The Star Chronicles

Resolution Helpers

2008-01-04T16:42:00.000-06:00

The holidays are over, but those 30 pounds you gained are definitely still there! Or maybe its that unsightly clutter or smoking habit. Whatever you resolve to achieve this new year, you should not go about it alone, and since the web seems to be people's most popular choice for advice, here are a few websites that can help you reach your new found goals!

1. Joe's Goals
This website is a free online habit tracking center. You can set up goals in a calender fashion and then score yourself on your daily productivity. The possibilities are endless and the easy and fun interface makes it a breeze.

2. SELF Challenge
For those eager to lose weight this year, you can pick a program tailored to your workout habits and goals online. You will get workout plans and tons of forum help. You can also track your workout and diet in special journals and charts. The workout generator updates your calories burned and you can update your weight to see real time progress. Best of all, its free!

3. Revolution Health
This is an online resolution keeping tool that has goals ranging from physical health (eat right and quit smoking) to emotional health (be a better parent) preset. Choose a goal and then join a group where you will find group support, forums, ideas, personal stories and many other helpful resources. You can also start your own group for customized goals.. all for free!

Remember to stay focused and keep your eye on the prize. You can do it!

Cuteness from Coach!

2007-12-27T10:43:00.000-06:00

I absolutely love Coach! Now if only my love for Coach matched up to the money in my Coach wallet...

While perusing the Coach website, I came across the new Madeline Collection. They are simply gorgeous! The totes come in a variety of colors and textures like colored leather and zebra, but my favorite is the signature. Each one comes with a different mini scarf tied in a neat bow on the handle. One will set you back $498.

Then, I saw the new Janelle flats. These are so adorable! I have always been a fan of the flats and these top the cake. They come in the signature fabric and sport a cute suede bow. For me, these are more doable at only $138.

Yes, Coach may be a peasant luxury when compared to Luis Vuitton or Versace, but I still love it!

Free South Beach Diet Kit!

2007-12-27T10:38:00.000-06:00

Get a head start on your weight loss or healthy living resolution with a free sample kit from South Beach Diet Living!

You will get samples of the drink mix and snack mix and also get money saving coupons.

Offer ends Feb. 28 so hurry and request your kit today!

Sweepstakes!

2007-12-27T10:20:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win a Betsey Johnson Dress or Jewelry from Claires (Code is: bling)
Win a Tarte's Mini Cheek Stain Set
Win a Get Organized Book by Valorie Burton
Win The Simpsons Movie DVD
Win a $50 cduniverse.com Gift Card
Win a $50 Outback Steakhouse Gift Card
Win a $50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card

Today In History!

2007-12-27T10:16:00.001-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

December 27

1703 - The Methuen Treaty was signed between Portugal and England, giving preference to the import of Portuguese wines into England.

1831 - Charles Darwin set out on a voyage to the Pacific aboard the HMS Beagle. Darwin's discoveries during the voyage helped him form the basis of his theories on evolution.

1845 - Dr. Crawford Williamson Long used anesthesia for childbirth for the first time. The event was the delivery of his own child in Jefferson, GA.

1900 - Carrie Nation staged her first raid on a saloon at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, KS. She broke each and every one of the liquor bottles that could be seen.

1904 - James Barrie's play "Peter Pan" premiered in London.

1927 - Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party.

1938 - The first skimobile course in America opened in North Conway, NH.

1945 - The World Bank was created with an agreement signed by 28 nations.

1947 - The children's television program "Howdy Doody," hosted by Bob Smith, made its debut on NBC.

1949 - Queen Juliana of the Netherlands granted sovereignty to Indonesia after more than 300 years of Dutch rule.

1951 - In Cincinnati, OH, a Crosley automobile, with a steering wheel on the right side, became the first vehicle of its kind to be placed in service for mail delivery.

1965 - The BP oil rig Sea Gem capsized in the North Sea, with the loss of 13 lives.

1968 - "The Breakfast Club" signed off for the last time on ABC radio, after 35 years on the air. 1971 - Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and Woodstock of Charles Schulz’ "Peanuts" comic strip were on the cover of "Newsweek" magazine.

1978 - Spain adopted a new constitution and became a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship. 1979 - Soviet forces seized control of Afghanistan. Babrak Karmal succeeded President Hafizullah Amin, who was overthrown and executed.

1985 - Palestinian guerrillas opened fire inside the Rome and Vienna airports. A total of twenty people were killed, including five of the attackers, who were slain by police and security personnel.

1985 - Dian Fossey, an American naturalist, was found murdered at a research station in Rawanda.

1992 - The U.S. shot down an Iraqi fighter jet during what the Pentagon described as a confrontation between a pair of Iraqi warplanes and U.S. F-16 jets in U.N.-restricted airspace over southern Iraq.

1996 - Muslim fundamentalist Taliban forces retook the strategic air base of Bagram, solidifying their buffer zone around Kabul, the Afghanistan capital.

1997 - In Northern Ireland, Billy Wright was assassinated. He was imprisoned as a Protestant paramilitary leader.

2000 - Mario Lemeiux (Pittsburgh Penguins) returned to the National Hockey League (NHL) as a player after over 3 years of retirement. He was the first owner-player in the modern era of pro sports. Lemieux had purchased the Pittsburgh Penguins during his retirement from playing. 2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush granted China permanent normal trade status with the United States.

2002 - North Korea ordered U.N. nuclear inspectors to leave the country and said that it would restart a laboratory capable of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons.

2002 - Clonaid announced the birth of the first cloned human baby. The baby had been born December 26.

2002 - In Chechnya, at least 40 people were killed when suicide bombers attacked the administartion of Grozny.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-12-27T10:10:00.000-06:00

“God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

Exodus 3:14

Back in Biznaz...

2007-12-27T10:08:00.000-06:00

Now that Christmas is over, I can devote a bit more time into blogging again.

Aren't you oh so excited?

Me too!

-Jenn Marie

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T08:54:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas!!

See you in the New Year!

Love,
Jenn Marie

Free K-Y Sample

2007-12-19T17:10:00.000-06:00

Get a free sample of K-Y Brand Intrigue Personal Lubricant. After clicking on the site click "connect" and follow the directions to get your free sample.

Available while supplies last.

Sweepstakes!

2007-12-19T17:02:00.001-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win a Timex Diamond Collection Watch
Win NARS Blush
Win a Maxx Digital PN3000 GPS or a $10 0ffice Depot Gift Card
Win a Bose SoundDock Digital Music System
Win a Green Panasonic Cordless Phone
Win a Honeywell HHT-145 HepaClean Tower 3-in-1 Air Purifier
Win a Basket Full of Olay Definity Products
Win a Total Gym

Today In History!

2007-12-19T16:59:00.001-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

December 19

1154 - Henry II became King of England.

1562 - The Battle of Dreux was fought between the Huguenots and the Catholics, beginning the French Wars of Religion.

1732 - Benjamin Franklin began publishing "Poor Richard's Almanac."

1776 - Thomas Paine published his first "American Crisis" essay.

1777 - General George Washington led his army of about 11,000 men to Valley Forge, PA, to camp for the winter.

1842 - Hawaii's independence was recognized by the U.S.

1843 - Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" was first published in England.

1871 - Corrugated paper was patented by Albert L. Jones.

1887 - Jake Kilrain and Jim Smith fought in a bare knuckles fight which lasted 106 rounds and 2 hours and 30 minutes. The fight was ruled a draw and was halted due to darkness.

1903 - The Williamsburg Bridge opened in New York City. It opened as the largest suspension bridge on Earth and remained the largest until 1924. It was also the first major suspension bridge to use steel towers to support the main cable.

1907 - A coalmine explosion in Jacobs Creek, PA, killed 239 workers.

1917 - The first games of the new National Hockey League (NHL) were played. Five teams made up the league: Toronto Arenas, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs, the Montreal Canadiens and the Montreal Wanderers.

1918 - Robert Ripley began his "Believe It or Not" column in "The New York Globe".

1932 - The British Broadcasting Corp. began transmitting overseas with its "Empire Service" to Australia.

1957 - Meredith Wilson’s "The Music Man" opened at the Majestic Theatre in New York City. It ran for 1,375 shows.

1957 - Air service between London and Moscow was inaugurated.

1959 - Penn State’s Nittany Lions beat Alabama, 7-0, in the first Liberty Bowl football game. 1959 - Walter Williams died in Houston, TX, at the age of 117. He was said to be the last surviving veteran of the U.S. Civil War.

1961 - "Judgment At Nuremberg" opened in New York City.

1972 - Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific, ending the Apollo program of manned lunar landings.

1973 - Johnny Carson started a fake toilet-paper scare on the "Tonight Show."

1978 - Indira Gandhi was expelled from the Lok Sabha for contempt and imprisoned.

1979 - ESPN televised its first NHL game. The teams were the Washington Capitals and the Hartford Whales.

1984 - Wayne Gretsky, 23, of the Edmonton Oilers, became only the 18th player in the National Hockey League (NHL) to score more than 1,000 points.

1984 - Ted Hughes was appointed England's poet laureate.

1984 - Britain and China signed an accord returning Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997. 1985 - Jan Stenerud announced his retirement from the NFL. The football kicker held the record for the most career field goals with 373.

1985 - ABC Sports announced that it was severing ties with Howard Cosell and released ‘The Mouth’ from all TV commitments. Cosell continued on ABC Radio for another five years.

1986 - The Soviet Union announced it had freed dissident Andrei Sakharov from internal exile, and pardoned his wife, Yelena Bonner.

1989 - U.S. troops invaded Panama to overthrow the regime of General Noriega.

1990 - Bo Jackson (Los Angeles Raiders) became the first athlete to be chosen for All Star Games in two sports.

1996 - The school board of Oakland, CA, voted to recognize Black English, also known as "ebonics." The board later reversed its stance.

1997 - "Titanic" opened in American movie theaters.

1998 - U.S. President Bill Clinton was impeached on two charges of perjury and obstruction of justice by the U.S. House of Representatives.

1998 - A four-day bombing of Iraq by British and American forces ended.

2000 - The U.N. Security Council voted to impose sanctions on Afghanistan's Taliban rulers unless they closed all terrorist training camps and surrender U.S. embassy bombing suspect Osama bin Laden.

2003 - Images for the new design for the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site were released. The building slopes into a spire that reaches 1,776 feet.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-12-19T16:57:00.000-06:00

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee , he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’”

Matthew 4:18-19

Mm Mm Mm Mm Mm...Toasty!

2007-12-18T16:37:00.000-06:00

I am a big fan of Quiznos and although they may not be as healthy as Subway, they sure are a lot tastier! They just unveiled a new sandwich called a "Sammy" that is like a mini pita. These things are pretty small but are certainly are great value at only $2 per Sammy, and are certainly not skimping on any flavor!

Today I went in and got the Alpine Chicken (Chicken, bacon, swiss and ranch dressing) and the Bistro Steak Melt (Angus steak, peppercorn sauce and mozzarella) and was extremely satisfied. The Alpine Chicken was my favorite of the two and I will definitely go back and get another one. At 2 bucks and only 310 Calories, its a win-win in my book!

They also come in Sonoma Turkey (Turkey, pepper jack cheese and Chipotle Mayo) and Italiano (Genoa salami, pepperoni, capicola, mozzarellaand Basil Pesto).

Try one today...really!

Cheap Mineral Make-Up!

2007-12-18T16:30:00.000-06:00

I know I have raved about E.L.F. (Eyes Lips Face) Cosmetics before, but I love these cosmetics! Though they are pretty cheap, you will not be disappointed by the quality. I am so happy that they have finally introduced a new mineral line that works just as well as those other top dollar lines, but will not leave you broke!

Free Dove Samples

2007-12-18T16:26:00.000-06:00

Get closer to silky shiny hair with a free sample of Dove Hair Care!

Available while supplies last.

Sweepstakes!

2007-12-18T16:20:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win M by Mariah Carey Perfume
Win a $10 Office Depot Gift Card or a Toshiba Satellite® A205-S7468 15.4" Widescreen Notebook Computer with Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile
Win a Chestnut Collection — cleanser, toner, eye cream, moisturizer and more from WeiEast.com. or a Ojon Rare Harvest Tawaka Discovery Kit
Win a Hallmark Bouquet
Win $200 of XOXO Accessories

Today In History!

2007-12-18T16:17:00.001-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

December 18

1787 - New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

1796 - The "Monitor," of Baltimore, MD, was published as the first Sunday newspaper.

1862 - The first orthopedic hospital was organized in New York City. It was called the Hospital for Ruptured and Crippled.

1865 - Slavery was abolished in the United States with the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution being ratified.

1898 - A new automobile speed record was set at 39 mph (63 kph).

1903 - The Panama Canal Zone was acquired 'in perpetuity' by the U.S. for an annual rent.

1912 - The U.S. Congress prohibited the immigration of illiterate persons.

1912 - The discovery of the Piltdown Man in East Sussex was announced. It was proved to be a hoax in 1953.

1915 - U.S. President Wilson, widowed the year before, married Edith Bolling Galt at her Washington home.

1916 - During World War I, after 10 months of fighting the French defeated the Germans in the Battle of Verdun.

1917 - The Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the U.S. Congress. 1935 - A $1 silver certificate was issued for the first time in the U.S.

1936 - Su-Lin, the first giant panda to come to the U.S. from China, arrived in San Francisco, CA. The bear was sold to the Brookfield Zoo for $8,750.

1940 - Adolf Hitler signed a secret directive ordering preparations for a Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. Operation "Barbarossa" was launched in June 1941.

1944 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the wartime relocation of Japanese-Americans, but also stated that undeniably loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry could not be detained.

1950 - NATO foreign ministers approved plans to defend Western Europe, including the use of nuclear weapons, if necessary.

1953 - WPTZ, in Philadelphia, PA, presented a Felso commercial, it was the first color telecast seen on a local station.

1956 - "To Tell the Truth" debuted on CBS-TV.

1956 - Japan was admitted to the United Nations.

1957 - The Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania went online. It was the first nuclear facility to generate electricity in the United States. It was taken out of service in 1982. 1963 - Ron Clarke set a world record when he ran six miles in 28 minutes and 15.6 seconds. 1965 - Kenneth LeBel jumped 17 barrels on ice skates.

1969 - Britain's Parliament abolished the death penalty for murder.

1970 - Divorce became legal in Italy.

1972 - The United States began the heaviest bombing of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The attack ended 12 days later.

1973 - The IRA launched its Christmas bombing campaign in London.

1979 - The sound barrier was broken on land for the first time by Stanley Barrett when he drove at 739.6 mph.

1983 - Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) scored his 100th point in the 34th game of the season. 1984 - Christopher Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis were married.

1987 - Ivan F. Boesky was sentenced to three years in prison for plotting Wall Street's biggest insider-trading scandal. He only served about two years of the sentence.

1996 - Despite a U.N. truce, factional fighting in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, broke out in which at least 300 fighters and civilians were killed.

1997 - Comedian Chris Farley was found dead in his Chicago apartment. He was 33 years old. 1998 - The U.S. House of Representatives began the debate on the four articles of impeachment concerning U.S. President Bill Clinton. It was only the second time in U.S. history that process had begun.

1998 - Russia recalled its U.S. ambassador in protest of the U.S. attacks on Iraq.

1998 - South Carolina proceeded with the U.S.' 500th execution since capital punishment was restored.

1999 - After living atop an ancient redwood in Humboldt County, CA, for two years, environmental activist Julia "Butterfly" Hill came down, ending her anti-logging protest.

2001 - Mark Oliver Gebel, a Ringling Bros. Circus star, went on trial for animal abuse. The charges stemmed from an incident with an elephant that was marching too slowly into a circus performance on August 25, 2001. He was acquitted on December 21, 2001.

2001 - A fire damaged New York City's St. John Cathedral. The cathedral is the largest in the United States.

2001 - In Seattle, WA, Gary Leon Ridgeway pled innocent to the charge of murder for four of the Green River serial killings. He had been arrested on November 30, 2001.

2002 - Nine competing designs for the World Trade Center site were unveiled. The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. expected to choose a design by January 31, 2003.

2003 - Adam Rich was arrested for driving onto a closed section of Interstate 10 and nearly struck a California Highway Patrol car.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-12-18T16:16:00.000-06:00

‘“I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.”

Luke 1:38

Jessica Simpson's Shoes

2007-12-17T17:09:00.000-06:00

The Jessica Simpson shoe line has been out for a while now and is slowly gaining popularity. The quality of the shoes seems to be getting better and the designs are truly off tha hook! I absolutely love shoes but never really paid any attention to her line. As I walked through Macy's today I saw a shoe that caught my eye and it happened to be from the Jessica Simpson collection. Girlfriend has style!

The Bonnie Pump ($79.00) was the shoe that grabbed my attention and it comes in a variety of colors. The foil hue is unique but the familiar pump gives it style.

Nothing else is really extremely exciting but you can check out the collection at Macy's.

Wyclef, Akon & Weezy on tha Track!

2007-12-17T16:40:00.000-06:00

For me, two of the hottest rappers out there right now are Akon and Lil Wayne (Weezy). Put them together with an icon like Wyclef, and you have an instant hit! Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill) delivers and will not leave fans of the trio disappointed. Although I really am not a huge rap follower, something about this song really spoke to me. Whether it was the nostalgic piano and guitar backgrounds, or the beautiful backups by Niia, I was taken to another world when the beat dropped and Wyclef's voice introduced the track. Usually there are certain parts of songs that people don't like or sound like they just are out of place, but the transitions between Weezy, Jean and Akon were so smooth and just melodically melted together into a beautiful production.

This song has really set itself apart from the finger snap tracks that hip-hop has seemed to favor. The music is catchy and melodic and the words tell a story beyond sex and money that I feel a lot of people can relate to. Even if you can't, its easy to get lost in the wonderful harmonies and just lean back and really enjoy the music. I am very happy that someone has finally stepped up to the plate and has given us something that we don't have to be tipsy, in the club, or horny to feel.

The song is available on Wyclef's new album "Carnival Vol. II" by Sony BMG.

For Lyrics click Here
Download from Wal-Mart
Download from I-Tunes

More about Weezy
More about Akon
More about Niia

Get a Virtual Makeover!

2007-12-17T16:18:00.000-06:00

Nervous about chopping off your locks or going for that green eyeshadow? Forget the fear and head over to your computer for a virtual makeover! There are are a lot of sites out there that will let you upload a photo of yourself and try on different hairstyles but makeoversolutions.com, takes your style fantasy a bit further by letting you try on everything from a bob to black eyeliner.. all from the comfort of your computer. You don't have to worry about wasting your makeup remover to get the perfect look, your cosmetic statement is just a click away!

Although makeoversolutions.com is a member based website, (packages start at $14.95 for 3 months) you can join for free and still get a makeover and access some great features.

In order to do a virtual makeover, you need to have a photo of yourself. Here are some tips to get a great photo:

1. CLEAN YOUR FACE

Because you are going to be trying on different makeup combinations, you need your face to be as clean as possible. Remove any makeup you may have on.

2.PULL YOUR HAIR BACK

Pull your hair back in a bun so that when you try on the hair styles your real hair wont get in the way. I don't think an updo would be very appealing with your real hair sticking out from the bottom!

3. TAKE IT IN NATURAL LIGHT

Since, natural light provides the best lighting for putting on makeup, you want your picture to reflect that as well. If you don't usually put your makeup on in natural light, take the picture with whatever lighting you usually use in order to prevent color mix ups.

Remember, a virtual makeover is not the real thing, but is a lot of fun! Since computer hues vary, the colors you see on the screen may not actually be the outcome you will get. Just play around with it and have fun, your new look (your face and your makeup remover) will thank you!

Go Into the New Year Healthier

2007-12-17T15:49:00.000-06:00

Before the year is up (and before many insurance policies expire), it is a good idea to go ahead and see your doctor for an end of the year check up. Marie Claire has put together a list of 15 tests every woman should definitely have.

From Heart Health to Eye Health, this list covers it all.

The smartest way to take control of your health is to get these lifesaving tests on schedule.

Get the lowdown for your check up here!

Sweepstakes!

2007-12-17T15:20:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win C.O. Bigelow Mentha Vitamin Body Wash, C.O. Bigelow Lemon Body Cream, and C.O. Bigelow Barber Hair & Body Wash Elixer Red
Win CoQ-10 Green Tea Hydrating Serum
Win a BMW Z4 Convertible or $50,000 Cash
Win a Sub-Zero 424 free-standing wine refrigerator
Win a $50 Olive Garden Gift Card
Win a $50 Regal Entertainment Card
Win a $50 Blockbuster Card

Today In History!

2007-12-17T15:16:00.000-06:00

Because being informed is always in style.
From on-this-day.com.

December 17

1777 - France recognized American independence.

1791 - A traffic regulation in New York City established the first street to go "One Way."

1830 - South American patriot Simon Bolivar died in Colombia.

1895 - George L. Brownell received a patent for his paper-twine machine.

1903 - The first successful gasoline-powered airplane flight took place near Kitty Hawk, NC. Orville and Wilbur Wright made the flight.

1925 - Col. William "Billy" Mitchell was convicted of insubordination at his court-martial.

1936 - The "The Rudy Vallee Show" debuted on NBC.

1939 - The German pocket battleship Graf Spee was scuttled by its crew, bringing the World War II Battle of the Rio de la Plata off Uruguay to an end.

1944 - The U.S. Army announced the end of its policy of excluding Japanese-Americans from the West Coast which ensured that Japanese-Americans were released from detention camps.

1953 - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decided to approve RCA’s color television specifications.

1957 - The United States successfully test-fired the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time. 1959 - The film "On the Beach" premiered in New York City and in 17 other cities. It was the first motion picture to debut simultaneously in major cities around the world.

1969 - The U.S. Air Force closed its Project "Blue Book" by concluding that there was no evidence of extraterrestrial spaceships behind thousands of UFO sightings.

1969 - Television history was made when Tiny Tim and Miss Vicki Budinger were married on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson.

1973 - Thirty-one people were killed at Rome airport when Arab guerillas hijacked a German airliner.

1975 - Lynette Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of U.S. President Ford.

1976 - WTCG-TV, Atlanta, GA, changed its call letters to WTBS, and was uplinked via satellite. The station became the first commercial TV station to cover the entire U.S.

1978 - OPEC decided to raise oil prices by 14.5% by the end of 1979.

1979 - Arthur McDuffie, a black insurance executive, was fatally beaten after a police chase in Miami, FL. Four white police officers were later acquitted of charges stemming from McDuffie's death.

1986 - Wayne "Danke Schoen" Newton won a $19.2 million suit against NBC News. NBC had aired reports claiming a link between Newton and mob figures. The reports were proven to be false.

1986 - Davina Thompson became the world's first recipient of a heart, lungs, and liver transplant.

1986 - Eugene Hasefus was pardoned and then released by Nicaragua. He had been convicted of running guns to the Contras.

1992 - U.S. President Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari signed the North American Free Trade Agreement.

1992 - Israel deported over 400 Palestinians to Lebanese territory in an unprecedented mass expulsion of suspected militants.

1996 - Peruvian guerrillas took hundreds of people hostage at the Japanese embassy in Lima. The siege ended on April 22, 1997, with a commando raid that resulted in the deaths of all the rebels, two commandos and one hostage.

1996 - The Red Cross pulled all but a few of its western staff out of Chechnya after six foreign aid workers were killed by masked gunmen.

1997 - U.S. President Clinton signed the No Electronic Theft Act. The act removed protection from individuals who claimed that they took no direct financial gains from stealing copyrighted works and downloading them from the Internet.

1998 - U.S. House Speaker-designate Bob Livingston admitted he'd had extramarital affairs. 2000 - Terrell Owens (San Francisco 49ers) caught an NFL-record 20 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown against the Chicago Bears. The previous record was held by Tom Fears (Los Angeles Rams) with 18 catches on December 3, 1950, against the Green Bay Packers. Owens also broke Jerry Rice's franchise record of 16 receptions set in 1994 against the Los Angeles Rams.

2002 - U.S. President George W. Bush ordered the Pentagon to have ready for use within two years a system for protecting American territory, troops and allies from ballistic missile attacks. 2002 - McDonald's Corp. warned that they would report its first quarterly loss in its 47-year history.

2002 - The insurance and finance company Conseco Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection. It was the third-largest bankruptcy in U.S. history.

2002 - Congo's government, opposition parties and rebels signed a peace agreement that ended four years of civil war.

2004 - U.S. President George W. Bush signed into law the largest overhaul of U.S. intelligence gathering in 50 years. The bill aimed to tighten borders and aviation security. It also created a federal counterterrorism center and a new intelligence director.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-12-17T15:14:00.000-06:00

AND JESUS TOOK THE CHILDREN IN HIS ARMS, PUT HIS HANDS ON THEM AND BLESSED THEM.

MARK 10:16

Perfect Holiday Dresses!

2007-12-13T17:27:00.000-06:00

For some reason, everyone has a desire to look extra glamorous during the holidays! Maybe its the mistletoe or eggnog (or maybe the mistletoe AND the eggnog!), or maybe its just the mutual holiday cheer, but whatever the reason, we are ready to dress to impress and wow them at any holiday event. Move over little black dress, its time to bring out that little holiday dress!

Here are my picks:

1. Sequins: Steel Sequined Sateen Slit Back Dress ($245)

Hey, don't let the lights be the only thing shining! You are sure to catch attention in this sparkly number from Alexia Admore.

2. Red: Gathered Bustier Dress ($495)

Who says Santa's the only one who can rock red? Show him up with this hot red dress from Marc Bouwer.

3. Bows: Bow Dress ($297)

No more searching for the perfect present.. you are it! Wrap yourself in a bow and have them wishing Christmas day was here! If he's been nice, try this design from Alice + Olivia.

Don't be afraid to venture out and try a new look for the season. If it doesn't work, you can make up for it with next year's resolutions! (Like we don't do that every year....)

Free Magazine Subscription!

2007-12-13T17:23:00.000-06:00

Urban Outfitters has teamed up with Nylon Magazine to offer this great freebie for the Holiday season! Request a free subscription to the magazine all about trends, celebs and fun while supplies last!

Free Lotion Sample

2007-12-13T17:20:00.000-06:00

During the winter skin can get really dry and begin to crack.. so not cute! Get a head start on skin protection with this free sample of Aquaphor Healing Ointment.

Available while supplies last.

Sweepstakes!

2007-12-13T17:12:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win a New York & Co. 34th Street Clutch
Win Lightweight Luggage or a Playstation 2 (Code is: wheels)
Win a $10 Office Depot Gift Card or a Gateway Desktop with LCD Monitor
Win a $100 Bed, Bath & Beyond Gift Card
Win a $50 Cheescake Factory Gift Card
Win a $50 Linens N Things Gift Card
Win a $50-$500 Bluefly.com Gift Card
Win a $200 Armani Exchange Gift Card
Win a Rachel Leigh Necklace

Today In History!

2007-12-13T17:07:00.000-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!

From on-this-day.com.

December 13

1577 - Five ships under the command of Sir Francis Drake left Plymouth, England, to embark on Drake's circumnavigation of the globe. The journey took almost three years.

1636 - The United States National Guard was created when militia regiments were organized by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

1642 - New Zealand was discovered by Dutch navigator Abel Tasman.

1769 - Dartmouth College, in New Hampshire, received its charter.

1809 - The first abdominal surgical procedure was performed in Danville, KY, on Jane Todd Crawford. The operation was performed without an anesthetic.

1816 - John Adamson received a patent for a dry dock.

1862 - In America, an estimated 11,000 Northern soldiers were killed or wounded when Union forces were defeated by Confederates under General Robert E. Lee, at the Battle of Fredericksburg.

1883 - The border between Ontario and Manitoba was established.

1884 - Percy Everitt received a patent for the first coin-operated weighing machine.

1913 - The Federal Reserve System was established as the first U.S. central bank.

1913 - It was announced by authorities in Florence, Italy, that the "Mona Lisa" had been recovered. The work was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1911.

1918 - U.S. President Wilson arrived in France, becoming the first chief executive to visit a European country while holding office.

1921 - Britain, France, Japan and the United States signed the Pacific Treaty.

1937 - Japanese forces took the Chinese city of Nanking (Nanjing). An estimated 200,000 Chinese were killed over the next six weeks. The event became known as the "Rape of Nanking." 1944 - During World War II, the U.S. cruiser Nashville was badly damaged in a Japanese kamikaze suicide attack. 138 people were killed in the attack.

1961 - Anna Mary Robertson Moses, "Grandma Moses," passed away at the age of 101.

1964 - In El Paso, TX, President Johnson and Mexican President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz set off an explosion that diverted the Rio Grande River, reshaping the U.S.-Mexican border. This ended a century-old border dispute.

1966 - The rights to the first four Super Bowls were sold to CBS and NBC for total of $9.5 million. 1978 - The Philadelphia Mint began stamping the Susan B. Anthony U.S. dollar. The coin began circulation the following July.

1980 - Three days after a disputed general election, Uganda’s President Milton Obote was returned to office.

1981 - Authorities in Poland imposed martial law in an attempt to crackdown on the Solidarity labor movement. Martial law ended formally in 1983.

1982 - The Sentry Armored Car Company in New York discovered that $11 million had been stolen from its headquarters overnight. It was the biggest cash theft in U.S. history.

1987 - U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz told reporters in Copenhagen, Denmark, that the Reagan administration would begin making funding requests for the proposed Star Wars defense system.

1988 - PLO chairman Yasser Arafat addressed the U.N. General Assembly in Geneva, were it had recovened after the United States had refused to grant Arafat a visa to visit New York.

1988 - A bankruptcy judge in Columbia, SC, ordered the assets of the troubled PTL television ministry sold to a Toronto real estate developer for $65 million.

1989 - South African President F.W. de Klerk met for the first time with imprisoned African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela, at de Klerk's office in Cape Town.

1991 - Five Central Asian republics of the Soviet Union agreed to join the new Commonwealth of Independent States.

1991 - North Korea and South Korea signed a historic non-aggression agreement.

1993 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people must receive a hearing before property linked to illegal drug sales can be seized.

1993 - The European Community ratified a treaty creating the European Economic Area (EEA), to go into effect January 1, 1994.

1994 - An American Eagle commuter plane carrying 20 people crashed short of Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina, killing 15 people.

1995 - China's most influential democracy activist, Wei Jingsheng, who already had spent 16 years in prison, was sentenced to 14 more years.

1997 - The Getty Center in Los Angeles, CA, was opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

1998 - Puerto Rican voters rejected U.S. statehood in a non-binding referendum.

1998 - Gary Anderson (Minnesota Vikings) kicked six field goals against Baltimore. In the game Anderson set an National Football League (NFL) record for 34 straight field goals without a miss. 2000 - U.S. Vice President Al Gore conceded the 2000 Presidential election to Texas Gov. George W. Bush. The Florida electoral votes were won by only 537 votes, which decided the election. The election had been contested up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which said that the Florida recount (supported by the Florida Supreme Court) was unconstitutional.

2000 - Seven convicts, the "Texas 7," escaped from Connally Unit in Kenedy, TX, southeast of San Antonio, by overpowering civilian workers and prison employees. They fled with stolen clothing, pickup truck and 16 guns and ammunition.

2001 - The U.S. government released a video tape that showed Osama bin Laden and others discussing their knowledge of the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. 2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush served formal notice to Russia that the United States was withdrawing from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

2001 - Israel severed all contact with Yasser Arafat. Israel also launched air strikes and sent troops into Palestine in response to a bus ambush that killed 10 Israelis.

2001 - Gunmen stormed the Indian Parliament and killed seven people and injured 18. Security forces killed the attackers during a 90-minute gunbattle.

2001 - NBC-TV announced that it would begin running hard liquor commercials. NBC issued a 19-point policy that outlined the conditions for accepting liquor ads.

2001 - Michael Frank Goodwin was arrested and booked on two counts of murder, one count of conspiracy and three special circumstances (lying in wait, murder for financial gain and multiple murder) in connection to the death of Mickey Thompson. Thompson and his wife Trudy were shot to death in their driveway on March 16, 1988. Thompson, known as the "Speed King," set nearly 500 auto speed endurance records including being the first person to travel more than 400 mph on land.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-12-13T17:03:00.000-06:00

“and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Luke 2:7

Inspiration...

2007-12-12T16:42:00.000-06:00

I am in need of inspiration. I can't really describe the way that I feel right now. A few obvious choice words would be hurt, lonely, afraid.... Though these feeling are not new to me, finding a proper way to deal with them is. I found this nice video on YouTube and I hope it blesses you in the way it has blessed me.

Continuously praying,
Jenn Marie

Daily Bible Verse

2007-12-12T16:39:00.000-06:00

I am going to post a whole message that is relevant to my situation. I hope it inspires someone today...

A RIGHTEOUS MAN MAY HAVE MANY TROUBLES, BUT

THE LORD DELIVERS HIM FROM THEM ALL.

( PSALM 34:19 *NIV )

My Friend,

We all face troubling times in our lives. Times that we

wish that we could escape from troubles like the pain of

sorrow, grief or failure to just name a few. Even perhaps

the small daily frustrations that constantly bother us as well.

When you find yourself experiencing problems like that

remember that: THE LORD IS CLOSE TO THE BROKEN

HEARTED AND SAVES THOSE WHO ARE CRUSHED IN

SPIRIT. ( PSALM 34:18 ) For after all: THE EYES OF THE

LORD ARE ON THE RIGHTEOUS AND HIS EARS ARE

ATTENTIVE TO THEIR CRY. (PSALM 34:15 ) For when

THE RIGHTEOUS CALL OUT, AND THE LORD HEARS

THEM; HE DELIVERS THEM FROM ALL THEIR TROUBLES. ( PSALM 34:17 )

Now you may be thinking, how does that apply to me for

I do not feel very righteous.

Well through Jesus Christ we

become righteous, for it is written: GOD MADE HIM WHO

HAD NO SIN TO BE SIN, SO THAT IN HIM WE MIGHT

BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.

( 2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 ) Therefore if we repent of our sins

they are cleansed from "The Book of Life," and we become

righteous once again!

So beloved, remember the Words of our Savior Jesus

Christ: "DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED.

TRUST IN GOD; TRUST ALSO IN ME." and let GOD deliver

you from all of your troubles! Amen.

( JOHN 14:1 )

Blog Update

2007-12-12T15:24:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone!

I have been going through some things and have not been able to blog. I don't know when I will be able to regularly blog again.

Hang in there!

Jenn Marie

Great Advice:

2007-12-05T17:59:00.000-06:00

Word of advice: Never get a chemical peel hours before a red carpet event!

Now someone please pass that on to Joan Van Ark (Knot's Landing).

I really think I just barfed a bit in my mouth!!

Man-olos!

2007-12-05T17:47:00.000-06:00

Some things are OK for unisex...barber shops, hemp necklaces, and even laptop bags....but Manolos? Say it isn't so! Come February, you and yours can adorn your feet with Manolo Blahnik designer shoes. The designer is unleashing a six piece collection of feminine shoes that I'm sure will go along great with your man's Pink Polo Sweater.

Paging Ryan Seacrest!!

If your man request's some of these, something is definitely up, girl!

From Vogue.

Catch of the Day

2007-12-05T17:42:00.000-06:00

Enrique Iglesias and his sweetheart, Anna Kournikova, were snapped at this restaurant in Liverpool catching up (literally) and enjoying a nice meal. This puts a new spin on "catch of the day"!

Bling-Blung

2007-12-05T17:36:00.000-06:00

Jewels are always classy and can definitely let you flaunt your worth, but I think our friend Slick Rick took it a little too far!!

He is either weight training or trying to go completely blind. I would be more than happy to take some of that off of his hands..or wrists..or eye!

Bling-Blung!

R.I.P. Pimp C

2007-12-05T17:12:00.001-06:00

Houston rapper Pimp C, real name Chad Butler, was found dead last night at an upscale hotel in L.A. last night. Butler helped to revolutionalize Southern Hip-Hop and was respected throughout the rap game.

From Yahoo News:

The rapper formed Underground Kingz with partner-in-rhyme Bun B while the pair were in high school, and their often laconic delivery paired with wittily dangerous lyrics influenced a generation of current superstars like Lil' Wayne. T.I. had the group on as guests when he remade their 1994 song "Front, Back and Side to Side" for his "King" album.
To a mainstream audience, Pimp C was best known for UGK's cameo on the Jay-Z hit "Big Pimpin'," and for "Free Pimp C" T-shirts and shout-outs, ubiquitous in rap several years ago while he was jailed on gun charges. On Tuesday, his MySpace page had been changed to read: "C the Pimp is FREE at last."
Born Chad Butler, Pimp C was found dead in a room at the Mondrian hotel, a longtime music industry hangout not far from the House of Blues on Sunset Strip, where he had performed Saturday night alongside rap veteran Too $hort. Capt. Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County coroner's office said Butler had apparently died in bed.
"At this time there's no signs of foul play," Winter said. "It appears to be possibly natural, but pending autopsy and toxicology we can't say the cause."
Butler had been in Los Angeles to work on his next solo album for Rap-A-Lot Records, according to James Prince, the Houston-based label's CEO. Manager Rick Martin identified Butler's body, and said in a statement, "He was my best friend and I will always love him."
Though they never enjoyed massive pop chart success, UGK's early CDs are considered landmarks for the then-burgeoning Texas hip-hop scene, which also featured the Geto Boys. Signed to a deal with Jive Records, they released "Too Hard to Swallow" in 1992, "Super Tight" two years later, and "Ridin' Dirty" in 1996, considered a rap classic.

Pimp C leaves behind a wife and three children. He was 33 years old. He will truly be missed.

Sweepstakes!

2007-12-05T16:27:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win a Betsy Johnson Dress (Code is: fun)
Win Art Supplies and Toys (Code is: colorful)
Win a $10 Office Depot Gift Card or a Digital Camera
Win a $50 Gift Card
Win a $100 Best Buy Gift Card
Win $100 Kohls Gift Card
Win a $1500 Salvatore Ferragamo

Today In History!

2007-12-05T16:23:00.000-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

December 5

1492 - Christopher Columbus discovered Hispaniola (now Haiti).

1560 - Charles IX succeeded as King of France on the death of Francis II.

1766 - James Christie, founder of the famous auctioneers, held his first sale in London.

1776 - In Williamsburg, VA, at the College of William and Mary the first scholastic fraternity in America, Phi Beta Kappa, was organized.

1782 - The first native U.S. president, Martin Van Buren, was born in Kinderhook, NY.

1792 - The trial of France's King Louis XVI began.

1797 - Napoleon Bonaparte arrived in Paris to command forces for the invasion of England.

1812 - Napoleon Bonaparte left his army as they were retreating from Russia.

1839 - General George Armstrong Custer was born in New Rumley, OH.

1848 - U.S. President Polk triggered the Gold Rush of '49 by confirming the fact that gold had been discovered in California.

1876 - The Stillson wrench was patented by D.C. Stillson. The device was the first practical pipe wrench.

1901 - Movie producer Walt Disney was born in Chicago. He created his first Mickey Mouse cartoon at the age of 27.

1904 - The Russian fleet was destroyed by the Japanese at Port Arthur, during the Russo-Japanese War.

1908 - At the University of Pittsburgh, numerals were first used on football uniforms worn by college football players.

1913 - Britain outlawed the sending of arms to Ireland.

1932 - German physicist Albert Einstein was granted a visa making it possible for him to travel to the U.S.

1933 - Prohibition came to an end when Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

1934 - Fighting broke out between Italian and Ethiopian troops on the Somalian border.

1934 - The Soviet Union executed 66 people charged with plotting against Joseph Stalin's government.

1935 - In Montebello, CA, the first commercial hydrophonics operation was established.

1936 - The Soviet Union adopted a new Constitution under a Supreme Council.

1944 - During World War II, Allied troops took Ravenna, Italy.

1945 - The so-called "Lost Squadron" disappeared. The five U.S. Navy Avenger bombers carrying 14 Navy flyers began a training mission at the Ft. Lauderdale Naval Air Station. They were never heard from again.

1951 - The first push button-controlled garage opened in Washington, DC.

1955 - The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged to form the AFL-CIO.

1956 - British and French forces began a withdrawal from Egypt during the Suez War.

1958 - Britain's first motorway, the Preston by-pass, was opened by Prime Minister Macmillan. 1961 - United Nations forces launched an attack in Katanga, the Congo, near Elizabethville.

1962 - The U.S. and the Soviet Union agreed to cooperate in the peaceful uses of outer space. 1971 - The Soviet Union, at United Nations Security Council, vetoed a resolution calling for a cease-fire in hostilities between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.

1976 - Jacques Chirac re-founded the Gaullist party as the RPR (Rassemblement pour la République).

1977 - Egypt broke diplomatic relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria, Iraq and South Yemen due to peaceful relations with Israel.

1978 - The American space probe Pioneer Venus I, orbiting Venus, and began beaming back its first information and picture of the planet.

1979 - Sonia Johnson was formally excommunicated by the Mormon Church due to her outspoken support for the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution.

1983 - In west Beirut, Lebanon, more than a dozen people were killed when a car bomb shattered a nine-story apartment building.

1983 - The video arcade game "NFL Football" was unveiled in Chicago. It was the first video arcade game to be licensed by the National Football League.

1984 - Iran's official news agency quoted the hijackers of a Kuwaiti jetliner parked at Tehran airport as saying they would blow up the plane unless Kuwait released 14 imprisoned extremists. 1985 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose above 1,500 for the first time.

1986 - The Soviet Union said it would continue to abide by the SALT II treaty limits on nuclear weapons. This was despite the decision by the U.S. to exceed them.

1988 - Jim Bakker and former aide Richard Dortch were indicted by a federal grand jury in North Carolina on fraud and conspiracy charges.

1989 - Israeli soldiers killed five heavily armed Arab guerrillas who crossed the border from Egypt. The guerrillas were allegedly going to launch a terrorist attack commemorating the anniversary of the Palestinian uprising.

1989 - East Germany's former leaders were placed under house arrest.

1992 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin kept the power to appoint Cabinet ministers, defeating a constitutional amendment that would have put his team of reformers under the control of Russia's Congress.

1998 - James P. Hoffa became the head of the Teamsters union, 23 years after his father was the head. His father disappeared and was presumed dead.

2001 - In Germany, Afghan leaders signed a pact to create a temporary administration for post-Taliban Afghanistan. Two women were included in the cabinet structure. Hamid Karzai and his Cabinet were planned to take over power in Afghanistan on December 22.

Daily BIble Verse

2007-12-05T16:22:00.001-06:00

“You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said.”

Luke 1:45

Favorite Holiday Drinks

2007-12-04T17:05:00.000-06:00

For me, the best part of the holiday season is definitely the food. I love when my favorite places roll out their Christmas menus. Nothing beats gingerbread cheesecake or snowman shaped cookies, but my absolute must tastes for every holiday season are the drinks. If an eggnog shake sounds a little of the wall for you, maybe a gingerbread latte will have you hooked.
Here are my picks:

1. Peppermint Mocha- Starbucks

Yes, leave it to Starbucks to dazzle us all with another overpriced and hyped up liquid confection. Their holiday spread features a gingerbread latte, eggnog latte and a peppermint mocha. Since I always get a White Chocolate Mocha, I thought I would bite the gun from my ordinary routine and spice it up by trying the Peppermint Mocha. The rich, full flavored drink didn't really shock my tastebuds with its familiar delicious mocha but when the peppermint set in, I was in pure drink heaven! It tasted like one of those Andes Mints but in liquid form. The peppermint wasn't overbearing at all and the mocha was heavenly.

2. Eggnog Shake- Jack in the Box

Yeah, I know this sounds kind of out there, but it isn't as farfetched as it seems. After all, a lot of people enjoy their eggnog cold. Though this may be a bit colder than you are used to, the flavor will not disappoint. I never really enjoyed home made eggnog so I was a bit hesitant to try it. I ordered a small and was asked if I wanted whipped cream and a cherry on top. Everything is better with whipped cream so I accepted. I was handed a cream colored shake and slowly took a sip. The shake was kind of thick (but not too thick) so it took a while to make its way up the straw. When it finally seeped into my mouth, the reaction was bliss. The sweet yet bold flavor was so amazing I didn't mind the fact that it was cold..almost as cold as it was outside!

3. Double Chocalte Hot Cocoa- Ghiradelli

What more can I say? The words double chocolate had me at hello. This is a very rich take on a holiday classic. Ghiradelli is famous for divine chocolate and even more so is to be expected in their drinks. If you don't have Ghiradelli Store near you, most grocery stores do carry the hot chocolate or you can order online at Ghiradellis Online Store. Simply delicious!

Whatever you choose to drink this holiday season, make sure it counts and don't be afraid to try something new!

Free Cleansing Cloths

2007-12-04T17:02:00.000-06:00

Staying fresh and clean is very important!

Get a free sample of Playtex Personal Cleansing Cloths and expreience a fresh clean feeling anywhere and anytime!

Available while supplies last.

Sweepstakes!

2007-12-04T16:52:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win a skirt and top from JC Penny (Code is: princess)
Win a 42" LCD HDTV (The form is in spanish)
Win a $50 Cduniverse.com Gift Card
Win a $50 Outback Steakhouse Gift Card
Win a $50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card
Win a Selection of Items featured in Allure Magazine's "Wish List"
Win 1 ct. Diamond Solitaire Earrings from Zales
Win a $500 Tiffany & Co. Gift Certificate

Today In History!

2007-12-04T16:48:00.000-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

December 5

1783 - Gen. George Washington said farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York. 1791 - Britain's Observer newspaper was first published.

1812 - Peter Gaillard patented the power mower.

1867 - The National Grange of Husbandry was founded.

1875 - William Marcy Tweed, the "Boss" of New York City's Tammany Hall political organization, escaped from jail and fled from the U.S.

1918 - U.S. President Woodrow Wilson set sail for France to attend the Versailles Peace Conference. Wilson became the first chief executive to travel to Europe while in office.

1942 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the dismantling of the Works Progress Administration. The program had been created in order to provide jobs during the Great Depression.

1942 - U.S. bombers attacked the Italian mainland for the first time during World War II.

1943 - Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis announced that any club was free to employ black players.

1945 - The U.S. Senate approved American participation in the United Nations.

1965 - The U.S. launched Gemini 7 with Air Force Lt. Col. Frank Borman and Navy Comdr. James A. Lovell on board. 1973 - Pioneer 10 reached Jupiter.

1977 - Jean-Bedel Bokassa, ruler of the Central African Empire, crowned himself emperor in a ceremony believed to have cost more than $100 million. He was deposed 2 years later.

1978 - Dianne Feinstein became San Francisco's first woman mayor when she was named to replace George Moscone, who had been murdered.

1979 - For the second time, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to urge Iran to free American hostages that had been taken on November 4.

1980 - The bodies of four American nuns slain in El Salvador two days earlier were unearthed. Five national guardsmen were later convicted of the murders.

1983 - U.S. jet fighters struck Syrian anti-aircraft positions in Lebanon in retaliation for attacks directed at American reconnaissance planes. Navy Lt. Robert O. Goodman Jr. was shot down and captured by Syria.

1984 - A five-day hijack drama began as four men seized a Kuwaiti airliner en route to Pakistan and forced it to land in Tehran. Two American passengers were killed by the hijackers.

1986 - Both U.S. houses of Congress moved to establish special committees to conduct their own investigations of the Iran-Contra affair.

1987 - Cuban inmates at a federal prison in Atlanta freed their 89 hostages, peacefully ending an 11-day uprising.

1988 - The government of Argentina announced that hundreds of heavily armed soldiers had ended a four-day military revolt.

1990 - Iraq promised to release 3,300 Soviet citizens it was holding.

1991 - Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson was released after nearly seven years in captivity in Lebanon.

1991 - Pan American World Airways ceased operations.

1992 - U.S. President Bush ordered American troops to lead a mercy mission to Somalia.

1993 - The Angolan government and its UNITA guerrilla foes formally adopted terms for a truce. The conflict was killing an estimated 1,000 people per day.

1994 - Bosnian Serbs released 53 out of about 400 UN peacekeepers they were holding as insurance against further NATO airstrikes.

1997 - The play revival "The Diary of Anne Frank" opened.

1997 - The National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended Latrell Sprewell of the Golden State Warriors for one year for choking and threatening to kill his coach, P.J. Carlesimo.

2000 - O.J. Simpson was involved in an incident with another motorist in Miami, FL. Simpson was accused of scratching the other motorists face while pulling off the man's glasses.

2001 - O.J. Simpson's home in Florida was raided by the FBI in an ongoing two year international investigation into drug trafficking, satellite service pilfering and money laundering. Some satellite equipment was taken from Simpson's home and no drugs were found.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-12-04T16:47:00.000-06:00

I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST; IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME; AND THE LIFE THAT I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF
GOD, WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME.

GALATIANS 2:20

Sweepstakes!

2007-12-03T14:05:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win a $10 Office Depot Gift Card
Win Winnie the Pooh Toys (code is: play)
Win a $50 Macaroni Grill Gift Card
Win a $50 Chilis Gift Card
Win a $50 Borders Gift Card
Win $2,000 or $50,000
Win $2oo of Lancome Cosmetics
Win $1,000 Worth of Gift Cards

Today In History!

2007-12-03T13:52:00.001-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

December 3

1818 - Illinois was admitted as the 21st state of the union.

1828 - Andrew Jackson was elected president of the United States.

1833 - Oberlin College in Ohio opened as the first truly coeducational school of higher education in the United States.

1835 - In Rhode Island, the Manufacturer Mutual Fire Insurance Company issued the first fire insurance policy.

1910 - The neon lamp was displayed for the first time at the Paris Motor Show. The lamp was developed by French physicist Georges Claude.

1917 - The Quebec Bridge opened for traffic after almost 20 years of planning and construction. The bridge suffered partial collapses in 1907 (August 29) and 1916 (September 11).

1931 - Alka Seltzer was sold for the first time.

1947 - The Tennessee Williams play "A Streetcar Named Desire" opened at Broadway's Ethel Barrymore Theater.

1948 - The "Pumpkin Papers" came to public light. The House Un-American Activities Committee announced that former Communist spy Whittaker Chambers had produced microfilm of secret documents hidden inside a pumpkin on his Maryland farm.

1950 - Paul Harvey began his national radio broadcast.

1950 - Tom Fears (Los Angeles Rams) caught an NFL-record 18 passes against the Green Bay Packers. Terrell Owens (San Francisco 49ers) broke the record with 20 catches for 283 yards and a touchdown against the Chicago Bears on December 17, 2000.

1964 - Police arrested about 800 students at the University of California at Berkeley. The arrest took place one day after the students staged a massive sit-in inside an administration building. 1967 - In Cape Town, South Africa, a team of surgeons headed by Dr. Christian Barnard, performed the first human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky. Washkansky only lived 18 days.

1967 - The famed luxury train, "20th Century Limited," completed its final run from New York to Chicago.

1968 - The rules committee of Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that in 1969 the pitcher's mound would be lowered from 15 to 10 inches. This was done in order to "get more batting action."

1973 - Pioneer 10 sent back the first close-up images of Jupiter. The first outer-planetary probe had been launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, on March 2, 1972.

1980 - U.S. Representatives Frank Thompson, Jr. (D-NJ) and John Murphy (D-NY) were convicted on Abscam charges.

1982 - Doctors at the University of Utah Medical Center removed the respirator of Barney Clark. The retired dentist had become the world's first recipient of a permanent artificial heart only one day before.

1983 - 3-foot-high concrete barriers were installed at two White House entrances.

1984 - In Bhopal, India, more than 2,000 people were killed after a cloud of poisonous gas escaped from a pesticide plant. The plant was operated by a Union Carbide subsidiary.

1987 - U.S. President Reagan said there was a good chance of progress toward a treaty on long-range weapons with Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

1988 - In South Africa, 11 black funeral mourners were slain in Natal Province in an attack blamed on security forces.

1988 - Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State University won the Heisman Trophy.

1990 - A collision, on the ground, of a Northwest Airlines DC-9 and a Northwest Boeing 727 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, resulted in a fire that claimed eight lives.

1991 - After nearly five years, Shiite Muslim radicals in Lebanon released American hostage Allen Sutten.

1992 - The UN Security Council unanimously approved a U.S.-led military mission to help starving Somalians.

1992 - The Greek tanker "Aegean Sea" ran aground at La Coruna, Spain and spilled 21.5 million gallons of crude oil.

1993 - Britain's Princess Diana announced she would be limiting her public appearances because she was tired of the media's intrusions into her life.

1993 - Angola's government and its rebel enemies agreed to a cease-fire in their 18-year war. 1994 - Rebel Serbs in Bosnia failed to keep a pledge to release hundreds of UN peacekeepers. 1994 - AIDS activist Elizabeth Glaser died at the age 47. She and her two children were infected with HIV because of a blood transfusion.

1995 - Former South Korean president Chun Doo-hwan was arrested for his role in a 1979 coup. 1997 - Pierce Brosnan received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1997 - In Ottawa, Canada, more than 120 countries were represented to sign a treaty prohibiting the use and production of anti-personnel land mines. The United States, China and Russia did not sign the treaty.

1997 - South Korea received $55 billion from the International Monetary Fund to bailout its economy.

1998 - In Manilla, 28 people were killed in an orphanage that caught fire. Most of the victims were children.

1999 - Tori Murden became the first woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean alone. It took her 81 days to reach the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe from the Canary Islands.

1999 - The World Trade Organization (WTO) concluded a four-day meeting in Seattle, WA, without setting an agenda for a new round of trade talks. The meeting was met with fierce protests by various groups.

1999 - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) lost radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander as it entered Mars' atmosphere. The spacecraft was unmanned.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-12-03T13:44:00.000-06:00

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5:1

Fashion Disasters

2007-11-30T16:55:00.000-06:00

From TMZ.com.

What on earth were they thinking? Clearly, it was not on earth!

Free Hair Care!

2007-11-30T16:42:00.000-06:00

Get a free sample of Garnier Fructis Hair Care! Click the image above or click here.

Available while supplies last.

Sweepstakes!

2007-11-30T16:37:00.001-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win a Year's Supply of Starbuck's Coffee
Win a $50 McDonals's Arch Card (Code is: ronald)
Win a $50-$500 Petsmart Gift Card
Win a $25 Nordstrom Gift Card
Win a $20 Amazon Gift Card

Today In History!

2007-11-30T16:31:00.000-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

November 30

1016 - English King Edmund II died.
1700 - 8,000 Swedish troops under King Charles XII defeated an army of at least 50,000 Russians at the Battle of Narva. King Charles XII died on this day.
1782 - The United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris, ending the Revolutionary War.
1803 - Spain completed the process of ceding Louisiana to France.
1804 - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase went on trial accused of political bias. He was later acquitted by the U.S. Senate.
1835 - Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born. He wrote "Tom Sawyer" and "Huckleberry Finn" under the name Mark Twain.
1838 - Three days after the French occupation of Vera Cruz Mexico declared war on France. 1853 - During the Crimean War, the Russian fleet attacked and destroyed the Turkish fleet at the battle of Sinope.
1875 - A.J. Ehrichson patented the oat-crushing machine.
1897 - Thomas Edison's own motion picture projector had its first commercial exhibition.
1936 - London's famed Crystal Palace was destroyed in a fire. The structure had been constructed for the International Exhibition of 1851.
1939 - The Russo-Finnish War began when 20 divisions of Soviet troops invaded Finland.
1940 - Lucille Ball and Cuban musician Desi Arnaz were married.
1949 - Chinese Communists captured Chungking.
1954 - In Sylacauga, AL, Elizabeth Hodges was injured when a meteorite crashed through the roof of her house. The rock weighed 8½-pounds. 1
956 - CBS replayed the program "Douglas Edward and the News" three hours after it was received on the West Coast. It was the world's first broadcast via videotape.
1962 - U Thant of Burma was elected secretary-general of the United Nations, succeeding the late Dag Hammarskjold.
1966 - The former British colony of Barbados became independent.
1967 - Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower announced their engagement.
1971 - ABC-TV aired "Brian's Song." The movie was about Chicago Bears' Brian Picolo and his friendship with Gayle Sayers.
1981 - The U.S. and the Soviet Union opened negotiations in Geneva that were aimed at reducing nuclear weapons in Europe.
1982 - The motion picture "Ghandi" had its world premiere in New Delhi.
1986 - "Time" magazine published an interview with U.S. President Reagan. In the article, Reagan described fired national security staffer Oliver North as a "national hero."
1988 - Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co. took over RJR Nabisco Inc. with a bid of $24.53 billion. 1989 - Alfred Herrhausen was killed in a bombing. The Red Army Faction claimed responsibility of killing Herrhausen the chairman of West Germany's largest bank.
1989 - PLO leader Yasser Arafat was refused a visa to enter the United States in order to address the U.N. General Assebly in New York City.
1993 - U.S. President Clinton signed into law the Brady Bill. The bill required a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers.
1993 - Richard Allen Davis was arrested by authorities in California. Davis confessed to abducting and slaying 12-year-old Polly Klaas of Petaluma.
1995 - President Clinton became the first U.S. chief executive to visit Northern Ireland.
1998 - The Deutsche Bank AG announced that it would acquire Bankers Trust Corp. for $10.1 billion creating the world's largest financial institution.
2000 - David Spade was assaulted with a stun gun by his longtime personal assistant, David Warren Malloy. Malloy attacked Spade during a burglary of Spade's home in Beverly Hills.
2001 - For the first time in its history, McDonald's teamed up with a retail partner on its Happy Meal promotions. Toys R Us provided plush figures from its Animal Alley.
2001 - In Seattle, WA, Gary Leon Ridgeway was arrested for four of the Green River serial killings. He was pled innocent on December 18, 2001.
2004 - In Stockholm, Sweden, the Carl Larsson painting "Boenskoerd" ("Bean Harvest") was sold at auction for $730,000. The work had been in a private collection for more than a century. The Larsson work "Vid Kattegatt" ("By Kattegatt") sold for $640,000 at the same auction.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-11-30T16:29:00.000-06:00

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

Matthew 5:8

Sears is Falling!

2007-11-29T17:57:00.000-06:00

Come to think of it, the only time I go into Sears is to cut through them and get to the main mall. So what's wrong with Sears?

The giant retailer has reportedly plummeted down 99% and really is not sure if it will ever recover.

The company earned $2 million, or 1 cent per share, compared with $196 million, or $1.27 per share, in the quarter a year earlier. Sales slumped 3.3 percent, to $11.5 billion.
Sears attributed the earnings slump largely to a $223 million decline in gross margins. Sales at Sears stores open a year or more fell 4.2 percent in the quarter, while sales at Kmart stores open at least a year fell 5 percent.
"It was a horrible quarter," Scott Rothbort, president of Lakeview Asset Management in Millburn, New Jersey, which holds Sears shares, told Bloomberg News. "They had to take a lot of markdowns to move that apparel."

Time to "make a wish"!

Sears Falls Hard (Portfolio.com)

Amy Wreckhouse

2007-11-29T17:45:00.001-06:00

Ah, I feel so let down! I used to really like Amy Winehouse, and I still love her music, but she seems to be on a downward spiral. I mean, you can't really help if you were born with hairy arms, but the "trackmarks" are out of line. I could go on...

If she cleaned up, she'd be pretty cute!

We're rootin' for ya!

Toilet for Two, Please

2007-11-29T17:28:00.000-06:00

It has been confirmed, the world has completely lost its sanity!

OK, so maybe that's old news but this, yes, this is completely new:

Introducing the TwoDaLoo, a revolutionary new toilet (yes toilet) that two (yes two) people can use at the same (yes same) time!

This contraption with two opposite facing parallel toilet bowels connected together claims to "save rocky marriages and the planet". You can own one for $1,400 and can even get a LCD and Ipod jack installed.

Personally, I prefer to save the planet one doo at a time in sole privacy!

Katie and the Elf

2007-11-29T17:13:00.001-06:00

Katie Holmes was let out of the house to join her husband, Tom Cruise, accept a Bambi Award.

Then, its right back to the hole....

I do like her hair though!

Book Review: Sold by Patricia McCormick

2007-11-29T16:17:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading a very touching book. Although this book was written for teens, I think teens and adults alike will find hope and inspiration throughout the story. From established author Patricia McCormick, comes Sold: a story about a young Nepali girl who is sold into sexual slavery by her family. I was glued to every page and was drawn deeper and deeper into the scenario, which sadly, is all too real for young girls in poverty stricken countries. I would highly recommend this book!

Find it at Amazon.com.

From School Library Journal: As this heartbreaking story opens, 13-year-old Lakshmi lives an ordinary life in Nepal, going to school and thinking of the boy she is to marry. Then her gambling-addicted stepfather sells her into prostitution in India. Refusing to be with men, she is beaten and starved until she gives in. Written in free verse, the girls first-person narration is horrifying and difficult to read. In between, men come./They crush my bones with their weight./They split me open./Then they disappear. I hurt./I am torn and bleeding where the men have been. The spare, unadorned text matches the barrenness of Lakshmi's new life. She is told that if she works off her family's debt, she can leave, but she soon discovers that this is virtually impossible. When a boy who runs errands for the girls and their clients begins to teach her to read, she feels a bit more alive, remembering what it feels like to be the number one girl in class again. When an American comes to the brothel to rescue girls, Lakshmi finally gets a sense of hope. An authors note confirms what readers fear: thousands of girls, like Lakshmi in this story, are sold into prostitution each year. Part of McCormick's research for this novel involved interviewing women in Nepal and India, and her depth of detail makes the characters believable and their misery palpable. This important book was written in their honor.

–Alexa Sandmann, Kent State University, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist: Lakshmi, 13, knows nothing about the world beyond her village shack in the Himalayas of Nepal, and when her family loses the little it has in a monsoon, she grabs a chance to work as a maid in the city so she can send money back home. What she doesn't know is that her stepfather has sold her into prostitution. She ends up in a brothel far across the border in the slums of Calcutta, locked up, beaten, starved, drugged, raped, "torn and bleeding," until she submits. In beautiful clear prose and free verse that remains true to the child's viewpoint, first-person, present-tense vignettes fill in Lakshmi's story. The brutality and cruelty are ever present ("I have been beaten here, / locked away, / violated a hundred times / and a hundred times more"), but not sensationalized. An unexpected act of kindness is heartbreaking ("I do not know a word / big enough to hold my sadness"). One haunting chapter brings home the truth of "Two Worlds": the workers love watching The Bold and the Beautiful on TV though in the real world, the world they know, a desperate prostitute may be approached to sell her own child. An unforgettable account of sexual slavery as it exists now.

-Hazel Rochman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Sweepstakes!

2007-11-29T16:10:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win a $100 Macy's Gift Card
Win a $50 TGI Friday's Gift Card
Win a $50 PetsMart Gift Card
Win a $1,500 Starbuck's Gift Card
Win a $500 Amercian Express Gift Card
Win a Leapfrog Clickstart and Two Games
Win a $500 JC Penny Gift Card

Today In History!

2007-11-29T16:07:00.001-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

November 29

1530 - Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, former adviser to England's King Henry VIII, died.

1864 - The Sand Creek Massacre occurred in Colorado when a militia led by Colonel John Chivington, killed at least 400 peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians who had surrendered and had been given permission to camp.

1890 - Navy defeated Army by a score of 24-0 in the first Army-Navy football game. The game was played at West Point, NY.

1929 - The first airplane flight over the South Pole was made by U.S. Navy Lt. Comdr. Richard E. Byrd.

1939 - The USSR broke off diplomatic relations with Finland prior to a Soviet attack.

1945 - The monarchy was abolished in Yugoslavia and a republic proclaimed.

1947 - The U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution that called for the division of Palestine between Arabs and Jews.

1961 - The Mercury-Atlas 5 spacecraft was launched by the U.S. with Enos the chimp on board. The craft orbited the earth twice before landing off Puerto Rico.

1963 - A Trans-Canada Airlines DC-8F with 111 passengers and 7 crew members crashed in woods north of Montreal 4 minutes after takeoff from Dorval Airport. All aboard were killed. The crash was the worst in Canada's history.

1963 - U.S. President Johnson named a commission headed by Earl Warren to investigate the assassination of President Kennedy.

1967 - U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announed that he was leaving the Johnson administration to become president of the World Bank.

1971 - The Professional Golf Championship was held at Walt Disney World for the first time. 1974 - In Britain, a bill that outlawed the Irish Republican Army became effective.

1975 - Bill Gates adopted the name Microsoft for the company he and Paul Allen had formed to write the BASIC computer language for the Altair.

1981 - Actress Natalie Wood drowned in a boating accident off Santa Catalina Island, CA, at the age 43.

1982 - The U.N. General Assembly voted that the Soviet Union should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

1986- Actor Cary Grant died at the age of 82.

1987 - A Korean jetliner disappeared off Burma, with 115 people aboard.

1987 - Cuban detainees released 26 hostages they'd been holding for more than a week at the Federal Detention Center in Oakdale, LA.

1988 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the rights of criminal defendants are not violated when police unintentionally fail to preserve potentially vital evidence.

1989 - In Czechoslovakia, the Communist-run parliament ended the party's 40-year monopoly on power.

1990 - The U.N. Security Council voted to authorize military action if Iraq did not withdraw its troops from Kuwait and release all foreign hostages by January 15, 1991.

1991 - 17 people were killed in a 164-vehicle wreck during a dust storm near Coalinga, CA, on Interstate 5.

1992 - Dennis Byrd (New York Jets) was paralyzed after a neck injury in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

1994 - The U.S. House passed the revised General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

1994 - Fighter jets attacked the capital of Chechnya and its airport only hours after Russian President Boris Yeltsin demanded the breakaway republic end its civil war.

1996 - A U.N. court sentenced Bosnian Serb army soldier Drazen Erdemovic to 10 years in prison for his role in the massacre of 1,200 Muslims. The sentence was the first international war crimes sentence since World War II.

1998 - Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected legalizing heroin and other narcotics.

2004 - The French government announced plans to build the Louvre II in northern France. The 236,808 square foot museum was the planned home for 500-600 works from the Louvre's reserves.

2004 - Godzilla received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-11-29T16:06:00.000-06:00

“’Come back, wandering children! I can heal your wanderlust!’
‘We’re here! We’ve come back to you. You’re our own true God!’”

Jeremiah 3:22

Free Hamburger!

2007-11-28T14:41:00.000-06:00

The best things in life are free and this is one of them! Register at Johnny Rockets to join the E-Club and get a free 100% beef hamburger!

Yummy!

Sweepstakes!

2007-11-28T14:32:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win a $100 Discover Card
Win a 3-night trip for two to The Grand Del Mar Hotel in San Diego, CA; includes two rounds of golf at Grand Del Mar, two massages at Gaia Day Spa, meal at George's California Modern, and $1,000 Charriol La Jolla Boutique gift certificate. ARV $4,700
Win a 5-day/4-night trip for two to a spa resort in the United States. ARV $4,000
Win a 2-night trip for two to New York City, NY; includes tickets to the 2008 Radio City Christmas Spectacular Show, invitation to a special Swarovski party at Rockefeller Center the evening of the tree lighting event, and front-row VIP viewing of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting
Win $5,000
Win $50,000 For A Home Makeover
Win $50,000 or a Vacation

Today In History!

2007-11-28T14:29:00.002-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

November 28

1520 - Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean after passing through the South American strait. The strait was named after him. He was the first European to sail the Pacific from the east.

1582 - William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were married.

1757 - English poet, painter and engraver William Blake was born. Two of his best known works are "Songs of Innocence" and "Songs of Experience."

1919 - American-born Lady Astor was elected the first female member of the British Parliament.

1922 - Capt. Cyril Turner of the Royal Air Force gave the first public exhibition of skywriting. He spelled out, "Hello USA. Call Vanderbilt 7200" over New York's Times Square.

1925 - The Grand Ole Opry made its radio debut on station WSM.

1934 - The U.S. bank robber George "Baby Face" Nelson was killed by FBI agents near Barrington, IL.

1942 - 491 people died in a fire that destroyed the Coconut Grove in Boston.

1943 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin met in Tehran to map out strategy concerning World War II.

1953 - New York City began 11 days without newspapers due to a strike of photoengravers. 1958 - The African nation of Chad became an autonomous republic within the French community.

1963 - U.S. President Johnson announced that Cape Canaveral would be renamed Cape Kennedy in honor of his assassinated predecessor. The name was changed back to Cape Canaveral in 1973 by a vote of residents.

1964 - The U.S. launched the space probe Mariner IV from Cape Kennedy on a course set for Mars.

1977 - Larry Bird was introduced as "College Basketball's Secret Weapon" with a cover story in Sports Illustrated. (NBA)

1978 - The Iranian government banned religious marches.

1979 - An Air New Zealand DC-10 flying to the South Pole crashed in Antarctica killing all 257 people aboard.

1985 - The Irish Senate approved the Anglo-Irish accord concerning Northern Ireland.

1987 - A South African Airways Boeing 747 crashed into the Indian Ocean. All 159 people aboard were killed.

1989 - Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci arrived in New York after escaping her homeland through Hungary.

1990 - Margaret Thatcher resigned as prime minister of Britain.

1992 - In Bosnia-Herzegovina, 137 tons of food and supplies were to be delivered to the isolated town of Srebrenica.

1992 - In King William's Town, South Africa, black militant gunmen attacked a country club killing four people and injuring 20.

1993 - The play "Mixed Emotions" closed after 48 performances.

1994 - Jeffrey Dahmer, a convicted serial killer, was clubbed to death in a Wisconsin prison by a fellow inmate.

1994 - Norwegian voters rejected European Union membership.

1995 - U.S. President Clinton signed a $6 billion road bill that ended the federal 55 mph speed limit.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-11-28T14:29:00.001-06:00

That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” 2

Timothy 1:12

Victoria's Secret: Slaves

2007-11-27T17:38:00.000-06:00

When is the last time you got your nails done? How much did you pay? Did you tip the manicurist? If you didn't, after reading this article you surely will.

Another question..

How much did you pay for that designer bra?

To be honest, I got my nails done just last week for about $21 and I only tipped the manicurist $2. The bra that I'm wearing today, from Victoria's Secret, was about $29.

So how does all of this tie together?

As you may know, the overseas retail factories are famed to support harsh labor with little or no laws. There are poor people slaving away for literally pennies an hour for little materialistic luxuries that we Americans over pay for.

The Victoria's Secret workers toil 14 to 15 hours a day, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 or 10:00 p.m., seven days a week, receiving on average one day off every three or four months. All overtime is mandatory, and workers are routinely at the factory 98 to 105 hours a week while toiling 89 to 96 hours. Treatment is very rough, as managers and supervisors scream at the foreign guest workers to move faster to complete their high production goals.
Workers who fall behind on their production goals, or who make even a minor error, can be slapped and beaten. Despite being forced to work five or more overtime hours a day, the workers are routinely shortchanged on their legal overtime pay, being cheated of up to $18.48 each week in wages due them. While this might not seem like a great deal of money, to these poor workers it is the equivalent of losing three regular days' wages each week.
Workers are allowed just 3.3 minutes to sew each $14 Victoria's Secret women's bikini, for which they are paid four cents. The workers' wages amount to less than 3/10ths of one percent of the $14 retail price of the Victoria's Secret bikini

Victoria's Secret, Slave Labor And So-Called Free Trade (Huffington Post)
An Inside Look At The Spa Industry (New York Magazine)

Celebs We are SO Over!

2007-11-27T12:41:00.001-06:00

Alloy.com has compiled a great list of the top ten celebs we are seriously tired of seeing.

For the complete list CLICK HERE!

You're a Gem!

2007-11-27T12:01:00.001-06:00

This season's hottest accessories shine like never before. Be the light of the party with jeweled accents. Gems are turning heads on everything from headbands to clutches and are sure to make you glow at any holiday gathering.

Stretch Gem Bracelet

Girlprops.com

$3.99

Gem Clutch

Alloy.com

$22.50

Jewel Open Toe Pump

Michael Kors

$139

Jewel Collar Dress

Marc Bouwer Glamit

$495

Shine, baby, shine!

Sweepstakes!

2007-11-27T11:01:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Grand Prize: 3-day/2-night trip for two to New York City, NY to attend the 2008 Project Runway Season 4 Finale; includes makeover for winner from Beauty.com's Tina Turnbow, $5,000 Bluefly gift certificate and $1,000 Visa gift card ARV $10,000 First Prize: (6 - 1 per week) $500 Bluefly gift certificate Second Prize: (90 - 2 per day) $100 Bluefly gift certificate Additional Prizes: (360 - 8 per day) $50 Bluefly gift certificate
Win a $100 Sears Card
Win a $10,000 Shopping Spree at Bluefly.com
Win a 2-night trip for two to the Viceroy Santa Monica in Santa Monica, CA; includes dinner at Katsaya, dinner at Ristorante di Giorgio Baldi, tickets to a show at the Pantages, private yoga session, and $500 shopping spree gift card.

Today In History!

2007-11-27T10:57:00.000-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

November 27

1684 - Japan's shogun Yoshimune Tokugawa was born.

1701 - Anders Celsius was born in Sweden. He was the inventor of the Celsius thermometer. 1779 - The College of Pennsylvania became the University of Pennsylvania. It was the first legally recognized university in America.

1839 - The American Statistical Association was founded in Boston.

1889 - Curtis P. Brady was issued the first permit to drive an automobile through Central Park in New York City.

1901 - The Army War College was established in Washington, DC.

1910 - New York's Pennsylvania Station opened.

1939 - The play "Key Largo," by Maxwell Anderson, opened in New York.

1951 - Hosea Richardson became the first black horse racing jockey to be licensed in Florida. 1963 - U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress.

1970 - Pope Paul VI, visiting the Philippines, was attacked at the Manila airport by a Bolivian painter disguised as a priest.

1973 - The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Gerald R. Ford as vice president after the resignation of Spiro T. Agnew.

1978 - San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay-rights activist, were shot to death inside City Hall by Dan White, a former supervisor.

1980 - Dave Williams (Chicago Bears) became the first player in NFL history to return a kick for touchdown in overtime.

1983 - 183 people were killed when a Colombian Avianca Airlines Boeing 747 crashed near Barajas airport in Madrid.

1985 - The British House of Commons approved the Anglo-Irish accord giving Dublin a consulting role in the governing of British-ruled Northern Ireland.

1987 - French hostages Jean-Louis Normandin and Roger Auque were set free by their pro-Iranian captors in West Beirut, Lebanon.

1989 - 107 people were killed when a bomb destroyed a Colombian jetliner minutes after the plane had taken off from Bogota's international airport. Police blamed the incident on drug traffickers.

1991 - The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that led the way for the establishment of a UN peacekeeping operation in Yugoslavia.

1992 - In Venezuela, rebel forces tried but failed to overthrow President Carlos Andres Perez for the second time in ten months.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-11-27T10:52:00.000-06:00

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence.” 1

John 3:18-19

Lil Wayne a Lil Tipsy

2007-11-26T16:50:00.000-06:00

Lil Wayne hosted a bash at an Atlanta Night Club earlier this week. He was there but, clearly, his mind was not!

All I can say is...

Enjoy

(three cups?!)

Maybe he just likes to show off his eye tats..

Hulkamania!

2007-11-26T16:36:00.000-06:00

And we were totally out in the blue! Apparently Hulk Hogan and his wife Linda have been separated since June! Linda filed for divorce on Wednesday.

They definitely pulled the wool over my eyes, the ex couple actually filmed the last part of their reality show, "Hogan Knows Best", while separated.

I was rooting for them!

Happy Bra-day!

2007-11-26T15:53:00.000-06:00

Today is the 100th anniversary of the beloved bra! The term brassiere was actually coined by Vogue magazine one century ago. This is something every girl should definitely not go without...

So here's to you and yours: Happy Bra-Day!

What's a party without favors? Here are my picks:

The Victoria's Secret Sexy Little Things Push-Up $29.50-$34 (love it in pink raspberry!)
Hanes Classics Tagless Lighty Lined Hidden Underwired Bra $29
Jockey Padded Microfiber Convertible Strapless $26
Maidenform I Value Luxury Embroidered Demi $14.99
Maliza Star System Padded Demi Bra $175

Whatever kind you choose, I'm just glad you chose!

Sweepstakes!

2007-11-26T10:01:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win a $50 Olive Garden Gift Card
Win a $50 Regal Entertainment Gift Card
Win a $50 Blockbuster Gift Card
Win a $50 Bath & Body Works Gift Card
Win a Halo Germ Killing Vacuum Cleaner
Win a $500 Joann.com Shopping Spree
Win Complexion Clearing Products from Clinique, Ambi, iS and Dr.Susan Taylor
Win a 1 Year Subscription to Netflix
Win an iPod Shuffle
Win a $50-$500 American Express Gift Card
Win a 32" LCD TV, Surround Sound Speaker System, and a DVD Player
Win a 2-Carat 14K White Gold Heart Pendant

Today In History!

2007-11-26T09:56:00.001-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

November 26

1716 - The first lion to be exhibited in America went on display in Boston, MA.

1731 - English poet William Cowper was born. He is best known for "The Poplar Trees" and "The Task."

1789 - U.S. President Washington set aside this day to observe the adoption of the Constitution of the United States.

1825 - The first college social fraternity, Kappa Alpha, was formed at Union College in Schenectady, NY.

1832 - Public streetcar service began in New York City.

1861 - West Virginia was created (out of Virginia) over a dispute of slavery. West Virginia was against slavery.

1867 - J.B. Sutherland patented the refrigerated railroad car.

1922 - In Egypt, Howard Carter peered into the tomb of King Tutankhamen.

1940 - The Nazis forced 500,000 Jews of Warsaw, Poland to live within a walled ghetto.

1941 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. In 1939 Roosevelt had signed a bill that changed the celebration of Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of November.

1942 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered nationwide gasoline rationing to begin December 1.

1942 - The motion picture "Casablanca" had its world premiere at the Hollywood Theater in New York City.

1943 - The HMS Rohna became the first ship to be sunk by a guided missile. The German missile attack led to the death of 1,015 U.S. troops.

1949 - India's Constituent Assembly adopted the country's constitution The country became republic within the British Commonwealth two months later.

1950 - China entered the Korean conflict forcing UN forces to retreat.

1958 - Maurice Richard (Montreal Canadiens) scored his 600th NHL career goal.

1965 - France became the third country to enter space when it launched its first satellite the Diamant-A.

1973 - Rose Mary Woods, told a federal court that she was responsible for the 18-1/2 minute gap in a key Watergate tape. Woods was U.S. President Nixon's personal secretary.

1975 - Lynette"Squeaky" Fromme was found guilty by a federal jury in Sacramento, CA, for trying to assassinate U.S. President Ford on September 5.

1979 - The International Olympic Committee voted to re-admit China after a 21-year absence. 1983 - A Brinks Mat Ltd. vault at London's Heathrow Airport was robbed by gunmen. The men made off with 6,800 gold bars worth nearly $40 million. Only a fraction of the gold has ever been recovered and only two men have been convicted in the heist.

1985 - The rights to Ronald Reagan's autobiography were acquired by Random House for $3,000,000.

1986 - U.S. President Reagan appointed a commission headed by former Sen. John Tower to investigate his National Security Council staff after the Iran-Contra affair.

1988 - The U.S. denied an entry visa to PLO chairman Yasser Arafat, who was seeking permission to travel to New York to address the U.N. General Assembly.

1990 - Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz at the Kremlin to demand that Iraq withdraw from Kuwait.

1990 - Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. agreed to acquire MCA Inc. for $6.6 billion.

1992 - The British government announced that Queen Elizabeth II had volunteered to start paying taxes on her personal income. She also took her children off the public payroll.

1995 - Two men set fire to a subway token booth in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The clerk inside was fatally burned.

1997 - The U.S. and North Korea held high-level discussions at the State Department for the first time.

1998 - British Prime Minister Toney Blair made a speech to the Irish Parliament. It was a first time event for a British Prime Minister.

1998 - Hulk Hogan announced that he was retiring from pro wrestling and would run for president in 2000.

2003 - The U.N. atomic agency adopted a resolution that censured Iran for past nuclear cover-ups and warning that it would be policed to put to rest suspicions that the country had a weapons agenda

Daily Bible Verse

2007-11-26T09:55:00.001-06:00

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

August Rush

2007-11-23T12:25:00.000-06:00

Last night I went to the movies and saw August Rush. I was absolutely blown away by this movie. I can honestly say that this is the best movie I have EVER seen in my 20 years on this Earth. After seeing the trailer on TV, it really sparked my interest but I was not planning on seeing it on opening weekend. By chance and out of late night boredom, I ended up at the movie theater and immediately remembered seeing the compelling preview. Going into the theater I had no idea that I was about to see what I believe is the best film of all time.

August Rush

Twelve years ago, on a moonlit rooftop above Washington Square, Lyla Novacek, a sheltered young cellist, and Louis Connelly, a charismatic Irish singer-songwriter, were drawn together by a street musician's rendition of "Moondance" and fell in love. After the most romantic night of her life, Lyla promised to meet Louis again but, despite her protests, her father rushed her to her next concert--leaving Louis to believe that she didn't care. Disheartened, he found it impossible to continue playing and eventually abandoned his music while Lyla, her own hopes for love lost, was led to believe months later that she had also lost their unborn child in a car accident. Years passed with neither of them knowing the truth. Now, the infant secretly given away by Lyla's father has grown into an unusually gifted child who hears music all around him and can turn the rustling of wind through a wheat field into a beautiful symphony with himself at its center, the composer and conductor. He holds an unwavering belief that his parents are alive and want him as much as he wants them. Determined to search for them, he makes his way to New York City. There, lost and alone, he is beckoned by the guitar music of a street kid playing for change and follows him back to a makeshift shelter in the abandoned Fillmore East Theater, where dozens of children like him live under the protection of the enigmatic Wizard. He picks up a guitar for the first time and unleashes an impromptu performance in his own unique style. Wizard names him August Rush, introduces him to the soul-stirring power of music and begins to draw out his extraordinary talent. Wizard has big plans for the young prodigy but, for August, his music has a more important purpose. He believes that if his parents can hear his music, they will find him. Unbeknownst to August, they have already begun that journey.

With an awesome cast including Freddie Highmore, Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard, August Rush is an incredible musical journey that reveals that the music in all of us is what really brings us together.

NOW PLAYING

This movie is incredibly awesome, I highly reccommend you see it!

Greetings

2007-11-23T10:22:00.000-06:00

Hi, my name is
What is yours?
Do you know?
And are you sure?
Can you tell me?
Would you please?
Are you broken?
Are you free?
Am I lost?
Or are you?
Hi, my name is
How do you do?

-Jenn Marie

Forever

2007-11-23T10:10:00.000-06:00

Forever Lost
Forever Found
Forever Sky
Forever Ground

Forever stay
Forever flee
Forever you
Forever me

Forever Long
Forever Short
Forever Mine
Forever Yours

Forever His
Forever Hers
Forever Ours
Forever Theirs

Forever Love
Forever Hate
Forever Early
Forever Late

Forever Joy
Forever Despair
Forever Here
Forever There

Forever Ever
Forever Never
Never forever
Forever Forever

-Jenn Marie

Sweepstakes!

2007-11-23T09:46:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win a Trip to Hawaii
Win a Fully Decorated Christmas Tree
Win a Nintendo DS and The Bee Movie Game
Win a $150 American Express Card
Win a $500 American Express Card
Win Jewelry (various jewelry given away every day)
Win an Elizabeth & James Shirt Jacket and Top
Win a Pair of Chistopher Kane Gloves
Win a Fight the Flu Kit
Win Aveeno Skin Care Products
Win a GE A830 Digital Camera
Win a Waitress-themed Kitchen Aid Standing Mixer, Pie Baking Set, Pie Knife, and Waitress DVD
Win a Quilted Jacket, Skirt, Slim Boot Cut Jeans, Striped Cashmere Cardigan, Print Silk Halter Dress, Knit Blousy Top, Sateen Ankle Pants, and Floral Print Linen Top from Liz Claiborne
Win a Pleat Skirt, Brocade Pencil Skirt, Double Breasted Jacket, Anorak with Tie Belt, Slim Boot Cut Jeans, Embroidered Chiffon Babydoll Tank, Sleeveless Beaded Top, Cable Double Breasted Cardigan, Patent Leather Double Breasted Jacket, Classic Pant, Printed Silk Dress with Short Bubble Sleeves, and Striped Long Sleeve Turtleneck from Liz Claiborne
Win $4,500 Cash and a Navigon 5100 GPS
Win a $1,000 Sears Card

Today In History!

2007-11-23T09:43:00.000-06:00

Because being in informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

November 23

1765 - Frederick County, MD, repudiated the British Stamp Act.

1835 - Henry Burden patented the horseshoe manufacturing machine.

1889 - The first jukebox made its debut in San Francisco, at the Palais Royale Saloon.

1890 - Princess Wilhelmina became Queen of the Netherlands at the age of 10 when her father William III died.

1936 - The first edition of "Life" was published.

1943 - During World War II, U.S. forces seized control of Tarawa and Makin from the Japanese during the Central Pacific offensive in the Gilbert Islands.

1945 - The U.S. wartime rationing of most foods ended.

1948 - Dr. Frank G. Back patented the "Zoomar" lens.

1961 - The Dominican Republic changed the name of its capital from Ciudad Trujillo to Santo Domingo.

1971 - The People's Republic of China was seated in the United Nations Security Council.

1979 - In Dublin, Ireland, Thomas McMahon was sentenced to life imprisonment for the assassination of Earl Mountbatten.

1980 - In southern Italy, approximately 4,800 people were killed in a series of earthquakes. 1985 - Larry Wu-tai Chin, a retired CIA analyst, was arrested and accused of spying for China. He committed suicide a year after his conviction.

1985 - Gunmen hijacked an Egyptian jetliner en route from Athens to Cairo. The plane was forced to land in Malta.

1986 - In Manila, President Aquino dismissed Defense Minister Enrile.

1988 - Wayne Gretzky scored his 600th National Hockey League (NHL) goal.

1989 - Lucia Barrera de Cerna, a housekeeper who claimed she had witnessed the slaying of six Jesuit priests and two other people at the Jose Simeon Canas University in El Salvador, was flown to the U.S.

1991 - Yugoslavia's rival leaders agreed to a new cease-fire, the 14th of the Balkan civil war. 1991 - The Sacramento Kings ended the NBA's longest road losing streak at 43 games.

1992 - The play "Someone Who'll Watch Over Me" opened.

1994 - About 111 people, mostly women and children, were killed in a stampede after Indian police baton-charged tribal protesters in the western city of Nagpur.

1995 - Charles Rathbun, free-lance photographer, was booked in Hermosa Beach, CA, for investigation of murder in the disappearance of model Linda Sobek. He was later convicted.

1998 - Dennis Rodman filed for an annulment from Carmen Electra. The two had been married on November 14, 1998.

1998 - The tobacco industry signed the biggest U.S. civil settlement. It was a $206-billion deal to resolve remaining state claims for treating sick smokers.

1998 - A U.S. federal judge rejected a Virginia county's effort to block pornography on library computer calling the attempt unconstitutional.

2001 - A crowd of 87,555 people watched the Texas Longhorns beat the Texas A&M Aggies 21-7. The crowd was the largest to see a football game in Texas.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-11-23T09:42:00.000-06:00

“Don’t worry about anything, instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

Philippians 4:6

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-23T09:41:00.000-06:00

From me to you...hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving!

Shoppers, start your engines!!

Speaking of Forever 21...

2007-11-21T12:46:00.000-06:00

I wanted to see what exactly I could put together for $200 to compare with the Juicy Couture track suit. I visited Forever21.com and this is what I found:

Taurus Patent Boot $26.80:

These are patent leather with a great reptile pattern.

Gathered Sleeve Top $17.80

Bold blue and feminine ruffles.

Onyx Slim Jean $29.80

Skinny Jeans with gold hardware.

Jeweled Koi Necklace $5.80

A classic golden Koi with small jewels.

Assorted Bangle Set $5.80

A variety of golden bangles.

Joo's Quilted Clutch Purse $9.80

Quilted patent leather in a chic clutch.

Metal Chain Belt $6.80

Golden Metal rings linked in a belt with a chain.

Mood Pyramid Ring $6.80

Beaded black ring with a small golden pyramid stud.

This outfit only added up to about $110 pre-tax! I would much rather have all of these things vs. one Juicy track suit!

That's just me...

Juicy Velour

2007-11-21T12:31:00.000-06:00

A staple of your winter wardrobe should definitely be the coveted Juciy Couture Velour Track suit. These things just do not go out of style! Be super relaxed and super fly with the new sets that come in a variety of colors. If you can afford to, spread the love and give one as a gift. At Neiman Marcus, each set comes in its own signature Juicy gift box. At about $198 a pop, something better be free! Personally, I really can't see spending almost $200 on a track suit when that same $200 could buy a mini wardrobe at Forever 21! Lifestyles of the rich and famous... or just rich! The sets are cute and really comfortable but the only thing that sets them apart from any other velour track suit is the name on the label. You knew that!

And someone please tell me WHY the model is wearing flip flops....

Seriously!

How To NOT Fry a Turkey

2007-11-21T11:21:00.000-06:00

Fried turkey is so good, but can be a very dangerous pursuit. If you decide to fry your bird this Holiday season, be sure to play it safe!

Sweepstakes!

2007-11-21T10:33:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win a Photo Guest Book (Code is: grin)
Win $200 of Lancome Cosmetics
Win $25 to $5,000
Win a $1,500 Old Navy Gift Card

Today In History!

2007-11-21T10:30:00.001-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

November 21

1620 - The Mayflower reached Provincetown, MA. The ship discharged the Pilgrims at Plymouth, MA, on December 26, 1620.

1694 - French author and philosopher Jean Francois Voltaire was born. At age 65 he spent only three days writing "Candide."

1783 - The first successful flight was made in a hot air balloon. The pilots, Francois Pilatre de Rosier and Francois Laurent, Marquis d'Arlandes, flew for 25 minutes and 5½ miles over Paris. 1789 - North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

1871 - M.F. Galethe patented the cigar lighter.

1877 - Thomas A. Edison announced the invention of his phonograph.

1922 - Rebecca L. Felton of Georgia was sworn in as the first woman to serve as a member of the U.S. Senate.

1929 - Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali had his first art exhibit.

1934 - The New York Yankees purchased the contract of Joe DiMaggio from San Francisco of the Pacific Coast League.

1942 - The Alaska highway across Canada was formally opened.

1953 - British Natural History Museum authorities announced that "Piltdown Man" was a hoax. 1962 - U.S. President Kennedy terminated the quaratine measures against Cuba.

1963 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, arrived in San Antonio, TX. They were beginning an ill-fated, two-day tour of Texas that would end in Dallas.

1973 - U.S. President Richard M. Nixon's attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, announced the presence of an 18½-minute gap in one of the White House tape recordings related to the Watergate case. 1979 - The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, was attacked by a mob that set the building afire and killed two Americans.

1980 - An estimated 83 million viewers tuned in to find out "who shot J.R." on the CBS prime-time soap opera Dallas. Kristin was the character that fired the gun.

1980 - 87 people died in a fire at the MGM Grand Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

1982 - The National Football League (NFL) resumed its season following a 57-day player's strike.

1985 - Former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Jay Pollard was arrested after being accused of spying for Israel. He was later sentenced to life in prison.

1987 - An eight-day siege began at a detention center in Oakdale, LA, as Cuban detainees seized the facility and took hostages.

1989 - The proceedings of Britain's House of Commons were televised live for the first time. 1992 - U.S. Senator Bob Packwood, issued an apology but refused to discuss allegations that he'd made unwelcome sexual advances toward 10 women in past years.

1993 - The U.S. House of Representatives voted against making the District of Columbia the 51st state.

1994 - NATO warplanes bombed an air base in Serb-held Croatia that was being used by Serb planes to raid the Bosnian "safe area" of Bihac.

1995 - France detonated its fourth underground nuclear blast at a test site in the South Pacific. 1995 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 5,000-mark (5,023.55) for the first time.

1999 - China announced that it had test-launched an unmanned space capsule that was designed for manned spaceflight.

2000 - The Florida Supreme Court granted Al Gore's request to keep the presidential recounts going.

2001 - Microsoft Corp. proposed giving $1 billion in computers, software, training and cash to more than 12,500 of the poorest schools in the U.S. The offer was intended as part of a deal to settle most of the company's private antitrust lawsuits.

2002 - NATO invited Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to become members.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-11-21T10:29:00.001-06:00

“You have many workmen: stonecutters, masons and carpenters, as well as men skilled in every kind of work in gold and silver, bronze and iron - craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you.”

1 Chronicles 22:15-16

GAP Under Fire for Child Labor

2007-11-20T17:00:00.000-06:00

We all love the GAP for its over zealous and warm image of being happy and stylish. If only the poor children in India who were forced to embroider the image felt the same.

From the Consumerist:

A freelance journalist has caught the GAP using child labor to produce hand embroidered clothing for its GAP Kids line. The children, who are as young as 10, are quoted as saying they were sold to the factory by their families and cannot leave until their debt is paid. A video of the factory's squalid conditions shows GAP Kids labels on the clothing.
"There was an overflowed latrine. Bowls of rice covered in mosquitoes. Quite a putrid smell inside the sweatshop," says Dan McDougall, the freelance reporter.
What are the odds that the GAP is right now, at this moment, "taking this seriously?"

And from ABC 5:

"At Gap, we firmly believe that under no circumstances is it acceptable for children to produce or work on garments," the spokesman was quoted as saying.
"These allegations are deeply upsetting and we take this situation very seriously. All of our suppliers and their sub-contractors are required to guarantee that they will not use child labour to produce garments.
"It is clear that one of our vendors violated this agreement, and a full investigation is under way."

Millions of children in India are forced to work in factories due to the third world economic conditions of the country. Most are sold by thier families in order to pay off debts. The GAP has sworn that is has very strict policies and absolutely refuses to work with any factory that is even suspected to be use child labor. Last year, the multi million dollar retailer fired 23 factories for violating this policy.

Free Hallmark Card

2007-11-20T11:05:00.000-06:00

Make someone's day and send them a Christmas card. Make your day and send them a free Christmas card from Hallmark.

Its really a win-win, how about that..

Available while supplies last!

Sweepstakes!

2007-11-20T10:57:00.000-06:00

Get 'em while they're hot!

Win a Eureka Vacuum (Code is: clean)
Win 7 Pairs of Lucky Brand Jeans
Win a $100 Amazon.com Gift Card
Win a $100 Buy.com Gift Card
Win a $100 Victoria's Secret E-Gift Card
Win a $100 Best Buy Gift Card
Win a Bring It On: In It To Win It DVD, TIGI Bed Head Manipulator, and TIGI Catwalk Camera Ready

Today In History!

2007-11-20T10:54:00.001-06:00

Because being well informed is always in style!
From on-this-day.com.

November 20

1620 - Peregrine White was born aboard the Mayflower in Massachusetts Bay. White was the first child to be born of English parents in present-day New England.

1789 - New Jersey became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.

1818 - Simon Bolivar formally declared Venezuela independent of Spain.

1873 - Budapest was formed when the rival cities of Buda and Pest were united to form the capital of Hungary.

1889 - Astronomer Edwin Hubble was born. Hubble discovered and developed the concept of an expanding universe. In 1924 he proved the existence of galaxies other than our own.

1901 - The second Hay-Pauncefoot Treaty provided for construction of the Panama Canal by the U.S.

1910 - Francisco I. Madero led a revolution that broke out in Mexico.

1925 - Robert Francis Kennedy was born in Brookline, MA.

1929 - The radio program "The Rise of the Goldbergs," later known as "The Goldbergs," made its debut on the NBC Blue Network.

1943 - During World War II, U.S. Marines began their landing on Tarawa and Makin atolls in the Gilbert Islands.

1945 - 24 Nazi leaders went before an international war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany.

1947 - Britain's Princess Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh in Westminster Abbey.

1959 - Britain, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark and Sweden met to create the European Free Trade Association.

1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis ended. The Soviet Union removed its missiles and bombers from Cuba and the U.S. ended its blockade of the island.

1962 - Mickey Mantle was named the American League Most Valuable Player for the third time. 1967 - The Census Clock at the Department of Commerce in Washington, DC, went past 200 million.

1969 - The Nixon administration announced a halt to residential use of the pesticide DDT as part of a total phase out of the substance.

1970 - The majority in U.N. General Assembly voted to give China a seat, but two-thirds majority required for admission was not met.

1975 - After nearly 40 years of absolute rule Spain's General Francisco Franco died.

1977 - Egyptian President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to address Israel's parliament.

1983 - An estimated 100 million people watched the controversial ABC-TV movie "The Day After." The movie depicted the outbreak of nuclear war.

1986 - Dr. Halfdan Maher, the director of the World Health Organization, announced the first coordinated global effort to fight the disease AIDS.

1987 - Police investigating the fire at King's Cross, London's busiest subway station, said that arson was unlikely to be the cause of the event that took 31 lives.

1988 - Egypt and China announced that they would recognize the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestine National Council.

1989 - Over 200,000 people rallied peacefully in Prague, Czechoslovakia, demanding democratic reforms.

1990 - Saddam Hussein ordered another 250,000 Iraqi troops into the country of Kuwait.

1990 - The space shuttle Atlantis landed at Cape Canaveral, FL, after completing a secret military mission.

1992 - A fire seriously damaged the northwest side of Windsor Castle in England.

1993 - The U.S. Senate passed the Brady Bill and legislation implementing NAFTA.

1994 - The Angolan government and rebels signed a treaty in Zambia to end 19 years of war. 1995 - Princess Diana admitted being unfaithful to Prince Charles in an interview that was broadcast on BBC Television.

1998 - Afghanistan's Taliban militia offered Osama bin Laden safe haven. Osama bin Laden had been accused of orchestrating two U.S. embassy bombings in Africa and later terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon.

1998 - Forty-six states agreed to a $206 billion settlement of health claims against the tobacco industry. The industry also agreed to give up billboard advertising of cigarettes.

2001 - The U.S. Justice Department headquarters building was renamed the Robert F. Kennedy building by President George W. Bush. The event was held on what would have been Kennedy's 76th birthday.

Daily Bible Verse

2007-11-20T10:53:00.001-06:00

“A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.’”

Isaiah 40:3

Smokey Eye Tutorials

2007-11-19T17:25:00.000-06:00

A smokey eye is super sexy...and even better when it is done right. I came accross these awesome tutorials on YouTube.

I'm sure you don't have to use MAC, but I actually learned some new tricks I can use with my (cheap) makeup.

From Kuuipo.

Nordstrom Gets it Right!

2007-11-19T17:09:00.000-06:00

Another reason to love Nordstrom: Instead of going with the flow and bombarding their customers with Christmas decorations during Thanksgiving, Nordstrom has decided to take it one Holiday at a time and will not display Christmas decor until (get this) Christmas!

Gee, what a concept!

Mystery Shop Scam

2007-11-19T16:53:00.001-06:00

So who wouldn't be enticed with a program that tells you to shop for free? Mystery shopping has definitely taken cash strapped Americans by storm, but not all programs are really legit. Bargaineering.com has put a list of things you should watch for when signing up to be a Mystery Shopper.

Here are the Top 5 Signs your Mystery Shop is a Scam:

1.An application fee is a sure sign that your mystery shopping company is a fraud. What job would ask you to pay an application fee? The answer is none.
2.Requiring that you be certified, likely by them, is another sign that you’re being taken for a ride. Essentially anything that makes you pay out of pocket to join is a sign that you’re being scammed.
3.Selling access to a job list or company list also falls into the “pay out of pocket” category.
4.Asking for lots of personal information. If someone asks for your social security number, it’s likely a scam. The most they’ll ask is for your name and your address so they can mail you a check. Some will ask for a bank account to direct deposit funds but that will always be optional if they are legitimate. If they require that you give them a social security number or your bank account, it’s likely a scam.
5.They contact you because of a resume you posted on a job website. Legitimate mystery shoppers won’t contact you like this, only scammers will scour employment websites for marks.

For more red flags, read the article 12 Signs of a Fraudulent Mystery Shopping Company from Bargaineering.com