A Good Beer Blog (lifestyle and culture)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: A Good Beer Blog, Alan McLeod

WEB ADDRESS: http://beerblog.genx40.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The most popular beer blog on the planet (which must also make #1 in the universe), A Good Beer Blog has been slowing productivity levels since 2003... or so.

MY REVIEW: I have a lot of hobbies and a lot of interests...but beer isn't one of them. However, if beer - the different kindsin different countries, the brewings, the tastes, and everything else you can think of - is your cup of tea, then this blog is for you.

Check it out.

Sample post

Canada's Dirty Secret: Buying Beer In Another Province
Posted by Alan McLeod on Friday, May 13, 2011 in Newfoundland, Canada, Quebec,
Beer and Law - 8 comments
Of all the reasons to call in the cops, buying beer in one province and taking to another has to be one of the most important, as this story shows:

"Our intelligence gathering revealed that we believe there was a large quantity of alcohol being brought in to the province from other provinces, and obviously that's a loss of revenue for the province," he said. In Fermont, a case of 24 bottles of beer costs about $29. In Labrador City, the same case is almost $45. The liquor corporation said it's working with the police on the problem. Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officers will patrol the highway to stop offenders. "Liquor or beer can be confiscated, as well as the vehicle," said Cst. Bill Fitzgerald.

Imagine being the cop detailed to confiscate a rural neighbour's vehicle over a 16 buck difference in the cost of beer. I have actually experienced this. When I lived in Canada's oddest province, Prince Edward Island, a pal visiting was stopped after crossing the bridge and his car got searched. After counting heads of passengers and beers, they were told to go on as they were fine. Police and government officials even ran ads about "smuggling" that mystified me before this event until I realized it was referring to shopping in another nearby part of the same country. Craziest of all, there is no mechanism by which you can pay at the "border" when you cross from one province to another.

This sort of thing makes me embarrassed to be Canadian.

RECENT POSTS:
-Rhode Island: That Sample of SUmmer Ale, Narragansett
-Pittsburg Pirates Demand Loser Pride From Fans
-Mr. Gillman on APA, SN PA, Liberty, Ballentines and Stuff
-Canada's Dirty Secret: Buying Beer in Another Province
-Heritage as Brand as Heritage as Foundation as Brand
-Where There is Beer there is Peace Revisted
-The US Secret Service needs Good Cellarpersons

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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Fight Aging (lifestyle and culture, health)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Fight Aging, by Reason

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.fightaging.org/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: We are on the verge of a revolution in medicine: understanding, treating, and ultimately preventing the causes of degenerative aging. But medical revolutions only happen if we all stand up in support of funding and research. We did it for cancer. We're doing it for Alzheimer's. We can do it for aging - and create an era of longer, healthier lives!

MY REVIEW: People are so afraid of aging...that this blog should be very popular. Of course, it doesn't matter how old you are - if you don't have your health, you don't have anything.

So check out this blog, you'll find out ways to increase the quality and length of your life.

Sample post:

Even at older ages, exercise is a still very important - as demonstrated by the degree to which it influences ongoing health in later stages of life, just as it does in earlier stages in life. "It is not sufficient simply to live longer. One of the current priorities for public health is to how to maintain good quality of life for longer. This has given rise to the concept of 'successful aging' generating a turning point in our thinking about aging, which is no longer seen as an inevitable decline. ... Physical activity has a pleiotropic effect and is a significant factor in successful aging. This study aims to quantify the relationship between the physical activity of a 65-year-old cohort and the level of life satisfaction and self-rated health 7 years later. A total of 988 questionnaires were sent by mail to a representative sample of healthy pensioners. Life satisfaction and health status were estimated on two visual analogical scales in answer to the following questions: (1) How would you estimate your state of health? and (2) Are you generally satisfied with your life? The level of physical activity was estimated using a questionnaire which enabled us to calculate: Daily energy expenditure (DEE) [and] VO2 peak. ... Energy spent in activity and VO2 peak estimated from DEE, measured at the age of 65, appear to be strong predictors of well-being 7 years later.

RECENT POSTS:
--Klotho in Humans
--Never Too Late to Exercise: the PROOF Study
--An Introduction to Targeting Cancer Stem Cells for Destruction
--Reversing B Cell Aging
--Alcor's Latest Cryopreservation
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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Living Life From A Bed (self help, lifestyle)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Living Life From A Bed, by Anon

WEB ADDRESS: http://livinglifefromabed.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: I am a woman who has been stuck in one room and a bed since 1996 due to severe chronic illnesses: Autonomic Dysfunction/Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome type 3. Coeliac Disease. Raynauds. Sjogren’s Syndrome. Plus various other things!

Despite suffering severely I have managed to achieve a great deal and yes, you can live life from a bed!

This is my ramblings on everything in my life from illness to love and success all from my bed and no it's not all doom and gloom!

Posts are made at least once a week illness permitting, I try to do two or three a week wherever possible

MY REVIEW: I have a nephew whose been a great disappointment to me. At age 13 he has no goals, no ambitions, except to spend as much time as possible playing violent video games on his PS2. It's disappointing, and annoying, as it is every time I see young people slouching down the street - with all the health in the world, the intelligence to be capable of learning anything if they'd just put their minds to it, and instead of making goals and accomplishing something they take drugs or get drunk every night and whine about how hard their lives are. Just makes me want to kick them.

Contrast that to the author of this blog, who has been bedridden for over ten years due to various chronic illnesses, who could so easily give up on life and spend all her time watching TV, and instead has goals that she is going to achieve, come hell or high water.

Quite inspirational.

Check it out.

Sample post:

Busy, busy, busy!
Posted on February 16, 2011 by Livinglifefromabed
Following on from my last past, yes I did manage a quick bath and I didn’t suffer after either, hooray! Just in case anyone has been waiting anxiously for 3 days to find out lol

Yesterday was a really busy day for me. I had my Occupational therapy assessment, some suggestions were recommended to help me out in day to day life but it was mostly to assess my accommodation needs for a housing register claim. Finger’s crossed I end up on the priority list for a more permanent home. The assessment took an hour and a half and she had only just gone when the opticians turned up. His assistant had before they arrived ticked the box on a form to say I was over 60, not quite there yet dear, come back in just under 30yrs! lol I’ll let them off though, seeing as all their other patients they visited yesterday were in their 80′s and 90′s! My prescription has got a bit stronger and I ordered some new glasses online as soon as they went. So much cheaper. When I mentioned I buy them online the opticians assistant said, ‘how do you know they’re cheaper than ours?’ Er… well, at £25 (approx $35) a pair for rimless, anti-reflection and thin lenses I can guarantee they are cheaper than yours when you quoted me £120 for one pair and that was 7yrs ago! lol It does make me feel a tiny bit guilty, I wouldn’t want to see high-street opticians being shut down left right and centre but for those on low incomes, I can’t justify paying that much just for one pair. I need a spare pair as well! I could eat for weeks on that amount of money.

Anyway, I was expecting to suffer badly today after the mental effort of yesterday and the hustle and bustle of everything going on but as always with these illnesses you never can tell and… I feel fine! Well, apart from a headache because my neck muscles are cramped up (that’s been going on for days) and my usual low energy, tiredness stuff, I don’t feel any worse for it at the moment! Who knows, I may even manage a few minutes of exercise with my kinect later. I also really need to do some studying!

RECENT POSTS:
--Oops I did it again…
--Funky new glasses!
--Someone heard my plea!
--Please noooooo!
--Busy, busy, busy!

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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Mmmlingerie (chocolate and lingerie)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.mmmlingerie.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Mmm...Lingerie is a blog written by two bloggers. Our goal is to make the world a little bit more delicous and refined — one bite at a time...

Oden: a man known to enjoy his single malt whisky, chocolates, and how to best get women out of their uncomfortable lingerie. For fun he sky dives, and
points out how childish Primadonna is! :>

Primadonna: has a taste for the finer things in life. Traveling, chocolates, lingerie and Swedish summers. She doesn't like jumping out of perfectly working airplanes, BUT she thinks that "It's raining men" is a good song =)

MY REVIEW: It seems only fitting that I'm reviewing this blog just in time for Valentine's Day. Men and women alike will love this blog, with its tasteful entries on lingerie for ladies, and its tasty entries on chocolate!

It's a very European blog - indeed the two bloggers are both Swedish, I believe, and English is not their first language, although really you can barely tell that.

I think both men and women will enjoy this blog.

Sample post:
UK Celebrity Bras Against Cancer
Triumph has shown great character and compassion by donating bras for this event.

40 celebrities and designers have been keeping busy customizing bras in aid of a breast cancer charity. Joanna Lumley, Helen Lederer and Claudia Winkleman are among the chosen.

One of the items donated by milliner Nerida Fraiman is estimated to be worth more than £1,000. It is hand-stitched with individual peacock feathers and has a diamanté jewel globe in the centre.

The lingerie collection will go on show at a charity event at "The Comedy Store" in London on Monday 21 February. The auction runs from the 13th to the 27th here: http://www.jcclondon.org.uk/our-events/arts-culture/big-bra-auction
RECENT POSTS:
--UK Celebrity Bras Against Cancer - Sunday, February 06, 2011
--What Lingerie gets Tyra Banks Hot? - Thursday, February 03, 2011
--Chuao Chocolatier Best Chocolate 2011 - Saturday, January 29, 2011
--Can Hyped Etam Lingerie Do It?

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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday - usually....
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Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Digital Bits Skeptic (arts & entertainment, culture)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES, with reservations

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Digital Bits Skeptic

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.dbskeptic.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Digital Bits Skeptic is about promoting critical thinking and skepticism. This site was created as a response to the frustratingly large amount of credulity and scientific ignorance in today’s society.

A skeptical outlook in life is healthy. At the very least, it prevents you from wasting your time or money. At its best, it can save lives. Much of what we see reported in today’s media is overly credulous. Impressive claims are often accepted as fact, without question. Those that are questioned are often not tested scientifically to prove the claim.

From New Age mysticism to organized religion, from aromatherapy to Bigfoot, Digital Bits Skeptic is a collection of articles critically examining these kinds of topics.

MY REVIEW: The entries in Digital Skeptic are very thorough - the topic under discussion is looked at thoroughly...and the topics vary - from Biblical prophcies to parenting to how to conduct research. Fascinating reading.

The only problem is that this blog only gets one post a month. Understandable enough because of the thoroughness of each post, and since it only costs 99 cents a month to subscribe...check it out.

RECENT POSTS:
--Bible prophecies and myth
--Getting dirty with bacteria panic and unjustified sterilization
--Skeptical parenting: Critical thinking around the family dinner table
--The Veil of Ignorance: Don’t confuse tools with the buildings they create


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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Gawker (art & entertainment)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Gawker, by Gawker

WEB ADDRESS: http://gawker.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Gawker is the group's flagship title, a mix of pop culture and media gossip, updated more than a dozen times a day. Gawker is compulsory reading for New York editors and reporters, and often sets the agenda for the entertainment weeklies, gossip columns such as Page Six, and the soft sections of newspapers such as the New York Times.

MY REVIEW: I enjoyed this blog. It doesn't get that political (as a reviewer on its Amazon subscription page said) and has interesting comments about events of the day.

The blog is updated by several authors each day.

Highly recommended.

Sample post:

Love Means Not Knowing Anything About Your Partner
Love is... commitment. Love is... compromise. Love is... not giving a shit about what your partner likes. A new study indicates that people in long-lasting marriages know less about their partners than people in shorter relationships.

The study, conducted by University of Basel psychologists Benjamin Scheibehenne and Jutta Mata alongside Indiana University psychologist Peter Todd, asked participants to rate their and their partners' preferences in food, movies and kitchen designs. The young couples, aged 19 to 32 and in one-to-two-year committed relationships, were able to correctly guess their partners' preferences 47 percent of the time, whereas the older couples, aged 62 to 78, were only 40 percent accurate, proving that basically no one knows that much about their partners, but old people really don't know that much. According to researchers, the biggest gap came with food.

Why does this gap arise? It could be that older couples don't pay as much attention to their partners anymore now that they've "got that shit locked down," to use the scientific terminology. It could also be that your husband so goddamn boring, how on earth are you supposed to keep track of how he wants the kitchen to look?

The older couples also tended to attribute "their own food, movie and design preferences to partners who had different opinions." The most telling finding, though, is that more long-term couples said they were satisfied with their relationships than the younger couples. That's right: The secret to a lasting, satisfying marriage is just assuming your partner likes all the same things as you.

RECENT POSTS:
--YouTube Comments Are No Longer Safe for Mean People on the Internet
--Did Someone Lose the Nuclear Launch Codes?
--Love Means Not Knowing Anything About Your Partner
--Chilean Miners Already Sick of Media Attention
--Anti-Rand Paul Ad Basically Accuses Him of Being an Alien Shaman
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Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

The Boy Who Knew Too Much: A Child Prodigy (education)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: The Boy Who Knew Too Much: A Child Prodigy

WEB ADDRESS: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: This is a blog unlike any other on the net. A father, Valentine Cawley, writes of his well known scientific child prodigy son, Ainan Celeste Cawley, and family and tells of life as an expat in Asia.

Ainan spoke his first word at a couple of weeks old, crawled at four months, walked at six months, ran at eight months and read his first letter at eight months. At seven years old, he passed O level (the youngest in the world). At 8 years, he went to his first College for Chemistry. The blog takes an insightful look, at the life and world of a unique child prodigy and his family.

Ainan's story was covered on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and in hundreds of other major newspapers around the world.

MY REVIEW: This is a fascinating blog on a fascinating subject - that of child prodigies. Kids who are smarter not only than every other kid in the room, but also smarter than every other adult in the room as well.

How do they deal with life, being thought of as "gifted" by their peers, while to them, they are normal, and everyone else is handicapped. (This was the musing of the author's post for today, and it makes a lot of sense. Surely that is how a "gifted" child must feel - and then, you have to wonder, as they grow up, always being the youngest but smartest person in the room, how do they cope with their experiences, given how the rest of society treats those who are exceptional. (If you're an athlete, you are heaped with praise and can show off your physical skills all you like, if you're a scholar, you're ridiculed, laughed at, and even beaten up for "thinking that you're better than everyone else.")

I found this blog a fascinating read, and I recommend it for everyone who has gifted children, extremely intelligent children, or just children in general.

Sample post

Fintan's deft rejoinders.

Fintan, seven, is, as I have noted, before, a boy who surprises. He has a disarming manner which lulls one into a sense that all is to be as expected - and then he pounces with one of his characteristic unpredictabilities. If an "unpredictability" can be characteristic, of course.

Today, he bested me, twice, in conversation.

I was discussing reading with him. "Reading is the most important skill in life.", I opined, seriously.

"Reading?", he doubted, openly, "Not walking?", he continued, with one of his little smiles that says so much with so little.

He had me there. I imagined then, a life of utter immobility and compared it to a life of illiteracy. He was right: immobility was worse than illiteracy. The former quite deprived one of a rich life - the latter, however, might not affect one, anywhere near as drastically, if one's choices were carefully made.

He had won, without even trying. I just nodded, a little, in acknowledgement of his point.

Later that day I said: "I am going to buy a dog."

Fintan looked at me, his eyes sparkling, with amusement at what was to come. "You don't want to buy a dog, you should rent one."

Again, he had a point, for we are very unlikely to live in Malaysia for the length of a dog's life: what would we do then, when the time came to leave? He had identified the essential problem with my proposal - and proposed his own slightly whimsical solution.

I like the way he challenges my assumptions, points them out to me and punctures them. He does it so casually, as if, perhaps, it were an automatic reflex with him. I think it is, actually. I think he sees the problem with what is said to him, the moment it is said. He sees the cracks in things - the flaw that should be highlighted for a better understanding of the situation. It is a useful way to think, particularly if developed, as he grows up. It should allow him to avoid many a problem and to act, I should hope, with a certain care and wisdom.

In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy being defeated by my son's ripostes. It makes me smile, to hear him so.

RECENT POSTS:
--Gifted or Impaired?
--Fintan's deft rejoinders.
--How long is my blog?
--Publishing my blog on Kindle, Amazon.
--Don't be shy.

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Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Daily Decorator (home decoration, lifestyle and culture)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Daily Decorator, by Tracy Ann

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.dailydecorator.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: "Everyday design for everyday people"

MY REVIEW: This blog is more visual than anything else. Of course that makes sense since it's a decorator blog.

The blog has a lot of photos, but not a lot of text, so people who are visual will enjoy it, but those who need verbal instructions will be at somewhat of a loss.

However, the blog is a commercial one, and the author does offer her services. Click on her Room Service button at the blog. You simply email photos of the particular room you want to redecorate, and she'll send the info - a detailed concept board featuring painting/color suggestions, lighting designs and furniture, a full shopping list from reputable online shops,and room layout suggestions.

If you're looking for a new look for one or more rooms in your house, check this blog out.

RECENT POSTS:
--Weekend Rerun…Saturday
--Photo Friday
--Seeing Stripes
--Room Service Delivery For Christina
--Giveaway Time!
--Color Question

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Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Kindle Southern Comfort Food Blog (recipes)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Kindle Southern Comfort Food , by Eric Blue LLC

WEB ADDRESS: http://southernfood.about.com [I think]

BLOG DESCRIPTION: This Exclusive Kindle Blog is about food recipes you used to share down on the farm at the “Home Demonstration Club” in most Southern states. You will receive a steady stream of authentic Southern Home Recipes for appetizers, beverages, breads, muffins, rolls, cakes, pies, crusts, cookies, candies, special desserts, dressings, meats, main dishes, pickles, casseroles, vegetables, salads, puddings, soups, and assorted side dishes.

MY REVIEW: This is another one of those blogs that doesn't seem to be an actual blog, but really culls posts from other sources and sends them to your Kindle. Having said that, the recipes look interesting, they're easy and straightforward, so if you're looking to expant your culinary repitoire, check it out.

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Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Mr. Smith Goes to Kathmandu (lifestyle & culture, travel)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Mr. Smith Goes to Kathmandu, by Brian Smith

WEB ADDRESS: http://smith-kathmandu.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Trials and tribulations experienced by an American couple who sold everything, quit their jobs and moved to Kathmandu, Nepal. Learning how to be a foreigner in a new land and looking for good food, good friends and great adventures. Experience the weird and wonderful differences that make life so full!

MY REVIEW: I thoroughly enjoyed this blog. Learning about everyday life in Kathmandu and surrounding areas is fascinating. Author Brian Smtih writes well and has a real feel for place and description.

Illustrated with lots of photos, that lose a little bit in the greyscale translation, but do give enough of the flavor of the photo's subject.

Highly recommended.

Sample post:

Giving the Palace The Run Around
Now as I stated recently, I'm the only person I usually see running in the streets of Kathmandu. During a conversation with some expats while we were in Bhaktapur observing the Gaijatra festival the topic of exercise came up and someone mentioned "It's not like you can go running in Kathmandu". Well you can, I do. Kind of. It's a little more like an obstacle course, and in some ways it makes things more interesting. Some times though you just want to run and not deal with all of the traffic and people and cows or whatever might get in your way.

As I've mentioned, the only place I see people running jogging most of the time is around the palace. The house owner of my apartment also recommended it to me as a place to go running. So the other day I didn't get a chance to go out until sometime around 5PM. I really wanted to go running, but the traffic out by the ring road on the way to Boudha would be terrible during this part of the day, so I took the opportunity to try out the route around the palace. I gave it two laps plus the distance from and back to the apartment.
[Not reproduced in this review]
Map showing the route around the palace, almost exactly 1.6 miles.

The palace route has some real advantages going for it. First there are sidewalks around the whole thing, and in most places you can actually use them. In some places they are full of people, like near the east gate and over by the foreign ministry on the west side, but other than those two spots you don't have to run in the road. Because really no vehicles go in or out of the palace area for the most part, you don't spend too much time dodging cars or getting stuck in traffic. Another bonus is that the trees and bamboo that line the walls provide some decent shade from the sun. With many of the normal obstacles removed from my path I was able to keep a fairly consistent pace. Also the mile and a half loop that isn't far from home allows for a nice variable run depending on how I feel, and if I pull a muscle or something it isn't a long walk back to the apartment.

So with all of those advantages, you'd think this would be my new route, but I think I'm gonna stick to the Boudha route. The main reason is that the air quality around the palace is terrible. Sure I cross the ring road on my way out to Boudha, but for the most part the air isn't all that terrible on my way out there. Around the palace I felt like I was constantly sucking exhaust. Narayanhiti Path and Kanti path are especially bad. The sidewalks that are concrete are fine, bu the brick ones, though even enough for walking are a bit tough when running, during these segments I usually shifted to running on the side of the road. While the trees and bamboo provide shade, they also provide homes for birds and fruit bats, and thus when running under the trees on Kanti Path especially, not only do you have to dodge poo from the sky, but you have to inhale the smell of the poo on the sidewalk.

While the sidewalks are nice, young Nepalis seem to like to take up as much space on a sidewalk as they can. I don't think it's done on purpose, but it's common to see four people spread out perfectly to take up the entire length of the sidewalk, and thus you end up jumping off and back on to the sidewalk. The sidewalk near the foreign ministry is always full of Nepali people waiting to get a passport. The quantity of people there is always really high, and due to this the number of people already walking in the street is already high, thus you end up dodging people and oncoming traffic through this section. Also there is very little difference in elevation over this route, just a few places with some minor variation giving some gradual up hill and down hill segments. On my route out to Boudha I get a couple of really good hills in each direction, so I get some good practice on both up and down hill running.

All in all maybe not a bad place for an early morning run before the traffic gets going. I'm sure I'll use the route from time to time, but all in all not too impressed. If I want to do some distance running once in a while it might not be a bad option if I got up in the morning and did like five laps or something. Running long distances otherwise gets me too far from Kathmandu, and I'd hate to strain my calve way out by Sundarijal or something.

RECENT POSTS:
--Remembering 9/11
--Returning to Everest
--When Are You No Longer A Tourist?
--Coming from a Nation of Spectators

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Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Madison County Courier (local news)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Madison County Courier, by M3PPublications

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.madisoncountycourier.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Madison County Courier covers news from all across Madison County including Wampsville, Oneida, Cazenovia, Hamilton, Canastota and Chittenango News. The Madison County Courier is a team of like-minded individuals with more than 20 years experience in community journalism and advertising. Our desire is to serve the residents of Madison county New York with quality local and county news.

MY REVIEW: If you live in Madison County, you will enjoy this blog greatly. News you need to know - of the lifestyle and culture and arts & entertainment variety, well-written and interesting. Highly recommended.

RECENT POSTS:
--Elephant & Piggie Party for Kids
--Women’s Volleyball Downed By Indiana
--The Human Condition: Working on my First Hearing Aid
--Susan B. Anthony to Attend Bloomer Tea
--Out of the Dust: Hops Criminal Suits
--Raiders Fall in Opening Match of Canisius/Niagara Invitational

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Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Aboard Madrigal (lifestyle & culture, liveaboard boat)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES, with reservations

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Aboard Madrigal, by Jenny Halteman

WEB ADDRESS: http://aboardmadrigal.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Justin and Jenny live aboard a 35' Ericson sailboat in Boston Harbor with their dog Willie and cat Gollum. Follow their adventures and dreams and learn more about living aboard as they blog about their life.

MY REVIEW: Why live in a house when you culd live on a sailboat? Although why you'd live on a boat in Boston Harbor when you could be sailing the world... at least, those areas of it which are still safe, shrinking though they may be..

Anyway, this is an interesting blog, with a single problem, the authors don't post in it enough. A married couple, the wife is just now pregnant...how she is going to handle living on water and dealing with morning sickness I do not know.

It's an insight into a different way of life, check it out.

RECENT POSTS:
--Hurricane Earl
--Guppy
--Week 8
--Cruising World

_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

No Sleep in Helena [Alabama] (lifestyle and culture)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: No Sleep in Helena, by Hewy Nosleep

WEB ADDRESS: http://helena-alabama.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: News and events from the little town of Helena, Alabama. Located next to the Cahaba river in Shelby County.

MY REVIEW: The author of this blog is a guy after my own heart. His posts cover everything that happens in his little town, from store closings, to sporting events from elementary to high school, to this and that.

It's a fun read. Every post covers something different about the town. It's also illustrated profusely.

If you like reading about small-town America - and finding out just how much happens in these small towns, this blog is for you.

Sample post:

Champion Plant Winn Postal Zone in Helena
Division Championship
Teresa emailed some exciting news! Two Helena Wildcat football teams will be playing in league championships this Saturday (11/21). Helena’s 80 lb football team (made up of 1st & 2nd graders) will be playing at 9:00 am in their division’s Championship game, and the 120 lb Wildcats (mostly 5th graders) will be playing in theirs at 3:00 pm. This is the first time EVER that Helena has had 2 teams make it to the football Championships! The Championships are being held at Pelham City Park all day on Saturday. Let’s encourage all the Helena fans to come out and support our teams!

Little Italy Fundraiser
From 4pm-9pm the Cahaba Bend Student Ministry will be the servers at Little Italy 2693 Highway 58 in Helena. All tips along with 10% of sales go to help the ministry for all dine-ins and take-outs (no deliveries). So if you dont have dinner plans then give them some help. Here's their menu if you havent been before: 1, 2, and 3

Plant Sale
JP wrote in to say that there is a half off plant sale at Helena Landscape on Hwy 52. It was this weekend but hopefully they will keep it going all week.

What to do about Winn Dixie
First off, I'm sad that we were not able to convince Winn Dixie's Corporate office to keep our store open. I'm also a little miffed that the close-out company, that is selling off Winn Dixie's goods, had raised all the prices before offering the "big" discounts. So 50% is more like 5% off their prices from a couple of months ago. They also are keep a minimum staff. So when I went this weekend, everything was still more expensive than walmart except for a small cooler which I had to wait in line 10 minutes to buy. When I got home, it leaked.... no returns.

Ok, enough belly-aching. How about a cool idea! An official from Shelby County told us about what some ingenious towns in the Carolinas did with their grocery stores closed down. They leased them to the United States Postal Service!

Ding! Our post office is in desperate need of additional space and parking. Why can't we do that here? All the developer would have to do is sub-divide the space and there would never be a parking problem. The other stores would also benefit from the additional traffic that the post office always bring. Maybe they could even expand their operation and provide more jobs for the city! I heard that at the PZ meeting.

Planning the Future
There are a lot of bodies in the Helena government but recently I have been able to sit in with the Helena Planning and Zoning Commission. They are in the middle of creating a long term plan for Helena and the details are fascinating. Since it is still in the planning stage, it would be inappropriate for me to tell everything, since none the plans have been finalized. I will tell more in the future but here are the top 7 interesting things from the last meeting:

1. The planning and zoning board has to make long term strategic plans for the future locations of Fire stations, schools, parks, community centers and roads based on population trends. They also write regulations about signs, parking lots, roads, sidewalks and more. They really involved in every aspect of the city.

2. . Helena's property tax (millage) is smaller than the cities around us. Our rate is "5" whereas Alabaster & Calera is "10" and Pelham is "14".

3. Helena is limited by the ADEM air monitor located off Hwy 261. This monitor has an impact on the entire county so Helena has an obligation to recruit clean air industry.

4. Septic lines cant cross the Cahaba River so all the homes to the west of it use their own septic systems instead of the City's.

5. The Helena Cemetery by City Hall is one of the most affordable cemetery in the area and still has openings.

5. Helena used to have a racetrack for cars over by Roy Drive which had racing every Sunday.

6. Helena has a swamp called the Ruffin Swamp and has several creeks named "Hurricane, Beaverdam, Prairie Brook, Lee Brook and Black Creek. Some of these wetlands could qualify for Federal funds.

7. One map had the 261 Bypass connecting at Hwy-52 at the Hillsboro bypass and shows the walking trail from HMS connecting to Helena Intermediate and Cahaba Lily Park.

Weekend
You can scroll down to see some photos from the weekend or "friend" me on facebook (I met three friends from facebook this weekend at the Market). If you had a chance to stop by the Helena Farmer's Market then here are the recipes that Jon Gower was using:


Watermelon Pina Colada
Smoked Wings
Congrats to all the people who participated in the Smoke & Gun Poker run. There were also over 150 people at the HMS 5k Panther Prowl.
[Video he filmed of race not included]

RECENT POSTS:
--Champion Plant Winn Postal Zone in Helena
--Saturday Events
--Smoke & Gun, Run & Fun, Prowl & Bake, Beads & Cake
--Retro Look
--Myth, Ice and Grads in Helena
_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Orange County Mexican Restaurants (restaurant dining)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES, with reservations

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Orange County Mexican Restaurants, by Christian Ziebarth

WEB ADDRESS: http://ocmexfood.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: My blog for reviewing the best Mexican restaurants and food in Orange County, CA

MY REVIEW: If you live in Orange County, or are planning to visit, and like Mexican food, this is the blog for you. Except for one problem, it isn't posted to very often. August has 5 posts - that's once a week, May had 2, March had 2.

At $1.99 a month cost for subscription, that's not enough posts. Nevertheless, check it out during your free 2-week trial period and see if you like its suggestions.

RECENT POSTS:
--OC Restaurant Week
--Blog Redesign
--Lucky Habanero Salsa
--Taqueria Tapatia
--Del Taco 39¢ Tacos

_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Brit Abroad in USA (lifestyle and culture)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION:

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Brit Abroad in USA , by Brit Abroad

WEB ADDRESS: http://britabroadinusa.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: My experiences as a British expat, rants, witterings, homesicknesses.... the things I love and the things I don't so love. My life as an immigrant in USA.

MY REVIEW: The author of this blog posts about once a week on average. Nevertheless, it's an interesting blog, to see how an immigrant to our shores from England views our culture and ways.

The author writes well, and has many interesting things to say.

So check it out!

sample post

I was going to write about the rodeo....
I was going to write about the rodeo but I have been struggling to describe my whole experience without insulting anybody! I wonder why I am being so polite since certainly much of the experience I had was littered with examples of other people's rudeness, mocking and negativity.

So let me start at the start. I've never been to a rodeo, and since we only did a fraction of our desired Summer activities, I wanted to have one last family night out before school started. We bought the tickets in advance, but just hours before leaving, 3 different people mentioned animal cruelty at rodeos, so right off I was worried and didn't want to go. Quite honestly, despite my abhorrence of all things cruel, I assumed in this day and age there wouldn't be any animal abuse going on in such events so it didn't even enter my head when we bought the tickets.

Hubs said he had wondered why I wanted to go, but after a little talk we said we'd go since we'd paid anyway, and at the first sign of anything horrible we'd leave. In actual fact, most of it seemed okay (although I spent a fair bit of time in a queue for a root beer float for Son.)

What bothered me was some of the people. Now, I have written about rural life before. I meet some awesome people and on the whole, I love living in the country. It's quiet, we have space, we grow food. But at the same time, along with that comes a fair bit of ignorance and bigotry, which gets pushed aside as "just a joke," "don't be so sensitive" or "uh-oh, the P.C. Brigade are here!"

Well I guess that means I can't take a joke or I am part of the P.C. Brigade? But if I drop the "p.c." (a.k.a. manners and politeness) and reply in kind to the "jokes", I wonder if I'd just be told to "go back where I came from"?
Oh no one said that (this time), but I run out of fingers if I try to count the foreigner or immigrant jokes. Or the jokes about women, or city folk, or Democrats, or immigrants... oh I said that one already. Or jokes about foreigners that should speak English, or asking "where's your greencard?" if they hear an accent. Or if I counted the people chewing tobacco and smoking at the same time. With a baby on their arms. Or kids buying Confederate flags when they or their family have never been outside Pennsylvania (what's that about??)

I bit my tongue a fair bit. P.C or just polite? But you know, it bugs me because by being polite and not saying anything back, the offenders think that everyone agrees and so just carry on. Of course, any complaint just results: "It's just a joke. Don't be so sensitive." Maybe I shouldn't be. Maybe I should just join in, and for every immigrant joke thrown out, I should come up with a redneck joke.

The evening wasn't awful though, actually. We had fun. For the most part, I have learned to ignore these kinds of comments: I share them here solely to describe an experience and share that while many folk in rural America are really great, there's also an element that's as ugly in character as anywhere else. It's just harder to blend in if you're a minority and therefore harder to ignore the ugliness you sometimes encounter.

RECENT POSTS:
--I was going to write about the rodeo....
--I lost another worker!
--Fitness So Far....
--What do a bridge, a good book and a washing machin...
--How's the weekend? And back to school!

_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Sweeties Sweeps (lifestyle, sweepstakes)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://sweetiessweeps.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Welcome to Sweeties Sweeps!

My name is Wendy but you can call me Sweetie. I have been entering and winning prizes consistently since 1993. Sweepstakes have helped me "win what I can't afford" and they can help you too. Some of the big prizes I have won include a $25,000 trip to France, a Dodge truck, 6 or 7 TVs, $5,000 in cash twice, $1,000 in gas certificates, $2,000 in groceries, and lots more.

What you will learn:

- what are sweepstakes
- what you need to get started on the way to winning
- how do I find legitimate sweepstakes to enter
- get notified of the hottest sweepstakes every month
- and lots, lots more

MY REVIEW: This is a blog that wouldn't be suitable for the Kindle, since it provides links to various websites or other places where you can enter sweepstakes.

This is a commercial site, the author has a "FREE Sweeping 101 Email Course to learn " you can sign up for, but she also provides links to sweepstakes that you can enter.

Hey, a chance for free money or free goods. Go for it!

RECENT POSTS:
--Featured Sweepstakes: Lifetime’s Project Runway, You’re In or You’re Out Sweepstakes Ends 10/28/10 1PPD18+
--Featured Sweepstakes: MyLifetime Sherwin-Williams Make the Most of Your Color Sweepstakes Ends 9/27/10 550P18+
--Featured Sweepstakes: EZWINGAMES
--Hotels.com “Win Vacation for Life” Sweepstakes and Sweeties Giveaway Ends 9/6/10
_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Organizing With Love (lifestyle, business)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Organizing With Love, by Paris Love

WEB ADDRESS: http://paris-organizewithlove.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Organizing Expert, Paris Love will provide you with organizing tips and solutions to help you live an organized and clutter-free life.

MY REVIEW: Paris Love is a professional organizer (author of 50 Tips to Get You Organized in 50 Minutes or Less). (Here's her credentials: An active member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). Paris co-chairs as NAPO's Membership Director and has served on the NAPO-GA Executive Board and Board of Directors and has held the positions of Librarian and Secretary. She currently holds the Historian and Ambassador positions within the Georgia Chapter. Paris is a member of NAPO's Golden Circle, a prestigious designation denotes an elevated level of experience within the professional organizing industry. Golden Circle members possess at least five years of proven professional organizing work activity.)

So she knows whereof she speaks. The caveat for this blog is she only posts once a week. Of course her blog is only 99 cents a month, which is not an onerous fee for five posts, but really, it should be more.

Anyway, she writes well, has things to say of interest, so give her blog a look-see.

Sample post

Going Green This School Year
Back to School is here and below are some tips on keeping your child healthy this school year.

Does your child have allergies? Are they easily distracted? Do you notice their concentration level slipping when they are given an assignment? You may want to consider the products they are using. Adults spend the majority of their time at work and our children spend their time at school/daycare or with friends. Using eco-friendly products are essential for your health as well as your child’s. Here is a list of suggested products;

--Use binders made with 100% recycled corrugated material
--Children put everything in their mouths, so consider biodegradable or non-toxic writing utensils
--Use post consumer products for paper products
--Scissors should have a 70% recycled plastic handle
--Use desks that are 100% formaldehyde free

A number of companies (traditional brick and mortar and online) sell environmentally-friendly products that a parent can use to set up an in-home study area for their child

100 percent recycled file folders from Staples are perfect for a study area
Greenhome.com sells an eco-friendly wastebasket made from 99 percent reclaimable automobile tires and recycled plastic trim

IKEA sells a number of storage products that can be placed in the study area as a drop point to recycle school papers and junk mail

When purchasing recycled or reclaimed products be sure to look for the recycle symbol on the item’s exterior packaging

If you’re not fully convinced, compare a recycled folder to a regular product by taking the ‘sniff’ test. You can smell the toxics in non post consumer products and the texture is different as well.

Online sources for eco-friendly organizing products

· Lowimpactliving.com
· IKEA.com
· SeventhGeneration.com
· SpecialtyLiving.com
· Greenhome.com
· Inmodern.net

Until Next Time......

RECENT POSTS:
--Going Green This School Year
--Top News vs Most Recent
--What organizer doesn't like to hear this?
--If you blink you will miss it
--What if...

_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Organizing for the Next Chapter of Your Life (lifestyle, business)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Organizing for the Next Chapter of Your Life, by Sue West, Certified Organizer Coach(R) & Certified Professional Organizer(R)

WEB ADDRESS: http://organizenh.com/wordpress/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: You're writing your next chapter because

* your children are out on their own.
* you're finally starting that new business you've had in mind…
* or it's growing so fast it's hard to keep up.
* maybe just discovered you have ADD, or some other brain-based challenged. It's a relief to finally know, but now what?
* you're suddenly single – widowed, separated, divorced.
* you're downsizing or simply want less stuff around you and less on your calendar. Life's too short.

As you move through this chapter of your life, your mindset is shifting.

You're thinking differently about your things, your surroundings, and how you use your time.

MY REVIEW: Why is it that so many people have problems getting organized? Whether it's in their professional or personal life, most people just can't get their act together.

And frankly, I think that's one of the main problems in the U.S. today. People can't keep track of their money, they can't keep track of their belongings and they can't keep track of their time. And it's not being able to keep track of your time that is the real killer, literally. It's "the unforgiving minute" as Kipling says. Lose a couple of dollars in your house? No problem, you can always get more. Lose a shirt or a book, you can always buy another one. But the time you have to spend re-doing things you've already done...that time is gone for good. It will never come back.

Well, time for "Organizing the Next Chapter in your Life."

Time wasn't important to you when you were young...but now that you've moved on to the next chapter, it's all important. Either it's weighing heavy on your hands, or you don't have enough of it.

This blog will help you with that quandary.

Sample post:

“You just have to…”
August 18th, 2010
Recently, I read a life coach’s blog in which most paragraphs started with the phrase “You just have to.”

Like that’s so simple. The phrase really turned me off. I made myself continue to read on in case the tone changed. (No.) I suppose it’s possible this is a marketing approach, that if you can’t “just” do it yourself, you’d call on this person.

But it made me wary of how that relationship would work. I can see the finger shaking, as if I’ve failed already. I wanted to hide.

I can’t imagine speaking to my clients (or anyone in my life, really) in this manner.
You just have to … find a filing system that works for you.

You just have to realize your children will grow up and leave the nest and figure out what to do next with your life.

You just have to realize you won’t make as much selling your house as you would have a few years ago …

You just have to move on after your husband’s death.

You don’t have to do anything at someone else’s pace.
Do it at your own pace. Stand your ground.

If you aren’t ready to go through your adult children’s rooms to clear them out, wait. Wait until you know how else you’d like to use that space. Remember your hobbies and passions before you raised your children. Create your own space in one of their rooms. But in your own time.

Or do it in stages. If someone close to you has died, it will be easier to go through some of their belongings than others. Try the easier stuff first, whenever you’re ready. Wait some time until you’re ready to go through more.

Have patience with yourself.
Grief takes it own time we know, and going through someone’s belongings is a useful but difficult way to process and think through some of your feelings.

Same goes if you are moving. Where you live now is filled with memories. Intellectually, you know you’ll make new ones. But give yourself time to pack and take those memory lane strolls. This is the hardest part, that in between stage where you’re going to have to rest for awhile, even if you want to push ahead to make the new memories.

Notice why you are not moving on or making any change.
It may be emotions you need to work through. It may be procrastination, or worry about taking a risk, or not knowing where you want to head next.

Have you been through this before? How long do you think is reasonable? Are you there yet?

If you’re past that point, take stock of what’s going on. Journal, create, talk to a friend, meditate. Slow down enough to notice why you’re stuck. Much of this about “noticing,” because noticing leads you to understand what the single issue that’s preventing you from moving forward. Often we are in a cloud of reasons. Break it down. Talk it out. Write it down. Sort it out.

And even when you ARE ready
Even when you are ready to go through mom’s things, or make your child’s room into a new space for you, or tackle the paper piles you may want outside support or structure.

If you want to get from point A to point B quickly, that’s a reason to hire experience.

If you have tried on your own and the stuff keeps coming back, that’s a reason to hire experience.

If you need a deadline, some accountability — that could be a friend, or an organizer coach, depending on the other skills you need to support you.

We can all read, anywhere and everywhere it seems, about “how to” get more organized. Tips, tricks and products.

What’s difficult is applying what you read to your specific situation. And it’s often more about how you’re wired and knowing yourself well enough to figure out which of all those organizing systems will work, consistently, for you.

So it’s really not “just” that easy, is it.

RECENT POSTS:
--Easing into Fall
--“You just have to…”
--The Five Organizing Systems Your Home Needs
--Should: A Word I’d Like to Eradicate
--Organizing before Surgery: Winding Down at Work

_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

The Angry Black Woman (lifestyle and culture)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES, with reservations

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: The Angry Black Woman, by The Angry Black Woman

WEB ADDRESS: http://theangryblackwoman.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Discussions of Race, Politics, Gender, Sexuality and the intersection between them.

MY REVIEW: This is an interesting blog that deals with issues of lifestyle and culture, arts and entertainment, and politics from an African American perspective. Well written, well-thought out posts, with the occasional four-letter word used for emphasis. If she's really annoyed about her topic, she uses more, as you see in the sample post below.

Although I've placed this in African-American interest, really her topics are of interest to all Americans. Check it out.

The one caveat - she seems to post only once or twice a week at most.
Sample post

Political Apathy: Don’t Have It
July 5th, 2010
Since it’s 4th of July weekend, I thought I should post something vaguely patriotic. However, since I share very similar feelings on this issue as my friend Cat, I’ll have to skip the flag waving and talk about another America-centric issue close to my heart, instead.

Primary results are in from all over the country, and now constituents know who their party candidates are for federal, state, and local government. The more I listen to NPR, the more I hear that everyone is against incumbents, everyone is against the Democrats, and there’s really no hope for the midterm elections. Unless you’re a conservative.

To this I say: bullshit.

Look, I am well aware that not everyone is happy with the Obama administration, and after the last midterm election even Cindy Sheehan threw up her hands and lost hope for our government. While I agree with ultra-left progressives that the past year hasn’t been everything we wished for, I don’t think it’s all that helpful just to complain, turn our backs, and let the goon squad make it even harder to get a tiny bit of what we want done.

Progress requires constant vigilance, constant pushing, and constant gardening.

So, now that the election is mere months away (it seems far, but it is not), I challenge all of you to work for the kind of government you want. That means being involved in the political campaigns of the senators and representatives up for election and re-election in your area.

Support the campaign. If you can give money, do so. If you can’t give money, give time. You don’t need to commit to every evening and weekend from now until November. One weekend, one phone bank session, one letter-stuffing drive is helpful.

Know your candidates. Who are these people, anyway? It’s much easier to be an advocate when you know something about the person beyond their name, slogan, and party. Do you even know where your party candidate stands on those issues, laws, and bills? Do you know where their opponents stand? Do your friends and neighbors?

Use your voice. Blog about the candidates in your area and why you support them or why you don’t. Talk about the issues that matter to you, the laws that have been passed, the bills that died. Use your voice in other arenas, too. Write an op-ed piece for your local paper, call in to radio shows, use social networks, make a short film using your cell phone camera (seriously), start a podcast.

Don’t just shill; challenge and demand. If you feel passionate about an issue or cause and want that candidate to be passionate and fight for it, tell them so. Find out if they agree. Challenge them to do or do better. The campaign process isn’t just about sending someone to office because they have the right party affiliation. They are accountable to you. Don’t let the vocal minority be the majority of people your candidate hears from.

Try to have meaningful conversations about issues that effect you. As we all know from watching the talking heads on 24 hour news channels, you can’t really understand someone else’s point of view if everyone is yelling. When you talk to people about why you support this or that candidate or this or that issue, really get into why. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to listen when you actually just talk. (I discovered that after starting this blog, actually.)

If we don’t take the attitude that a Republican/Tea Party win is inevitable we have a chance of making the better world we dream of. So that’s my patriotic challenge to all of you: don’t let apathy pull you down.

From now until the election there will be an Open Thread on Mondays for discussions of political and election-related topics. Share links, talk about your experience, your frustrations, your candidates. We are, of course, very interested in political issues dealing with women and people of color here at the ABW. That might be a good place to start.

RECENT POSTS:
--There Is No Ground Zero Mosque
--Good Guys: An Appreciation
--Since Dr. Laura Can’t Give Advice To Black People Without Being A Racist Twit, We’ll Give It A Shot
--The Last Airbender’s Target Audience Thinks Whitewashing Is Wrong, Too
--On Being A Considerate Parent
--Whitewashing: Stealing our stories from real life to fiction.
--Realms of Fantasy Columnist Condones Whitewashing When “Magic” Is Involved
--Political Apathy: Don’t Have It
--Why you should not see “The Last Airbender” movie, but watch the cartoon instead.


_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Women at Forty (women's interest)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Women at Forty, by Grace Wynter

WEB ADDRESS: http://womenatforty.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: From call centers in India, to fading automobile factories in America, women everywhere, as they have since the beginning of time, are turning forty this year, and they all have a story. The Women at Forty Project wants to chronicle these stories. We aren't about telling you what forty should look or feel like, we want you to tell us what it’s really like. Whoever you are, wherever you are, if you’re forty, we want to hear your story.

MY REVIEW: I enjoyed this blog, perhaps because they're profiling the Whirly Girls (women helicopter pilots).

Other than that, I really don't care for the arbitary age of 40. Are there still women today who think turning 40 is so horrible? Do they always want to stay 39, like Jack Benny? (For myself, when I was in my 30s I told people I was 40, now that I'm in my 40s I tell people I am 50, and when I get into my 50s, I will tell people I'm 60. (Of course, it's because I dont feel like doing the math to figure out how old I really am, but also, it serves to make people tell me I look really good for my age!)

I do feel this blog is important. Too many people in their teens and twenties think that they've got all the time in the world, that they will never grow old. I know I thought that. I know when I was young I thought that I'd never get sick, never get old, ya da ya da. I was the most important person in the world, I was the only person in the world, and everything would work out in my favor.

Of course now 30 years later I'd give a great deal to be able to go back in time, and know what I know now. I would do things so differently.

That's the catch-22 of course. Looking back at myself at age 16, at age 20, if someone had said - "learn from other people's mistakes," I probably would have ignored them, just like the people to whom I give advice today (my 13-year old nephew to be precise) pay no attention to me.

That's our tragedy. No one ever learns from other people's mistakes, and they rarely learn from their own mistakes, and if they do learn from their own mistakes, it's after they made the same mistake 3 or 4 times...

All that's a long-winded way of saying, read this blog!

Sample post:

Women at Forty’s Whirly Girls

Women are starting small business at twice the rate of men, 10.6 million firms are at least 50% owned by a woman or women, and women-owned firms employ 19.1 million people and generate $2.5 trillion in sales annually*. Behind these facts and figures are the names and faces of women, just like many of us, who had a vision, and despite of – and sometimes because of adversity- are finding ways to make their dreams reality.

One of the unexpected benefits of launching The Women at Forty Project has been meeting some of these very women. I’ve been so inspired by them that I’m launching a new series in our Money & Career section called Women at Forty’s Whirly Girls. The term “Whirly Girl” refers to the elite group of less than 1,700 female helicopter pilots in the world. For me the term represents women who are innovators, risk takers and who’ve chosen the often bumpy, usually risky, road less traveled.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be introducing you to women in their 40’s who are doing just that. From an award winning musician and documentarian whose dream career began only after being fired, to a TV producer forced to start her own business after being struck with a debilitating disorder, these women represent the strength and determination that has come to personify 40. (Photo: 1942’s Rosie the Riveter) We’ll even get to meet a real life Whirly Girl, Angie Griffin, chief pilot and owner of Dragonfly Copters Tours. Many of these women are beyond their 40th year, but they all very clearly recall experiencing a major shift at 40. Whether it was an inexplicable surge in creativity or making life changing decisions, for them, 40 was a very significant year in their lives.

Over on the Facebook page my quote to start the week was “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” Women at Forty’s Whirly Girls all decided they weren’t going to stay where they were. Their stories can serve as inspiration to all of us with dreams and desires we might be afraid to step out on. There’s a reason Robert Frost writes about the road less traveled by. Taking that road requires more courage than fear, more faith than doubt and a ‘sticktuitiveness’ that’s forged by fire. Sounds like the perfect job for a Women at Forty. Liza Figueroa Kravinsky, the filmmaker and musician whose interview I’ll run on Wednesday, may have said it best. When I asked her about the unconventional, often unpredictable, non-9-5 path she’d decided to take, Liza simply said, “It’s not comfortable, but it’s worth it.”

On Wednesday: My interview with award winning filmmaker Liza Figueroa Kravinsky

Are you a Whirly Girl? If you’ve set out on the road less traveled by, or know someone who has, email your story to contribute@womenatforty.com. It could end up featured in a future Women at Forty Whirly Girl post.

RECENT POSTS:
--WAF’s Whirly Girl: Liza Figueroa Kravinsky
--Women at Forty’s Whirly Girls
--Five for Friday – The Aural Ecstasy Edition
--Dangling over the precipice of 40 – Part 2
--Dangling over the precipice of 40 – Part 1


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