THE DRUG INVENTOR
Got a feverish friend? How 'bout a rashy relative? Create your very own drug to help them feel A Okay again. Name your drug, customize it, then send it to the folks that need it most. It's called the drug inventor and it's a lot of fun.
Quick Hits
-Barack Obama raked $7.8 million at three separate fundraisers in San Francisco.
-Rosie O'Donnell has attacked Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie saying they give token contributions to charities to appear humane only to make violent psychopathic movies.
-Rising prices are forcing school districts to tighten their belts this year. For example, fewer new teachers will be hired.
- Reno, Nevada, fire investigators have come up with an unusual cause of a blaze that damaged a home in Reno -- spider killing. Officials say a teenager was using fire to try to kill spiders Sunday afternoon when he accidentally set a fence on fire that then also burned part of his home. The fire burned through a wall and damaged a kitchen ceiling before firefighters put it out.
- It's the little cow with a big future. Rising supermarket prices are persuading hundreds of families in the UK to turn their back gardens into mini-ranches stocked with miniature cattle. Registrations of the most popular breed, the Dexter, have doubled since 2000 and websites are sprouting up offering "the world's most efficient, cutest and tastiest cows." For between $400 and $2,000 people can buy a cow that stands no taller than a large German shepherd dog, gives 16 pints of milk a day that can be drunk unpasteurized, keeps the grass "mown" and will be a family pet for years before ending up in the freezer. More than 4,100 Dexter cows were registered last year by the Dexter Cattle Society, which monitors the breed.
MICHAEL PHELPS IS GETTING ALL SORTS OF OFFERS _ Advertisers are already expressing interest in using Michael Phelps to push their products -- and why not? Right now his name is probably more recognizable that even Tiger Woods. His agent says proposals for business opportunities far and wide have streamed into his BlackBerry. Some are appealing, others less so. A man in Omaha, Nebraska, offered to sculpt a statue of the chiseled swimmer. As strange as that sounded, a similar offer came from China. Several book and movie deals were proposed. A dog-food idea was pitched, given Phelps's well-known love for his British bulldog, Herman. Other offers: bobblehead dolls, acrylic paintings, commemorative coins, car rims and tuxedos. Some just wanted to give him things, like all the pizza he could eat for a year, or free dental work. ... Howard Bloom, who teaches sports management at Algonquin College in Ottawa and has worked with several Olympic athletes, says Phelps could be worth $40 to $50 million to a single company.
MICHAEL PHELPS SWIMSUIT FOR SALE SOON _ You could soon be making a splash at your local swimming pool by wearing the suit Michael Phelps claims helped him win eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. While it won't mean you can swim and the same speed as the record breaking athlete, you'll at least look nifty in your new $500 suit. The Speedo LZR Racer -- which goes on sale in October -- was designed with NASA, has 10% less passive drag and is said to shave split seconds off the times of the worlds best swimmers. Speedo says it scanned the bodies of more than 400 elite swimmers, tested more than 100 different fabrics to perfect the ultra lightweight fully bonded suit.
SNAKE SLITHER UP MANS PANTS ON TV _ A weatherman was given the shock of his life when a seven foot python slithered up his shorts during a live broadcast. Kurtis Gertz of KCCI-TV was reporting from the Iowa State Fair with the python over his shoulder when it took a liking to him. As Gertz chatted into his microphone, Dawn the snake darted up the right leg of his shorts, within seconds she was so far in she appeared from the bottom of his left leg. While they tried to get Dawn out Gertz said to the crowd "I've got a hunch this is going to make YouTube." He was right -- within days it has over 80,000 views.
THINGS YOUR WAITER WON'T TELL YOU...From Reader's Digest
Avoid eating out on Saturday nights. The sheer volume of customers guarantees that most kitchens will be pushed beyond their ability to produce a high-quality dish.
There are almost never any sick days in the restaurant business. This means the busboy with a strep throat can't afford to stay home and miss out on $100. And these are the people handling your food.
Never say, "I'm friends with the owner."
Treat others as you want to be treated. Common sense, yet people forget this one.
Don't snap your fingers to get the waiter's attention. Remember that they have shears that cut through bone in the kitchen.
Don't order meals that aren't on the menu. You're forcing the chef to cook something he doesn't normally make. If he makes the same entrée 10,000 times a month, the odds are good that it will be a home run every time.
Splitting an entrée is fine, but don't ask the waiter for lemon, water and sugar so you can make your own lemonade.
If you find a waitress you like, always ask to be seated in her section. Tell your friends so they will start asking as well. You've just made that waitress look indispensable to the owner. The server will be grateful and take good care of you.
If you can't afford to leave a tip, you can't afford to eat in the restaurant.
Always examine the check. Sometimes large parties are not aware that a gratuity has been added to the bill, so they tip on top of that. It's wrong, but waiters often "overlook" such a mistake.
If you want to hang out, that's fine... just increase the tip to make up for the money the server would have made if he had been able to seat someone else at that table.
Never, ever come in 15 minutes before closing time. The cooks will cook your dinner right away. That means while you're picking at your salad, your meal is sitting under a heat lamp while the dishwasher is spraying industrial strength cleaner in the vicinity.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE OBITUARY
We've all seen newspaper obituaries, but this one's out there. From the Times Herald newspaper of Vallejo, California:
Dolores Aguilar ... 1929 - Aug. 7, 2008
Dolores Aguilar, born in 1929 in New Mexico, left us on August 7, 2008. She will be met in the afterlife by her husband, Raymond, her son, Paul Jr., and daughter, Ruby.
She is survived by her daughters Marietta, Mitzi, Stella, Beatrice, Virginia and Ramona, and son Billy; grandchildren, Donnelle, Joe, Mitzie, Maria, Mario, Marty, Tynette, Tania, Leta, Alexandria, Tommy, Billy, Mathew, Raymond, Kenny, Javier, Lisa, Ashlie and Michael; great-grandchildren, Brendan, Joseph, Karissa, Jacob, Delaney, Shawn, Cienna, Bailey, Christian, Andre Jr., Andrea, Keith, Saeed, Nujaymah, Salma, Merissa, Emily, Jayci, Isabella, Samantha and Emily. I apologize if I missed anyone.
Dolores had no hobbies, made no contribution to society and rarely shared a kind word or deed in her life. I speak for the majority of her family when I say her presence will not be missed by many, very few tears will be shed and there will be no lamenting over her passing.
Her family will remember Dolores and amongst ourselves we will remember her in our own way, which were mostly sad and troubling times throughout the years. We may have some fond memories of her and perhaps we will think of those times too. But I truly believe at the end of the day ALL of us will really only miss what we never had, a good and kind mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. I hope she is finally at peace with herself. As for the rest of us left behind, I hope this is the beginning of a time of healing and learning to be a family again.
There will be no service, no prayers and no closure for the family she spent a lifetime tearing apart. We cannot come together in the end to see to it that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren can say their goodbyes. So I say here for all of us, GOOD BYE, MOM.
BELOIT COLLEGE MINDSET LIST
This month, almost 2 million first-year students will head off to college campuses around the country. Most of them will be about 18 years old, born in 1990 when headlines sounded oddly familiar to those of today: Rising fuel costs were causing airlines to cut staff and flight schedules; Big Three car companies were facing declining sales and profits; and a president named Bush was increasing the number of troops in the Middle East in the hopes of securing peace. However, the mindset of this new generation of college students is quite different from that of the faculty about to prepare them to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Each August for the past 11 years, Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin, has released the Beloit College Mindset List. It provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college. It is the creation of Beloit's Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and Public Affairs Director Ron Nief.
The class of 2012 has grown up in an era where computers and rapid communication are the norm, and colleges no longer trumpet the fact that residence halls are "wired" and equipped with the latest hardware. These students will hardly recognize the availability of telephones in their rooms since they have seldom utilized landlines during their adolescence. They will continue to live on their cell phones and communicate via texting. Roommates, few of whom have ever shared a bedroom, have already checked out each other on Facebook where they have shared their most personal thoughts with the whole world.
MICHAEL PHELPS WORKS ON HIS TO-DO LIST CONTROVERSY OVER YOUNG CHINA GYMNAST _ China's gymnastics team could be in trouble if the International Olympic Committee looks into reports that one of it's gymnasts is under the minimum age of 16. The Associated Press found a report on the Chinese government's news agency website Thursday morning and saved a copy of the page. Later that afternoon, the web site was still working but the page was no longer accessible. The page listed He Kexin, then age 13, was one of the country's "10 big new stars" who made a splash at China's Cities Games. The story said that in the final "this little girl" pulled off a difficult release move on the bars known as the Li Na, named for another Chinese gymnast. If the age reported in the story was correct, that would have meant He was too young to be on the Chinese team that beat the United States on Wednesday and clinched China's first women's team Olympic gold in gymnastics. She is also a favorite for gold in Monday's uneven bars final. Chinese authorities insist that all its gymnasts are old enough to compete. IOC TELLS CHINA TO LEAVE PRESS ALONE _ The International Olympic Committee urged China Thursday to allow foreign reporters at the Beijing Games to report freely after a British journalist trying to cover a protest was allegedly roughed up by police. OLYMPIAN TOSSES BRONZE TO GROUND _ While an Olympic medal would be seen by most athletes as the ultimate reward for a lifetime's work, Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian was less than pleased with the bronze he won. Abrahamian threw down his 84kg greco-roman bronze in disgust after his shot at gold was ended by a decision denounced by the Swedish coach as "politics". Abrahamian took the medal from around his neck during the medal ceremony, stepped from the podium and dropped it in the middle of the mat before storming off. The Swedish wrestler had to be restrained by team-mates earlier as an argument erupted with judges over the decision in a semi-final bout with an Italian competitor, who went on to the take gold. DAVID BECKHAM, JIMMY PAGE, LEONA LEWIS PART OF CLOSING CEREMONIES _ David Beckham will star at the Olympics closing ceremony in Beijing as the handover to London 2012 gets under way. The event on August 24 will also see Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page performing a duet with pop star Leona Lewis. The finale will feature Beckham arriving on top of one of London's iconic red double-decker buses -- before he kicks a football into the crowd to celebrate. ALTERNATE USES FOR EVERYDAY ITEMS Dawn Dishwashing Liquid - Kills fleas instantly... Dawn Dishwashing Liquid does the trick. Add a few drops to your dog's bath and shampoo the animal thoroughly. Rinse well to avoid skin irritations. Good-bye fleas. Bounce - Rainy day cure for dog odor: Next time your dog comes in from the rain, simply wipe down the animal with Bounce or any dryer sheet, instantly making your dog smell springtime fresh. Gatorade - Did you know that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately-without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional pain relievers? Colgate - Did you know that Colgate Toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns? Altoids - Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They'll clear up your stuffed nose. Horseradish And Oil - Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 tablespoon horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil for instant relief for aching muscles. Oil And Honey - Sore throat? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria. Alka-Seltzer - Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly-even though the product was never been advertised for this use. Honey - Honey remedy for skin blemishes... cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing. Works overnight. Listerine - Listerine therapy for toenail fungus: Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine M outhwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails look ing healthy again.! Nail Polish - Easy eyeglass protection... to prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear Nail Polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them. 409 Cleaner - Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer... if menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground instantly. Elmers Glue - Smart splinter remover: Just pour a drop of Elmer's Glue-All over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue. Hunt's Tomato Paste - Hunt's Tomato Paste boil cure... cover the boil with Hunt's Tomato Paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head. Listirine Again - Balm for broken blisters... to disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine, a powerful antiseptic. Vinegar - Vinegar to heal bruises... soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process. Quaker Oats - Quaker Oats for fast pain relief... it's not for breakfast any more! Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain. TIPS TO HELP YOU SELL YOUR HOME...from Money magazine Remove old siding. Under the dreary vinyl or aluminum, you might find well-preserved wooden clapboards that can be repaired and repainted. If not, consider adding fiber cement siding. It's totally no-maintenance and looks like real wood. Do that and you'll be able to charge more. Another way to boost your home's curb appeal: Add an interesting architectural element that adds character and distinction to your house. Like a fancy salvaged front door, molding around the windows and doors, or interesting railings that can spruce up your front porch - and boost the sale price. Then, paint your house in the colors of nature: muted greens, pale yellows, and deep reds. Studies show those colors give your home a friendly, peaceful feeling and makes it more likely to sell. Also, change out the light fixtures and hardware. If your home looks dated on the outside, people will assume you haven't updated the inside either. Plant your garden with nonstop color. More houses sell in the spring because when people see signs of life in the garden, they're more likely to fall for a house. So, make sure there's always something colorful in your yard. HAVE THE PERFECT YARD SALE Plan a 1-day only sale. Preferably on a Saturday because people who miss the first day of a yard sale will assume all the best stuff is sold and they'll be less inclined to stop for Day 2. Serve free beverages. Like a cold glass of lemonade or iced tea. For one thing, a free drink will make people feel more welcome on your lawn and that'll keep them milling around longer, checking out your stuff. The longer people stay, the more likely they are to buy! Include at least one box marked "Bargain Bin." When people see the word "bargain" from the road, it attracts people who wouldn't normally stop at a yard sale! Go ahead and offer something free from the box with every purchase, but never price it as "free" because people associate free with junk. Get your stuff off the ground. Research shows that things sell for more money when they're displayed high up - like on a picnic table. People naturally dismiss items that are lower down as junk. That's why clothing displayed on a hanger can sell for FOUR TIMES the amount it would get when rumpled up in a box! Mark everything in multiples of $20 or $0.25. First, it'll be easier for you to make change when you only have to deal with bills and quarters. Psychologically, studies show it's easier to part with one quarter, or one twenty, than it is to part with two dimes, or three fives. Price everything 25% HIGHER than you want. People who shop at yard sales like the challenge of haggling for a bargain. So they'll most likely try to negotiate a lower price anyway. So, if you price high to begin with, you'll have a better chance of getting the price YOU really want.
Things Phelps want to do now that the Olympics are over:
Wessin Oil - Eliminate ear mites. All it takes is a few drops of Wesson Corn Oil in your cat's ear... massage it in, then clean with a cotton ball. Repeat daily for 3 days. The oil soothes the cat's skin, smothers the mites, and accelerates healing.
You're probably not going to remodel. However, you can pay $2,000, and upgrade your garage door - which is probably your home's most prominent feature. So, if you've got a flat, uninspired slab of vinyl or steel, trade up for a more visibly-appealing garage door, with molding or windows.
How'd you like to get your share of $3 BILLION? That's how much North Americans spend each year buying stuff at yard sales- some tips to help you grab the largest slice of the yard sale pie,.
