Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Oh Halloween — how you’ve changed!
Remember when we used to make our own Halloween costumes and then made our kids’? And when little ghosts and goblins came to our door, they carried old pillowcases they hoped to fill with loot instead of orange bags or plastic pumpkins? If you do, you are definitely out of touch with Halloween today. Nowadays little girls want store-bought Disney princess costumes and little boys want to be superheroes. Halloween has turned into a $6 billion spending spree per year in the U.S., and $1.5 billion in Canada. Since the U.S. has almost 10 times the population of Canada, does that mean that we actually spend more per capita? Interesting.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Bomb Scare
via msnbc.msn.com
That's really scary. I just hope we could prevent these type of things to even started.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
New e-passports won't have biometric data
By Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press
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MONTREAL - The federal government rolled out some details of its new 10-year electronic passport on Tuesday, saying the Canadians who know about the new document seem to like it.
"Generally Canadians are not aware of the project by the government of Canada to adopt the new passport, nor do they know exactly what the passport consists of," a survey released by Passport Canada indicated.
But the idea of the microchip-equipped passport, which offers a choice of validity of five or 10 years, "experienced significant support," the survey said.
The new passport will contain a photograph but not biometric data such as fingerprints or iris scans.
Adults will be able to choose between a five-year passport and one valid for 10 years but children will only be able to get the five-year document.
"The goal of the validity period of 10 years is not to reduce costs but to be more convenient for Canadians, to get Canada to the same level as a growing number of countries such as the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Australia," said Monique Boivin, a Passport Canada spokeswoman.
She said about 80 countries issue e-passports and "Canada is the only G8 country not to issue electronic passports to the general public."
Boivin said Canada chose not to include fingerprints and iris scans in the passport to comply with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
"Right now the ICAO standard is the facial image," she said.
The Passport Canada survey said that about 55,000 Canadian passports were lost or stolen in 2008-2009. The country issued 4.38 million passports in the same period.
Boivin said that there are 19 million passports in circulation and those stolen "represent a very small, tiny portion of what is outstanding at this time."
There have been some suggestions that Passport Canada raise the price of replacement passports for those lost or stolen rather than pass the cost on to everyone.
Boivin said a final proposal will be developed that will set the costs and standards and be sent to Parliament for approval. Once that's done, the new electronic passport could be implemented from 2012 onwards.
However, some people have raised concerns about privacy issues.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Union worried about the confidentiality of information contained on the passport's microchip.
"Some feared that the passport chip could lead to surveillance and monitoring of Canadians by unauthorized parties," the group wrote in the report.
"That means making personal information available electronically can increase the number of forged passports and identity theft."
Boivin said an awareness campaign will be conducted to "reassure" Canadians about the confidentiality of data.
She noted the passport has to be opened to the second page to be scanned unlike other documents such as a driver's licence. It also must be held close to the computer drive to be read.
The passport agency acknowledged that there is an upward trend in states adding other biometrics, such as fingerprints and iris scans for security.
The Employers Council, which was also consulted by Passport Canada, welcomed the adoption of e-passport because it lengthens the validity period, reduces paperwork, and eases mobility.
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10-year electronic passport... interesting.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
How To Get Traffic To Your Website
4 Sources For Dirt Cheap Traffic – How To Get Traffic To Your Website
The biggest hurdle that internet marketers face is getting quality, targeted traffic to their websites without
breaking the bank. Affiliate marketers, ecommerce store owners, bloggers, and product owners alike all face this problem. Thankfully, there is plenty of traffic available – more than you’ll ever need – and all you need to do is to step in front of it. Below are four underground, cheap sources for reliable traffic that you can turn on like a faucet.
1) Facebook Advertising
With more page views than any other site in the world and the internet’s most advanced targeting system, Facebook is an endless source for constant traffic.
While still in it’s infant stages, the Facebook advertising platform already shows signs of becoming a top source for paid traffic. Unlike search traffic, which only allows marketers to target based on keyword, Facebook ads allow the advertiser to drill down to the exact demographic of user. Plus, Facebook allows direct marketers and affiliate marketers.
In fact, the Facebook ad system is so massive that new marketers may find their test budgets eaten up in just a few minutes. To maximize your results, create small tests by choosing the exact demographic for your product. This will provide higher click rates, lower costs, and higher ROI.
2) Social Media / Link Bait
Quality rises to the top, and social media will spread it and send links back to your content.
While most marketers scramble for links and manually built social media presences, smart marketers realize that quality content brings exposure, traffic, and links naturally. This is often referred to as “link bait,” or any quality content that deserves a link. Of course, having an established presence can help to jump start this, but havingRetweet, Facebook sharing, and bookmarking tools on your website can go a long way.
Link building is the most important factor to where you rank in the search engines, and the most powerful links are those that come naturally and unsolicited. Give your market content that deserves a link, and then syndicate the content through your Twitter account, to your subscriber list, and through social media.
Social activity also gives you a bump in the search engines, because Google looks at activity as part of it’s algorithm. This can be partially manipulated through social communities, including Synnd.com.
3) Article Marketing
Old school article marketing is still a reliable source for backlinks, traffic, exposure.
Article marketing is back in a big way. Social media tools have made article marketing twice as effective, as outlined below. Quality article marketing campaigns bring back a recurring supply of backlinks, and the articles dominate the search engines themselves, giving websites a two-fer (backlinks and traffic).
For example, if you send your Squidoo lenses, Hubpages, and EzineArticles through a social media strategy and pick up a few Retweets and bookmarks, the backlinks and overall presence of the article become much more powerful, simply because the article is on an already well-established domain. (Tip: put your EzineArticles on your blog, and then Tweet your blog – this is very effective.)
However, even with only minimal exposure, article marketing is still a very effective way to funnel traffic back to your websites and increase your backlinks. In fact, there are still affiliate marketers who only do article marketing and drive their traffic back to an offer. The key is in quality – it always rises to the top. Focus less on keywords and more on quality.
4) List Swaps, Solo Ads, and Affiliates
Other people’s lists can be had for dirt-cheap. Why don’t more people utilize this? We’ll never know.
If you have your own offer (and you should), then it is easy to get people to mail it out to their list, even if you don’t have your own product. Yes, affiliates are a great source to get traffic and leads, but “other people’s lists” can be hugely effective even without your own product.
If you’re building a list and can’t pay affiliates yet, no worries – rent someone else’s list. Solo ads in other people’s newsletters are available all over, and they are disgustingly cheap. In some preliminary tests, solo ads that cost $50 – $200 can bring back as many as 200 – 500 leads.
To find list owners who would be willing to run a solo ad, simply browse through your keywords and look at relevant blogs on Alltop.com. Get their contact information and ask them if they are open to a mail drop or solo ad. The key in making this successful is having a winning email to give to the list owner that gets people to click the link and opt into your squeeze page. Once the email is written written, it can be used on every single one.
Too many internet marketers fear traffic and wonder how to get it. Again, there is already an unlimited supply of traffic – both free and paid – on the internet; you just need to reach out and grab it. Instead of worrying about doing all of them, focus on just one. Master one traffic strategy, and you’ll be far ahead of where most people ever get.
Excelent information from Ryan. He always deliver good stuff.
Dancing with the Stars Shocking Elimination
via ca.tv.yahoo.com
He has a Super Bowl ring and despite his last place finish on Monday night's competition show, former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner is still in the running to add the "Dancing with the Stars" mirrorball to his trophy cabinet. Instead, "DWTS" offered its most shocking elimination to date as former "Hills" beauty Audrina Patridge was sent packing on Tuesday night's elimination show. I sure was surprised myself by this decision. She really got far in her dancing, but I guess this was a number game. I feel sorry for her.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
The Canadian Press: Antics of Randy Quaid and wife known on Canadian set, says producer Lantos
The antics of troubled actor Randy Quaid and his wife Evi were known on the Hamilton set of "Real Time," says producer Ari Lantos, who describes Quaid as a sweet and quiet man who deferred to his "micro-managing" wife.
Lantos, the son of producing giant Robert Lantos, said Tuesday from his Toronto office that a string of wild stories involving the couple "struck a familiar chord" with him.
"Their relationship is a strange one — she's certainly the dominant personality," said Lantos, who spent about a month with the couple during a wintry shoot in the spring 2007.
In the Canadian feature, "Real Time," Quaid starred as a hitman out to kill a young gambler, played by Jay Baruchel. On the first day of rehearsal, Lantos recalls that Quaid insisted on portraying his character as Australian, even though the role had not been written that way. Forced to accommodate Quaid's quirky decision, the film nevertheless worked in the end, he says.
via google.com
He certainly got older from what I remember and it looks like he is a quite colorful character.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Is five-toed shoe the future of running?
via reuters.com
It looks weird, like someone put a glove on their foot, but Tony Post insists his company's new shoe is the future of running. to get as close to a barefoot sensation as we could." "The rate of growth today is so much faster than it was even five or 10 years ago. Our business will grow almost five times what it was last year this year," he said, noting his focus is on maintaining a strong corporate culture and infrastructure as they ramp up production. "I think those are the challenges for us: how we maintain a quality product, are able to service our dealers and still be able to manage this kind of very rapid growth." They truly are amazing shoes. Check http://fivefingersvibramshoes.net/ to learn more about this new trend in shoes.
Coming out of Psychic Closet - Erin Pavlina
via conduitofjoy.com
This week’s interview is with Erin Pavlina. When did you fully accept that you were psychic? I had just finished filming an episode of the Criss Angel MindFreak show where I and a paranormal investigation team had gone to a haunted hotel in Death Valley to do some filming. So many wonderful things happened during the filming, and I remember when we were driving home I was having a conversation with my guides. I said, “Did that just really happen? Did I really connect with deceased energies over there?” My guides replied, “Yes.” I said, “I just can’t believe it. I can’t believe I’m this psychic.” They replied, “Doreen Virtue will confirm it for you.” I thought that was pretty specific. Three days later I was at Hay House’s “I Can Do It” conference. There is something about psychic that make people curious. Do you belive in psychic?
Roller Girl Halloween Costume
Halloween is just around the corner and everybody start searching for the costumes now. How about you? Are you fan of roller derby? Roller girl costume will be the perfect Halloween costume for girls or ladies who love to look stylish and naughty. Roller Derby was a popular women's entertainment sport especially in the 1960's and 70's. This women's sport combines athleticism with dressing up.
You can be the most ideal Roller Derby girl by decking yourself in this fancy outfit. It is fun, modern, and sexy and can draw the interest of everyone to you. By donning the roller girl Halloween costume you can add punk-rock glam to the room wherever you are.
These costumes usually consist of 3 or 4 pieces. The 3-piece outfit includes halter-top, boy shorts with printed logo and knee socks. The 4-piece costume comes with the terrycloth triangle bra top, off shoulder top, leg warmers and track shorts. There are other versions of the roller derby girl as well. You can spice it up by adding your original touch and by accessorizing it. It's really up to you.
Check if you would like to wear this costume for an upcoming event. Transforming yourself into a roller girl can be so much fun!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
N.B. TV dance finalist gets hometown support
A Bathurst, N.B.-born finalist on a popular national dance competition has received a lot of support from her hometown.
Janick Arseneau was one of the four competitors who made it to Sunday's So You Think You Can Dance Canada finale, the first New Brunswicker to advance past the show's preliminary stages.
Sunday hundreds of people were to gather at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre in Bathurst to watch the 20-year-old dancer. She was born and raised in northern New Brunswick before moving to Montreal at 18.
People in Bathurst have made signs, paraded around town and organized rallies during Arseneau's time on the CTV program in an attempt to secure more viewer votes.
Diane Gauthier spent Sunday decorating the city's main sports complex with posters, balloons and banners.
She is a longtime family friend of Arseneau's and said everyone at home is calling her star.
"I just really keep telling her that I'm so proud of her positive attitude and that we're proud of her not just for her dancing but for who she is," she said.
Christine DeGrâce, who taught Arseneau at Danse Acadie in Beresford for 15 years, said Arseneau's success has become a great motivation for other young dancers in the region.
"Even though we're so far away from the big centres in the country, we still offer great dancing in New Brunswick," she said. "You can still find a great dance school and train and this is what you can become."
Arseneau, who began dance classes at the age of two, has studied multiple styles including ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, tap and hip-hop.
The winner of the program, now in its third season, receives $100,000.
via cbc.ca
Celine Dion gives birth to twin boys
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Canadian songstress Celine Dion has given birth to premature but healthy twin boys at a Florida hospital.
A statement released from St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., says the pop diva delivered the boys Saturday afternoon.
Great news! Congratulation to parents of healthy boys.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
New gadgets make Internet-TV a reality
A growing number of devices aim to bridge the gap between TV and the Internet, bringing into your living room everything from dancing-cat videos on YouTube to streaming movies.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Five Fingers Vibram Shoes
The five fingers Vibram shoes are exactly what they sound like – shoes with individual toe pockets for each of the five toes. These allow for some pretty significant advantages over more traditional sports shoes. The most obvious advantage is the improve grip on any surface, thanks to the separate toes (improved foot-mechanics) and the unique performance rubber from which the soles are made. This is an abrasion-resistant, non-marking material that is as useful on the court as it is on the street. The shoes also improve balance and range of motion in addition to helping wearers strengthen their feet and lower legs. I have to say that the five finger Vibram shoes looks really funny. I never tried to wear them but remember when years ago I tried 5 fingers socks. They felt very weird on my feet. But I have to agree that they may be a great when you get use to them.
'Project Runway': A Sneak Peek at the Final Collections
via buddytv.com
The final collection belonged to Mondo and as you'd expect, it was loaded with patterns and some bursts of color. His last minute outfit was the skirt with the blue top. The top is kind of a mess with the pink cuffs and whatever is happening below that, but the skirt is adorable and it was a hit with Heidi. His short and blouse set was total Mondo. A bold mix of patterns, whimsical, a little pink belt for pop. Very trendy and cute. The polka dot gown was the most talked about piece. Heidi loved it but Nina, not so much. Michael Kors was afraid that these pieces were the advance crew for the circus which was coming to town. My favourite is the blue top with the skirt.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Twilight Character Spoof Costume Ideas
Whenever there is a wildly popular movie, you can bet there will be a spoof waiting in the wings somewhere. There is one about to be released for Twilight called “Vampires Suck.” If you want to dress like the Twilight characters this Halloween, but from a funnier side, you just need to think of the sublimely ridiculous and run with it.
Meet Heather Locklear's Lookalike Model Daughter
via ca.tv.yahoo.com
Ava Sambora, the 13-year-old daughter of Heather Locklear and Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora, is grabbing the spotlight from her parents.
Yes, she looks like her mom!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Create Seashell Bath Paradise | Online Marketing Services
Are you looking for wonderful idea on decorating your bathroom? The summer is over and if you like me you will be missing it in these long winter months. That is why it is an excellent idea to create some reminder of the nice summer vacation by creating your seashell bath right at your home.
Seashell bathroom is easy to design with so many seashell bath accessories available on the market. Just think about all the elements you can use: towels, soap dispenser, rugs, shower curtain, toiletries, or even a toilet seat. Walking everyday into the bathroom full of seashell accessories will be a great reminder of the nice sunny days on the beach. The best part is that this does not have to be expensive type of remodelling. All you need is several pieces that go together. Using blue and earth tone colours will create very nice and calming mood we all need in our busy life. You can really use your imagination and see where it takes you.
Seashell bath will be a fun design that you can always update with the seashell souvenirs from your yearly vacation. I always bring some seashells, stones or even sand from different places and they are the best reminder of the great time we have while on vacation. Try for yourself and see how much fun it is to have your own seashell bath paradise at home.
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Oct.20,2010via searchempire.net
Fun idea!
Turkey Home Decor For Thanksgiving
Enhancing your home for a Thanksgiving is a superb idea. Turkey home décor can definitely add to the holiday and make it more enjoyable. Celebrating with your family and friends can give you additional reason to set-up the unique turkey decor.
From time to time, every home needs a makeover and a big holiday such as Thanksgiving is a fantastic opportunity to make your place totally different. Turkey home décor can be not only a terrific way to refresh the look of your home but it’s also fun.
Watch out for the interesting ideas in stores, but don’t forget to check online. Many times you will discover great bargains there. Listed here are some turkey decoration ideas to check out.
Beautifying your table is the very first thing that comes to mind for turkey decoration. So, a nice tablecloth, table centerpiece, table napkin holders or turkey platter is the one of the most obvious and well known turkey decorating ideas. But there are additional options you can explore.
Accessories of your house for example lamps and pictures could be quickly changed for the season. Items like a turkey rugs, floral vases, fall flowers, fruit baskets, hangers and such might be a good example of turkey home décor.
It may be a great idea to decorate the exterior of your home as well to make it more inviting and as a reminder of the coming holiday. This is often easily done utilizing pumpkins, flowers and craft items relevant to the fall season. You’ll find these one in every home and garden department or even in the dollar stores all over the place.
Surprise your family and relatives with new turkey home décor and celebrate the Thanksgiving in style. Check http://turkeydecor.net/ for more ideas.
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via searchempire.net
Thanksgiving is really close so I think these are great tips on turkey decor.
Time, like all good things, may come to an end: study - Yahoo! Canada News
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The end of the world as we know it cannot be avoided, but it can be predicted, according to a group of astrophysicists who see a 50 percent chance of the final countdown ending in 3.7 billion years.
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"Time is unlikely to end in our lifetime, but there is a 50 percent chance that time will end within the next 3.7 billion years," according to the team of US and Japanese scientists, who are challenging a long-standing theory of the universe.
While scientists have long concluded that the universe is expanding, and will do so for an infinite period of time, the researchers say the very rules of physics suggest that "an eternally inflating universe" is far from given.
"The point of this paper is to show that certain methods and assumptions that have been widely used by physicists for years -- most prominently, the use of a time cutoff in order to compute probabilities in an eternally inflating universe -- lead to the conclusion that time will end," Raphael Bousso of the University of California, Berkeley told AFP.
"In other words, the time cutoff, which we may have thought was just a calculational tool, actually behaves like a physical event, whether we like it or not," said Bousso, lead author of the study published on arXiv.org
Current theories of the universe begin with the "Big Bang," which cast our living space into being some 13.7 billion years ago in a massive explosion.
Since then, theorists have assumed the universe will simply continue to expand forever, but have also used a theoretical expiration date to help calculate the laws and rules of physics.
But Bousso and his colleagues says the discipline simply cannot have it both ways.
He cautioned however that the complex thought experiment and calculations proposed by the research could not be used to draw definitive conclusions.
"It's very important to understand that we are not saying that we are certain of the conclusion that time will end (though we cannot rule out that it may be correct)," he wrote.
But he said even if the theory was false, discovering why that was the case would help scientists better understand the universe.
"In science, this kind of reasoning is often valuable: you realize that your reasonable-seeming theory predicts something that sounds crazy, so you have to come to grips with that," he told AFP.
"Either you have to abandon the theory, or you have to understand why the crazy-sounding thing may not actually be so crazy."
For astrophysicist Charles Lineweaver, of Australian National University's Mount Stromlo Observatory, Bousso's conclusions are simply incorrect.
"Bousso's average life of a universe is a set time, only because that's what happens when you introduce a cutoff point to get a reasonable probability," he told ABC Television.
"It's a statistical technique being taken probably too seriously," he added.
But Bousso said he and his team had not invented or introduced anything.
"These cutoffs have been used by many leading physicists for years," he told AFP. "We merely pointed out that it's not such an innocent thing to do.
"The cutoff on time is inevitably physical and hence requires a physical justification. It cannot be considered a mere mathematical trick."
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How do they know? It's not in our lifetime but still is scary.
Celine Dion taken to hospital ahead of birth of twins
MIAMI - Canadian pop diva Celine Dion has entered hospital in the U.S. state of Florida in a precautionary move to prevent her twins from being born early, medical officials said Monday.
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/story.html?id=3689194#ixzz12upuAVpB
My first post
Hi,
This is my first post. I'm really busy but I want to keep in touch with my family and friends and this is just perfect way to do it.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
My first post
Hi,
This is my blog. I like to experiment with different things, so this is my blog to share with others.
This is my blog. I like to experiment with different things, so this is my blog to share with others.
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