Record UPS Contingent Drives Way to National Championships

RJ Note: Who knew? Must be the reason we rarely see driving issues with these guys. Kudos to Georgia's own Scott Cain in the competition.

BUSINESS WIRE --A record 33 UPS and UPS Freight state champions will test their skills against the nation’s top professional drivers in next month’s American Trucking Associations’ National Truck Driving Championships.

This year’s UPS (NYSE:UPS) team, a mix of veterans and newcomers to the national stage, have collectively accumulated 110 state titles and logged more than 500 years of accident-free driving. The event takes place Aug. 18-23 in Houston.

“Our nine first-time state champions are further evidence that the safety practices and skills that have been a hallmark of our drivers for many years are being passed on to the next generation of UPS and UPS Freight drivers,” said Phil Warren, UPS Freight vice president for community affairs. “For UPS and all competitors, the Nationals represent a showcase of our industry’s top professional drivers.”

The UPS team includes two former national champions, West Virginians Clarence Jenkins and Roger Lanham. Jenkins, a UPS Freight driver from Charleston, garnered the first of his West Virginia record 13 state championships in 1983 and won his national title in 1988. Lanham, who captured his 10^th state title this summer, won his national championship in 1985.

Another West Virginian making his 10^th return to the nationals is Ralph Gragg, a pickup and delivery driver for UPS Freight in Charleston.

This year’s company team also includes Barry Holland from Federalsburg, Md., who was named 2008 Maryland Grand Champion after recording the top score of all competitors in the state driving tournament.

The UPS Freight team also features Jerry Davis of Richmond, Va., who won his ninth state championship this year and first since 1999, and Dennis Kendrick of Richmond. Kendrick captured his eighth Virginia title in 2008 and second in a row in the five-axle competition.

Also returning for the second year in a row to the Nationals is UPS feeder driver John Foran, who this year successfully defended the Vermont four-axle championship he first won in 2007.

Other members of the 2008 team include eight UPS feeder drivers who won their first state titles this year to qualify for the national competition. They include David Edwards from Tennessee; David Sharp from Nevada; Minnesota’s Carl Myers; Troy Turtle and Bill Harvey from Oklahoma; Gareth Denham from Maryland; Ed Mikan from Illinois, and Shane Schneider from Kansas.

Rounding out the 2008 team are UPS Freight drivers Ty Bentley and Chuck Jones from North Carolina; Texas’ Bobby Brown; Scott Cain from Georgia; Anthony Chestnut from Florida; Joe Clements from Virginia, and South Carolinians John Cook, John Hummel, Dennis Martin and Steve Newsome.

Also, Danny Drewery from Tennessee; Alan Graham and Duane Lasure from Ohio; Johnny Hodges and Craig Warner from West Virginia; Vernon Smith and Robert White from Nevada, and Jerry Sheble from California.

Both the state and national competitions include difficult driving skills, maneuvering tests, equipment inspections and exams covering safety policies and regulations. More than 400 drivers from across the nation will compete in Houston in nine equipment classes.

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Storm Worm Virus

RJ Note: Another day, another warning. Take heed.

Be on the lookout for spam e-mails spreading the Storm Worm malicious software (malware) which mention "F.B.I. vs. facebook". The e-mail directs the recipient to click on a link to view an article about the FBI and Facebook. Once the user clicks on the link, malware is downloaded to the Internet connected device and causes it to become infected and become part of the Storm Worm botnet. A botnet is a network of compromised machines under the control of a single user. Botnets are typically set up to facilitate criminal activity such as spam e-mail, identity theft, denial of service attacks, and spreading malware to other machines on the Internet.

The Storm Worm virus has capitalized on various holidays and fictitious world events in the last year by sending millions of e-mails advertising an e-card link within the text of the spam e-mail.

Be wary of any e-mail received from an unknown sender. Do not open any unsolicited e-mail and do not click on any links provided.

Rare Talent

I have a fairly new friend I met through the now-closed Fayette Art Center and Gallery. She's quiet-spoken and doesn't seem to be the kind of person who would make a huge impact. Yet she does.

She has the rare talent of making people feel good, of making them smile. When she comes into a room you can feel the warmth and caring she exudes. She sees the good in people and she sees the best characteristics of a person. You know she's seeing them and it has the effect of making those characteristics stronger.

I always feel better about myself when I talk with her.

Yet she's a strong person, lots of inner strength. She proves that caring and goodness doesn't have to be packaged in a personality that can be pushed around.

Quiet strength is the term I'd use to describe her core.

She's thoughtful, too. She recently came to a meeting at the house and showed up with a gift that brightened my evening. Did I mention she's a talented artist, too? Her gift was something an artist friend of hers had made, and it was the perfect gift for the event. Thoughtful.

She's a person of many talents who makes the world a better place to live in. I am thankful to have her as a new-found friend. I think if I mentioned her name it would embarrass her so I won't.

One Missing Gene Leads to Fruitless Mating Rituals

RJ Note: Gotta tell you. I'm just not real sure what this all means in the scope of life. What I do know is that in my college genetics class, we had to breed fruit flies. Of course, my roommates would laugh out loud when I was trying to get the virgin flies out before they could be attacked. And then, of course, my mom wasn't overly impressed with the fruit flies who escaped and took up residence in her home. Ah, fruit flies and their abnormalities. Brings back many fond memories. In case you're wondering, I did get an "A" in the class.

Male fruit flies missing a gene for one particular odor receptor become clueless in matters of love, scientists at Duke University Medical Center have discovered.

Because they lack the ability to read important chemical cues, these flies will indiscriminately attempt to have sex with other males, and with females who have already mated. The signals they're missing are pheromones wafting from mated females and male flies. The work appears online in Nature Neuroscience.

The researchers found that the signals from this pheromone receptor are so important to the flies that the neurons are wired directly into the higher-order processing center of the fly's brain, which governs behavior. This direct connection surprised the scientists, who have studied other fruit fly courtship genes.

"It goes against the dogma that was established for the olfactory and taste systems," said Hubert Amrein, Ph.D., of the Duke Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. "Our finding implies that signals from the outside don't have to go through processing stations in the chemosensory system before being connected to the higher-order brain structures."

Males without a gene called Gr32a, the gustatory receptor gene, showed normal levels of courtship with virgin females. But in competition with normal (or wild-type) male fruit flies, they were outperformed by 4 to 1. In fact, the Gr32a-lacking flies courted the male competitors in addition to the females.

To further investigate the role of the gene, researchers used decapitated, passive flies of both genders, because these do not provide any behavioral feedback that could confound the precise measurement of the sex appeal they held for the male flies being studied. Both types of males courted the decapitated virgin females equally. However, courtship attempts toward decapitated males increased only in the males lacking the Gr32a gene, and these flies attempted copulation, behavior not seen in the wild-type males.

The scientists also found that the males lacking the Gr32a gene courted females who had already mated. Wild-type males, however, were significantly less attracted by mated females, because mated females have received male pheromones during the first mating.

The hapless Gr32a-negative males tried to mate with virgin females even when they had been covered with male pheromones, behavior that the wild-type flies avoided.

"This gene was very powerful for distinguishing between genders and for determining mating status," said co-author Tetsuya Miyamoto, Ph.D., also of the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. "Male pheromone is so effective that Gr32a mutants court males with almost the same intensity as they do females."

The GR32a gene is not found in humans. "In general, the development of pheromones in human sexual behavior is not as clear-cut as one would hope," Amrein said. "We know that males and females have preferences for certain olfactory cues. The mouse has an olfactory organ, and humans have a remnant of this in the nose, but it doesn't function in people. So I think it is very difficult to make any direct connections between these gene findings in fruit flies and what happens in people."

This research was funded by NIH grants and a long-term fellowship of the International Human Frontier Science Program Organization.

Four Ways to Digitally Preserve Your Wedding Photos

RJ Note: Ah, the age of digital information. Ain't it grand.

(ARA) – Your great-grandmother probably had just one treasured wedding portrait, and your own mother likely captured memories of her special day in an old-fashioned photo album. You, however, are getting married in the Internet age, which means you’ll be able to preserve a virtually limitless number of images from the biggest day of your life.

Here are four ways to digitally preserve your wedding photos:

1. Digital Devices

From digital picture frames to smart phones that allow you to store images on a micro SD memory card, digital devices mean you can keep - and carry with you – favorite wedding photos. Some digital frames limit the number of images you can store, while others are compatible with SD memory cards, meaning you can store, view and swap out thousands of images. You can also use your MP3 player, laptop, PDA and some mobile phones to store images.

2. Your PC or Laptop

Many wedding photographers now offer services to put your wedding photos on a disc so that you can transfer images to your PC or laptop. Most developing services, like those found in pharmacies or department stores, also offer the option to put your images on a disc. This storage method makes it easy to transfer images to your PC or laptop, where you can use editing software to create collages, crop, color-adjust and otherwise manipulate your images.

3. Photo-sharing Web Sites

Many photo-sharing Web sites now offer ample storage for all your wedding photo needs. PhotosYourWay.com, for example, a new innovator in photo-sharing, offers 7GB of free storage, enough to store thousands of images. Photo-sharing Web sites also allow you to spice up your photo presentation with effects like captioning, cropping, editing, borders and more. You can present your images in a slide-show format, and even share images with a specific group of family or friends, or designate them viewable by anyone interested in wedding images. One caveat – photo-sharing sites are only for original, amateur works, not the copyrighted images you receive from your professional wedding photographer.

PhotosYourWay also offers the opportunity to get paid for your original, amateur wedding images. When you upload your images, simply select the option that makes them available for purchase by photo houses, advertising agencies, publishers and anyone else who needs fresh wedding images on a regular basis. The Web site acts as a broker for the images, sharing a percentage of the sale price with the member who posted the photo. It’s possible to make up to $300 for exclusive rights to one of your images.

5. Your Own Wedding Web Site

Many couples are now opting to design their own Web sites prior to the wedding. Pre-wedding day, the sites can be great resources to communicate important information to guests and for making faraway loved ones feel like a part of your wedding preparations. After your big day, the site can be used to share anecdotes and images from the honeymoon, update friends and family on where you’ll be living as newlyweds, and even for posting personal thank-you messages for especially thoughtful gifts.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Silver Stars™ Talent Competition to Offer Seniors Chance to Shine

RJ Note: With all the wonderful talent found in our area, shouldn't there be some of our locals in this competition? Should I start the list off? Let's see, there's---

(BUSINESS WIRE)--HealthSpring is inviting musicians, singers and dancers age 60 and up to compete for the top prize of $5,000 in a new talent contest called Silver Stars.

“We know there are so many talented seniors in this community, and we want to give them a chance to really show what they can do,” HealthSpring of Tennessee President Shawn Morris said. “Seniors represent a huge pool of talent that has been ignored by TV talent shows that all focus on a much younger demographic. We feel this is the perfect opportunity to harness all that untapped energy and talent with our own competition. Silver Stars fits perfectly with HealthSpring’s mission to help seniors stay healthy and active.”

Silver Stars is open to singers, musicians and dancers age 60 or older. Solos, duos and groups are welcome.

The ten finalists will record a professionally-produced compilation CD and go on to compete for the top prize of $5,000 dollars in cash at the Ryman Auditorium on Sat., Oct. 4, 2008. The finalists will perform in front of fans, family and friends and will receive a DVD of their performances. A total of $7,500 in prize money will be award to first-, second- and third-place winners. The panel of finalist celebrity judges includes News Channel 4 anchor Demetria Kalodimos, 103WKDF morning personality Rick Marino, Bluebird Café founder Amy Kurland and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Brenda Lee. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean will open the event with a welcoming address.

Auditions will be held Sat., Aug. 23, 2008, from noon to 6 p.m. CDT at Cadillac Ranch, located at 305 Broadway in downtown Nashville. Participants should arrive by 10 a.m. for pre-registration.

The first 100 audition registrants will perform for a panel of local celebrity judges, including Sirius Satellite Radio personality and “Unofficial Mayor of Music Row” Charlie Monk, 103WKDF air personality Sweet Becca, Tennessean music journalist Nicole Keiper, hit songwriter and Jon Bon Jovi collaborator Billy Falcon and USA Today music journalist Brian Mansfield.

Seniors interested in participating in Silver Stars can register online at www.hssilverstars.com. On-site registration will also be available on the day of auditions.

For more information, visit www.hssilverstars.com or call Billy Block at 615-665-8772.

Bloggers Key In On Health Benefits

RJ Note: Sounds good to me. Then again, I do so enjoy the words as they tumble out.

(NAPSI)-You might already know that the pen is mightier than the sword, but have you heard that blogging could help you fight off bad health?

Studies show that expressive writing-the type often found in the blogosphere-has therapeutic effects ranging from improved memory and sleep to boosted immune cell activity and improved healing after surgery.

James Baker, a masters student at Swinburne University of Technology who studies the benefits of blogging, even concluded that “the connections they [bloggers] made online had a clear spin-off to the satisfaction they had in their outside life.”

It’s a fact not lost on Sona Mehring, who created a Web site in 1997 to keep friends and family updated during a loved one’s health crisis. Today, more than 20 million families each year use that service to connect during a loved one’s illness, making it the third largest nonprofit Web site in the world behind AARP.org and MoveOn.org.

The site, called Caring Bridge.org, lets users who are going through a health crisis create a private online journal for friends and family to read. The entries help loved ones better understand the writer’s situation and ensure that everyone has accurate information.

The site also gives readers a place to show support, in the form of a guestbook, while providing a much-needed chance for the bloggers to express themselves during difficult times.

“The benefits to users range from the social support they receive online to the fact that their CaringBridge sites can provide a detailed documentation of their journey-including their medical procedures, improvements and setbacks, along with their feelings and thoughts, which they can refer to at later dates,” explains Mehring.

The site can also cut down the number of phone calls or e-mails that need to be exchanged for family and friends to stay in touch with a sick loved one on a daily basis.

So are the benefits truly therapeutic? At least one survey suggests they are. It found that over 90 percent of patients using the site said it helped them in their actual healing process.

For more information, visit www.caringbridge.org.

Chilean Marine Megabacteria Could be the solution to Energy Crisis.

RJ Note: Another interesting story to follow over time. Wouldn't this be cool if it worked?

Chilean Marine Megabacteria Could be the solution to Energy Crisis. "If we find in Chile bacteria that can produce hydrogen, for example, they could be used as the gasoline we use now and it would be a very important contribution".

24-7 - Even though they've been living millions of years on the Chilean coasts, no one had studied them well enough. Until now, where biologists at the University of Concepcion (Chile), allied with Craig Venter, are researching their potential, ranging from the production of ammonia and hydrogen to creating explosives and drugs.

The Chilean seafloor continues to exhibit its great potential. Marine Biologist PhD. Victor Ariel Gallardo study the genome of macrobacteria (Beggiatoa spp.) and megabacteria (Thioploca spp.) that live from the northern coasts of Chile down to Arauco in southern Chile, between 20 and 200 meters (60 to 600ft.) deep in the clay sediments, with lots of organic matter but little or no oxygen.

Microorganisms discovered measure between 10 and 90 micrometers in diameter in the case of megabacteria (a bacterium normally does not reach 10 micrometers) and up to 7 centimeters long! The macrobacteria reach a few micrometers in diameter and are up to 3 centimeters long! These organisms, analyzed at a US laboratory, could be used in the mining, pharmaceutical or medical industries.

The megabacteria were discovered in 1962 during the Expedition Mar Chile II, they are visible to the naked eye and are abundant, in the oxygen depleted waters of the continental shelf. The macrobacteria in the same geographical location, were seen in 2004. "All live in environments previously considered to be devoid of life. Apart from the classical microbial life (or tiny organisms) that is everywhere, these large bacteria had gone unnoticed," says Victor Gallardo. The macrobacteria "probably are descendants of the first bacteria that settled in sediments on the planet, some three or four billion years ago," says the biologist, "and were very well known by micropaleontologists since the middle of the last century that found them as fossils in ancient rocks. Megabacteria would have appeared between 850 and 1,200 million years ago, when there already was more oxygen in the seas", explains Victor Gallardo.

The bacteria reach large sizes since they use the water's nitrate content instead of oxygen to survive and obtain their energy from hydrogen sulphide, a toxic gas that is found in marine sediments, with which they feed. According to the biologist, these micro-organisms invented some "nitrate diving bottles." "Each cell has a bag in its interior, which is almost 90% of its volume, within which it accumulates nitrate, just like divers have their tanks filled with oxygen. They stick out into the water and fill their nitrate tanks and they use them to breathe, they then return back into the sediment and absorb hydrogen sulphide, their food. In their tanks nitrate is concentrated 20 thousand times, they can survive with it almost two years without having to go out for more", says Victor Gallardo.

Potential

At this point in time, the scientist is studying the genome of these bacteria to exploit their potential. Previous research on similar organisms have shown promise for future use, especially in energy production.

"If we find in Chile bacteria that can produce hydrogen, for example, they could be used as the gasoline we use now and it would be a very important contribution, when you consider hydrogen combustion with oxygen forms water, not carbon dioxide, so it doesn't contribute to global warming either", says Victor Gallardo.

As these bacteria feed on a toxic gas - hydrogen sulphide - that though found in the seabed, it is also produced by some industries such as the fisheries. "It would be interesting to make a detergent that would prevent poisoning, for example, with the gasses rotten fish produces," says Gallardo. Similar bacteria studied in international laboratories are capable of producing ammonia as waste, which is then used as plant fertilizer and even in sewage treatment plants. Others may be used in the explosives industry and in the pharmaceutical industry, for example a compound of Salinispora (one of these bacteria) was discovered that can kill cancer cells in the blood.

For the time being, the potential of the bacteria found in Chile is unknown, and are currently being tested in the United States. Gallardo has worked with Craig Venter (known worldwide for the Human Genome Project), and thanks to his own contacts, supported by the University of Concepcion and Fondecyt (Chilean National Science and Technology Fund), he has made progress in this research. "There are many laboratories currently working on them in the rest of the world and we are trying to stimulate and deepen the local studies. We believe it is important to have access to these living marine resources, which are not fish nor shellfish, which as you know, obtain more attention. I think this is going to change or may be actually changing as these new resources could contain genes, proteins and enzymes that could biotechnologically help solve several problems that beset mankind and our country specifically", emphasizes the biologist.

Serial Murder - New Report Highlights Views of Experts

RJ Note: Hmmmmm. Guess that means I have to look at everyone with the old fish eye now? This story about serial killers is from the FBI and dispels some of the myths associated with the killers.

On television and the silver screen, serial killers are usually white males and dysfunctional loners who really want to get caught. Or, they’re super-intelligent monsters who frustrate law enforcement at every turn.

According to a new publication from our National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime—entitled Serial Murder: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators—serial killers are much different in real life.

The report contains the collective insights of a group of experts from the law enforcement, academic, and mental health professions who took part in a symposium on serial murder. The symposium’s focus was actually two-fold: to bridge the gap between fact and fiction and to build up our collective body of knowledge to generate a more effective investigative response.

Here’s why that is so important: Serial killings are rare, probably less than one percent of all murders. They do, however, receive a lot of attention in the news and on screen—and much of the information out there is wrong. Yet, the public, the media, and even sometimes law enforcement professionals who have limited experience with serial murder, often believe what they read and hear. And this misinformation can hinder investigations.

According to the experts, there is no common thread tying serial killers together—no single cause, no single motive, no single profile. But there are some common "best practices" that they recommend for investigations:

For example:

Strong leadership throughout the chain of command that can withstand the external pressure sometimes brought to bear on serial murder cases by politicians, the victims' families, and the media;

Task forces that bring together agencies from the different jurisdictions to effectively combine expertise, resources, and information;

An automated case management system like the FBI’s Rapid Start that organizes and collates lead information so investigators don't get overwhelmed;

A team of crime analysts who can help investigators develop timelines of murders and backgrounds on suspects, highlight similar case elements, etc. (note: if your agency doesn't have such a team, ask for help from a neighboring jurisdiction or from our National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime);

Consistent forensic services, which in the best case scenario means that the same crime scene team goes to each scene and the same crime lab processes all the evidence (but if that's not possible, then enhanced communication between the teams and the labs is a must to ensure consistency); and

A strong media plan that successfully straddles the line between giving out relevant information to the media and not compromising the investigation—while helping to raise public awareness about the killings.

As for serial killer myths, our group of experts had this to say about a few of them:

1) Serial killers are not all dysfunctional loners: some have had wives and kids and full-time jobs and have been very active in their community or church or both.

2) Serial killers are not all white males: the racial diversification of serial killers generally mirrors the overall U.S. population.

3) Serial killers do not want to get caught: over time, as they kill without being discovered, they get careless during their crimes.

So much for the stereotypes!

Alien Pursuit of Toilet Technology Chronicled in Final 'Alien Droppings' Video

RJ Note: Thought this was a joke-- but looks like it's real. What creative juices they have!

PRNewswire -- They're back!!! Those pesky, potty-obsessed aliens from Kimberly-Clark Professional's otherworldly video contest are appearing once more on a computer screen near you.

To view the final installment in their intergalactic search for the next space-age technology, visit www.aliendroppings.com.

When last spied in a two-part video at the site, these mysterious extraterrestrials had made off with the universe's first electronic toilet paper dispenser, leaving a terrified human and an unpleasant "dropping" in their wake. The video ended with a challenge: Create a script for a third encounter between earthling and alien and win a Sony HD video camera valued at $1,200.

Now, more than 84,000 web hits later, Kimberly-Clark Professional has produced the winning script by Daniel Kane, a graduate student at Tufts University. The new video picks up where the first installments left off and sheds a light on why the creatures traveled from a distant galaxy to capture this innovative, new technology and then return it to its toilet stall home.

The contest represents one of Kimberly-Clark Professional's first forays into the viral video realm. The goal was to promote a new business-to-business offering -- eJRT, the first touchless electronic bath tissue dispenser for public restrooms.

"eJRT is a ground-breaking, first-of-its-kind product," said Ming Xie, Category Manager for Kimberly-Clark Professional. "This contest allowed us to have some fun promoting a restroom technology that might well be appealing to a superior life form."

In addition to the grand prize, one first-prize winner received a year's supply of Kleenex Cottonelle bathroom tissue. Five second prize winners received a Potty Gift Pack of assorted restroom products.

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This is Not Your Grandfather's Funeral

RJ Note: Oh, I don't know. I think the love that was in the room at my grandparents' funerals was pretty awesome. Sometimes, showing grief is a good thing.

(ARA) - The next time you attend a funeral, don’t be surprised if it more closely resembles the last wedding you went to than the somber farewell you bid your grandfather 20 years ago.

“In recent years, funeral services have gone from a more formal or structured service with religious music, scripture, prayers and little or no information regarding the life of the deceased to a celebration of a life remembered through various means of personalization,” says Billy C. Wells, the chief executive officer at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home, a premier Dignity Memorial funeral service provider in Houston, Texas. Wells has either handled or helped arrange hundreds of funerals in his nearly 50 years in the industry, and says those held in recent years are a lot more memorable than those of yesteryear.

“The key to turning a funeral into a celebration of the life lost,” he says, “is the personalization which allows and encourages the family, their friends and visitors, to talk about the deceased and how he or she relates to the personalization items on display.”

Here’s just a small sampling of some of the more unique funerals Wells has seen recently:

* At a funeral for a well-known concert pianist, instead of having a casket for the visitation, the family opted to have a Steinway and Sons piano moved to the gallery of the funeral home and the florist created a huge spray of white flowers cascading from the strings of the piano onto a large carpeting of flowers surrounding the piano.

* For one visitation family members brought in items related to the deceased’s work as a professional horseman. Saddles, boots, numerous square bales of hay, partial fence structures, even a live horse in a make-shift temporary corral, transformed much of the décor of the funeral home.

* The florist turned the funeral home chapel altar into a hunting blind because the deceased was an avid hunter, and his hunting dogs were nearby in hunting position.

“By focusing the funeral on things the deceased enjoyed, as well as the experiences shared throughout his or her life, it encourages the sharing of stories and discussions of the deceased, and in some instances, may allow the family to learn of specials things about their loved one that otherwise they may have never known,” says Wells.

In addition to personalization, other changes that characterize the modern day funeral:

* The music is no longer strictly religious hymns. It includes the favorite music of the deceased.

* Receptions at the funeral home, or the family’s home after the service are more the case today than the exception. Many times they are elaborate catered events with entertainment.

* There used to be a time when photos were considered inappropriate. Today, it is commonplace to have video tributes, memory boards with selected photos, and even interactive voice tributes from friends or uploaded video tributes made at the funeral home during the visitation.

“Funeral services are changing to meet the needs of a generation that has different ideas about life -- and about death,” comments Tom Hendler of the Dignity Memorial network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers. “This is not your grandfather’s funeral. You can expect more, demand more and we can meet those demands. Our service standards go beyond expectation, to a level of service that actually surprises families because it is so far beyond what they imagined.”

For more information about the services available at modern day funerals, log on to www.dignitymemorial.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Watermelon May Havfe Viagra Effect

RJ Note: The refreshing sweet taste of watermelon. It's a favorite of mine in the summer time. Especially if I'm all hot and thirsty. Now, I can guess it just means .......fireworks?

July 3, 2008

A cold slice of watermelon has long been a Fourth of July holiday staple. But according to recent studies, the juicy fruit may be better suited to Valentine's Day.....

Read the full story.

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Rid Your Home Of Pesky Ghosts And Spirits

RJ Note: Just couldn't resist this one.

/24-7PressRelease/ Anna Maria Prezio announces the release of her new book, " Confessions of a Feng Shui Ghost-Buster" which was written to enlighten the reader on feng shui and reveal how it connects and relates to clearing negative energies, which can often be ghosts or spirits.
This exciting new book is unlike many feng shui books on the shelves.

"Confessions of a Feng Shui Ghost-Buster is the first of its non-fiction genre to combine two unlikely art and science forms to guide those traumatized by entities and ghosts to overcome their fear through understanding, knowledge and resolve from such supernatural forces. This simply written book on how to release ghosts invites us on a personal journey with uplifting tales that begin in a small village in Southern Italy.

Anna Maria's confessions will elevate your spirits, clarify your need for a productive environment and help you to create a serene sanctuary we all call home.Over many years of feng shui consulations, Anna Maria Prezio was able to make the connection between negative energy and the presence of ghosts in an environment. In her book she explain this radical concept in an easy-to-read practical guide on how to apply feng shui principles to ghost-busting.

Learn one of the many feng shui mysteries on removal techniques in "Confessions of a Feng Shui Ghost-Buster"