วันอังคารที่ 30 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

A Guide To Dune Buggys

Dune buggys are recreational vehicles which sports wide tires, and meant to be used on a sandy precinct such as desert or beach. The fundamental design concept of dune buggys is a modified engine powering an open chassis. Americans are renowned for their insatiable appetite for the outdoors and the "Do it Yourself" concept. This makes the massive popularity growth of dune buggys hardly a surprise. The vehicle came to symbolize the carefree spirit of the beach crowd in the early 60s. Dune buggys were a common sight sloshing through the sand dunes of Southern California and Florida also the desert precinct such as Mexico's Baja California and parts of California's Mojave Desert. Crafted out of fiber glass, these early custom designed cars featured a rounded and squat appearance devoid of any flat lines. More than often these were the VW bug which was stripped down their engines tuned up for more power and fitted with larger tires with thick treads for traversing the sands. Most of the dune buggys had their rear tires bigger than the front ones.

There was a reason for selecting the VW Bug for modification; the rear mounted engine meant that once the body has been stripped down there is an enormous improvement in traction. Dune buggys are prone to flipping over; hence there is a safety roll bar in place which prevents the occupants from being crushed in the event of a rollover. These vehicles can be highly versatile when it comes to utility; they serve as surfboard haulers on the beach, off road competitor, sleek street roadsters from impressing the town-folks and of course back-road bushwhackers during those expedition trips. Their weird and kooky design was redemption for souls looking for some spirited adventure, coupled with dazzling colors and sparkling chrome, these left the Corvettes and Pontiacs in the dust.

Dune Buggys also let people be their own automobile designer, create and design their own car and do things their way. The earlier dune buggys came in an array of dazzling colors and paint jobs, everything from purple, turquoise, lime green and Rickie Tickie Sticke flower decals, all of which complimented the happy-go-lucky nature of this vehicle. However, many of the newer ones sport an aggressive and meaner look, an indication of the widespread popularity of dune buggy races. Famed dune buggies in pop culture include the Wonderbug from The Krofft Supershow, Big Jim's Dune Devil, Banana Split's Banana Buggy and Barbie's Sun 'n Fun Buggy. The pop culture image of dune buggys took a drastic turn when it was publicized as the favorite method of transportation for the Manson family during their notorious journey through the jagged terrains of California's Death Valley.

วันจันทร์ที่ 29 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

Preparazione del sushi maki

Nel filmato, la dimostrazione di come preparare kappamaki e uramaki , i classici e più apprezzati tipi di sushi.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLAKpYvfPM4&hl=en

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 28 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

California cycle (inside-out)

Preparado por mi esposo Azulón, los ingredientes son salmón crudo y palta o aguacate.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2wm1t6rx6M&hl=en

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 25 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

What You Should Do During Due Diligence Period For Commercial Properties?

Now that your offer for a commercial property has been accepted, your purchase contract will specify that you have somewhere between 15-30 days due diligence period to investigate about the property. As a result of your investigations you will decide either to:


Cancel the purchase and get your full refund of your deposit. It's important to know that during this due diligence period you can cancel the transaction for any reasons and are not required to justify your reason with the seller.
Continue on with the transaction.

So it is important that you investigate thoroughly about the property. Once the due diligence period expires, you can only cancel the transaction if the loan if not approved. While your real estate advisor will assist you with the following tasks, you may want to know the whole process to make sure you understand what is going on.

Physical Inspection: This may be the first time you visit the property as it may be located far away from your home. You could either visit by yourself or make an appointment with the current property manager to show you around (if so, use this as an opportunity to meet and evaluate a potential property manager). It is very common that the seller does not want potential buyers to talk to existing tenants and let them know that the property is for sale. Refer to the articles "What 'Location' Means in Commercial Real Estate" and "Things to Consider When You Purchase a Commercial Property" written by the same author. You may want to plan ahead and have a list of things that you want to find out about the property and the method you use to get the information. You may need to be creative in your method of getting the information. For example: you may want to find out:


If the restaurant tenant is doing well by having lunch there.
If the Dry cleaner tenant plans to renew the lease by asking casually if the business is doing well.

You will get a lot of information by talking to the tenants (don't let them know the property is for sale) in the center without letting them know you could be their landlord.

Book & Records: Normally within 10 days the seller will provide you with information about:


Income and expenses: this includes rent, reimbursements from tenants from the last 2-3 years. Ideally the income should go up from year to year due to rent increase. If the income fluctuates from year to year, then it's a red flag that you need to understand the reason. You also want to know if the tenants pay rent on time or not. Regarding expenses, you want to make sure you receive property tax statements, trash bills, utilities bills, sweeping bills, and landscaping & maintenance contracts. In California, property taxes will be automatically adjusted based on the purchase price. They could be a much higher if the purchase price is much higher than the current assessed value. However, in many other states properties are re-assessed for property taxes purposes every few years and are not necessarily based on the purchase price. As a result, new property taxes may not increase as much as in California. The bottom line is you want to verify the Net Operating Income (Income after all expenses or NOI) is correct as advertised.
Leases: commercial leases are typically 20-40 pages long. However, they are often identical except the tenant name, unit, rent and lease terms. You will need to verify the rent, lease term are the same or better than the numbers in the rent roll. If the seller says that the leases are NNN, verify in the lease which expenses paid by the landlord are reimbursed by the tenants. You also want to find out who pays for property management fee and the repairs of roof and structure. Sometimes the listing broker advertises that leases are NNN but does not mention the landlord has to pay for those expenses or include these expenses when calculating NOI.

Property Inspection: There are 2 main reports for commercial properties.


Your advisor will order a property inspection report from a commercial property inspection company and provide you with a report. This report will assess the condition of the property including the description of the building, site drainage and paving, structural components, roof composition, parking lot and landscaping, cursory inspection of electrical systems, plumbing systems, heat/ventilation/AC systems, fire protection, and compliance to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The report also provides a rough estimate to correct critical deficiencies. You should take time to read this property inspection report, talk to the property inspector if needed and let your advisor know if you want the seller to repair anything, preferably at seller's costs. As a rule of thumb, you would like all deficiencies related to health and safety, e.g. emergency exit light not working or exposed electrical wiring to be taken care of before close of escrow. The language in some of these inspection reports may sound very scary as property inspection companies try to limit their exposure to liabilities for not warning the buyers about some of the deficiencies.

The lender will order a "Phase I" or Environment Assessment Report. This report will tell you if the soil is contaminated or not. It also provides a list of contaminated sites within ½ miles from the property. The report could be several hundred pages long. You should at least read the summary which is 1-2 pages long to see if there are any recommendations and anything unusual. Normally there are 2 possibilities:


There is no evidence of contamination so there is nothing to worry about;
There is evidence of possible soil contamination, e.g. underground tank. The inspection may recommend a more expensive Phase II Report. This involves testing the water and soil to measure the level of contamination if any. If the level exceeds a certain governmental standards, the lender will most likely decline the loan.


Title & Survey: You will receive a title commitment which insures that you have a clear title to the property. It will tell you who owns the property so this owner should be the seller in the purchase contract. You should review the requirements and exceptions to the title insurance to make sure you are comfortable with them. The survey should tell you the lot size, foot print of the building, the number of parking spaces (is there enough parking spaces for tenants & customers?) and notes from the surveyor. You may want to read some of the notes to see if there is anything unusual, e.g. the roof may encroach the adjacent property.

Financing: your advisor should assist you with getting financing for the purchase by sending the loan application to several commercial lenders. Preferably you should receive a couple Letters of Intent (LOI) from commercial lenders stating


How much loan you can borrow
Interest rate
Terms
Loan fees

While the LOI's are not final loan approval, they give you a rough idea if you have enough money to close the transaction and what your cash flow will be. This in turn helps you decide if it makes investment sense to move forward. Once you complete all the above steps, you should have enough information to make a decision to move forward or cancel the transaction.

วันพุธที่ 24 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

NHL Hockey Party Supplies & Party Planning

NHL hockey is back! With the new season comes a really cool new party supplies line that will make throwing the perfect hockey party seem like a breeze. I also have some great ideas to throw the ultimate street hockey birthday party regardless of the season! Winter or Summer, on snow or on pavement - a hockey fan is a hockey fan!

Invitations: Take a picture of the birthday child in their hockey gear for the front of the invitation. Make it a really cool pose with a hockey stick or in front of a net because this is going to made into a trading card invitation! Using card stock paper, trace out the accurate size of a trading card and then glue the pic onto it. On the back of the card instead of the stats, write the party information. Use your computer and some really cool black font for this. The last step would be to laminate or "mac tack" the card. You could hand them out as is or take it one step further. Along with the card, you could send a letter from the NHL Hockey League stating that they have been drafted by the NHL and they are required to report for practise along with their teammates from all across the country. Be sure to include the date, time and request that they come prepared with stick & jersey. Sign it by the president of the NHL or the head coach of your child's favourite team place in an envelope and seal. Don't forget the clip art logos to make it look super official!

Activities: A street hockey game of course! When all of the guests arrive, have a meeting in the locker room and tell them what they will be doing for their first day of practise. Take a moment to explain the rules of a street hockey game and the importance of good sportsmanship. Then surprise them with their very own jersey name plates. Before the party, use your computer to write out each child's last name in bold print and laminate. As you call out names, pin each name tag to the back of the child's jersey and assign them a team by pulling names or colours out of a hat. Have a few jerseys on hand in case some come without. Once everyone is geared, up, it is time to head out. The prep for the playing field would be 2 nets on opposite ends with the center line and the goalie crease lines marked out. On dry pavement this can be done with chalk and on snow this can be done with watered done poster paint. Face Off! Have some referees with whistles and cheerleaders with Pom Poms. Make sure to have plenty of water and sports drinks available. Have a fire blazing in a portable fire pit to warm up on a cold Winters day and a Sprinkler set up for the kids to run through on the hottest summer day. You really can have a hockey party all year round! If weather does not allow you to be outside or if you simply prefer the party to be indoors try these fun games and activities. Have an indoor hockey tournament using an air hockey table or a rod hockey table. If you don't already have a table, chances are you know someone who does. Play "slapshot" using a goal, a stick but instead of a puck or ball, use a beach ball. It won't hurt even if it does hit something or someone! Keep the net empty and the shooter about 15 feet back. Its harder than you might think! Be sure to have a hockey game playing on TV and a separate area set up with a gaming system like Wii or PlayStation where they can play their favourite hockey game.

Decorations: Even though the premise of this plan is to be outdoors most of the time, it still is fun to decorate one area of your house that may be used like the kitchen, where the food and cake are served, or the living room where the presents are opened. Decorate with the NHL licensed tableware and decorations. Decorate your walls with hockey memorabilia like posters, pictures and pennants. Place around old pucks, helmets, skates, jersey's or sticks that are not in use to give it that real locker room feel. Finish the decorations off with balloons and streamers in your child's favourite teams colours.

Menu: Go with stadium food. Serve hot dogs in foil , nachos in take out boxes and french fries out of paper cups. Keep it simple. This way the guests can eat indoors, outdoors or on the go. You might just have to drag them in for cake and presents though!

Loot Bags: Throw a twist into the regular tradition of the loot bag. Have an auction of sorts. Have a table full of items that the kids can purchase with their hockey money. Purchase a variety of favors like candy, pucks, hockey trinkets and even a few bigger ticket items. The idea would be for every kid to have around the same amount of money at auction time - $2000. The first time they receive money is when they arrive - Their $500 signing bonus. Throughout the game give $100 bonuses for sportsmanship, good manners and teamwork. Monopoly money works great. The actual cost of the items can rage from .99 to $5.00. For example, the .99 items should cost $100 in hockey money and the $5.00 items costing the whole $2000 in hockey money. Some kids may go all in for 1 item, and some may choose several small. The key is to have a wide variety of all price ranges. Pick names out of a hat to see who goes first and in what order. To be fair, have them choose only 1 item, whether its big or small. Keep going in order until everyone is out of money. Last of all, make sure to explain the auction well beforehand to avoid any confusion. The excitement level will be unbelievable as everyone is going home a winner!

วันอังคารที่ 23 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

Me, bistro some california maki

Me, eating some california maki =] made by me.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqR8WDV0TC0&hl=en

วันจันทร์ที่ 22 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

Sushi Revolution

We went to Sushi Revolution last week. A big room with lots of people and pretty asian girls making sushi and putting it on conveyor belts. Lots of people but it was still easy to find a seat. The sushi was ok. Very fresh tasting, but the wasabi was cheap, and no gari, and the rolls were all things I could make. But fast and cheap can sometimes trump great.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR3eZdry2jg&hl=en

วันเสาร์ที่ 20 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

What Every Beginner Must Know About Playing the Guitar

Everyone dreams of being a guitar god, shredding solos and creating songs that will be sung by generations. Playing the guitar well is one thing most dream of, yet very few accomplish. Beneath the veneer of rock 'n' roll, guitar remains one of the most challenging instruments to play. It takes years of practice before you can master the instrument.

Most beginners jump into playing the guitar without really knowing why they want to play it in the first place. Ask yourself: why do I want to play the guitar? Is it to impress my friends and family? Is it because I want to play in a band someday? Or is it because I want to be able to play a few of my favorite songs alone?

This is a very important question to answer because it will determine your motivation level, and the amount of time you are willing to (and need to) put into guitar playing. For instance, if you want to play in a band, you will require much more practice (and in turn, much more motivation) than if you want to play a few popular songs for friends and family.

Another mistake beginners make is that they jump straight into the advanced aspects of guitar playing without mastering the basics first. I know a lot of guitar players who can jam the solo to 'Hotel California', yet can't tune the guitar properly. Consequently, they always remain mediocre guitarists. Without knowing the basics, you can't really hope to be a great guitarist.

Start from the easier chords first. Learn to play A, C, G, D chords before you pick up Cm7 or C# or even the F chord. Once you master the easier sections, you will find that your finger co-ordination, strength, and ability to switch between notes will increase manifold, making it a whole lot easier to move on to the more advanced sections.

Finally, make sure that you practice as much as possible. Sadly, there is no shortcut around this. All the courses that promise to make you a rockstar within a week are simply lying. It takes years to master an instrument, and the guitar is no different. Practice consistently and sincerely, and your guitar playing skills will definitely improve.

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 18 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

Irish Fiddle Ornaments

When I started playing jigs, my default bowing pattern made a groove like Pop Goes the Weasel: "Long-short, long-short, muberry bush, the long-short, long-short weasel."

And that still works for me without having to think about it. The one rule to keep in mind is: Do not slur from one string to another. This is unlike Irish reels. There, you can and do slur from one string to another. But not in jigs.

Getting the hang of ornaments

I think of the Irish fiddle ornaments as falling into melodic and percussive categories.

The three most common melodic moves are, the grace note, the triplet, the roll. These moves all use "neighbor notes." Any note within one step of the main melody note can be a neighbor note. In Irish fiddling, the neighbor note can be two steps away.

Grace notes are typically the upper neighbor, one whole step or half step higher. The grace note is usually played just before the beat.

In standard music notation it is shown as a very small note. In my tab charts I follow this convention by making the tab grace note much smaller than the main melody notes.

Triplets start with the melody note, go up to the neighbor note, and return to the melody note. The rhythm of this is a substitution of three internal beats for two.

Think of a shuffle pattern: dah-duh-duh. Now go: diddally-duh-duh. This ornament is very popular in Texas Contest style also.

The roll starts on the melody note, goes to the upper neighbor, back to the melody note, then to the lower neighbor, then back to the melody note. When the melodic note is played with the first finger, the upper neighbor is usually the third above, and is played with the third finger. In the roll, the neighbor notes are very light and quick, almost ghost notes.

Percussive finger and bow tricks

These next two moves are a lot of fun. They imitate the bodhran drum. I think of them as being rhythmic ornaments, not melodic.

The bow shake, (my term), is not intended to make three distinct notes. You should hear an interruption of the melodic sound when you do it.
Yes, it is a triplet pattern, but done so quickly that you just hear the sound of the bow digging into the string.

Finally, the cut, which you execute by dragging your finger across the (usually) open string without changing the bow direction. This also creates an interruption of the melodic sound. The violin as a percussion instrument!

Slidin' and Squawkin'

The first collection I found of Irish and Celtic tunes, way back in the day,was
English, Welsh, Scottish & Irish Fiddle Tunes by Robin Williamson.

This was published in 1976 and came with a vinyl recording of the author playing his tunes up to speed. I still play Carolan's Concerto and Off to California, which came from this book originally.

Williamson writes about slides as being squawks and smears. A squawk is a quick slide and a smear is a lazy slide. The lazy slide has become a favorite of mine, often replacing several notes of a melody.

In slides the object is to start the slide flat to the target note. It can be a half step low or, sometimes, even more. When you slide up the neck, be sure to stop at the desired pitch.

Many times in my studio I coach students to do this correctly. The common mistake is to start at the target pitch and slide up. Be very careful to avoid this error. It just doesn't sound right.

Quick slides, or squawks, can be done often. You will find some notes are better than others for a quick slide. The third note of the scale you are in, for example, is almost always good. The note attracts a slide, especially if it does not go by too fast.

The slower slide, the smear, will often take more time than the usual note allows. So you just steal time from another note. Then you take that note out back and shoot it. (Just kidding. You let the note back in later, when you don't play the smear.)

You can find more fiddle tab charts for Irish tunes in the archive at Fiddle Tunes in Tab. Included are: O'Keefe's Slide, Drowsey Maggie, Road to Lisdoonvarna and Tommy People's Reel.

วันพุธที่ 17 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

Cómo hacer suhsi (maki suhsi)

Receta de suhsi (maki suhsi) y proceso de elaboración de tortilla japonesa como relleno junto a surimi, pepino, espinacas, zanahoria y setas.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQr-sTT-R_0&hl=en

วันอังคารที่ 16 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

A Rundown of the Best Rock Bands of All Time, by Era

Music is one of the most talked about things in the world. Most people say that they would be lost without their iPod or other portable music player and music generally just makes things more interesting. One of the most popular forms of music in the world currently is rock and roll. Rock has developed a lot over the ages and is now very different from when it started. Most musicians would say that they are influenced by or get their start in classical music. Different things involved in classical music include pedal extenders for the piano, an adjustable piano bench and sheet music storage. In each decade in the twentieth century there was different rock and roll groups that helped turn the genre into what it is now.

When the genre was first starting out the only really important band in rock and roll was The Beatles. The Beatles were the band who started what was known as the British Invasion and were immediately a pop culture phenomenon. Almost everyone wanted to see the young men from England play their new brand of music that had not been heard before in America. The Beatles smashed record sales for their records and sold out essentially every venue in which they went to play. The style of music that they played mixed American R&B with pop lyrics and guitar, something that was previously unheard of.

In the 1970s one of the most famous rock acts was The Who. The band called, "The Who" was also from England and carried on the legacy that the Beatles had left behind. While playing the same general style of music as some other rockers from the previous decade, The Who brought a never before heard anger and angst to the stage in their lyrics, as evidenced by songs such as "Won't Get Fooled Again". In this song the speaker mentions that he feels all politicians are essentially the same and that he will not get fooled again by a political candidate's false promises.

Fast forward to the 1990s and one of the undoubted kings of the rock genre were Blink 182. This band was formed in California and wrote many songs about partying and generally being a young person and the struggles that some teens deal with. The group can be lumped into the general genre of punk, and to go along with that genre come the inevitable punk look complete with baggy pants, lots of tattoos and piercings and crazy hair styles. The band still plays together after a brief hiatus and took a comeback tour of the country in the summer of 2009 which drew massive crowds in every city they stopped in.

Rock and roll has evolved greatly over the past forty or fifty years and there are certainly more developments to come for the genre as musicians innovate even more. Because of the demand for music it is certain that soon enough there will be a new super group in rock and roll to take over the mantle as the most famous band in America.

วันจันทร์ที่ 15 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

How to accomplish a california roll

Ray breakin' ya'll off on the 411 on how to make a california roll... SUSHIOLOGY STYLE!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9hbWFLAEu8&hl=en

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 14 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

Secondary Dominant Chords to Drive Faster Down the Musical Highway!

As you probably know, other than simple folk tunes, when you play more jazzy songs, or pop, you usually don't use simple triads.

Example: The common progression II-V-I in a folk tune might be Dm - G - C. (Or in folk songs you might use a IV-V-1, like F - G - C.)

But in jazz, you'd normally play II-V-I in seventh chords, like Dm7, G7, CMaj7. (We'll leave pop and blues to the side for now.)

One of the interesting things about this little progression is how urgently that G7 chords yearns to resolve to the C chord. The reason it yearns so hard is that there are two notes in the C-major scale that are super-dissonant against the C-tonic note.

One is B, a half-step below C.

The other is Gb, a flatted-fifth above C.

The reason these two notes are so dissonant against the C-note is that their harmonics do not align with the harmonics of the note C at all.

The G-note, the normal 'Perfect' fifth, has harmonics which align wonderfully with the C-note. And of course the C-note's harmonics align wonderfully with the C-note: they're identical, for it's the same note.

But the B-note is just *off* the C-note, and the flatted-fifth (Gb) is just *off* the G-note. And because of this misalignment of harmonics, the B and the Gb are very dissonant.

When we play the G7 chord, a somewhat similar thing happens. The F-note inside the G7 chord has a similar, bad-harmonic-alignment with the B-note inside the G7 chord. Jarring.

And when we move to the CMaj7 chord, then the F-note resolves to the E-note a half-step down (the third of the CMaj7) and the B-note resolves up to the C-note (the root of the CMaj7), and this all sounds very happy.

How to Use this Knowledge

When playing strictly inside the diatonic key of C, there is only two chords which have this hard-yearning quality: G7 and also the Bm7b5 chord (which is not used nearly as often, and we'll ignore it here).

But you have the freedom to step *out* of the diatonic notes anytime you wish, and here's a way to step out all the time, and make your music drive forward all the faster ...

Let us say that you are about to play a D-chord. Any D-chord.

Let us say you want to make that D-chord, when it arrives, seem really inevitable, and like we'd been really yearning for that D-chord.

Simple. Find the note a fifth above the D-note -- that will be A, and play an A7. And then pretty much any D-chord following will sound like a resolution from that A7.

That A7 is called a 'Secondary Dominant.' It's a dominant chord, by its form, though it's not the true dominant chord that occurs naturally in the diatonic key, so we call it 'Secondary.'

Now given that the II-V-I happens over and over and over in jazz and other forms of music, and given that this and other progressions are usually going down by fifths, you can *insert* these 'Secondary Dominants' to drive around the progression with more driving force.

An Example:

The progression is VIm7 - IIm7 - V7 - IMaj7. In the key of C that would be Am7, Dm7, G7, and CMaj7.

Now insert secondary dominants like this:

Am7 - A7 - Dm7 - D7 - G7 - Cmaj7

You will hear that the A7 you insert makes the resolution to the Dm7 'harder' and the D7 you insert makes the resolution to G7 'harder'. And of course the G7 is already a dominant chord, so it resolves very vigorously to Cmaj7.

Try it. You'll just drive all the faster down your musical highway!

วันเสาร์ที่ 13 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

The Top Classic Rock Songs in 5 Minutes

Rock has gone through so many phases ever since Bill Haley & The Comets "invented" rock 'n' roll with the top classic rock song "Rock Around The Clock."It set off a revolution and a new genres which would evolve through critically acclaimed and commercially successful artists such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen and U2 just to name a few. This article explores some of the classic rock songs and bands that shook the world.

Elvis Presley was the first big superstar of rock 'n' roll and his reworking of the blues song "Hound Dog" in 1956 changed rock forever. In fact, the song spent an amazing 11 weeks at the top of the US charts only to be replaced by another one of his songs. Billboard Magazine thus ranked it at number 19 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.

Following Elvis, the song "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" signaled the arrival of the Beatles in America and the start of the British Invasion. With their good looks, crazy chords, and simple yet catchy ballads, they captured the imagination and hearts of the world in the 60s and went on to become arguably the greatest band in music history.

The origins of the hard rock and heavy metal as we know it today can trace its roots to a song in 1964. The hit "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks is considered to be the first true hard rock song which would spin off a new genre of rock.

The end of the 60s saw the emergence of the southern rock/country rock genre led by Creedence Clearwater Revival. "Bad Moon Rising" is a classic song from this genre. CCR became the pioneers of other southern rock bands from 70s such as Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The Eagles hit "Hotel California" in 1976 is one of the all time great classic rock songs and continues to be the model to emulate.

Hopefully, this article has provided you with a good rundown of just some of the most influential top classic rock songs of all time.

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 11 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

Delicious Types of Sushi Rolls For a Sushi Beginner

When it comes to sushi, a lot of people have a hard time taking that first leap and trying their first bite of raw fish. If you did not know, sushi is incredibly healthy when eaten in moderation; the oils from the fish have numerous benefits for your health and sushi in general is low in fat.

Here is some information about some of the most common rolls of sushi.

The California roll is as basic as it gets. This is without a doubt the beginners roll. After you have eaten sushi for a while, you will most likely move past this roll, unless it is being offered as an Hors D'oeuvres at a wedding or other type of party.

A salmon avocado roll is a great roll to get for several reasons. First and foremost, it is delicious. Second, both salmon and avocado have nutrients and oils that are very good for your skin. Finally, this roll is usually one of the cheaper options on a sushi menu.

While a yellowtail roll by itself may be a little bit bland, adding scallions to this roll will create a great texture. The yellowtail is silky and smooth while the scallion provides a nice amount of crunch.

Any time I'm at a sushi bar and I cannot decide what type of fish I am in the mood for, I do the obvious: get all of them! One of the best ways to get an assortment like this is to get a rainbow roll, which usually has a variety of salmon, tuna, yellowtail and whitefish on top of crab, cucumber and avocado.

After you have graduated from the California roll, or if that just is not your thing, try a spicy tuna roll. Usually prepared with spicy mayonnaise, this roll is hard not to enjoy.

These are just some of the wonderful rolls to try in the world of sushi. Next time are trying to decide what to eat, branch out and try some sushi.

วันพุธที่ 10 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

วันอังคารที่ 9 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

Strange and Bizarre Tax Deductions

It was Albert Einstein who said physics was easy compared to trying to prepare his taxes. You probably feel the same way. The tax code is full of oddities, and here are a few that will make you roll your eyes.

The internal revenue code is thousands of pages long. Throw in the regulations interpreting the code, and you have a wall full of confusing books. To make things even scarier, you are assumed to both know the code and understand it. That should send chills down your back.

Over the years, the code has been modified so many times that nobody really knows it all. Various sections seem to completely contradict others. Some seem to say the exact opposite of others. While this is all frustrating, it is the bizarre little sections that make you wonder what is going on in Congress. Here are some examples of strange things you will find.

1. If you have a child, you usually get to claim more deductions. In our fractured society, however, the tax code is a mess when it comes to dealing with divorces. The question is basically which parent gets to claim what? There are all kinds of rules, but one of the stranger ones has to do with...kidnapping.

If your child is kidnapped, you may get to claim the child tax credit and so on. Being a tax issue, there are some strange rules. For instance, the kidnapping cannot be by a family member! If your brother drags your child off to Canada, you get no deduction. You can read IRS publication 501 to figure it all out if you are insanely bored.

2. Jury Duty - Nothing beat jury duty, eh? Sit for eight hours and get paid five or ten bucks. Well, some business owners are good members of society. They will pay you normal wages while you do your civic duty. If they do, you can claim a deduction if you pay them back your earnings from jury duty. Boy, I bet your boss is going to be happy as pie when you give him or her that $5! On the other hand, a deduction is a deduction.

3. Tax Benefits of Being Blind - This one is an old favorite. The government is going to give you a break if you are blind. Just check the box on line 39A. Huh? You are BLIND! Obviously, the idea is you are having someone else do the tax return, but it is still pretty funny at first glance.

The above represents only a small sampling of the oddities found in the tax code. There are plenty other such as rules regarding issuing 1099s to fishing boat crews, but we have to stop somewhere. At least now you know that you are not alone wondering if the tax system makes any sense whatsoever. If you get frustrated, take comfort in the fact former President Jimmy Carter said the U.S. tax code was a crime against humanity!

วันจันทร์ที่ 8 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

Disney's California Adventure Park: Fun Things to Do With Young Children

If you're planning a trip to Disney's California Adventure Park with young children, you might be worried that they're not old enough to enjoy the park. The wonderful thing about Disney is that they plan their theme parks to appeal to all age groups. Here are some areas in California Adventure Park that will keep you and your little ones happy.

• Baby Care Center - this center is located next to the Mission Tortilla Factory in Golden State. Even though there are changing tables in men's and women's restrooms located in other areas of the park, there is a larger and more comfortable changing table in this center. They also have child sized flush toilets which will aid you and your child in their toilet training routine. If you run out of diapers, don't despair, as they have diapers on hand for sale. In addition, there is an area where you can clean bottles as well as warm up bottles and food. If you run out of formula or baby food, there is a selection of these items for sale at the Center. There are even rocking chairs available for nursing moms. Although there are no areas for napping, this is a great place to take a break from the heat of the day or the noise of the crowds.

• "A Bug's Land" - this fun and whimsical area has activities and rides that will appeal to young children and their parents. The colorful rides (attractions) are based on the Disney movie, "A Bug's Life". Some of the attractions include: Flik's Flyers, Francis' Ladybug Boogie, Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, and "Tuck and Roll's Drive Em Buggies (there is a 36" inch height requirement for this ride). To beat the heat, your little ones can splash around a giant faucet in "Princess Dot Puddle Park".

• The "Redwood Creek Challenge Trail" is located in Golden State. It's a great area for little ones to explore with their parents. There are some height requirements on some of the challenges.

• "Disney Animation" in Hollywood Pictures Backlot is a great place to cool off with little ones. If your child likes characters, it's a good place to get autographs. You and your child will also enjoy "Turtle Talk With Crush" a fun, interactive show based on Disney's "Finding Nemo".

• "Playhouse Disney" is also located in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. Your little ones can enjoy dancing and singing along with some of their favorite "Playhouse Disney" characters like Handy Manny and Rocket in this live stage production.

• Paradise Pier has several attractions suitable for young children. "King Triton's Carousel" is a whimsical carousel filled with sea creatures. "Jumpin' Jellyfish" takes you up and down through a colorful kelp forest (there is a 40" height requirement for this ride).

If the adult members of your party want to ride some of the attractions that have a height requirement, Disney has several options available. There are three options to help reduce the waiting time of those adults who are staying back with the young child. "Child Swap" enables one adult to wait in line to board an attraction and ride, and then "pass off" the child to the second adult who boards the ride without waiting in line. Ask a cast member at the entrance to each attraction that has a height requirement about this option. Fast Pass and Single Rider service are also available, free of charge, to help reduce waiting times for attractions.

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 7 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

วันเสาร์ที่ 6 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

วันศุกร์ที่ 5 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

A Typical Corner

Over 40 charactes captured in their daily routine in a suburban neighborhood in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Arm's Length Productions.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se76W6e-qco&hl=en

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 4 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

Grammy Awards

Grammy Awards are the Oscars of the music industry. The music industry launched its own awards thirty years after the Academy Awards were established. The Grammys, the Gramophone Awards--as originally named, were created in 1957 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

The Grammys were conservative. At that time, rock and roll was not included in the nominations, since it was considered a fad. Although the committee consisted of representatives from pop, jazz, classical, R&B, country etc, most innovators never won any awards for years to come.

The first Grammy Awards were presented for the year 1958, on May 4, 1959. Although Elvis Presley's records were half of the music sold that year, The King wasn't even nominated.

It is said that Frank Sinatra, the chairman of the board, had a hand in this, since he did not appreciate Rock'n Roll, and in the second year, when Bobby Darin was granted the Record of The Year Award for 1959 for "Mack the Knife," Sinatra despised the new music even more. During the later years, however, Sinatra recorded the same song.

The end of the sixties still stayed conservative, although with Woodstock and with the push for following along with the times, the middle-of-the-road choices started to take hold. In 1969, the group 5th Dimension proved to be a godsend with their soft jazzy rock music, winning two awards for the same song, "Aquarius--Let the Sunshine in."

The traditionalist view lost its hold during the seventies when the Grammys relaxed the strict judging criteria and included the rock music artists like the Eagles and Stevie Wonder.

A slap in the face came to Grammys with their biggest scandal when the Best New Artist Award was given to Milli Vanilli. Milli Vanilli were a twosome who had three singles at the number one spot. It was later discovered that the two never sang any of their songs, but lip-synched. Their German producer said afterwards, "We made a pact with the devil."

The Grammys were broadcast on television for the first time by ABC until CBS bought the rights of telecast in 1973. The Grammys were held in Los Angeles at the Shrine Auditorium for several years and then moved to the Staples Center because of the increase in the size of the audience and the categories. For years, New York and Los Angeles have competed for hosting the Grammys.

The Grammys now boast 108 categories with more than 20 genres of music and chapters in Atlanta, Chicago, Florida, Los Angeles, Memphis, Nashville, New York, Pacific Northwest, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Texas, and Washington, D.C.

The 49th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony took place on February 11, 2007 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California with Dixie Chicks becoming the big winners. In 2008, Grammy Awards will celebrate its fiftieth year, a milestone in the music awards business and will be held on a date to be yet announced at Staples Center, Los Angeles, California.

วันพุธที่ 3 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

วันอังคารที่ 2 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

Sushi Now! California Roll Music Video

SushiNow.com Learn the proper technique for making any "inside-out" sushi roll (Uramaki). Watch this video and learn how to roll sushi and have fun! Uramaki is a type of sushi roll made with the rice on the outside and the seaweed on the inside. Uramaki can be made with a number of any of your favorite sushi bar ingredients. This recipe uses a crab, avocado, cucumber and fish roe. California sushi rolls are by far the most popular item to order at a sushi bar. California Rolls are the perfect introduction to the healthy fast food called sushi. The music is from Singing Wood Marimba of Santa Cruz.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjeKb4OL2u4&hl=en

วันจันทร์ที่ 1 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2553

My 56 Chevy

I remember my first car. It was a 1956 Chevy. My parents purchased the car when it was new. It did not have a radio, seat belts, and a heater or power anything. It came with 2/60 air conditioning, that's two windows cranked down, driving 60 MPH. If you wanted the windows down you cranked 'em down by hand, one at a time.

It had a bench seat and when you turned a corner, you held on to the steering wheel, so you did not slide to the other side of the car. My Dad said seat belts were unsafe. I mean how would get out if the car caught on fire?

That car was built solid, so solid that the dash was steel. This car was built like a tank! I had a wheel come off the car, while on the freeway, going down hill. After hitting the rail, I just had a small dent and a broken headlight. There were no crumple zones in the car! No Sir! It was built in America! A lot of people died in crashes, but the car was repairable.

There was so much room under the hood that neighborhood cats were known to sleep there, on rainy days. You had to pump the accelerator a few times and hold it to get it to start. It had the new automatic choke. But if you pumped it too many times you would flood it. Then you would have to wait until the gas fumes subsided. It helped if you raised the hood and took the air filter off. The car needed to warm up before you drove it, or it would spit and sputter and maybe even die. Oh that was a great car!

I went with friends up into the mountains to play in the snow. That's where they keep snow in Southern California. Since the car did not have a heater, we decided to use a Plumber's torch as a defroster. My dad used an old rag, but that took a lot of rubbing and sometimes we needed to roll down the windows to reduce the fogging. The torch worked really well until Bobby got the windshield too hot and it shattered into a million pieces. That made driving a little more challenging, while it was snowing. We also needed to clear the snow off the dash and front seat before we drove home.

Dad wasn't too happy with the broken windshield, but he allowed me to work it off by thinning a thick patch of rose bushes. They should have called'em Blood Roses.

So, when I inherited the car, the first thing I did was go to the junkyard to get a heater. Next it was a radio and eight track tape player. I could not afford Mags (that's custom wheels for you younger folks), but I did give it the first wax job in ten years. My Dad was a very practical man. He said, "If you buy a car for more then transportation, then you probably paid too much." We changed our own oil and tuned up the car ourselves.

As a teen, I was not mechanically inclined. When I was told to tighten something, I really wasn't sure which way was tight. That is why I snapped off a spark plug and the bleeder valve for the breaks. That's when I learned about "easy outs". I went through two wheel bearings before I adjusted them properly.

I had to buy a new mailbox for the neighbor across the street. I somehow forgot to block the rear tires, before I jacked up the car. I went to the garage to get a tool and when I returned, the car was across the street and on the neighbor's lawn. It's rather hard to deny tire tracks and a dented bumper. I replaced a head light once, but I forgot to check the adjustment, so it looked like I was searching for alien spacecraft or a new store had opened in the neighborhood. I also learned to keep oil and grease off the new break shoes. I am so glad we did not live on a busy street.

I have many fond memories attached to that car. But none so dear as the time my Dad spent helping me fix it. Even though he shook his head at times when I made mistakes, I knew he loved me! I miss that old car and my Dad.

Ken Bear Cole

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