survivor to feel guilty for being angry at a loving God.) o If he wouldn't have been out that late, he would be alive right now. (This comment is blaming the victim and not bringing comfort to the survivors.) o She wouldn't want you to be so sad. (People hurt when someone dies because they loved him/her. It's natural and healthy to feel sad. None of us like to be told what or what not to feel.) o When a child dies please don't say, "You're young, you can have more children." (This comment minimizes the death. No child can ever take the place of another.) o I know just how you feel, my dog died last month. (Most parents will in no way relate to that.) o At least you have other children. (Again, there's a hole that no child can replace.) o It's probably for the best. (A survivor is so overwhelmed with feelings of grief, that his comment is usually misunderstood.) o God must have wanted a baby angel. (Parents cannot understand how God would want their child more than they do) o I know just how you feel. (Even though you may have had a similar experience, you are not this person. There are multiple factors influencing each individual circumstance and therefore you cannot know how someone else is feeling.) o Just keep looking for the positives. (A griever usually cannot be at this point in his mourning for many weeks following the death.) o You just sit there and let me take care of everything. (Making decisions is helpful in the recovery process of grief-let survivors make as many as they can.) NOTE: While giving someone valium may sound like a good idea at the time, the drug or one like it can dull feelings that will still need to be dealt with eventually. It is important to a person's well being that they are active participants with as sharp a mind as possible. DON'T SAY THE FOLLOWING TO CHILDREN o Look at how peacefully she is sleeping. (Children take most things literally and may have problems sleeping because they believe that they may die in their sleep.) o You must take care of your mom/dad now. (This is too much pressure on a child-they need to be themselves and mourn in their own way. No one else can take the place of another. A family needs to work together repairing the broken circle. In healthy grief, families need each other and support one another. o No, you shouldn't see (Name). It's better to remember them the way they were. (This may be true for some children, but for others they need to see for themselves that the person is really dead otherwise they may continually look for them to come home. o In the case of suicide, NEVER impose your beliefs or even suggest where their loved ones' soul has gone even if you share the same faith. Suicide is cruel. Support your friend as if he has a broken limb. Don't offer any opinions. SOME CONCLUDING REMARKS Unfortunately, grief does not go away in a few weeks. Survivors eventually learn to integrate their loss but find there are special times that trigger the sadness. Some of those times are predictable like holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. The days surrounding the one year anniversary of the death can be especially difficult. Other times are not so predictable; the first signs of spring or the smell of fall or even seeing someone in a crowd that resembles the loved one can bring on an overwhelming sadness. Being aware of these times especially the first year and possibly the second can be good times for some special attention from you. A phone call, card, flowers or visit are greatly appreciated by the griever. If your friend is finding it hard to cope with daily activities and is experiencing extreme sleeping and eating patterns over a long period of time could mean that they could benefit from talking with a clergy person or professional counselor who understands the grieving process. Some people find that support groups like, Make Today Count, Survivors of Suicide or Compassionate Friends are especially helpful. May you go in peace and find that you are a better person because you took the time, energy and courage to reach out.

Buying a New Hamster - How Much Does it Cost to Take Care of a Hamster?

You intend to buy a hamster but feel overwhelmed because you do not know exactly how much it will cost? Here is an expanded list with products your hamster needs and their average costs.

Hamster Shopping List: -Cage: between - The price varies according to the type of cage you want: wired, aquarium or bin and on the size of the hamster. If you intend to buy a Syrian hamster, be careful what cage you buy because sometimes they might get stuck in Criter Trail and Sam/penplax tubes. -Bedding :- It has various purposes: lines the floor, absorbs odor, toilet place and allows your hamster to hide in it.You have to choose from wide variety of bedding: wood pulp fiber, recycled newspaper, aspen shavings, Kaytee Soft Sorbent, Eco-Straw Pellets and the list goes on . At pet shops you can find even bedding smelling like apples or strawberries. -Paper bedding: this is optional and the price is very low . I use it because my hamsters love it. All you have to do is to put small pieces of toilet paper(1-3 squares) in their cage and they take it and use it as a blanket. Sometimes they use to decorate their room(house). -Food dish: - Is better if the food dish is not made of wood or plastic because the small hamsters will chew it till there is nothing left. I bought mine a ceramic bowl which they love. This is a better choice because is kind of heavy and they can not move it or spill it.if you want to cut down some costs, you can use some small ceramic bowl you have in your kitchen. -Water bottle: - It's a must have for your hamster. The bottle is the best choice because your hamster can not spill it and make a mess in the cage.You have to be careful when you put this in the hamster's cage: it has to be high enough so he can not chew the plastic part. -Hamster mix: .5- This is the food that you should give to your hamster on a regular basis. Be very careful to buy hamster/gerbil mix and not rabbit mix because it's toxic for your little hamster. The additional proteins and calories that the hamster needs should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables according to your hamster needs. -Hamster toys: .2- This is the part I love most. First, your hamster needs a wheel (-) so he can exercise.The hamster ball, all kinds of tunnels and chew toys can be bought later on. Instead of buying tunnels or other stuff that you may not afford at the beginning you can use a trick: don't throw away your toilet paper rolls. Use them to entertain your hamster! You can even make some holes in it to be more fun for your hamster. -Hamster book .99- The books are quite informative and of big help especially if you are at your first hamster. There are books written for 9-12 years old, so pretty much everyone has his learning book about hamsters. Insider's tip: I recommend you to use a small bowl with sand. The hamster likes to have small sand baths and mine uses it as a toilet as well. I empty and wash it every morning. My hamsters first use it as a sand bathtub and then as a toilet. After you have all this, the monthly cost are : -bedding: I usually use one big pack of bedding (I change the bedding of the cage at least twice a week) - I use big packs and they usually are enough for a month: per pack -food: one or to packs - - It is normal that the initial cost is quite high, but after you bought all the products your hamster needs, the monthly costs are quite low.

Six Classic Elements of a Best Selling Novel

Late in the nineteenth century, painters such as van Gogh, Cézanne and Seurat looked back to the Old Masters of the seventeenth century-geniuses like Rembrandt and Poussin-for techniques that would add richness to their work.

Why do today's fiction writers so seldom do something similar to help in writing a novel: look back to the Old Masters of the best-seller list-to the Tom Clancys and Michael Crichtons and Stephen Kings of our parents' and grandparents' day-to learn more about their craft? Let's examine the work of six writers who not only ruled yesterday's best-seller lists, but whose consistent crowd-pleasing abilities also place them among the most successful authors of all time. In their books lie techniques of good storytelling that are timeless, of value to the commercial novelist of today-or any day. Extract these timeless elements and apply them to writing your novel: ERLE STANLEY GARDNER The creator of lawyer-detective Perry Mason and a lawyer himself (it is said he is the model for Mason), Gardner was easily the best-selling and most prolific of all mystery writers. From the early thirties until his death in 1970, he produced two or three of his The Case of ... novels a year, enough to keep five secretaries busy transcribing his dictation full-time. Technique #1: Put Your Story Front and Center Story was literally everything to Gardner. Characterization and background were of secondary, if any, importance. To Gardner, the novel was simply the most effective means of presenting his detective puzzles. Like Agatha Christie, Gardner relied heavily on dialogue, so that his books often read like scripts. Here's the no-nonsense beginning of The Case of the Screaming Woman, an example of how Gardner hooks us immediately with the first bizarre aspect of his story: Della Street, Perry Mason's confidential secretary, entered Mason's private office, walked over to the lawyer's desk and said, "You always like something out of the ordinary, Chief. This time I have a lulu!" "Unusual?" Mason asked, looking up from the papers on his desk. "Unique," she said. "Give," Mason told her. "A Mrs. John Kirby telephoned," Della Street said, "and wanted to retain you to cross-examine her husband." "A divorce case?" Mason asked. "No, she and her husband are good friends." "Yet she wants me to cross-examine him?" "That's right." "About what?" "About where he was last night." Mason frowned. "Della, I'm not a lie detector. I'm not a psychoanalyst. I don't handle cases involving domestic relations." "That's what I told Mrs. Kirby," Della Street said. "She told me she only wanted her husband's interests protected. She said she wanted you to listen to his story, puncture his self-assurance, and rip him to pieces." Though few would be tempted to call Gardner a stylist, there's no arguing that he could arrest us with a wildly unlikely premise at the start of each of his books. It was this ability to build a novel on strength of story, rather than on how he told that story, that made him the favorite of millions. Sometimes this kind of get-to-the-point storytelling is exactly what readers crave-for example, when what they really want is a challenging puzzle in novel form. If you share Gardner's gift for ingenious plotting, why embellish your book with unnecessary detail or description? You might be doing yourself, and your book, a disservice. Bare-bones, plot-oriented writing may be the perfect approach for your novel of mystery or suspense. ERSKINE CALDWELL "From the day of my birth until I reached the age of twenty years, I rarely lived longer than six years in the same place," wrote this red-haired, Georgia-born son of a Presbyterian minister, who at eighteen was running guns for a revolt in Central America. He also worked as a plowboy, poolroom attendant, cotton picker, lumbermill hand, professional football player, taxi driver, stagehand in a burlesque theater, stonemason, soda jerk, cook and waiter, book reviewer and journalist. Caldwell is best known, however, as the author of sometimes scandalous novels about the Southern poor, most notably 1933's God's Little Acre, among the most popular novels of all time. Not far behind is Tobacco Road, written the year before. Technique #2: Paint Characters With Heart Caldwell's novels about "American primitives" have enjoyed their phenomenal success largely because Caldwell (like Mark Twain and Bret Harte, to whom he is frequently compared) truly loved the people he wrote about. This love for these people at their best and worst would not have existed if he had not known them so well, and it was this knowledge that allowed him to show them in all their humor, eccentricity and pathos-qualities that make these people irresistible to readers. In this excerpt from Tobacco Road, Ellie May Lester shows her feelings for Lov Bensey. Lov is married to Ellie May's younger sister Pearl, who refuses to sleep with Lov. Ellie May, though harelipped, is all too willing to give Lov what he wants. [Lov] was looking at Ellie May now. She had at last got him to give her some attention. Ellie May was edging closer and closer to Lov. She was moving across the yard by raising her weight on her hands and sliding herself over the hard white sand. She was smiling at Lov, and trying to make him take more notice of her. She could not wait any longer for him to come to her, so she was going to him. Her harelip was spread open across her upper teeth, making her mouth appear as though she had no upper lip at all. Men usually would have nothing to do with Ellie May; but she was eighteen now, and she was beginning to discover that it should be possible for her to get a man in spite of her appearance. "Ellie May's acting like your old hound used to do when he got the itch," Dude said to Jeeter. "Look at her scrape her bottom on the sand. That old hound used to make the same kind of sound Ellie May's making, too. It sounds just like a little pig squealing, don't it?" Chances are these are not like the people you encounter daily, but to Erskine Caldwell they might as well have been, and he painted them exactly as he saw them, with a brush full of color, and broad, lively strokes. In most novels it is vital that the author give us characters we can know and like as much as we find ourselves knowing and liking those in Caldwell's. To create such supersympathetic characters in your novels, look directly to the people you know and love better than any others. Only by knowing and loving your characters can you make us do the same. IAN FLEMING Drawing on his experience with British Naval Intelligence, Fleming created James Bond 007, and indeed Fleming and Bond often became confused in the public mind. Though Fleming called his work "trivial piffle," his espionage adventures had been phenomenally successful around the world, with John F. Kennedy among his most avid fans. Technique #3: Appeal to Our Wildest Fantasies The success of Fleming's books has been attributed to the way they appeal to our wildest dreams. James Bond, more than any other fictional hero, lived many people's fantasy of a life of total self-sufficiency and self-indulgence. At the climax of You Only Live Twice, Bond is a prisoner of his old nemesis, Ernst Blofeld, in the cliff-top Castle of Death. Bond manages to escape the deadly volcanic mud of the Question Room, save his neck from Blofeld's massive samurai sword, and ultimately overpower and strangle Blofeld. He even sets the Castle to self-destruct-only to climb out a window and find himself trapped on a narrow balustrade. . . . He looked over the side. A sheer hundred-foot drop to the gravel. A soft fluted whistle above him caught his ear. He looked up. Only a breath of a wind in the moorings of that bloody balloon! But then a lunatic idea came to him, a flashback to one of the old Douglas Fairbanks films when the hero had swung across the wide hall by taking a flying leap at the chandelier. This helium balloon was strong enough to hold taut fifty feet of framed cotton strip bearing the warning sign! Why shouldn't it be powerful enough to bear the weight of a man? Bond ran to the corner of the balustrade to which the mooring line was attached. He tested it. It was taut as a wire! From somewhere behind him there came a great clamour in the castle . . . Holding onto the straining rope, he climbed onto the railing, cut a foothold for himself in the cotton banner, and, grasping the mooring rope with his right hand, chopped downwards below him with Blofeld's sword and threw himself into space. It worked! There was a light night breeze, and he felt himself wafted gently away over the moonlit park, over the glittering, steaming lake, towards the sea. But he was rising, not falling! The helium sphere was not in the least worried by his weight! Then blue-and-yellow fire fluttered from the upper storey of the castle, and an occasional angry wasp zipped past him. . . . Now the whole black silhouette of the castle swayed in the moonlight and seemed to jig upwards and sideways and then slowly dissolve like an ice cream cone in the sunshine. The top storey crumbled first, then the next, and the next, and then, after a moment, a huge jet of orange fire shot up from hell towards the moon. A buffet of hot wind, followed by an echoing crack of thunder, hit Bond and made his balloon sway violently. . . . Punctured by a bullet, the balloon was fast losing height. Below, the softly swelling sea offered a bed. . . . It seems clear that Fleming never forgot that most people who read for pleasure read to escape, and that these readers want as much escape as they can get for their time and money. Are your own characters humdrum and mundane, doing humdrum and mundane things, when they would be so much for interesting being and doing things we've only dreamed of? Fleming knew-and every novelist should remember-that one of the greatest joys of writing is that the impossible can be made possible. Give your readers a run for their money. Let them find true, wonderful escape in the worlds you create for them. MICKEY SPILLANE His mystery-detective novels have been called nasty and sadistic, but they've won Spillane millions of fans just the same. The Brooklyn-born son of an Irish bartender began his writing career selling stories to the "slicks" and the "pulps," then writing comic books. His novels, most of them starring rough, tough Mike Hammer (said to resemble his creator), landed Spillane on the all-time best-seller list again and again, from 1947's I, The Jury to the fifties' My Gun is Quick, The Big Kill, One Lonely Night, The Long Wait and Kiss Me, Deadly, to 1961's The Deep. Technique #4: Torture the Reader to the End Of his method of creating suspense, Spillane said: "You don't read a book to get to the middle. You read a book to get to the end. You deliberately torture yourself all the way through, hoping that after all the garbage the end will be worth all the time you spent in the reading thereof. True? It's got to be totally satisfactory in the last line. A superb example of how Spillane puts his words into action is the ending of I, The Jury (I've used a few dashes so as not to give anything away): "No, ----, I'm the jury now, and the judge, and I have a promise to keep. Beautiful as you are, as much as I almost loved you, I sentence you to death." . . . The roar of the .45 shook the room. ---- staggered back a step. Her eyes were a symphony of incredulity, an unbelieving witness to truth. Slowly, she looked down to the ugly swelling in her naked belly where the bullet went in. A thin trickle of blood welled out. I stood up in front of her and shoved the gun into my pocket. I turned and looked at the rubber plant behind me. There on the table was the gun, with the safety catch off and the silencer still attached. Those loving arms would have reached it nicely. A face that was waiting to be kissed was really waiting to be splattered with blood when she blew my head off. My blood. When I heard her fall I turned around. Her eyes had pain in them now, the pain preceding death. Pain and unbelief. "How c-could you?" she gasped. I only had a moment before talking to a corpse, but I got it in. "It was easy," I said. Remember how we all love being surprised, and hold some things back as you write your novel, whatever sort of novel it is. It's a wonderful feeling to read a book and realize that a truly skillful novelist has gotten the best of us. Be careful to play fair with your surprises, however; make them believable and be sure to plant any necessary precedents or clues. FRANK YERBY Georgia-born Yerby is best known for his vivid and complex Southern tales, the most successful of which are 1946's The Foxes of Harrow, 1947's The Vixens, and 1949's Pride's Castle. A critic once wrote that "Mr. Yerby could be a pretty good novelist if he ever got his mind off the neckline and the cash register," but the world always welcomed a new Yerby novel unconditionally. Technique #5: Evoke the Magic of the Moment Yerby is famous for his vivid language, for his multiplicity of characters and for writing, in the words of Arna Bontemps, with "a flair for color, an air of easy abandon, the ability to live in the moment and to create characters that live in the moment, a touch of very elementary magic." Devilseed is Yerby's story of Mireille Duclos, who, like many women of her time, sails penniless into gold-crazed San Francisco in the 1850s and there climbs to riches and respectability. In this scene we see Mireille riding into town as the new wife of Judge Alain Curtwright. Mireille's imposing mahogany-and-rosewood-paneled landau swept eastward down Clay Street toward Portsmouth Square, drawn at a spanking trot behind her pair of night-black, imported Australian horses. Perched high on the driver's seat before her, the Swithers brothers, James and John, her coachman and footman, sat, clad in livery every bit as imposing as the landau, their faces, under their tall silk hats, blacker than the hides of her splendid five-gaited pair, set in frowns of stern self-importance. "Mammy" Pleasant had sent the Blacks to Mireille with a note suggesting that she hire them, which Mireille had been pleased to do, even knowing that Mary Ellen Pleasant had surely placed them in her employ to spy on her. Now, staring at their sturdy backs straining against the frock coats of their livery, she had the wickedly delighted feeling that she had "turned" them both: that they now were, if not wholly on her side, at last double agents. For, by awarding them a treatment involving so much kindness, real consideration, even, at times, an easy, affectionate familiarity that no Black menservants in the 1850s could dream of receiving from a young, stunningly beautiful white woman, she got as much information about Mary Ellen Pleasant's weird, devious, and plain evil doings out of them as they carried back to the house on Washington Street about hers. As she rolled along, with the rear calash top folded back and the breeze stirring her raven hair under her smart little bonnet, all the men on the sidewalks took off their hats and waved them in her direction. More than one of them grandly bowed. The women-what few there were-glared, and ostentatiously turned their backs. Mireille smiled with quiet satisfaction at that sight. Ever since the fabulous Lola Montez, mistress of the immortal pianist-composer Franz Liszt, mistress of the ex-King Ludwig of Bavaria, mistress of-the list was endless!-whose Spider Dance drove men of the cloth, not to mention mere miners and businessmen, out of their minds, had left San Francisco that preceding fall to settle-permanently, she swore-in the pleasant little California mountain town of Grass Valley, Mireille had inherited, by default, Lola's crown as the most celebrated demimondaine in the city. . . . Yerby uses details of place and time as tools to evoke character, making Mireille and Mary Ellen functions of where and when they live, and vice versa. The Swithers brothers, coachman and footman, very much a sign of affluence at this time, are the device by which Mary Ellen spies of Mireille, who in turn uses them for the same purpose. We see the people on Clay Street showing their feelings for Mireille through social customs of the place and time-grand bows and waves of the hat from the men, exaggerated turns of the back from the women. Note the use of a real and colorful figure, Lola Montez, to bring Mireille and her role in San Francisco into even sharper focus. Use these techniques to make the characters in your novel virtually an extension of their place and time. Have them use, abuse and react to objects and customs distinctly of their world, so that we cannot recall these characters without recalling how they were dressed, how they spoke, what they ate and all the other ways they interacted with their world. Not a person has been born who has not been shaped to some degree by where and when he or she lived. The magic of moment in reading fiction is learning how people live in, adapt to and make use of their where and when as we do with ours. HAROLD ROBBINS It was a tribute to Robbins's staying power and adaptability that he was as much a titan in 1988 as he was forty years earlier, when he published 1948's Never Love a Stranger. Robbins's publishers once announced that every minute someone bought a Robbins novel-another tribute to his never having let his public down. Not bad for a poor kid from New York who started his career as a grocery clerk, short-order cook, cashier, errand boy and bookies' runner. Robbins has been praised most for the authenticity of the world in which he sets his novels. Never Love a Stranger drew heavily from Robbins's experience growing up in New York, and so vividly depicted that world of hustlers and racketeers that one critic called it "a Les Misérables of New York." Technique #6: Make Background a Character In 79 Park Avenue, in which heroine Marja starts out a poor kid from Second Avenue and winds up a Park Avenue call girl, Robbins describes the seamy beachfront world of prostitution as he no doubt observed it growing up: She walked into the hotel lobby and chose a seat in a discreet out-of-the-way corner. Opening a copy of Vogue that she had carried with her, she glanced through it idly. . . . A few minutes passed. Then a bellboy stopped in front of her. "Room three-eleven," he said in a low voice. "Three-eleven," she repeated, a smile on her lips. He nodded. "Right. He's waiting there now." "Thank you." She smiled, holding out her hand. "You're welcome, miss," the bellboy answered, taking the two bills from her. He walked away quickly. Slowly she closed the magazine, glancing around the lobby as she stood up. It was normal. The house dick was looking the other way, the desk clerks were busy with check-ins, the other people in the lobby were all guests. Satisfied with her quick check, she sauntered toward the elevators. She had nothing to worry about. Everyone was taken care of. Mac, the landlord of the rooming house, had put her wise to that. "Pick a place to operate from," he had said knowingly. "Then before you do anything, make sure that everybody who might be interested is paid off. They'll leave you alone then, even help you." Obviously, Robbins would not have undertaken a novel with a background of prostitution if the hadn't felt he could do so convincingly. But his use of detail and ambiance is what sets this and his other novels apart, makes them as memorable for their depiction of world and place as for their characters. When deciding on the world in which to place your novel, consider the worlds you know so well that you may be overlooking them entirely. Writers have found these worlds, literally right in front of their noses, to be the richest and to work most authentically. What, after all, does a writer-or anyone-know better than his or her own life and the lives of those he or she has observed firsthand? MASTERPIECES TO UNCOVER On the shelves of your library and your used bookstore are countless masterpieces of yesterday that excited and moved their readers because of certain techniques that could work in any age. Isn't storytelling, after all, a timeless art, one we've been perfecting since we first appeared on earth? Why not take down some of these erstwhile blockbusters by the Old Masters? You may want to borrow a few strokes for a best-seller of your own.

How to Make a Baby Boy - Tips to Conceive a Son

A surprising number of couples look for ways of influencing the sex of their child. Indeed, when asked, most would prefer a mixture of boys and girls rather than having children of just one sex.

For those who already have daughters, many couples will look at how to make a baby boy and there are a number of simple steps you can take to tip the odds in your favor. Firstly, it is important to understand that a number of factors will influence which gender of sperm will reach the ovum first and fertilize it. It is not simply a case of both types of sperm being identical, other than for their gender and the "winner" being the one which just happens to get there first! Male and female sperm exhibit very different characteristics and and understanding of what these are can help you to make informed choices. What we do prior to conception, the timing and method of intercourse and what we eat all determine which gender of child we conceive. Usually, we unknowingly tip the odds one way or another and usually this is not an issue. However, if you are wanting to know how to make a baby boy, information is key! Male sperm are smaller and faster than female sperm. In addition, they do not survive very long compared to the more cumbersome, slower female sperm. male sperm thrives much better in an alkaline rather than acidic environment. Also, our diet is thought to influence the potential sex of our children. So How Can This Help Us? 1. The Timing Of Intercourse Knowing that sperm have a very limited lifespan means that the timing of intercourse is crucial. If you are hoping to make a baby boy, you should aim to have intercourse as year to ovulation as possible, and this is where ovulation prediction kits can prove to be very useful indeed. Having intercourse a couple of days before ovulation means that the male sperm will have perished by the time ovulation happens, leaving the longer lasting female sperm ready for fertilization. If you time intercourse to coincide with ovulation as far as possible, the fast male sperm will reach the egg first. 2. The Environment Male sperm prefer an alkaline environment and it is known that the area around the cervix is alkaline and therefore more friendlier to male sperm. By having intercourse in positions which favor deep penetration, the male sperm are more likely to thrive. 3. Diet Women who consume at least their recommended daily calorific intake are more likely to make a baby boy. Additionally, foods which are recommended for women wanting to conceive a son include red meats, eggs, raisins, mushrooms, beans and bread. Also, eating saltier foods seems to favor the conception of a boy.

Free Printable Party Games for Kids

If you happen to be looking around for something quick and easy activities there are lots of free printable party games for kids on the web. Most of these games are posted by websites that offer up theme packages for parties of all sizes and shapes. The free games are benefits that help to bring new and repeat costumers to their websites.

The good things about these free games are that they are nearly always themed so you can easily search for and find games geared towards your party theme. One website http://www.PartySuppliesHut.com has three types of printable games available on its website. These are word searches, word finds and word scrambles. There are hundreds of puzzles in each category and they are all centered on a different party theme. This includes everything from Disney to Mis Quince parties. These types of sit down puzzles are create way of getting the kids to calm down as well as sit down in one spot after engaging in some of the more active and tiring (at least for adults!) games. Usually when looking for a site that offers free printable games, you need to make sure that the word "free" is included in your search. There are many sites that offer printable kids party games but at a cost. You may end up spending a lot of time weeding through these sites before you can find one that suits you. Remember a free printable kids party game isn't a good find or deal unless it says free. There are plenty of sites out there that offer the same for less. There are also sites that allow you to create your own party games. One site is called, http://www.armoredpenguin.com, and it offers up numerous programs designed to allow you to input your own words and create your own word search and jumble puzzles.