Asus' New 10- and 12-inch Eee Pad Tablets


ASUS-Eee-Pad-EP121( www.ubergizmo.com)
After many rumors, atlast here's the Asus Eee Pad, a 12" tablet that is powered by an Intel Core Duo CULV processor. Asustek Computer on Monday unveiled two Eee Pad tablets running Windows software and an e-reader.

The Eee Pad EP121 sports a 12-inch touchscreen and has Microsoft's Windows 7 Home Premium operating system and an Intel Core 2 Duo processor inside. The device is meant for Internet access,
watching videos and other multimedia uses, computing and as an e-reader, the company said in a news release.

The other iPad-style device Asustek showed, the Eee Pad EP101TC, has a 10-inch touchscreen and uses Microsoft's Windows Embedded Compact 7 software. This Eee Pad is 12.2mm thick and weighs 1.48Lbs (675g), which is slightly lighter and thinner than the iPad, and has Nvidia Tegra chips inside, the Asustek representative said. It will cost between US$399 and US$499 when it debuts on world markets in the first quarter of next year.

People can input data on the device using the on-screen keyboard or by typing on a keyboard that the Eee Pad docks onto. Asustek says the device can run for 10-hours before needing a recharge.

Read more about this on Yahoo News

People from high school who are more successful than me

And this is film-related

I started rooting around on Facebook, looking for old high school friends. Hit paydirt. Found one guy who had "friended" a bunch of other people I had known. Well. People I had sort of known.

I knew them in junior high. I would hang around with them at school. They were actors---creative types. I thought I was part of their group. But they'd start talking about the parties they had on the weekends. They never mentioned any parties in front of me until after the fact.

I don't know how much it bothered me at the time.

There was an episode of Dragnet where a teenager crashes a party with a hand grenade: "They never invite me to their stupid parties! Turn on the music! Dance! Dance!"

That always seemed absurd to me. That and all the comedies about teenagers trying to become popular.

The school had two lunch periods. So the group arranged their schedules so they'd all have second lunch so they could hang around together. They somehow neglected to tell me. I ended up with first lunch.

Now where are they

Well. They all look old now. All seem to be fairly successful. They were bourgeois to begin with. Half of them had university professors for parents. There's not much social mobility in America, up or down. I'm surprised at the careers some of them chose. One was an actor in high school, part of that clique. Now works on rural water planning.

Another one started out in high school as an actor type, then he became a conservative columnist on the school paper. Said we should all be drafted. He wanted mandatory military service. He thought teenagers owed it to America---he didn't say why. Of course, he never joined the army himself. He didn't spell it out in his profile, but I think he's gay now.

There was another one. Runs a graphic design business in Europe. His father was an architect. Their house he designed was featured in a national magazine in the '70s but is terribly dated now. His parents were bourgeois creative types. They did things like they gave him a hundred bucks a year to invest in the stock market when he was in grade school. A hundred dollars then was worth several hundred now.

In high school, his parents apparently gave him about a thousand bucks to make a movie. That was in the late '70s. Shot in 16mm. A short film. Not really worth it. He and his friends stole routines from Monty Python and old Rainer Beer commercials. The film went over quite well at the school talent show. Kids today would shoot it on video and not think twice about it---back then, it was a major undertaking.

And there was another guy...

He's bald now. I'll call him "AP". He was an actor in high school. He starred in every play the school put on.

I had a friend who kept trying out for plays and was either rejected or got small roles. My friend lived in a run down rental house with his single mother. He was angry that AP got his choice of roles in every single production.

One time, AP and his wealthy family were touring Europe during the tryouts. Fine! My friend tried out for a role thinking he had a chance now! But AP came back long after the try-outs were done, and the stinking teacher STILL cast him in the lead.

Now that rich bastard is running a theater, directing, writing plays. There's a lot about him on the internet. Doing a lot of plays based on the work of an Israeli author. Turns out he's friends with Stephen Colbert. There was an article which presented him as a colorful character because he went to a library housing rare books and he casually flipped through the pages of a centuries-old copy of a work by Shakespeare. Those frumpy old librarians failed to recognize his genius and stopped him from damaging it.

At least the high school drama teacher got what he deserved: Unemployment. They cut that rotten bastard's job.

It turned out that the teacher was a movie actor himself! Appeared in what by all accounts was a TERRIBLE low budget "western". About an environmentally conscious cowboy who rides around on a buffalo. The cowboy goes into a saloon. The other cowboys pick on him because he rides a buffalo. So a fight starts and the buffalo comes in and beats up the bad cowboys.


And now Dennis Hopper


Dead at 74.

I think Hopper became a Bush supporter. Like Jon Voight.

Here's a clip from the right-wing "comedy" he made, An American Carol, directed by Zionist David Zucker, with Jon Voight and Kelsey Grammar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDvpPGvMEY4

Perhaps not surprisingly, even critics in the right-wing press thought it stunk. It was promoted by Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck.

Well, it's probably rude to talk about Hopper's failures now that he's dead. Although it might also be rude to talk about what he came to regard as his shameful past as a counter-culture type. Is it polite to talk about the druggie days of a reformed drug addict?

Bush himself said that no one could talk about anything he did before the age of 40, or whenever it was that he became born again.

Truth is though that there was a stodginess about a lot of people in the counter-culture. A lot of them were basically conservative. There was a scholarly biography of Jack Kerouac which focused on this very thing. Hopper's father worked for the OSS---the precursor to the CIA---and he grew up in very conservative towns---Dodge City, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; San Diego and Los Angeles, California.

He said he voted for Obama only because he didn't like Sarah Palin.

I know an artist who knew Hopper in L.A. back in the early '60s. Hopper was working as an artist. They had studios in the same building. Hopper would ask him to look at his work.

"Gee, Dennis. I think Jackson Pollock already did that," he would say.

Hopper's work tended to be rather derivative.

You might look at Charles Bukowski's novel, Hollywood, about the making of Barfly. Bukowski was friends with Sean Penn who apparently hated Barbet Schroder, and poor Hank and Linda Bukowski were in the middle of this.

As I recall, Hopper came over to Bukowski's house. Sean Penn was there. They were drinking except for Dennis Hopper, of course. Linda told Hopper she admired him for getting off drugs. Hopper laughed more than he should have at something. When he left, Barbet was angry. "Did you see that fake laughing!" Linda said it wasn't easy being the only one not drinking and Hank didn't seem to understand Barbet's problem.

Barbet Schroder wanted to make the movie, but Sean Penn was supposed to star in it, but Penn would only do it if Hopper directed.

In the end, Mickey Rourke starred and Barbet directed.

Gary Coleman


Years ago, some friends came over. They wanted to annoy me. They did that now and then. They would come up with some plan, something they thought would get my goat. Then they'd come over and started talking to me, telling me something that was supposed to bother me.

On this occasion, they came over and told me that Gary Coleman was more successful than me even though I was five years older than him.

"Pretty much everybody is more successful that me," I said. "He was more successful than me when he was six."

They hung around for a while and then went away disappointed. I don't know why they thought that would bother me.

And today I heard the news that Gary Coleman had died at age 42.

I can't think of a child star who was exploited worse than he was. He said he wouldn't wish the first fifteen years of his life on his worse enemy. The last twenty-seven years were no picnic either.

He had health problems all his life. He was cruelly exploited by everyone involved in his career, including his own parents who had adopted him as a baby. They would lecture him----he was spending too much on his model trains----while they lived off his labor.

The first time I saw him on TV that I remember was on Fernwood Tonight. A lot of people appeared on that show who went on to bigger things. Robin Williams, Jim Varney. Even the children. There was Gary Coleman playing Martin Mull's son. There was Corey Feldman and Noah Hathaway. Coleman was at ease on the show. Completely natural. He sat on Martin Mull's lap, and Mull made a quip about how the audience couldn't see him.

"You want me to move?" Coleman said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86X3usshQBA


Well, that's a shame. He deserved so much better than he got.

Art Linkletter


I was going to post a link to John Waters' short film "The Diane Linkletter Story". It was posted on YouTube. Now gone. Removed because John Waters made a copyright claim. He didn't mind mocking the death of a young woman, but he can't abide copyright infringement.

Waters may have wanted it taken down because he felt bad about it. He expressed regret over a movie he made about the Tate-LaBianca murders. Was it Multiple Maniacs? The matter came up because he was calling for a member of the Manson family he befriended to be paroled (and he made a pretty good case for it.)

But Waters has said that he has no sympathy for Art Linkletter.

Linkletter's 20-year-old daughter, Diane, committed suicide in 1969 by jumping out the window of her 6th floor apartment. She was deeply depressed about her life, that she was unable to achieve anything out of the shadow of her famous father. That's what she told the fellow who was with her. But Art decided it would be a good idea to blame it all on drugs. He claimed she was on LSD at the time, that she panicked and jumped out the window. When the autopsy revealed there were no drugs at all in her system, Art said she panicked because she was having an LSD flashback.

The eyewitness who had been talking with her for hours before she killed herself said no such thing. In fact, there was no evidence at all that she had ever taken any illegal drug ever, at any time in her life. The only "evidence" she did was that Art Linkletter said she did.

Art Linkletter says the darndest things

Linkletter had that show on TV. Was it actually called Kids Say The Darnedest Things?

I had only seen one episode. I was 4 or 5 years old. Linkletter asked the kids, "What do your parents hit you with?"

All I remember was a little girl saying, "A spoon." And Art Linkletter acting like this was the darnedest thing he'd ever heard.

The show was scripted. A fraud. Like Linkletter himself. The kid who went on to play Little Ricky on I Love Lucy appeared on it. He was ordered to say that Santa comes to his house in a Cadillac. It was the darnedest thing Art Linkletter could think of.

But why?

I'm not sure why I'm attacking Art Linkletter. The poor guy's dead. He was extremely old. A friend and contemporary of Ozzie Nelson. They both believed that their personality on the radio and TV should be about the same as they were in real life. Worked pretty well for them. They were the antecedents to Jerry Seinfeld, Woody Allen, Larry David...all those guys.

Since I just posted a blog about an old friend who died of a drug overdose, you'd think I'd be more sympathetic to Linkletter's anti-drug thing.

Come to think of it, David Lochary, who played Art Linkletter in Waters' movie, died of an overdose of PCP in 1977.

A punk rocker I used to know

Well, it's not cinema, but it could have been if they had played their cards right.

In the 1980s, I worked in an drug and alcoholism treatment center. Many of the employees were recovering drug addicts and alcoholics. And one of them was a fellow I had known in junior high school. I'll call him X.

I remember X before he knew anything about drugs. We were in the 7th grade and an older kid in art class drew a picture of a bong, of a bong in use. I assumed it was something like a burrito. The drawing wasn't clear. I wasn't going to admit I didn't know. But X showed greater intellectual curiosity and demanded an explanation. "What's a bong? What is it? Do you know what it is? What's a bong?"

A couple of years later, we were still in junior high. X had drawn a diagram. He had a built-in desk in his bedroom. He took out the drawers, put in false drawer fronts, and placed a marijuana plant and some plant lights in the empty space. All carefully arranged so his mother wouldn't find it.

In the '80s, X had gone through treatment for drug addiction. He seemed happy, and like most recovering drug addicts and alcoholics, he was very nice. Alcoholics and drug addicts are horrible, horrible people when they're on drugs or on the sauce. But when they get off it, when they go through treatment, are the nicest people you'll ever meet.

The band

X was in a punk rock band at the time he was working at the treatment center.

I had brothers and a sister who were musicians in school, so when someone I knew was performing, I had the idea that I should go hear them no matter how little interest I had.

So I went to hear X's band.

I was completely out of place. It was in the basement of an old house. It was an unfinished basement. Meaning, in this case, that floors and most of the walls seemed to be made of dirt.

X was in his mid-20s. He had long hair which was thinning on top.

The rest of the band? I remember three of them.

They had two singers. One was tall and slender. Probably 15 or 16. I couldn't tell. The other was 14. He was little, cute, blond. Walked around smiling and he would say "Fuck you," to people he passed. He came in and some young women hugged him. He was adorable and the girls wanted to mother him. They thought he was a cute little boy---he thought he was Cary Grant. I thought it was strange that his parents let him do this. For one thing, the seam on the side of his pants were torn---it was fashionable among punk rockers at the time. You could see his underwear. His parents let him out of the house like that? I imagined his mother saying, "Honey, put on your good pants."

There was another guy who was a drummer? A bass player? He had the sides of his head shaved. He looked to me to be 15 or 16. I later saw him playing miniature golf with his mother and little sister. Made him seem like less of a rebel.

Anyway, they performed. The people started "dancing" which meant smashing into each other.

The young kid singer began drinking a large bottle of Coke. He drank with gusto, although he complained that it was flat. Seemed odd. Someone explained later that it was likely spiked with alcohol.

The kid sang a song. The lyrics seemed to be "I say ____ fuck!" over and over. I couldn't understand the word I left blank. Two syllables. And, apparently no one else could understand it, either. Because the kid would be singing this, screaming it into the microphone, and then he would scream "And you say---" then he'd stick the mic in the face of an audience member expecting him to yell the lyric, whatever it was. They would hesitate very slightly, mumble the first word and say the second word plainly.

How he ended up

I wondered whatever happened to X. I knew he had relapsed at one point and started taking drugs again. One of the other people I worked with had seen him dumpster diving. He called, "X! Hey X!"

X seemed enraged and yelled obscenities.

"Okay, X!" the guy smiled and waved.

I started doing some internet searches for him. He wasn't on Facebook. I found nothing.

I finally found out what happened to him. It dawned on me to do a search for his band. I found it on My Space. I listened to a few "tunes". They had a certain appeal. Having a singer whose voice hadn't changed gave it an interesting sound.

But the band had no future. You can't get a record deal when your singer is a teenage runaway. It said that the band broke up when the kid got in trouble and was sent home to his parents in another state.

The kid had a MySpace page, too. He's 38 now.

The other singer now works as a caterer. One of the others went on to play with another band and had gone on tour with them for a couple of years.

And X. I found out what happened to him. He died of a drug overdose in the 1990s.

He was like most drug addicts----an extremely nice person when he was off drugs, but horrible when he was using. He had been a very nice kid when I knew him in school.

NCIS


I didn't actually watch it. It was on TV in the next room. And it sounded terrible!

The investigation consisted of them going around and directly asking people if they did it.

Here is some actual dialog (to the best of my recollection)---

"Did you rape her?"

"No."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because it's the truth."


There was some "wit" in it. One of the fellows couldn't understand why the woman wouldn't report it if she was raped. The woman investigator said she wouldn't report it, either. She would torture the rapist.

Of course, if she could capture and torture the fellow so readily, how would he be able to rape her in the first place?

A terrible show. Just terrible.

Breaking Bad


Breaking bad. Breaking bad. Not a bad show. Bryan Cranston stars as high school chemistry teacher. He has cancer. He wants to leave his family money if he doesn't survive. So he starts producing meth.

Now they're in trouble. They have to produce meth and plenty of it. And they have no margin of error. Not with the violent criminals they're dealing with. If they don't get it done, they're finished.

Reminds me a little of a pretty good Russian movie I saw recently. I don't know how long ago it was made. With a great Soviet comic actor appearing uncredited.

It was inspired, apparently, by Pulp Fiction---it was that sort of thing.

A couple of young fellows in Russia have a suitcase full of heroin stolen from them. They track it down. They go to the first person they suspect, torture him until he directs them to the next person, then they kill him and go to the next one and do the same thing.

In the end---this is a spoiler now---one of the fellows is shot. They bring in a doctor who must get the bullet out. He does this without anesthesia. He does this without anesthesia even though they now have an entire suitcase full of heroin. Couldn't they give him a little?

In the same way, couldn't the guys in Breaking Bad work round the clock producing meth if only they would use some of the meth they were producing?

Right now on the show, they're screwing around trying to kill a fly in the lab. It sounds like they need to get to work.

More reviews of Precious on Konch Magazine


There were a few interesting reviews of Precious on Ishmael Reed's online Konch Magazine.

http://www.ishmaelreedpub.com

I haven't actually seen the movie. Maybe if I did, I'd like it. Maybe I wouldn't think it was the least bit racist. I doubt it, but it wouldn't be impossible.

Hariette Surovell writes a long review, very interesting. Discusses the racist elements of the movie, of course, and also goes into just how bad it is otherwise. Anachronisms abound. It's set in 1987, but Bill Clinton is president of the United States. And she points out how lousy the writing is.
... Her first child, a girl with Down Syndrome (or, as Precious informs someone, “ Sinder”-- an arbitrary and completely false note--why would she not know the word “syndrome”?...

And...
Despite being so illiterate that she is unable to read a sentence from a children’s book, Precious is a “ninfe”-grader, who is “good with numbers” (except, apparently, the number “nine.”) ...All the other students in Precious’ math class are not only svelte, they are fashionable and attractive…

Isn’t there anyone as unattractive as Precious out there? Not even one other overweight person in Harlem, other than Mary?....

When the principal, Mrs. Lichtenstein, calls Precious to the office. Points out that she is pregnant with her second child. "The audience is confused," Surovell writes, "how ever could she tell?"

Precious tries to attack the principal and flees the school.
We hear Precious’ thought process, such as it is. Not, “Oh no, I’m in real trouble now, I tried to attack the principal and she called the guards on me” but:

“Nosy ass white bitch mad ‘cause
she can’t come over my house.
I don’t be coming to this
bitch’s house in Weschesser.”

I didn’t buy it. First of all, why would she think she would be entitled to visit the principal in her home under any circumstances? Secondly, how would she ascertain that Mrs. Lichtenstein lives in “Weschesser”? Precious doesn’t know the word “syndrome”, even though she is the mother to a Down Syndrome child. It’s all illogical, arbitrary writing, i.e., bad writing.

The principal tries to get Precious to enroll in an alternative school:
Precious doesn’t know what the word “alternative” means (why not?), and Mary wants her to stay home and collect Welfare, but Precious is nonetheless inspired to go. We’re not quite sure why she is so determined to take advice from a principal whose lily-white ass she so recently wanted to kick. The confusion mounts when about ten minutes of screen time is devoted to Precious making numerous attempts to discover the meaning of the word “alternative” (an office worker finally fills her in.) Why did she want to go there so badly if she didn’t even know what it was?

Precious enrolls in her new school. In just a few months, she goes from being unable to recognize the letter E to being "so super-literate that she is asked to explain what Ms. Rain means when she discusses 'a protagonist’s unrelenting circumstances.'"

The teacher writes notes to Precious:
“Dear Precious, You are not a dog. “ (Whew! Whatta relief. I was worried for a while…) “You are a wonderful young woman who is trying to make something of her life.

"I have some questions for you.

"1. Where was your grandmother
when your father was abusing you?

"2. Where is Little Mongo now?”

I had some thoughts about this, too. I wondered, ‘One, where has Ms. Rain been throughout all this?’ and ‘Two, why is Ms. Rain deliberately disobeying the New York City law mandating that teachers report suspected child abuse cases to the authorities?’

And when Precious tells her new social worker played by Mariah Carey that her babies were fathered by their grandfather:
Mrs. Weiss looks startled (as startled as Mariah Carey playing a social worker, or, well, playing anybody, can look), but does nothing. She doesn’t make an effort to locate Precious’ father, nor does she talk to the police or the district attorney’s office about getting a warrant out for his arrest, because in Movieland Harlem, fathers can impregnate their daughters repeatedly without legal consequences.

Check out the review, and check out the link to Hariette Surovell's website.

I don't if that link is working. You may have to copy and paste.

http://www.ishmaelreedpub.com/

Sandra Goodridge's review

Sandra Goodridge worked in the social service system of New York, with victims of crime, abuse and incest and was offended at how such people were portrayed.

The tragedy of this film, Precious, is multitudinous. In the clumsy and greedy hands of Sapphire and Lee Daniels a number of weighty social issues: mental illness, incest, poverty, child-protection, social service delivery systems, race and caste are all given the short-shrift in exchange for some simplistic, "shock and awe" drive-'em-to-the-box-office filmmaking. The film’s plot was slight and the character development of the principals (Precious, her mother, abusive father and nurse characters) were nascent. Film-makers were too busy manipulating the audience to pity Precious and indulge in layers of whiny victimization. This was clearly more important that telling a complex, multi-faceted story of redemption, hope and true recovery.


She tells about an unpleasant encounter with Sapphire, the author of the novel the movie is based on, at Hunter College. An interesting review.

Two movies I haven't seen and an episode of Hill Street Blues

There was sort of a mini-Precious in the middle of an episode of Hill Street Blues.

Renko and Bobby Hill (hey! Isn't that the kid on King of the Hill!) go on a call. An impoverished black family. The mother is holding her unemployed husband and teenage daughter at bay with a butcher knife. The daughter is topless, holding a towel in front of her. It seems the young lady's stepfather has been molesting her. Renko wants to arrest the stepfather and the mother. But Bobby Hill instead starts yelling at them. Stop threating your husband and daughter with a butcher knife! And you there! Stop molesting your stepdaughter! And for God's sake! Put your shirt on! How do you expect your poor stepfather to control himself!

You would never see anything like that on TV with a white family.

It was, in my opinion, a variation on the old stereotype that Southern whites knew how to control black people, but northern whites were ineffectual. You can see it in the old movie, The Prisoner of Shark Island, if you're interested.

The new version of the stereotype was that nominally successful formerly working class blacks knew how to deal with poor blacks, but poor blacks wouldn't listen to whites or bourgeois black.

That was the stereotype in those days exemplified by the movie Lean On Me, the "true" story of moronic thug Joe Clark, praised by the Reagan administration for threatening black teenagers with a baseball bat at the high school where he was principal.

At least Precious went against this stereotype, although the one it used in its place may not have been any better. The black social worker in it was worthless. It was bourgeois whites and blacks who rescue Precious.

Justin Bieber Says He Enjoys His Childhood | Video

Young pop sensation Justin Bieber says he does not have a lost childhood. All of 16-years-old, Bieber says that he was not noticed for his talent until 13-years-of-age. He attended regular school for most of his life.

Check out the interview below. Bieber tells us what he will be doing 10-years from now.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand or Sex and Nudity

Spartacus: Blood and Sand just ended its first season. Awesome Series! A series made for men. Full of blood and women. This series is from Starz  premium cable network's latest drama that promises more fighting, gore, women and sex than "300" or HBO's "Rome." Starring Andy Whitfield, John Hannah, Lucy Lawless, Peter Mensah, Manu Bennett, Viva Bianca, Craig Parker, Jai Courtney, and Erin Cummings.

Beautiful ladies like Lucy Lawless (Star of Xena: Warrior Princess), Viva Bianca and Erin Cummings have few episodes Topless in the Series.

Anchor Bay Entertainment, a DVD distributor, announced that it will release the first season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 21, 2010. [IMDBNews]

UPDATE: Liam McIntyre as New Lead Actor for Season Two
Spartacus: Blood and Sand's Andy Whitfield Quits Show Because of Cancer (Click Here)



UPDATE: Liam McIntyre as New Lead Actor for Season Two
 Spartacus: Blood and Sand's Andy Whitfield Quits Show Because of Cancer (Click Here)
Introducing Magazines: Over 1,000 print and digit titles!

Synopsis [IMDB]:
In this original series from Starz, an American premium cable network, Spartacus (Andy Whitfield) is separated from his wife, Sura (Erin Cummings), by the Romans. Both of them are forced into slavery by the Romans and Sura is sold to a Syrian slaveholder. While in Rome, Spartacus - who is now a gladiator owned by Batatius (John Hannah) and his wife Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) - strives to survive in the arena where blood and death are primetime entertainment. However, Spartacus must also battle outside of the arena in order to become a legend. 

To view more details and pictures of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, visit IMDB

Charice's Version of Justin Bieber's Baby

Saw this video of Charice singing Justin Bieber's Baby. Charice and Justin fans would dig this.

Fresh Milk Loses Nutrients in Refrigerated Milk Displays in Supermarket

Image Via allundervalued.com
We all know that Milk in direct sunlight is not good. But do you know why? Milk can develop off-flavors and lose nutrients after four minutes of exposure to direct sunlight. But do you know that Refrigerated milk in supermarket cabinets can have the same effect? Most supermarket cabinets have fluorescent display case lighting. After four hours of exposure to fluorescent display case lighting, refrigerated milk will develop
off-flavors and lose nutrients.

Light initiates two chemical reactions which result in off-flavors and the loss of nutrients. Milk in glass or plastic containers are most vulnerable to off-flavors and loss of nutrients. Although milk in paper cartons are less prone to loss of nutrients, it can still develop off-flavors.

Image Via arabianbusiness.com
Lipid Oxidation of Milk
whey proteins, composed of amino acids containing sulfur, degrade and break down, producing “sunlight” flavors reminiscent of burnt feathers or burnt hair that can last for two to three days.

In the second reaction, the unsaturated fatty acids in milk lipids (milkfat triglycerides / triacylglycerols) become oxidized, producing malodorous carbonyl compounds that taste metallic or cardboardy and do not dissipate.

Horizon Organic Reduced Fat Milk, 8-Ounce Aseptic Cartons (Pack of 18)Various studies have found that these chemical reactions can occur in milk after four minutes of exposure to direct sunlight, and after four hours of exposure to fluorescent lighting, while the off-flavors were detected by trained tasters after milk was exposed to light for 15 to 30 minutes, and by consumers after milk was exposed to light for one to two hours.

In a Pennsylvania study, light-related off-flavors developed within 36 hours in almost half of 449 samples of milk in translucent plastic jugs. Another study found that off-flavors were present in approximately 80% of the blow-mold plastic milk containers exposed to fluorescent lighting in supermarket dairy display cases.

Milk Nutrient Loss During Lipid Oxidation
Vitamin A (especially added Vitamin A)
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid, present in small quantities in milk)
Vitamin D (especially added Vitamin D)
riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Riboflavin is destroyed by ultraviolet light.
Pyridoxine and Vitamin B12

Tuscan Whole Milk, 1 Gallon, 128 fl ozOne study found that 90% of the added Vitamin A and 8% of the riboflavin was lost from milk in polyethylene containers after 24 hours of exposure to fluorescent lights, with increased loss of these nutrients as the fat content of the milk decreased.

Flavor Changes of Milk
When milk is exposed to light, two chemical reactions occur that cause the milk to taste like burnt feathers, burnt hair, cardboard, or metal.

Factors that affect the rate of flavor change and nutrient loss in milk caused by exposure to display case lighting are the intensity of the light, the wavelengths present in the light, the distance between the fluorescent light bulb and the milk, the material of the container, the amount of surface area exposed to the light, the temperature of the milk, and the duration of light exposure. The higher the fat content, the more vulnerable the milk or cream is to the off-flavor effects of lipid oxidation.
Horizon Organic Reduced Fat Chocolate Milk, 8-Ounce Aseptic Cartons (Pack of 12)
Milk in light-transmissible containers such as transparent glass or plastic is most commonly affected but milk in paper cartons can also be affected when the cartons are exposed to intense light for long periods of time.



Hershey's Shelf Stable 2% Chocolate Milk, 8-Ounce Aseptic Boxes (Pack of 21)"One way to have good-tasting milk is to protect it from light."

"Both natural and artificial light can induce quality defects that consumers notice -- and don't like. Light exposure causes chemical reactions in milk that can modify the proteins and fats that are present to produce many negative flavors, ranging from burnt protein (burnt feathers or hair) to cardboard or metallic. The resulting off-flavors are dependent upon various factors such as exposure time, intensity and wavelength of light, and composition of the milk." [safespectrum]


Read more about Dairy Products and the effect of Light in the following websites:

Thailand Red Shirt Protesters Crackdown



"The government has been under pressure to be more decisive in its action," a senior Thai government official said. "We have been showing patience and restraint." That, he said, has upset those who want the government to take action against the protesters. The government said it was forced to take action after demonstrators disregarded an ultimatum by Abhisit to vacate a key intersection by Wednesday.[CNN]

I can't help but compare this to the Philippines. I'm not Thai and I have no idea why this is happening to them. But I know for a fact that the Red Shirt Protesters are causing violence and chaos in the Thai Capital. Unlike in the Philippines, the government here don't have the guts to do what Abhisit Vejjajivah has done. Same as in the Philippines, most of the Red Shirt Protesters on the streets of Thailand are
paid, uneducated, poor etc. It's impossible to have a peaceful rally if you have these kind of people. One spark and all hell breaks lose. You can't blame the police or the army for shooting if the protesters can hurt or kill you.

The official said the Red Shirts are "armed to the teeth" with weapons including rocket launchers, handguns and gas bombs, and accused protesters of deliberately provoking clashes with soldiers in order to get "pictures of soldiers using violence to undermine the government." 

"If the protesters didn't have any arms, there would be no way the soldiers need to be armed," the official said. "... They have been rallying people to burn the town down. They have shown intent in using and causing violence (and a) willingness to follow up with that intent. In that situation government ... has to act."  

"If the Thai army was shooting indiscriminately on the streets, there would be hundreds dead," the senior government official said. "That is not the case." The official did acknowledge that there is some army shooting, however, because of high tensions. [CNN]


You can't always protest when a head of state does something you don't like. Not everyone is perfect. Problem with lower class citizens is that they only see the mistakes of the politicians. And they are easily convinced or influenced by certain powerful individuals, who cares more about themselves rather than the country. They don't understand that by doing these protests, they are only worsening the economy of the country.

What are the protests in Thailand about?

Abhisit said the government's actions were necessary to prevent Thailand from sinking into lawlessness. He said security forces and his administration are attempting to counter a small group of protesters among the opposition Red Shirts trying to foment civil war.[CNN]

Google Maps Street View




One of the impressive features Google Maps is its Street View. This means you can virtually walk through streets and change the camera angle.  This gives you the ability to get a street view of many urban and suburban areas. The street view is an actual photograph shot with a special camera that
delivers a 360 degree image of the surroundings. These images are detailed enough where you can even look the people on the sidewalks.

Although not all areas have been mapped yet, there are still so many uses for this feature. You can use street view when you're not familiar with your destination and view some landmarks. Or you can use it as a virtual tour of some of the places you want to visit. Its a lot of fun so toy around with it. visit maps.google.com. If you're wondering how to go to street view when you're on google maps. Just keep zooming in until you get to the street view. 


Here are some great ways to use Google Maps Street View [google.com/press/streetview] 

Top 10 Street View tips for users

   1. Explore parts of the world you've always wanted to visit - see famous areas, tourist attractions, buildings and architecture. Or reminisce about places you've visited and give recommendations to friends about where to stay and how to get there.

   2. Preview your vacation accommodations. How close is it to public transportation, amenities, or the beach? Is there a high-rise building blocking your oceanfront view?

   3. Show your out of town friends and family where you live; where you work; where you had a picnic; where your local drycleaner is.

   4. Can't remember the name of that amazing restaurant or clothing store you visited a few months ago? Walk the streets and find it. And then use the driving directions in Google Maps, with Street View images of intersections and landmarks, to get there.

   5. Use Street View to study the geography, architecture, vegetation and landscape of different parts of the world. Teachers can incorporate Street View, Google Maps and Google Earth into lesson plans or arrange a virtual fieldtrip.

   6. Plan your day virtually - show your party guests where the venue is, or teammates where the weekend sportsground is. Plan bike trips and walking routes.

   7. If you're looking to buy or rent a property, make a more informed decision by taking a virtual walk-through of the area and property you're interested in. Look at nearby amenities such as parks, roads, bus stops, shopping areas and parking when planning your move. Save time by not going to open houses that don't meet your criteria.

   8. Look for picnic tables or benches so you can head outside and make the most of a sunny day.

   9. Don't get stuck without quarters: see if the area you need to park at has parking meters.

  10. Does your child have to walk to or from school? Plan their journey, show them local landmarks and look over the walking route together. Or see where their school fieldtrip is taking place.

Top 10 Street View Tips for businesses and organizations

   1. Encourage tourists to visit your area or stay at your hotel by showing them amenities, landmarks and lesser known secrets nearby.

   2. Promote your business or store and make customers' lives easier by embedding a Street View image on your website to show customers your storefront, office or building, as well as parking facilities and how to get there.

   3. Scout for new locations for offices or commercial premises from the comfort of your desk chair. Evaluate locations for marketing campaigns, film shoots, product launches or other public events.

   4. Contractors and home repair services can preview a client's property to ensure they have the appropriate tools and supplies, like a tall ladder or the correct roofing material.

   5. Schools can incorporate Street View into geography or history lessons, or conduct virtual fieldtrips.

   6. Help your new employees get to work by showing them your office location, where to park, or the nearest bus or train stop.

   7. If you're a real estate agent or property developer, use the Street View API on your website to show prospective buyers or tenants available properties.

   8. Architects and planners can get a feel for the style of particular areas, to help with planning, design or preserving heritage.

   9. Publishers and journalists can embed Street View images on their websites to show the location of news events.

  10. Give customers or clients better directions to your shop or office by finding landmarks along the route to help guide them.

Web Sensation Greyson Michael Chance Performs at The Ellen Show May 13, 2010

Miley Cyrus Lap Dance with Adam Leaked

Image Via TMZ.com
Miley -- who was 16 at the time -- was dancing with 44-year-old Adam Shankman during a wrap party last summer in Georgia for the movie, "The Last Song." Shankman, who is openly gay, produced the movie as well as "Hairspray" and other flicks and is a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance?" The people who shot the video say they were offended by the
dirty dancing -- which included a graphic lap dance. [TMZ]

Adam Michael Shankman is an American film director, producer, dancer, actor and choreographer. He has been a judge on the television program So You Think You Can Dance since Season 3. He began his professional career in musical theatre, and was a dancer in music videos for Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson. Shankman also choreographed one of the Spice Girls' tours. He has directed several feature-length films, including A Walk to Remember, Bringing Down the House, and Hairspray.[Wikipedia]

Abu Dhabi ATM Machine Dispenses 24K Gold

Image Via blogs.ft.com
Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace is a $3bn government-owned hotel. Its a place for the people of the oil-rich Arab Gulf. Having that said, for no reason they made an ATM machine that dispenses gold in exchange for cash based on the latest prices. The ATM itself is covered in 24-carat gold. The ATM-style kiosk in the Emirates Palace monitors the daily gold price and offers small bars up to 10 grams or coins. Each bar or coin can be
custom-engraved.

The gold ATM Machine was unveiled on May 12 by Thomas Geissler, chief executive of Ex Oriente Lux AG. They billed as the first international foray for Geissler's "Gold to Go" brand. Geissler says he picked Abu Dhabi because of its high-rolling atmosphere and the region's traditional ties to gold in commerce.



The unveiling was timed well. Gold hit a record high Wednesday of more than $1,245 an ounce. [yahoonews]

Juice Drinks Are Also Unhealthy


Most of us think that fruit juices are healthy or let's say healthier than cola or any other soda drinks. But fruit juices just has the flavor. It doesn't have the substance of the real fruit. Manufacturers always sell juices by saying they are healthy and keeps you fit and many more sales talk. And people really do believe this. Drinking juice is always connected to
having a healthy diet. And this is so wrong.

Read an article called Unhealthiest Juices in America in Yahoo Health. It says that "It doesn’t mean juice is a terrible choice—after all, it’s still a great way to get your daily quota of vitamins and minerals. Problem is, a lot of what food marketers try to sell us as “juice” is about as healthy for you as, well, being chased down a highway in a white Ford Bronco. Manufacturers have found that mixing a lot of water and sugar with a tiny bit of fruit flavoring and calling it “juice” is a great way to get health-conscious consumers to pony up the bucks for the liquid equivalent of Skittles."

Too many of everything is always not good. So drinking so many juice drinks doesn't make you healthier. Drink water, eat the right food and exercise is still the way to go.

Here are some wellknown brands in the Philippines. Although we don't have these flavors. Check out its sugar and calories. 

Welch’s Mountain Berry (8 fl oz)
140 calories
0 g fat
33 g sugars

Minute Maid Lemonade (20 fl oz bottle)
250 calories
0 g fat
67.5 g sugars

Tropicana Grape Juice Beverage (15.2 fl oz)
290 calories
0 g fat
72 g sugars

YouTube Web Sensation Greyson Michael Chance's "Paparazzi"

Greyson Michael Chance's "Paparazzi" just might be the best web sensation yet.It was a school recital performance at Edmond's Sixth Grade Festival. They said at the end of Greyson's stunning piano performance, he could "teach Lady Gaga a lesson."

Greyson Michael Chance bona fide prodigy. He also has original piano compositions of the songs "Stars" and "Broken Hearts. These three videos has already reached

10 Million views on YouTube. "Paparazzi" having the 8 Million views. We all know what happens to people having that many views.That's right! He's been invited to perform on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Thursday (Click here for the ellen video). Ellen tweeted "Never been more excited to have someone on my show. This is a 12-year-old 6th grader. He'll be on Thursdays show."



Music 120x90According to his YouTube Profile, Greyson is "very inspired by Lady Gaga and Augustana." Greyson additionally explains "Lady Gaga is a freak but she has so much talent and her style of music is what I would like mine to be when I'm older. Augustana is one of the most underrated bands I think ever to step [on] the planet. They have so much talent it is not funny. They have such a good concept with folk and rock. It is very sad that they are so unknown."

Although some may compare Greyson Michael Chance to Justin Bieber, there musical taste is very different. You can tell by listening to his original song "Stars". Which is about a woman who dies of cancer and meets her husband in heaven. Greyson Michael Chance does sound better than Justin Bieber and I think even more talented. Then again, that's just me.

My World 2.0 
 



Real Life Wedding: John and Belle

Church: Shrine of the St Therese of the Child Jesus
Reception Venue: La Castellana
Hotel Preparations: The Marriott Hotel Manila
Wedding Gown Couturier: Danilo Franco
Wedding Shoes: Veluz
Make Up Artist: Val Villarin
Entourage Gowns Couturier: Liza L. Evangelista Couture Jeweler: V-GEM Jewelry On the Day Coordinator: Your Events Caterer: Hizon's Catering
Cake: Vienna Cakes
Emcee: Cecille Maglalang c/o Hizons Photographer: Vignette Photography
Back-up Photographer: Atty. Raymond Fortun
Photobooth: Play With Me Photo
Invitations: Cardprints
Bridal Car: Don Robert's Cars (Studebaker) Lights and Sounds: Rejectkrew Quartet: SJT Strings

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