Archive for October, 2008

Free Sample of Rimmel Sweet Jelly Lip Gloss

Choose from Sweetie, Delicious, Tutti Frutti or Moreish. Hurry before this one ends.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard that people really love this lip gloss. It’s often said to be one of the fruitier glosses available. The colors go on very easily and they are never chunky.

About Rimmel London Sweet Jelly Lip Gloss

Sweet Jelly comes in a plastic tube that’s approximately 3 inches in length. The tube and cap are clear plastic. The applicator end of the tube is slanted for easy lip application.

Colors

• Moreish
• Yummy
• Succulent
• Jammy
• Tasty
• Juicy
• Delicious
• Gourmet

Click here to get your free sample of Rimmel Sweet Jelly lip gloss now.

Free Halloween E-Cards,Free Halloween E-Cards

• It’s that time of year again, when the ghosts are about and there’s a spooky feel in the air. To celebrate Halloween in the 21st century, the best way is with a free Halloween e-card. If you’re new to online greeting cards or haven’t made the perfect Halloween selection, here are some free ideas for you.

  What are you waiting for? In this latest installment of “Freebies for Halloween” we have pulled together a handful of free sites with the scariest e-cards available!

  Free Halloween E-Cards

  Funny eCards: Don’t let the name fool you; Funny eCards has dozens of free, terrifying Halloween e-cards ready to be sent to your friends. A subscription isn’t required, and each animated card has that personal touch that will make it memorable for years to come. Currently, the site has over a dozen selections to choose from.

  100 Free-Ecards: Up next is 100 Free-Ecards, where you can choose from dozens upon dozens of free e-cards to share with your friends and family. What’s impressive is the detail of selection: whether you want a fun, happy Halloween card, or a mind-numbing “terror” card, 100 Free-Ecards boasts an array that will make your head spin!

  ehalloween: ehalloween offers oodles and oodles of free Halloween e-cards that are second to none in terms of quality. Each card has been carefully designed for the best user experience, graphics, and sounds. Don’t hesitate to visit this site; Halloween only comes once a year after all!

  Halloween Greeting Cards: Fourth on our freebie list is Halloween Greeting Cards, a relatively new site with over 50 free e-cards to choose from. Scare your friends with these cards with such genres as Witches, Jack O’ Lantern, and Haunted House.

  Flash Halloween eCards: Want the creepiest selection of Halloween eCards on the net? Look no further than Flash Halloween eCards, where you can choose from such selections as Vampire, Monster, and Zombie. Go to the link and start scaring your friends and family.

  Halloween4U: At Halloween4U, the styles and types of e-card animations cover all the bases. No matter whether you desire a funny Halloween card, a sweet card, or a bloodcurdling card, Halloween4U has it all. Check it out, you’ll be glad you did.

  Are you ready to start sending spooky Halloween e-cards yet? In our opinion, these are the best sites around for free Halloween e-cards, but there are hundreds, thousands more just waiting to be found.

The 20 things every college student needs to survive the dorms.

Packing for college can be tricky. On one hand, you want to make sure you bring everything you’ll need, but on the other hand, you don’t want to end up with too much stuff. As a recent college grad I can tell you that the following 20 items will make your transition to the college life much smoother.

1. STORAGE BINS!- I really cannot stress enough how essential these are. You will arrive in your freshman dorm, it will be small, and you’ll have a lot of stuff. Get a couple of good quality, clear plastic storage bins (best found at Target). These are simply hidden, readily accessible, and see-through, so you’ll know exactly where everything is. Plus, if you get the kind with wheels at the bottom, they can be easily transported and can serve as no-unpacking-needed suitcases– pack your stuff in them at home, bring them to college, and slide them under your dorm bed or stick them in your closet– Viola! It is better to avoid taller bins, however, and purchase several low-lying ones as to avoid rummaging through layers of clothing.

2. Shower Caddy- You’ll keep all your soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, etc. in your dorm room, so you’ll want a shower caddy to be able to easily grab your stuff and get a quick shower.

3. Flip-flops/ bathroom shoes- ok, so this concept may be foreign to you if you’ve lived your life up to this point with clean bathrooms and spotless showers. Allow me to inform you that in college (or any other place for that matter) if you have to use a communal bathroom, you can kiss anti-bacterial washing environments goodbye. People do all kinds of weird stuff in the showers and you don’t want your feet to learn first hand. Read more…

10 Simplest Ways to Go Green

As college students we typically cannot afford to invest a lot of money into going green (usually because we don’t have any). But going green isn’t always about putting out money. There are ways it can help you save money too. Here are some simple and easy ways that we can all become more green now:

1. Ditch the plastic water bottles. There is no proven difference between the safety of drinking bottled water vs. tap water. I have been drinking the water out of my faucet for 2 years now and I have yet to develop a debilitating disease. You can buy metal water bottles that are reusable and much more environmentally friendly. Think of the money you’ll save by leaving the cases of bottled water behind next time you are at the grocery store.
2. Invest in reusable bags for grocery shopping. Pretty much every grocery store now sells reusable shopping bags (usually for less than $1). If you prefer to have more of a selection to choose from you can check out Ecobags.com or Resusablebags.com. These bags are more durable than plastic ones so you decrease the likelihood of your groceries being spewed all over the sidewalk while no longer contributing to the amount of plastic bags that end up as litter at the end of each year (which is billions!). Go here for more facts about the dangers of plastic bags.
3. Set your thermostat a few degrees cooler in the winter and a few degrees warmer in the summer. You’ve probably heard this one before but if you haven’t considered it seriously yet then maybe this time you should. You use up less energy this way, therefore, it’s better for the environment and lowers your heating and cooling costs. It’d be silly not to do this.
4. Three letters: C-F-L. Compact fluorescent lightbulbs use less energy and produce better light than the standard lightbulbs you are probably using now. If it’s something as easy as replacing a lightbulb you have no excuse to not make your lifestyle a little more eco-friendly this way.
5. Unplug appliances when you are not using them. This especially goes for chargers (for cell phones, laptops, etc.) which we are all usually guilty of leaving plugged into the wall when we are not using them. If you find it difficult to remember to do this you can buy a power strip to plug all your small appliances into and simply unplug the power strip when you’re not using them (that way you don’t have to remember to unplug 5 or more separate things). Or you could invest in a “smart power strip” which automatically senses when your appliances are on or off and switches on or off accordingly. Again, you can be eco-friendly and cut down on your bills at the same time.
6. Consider gently used secondhand items. Help the recycling process and check out websites like Craigslist.com or Freesharing.org to find items such as small appliances or furniture for cheap or possibly for free!
7. Recycle your electronics. Too many of us have old cell phones, laptops, printers, TV’s, etc. lying around. Instead of letting them contribute to the clutter of an already cramped space consider recycling these electronics. Go here for information on how to do so and to find out about local recycling programs.
8. Buy in bulk. Buying items in bulk from places such as Costco, BJ’s Wholesale, or Sam’s Club will save you money and requires less packaging than buying items individually so it’s better for the environment. Visit these companies’ websites to find one close to you.
9. Make your own cleaning products. Yes, you can make your own cleaning products using ingredients such as baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap. They are effective, yet non-toxic. It’s worth a shot to try these out.
10. Check out Yougee.me to find green products, services, and more. Yougee.me is an up and coming site that will allow users to search for environmentally friendly products and services and has features such as the “Carbon Offsetter of the Week” and a glog (their green blog). It was developed by students just like you at the University of Pittsburgh. Sign up now to become one of the first members and contribute to the efforts of this revolutionary green movement.

Top Ten Bipolar Blogs 2008

Blogs tend to have a short life cycle, with most lasting under two years before fading into archival heaven. Last year Psych Central compiled a list of the top ten bipolar blogs, written by people who have a bipolar spectrum disorder. We’re glad that some of our faves are still active, sad to see a few gone, and happy to discover great new writers too. We’re pleased to present you Psych Central’s Top Ten Bipolar Blogs of 2008.

1. Furious Seasons

There simply could not be a top bipolar blogs list without Philip Dawdy. He’s an excellent journalist whose blog has become synonymous with unrestrained investigative writing on bipolar disorder, mental health treatments and the pharma industry. He does not hesitate to call out BS when he finds it, and he digs for it harder than any other popular writer. Furious Seasons is an invaluable service to the mental health community.

2. MentallyInteresting.org – Pole to Polar: The Secret Life of a Manic-Depressive

Seaneen, a woman in the UK with characteristic wit and a gift for metaphors, keeps a blog that is much like the disorder: it ranges from hilarious to melancholy to very serious. Even the serious bits are wry, though, e.g. “The crappiest thing about [her recent suicide attempt] is that I lost the eBay auction for the camera that broke on me.” It’s personal without TMI, and conveys pathos without being pitiful. She’s someone you can’t help but feel affection for (unless perhaps you’re her accountant). While compiling this list I was sidetracked into reading her archives for hours, and a blog that compelling to my distractable eyes is unquestionably tops. Please stay alive and keep writing, Seaneen, we all need you.

3. Coming Out Crazy

Sandy Naiman is a skilful storyteller and hers is a highly readable pro blog. She uses an intimate style to share anecdotes and opinions as well as current issues. It’s like chatting with your friendly next-door neighbor — who happens to be an award-winning career journalist and prominent mental health advocate. Her posts are engrossing, sometimes tragic, and quite inspiring.

4. Bipolar Wellness Writer

If you believe that eschewing negativity and training yourself to be reflexively positive is important to recovery, this blog is for you. If you are interested in the constructs of wellness and positive psychology, this blog is for you. If you like to learn practical day-to-day tips for improving your life, this blog is for you. If you enjoy well-crafted, thoughtful and focused writing with regular updates, this blog is for everyone.

5. The Trouble with Spikol

Liz Lemon* Spikol was number one on the list last year and the only reason I’ve bumped her down is that her blog now tends to deviate from mental health into politics and cute photos (although I like puppies as much as anyone). Affable, honest and entertaining even on slow days.

6. Bipolar Beat

I didn’t add this newcomer blog to the list just because Psych Central hosts it. It’s here because it’s a super informative blog written by a doctor with clinical experience and a non-medical expert writing partner. Candida Fink and Joe Kraynak have an “ask a question” feature to prompt some of their posts, but also have no problem generating posts on hot topics like overdiagnosis, supplements, and childhood bipolar. They also maintain the similar Bipolar Blog.

7. How is Bradley?

Bipolar and obese, that’s how Bradley is. But he’s a good egg and this blog is his public quest to lose weight and keep mental stability. Often, medications used to treat bipolar will cause weight gain — lithium, valproate, Zyprexa/olanzapine, Seroquel/quetiapine, the list goes on — so his writing is relevant to many readers who have similar issues. This is an easy to digest personal blog with light humor about a heavy topic.

8. Two video blogs (vlogs) tie for eighth place: John McManamy’s Depression and Bipolar YouTuber, and Bipolar Survivor Back

John has written about the science and history of bipolar disorder and its treatments for years via his site, e-newsletter, blog, and book. While they contain a huge amount of technical (and common sense) information beautifully interpreted for laypeople, his vlog is even more accessible. Explanations of and practical coping skills for specific situations like anger management and body clock problems. Nicely produced and edited, I’d love to see more frequent updates.

Meanwhile, Kimberly’s Bipolar Survivor Back is an articulate video series about the mental health issues she’s suffered since childhood, and getting treatment as an adult. She recently stopped posting videos due to haters. Her experience with trolls is an example of the risks of exposing a personal life complicated by mental illness, and I commend her for trying to combat stigma and educate people.

9. Caught in my Burble

“Your neighborhood misanthropic, buxom, bondage-positive, bipolar, bisexual, flying, loquacious hedonist.” Updated: “Now with VNS capabilities.” Last year I was keen to see if an experimental vagus nerve stimulator implant would help her very severe, treatment-resistant depression. It didn’t really. She still writes extremely well, though.

10. Yoga for Bipolar

I love yoga! I also love substance-free treatment alternatives that genuinely help people! Here they are together in one blog, like a chocolate peanut butter cup. I am grateful that David Morgan “made the decision not to withhold information for profit” since this is a quibble I have with some alternative treatments. Random people who claim their secret blend of herbs, spices and organic bamboo socks will cure bipolar, schizophrenia and cancer all at once if you’ll pay $300 for a DVD — what a deal! (Not!) Yoga is a mainstream, time-honored practice, and it’s nice to see this blog aimed at benefiting bipolar sufferers rather than a bank account. With more frequent updates, fewer product reviews, and more specific instructions for practice, this blog would rank much higher on the list.

Honorable mentions: Bipolar Chica (for being a cool blog), Brad (because he’s still hyper-awesome, but doesn’t write about bipolar much anymore), If you’re going through hell keep going (for her sincerity and introspection), and The Bipolar Bisexual (for being topical, funny, and hot — NSFW).

Thank you to everyone in the blogosphere writing such great blogs it was hard for us to narrow our choices to just ten. Like any list of this kind we’ve probably left out a few of your faves, so please share links in the comments.

What the Fingertips Top 10 looks like now It’s been such a long time

What the Fingertips Top 10 looks like now

It’s been such a long time since I’ve blogged about the Fingertips Top 10 that the entire chart, but for the number one song, is new (newcomers since the last blog update are marked with an asterisk). Check it out:
1. “Albert” – Ed Laurie
2. “Some Are Lakes” – Land of Talk*
3. “Me and Armini” – Emiliana Torrini*
4. “A Little Tradition” – Novillero*
5. “The Crook of My Good Arm” – Pale Young Gentlemen*
6. “Rosa” – Samuel Markus*
7. “Un Día” – Juana Molina*
8. “Morning Tide” – the Little Ones*
9. “HYPNTZ” – Dan Black*
10. “New Song” – Your 33 Black Angels*

“Rosa” and “New Song” are brand new this week. “Albert,” which entered at #1, has remained there. Juana Molina’s hypnotic “Un Día” is probably one of the more unusual Top 10 songs I’ve listed over the years, lacking anything like an obvious hook, although Dan Black’s unexpectedly poignant cover of a song by the Notorious B.I.G. is also an oddity, perhaps, in the Fingertips universe.

For those relatively new to Fingertips, note that the Top 10 list is my way of putting a little bit of extra attention on ten particularly wonderful songs at any given time. It’s important to remember, however, that Fingertips only features carefully filtered music to begin with, so you can’t go wrong with any of the MP3s featured here.

Songs remain in the Top 10 for a maximum of three months, before they are retired to the Retired Top 10 Songs page, of all places.

Top Ten Android Launch Apps

The first Android phone. the G1, goes on sale today at T-Mobile stores. And, although I have some issues with the software/hardware interface, those are more than overcome by all the great software on the phone. I’ve been testing out a phone for about a week, and I don’t think I’ve made more than five actual calls on the phone. For me, it’s all about the apps.

The apps I use the most come with the device: Gmail, the Web browser, and Google Maps, in that order. The phone also comes with the Amazon MP3 store, which lets you buy songs and download them over the air directly onto the phone. But you can also download apps from the Android Market, which is similar to the iPhone’s App Market. Many of the original apps on the review phones have been scrubbed, and about 50 are supposed to be loaded onto the market for today’s launch.

Right now, I count 40 apps on the market (all of them are free, but paid apps are coming with a 70 percent cut going to developers), and I know of several that are supposed to launch today that have not yet appeared on the phone. But if you are going to get a phone today, here is my list of the top ten apps worth downloading and checking out.

1. imeem Mobile: It’s a jukebox in your pocket, and the progressive download means that your song doesn’t skip when you go into an elevator, ’nuff said.

2. ShopSavvy: From Big in Japan, this turns your phone into a barcode scanner and then gives you price comparisons both online and in nearby retail stores. In my tests, the product database is good for household items, but can stumble with obscure products. But this is a killer app once the product database becomes more comprehensive. (Also try CompareEverywhere, which does the same thing).

3. Pac-Man: The original arcade game from Namco. Free on the Android (it costs $7.99 on the iPhone). The rollerball is an excellent joystick.

4. BreadCrumbz: You can leave photo and voice marker breadcrumbz along any route that others can then follow later on. Ties into the phone’s GPS, maps, camera, and microphone.

5. Wikitude: A travel guide that pulls up information from Wikipedia about nearby locations and puts them on a map, along with photos from Panoramio. Really useful geo-mashup.

6. Shazam: Put the phone up to a radio or speaker playing a song and Shazam will tell you the name and the artist, just like the iPhone app.

7. SplashPlay: Teaches you how to play the guitar by playing music and showing a fret board that you can play on the screen in sync with the music. The app is marketing for a similar tutorial device you can buy for your guitar, but it really teaches you how to play.

8. iSkoot for Skype: Lets you use your Skype account to IM your contacts, make Skype calls over the Internet, and uses the phone for SkypeOut calls (this is one of the apps that was taken down, but should go up again. Update: It’s available now)

9. MyCloset: This one’s more for the ladies, but a very nicely done app. You take apicture of every article of clothes in your closet, categorize them (top, bottom, shoes, accessories, etc.), select months when they can be worn, and then you can mix and match to plan out your outfits. The only thing it needs is some way to note weather a piece of clothing is clean or not.

10. Cab4Me Light: A simple app that gives you phone numbers of cab companies based on where you are.

Top ten political makeovers

At the end of the day, Iraq and the economy paled in comparison with the most important question of the 2004 campaign. Had the craggy-faced Kerry had Botox? He denied it but few believed him (especially after his wife openly credited the procedure for her own look.) Read more…

Men’s Hockey In CIS Top Ten Poll For First Time in 34 Years!

Top Gear season 12 teaser

Click above to watch the video after the jump

With production underway on spin-offs in locations as diverse as Australia, Russia and these United States, the original crew of Top Gear are back at it again with their all-new season scheduled to debut just a couple of weeks from now on November 2. And to keep our interests piqued (as if that were needed), the BBC has released a commercial full of teasers of what Clarkson, Hammond and May will be up to for our viewing enjoyment this season.

Follow the jump to watch the video, where you’ll spot quick clips of the Veritas, BMW M3, Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, Pagani Zonda, Bugatti Veyron, an American special featuring the Dodge Challenger, Corvette ZR-1 and Cadillac CTS-V, and Mika Hakkinen driving the Mercedes C63 AMG as well as adventures in big-rig trucks, a double-decker bus and what appears to be a Sunseeker Predator speedboat, to say nothing of their trip to Vietnam. Check it out.