Admired Inspirations

Wise

2009-03-19T14:40:00.001-05:00

There are two ways of going through life: gather everything in sight, just in case you need it, or trust that you'll find exactly what you need, just in time. Guess which one lets you really stop and smell the roses?

Slike kao film

2008-08-21T02:04:00.005-05:00

Kako od mojih slika da napravim filmic sa nekom muzikom? Koji program to radi?
Ima dosta takvih programa.
Jedan od njih je Movie Maker. Prebacis fotke, dodas muziku, na kraju te pita da li hoćeš da snimis kao DVD ili VCD i gotova stvar.
Prezentaciju slika sa muzikom odlično radi program ProShow Gold.
Pre instalacije procitajte i pogledajte demo primere napravljene sa ProShow...
http://www.photodex.com/products/proshowgold/
ProShow Gold makes it easy to create a slide show with your photos, videos and music in a few simple steps.
Just drag and drop your content into a show, edit photos, add effects, set the timing and you’re done!
You can easily create a unique and personalized photo slide show for any occasion whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, graduation, holiday, wedding or just showing-off vacation photos.
Tutorijal
http://www.photodex.com/training/
ProShow has over 280 transition effects to choose from
Click the Transition icon between two slides to access the Transition Chooser
Turn the composition lines on and off in Slide Options or Show Options
Right-click in the preview window in Slide Options and click <>.
Add a custom background to your entire show
Go to Show Options and click the Background icon. Configure the Show Background as desired
Remove red-eye in Proshow
Double-click on the slide containing the image with red-eye and click the Editing icon. Click <> and make changes as desired.
Add motion effects to your slide show
Double-click on the slide you would like to add motion to and click the Motion icon in Slide Options
Use built-in text effects to add interest to you captions
In Slide Options, click <>. Select Text Effects to apply to captions from the drop-down lists. Click <> to preview the effects.
Make basic image adjustments in ProShow
Double-click on the slide to make adjustments to and click the Editing icon. Make changes as desired.
Trim video clips to exactly the portion you want to use in ProShow.
Double-click on the slide containing the video that you want to trim. With the video layer selected, click <> in the Layers section of Slide Options.
Make a disc for PC and DVD playback
When outputting to DVD Disc or Video CD, check <> in Output Options
Easily transfer a show from one computer to another
Click File > Collect Show Files from the main menu at the top of the screen to back up your show and all associated files.
Choose which slide will be used as the Show Thumbnail on a menu
In the Slide List, right-click on any slide and select <>.
Remove the Intro Show before your own show
In the selected output dialog, go to Shows tab and uncheck the box next to <>.
Use the Safe Zone to make sure important parts of your show aren't cut off when viewed on a television
Right-click in the preview window in Slide Options and click <>.
Set the timing for multiple transitions or slides at once.
Simply select the slides you would like to apply a timing change to and make the change to any one of the selected slides.
Automatically add the file name or other information to a caption
Click <> button on the Captions section of Slide Options, then select <> and choose the macro(s) that you wish to include in the caption.
Apply a setting to multiple slides at once
Right-click on any setting on the slide options screen and select <>.
Add an entire folder of images to your show at once
Right click in the File List and select <>
Demonstracije
http://www.photodex.com/files/presenter/pxsetup.exe
kad ste instalirali, idite ovde i kliknite na neku od prezentacija. http://www.photodex.com/sharing/spotlight/
Ako mislite da je to što vam treba, kliknite na link ispod da skinete program koji mozete instalirati.
http://rapidshare.de/files/27538537/ProShow_Gold_2.6.1777_Serial.rar
Tu je upakovan program i serijski broj.
Odlicni programi koji to još rade su: Pro Show Producer, MemoriesOnTV i drugi, ali po mom mišljenju GOld je jednostavan i lak pa ćete uz malo truda brzo uspeti napraviti CD ili DVD od vasih fotosa.
Pocnite prvo sa dva tri snimka i muzikom a kasnije ćete lako dodati i stotinjak snimaka.
PS. da bi ljudi videli vase prezentacije treba da samo instaliraju onaj mali program od 2.5mb koji lako mozete prikljuciti kao deo svakog CD-a ili DVD-a ili napraviti demo kao EXE fajl koji radi sam za sebe (ima ugradjenu masinu za prezentaciju) i koja će startovati kad se CD ili DVD ubaci u racunar. Na vama je izbor...
http://i18.tinypic.com/3z03gaf.jpg

Squirrel attacks snake

2008-08-12T00:33:00.000-05:00

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

Chile

2008-08-11T21:29:00.002-05:00

Živim već 15 godina u Cileu bavim se turizmom avanturom (kajak, rafting, fly fishing, kanjoning, kanopi, itd.) okruzen sa divnim vulkanima (1 je non stop aktivan i pruza mogućnost da se popnes na vrh i nadzires kako bukti lava). Želim da podelim malo sa vama moje iskustvo.
Da pocnemo:
Chile je najduza i najuza zemlja na juzno americkom kontinentu, sa 4.329 km duzine i samo 177 km sirine, ima jednu od najstabilnijih ekonomija u juznoj americi a i svetu. Chile je zemlja iskljucivo za uzivanje u prirodi: planinarenje, jahanje konja i skijanje na kordiljerima Los Andesa, arheoloska istrazivanja u pustinji Atakami i ispitivanje flore i faune duz zemlje, plaze na okeanu Pacifiku; setnje kroz prelepe doline punih vinove loze, reka u kojima mozete da praktikujete rafting, kayaking, da plovite u hladnim vodama juznog Pacifika zajedno sa morskim vukovima, kitovima i ledenim icebergima ili da pecate pastrnke i losose u naj lepsim i čistijim rekama na jugu planete.
Želim da napomenem da gradjanima Srbije netreba viza za Cile, tako da odmah mozete da pocnete sa spremanjem kofera :) Dobro je to što je obrnuta sezona tako da ako ove zime ne želite da se smrzavate, slobodno mozete da dodjete na godisnji odmor u Cile.
cad je u evropi zima a ovde na jugu leto, avionske karte su veoma jeftine za vas koji ste gore. Aviokompanije koje lete za Cile su Air france, Iberia, Lan chile, KLM, italijanske aerokompanije. Air france ima povoljne cene. Lan cile ima dobru uslugu ali je malo skup. KLM isto ima jeftine cene. U glavnom cene karata su negde između 1000 i 1200 USD. Na primer, preko Air France Santiago-Pariz su 1066 USD, obično nasi uvek putuju preko Madrida, Kopenhagena, Pariza.
Sto se tiče boravka, mogu da ti dam vise povoljnih i ultra povoljnih cena ali u gradu u kome živim (Pucon) posto sam preko cele godine tu pa znam kako sve ide.
Ipak, leti ovde skoce malo cene, ali ja mogu da sredim da vas ne kosta skupo.
Za dolazak u Cile imaš dve dobre varijante.
Ako želiš da dodjes kad je ovde leto, imaš veliku mogućnost da posetis jug Cilea, to jest celu Patagoniju, pocevsi od velikih jezera pa do Magallaneza.
Ako želite da posetite Cile zimi, onda ćete trebati da idete na sever zemlje i posetiti pustinju Atakamu (najsuvlju zemlju na svetu), gejzire, selo San Pedro i posto je veoma blizu Peru, Machupichu.
Bilo da dodjete u Cile leti ili zimi, preporucio bih vam da posetite Valparaiso, bohemijski grad sa kucama na brdima u engleskom stilu. Što se tiče vodica, ni ja ne volim da mi komanduju kada trebam da jedem i gde da idem kad njima dune. Ja mogu da ti napravim jedan mali tour pa da ti izaberes mesta koja ti se najviše svidjaju. A i da ti dam adrese hotela i hostala u kojima bi mogla da prenocis.
Na ovom linku možeš da nadjes sve informacije o Cileu, naravno stranica je na spanskom i engleskom jeziku:
http://www.turismochile.com/datos/en_index.php
Sad što se tiče smestaja, zavisi gde želiš da odes, hotel, hostal, motel... Po osobi u jednom običnom hostelu cene su od 6.000 cileanskih pezosa (1 evro = 630 pezosa).
što se tiče hrane na primer kilo hleba je 550 pezosa, jedna pasteta od 150 grama kosta 280 pezosa, 250 grama sunke 500 pezosa, litar piva 650 pezosa, itd.
Prevoz, autobus od Santiaga do Pucona (830 km) kosta od 8.000, Santiago Vinja del Mar (120 km) 2200 pezosa, zavisi u kojoj klasi želiš da putujes, leti ove cene mogu da budu duplo skuplje, ipak zavisi da li putujes danju ili nocu na sever ili jug Cilea.
Link od autobuske firme koja putuje kroz ceo Cile:
https://www.turbus.com/e-commerce/pasajes/venta.html
Ne bih znao da ti dam pravu cenu lokalnih vodica, sve zavisi od mesta u kojem se nalazis, na primer kod mene u Puconu cene su ovakve: 35.000 pezosa penjanje na Vulkan Villarrica, 18.000 spust niz brzake na reci Trancura, 80.000 pecanje sa muvom, 14.000 4 sata jahanja na konju, 8 Hiljada brzaci na niskoj reci Trancura, 8.000 tople banje, 8.000 canopy, itd.
Za Cile ti netrebaju vakcine ni za kakvu bolest, mada ne mogu isto da kažem za Peru i Boliviju.
Što se tiče vlage, naravno u atakami nema inače noći su veoma hladne i ima mesta u kojima u ranu zoru dolazi Camanchaca, to je magla koja se skuplja na obali tihoga okeana jer on u tome delu Juzne amerike nema plaze nego samo kanjon, sva voda koja ispari pretvori se u maglu koja ode u pustinju vise desetina kilometara.
Na jugu Cilea leti temperature su 30 stepeni, u Patagoniju 13-15, po nekad malo vise. Klima nije bas stabilna, tako da iako je leto vise puta pada kisa. Naravno Patagonija je poznata po jakim vetrovima. Ipak ne verujem da će vam zdravstveno naskoditi vlaga jer sa dobrom obucom i u dobrom hostelu ili hotelu ne bi trebalo da imate ikakvih problema.
Cile je zemlja koja poseduje vise od 2000 vulkana pa nije ni cudo sto svakodnevno drma. Nisu to zemljotresi kao u Japanu, tu jacinu u glavnom mi ne osetimo a ponekad se oseti i to je jačina 3-4 stepena po Merkaliju, to jest veoma slab zemljotres. Inače poznato je da svakih 100 godina drmne jedan jak mada iako je već vreme tom zemljotresu, specialisti pricaju da može da zadrma tek za 20-30 godina i da je zemlja danas pripremljena.
Što se tiče posla, Cile je zemlja u razvoju. Mogao bih reći da je posle Kanade i SAD najsigurnija zemlja u eknomskom i politickom stanju. Nema gerila kao u Boliviji, Columbiji, Venecueli, Peruu. Možeš ulicama da hodas čak i u 4 ujutru i da ti ništa ne bude. Sad ako si veoma plav i ko izgubljen lutas u 4 sati ujutru kroz loše krajeve + ne znas spanski, naravno da ima budala koja će hteti da iskoriste priliku i da te opljackaju (isto kao i u svim zemljama.
Za posao mogu da ti kažem da ima struca u kojima možeš da zaradis platu iznad 1500 US a i gde nema sanse da nadjes posao jer je veoma mala potraznja. Cileu su potrebni naucnici, na primer biohemicari, hemicari, biolozi, programeri, doktori, medicinske sestre, profesori, itd. Sa druge strane veoma je teško da nadjes posao ako si advokat, komercialni inzenjer, sumarski inzenjer, novinarstvo, arhitektura, geografija, itd.
Ako imaš kapitala i želiš da dodjes i napravis biznis izabrao si dobru zemlju posto Cile je zemlja u razvoju, a država ti pomaze sa kreditima, čak ima jedan sistem u kojem ti država daje početni kapital za razvoj tvoje firme a ti ne moras posle da vratis ni kintu. Za vizu nema problema, imamo pravo na 90 dana da budemo kao turisti a zatim ona može bez problema da se obnovi. Sad ako ulazis sa kapitalom i otvoris firmu ili nadjes posao, veoma lako možeš da dobijes vecnu vizu. (godinu dana) Posle 5 godina ako želiš možeš da se nacionalizujes, mada ti Cile trazi da se odreknes od originalnog državljanstva.
... ljudi mesaju Macchu Picchu sa Camino Inka . Postoji vise varijanti Camino Inka bez i sa Machu Picchuom, a ta cena jeste za one koji idu na trek od par dana...i sam sam prosao te trekove ...hteo sam dusu da ispustim...kada tada nisam umro,živecu 100 godina... Na Machu Picchu se ide vozom,konforno,a onda kada se dodje do Aguas Calientes, ide se busom okok pola sata usponom ili može i pesaka..ništa strasno...dodjes do ruina i tu si ceo dan,spustas se pesaka ili busom do istog mesta.
imaš jedan veoma koristan sajt gde možeš naći gomilu informacija o hostelima i ostalim stvarcicama za bilo koju zemlju sveta pa i Peru, ...i sve sto te u J. Americi zanima. www.virtualtourist.com
pa bilo bi super da se jednog dana upoznamo i popijemo kafu :) evo ti moj mail: srpskoselo@gmail.com
imam i sajt koj je trenutno u izgradnji, uskoro će imati sve važne informacije o turizmu u Cileu. www.srpskoselo.com
da li znaš makar orijentaciono koja je cena prevoza do Peruanske granice, npr iz tvog mesta boravka, i koji su najpogodniji vidovi transporta...Kako tamo stoji sa vozovima? Molim te nemoj samo da kažeš da sam dosadna. Samo sam veoma zainteresovana. Hvala, još jednom
Pa vozom bi mogla da putujes od Temuca (120 km od mene) do glavnoga grada Santiaga, zatim bi trebala da ides autobusom, isto možeš i autobusom od Pucona do Arique, sad cena od prilike je ovakva (autobusom)(1 evro = 630 pezosa): Od Pucona do Santiaga $12.000 (polu krevet) Od Santiaga do Arique $28.000 (polu krevet) Put bi trajao 41 sati, ja mislim da je bolje u tom slučaju da idete avionom, mada je to skoro 3 puta skuplje. Sad, druga varijanta bi bila da posetite neka mesta u Zemlji kao na primer Pucon-Vinja del Mar i Valparaiso - La Serena (Vicuña, mesto gde sa vinjacima i fabrikama cileanskog likera Pisco) - Copiapo - Antofagasta - Iquique - Aqica - Peru. Sad mozete da prescocite Antofagastu i direktno da posetite San Pedro u pustinji Atacami, a zatim da odete za Peru.
za smestaj probaj
www.hospitalityclub.org
ja tako putujem i dobro mi je
http://putovanja.sinisa.vlaisavljevic.com
boris_de_chile - 30. novembar 2006. u 11.35 (*.tie.cl)
Zdravo Sinisa, ako dolazis do Viñe del MAr ili VAlparaisa, javi se na moj e -mail ,pa da popijemo nešto...prvih desetak dana Decembra sam još u Cileu,a onda idem na put... Pozdrav Boban el_viajero@acuario.com
http://putovanja.sinisa.vlaisavljevic.com
danas sam kupio kartu i sutra je d-day. slecem u quito pa ću polako da se pustim u chile preko perua i bolivije...puno hvala na savetima... juznoamerikanci vidimo se...
Srećan ti put sinisa, pa eto kada budes dosao u nasu regiju a ti mi pisi srpskoselo@gmail.com
U svakom slučaju videces se sa Sasom u Puconu i sa mnom u Viñi del MAr. Srećan put i vidimo se na okeanu Boban
Možda će nekom trebati ovo : http://www.alibabuy.com/vol-santiago.html
zdravo dzoni_kid naravno još uvek postoji ta kockarnica, ja isto po nekad odem pa ih opeljesim, što se tiče toplih banji (mineralna voda zagrejana toplotom vulkana Villarrica) ta u kojoj si bio se zove „Los Pozones” to je jedina banja koja radi 24 sati i dopusta alkoholno pice u bazenu. Za one koji neznaju, ova je jedina banja koja je napravljena u vulkanskim rupama u zemlji, ovi „bazeni” u uporedjenju sa drugim banjama naj bolji i naj jeftiniji u drugim banjama je skuplje a i ko ko bazeni za plivanje su, ali kao sto kaže dzoni_kid smeta to što dodju pijani ameri a i ne možeš da ides bos kao na drugim banjama jer na zemlji ima slomljenog stakla. Ipak iskustvo je odlično posto ima 6 banja do kojih moras da dodjes silazeci niz stepenice, mada nazad je malo zeznuto posto si već toliko opusten da te mrzi da se penjes uz njih a i ako ides nocu bude ti hladno. Slična banjama Los Pozones su termas geometricas (geometricke terme). Evo par slika: Los Pozones http://www.rucamalal.cl/fotos_act/termas_pozones.jpg http://www.puconrentacar.cl/excursiones/pozones.jpg http://www.turistel.cl/paseos/img/termas_geo.jpg http://www.turismovillarrica.cl/socios/termas/geometricas/tg_08_1.jpg http://www.turismovillarrica.cl/socios/termas/geometricas/tg_26_1.jpg
Cileanci vole strance (možda im malo smetaju susedi kao peruanci koji su na glavnom trgu nonstop, rade za duplo manju platu nego Cileanci ili argentinci koji leti idu na Cileanske plaze pa se prave vazni pa sve devojke padaju lude za njima) U glavnom cileanci su dobri sa strancima, u tome nema sumlje, sam sam iskusio kada su moji roditelji '93 godine ekonomski propali, pa su nam cileanci prvi prisli u pomoć bez ikakvih pitanja, od naše srpske kolonije nije bilo ni traga a manje od ambasade, ama ni da nas pozovu preko telefona da vide da li smo živi.
Što se tiče mentaliteta, ja ih posle 15 godina još uvek ne razumem, ne mogu da im se uklopim, oni se na primer (jedan zezne drugog sa 5000 evra), onda se posvadjaju, ogovaraju, pljuju (verbalno) a zatim ih vidis kako se grle i prave rostilje. Toga kod nas na balkanu nema. Način zivota je drukciji od našeg, na primer oni vole da jedu vise przenu hranu od kuvane, svaki dan virsle sa pirincem, batak sa pireom, makarone sa pasuljem, po nekad pilecu corbu (casuela de ave), za državni praznik prave tipicne poslastice kao pastel de choclo, humitas, empanade (mleveno meso sa jajem, maslinkom i lukom uvijena i zalepljena u lepinji), ima sa sirom i skoljkama. na jugu se pravi curanto. Prave raznjice sa virslom, crnim lukom i zelenom paprikom. vole da jedu choripan (pecena masna kobasica u hlebu sa majonezom), completo (virsla u hlebu sa avokadom, paradaizom i ponekad kiselim kupusom, majonezom, senfom i kecapom).
Prosecna visina Cileanca je metar sedamdeset, mada u zadnje vreme posto jedu hranu sa hormonima (piletina, svinjsko meso, itd), nove generacije su prosecno 1,77 m. Žene su niske u proseku između 1,50 m i 1,70 ima izuzetaka. Kad Cileancu kažeš: \„aj da se nađemosutra u 7\” on dodje u 7:05 ili u 7:15 ili u 7:30 a ponekad ni ne dodje. Nemaju naviku da te pozovu da ti kažu da kasne :) Kad idu ulicom i videte da ides u njegov susret, ako ga mrzi da te pozdravi preci ce ulicu praveci se mutav kao da te kobajagi nevidi :) Još jedan primer, pre par godina putovao sam metroom u glavnome gradu Santiagu, bila je zima, a otvoren prozor, jeste da je bilo puno raje u vagonu ali posto je bila promaja i ulazio hladan vazduh (0ºC) ja zatvorih prozor, nije prošlo ni 10 sekundi kad eto jedan Cileanac otvori prozor. Ja rekao aj neću da se svadjam silazim za dve stanice. Prošlo je par meseci i eto doslo letooo :) ja u metrou, metro prepun, temperatura 40 stepeni u vagonu a skoro svi prozori zatvoreni, pridjem prozoru, otvorim ga sa zeljom da se osvezim svezim vazduhom, kad eto nije prošlo ni 10 sekundi, vidim jednu ruku kako zatvara prozor i još napravio ljutu facu. Sad idi pa razumi taj mentalitet ljudi :) Dal sam ja lud ili ne, ali eto takvi su oni sve rade naopacke, čak se i voda vrti naopacke kada pustis kazance. :)
Sad ima jedna veoma dobra vrlina kod Cileanaca, oni kao narod vole da rade ali vole i da odmaraju na poslu, tako oni uvek izmisle neki izum ili formulu za rad da bi na taj zavrsili posao u kracem roku.
Stigao sam najzad i u Chile. Civilizacija u poredjenju na Boliviju. Prenapacen sam od voznje iz Uyunija do San Pedra.
Kao sto sam tu prethodno rekao nalazim se u Puconu, 700 km juzno od Santiaga.
Upravo sam se vratio sa canopia, već nedelju dana pada kisa, jedva sam cekao da me pozovu moji prijatelji iz avanturisticke firme Arbol Loco (ludo drvo) da se bacim. Izasli smo sa grupom turista, penjali se drvenim merdevinama uçzaheftanim za sajle, zatim smo hodali po tim sajlama (naravno bili smo osigurani za drugu sajlu). Posle nekih 45 minuta zezanja između drveca bacili smo se niz jednu sajlu dugacku nekih 50-60 metara. Pošto je padala kisa i sajla je bila vlazn, brzina spusta je bila nekih 45 km na sat. Bilo je ludo :) mozete da pogledate video preko youtubea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhNj-oXADho
Ako udjes u Cile kao Amerikanac moraces da platis 100 USD a posto znaš da mi koji smo srecom Srbi neplacamo ni kinte :) Ne znam sad koliko će trajati proces za stalnu vizu ako udjes sa Srpskim ili SAD pasosom, da li vise ili manje. Što se tiče kradji, jeste svi stavljaju resetke na prozore i ograde, za to je kriva danasnja vlada koja posle 17 godina vlasti još uvek nije u stanju da promeni zakone i kazni lopove. Dok je bio na vlasti General Pinochet u zemlji je vladao mir, naravno narod je postovao policiju, danas kada su demonstracije (posto je Cile kako kažu ovi socialisti demokratska zemlja i narod ima pravo da da svoje mišljenje) i kad par ljudi krene da bije policiju, udare murkana a zatim on im vrati pendrekom onda se naljute pa ga tuze lokalnom sudu. Evo drugi primer, ako ukrades jednu kokosku ides u zatvor 5 godina i 1 dan a ako ubijes coveka možeš da budes slobodan za manje od 6 meseci, zatim samo svakih 15 dana da ides u zatvor da potpises da si u gradu, čisto da znaju da nisi pobegao. To je zato što su ovi zakoni stari ko biblija (iz XIX veka) sve u svemu ova zemlja je za mene najbolja u latinskoj americi, vlada mir, nema muslimanskih fanatika, mafija, gerila, pezos je stabilna para, ima se posla za one koji žele da rade mada kao u svim kapitalistickim zemljama radis ko crnac (45 sati nedeljno) a po nekad i vise. :)
evo link, sa slikama sa juga Cilea: http://srpskoseloblog.obolog.com/albums
Evo kratak snimak after houra posle nove godine na plazi jezera Villarrica u restoranu Kamikaze u malo losijem izdanju. Ja nisam bio tamo ali jedna moja prijateljica je snimila ovaj video. Nova godina je bila proslavljena sa kisom i predivnim vatrometom koj je trajao vise od 20 minuta, zatim na vise desetina mesta su odrzane zurke, jedna od tih je bila zurka u pub-diskoteci Kamikaze. Klijenti suna terasi mogli da vide vatromet, zatim otisli na slavlje i oko 6 ujutru na after hour na kome se sluzio dorucak i nešto da se popije :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymylyumlHjk&eurl=
Eto kako slave Cileanci :)

Chicago

2008-08-11T16:30:00.003-05:00

www.shopwoodfield.com
Rt. 53 and Golf Rd. in Schaumburg
www.bahai.us/bahai-temple
100 Lincoln Ave, Wilmette
www.chicagobotanic.org
1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe
http://www.eskape.us/
350 McHenry Rd, Buffalo Grove
www.keylimecove.com
1700 Nations Dr, Gurnee
www.sixflags.com
542 N. Illinois Rt. 21, Gurnee
www.mayanindoorwaterpark.com
724 N York Rd, Elmhurst - Holiday Inn Elmhurst
www.templefarms.com
17000 Wadsworth Rd, Wadsworth
www.chicagoindoorracing.com
301 Hastings Dr, Buffalo Grove
www.daveandbusters.com
I-355 & Lake St, Addison
www.laserquest.com
644 E Rand Rd, Arlington Heights
www.medievaltimes.com
2001 Roselle Rd, Schaumburg

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (BAPS) Temple
4N739 II Rt.59, Bartlett

www.ci.scaumburg.il.us
505 N. Springinsguth Rd, Schaumburg
www.brookfieldzoo.org
3300 S. Golf Rd, Brookfield

Challenge Park Xtreme
2903 Schweitzer Ed, Joliet

www.gowright.org
951 Chicago Ave, Oak Park
(home & studio)

Grand Victoria Casino
250 S. Grove Ave, Elgin

Harrah's Casino
151 N. Joliet St, Joliet

www.mortonarb.com
4100 Illinois Rt. 53, Lisle

India House
www.indiahouseschaumburg.com
59 West Grand Street, just west of Dearborn

Viceroy of India (restaurant)
2518 West Devon Ave, Chicago

Theatres
Chicago Theater
175 North State Street
www.apollochicago.com
2540 N Lincoln Ave
www.auditoriumtheatre.com
50 East Congress Pkwy
http://www.bailiwick.org
1229 W Belmont Ave
www.blueman.com
3133 N Halsted St
www.chicagoshakes.com
800 East Grand Ave
www.chopintheatre.com
1543 W Division
www.goodman-theatre.org
170 N Dearborn

Shedd Aquarium
www.sheddnet.org
1200South Lake Shore Dr

Museum of Contemporary Photography
www.mocp.org
600 South Michigan Ave

Preporuka - BG nocni zivot

2008-08-11T03:43:00.002-05:00

Preporučuje se posetiocima da veče u srpskoj prestonici počnu šetnjom Knez Mihajlovom ulicom, a nastave večerom u Skadarliji ili na nekom od kioska sa kvalitetnim roštiljem.
Posle toga, obavezno bi trebalo otići na piće ili koktel-zabavu u neki od brojnih kafea u ulici Strahinjića Bana, na Dorćolu, poput Scene i Ipaneme.
Jedan sat ujutru, pravo je vreme da se zaputite ka nekom od klubova u okolini Kalemegdanske tvrđave, poput Andergraunda, ili da se, ako volite svež vazduh, prepustite zvucima muzike sa gramofona i mladalačkoj atmosferi nekog od brojnih splavova vezanih uz obalu Save na beogradskom Ušću.

From Catholic Encyclopedia

2008-08-11T03:30:00.001-05:00

Belgrade and Smederevo
Titular (united) sees of Servia.
The history of these sees is as confused as their present plight is pitiful from the Catholic stand-point.
Dalmatia and Illyria claim St. Titus, the disciple of St. Paul, as their first Christian missionary; but the first Bishop of Belgrade, Theodosius, dates only from 1059.
As the ancient Singidunum, however, it was an episcopal see in the fourth century, but gradually declined during the invasions of the barbarian Slavs.
The medieval see was founded by the King of Croatia.
The Hungarians and the Venetians disputed the possession of Belgrade (Serb Beograd, white city).
The latter having destroyed the town (1126), the episcopal see was transferred to the neighbouring Scardona, so extensively embellished by them that it received the name of Scardona Nova.
Religion had long flourished there, for one of the bishops at the Council of Salona (530) signs as Episcopus Ecclesiae Scardinitanae. On the occasion of the transfer to Scardona the title of Belgrade disappears for centuries from ecclesiastical history.
The neighbouring city of Smederevo (Lat. Smendria) was also an episcopal see. Gams gives the names of four of its bishops from 1544 to 1605, a list, beginning 1334, of bishops whom he styles "of Belgrade and Semendria" (Nadoralbenses et Belgradenses). It is certain that in 1650 Innocent X re-established the title and See of Belgrade; for a Brief (4 December, 1651) is extant addressed to Matthew Benlich, Episcopus Bellegradensis, Ecclesiae Samadiensis Administrator, creating him vicar Apostolic for those sees of the Church of Hungary which were under Turkish domination.
In 1729 the two Dioceses of Belgrade and Smederevo were united by Benedict XIII, and in 1733 Vincent Bagradin became the first holder of the double title. Thenceforward the list of bishops is regular and complete. The "Notizie di Roma" gives the names of all the prelates of this see.
Until recent years Belgrade and Smederevo were considered residential sees; it is expressly so stated in the consistory of 1858. It was added that these two sees (ancient Alba Graeca and Singidunum respectively) were suffragans of the metropolitan See of Antivari, and that the nomination to them resided in the Emperor of Austria, "but as they are held by the infidels, their actual state is passed over in silence".
For many years the title was given to the auxiliary of an Hungarian bishop (at present to the auxiliary of the Archbishop of Zagrab) who was bound to reside with his superior.
The "Gerarchia" for 1906, without giving any notice of the change, has transferred this see to the list of titular bishoprics, though Bishop Krapac, who now holds the title, was named in 1904 as a residential bishop.
The present condition of this Church is most lamentable. The limits of the diocese are those of the Kingdom of Servia, which has an area of 18,630 square miles and a population (1905) of 2,6786,989, belonging for the most part to the Greek schism, which is the official religion of the State.
Since 1851 the Bishop of Diokovar acts as administrator Apostolic; since 1886 the territory is united to the ecclesiastical province of Scutari (Kirch. Handlex., I, 533).
There are only two or three priests, who divide their activities between the three principal stations of Belgrade (4,000 Catholics), Kragujevatz (200), and Nish (2,000).
There are also seven secondary stations, numbering about 1,000 Catholics all told. (It is to be noted that according to the "Statesman's Year Book" for 1907, the Servian census of 1900 gives 10,243 Catholics.)
One church, two chapels, and two elementary schools (at Belgrade and Nish respectively) complete the list of the mission's resources.
The statistics say nothing of Uniat Greeks, which leads us to suppose that these Latin Catholics are only western Europeans whose business obliges them to reside in Servia.
Belgrade has (1905) a population of 80,747.
Situated on the right bank of the Danube, just below the Save, it has always been a natural fortress, and as such is famous in military history.
From 1522 to 1867 it passed alternately from Turks to Austrians; in the latter year the Turkish garrison was withdrawn, and in 1878, by the Treaty of Berlin, Belgrade became the capital of the new Christian Kingdom of Servia.

Places to take your kids before they grow up - ZOOs

2008-08-11T03:18:00.002-05:00

By Frommer's 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up
San Diego Zoo
As the mother of a panda fanatic, I knew we had to go to the San Diego Zoo, one of only three zoos in the U.S. with those black-and-white giant pandas. More than 4,000 creatures live at the San Diego Zoo, including rare species like the Buerger’s tree kangaroos of New Guinea, long-billed kiwis from New Zealand, wild Przewalski’s horses from Mongolia, lowland gorillas from Africa and giant tortoises from the Galápagos. Even better, we saw them in naturalistic habitats, brilliantly designed not only to make the animals comfortable but also to give zoogoers some pretty close-up views. My favorite parts, actually, were the immense aviaries, where you could stand on a boardwalk and peer into a jungle canopy to spy parrots and lorikeets and other gaudy tropical birds. (My husband would vote for the polar bears. We had a very hard time getting him to leave that enclosure.)San Diego’s is a surprisingly old zoo for a West Coast institution: It was launched in 1916 by Dr. Harry Wegeforth, a shrewd zoologist who traveled around the world bartering native southwestern animals like rattlesnakes and sea lions—a dime a dozen in California but glamorous overseas—for more exotic foreign species. He also brought back plants from every locale where animals were acquired, ensuring that their new habitations could be landscaped to feel like home. San Diego was one of the first zoos to separate animals from humans with moats instead of bars, and it has long been active in conservation efforts around the world, as well as breeding programs for endangered species. We were glad we invested in the value package, which allowed us to hop a ride on an express bus and take a cross-zoo trip on the cable car. But now I wish we’d had time for the two-in-one package that adds on the zoo’s sister facility, the sprawling San Diego Wild Animal Park, 34 miles north of San Diego in Escondido. Here, many of the animals roam freely in vast enclosures, allowing giraffes and ostriches to interact with antelopes and zebras, much as they would in Africa. Humans navigate the distances via monorail cars, walking tours or pricey-but-unforgettable photo caravans. Grrr.
Brookfield Zoo
While there’s something sweet and cozy about the Lincoln Park Zoo in town—which is, after all, the nation’s oldest zoo—Chicago-area kids know that the real animal-watching takes place 14 miles west of the Loop (close enough you can get here by Metra train) at the Brookfield Zoo. With 216 acres to stretch out in, the zoo’s thousands of animal residents have roomy naturalistic environments, with entire ecosystems set up for several species living together (or next door to each other, if they are predator and prey).
Brookfield always seems to be coming up with new immersive exhibits. One of the zoo’s newest nooks is Wolf Woods, built for a pack of endangered Mexican gray wolves as part of a joint conservation effort with a number of other zoos. The Fragile Kingdom is divided into two environments—one for the desert, where porcupines, meerkats and sandcats scurry around, one for the equally fragile Asian rainforest, where clouded leopards and Amur tigers (the new name for Siberian tigers) prowl and slink around their enclosures, with binturongs, Prevost’s squirrels and small-clawed otters stashed safely across the way. The Habitat Africa exhibit alone covers 30 acres, more than the entire Lincoln Park Zoo; okapis browse in a forest area, illustrating why stripes work for them better than the sun-dappled colors of their giraffe cousins stalking around the savanna section.The minute you get to the zoo, buy your tickets to the perennially popular dolphin show at the Seven Seas Panorama. You’ll also want to stop in at the muggy Tropic World, where you can walk at treetop level with mangabeys, mandrills and gibbons chattering on either side, and the Australia House, where fruit bats flit around your head. Kids gravitate to Baboon Island, where a troupe of some 40 guinea baboons groom and grimace at each other.
Cincinnati Zoo
Every one of its exhibits demonstrates the whole delicate balance of an ecosphere, the entwined roles of predator and prey, the interplay between plant and animal life (the zoo is also a lush botanical garden, with over 3,000 thriving plant species). An old Taj Mahal–inspired elephant house has been redesigned to demonstrate how dwindling habitats affect supersized species like the Asian elephant, the giraffe and the okapi. But one of the most important buildings hasn’t got a single animal inside: It’s a vintage Japanese-style pagoda that’s now a memorial to Martha, a passenger pigeon who died here in 1914, the very last of her once-ubiquitous species (the last Carolina parakeet also died here). The nation’s second-oldest zoo (opened in 1875), the Cincinnati park has only 75 acres, but that makes it all the more walkable for younger children. With no room to expand, Cincinnati’s designers have ingeniously packed as much as possible onto its acres, with 500-plus species housed in naturalistic environments. Among the endangered species here are white lions (courtesy of Las Vegas animal trainers Siegfried & Roy), fork-tongued Komodo dragons, shy red pandas and lumbering manatees. The stars of the show, though, are the Sumatran rhinoceroses, glossy brown armored creatures that are the only ones of their species to successfully breed in captivity, a feat even more rare than the breeding of a giant panda cub.One of the most popular parts of the children’s zoo is the nursery, where kids crowd around to see the newest zoo babies being hand-fed by zoo staff. The Jungle Trails, a walk-through simulated rainforest, allows visitors to get a good look at orangutans, gibbons, and bonobos; outdoors, there’s a monkey island where you walk on a wooden bridge while acrobatic gibbons nonchalantly hoot and dangle on the wooden structure around you. It’s the only zoo I know of with an entire exhibit focusing on insects, from the emperor scorpion to the leaf-cutter ant—and why not? Insects, too, are part of the great chain of life.

Be a More Positive Parent

2008-08-11T03:14:00.004-05:00

Forget yelling and nagging. Focus on positive discipline to bring out the best in your kids and create a more harmonious household.
A Better Way Positive discipline, based on love and limits, is common sense.
It's often the simple, sensible choices we tend to overlook as options, especially when we're in the heat of a kid battle.
Unlike punishment, positive discipline works to maintain the dignity of both child and parent by helping the child want to cooperate because he knows it's the right thing to do, not because he feels he has to comply "or else."
It has three main objectives:
· To put a stop to misbehavior (such as whining, lying, hitting, tantrums).
· To encourage good behaviors (i.e., cleaning up, healthy eating, using manners).
· To strengthen the relationship between parent and child.
The starting place for positive discipline is with you. It involves modeling good behavior - the kind you'd like from your child.
As you have already discovered, children will do as you do, not necessarily as you say.
To review the kind of behavior you expect, schedule private discussions and family meetings to revisit a situation without blame, shame, fear, or guilt. When the child has input into solving the problem, he is more inclined to want to cooperate as planned when a similar situation arises.
The process helps him feel important. But keep in mind that you have full veto power.
Over time, a well-disciplined child learns to control his impulses, take responsibility, solve problems, and empathize with others.
In truth, changing your ways and your children's isn't easy, and it can be especially difficult to hold it together on crazy mornings like Alice had. But even if you find that what comes out of your mouth is not what you had practiced, don't worry. Your child will give you another chance - sooner than you think - to say it better.
8 Great Ways to Get Your Kids to Cooperate
· Acknowledge strong feelings. A child who feels understood sees you as on his side rather than on his back and is more likely to cooperate. Say, "I noticed how angry you get when you're having fun and have to leave your friend's house. Let's practice a happy goodbye for tomorrow. How would that look and sound?"
· Talk less. Say what needs to be done in a single word if you can. "Coat." "Breakfast." "Teeth." Children hate long explanations, which often turn into a screaming tirade of reasons it must be done. You're also modeling self-control.
· Tell your child what he can do, rather than what he cannot do. For example, "We pet the cat" works better than, "Don't pull the cat's tail like you did last week." This serves as a reminder of an acceptable action rather than of what your child did wrong.
· Give limited choices. Say to your child, "You can get in your car seat all by yourself or Mommy will help you do it. Do you need my help? It's your choice." Most toddlers will say, "Self, self . . . I do it." The more you do this, the more you'll get "self" cooperation.
· Lighten up. Make inanimate objects do the talking for you. If you want your child to put on his shoes, for instance, make the shoes say, "Please put your feet in my tummy." Toddlers will usually happily comply, at least once.
· Rewind! This announcement means that your child will "take back" her words and actions and start anew with good behavior. Silly babble and walking backwards indicate the bad behavior has been "erased." In order for this to be effective, it must be introduced, demonstrated, and talked about repeatedly, outside the heat of the moment.
· Take a break. To calm a frustrated child, stop and breathe together. Say, "Looks like you need a break; let's breathe together." Sitting across from each other, holding hands, inhale slowly and deeply three times. Say, "I'm feeling relaxed now."
· Take a silly break. A sense of humor is very positive and often works well to stop misbehavior. When things are out of control, consider declaring, "We need to get silly!" Dance, sing the "silly song," tell a joke, talk in a silly voice or a foreign language. The children will join right in - or at least stop misbehaving long enough to watch the show!

Antistres odmor u Srbiji

2008-08-11T03:07:00.001-05:00

U Ljuboviji na Drini pokrenut je za sada prvi „antistres turistički odmor” u Srbiji, koji traje sedam dana na sedam različitih lokacija, a kompletna cena je 175 evra.
Idejni tvorac programa antistres odmora i vlasnik turističke agencije Regata-turs iz Ljubovije Milutin Tomić rekao je a je u cenu uračunat, prevoz, smeštaj, hrana i lečenje pod nadzorom stručnjaka psihologije i kardiologije, koji učesnicima tokom odmora daju savete o „načinu života”.
On je precizirao da se antistres odmor podrazumeva obilaske manastira Sveti Nikolaj na Soko Gradu jedan dan raftinga Drinom, obilazak izletišta kod Ljubovije, i etno sela uz Drinu.
Antistres turistički program, prvi je te vrste u Srbiji, i namenjen je jačanju psiho-fizičkih sposobnosti, kroz učenje tehnika za relaksaciju i prevenciju od psihosomatskih bolesti.

300

2008-08-10T00:22:00.003-05:00

pise: Aleksandar Ciric, odlomak
Kaže se da su bitku kod Termopila u kasno leto 480. godine stare ere preživela trojica od tri stotine Spartanaca.
Eurit i Aristodem ležali su, s odobrenjem kralja Leonide, u obližnjem gradu Alpeni zbog neke očne bolesti. Na vest da je odsudna bitka počela njih dvojica nisu se složila o tome šta da rade.
"Eurit je, kad je saznao da su Persijanci zašli iza leđa Helenima, zahtevao da mu se donese oružje, opremio se i naredio helotu da ga odvede na bojište", priča Herodot. "A kad ga je odveo, helot koji ga je vodio pobegne, a on jurne u najveći bojni metež i pogine."
Aristodem se, međutim, vrati u Spartu i bude izvrgnut ruglu i preziru jer, dodaje Herodot, "da su se obojica zajedno vratila usled bolesti u Spartu, čini mi se da im Spartanci ne bi to uzeli za zlo, a ovako, pošto je jedan od njih poginuo a drugi, o kome se bio proneo isti takav glas, da nije hteo da pogine, morali su Spartanci jako da se ozlojede na Aristodema... Prezir su prema njemu izražavali time što mu nijedan Spartanac nije dao da potpali vatru, niti je iko s njim govorio, a rugali su mu se na taj način što su ga zvali Aristodem Begunac."
Slično je prošao i Spartanac Pantit, kog je Leonida poslao kao glasnika u Tesaliju da zatraži pomoć. Suočen s prezirom sunarodnika po povratku u Spartu, on se obesio.
Priča o Aristodemu Beguncu, međutim, ima nastavak.
Godinu dana posle Termopila, u odlučnoj bici protiv Persijanaca kod Plateje 479. g.p.n.e. u kojoj Grci zamalo da dva puta poraze sami sebe – pre boja zbog svađe da li su hrabriji Atinjani ili Spartanci, posle bitke u oružanoj raspravi ko je zaslužniji za pobedu (završila se time što su podignuta tri spomenika, atinski, spartanski i zajednički) – učestvovao je i Aristodem.
"A najbolje od svih, po mom mišljenju", tj. Herodotovom, "pokazao se Aristodem, onaj isti koji se jedini od tri stotine spasao kod Termopila i zbog toga doživeo toliko uvreda i poniženja."
Ali, ne lezi vraže! Uprkos Herodotovom uverenju, Spartanci – ili bar neki Spartanci – junaštvo mu nisu priznali, smatrajući da je "želeo da pogine jer je sigurno bio svestan svoje ranije krivice, te je samo zbog toga tako ludo jurišao i izvršavao tako velike podvige, dok Posidonije nije želeo da pogine, pa se i pored toga pokazao tako hrabar, te je on zbog toga bio bolji junak od Aristodema".
Nije bilo lako Spartancima, čak i da nisu imali žene kao gazdarice u kući – i u Sparti, dok su oni okolo ratovali. Kao i sam Leonida, uostalom: njegova žena Gorga postala je slavna još kao osmogodišnja kći kralja Kleomena. Kad je ovome došao Milećanin Aristagora da ga nagovori na ratni pohod u Susu, ponudio mu je kao platu deset talenata zlata, potom dvadeset, pa pedeset. "Oče, ovaj stranac će te podmititi ako smesta ne izađeš odavde", primetila je buduća Leonidina žena.
Putnika koji se zatekne u Olimpiji na zapadnom Peloponezu pa odluči da obiđe i tamošnji muzej, može da dirne pogled na dva eksponata, među ogromnim brojem drugih gotovo neupadljivih. Jedan je bronzana kaciga korintskog tipa, delimično propala tokom dve i po hiljade godina pod zemljom, drugi je jednostavan mada pozlaćen kupasti šlem nekog Persijanca. "Miltijad posvećuje Zevsu" piše na obodu broznanog, "Atinjani posvećuju Zevsu, otevši ga Međanima", piše na drugom. Miltijad je onaj Atinjanin koji je 490. godine stare ere na Maratonskom polju poveo nekoliko stotina svojih sugrađana i saveznika u pobednički juriš na vojsku persijskog kralja Darija.
Deset godina kasnije Grci su poslanicima Darijevog naslednika Kserksa listom slali zemlju i vodu kao znak predaje i savezništva u novom persijskom pohodu. Među onima koji su odbili da se pokore bili su Atinjani – koji su glasnike bacili sa stene, i Spartanci, koji su – bacajući ih u bunar, dodali i poruku: "Eto vam i vode i zemlje."
Leonida će, nešto kasnije kod Termopila, na Kserksov poziv da preda oružje, i sam odgovoriti potpuno lakonski: "Dođi i uzmi."
Uzaludno pokušavajući da dobiju pomoć Sirakuze i Krita, malobrojni Grci rešili su da se od koalicije stotina i stotina naroda pod zapovedništvom Kserksa, kralja kraljeva, brane na Korintskoj prevlaci. Saznavši da uz pešadiju i konjicu nastupa i ogromna flota – koja bi mogla da pustoši Peloponez dok se oni guraju na prevlaci – promenili su odluku i odmarširali do Olimpa, da bi persijsku vojsku dočekali na nekoj od uskih ravnica između planine i mora. Tek tu su, izgleda, shvatili kolikoj se sili suprotstavljaju – više od pet miliona ljudi, po Herodotovoj računici – i pošteno se uplašili, koliko te sile toliko i izdaje nepouzdanih severnih sunarodnika. Tako su se vratili na jug, do uskog prolaza Termopila neposredno ispod Artemisiona, zapadnog rta Eubeje, s idejom da se bore i na kopnenom i na morskom tesnacu, jer je napredovanje kopnene persijske vojske duž obale pratila i ogromna flota na moru, uključujući tu i Herodotovu sugrađanku, kraljicu Halikarnasa Artemisiju.
Ko zna šta bi se tu dogodilo da se u vreme bitke na Peloponezu nisu održavale Olimpijske igre, i da u Sparti nisu održavane svečanosti u čast Apolona Karnejskog zbog kojih je deset godina ranije spartanska vojska na Maraton stigla tek posle bitke. Zbog proslave Karneja Spartanci su na Termopile poslali Leonidu sa samo 300 hoplita, a ostatak saveznika je, izgovarajući se Olimpijadom, na Termopile poslao gotovo simboličan broj ratnika. Sve u svemu, tamo se pred bitku nalazilo jedva nešto više od 7000 Grka – naspram najmanje 300.000 Persijanaca i njihovih saveznika, dobrim delom takođe Grka. Suočen s neraspoloženjem svojih saveznika – možda plašeći se i njihove izdaje – Leonida je svima koji su to hteli dopustio da se povuku, ostajući sa svojih 300 Spartanaca – "sredovečnih ljudi, koji su već imali svoje sinove" – te nešto Lokrana i Tebanaca, dok je čuvanje planinske staze iznad Termopila prepustio hiljadi Fokejaca.
Zbunjen malobrojnošću protivnika, Kserks je pitao gde su ostali Grci i dobio odgovor da su u Olimpiji, na takmičenjima. A na odgovor da je nagrada za pobednika venac od grančice divlje masline, Tritantehmo, jedan od persijskih zapovednika reče: "Teško nama, Mardonije, kad nas vodiš u borbu protiv takvih ljudi koji se ne bore za novac, nego za slavu." Posmatrajući Grke kako ujutru nagi vežbaju, a Spartanci se još i češljaju i uređuju frizure, Kserks je dobio objašnjenje: "Ovi su ljudi odlučili da se sa nama bore u Klancu i za to se pripremaju. Kod njih je, naime, običaj da se češljaju kad hoće da stave svoj život na kocku."
Ovo je, kao i sve ostalo, poznato. Persijski juriš u uskom prolazu – u ono vreme dovoljnom koliko da prođe jedna zaprega – odbijan je dva dana. Trećeg je Kserks odlučio da deo vojske pošalje planinskom stazom iza leđa Leonidi i Grcima. Spartanci su izginuli braneći se na brežuljku u kom će biti pokopani pod spomenikom u obliku lava i Simonidovim epigramom koji od putnika traži da Spartancima javi "da ovde ležimo mirno njihovih zakona svi slušajuć’ glas". Mrtvom Leonidi odsečena je glava i nabijena na kolac – postupak koji je začudio Herodota, dobrog poznavaoca persijskih običaja i poštovanja koje ukazuju hrabrim protivnicima. Uzgred, posle bitke kod Plateje jedan Eginjanin predložio je Leonidinom nasledniku Pausaniji da se osveti tako što će odseći glavu mrtvom Mardoniju. Ovaj je to s gnušanjem odbio.

Predložak za priču o herojskoj pogibiji čiji nam je najstariji i najpouzdaniji izvor Herodot – koji je bio u prilici da razgovara s učesnicima ili savremenicima bitke kod Termopila – nije njegovo objektivno pripovedanje: on poimenice pominje više poginulih uglednih Persijanaca nego Spartanaca "mada znam imena svih".
Platon je sve vrste umetnosti generalno smatrao trećerazrednim proizvodom jer niti se bave idejama niti stvarnošću, već su u najboljem slučaju kopija nečega što je i samo kopija.
Istorijski, persijski vodič je nedugo posle Termopilske bitke, na osnovu nagrade za njegovo hvatanje koju su ponudili Spartanci, pogubljen.
Herodot kaže da je:
Leonida sin Anaksandridov, koji je bio sin Leontov, a ovaj sin Eurikratidov, a ovaj sin Anaksandrov, a ovaj sin Burikratov, a ovaj sin Polidorov, a ovaj sin Alkamenov, a ovaj sin Teleklov, a ovaj sin Arhelajev, a ovaj sin Eurikratov, a ovaj sin Polidorov, a ovaj sin Leobotov, a ovaj sin Ehestratov, a ovaj sin Agisov, a ovaj sin Euristenov, a ovaj sin Aristodemov, a ovaj sin Aristomahov, a ovaj sin Kleodejev, a ovaj sin Hilov i ovaj sin Heraklov.
Četiri decenije posle bitke, negde oko 440. godine stare ere, Spartanci su Leonidine ostatke preneli u Spartu i – izuzetno, jer se kraljeva smrt u ratu smatrala prirodnom – podigli mu spomenik i ukazivali poštovanje kao heroju.
Romantizovana istorija kaže da je Leonida Gorgi, polazeći u Termopile, na pitanje šta da radi ako on pogine, odgovorio: "Udaj se za dobrog čoveka i rađaj dobru decu."

Every PC User Should Know

2008-08-10T00:17:00.000-05:00

The Windows Task Manager provides a good start when you try to discover what programs are running on your system, but it's only a first step. For more-detailed data, you need another tool. Your best bet: Sysinternals Process Explorer Get Process Explorer for Windows v10.21 at Microsoft TechNet. It needs no formal installation; just unzip it and run the .exe file. It will then list your PC's active processes, much as Task Manager does, but with better descriptions and organization.Interpreting Process Explorer's information is fairly straightforward, but here are some tips to help you make the most of the utility.
Consider adding the useful 'Handles' column to the view. Handles (a term that refers to programming methodology) are a convenient way to measure a process's resource utilization. Processes with high handle usage should be the first ones you kill when resources run low. Add the column by right-clicking in the header area and clicking the Select Columns option. Click the Process Performance tab and check the box next to Handle Count.
Note that Handles can also be created for media-based devices like CD-R drives, which may cause errors on eject. If you can't safely eject a disk or memory card, use the Find menu to search for the drive letter followed by a colon (for example, E:), and kill that process directly.
Instead of outright killing a process, you can suspend it (right-click on a process to see this option). This can be useful in the case of a runaway program stuck in an endless loop.
Want to know what a program's process identification is to better tell whether it's friend or foe? Open the program, then switch to Process Explorer. In the top-right corner is a target icon (concentric circles). Click this icon and drag it onto the program you want to ID; Process Explorer will highlight the process.
Expand Your Collection of Windows ToolsMicrosoft offers a sizable collection of useful yet unofficial and unsupported utilities called PowerToys. Following are the essential PowerToys for any serious computer user; all are downloadable from Microsoft's PowerToys for Windows XP page.
ClearType Tuner: Dramatically improves font legibility on some LCD screens.
Image Resizer: Adds a new menu when you right-click a photo on your PC. Just click Resize Pictures to change an image's dimensions without opening an editor.
Tweak UI: If you don't already have Tweak UI, get it. This essential OS tweaking tool offers more granular control over your privacy settings and operations, and even over the way you log in to your PC (plus much more). It should be one of the first things you install on any new computer.
Alt-Tab Replacement: Adds previews of each page when you switch between open applications using -.
SyncToy: Improves the task of synchronizing files among multiple machines, especially compared with Windows Briefcase.
Safeguard Your Wi-Fi NetworkOut of the box, most Wi-Fi routers are totally insecure.
If possible, plug in via ethernet to set up your router at the start--it'll save considerable time down the line. Don't bother installing the special software that comes with your router. Most routers can be controlled via a Web browser, which lets you manage your router from any networked PC.
To manage the router, type its IP address into your Web browser's address bar. If you don't know the IP address, go to Start, Run and type ipconfig /all in the field. The address will be shown as 'Default Gateway'. You'll also need the user name and password available in the manual or via an online search of the model number. (Try looking at this Default Password List.)
Once you can manage your router, change the administrator password you just looked up. This is typically under System Settings or a similar option.
Next, turn on encryption. WPA (or WPA-PSK) is about as secure as Wi-Fi gets today. Set a WPA key, and configure your clients to use the new key. (If one of the devices on your network does not support the WPA version you want to use, though, you'll have to go with a less secure method.) Look for 'Encryption' or 'Security' in the wireless management portion of the page (where you'll also find the following steps' settings).
It's a good idea to change the SSID from the default, which is usually 'linksys', 'belkin', or the like. Choose an SSID that doesn't invite inquiry from passersby (like 'broken' instead of 'janes-wifi' or '123mainstreet'). For extreme security, turn off SSID broadcasting.
Optional: Enable MAC address control, which limits access to computers you specify by their unique MAC address. This can enhance security, but MAC addresses are easily spoofed, and using this feature means you'll have to access your router's admin page to add new PCs to your network. To find a PC's MAC address, use the ipconfig command in step 2; look for the 'Physical Address'. Add that address to the allowed list in the appropriate router settings page.
Diagnose PC Problems Using Event IDsAnytime your system crashes or an application freezes up, Event Viewer dutifully logs the error--but sorting through Event Viewer logs can be just as frustrating as dealing with the Blue Screen of Death. Here's a cheat sheet.
Start by familiarizing yourself with Event Viewer before you have a problem. It's under Start, Settings, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer. The utility's System node logs Windows issues (particularly networking ones), while the Application node logs issues with other software. You should not see much activity in the Security node since it is disabled by default and is used only if you have auditing turned on (which requires extra Microsoft software and ultimately doesn't help most folks anyway). Third-party apps might create more nodes, as well.
Events are fairly self-explanatory: The date and time of each event are logged along with its source, plus miscellaneous data about the issue. Most events will be noted as 'Information' and are generally safe to ignore. The 'Error' and 'Warning' entries are what you should concern yourself with. You can access the guts of the information by double-clicking the event to open its Event Properties page.
In the Event Properties window, you'll find detailed information about the error in question and a link to the Microsoft support Web site. Clicking the link will open a detail page within the Windows Help application (not your browser) for the error you're investigating. But often the information you get will tell you little about the problem, either saying no more data is available or declaring there's nothing you can do.
For more detail on the error types and what they mean, turn to the Web. Plug the event ID into EventID.net, or search for key phrases in the error message, and try looking for clues to your problem by using the 'Source' field in the Event Viewer log as a search term.
Surf AnonymouslyNot too long ago hiding your tracks on the Web usually meant finding an open proxy server to surf through or paying for proxy software like Anonymizer ($30), which redirects traffic through its own proxy servers.
Today there's a better solution, and it's free: the Torpark browser. Torpark is a Firefox-based browser designed to access the Tor network of encrypted proxies. When you use the Torpark browser, your Web session bounces through multiple secure proxies, encrypted all the way, until your request reaches its destination. Torpark is a quick download and doesn't require a formal install on your PC; just launch the executable when you need it and make sure the Tor Network icon is active when the browser starts.
Secure browsing is considerably slower than regular browsing, though, so skip it If you don't need the extra security---and most people don't most of the time.
Test and Tweak Your Internet Connection for Top Speed
First, measure your current connection speed. Make sure nothing else on your network is using the connection and stop any Internet processes on your PC (finish downloads, close your e-mail client, and the like). Next, visit Speakeasy's speed tester. Click a server to run the test for download and upload speeds. Note that you will get atypically high results for servers very near you, but that will give you a gauge of your connection's top raw speed. Try running the test once more against the farthest-away city on the list to see your full range. Try the same test at BroadbandReports.com, too, for a good idea of what your current throughput is.
If you like to keep an eye on performance over time, the venerable DU Meter keeps logs of network performance no matter what kind of connection you have.
You can improve network performance modestly through Registry tweaks, but mucking around in the Registry is never a pleasurable experience, and with these difficult tweaks, it's easy to mess something up. Tweak Tester makes the task simple. Visit Broadband Reports' tweak page, and run Tweak Tester II. Results will appear on a new page. Pay attention to the 'Notes and recommendations' section of the page, where you will see any settings that merit alteration for improved performance. (You may want to print this page.) Changing the TCP Receive Window setting is likely to be the only tweak that will have any real effect.
Next, download and run Dr. TCP. You can run the program directly without installing it, but backing up the Registry before you use it is a good idea. (Go to Start, Run, and type regedit at the prompt; then, click File, Export, name the file, and click Save.) Enter the changes noted in the Tweak Tester results in the Dr. TCP window, and the program will then make all of the appropriate Registry fixes for you. Restart the PC, and then retest your connection to see if the tweaks helped.
You can also improve your Web experience (but not raw throughput) by increasing the number of download sessions in your browser. By default, Windows limits you to a mere two downloads at a time, but you can bump that up to eight or ten. Since few downloads fill your network pipe completely, the overall effect is that downloads should go faster. (Warning: Regedit work coming up, so back up your Registry before you begin!)
Click Start, Run, and type regedit.
Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings.
Right-click in the right pane and then click New, DWORD Value.
Type MaxConnectionsPerServer in the resulting field.
Double-click on the new item and then type a new number of connections (say, 10) in the 'Value data' field. Click Decimal.
Following the previous three steps, create another new DWORD entry, giving it the name MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server.
Solve Wireless Connection ProblemsWi-Fi is awfully convenient, but it's also awfully buggy for many users, particularly those in areas crowded by competing wireless signals. If you're dealing with a loss of signal, try the following to troubleshoot your wireless setup.
Your PC might just need a little massaging. The best way to quickly disconnect and reconnect to your router is to right-click the wireless icon in the system tray and click Repair. If this doesn't solve the problem and you suspect it's still a PC issue, open a command prompt and type ipconfig /renew. This performs nearly the same operation as Repair but bypasses Windows, which could be causing the problem. If all else fails, reboot your PC.
If you're still having trouble, power-cycle your router by unplugging it, waiting 10 seconds, and plugging it back in. Your PC will need to reconnect after the router has booted up. Most routers lock up occasionally, and power cycling is the most reliable way to fix them. (Unless you can't physically reach your router, don't restart it through its management utility; that approach takes just as long, and the utility may not respond anyway.)
If you're still encountering frequent problems, you may be experiencing channel conflict, where multiple Wi-Fi routers are operating in the same narrow band of frequency. Download and run the evaluation version of WirelessMon; you can do all you need to with the demo. Look at the 'Channel Use' chart: Red and orange bars indicate channels under heavy use, while blue or no bars indicate relatively free channels. If your router is on a crowded channel, switch to a less busy one. (Visit your router's management system to do this; read "Safeguard Your Wi-Fi Network" for directions.) You may see better performance and fewer dropouts.
Save Streamed Media LocallySince YouTube hit it big, streaming movies and music have gone positively bananas. But such online media has a major flaw: You can't download it to your desktop and save it forever.
Here's how you can download streamed-media offerings of various types.
AudioRecord Internet radio with Replay A/V, which can handle every audio format you're likely to come across, including Windows Media, Real, QuickTime, Flash, and even AOL's NSV format. It's $50, but if you want to record a lot, it's worth it.
VideoRecord Flash-based video (like YouTube and Google Video files) with KeepVid.com. Just enter the video's URL, and KeepVid converts it into an FLV file you can download. To play the file, use software such as FLV Player or VLC. Better yet, convert the video to an .avi, .mov, or .mp4 file by visiting the FLV Online Converter. These sites and programs are free.
Create Keyboard ShortcutsYou can automate just about any point-and-click operation you perform with the mouse. Here's a variety of ways to make keyboard shortcuts.
Windows lets you assign a keyboard command to any shortcut icon. (Note, though, that it has to be a shortcut; you can't assign a keyboard shortcut to any file you want.) Just right-click the icon in question, click Properties, and click in the 'Shortcut key' field. Press the keyboard combo you want to assign to launch the shortcut; it must include one standard character plus two or three of , , or . (--R in the example shown.)
To make more robust shortcuts, try the appropriately named freeware app Keyboard Shortcuts. With such shortcuts you can launch any file, perform system commands (such as logging off and shutting down), or open any URL in a browser. One shortcut can even perform several of these actions, simultaneously or in sequence.
For even more complex shortcuts, get a macro recorder that can capture detailed steps and repeat them on command. The Workspace Macro program ($25) can capture anything you type, as well as mouse movements and clicks. Just click New to record a macro, and click Stop after you've done all your typing and mousing. If you want to assign keyboard shortcuts to your macros, you'll need a separate program, Launch-N-Go ($25).
Create a Disaster Recovery DiscIt's great to have your PC's system-restore disks and a fresh copy of Windows at hand, but if your computer does go south, don't be in such a rush to wipe out the hard drive. In advance, create a DVD full of essential utilities that you can use to try to repair your PC before reinstalling Windows from scratch.
Your disaster disc should also contain up-to-date hardware drivers, especially for networking devices. Organize everything by folders, and keep names short: You may be browsing the folder from a command prompt if Windows won't boot.
Here's a good selection of utilities that should help out in any crisis, large or small. Note that the first two listed need to be installed on their own bootable CD or DVD in order to run at startup. All are free or available as trialware.
MemTest86: This venerable RAM tester still works.
Active@ KillDisk: Securely wipes drives as required.
Hot CPU Tester: Diagnoses CPU problems with an in-depth testing procedure.
Restoration: Recovers accidentally deleted files from both FAT and NTFS partitions, as well as memory cards.
HDDlife: Monitors the hard drive to warn you if a failure is near. (It's also a good idea to install this on your PC for occasional checkups.)
AOL Active Virus Shield: Free antivirus protection, with an engine powered by Kaspersky.
Spybot Search & Destroy: Keep an antispyware scanner on hand at all times.
OpenOffice.Org: Always great for reading Office files when Microsoft Office isn't working.
Also check out these premade, downloadable emergency discs, which, in many cases, pack lots of system utilities.
Knoppix: Use this free bootable Linux CD to access Windows directories on a hard drive.
Ultimate Boot CD: Contains over 100 low-level system utilities on a single disc. The download is free; a CD is $6, with shipping.
EBCD: This free emergency CD is designed for seriously broken PCs--and expert users.
Microsoft Boot Disks: Download free boot discs for OSs from Windows XP to MS-DOS 6.
Move Big Files Across the InternetIt's considered rude--and rightly so--to e-mail someone a file larger than a few megabytes without permission. And you may not be able to anyway, since many ISPs place a cap on message size (often 10MB or less). So what are you to do if you need to send an 18MB, an 80MB, or even an 800MB file to someone? Online services make the task much easier and more elegant than burning a DVD and dropping it in the mail. You have lots of options, and more new services pop up every day. MediaFire.com is my favorite, and it's one of the best on the market now. The free service requires no registration, and it allows unlimited maximum file size, unlimited downloads, and multiple simultaneous downloads. It's just about perfect!
The other services below, however, also have certain unique features that may make them more suitable for you.
Files-upload.com: Handles 300MB files through a Web-based interface without registration; files expire after 45 days. Register, and you get your own FTP subdomain (yourname.files-upload.com) that's accessible with a standard FTP client. It has a 1GB file-size limit.
GigaSize.com: Has a 1.5GB file-size limit and stores files for 90 days. A $4 monthly fee gets you a 2.5GB size limit.
Pando.com: Has a 1GB file-size limit, but offers a peer-to-peer plug-in for various e-mail, Web mail, and instant messenger clients, so you don't have to go to the Web site to transfer files.
Xdrive.com: Gives you 5GB of free storage space, accessible through the Web or a Windows Explorer plug-in that also allows for sharing with others.
Eradicate Your Web and Windows TracksHey, it's nobody's business but yours what you're doing on your own PC. If you share a system with a nosy roommate or family member, or if you're stuck using public PCs at a conference, you may want to scrub your tracks--Windows' memory of what you've done over the last few hours or days--each time you sign off.
First, set up a browser for sensitive surfing, and use it only for work in which you need maximum security. Clear your secure browser's history and configure it to remember as little as possible. In the chart below are instructions for the most commonly used browsers.
You can also get rid of your Windows history on PCs that you own or share, but the easiest way to keep prying eyes away from your Windows history is to prevent it from being recorded. Download Tweak UI (see "Expand Your Collection of Windows-Tweaking Tools") and run it. Make these changes:
Under 'Explorer' check Clear document history on exit. Uncheck Allow Recent Documents on Start menu, Maintain document history, and Maintain network history.
Under 'Common Dialogs' uncheck Enable AutoComplete and Remember previously-used filenames.
Calibrate Your Monitor's ColorObtaining true-to-life color on your display can be an expensive task that requires special software and hardware. Here's how to get more-accurate color out of your monitor without spending an arm and a leg.
First, download the free Monitor Calibration Wizard. When you run the wizard, it will walk you through several simple tests.
Afterward, save the profile under a name of your choosing. Select this profile under the Load Profile box, and check the box next to Load at Windows startup. Your color will be corrected to your new profile each time you boot. You may not notice much of a difference, though, unless your monitor was seriously out of whack to begin with.
Additional free color-correction tools exist for specific video card brands. RivaTuner is primarily designed for systems with nVidia cards (through the GeForce 7 card series), while ATITool is the counterpart for ATI cards (to get color-correction support for cards released in the last 12 months or so, download the beta version of this free tool).

10 sexy dates

2008-08-08T14:05:00.001-05:00

You’re probably not going to fall madly in lust while making polite conversation over roast chicken and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. You’ve got a much better chance of forging an electric connection if you ditch your routine date destination. Here are ten suggestions that will help get the electricity between you two crackling.
1. Play hooky.
Why restrict your dates to weekend nights? Agree to each take a sick day and spend it indulging. Share a long lunch (with wine), catch an afternoon movie, browse in near-empty shops or do whatever else you never get time to do on the weekends.
2. Take in some subtitles.
Catching a movie is a stand-by date activity for a reason—namely, it’s a great way to log some time with somebody you’re just getting to know without having to stare each other down over a drinks or a meal. But instead of getting sucked into watching the wannabe-blockbuster of the week, hit a foreign film, whether a new one or a classic (the French Belle de Jour and the Italian La Dolce Vita are two erotically charged options to look out for at your local revival house). There’s something inherently sexier about watching a film in another language—maybe it’s that listening to a foreign tongue for ninety minutes lulls you into a dreamy state of mind or that it makes you and your date suddenly feel like travel partners even though you haven’t left the local multiplex.
3. Flirt surrounded by flora.
“The botanical garden near me is really pretty in the early evening,” “And there are lots of scenic spots where you can make out if you’re so inclined.”
4. Try the tapas trend.
It seems like at least half of the buzz-heavy new restaurants out there specialize in “small plates,” appetizer-sized portions that are meant to be ordered in multiples and shared. Luckily, this style of dining is perfect for dates. You’ll bond while debating the merits of different menu options, and find that leaning across the table to eat off of the same dishes — with a perfect excuse to feed each other — stirs up a lot more intrigue than staying hunched over individual entrees would.
5. Go back to school.
Taking a class, whether a one-night seminar or a weekly thing, is a guaranteed way to get close. “When you learn something new together you feel like a team, which is very bonding,” Think courses that involve physical touch, like reflexology, or which engage the senses, such as a wine or Scotch tasting.
6. Go out to breakfast.
You look and feel your sexiest when you’re relaxed, but the standard dinner date — in a noisy restaurant, with a waiter pressuring you to run up your tab with sparkling water — can make a chilled-out state impossible. It’s much easier to be languid over a weekend breakfast, which is why meeting a potential mate for the first meal of the day can actually be a better idea. Just pick a café where you can linger over your coffee, rather than a diner where they’ll try to shuttle you out the door in under a half hour. You’ll be able to assess each other in your pre-caffeinated states—and if you like what you see it will be a sexy preview of how your mornings will be once you start waking up together!
7. Check out some R-rated art.
Visiting a museum or gallery exhibit filled with subtly suggestive painting or sculpture will bring the subject of sex front and center. However, since the works come with “high art” credentials, you won’t feel sleazy or bashful about seeing it with somebody you still don’t know all that well. For classic options, look for Andrew Wyeth’s nudes, Georgia O’Keefe’s suggestive blossoms, or Rodin’s sculptural celebrations of the human form. In search of something more cutting edge? Scan the art reviews in your local paper.
8. Get lost.
Head to a neighborhood you’re not totally familiar with but that you know is a safe place to explore. “When we were first dating my husband and I would buy tickets to way off-Broadway plays in remote parts of the city, then afterward we’d stop into whatever bar or restaurant looked interesting,” “The feeling of adventure it gave to those nights was a turn-on.”
9. Ride a roller-coaster.
Hit an amusement park and get in line for the most stomach-churning rides they’ve got. Having your bodies whipped around curves or dropped from heights could be a surprising prelude to a night of passion. “Activities that feel dangerous raise levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and adrenaline in your brain, which is the same biochemical activity that occurs when you’re sexually aroused,” Not to mention that a roller-coaster ride provides the perfect excuse to grasp each other’s hands, arms, thighs…
10. Watch the moon rise.
Using the sunset as a backdrop to your date is a little too trite to be truly seductive, but catching the moon rise? Now that’s a suggestion that’s certain to feel magical. “My boyfriend drove me to the beach and set up a lovely picnic with a killer bottle of wine,” “Then he told me to turn around and there was the moon rising over the ocean—it was my favorite date ever.” Check the Old Farmer’s Almanac to learn the moon-rise times in your zip code.

6 sites for shoppers

2008-08-08T13:55:00.002-05:00

Don't buy online without them.
Sites such as MyBargainBuddy.com, Slickdeals.net, Ben's Bargains and Deals of America specialize in sniffing out good buys. Some have specialties: Ben's Bargains, for example, is heavy on computer and electronics gear, while MyBargainBuddy is especially attuned to stuff for the home.
But Dealnews rises above the competition for a number of reasons:
The site keeps track of past sale prices.Sometimes what looks like a deal really isn't. Knowing an item's past sale history helps you know whether you're getting a bargain. DeepDiscount.com
The site has a "hotness" scale.The scale reflects both the depth of the discount and the desirability of the item.
The site is well-designed and easy to navigate.
The site finds deals many of the others miss. WilsonsLeather.com
The site is updated frequently.
A note on coupons: You should always, always search around for coupons before you complete a Web purchase. Dealnews typically finds the best coupons for the deals it highlights and maintains a long list of coupons for various retailers, but no bargain or coupon site captures every discount. Use a search engine to look for "coupon" or "promotion code" and the name of the retailer you're using to find the hidden deals.
Coupons, gossip and a little extra
FatWallet is another excellent bargain-finding site with standout features:
Rebates.
Lively forums.
Free 'price protection'
PriceProtector makes this process automatic - and free. If you buy something at one of the 70 listed retailers and the price drops during that store's price-protection period (typically 30 days), you'll get an e-mail notifying you with instructions on how to claim a refund.
Hear from the shopper who's bought one
Amazon.com doesn't always have the best prices on everything, but the mega-retailer was among the first to encourage user reviews, and the sheer volume of opinions is reason enough to bookmark the site.
Speaking of reviews, you also should consider bookmarking Epinions.com and BizRate for feedback on products, businesses and sites not covered by Amazon.
Another feature at Amazon I like: the redesigned bargain feature, now called "Today's Deals," at the top of the home page. Deals are featured for a few hours each, and you can get a good idea of a product's desirability by how quickly it's snapped up - something that's tracked in a "percent claimed" graphic that includes a countdown of how much longer the sale will last. Some of the lesser deals fail to sell out, while the best ones disappear in minutes.
The smart shopper's taste tester
Most of the sites I've singled out are free, and some, such as FatWallet, even pay you to sign up. Consumer Reports posts some free information and reviews, but the $26 annual subscription fee to access the whole site is well worth the cost.
Simply put, you shouldn't make a major purchase, or many minor ones, without consulting Consumer Reports. The nonprofit organization subjects an array of products to rigorous testing and thorough, objective reviews, and its buying advice can help you make sense of your options. You'll come away with plenty of information to make sound choices.
Head-to-head price comparisons
As with bargain sites, there are many good contenders in the price-comparison space, including MSN Shopping, Google Product Search (I still miss the old name, Froogle), MySimon and Shopzilla. All can help you track down low prices on most of the things you want to buy.
PriceGrabber.com stands out for its design and ease of navigation. Prices are easy to compare, as are the retailers' reputations. If there's too much negative feedback, or no feedback at all, you'll know to choose somewhere else to buy.
Check your balances before it's too late
If you haven't already, sign up for online access to your financial accounts and bookmark the Web sites for easy retrieval.
Why? Because it's not savvy shopping to overdraw your checking account or pile up more credit card charges than you can pay off when the bill arrives. Bargain hunting won't do you much good if you face over-limit fees of $30 to $40 a pop or double-digit finance charges. Before you buy, make sure you can afford it.

5 things that are always on sale

2008-08-08T13:29:00.002-05:00

Here's how to shop smartly.
Consult a shopping search engine, like MSNShopping or Google Product Search
Mattresses
Reliability and durability of all brand-name mattresses -- Sealy, Serta, Simmons and Spring Air -are typically very good. What matters most is comfort.
Spend at least 15 minutes lying on any mattress you're considering buying to make sure it's comfortable for you in all positions.
Specialty mattresses from Duxiana, Select Comfort and Tempur-Pedic are rarely discounted, but you should be able to get 50% off the list price of a conventional innerspring mattress if you wait for a sale or bargain hard.
Jewelry
Understand that the big markups mean there's usually room to haggle down a price. Shoot for at least a 10% discount.
Buy from certified gemologists who belong to the Gemological Institute of America, American Gem Society or Jewelers of America.
Make sure you're allowed at least 30 days to return jewelry for a refund.
Pay to have expensive jewelry evaluated by an appraiser not affiliated with the jeweler. Make sure the appraiser is certified by the American Society of Appraisers.
College educations
About two-thirds of those who attend college get some kind of financial aid, and many colleges tweak their aid packages to benefit the students they most want to attract.
The College Board says the typical private school discounts its costs by about a third, and public universities offer an average break of 14.7%.
FinAid.org.
To avoid overpaying for a college education, you'll want to:
Learn about the financial aid process and how to arrange your finances to get the best possible package. Some resources to check: MSN Money's Saving for College and Managing College Costs Decision Centers, FinAid.org's financial-aid calculator and the book "FastWeb College Gold: The Step-by-Step Guide to Paying for College." Never assume that you won't qualify for aid, Kantrowitz said; the formulas for aid are complicated, and how they're applied can vary by school. Also, changing family circumstances and congressional changes to available aid can have a big impact on how much you get. Even if you don't have financial need, you'll need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to qualify for federal student loan programs.
Cast a wide net when researching and applying to colleges so you can uncover the schools that really want you (or your student). You can start with MSN Money's College Search engine, but also check out the Managing College Costs Decision Center, which includes articles on good values in public and private colleges.
Make sure that if you do have to borrow money for school, you exhaust all federal student loan options first before resorting to private loans (read "How did student loans get so sleazy?" for details).
And two more to think about
Almost nobody negotiates half off a house or a car, but almost nobody pays sticker price, either. And because these are two of the biggest purchases most people make, it's worth going over the ground rules.
You know you shouldn't pay sticker price for a vehicle, but figuring out the "right" price - and keeping to it in the face of an industry that specializes in getting people to overpay - is a tall order. The second you drive a car off the dealer's lot, for example, it's worth only what someone will pay you for it, regardless of how big a rebate you got or how big a discount off sticker you negotiated. The closer you come to that price, the better the deal.
And even that swift bit of negotiation can be quickly erased in a few short minutes in the dealer's finance department. Similarly, you're not likely to make a bigger purchase than a home - or have more of an opportunity to overpay.
Cars.
Dealerships "know you're focused on the price of the car," said Philip Reed, consumer advice editor for Edmunds.com and editor of the book "Strategies for Smart Car Buyers." "You need to know about the charges that are bogus or inflated at the many other steps of the deal."
If you really want to make sure you get the best deal, don't walk onto a car lot until you've:
Considered all your alternatives. The fewer times you buy a car in your lifetime, the more money you'll save. You may be able to get a few more years out of your current car or even do without a vehicle for a while. If you've decided you "need" a specific car, or even a car at all, you may be setting yourself up to overpay. Read "The real reason you're broke" for details.
Set up your financing. A credit union is typically a good place to find low-cost auto loans. Limit your loan term to four years with a 20% down payment, if at all possible, and make sure you can swing all the costs of the car (such as higher insurance payments).
Done your research. MSN Autos, among other sites, offers information about performance, reliability and safety. Edmunds.com also has a "True Cost to Own" feature that can show you how much a vehicle is likely to cost you over five years. You can get detailed reports on vehicles, including how much the dealer paid, with Consumer Reports' auto price reports.
Prepared to walk out. The typical dealership will do everything in its power to keep you on the lot until you've signed the deal. They're hoping you'll fall in love with a car or be convinced the dealership is offering a one-time-only deal that will soon expire. Sometimes your most powerful negotiating tactic is the willingness to call their bluff, Reed said, and walk out the door. The deal may suddenly improve - and if it doesn't, there's always the next dealership.
"Car sales (are) based on control. They want to know they control you," Reed said. "Any time you show the ability to walk out, you're taking back control."
Houses.
Your two biggest enemies are your own emotions and a lack of information. You can help cure the latter with (as always) good research.
"Spend your weekends visiting open houses. Then, find a great agent, who really knows the neighborhood and its housing stock, and see even more properties that are for sale," advises Ilyce Glink, author of several books on real estate, including "100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask." "Track the sales prices of these homes and use that information as a tool to help unlock the value of other properties."
You also need to consider which way the market winds are blowing in your area: whether prices are going up, down or flattening.
"Once you figure out the direction the neighborhood is going," Glink said, "you can start to compare the value of one house to another, taking into account the differences in size, amenities, and specific location."
With this information, you can craft a bid. When multiple buyers are after the same property, you may have to make your best offer first; when home sales are slow or prices are dropping, it's often best to start with a bid that's lower than what you're actually willing to pay.
As for your emotions, I won't advise you not to fall in love with a property. Love is too tricky a thing to predict or prevent, and once it hits you you'll know how tough it is to keep your head. Just try to keep in mind that there's more than one "right" house for you, and you won't have to bankrupt yourself to get it.

Mp3 from myspace

2008-08-08T13:23:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROy2dtNioL8

Meditations from Coversations With God - Walsch

2008-08-07T21:10:00.004-05:00

You are creating your reality every minute.

There comes a time in the evolution of every soul when the chief concern is no longer the survival of the physical body, but the growth of the spirit.

There are no 'rotten apples'. There are only people who disagree with the point of view on things, people who construct a different model of the world.

Power comes from inner strength.

Everything that occurs - everything that has occured, is occuring, and ever will occur-is the outward physical manifestation of your innermost thoughts, choices, ideas, and detrmination regarding Who You Are and Who You Choose to Be.

Yes, there is One Great Truth; there is a Final Reality. You are divine creature, divinely creating your reality.

I do not forgive you, and will not forgive you ever, for anything. There is nothing to forgive.

Religion cannot stand Spirituality. For Spirituality may bring you to a different conclusion than a particular religion.
Religion encourages you to explore the thoughts of others and accept them as your own.
Spirituality invites you to toss away the thoughts of others and come up with your own.

God and his Universal Presence
I'm in every flower, every rainbow, every star in the heavens. I'm the whisper of the wind, the warmth of the sun, the incredible individuality and the extraordinary perfection of every snowflake.
I'm the wind which rustles your hair.
I'm the sun which warms your body.
I'm the rain which dances on your face.
I'm the smell of the flowers in the air.
I'm the flower, and I'm the air.

Every minute is holy.
This, now, is the Holy Instant.
Use your Now Moment for the Highest Purpose - the creation and the expression of Who You Really Are.
Decide Who You Are-What you want to be - and then do everything in your power to be that.

Embrace every circumstance, own every fault, share every joy, contemplate every mistery, walk in every man's shoes, forgive every offense (including you own), heal every heart, honor every person's truth, adore every person'r God, protect every person's rights, preserve every person's dignity, promote every person's interests, provide every person's needs, presume every person's holiness, present every person's greatest gifts, produce every person's blessing, and pronounce every person's future secure in the assured love of God.

If all you desired is what your soul desired, everything would be very simple.
If you listened to the part of you which is pure spirit, all of your decisions would be easy, and all the outcomes joyous.

Feelings are simply truths.
How you express your truth is what matters.

You cannot take responsibility for how well another accepts your truth; you can only ensure how well it is communicated: how clearly, how lovingly, how compassionately, how sensitively, how courageously, and how completely.

Feelings are the language of the soul.
Make sure you are listening to your true feelings and not some counterfeit model constructed in your mind.

Fear anf guilt are your only enemies.
Love and awareness are your true friends.
You will not grow through guilt, but only shrivel and die. Guilt is the poison that kills the plant.

Ultimately, all thoughts are sponsored by love or fear.
Everything, ultimately, breaks down to one of these.
All thoughts, ideas, concepts, understandings, decisions, choices, and actions are based in one of these.
This is the great polarity.
This is the primal duality.
And, in the end, there is really only one.
Love.
In truth, love is all there is.
Even fear is an outgrowth of love and expresses love when used effectively.

Grief - the sadness within you at the experience of any kind of loss.

Anger - tool which allows you to say:'No, thank you.'

Envy - makes you want to do it again, to try harder, to continue striving until you succeed.

The soul is very clear that its purpose is evolution.
There is no great tragedy involved in leaving the body, in many ways the tragedy is being captured in the body.

Dying - at the moment of your death you will realize the greatest freedom, the greatest peace, the greatest joy, and the greatest love you have ever known.

Transforming yourself
Even the rock will not be the rock forever. Before it was a rock, it was something else. It fossilized into that rock. It was once something else, and will be something else again.

Death is not an end, but a beginning; it's not a closing down, but an opening up.
Your life doesn't end, but only goes on in ways so magnificent as to make it difficult to describe and impossible for you to comprehend.

Illusion of death
See the flower as dying and you will see the flower sadly. You see the flower as part of a whole tree that is changing, and will soon bear fruit, and you see the flower's true beauty.
When you understand that the blossoming and the falling away of the flower is a sign that the tree is ready to bear fruit, then you understand life.

Go to your Highest Thought about yourself.
Imagine the you that you would be if you lived that thought every day.
Imagine what you would think, do, and say, and how you would respond to what others do and say.

Remember, you are constantly in the act of creating of yourself.
You are in every moment deciding who and what you are.
You decide this largely through the choices you make regarding who and what you feel passionate about.

Never deny passion, for that is to deny Who You Are, and Who You Truly Want to Be.

Be a Bringer of the Light.
For your light can do more than illuminate your own path.
Your light can be the light which truly lights the world.

So long as you are still worried about what others think of you, you are owned by them.
Only when you require no approval from outside yourself can you own yourself.

Spend your time wisely
When you spend your time trying to figure out what's 'best' for you, you are doing just that: spending your time - your choices will be cautious, your decisions will take forever, and your journey will be launched on a sea of expectations.
Be carefull not to drown in your expectations.

Recognizing the importance of the moment
"Now" is all there is...
"Yesterday" and "Tomorrow" are fragments of your imagination, constructions of your mind, nonexistent in Ultimate Reality.
Everything that ever happened, is happening, and ever will happen, is happening right now.
Past, present and future are concepts you have constructed, realities you have invented in order
to create a context within which to frame your present experience.

Remember, life is an ongoing process of creation.

Ignore your previous experience and go into the moment.
Be Here Now.

Group consciousness is powerful and produces outcomes of unspeakable beauty or ugliness.
The choice is always yours.
The best way to change the consciousness of others is by your example.

Deception is part of government, for few people would choose to be governed the way they are governed, few would choose to be governed at all unless government convinced them that its decisions were for their own good.

Your soul doesn't care what you do for a living, and when your life is over, neither will you.
Your soul cares only about what you're being while you're doing whatever you're doing.
It is a state of beingness the soul is after, not a state of doingness.

There is nothing I have to have, there's nothing I have to do, and there's nothing I have to be, except exactly what I'm being right now.

Cycle of Life
Understanding the life of the universe will help you understand the life of the universe inside you.
Life moves in cycles.
Everything is cyclical.
Everything.
All things move cyclicaly.
There is a natural rhythm to life, and everything moves to that rhythm; evrything goes with that flow.
For everything there's a season; and a time for every Purpose under Heaven.
When you understand this, you became more able to enjoy the Process, not merely endure it.

Women
A woman hears the melody of flowers in the wind.
She sees the beauty of the Unseen.
She feels the pulls and urges of life.
She knows when it is time to run, and time to rest; time to laugh, and time to cry; time to hold on, and time to let go.

The greatest secret of all time
Act as if you were separate from nothing, and no one, and you will heal your world tomorrow.

Relationship
The purpose of the relationship is to decide what part of yourself you'd like to see 'show up', not what part of another you can capture and hold.

The Preservationist - David Maine

2008-08-07T20:42:00.004-05:00

Thank you Lord for another day, the health to enjoy it, a labor to fill it and a home to return to at the end of it.
'And the rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights' - Genesis 7:12
For the last few days the rain has died back from fierce lashing to a steady light drizzle.
'The water was fifteen cubits higher than the mountins which it covered'-Genesis 7:19
People would not have been noble or selfless in any way...
You can't hope for anything...You hope for things, you'll get hurt.
I feel something pushing up from inside of me, like a geyser. It takes a moment to recognize it: HOPE.
'And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days'-Genesis 7:24
'And the arc rested in the seventh month, the seventh and twentieth day of the month, upon the mountains...'-Genesis 8:4
Lord, we have striven to uphold your calling.
'And Noe lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years'-Genesis 9:29

Kafa

2008-08-06T13:19:00.002-05:00

Servis za kafu iznesite na poslužavniku i sipajte kafu u šoljice pošto ste pitali goste kakvu žele. Keramičke šoljice su dobre, ali ako je moguće koristite porculanske.
Bonton nalaže unapred zagrejane šoljice, napunjene do dve trećine.
Najbolje je koristiti kašičice manje od onih za čaj, a šoljicu prinosite ustima desnom rukom, držeći tanjirić levom.
Kada služite samo porodicu, kafa može da se sipa direktno iz džezve. U drugim prilikama koristite ibrik za kafu koji može biti keramički ili porculanski, u kompletu sa šoljama. Ibrik treba prethodno zagrejati ispirajući ga vrućom vodom, da se kafa ne ohladi pre serviranja.
Gostima uz kafu treba ponuditi različite vrste šećera: beli ili smeđi, poslužen u zasebnoj posudi. One mogu takođe biti deo servisa ili napravljene od srebra i drugih metala.
Mnogi piju kafu s melkom pa je neophodan i vrč za mleko.
Uz kafu možete poslužiti i različite vrste poslastica koje zavise od doba dana.
Ujutru je prirodno da poslužite brioš ili kroasan.
Posle ručka ili večere, možete da izaberete između čokolade i raznih vrsta keksa ili kolača. Podrazumeva se da ćete uz to gostima poslužiti i salvete.
Najčešeće greške prilikom ispijanja kafe:
1. stavljanje šećera u šoljicu pre sipanja kafe
2. mešanje kašičicom tako glasno da zvecka
3. ostavljanje kašičice u šoljici
4. podizanje malog prsta prilikom ispijanja
5. stavljanje kašičice u usta

The 20 Downloads you can't do without

2008-07-16T15:23:00.002-05:00

Cure a sluggish PC, improve your defenses, and have more computing fun with these great programs. Most are freebies.
Any well-equipped system needs a basic software suite, a collection of tools that can keep your machine in working order and help it take care of everyday tasks-as well as some not-so-ordinary tasks. Since such software doesn't ship with your PC, for the most part, you'll have to accumulate it over time.
Which programs should you get?
We've included a wide variety of software, from security utilities to system cleaners to graphics tools. They all have one thing in common: You need them. Now. So read on and start downloading.
System boosters
Software that can help your PC run in tip-top shape, including a Registry cleaner, a system optimizer, and more.
Glary Utilities
If you need to clean and optimize your machine, improve your privacy and security, or do other similar tasks, you'll want this program. It's free, it's simple to use, and it'll make your computer run much better.
Its cleanup and repair tools include a Registry cleaner, a disk cleaner, and a shortcut fixer that corrects shortcut errors on your Desktop or Start menu. Among its optimization tools are a startup manager and a very good context-menu manager for editing the menu that appears when you right-click a file.
You also get a file shredder, encryption tools, a utility for cleaning up your Internet traces...the list goes on. For anyone who wants to take control of their PC and doesn't want to pay even a penny, this is a great program to get.
Download Glary Utilities

CCleaner
Like it or not, your PC is full of junk. And no matter how hard you try to keep the junk off, it accumulates over time.
This must-have does a great job of cleaning everything out. It clears your browser cache, temporary files folder, browser history, Windows log files, hot-fix uninstallers, and temporary files from third-party applications. The app offers a lot more, too, including a Registry cleaner and an uninstaller. Considering that it's free, it's hard to beat.
Download CCleaner

PC De-Crapifier
As good as CCleaner is, there's something it doesn't do: Track down "craplets" and kill them. Craplets are useless programs and trial versions that come installed on many new PCs, or that piggyback onto other downloads and install themselves on your computer. The result: a clogged hard disk, and a slower system.
That's where this free must-have comes in. It looks for dozens of craplets, finds them, and eliminates them.
The program's list of targets is long, and it includes the craplets most commonly preinstalled on PCs, such as QuickBooks Trial, Dell Search Assistant, Wild Tangent Games, a variety of Norton and Symantec trialware, and Yahoo Toolbar. Be sure to see the full list.
Download PC De-Crapifier

Belarc Advisor
This great free utility does a thorough analysis of your hardware and system setup and then creates a profile that shows you everything you have. The profile is a Web page living on your machine that you can save or print out-or better yet, both.
In the profile, you'll find all you could ever need to know about your PC: the processor type and speed, including the primary and secondary cache sizes; the size and type of hard drive, including the total space and free space; the names of all the Windows user accounts; your RAM setup, including the serial numbers of the RAM modules; and your motherboard manufacturer and serial number. And that's just a start. You can use all of this material for troubleshooting, for technical support, for planning upgrades, or for anything else that requires a system rundown.
Download Belarc Advisor

Glary Registry Repair
Use your PC long enough, and you'll have problems with your Registry.
Invalid entries, software that doesn't clean up the Registry after it uninstalls, invalid paths and file associations, obsolete entries-the list of Registry problems can be endless, and they'll slow down your PC, cause system crashes, and generally muck up things.
You'll never be able to track down the problems yourself, so grab this freebie, which scans the Registry and fixes issues fast. You can choose which changes to accept and which to ignore. The program creates an Undo file, too, so you can revert to your previous version of the Registry if complications occur.
Download Glary Registry Repair

jZip
Every PC toolbox needs a good compression program that can compress and extract files and create archives. No doubt you've heard of for-pay compression programs such as WinZip and WinRAR, but you may not know about the free jZip, which offers everything you want from an archiving and compression program but doesn't cost a dime.
It handles popular archive formats such as Zip, RAR, 7z, TAR, and GZip, and gives you high compression ratios to save the most disk space possible. It's exceptionally easy to use, yet it offers great flexibility, such as including subfolders when you archive, splitting archives, and encrypting archives. You also have a half-dozen compression levels to choose from, depending on how small you want archives to be and how quickly you want to compress them.
Download jZip

NoteTab Light and NoteTab Pro
Is there a piece of software more useless than Notepad? It can't even do something as basic as open more than one document at a time. Replace it with either the free NoteTab Light or the shareware NoteTab Pro, which are everything that Notepad isn't. The free version opens multiple documents, handles large files, includes autocorrect features, lets you save text clips for later reuse, offers different fonts, permits macros, and plenty more.
If that isn't enough for you, move up to the Pro version ($30), which includes multiple levels of undo, offers a spelling checker and thesaurus, and allows you to bookmark documents, among other capabilities. It has a slew of features for programmers, as well. For anyone who edits HTML, it's ideal, as it includes a variety of useful HTML tools.
Download NoteTab Light

Clipmate Clipboard Extender
One of Windows' most basic features is the lowly Clipboard, which is nothing more than a temporary waystation for clips. That's where ClipMate comes in: It lets you save clips of all kinds so that you can reuse them-for example, boilerplate text you use time and time again, or software registration codes that you'll need handy for reinstallation.
Not only will the program save clips for you, but you can organize them into groups as well. You can combine individual clips into larger ones, edit clips, and preview clips, too. Also useful is the tool's ability to handle any kind of clip, including graphics.
We have the 30-day trial version in our Downloads library. The software costs $35.
Download Clipmate Clipboard Extender (trial version)

SnagIt
Here's the best utility for capturing a screen shot in Windows or any application.
Though plenty of screen-capture programs exist, none come close to what this one does. It will capture live windows, your entire desktop, portions of your screen, menus, scrolling Web pages, and short videos. You can even capture menus only. And it outputs in many formats, as well as directly to a printer.
It also offers great tools for enhancing and annotating screen captures, including adding special effects such as sharpening and embossing, and inserting borders and watermarks. It's the program I use for all the screen captures I take for PC World and for my books.
We have the 30-day trial version in our Downloads library. The software costs $40.
Download SnagIt (trial version)

IrfanView
If you ever use graphics for almost any reason, you need this program. It's small, it's fast, it's free, and it does its work better than any competitor can.
IrfanView's main task is to display graphics files, and it does a superb job. You can view just about any file format you can imagine, and show it lightning fast. It can also display thumbnails, present your files as slide shows, and play multimedia files. Given that it's a file viewer, the program also has a surprising number of graphics editing tools, including effects and cropping. And if you need to convert files from one format to another, it can't be beat; it's particularly effective at batch-converting large groups of files.
Download IrfanView

Online tools
To use a PC is to live online.

AceFTP
FTP (file transfer protocol), one of the earliest protocols on the Internet, still lives. If you want to send large files, e-mail won't cut it, because so many ISPs limit the size of file attachments. And if you have a Web site, you typically must upload your files to it via FTP.
AceFTP is a very good, free, simple-to-use FTP client, and it'll handle pretty much any basic file-transfer job. Creating new connections and sites is easy, and browsing local and remote directories is a breeze. The program has a log for tracking your file-transfer activity. Also useful is the tabbed interface, which lets you maintain multiple FTP sessions on multiple servers.
Download AceFTP

Download Accelerator Plus
If you're reading this article, you're a downloader. And if you're a downloader, this program-which manages every aspect of the download process-will make your life much easier. It can do multiple downloads simultaneously, and it can turn individual download sessions on and off. The program accelerates your downloads in two ways, by downloading from the fastest servers and by establishing multiple connections to servers.
The utility can resume downloads if you lose your connection. It offers plenty more, as well, such as a feature that lets you limit the amount of bandwidth for downloads. Most convenient: It integrates with your browser, so when you initiate a download as you do normally, by clicking a link, this program springs into action.
Download Accelerator Plus

BitZip
Despite what you might have heard, file sharing is alive and well. These days, it's done via the very efficient BitTorrent protocol. But while the BitTorrent protocol is effective and popular, the BitTorrent client leaves much to be desired.
Instead, grab BitZip, an excellent freebie that uses the protocol to download files. It does everything you need, including managing your downloads, halting and resuming them, and getting recommendations from other users about what files to download. You can also find lots of information about each file before downloading it, such as where you're downloading it from.
Download BitZip

CoffeeCup HTML Editor
If you create Web pages, you need a good HTML editor, and this program fits the bill. It's suitable for hard-core coders who want to create and edit code directly, but also for people who want a WYSIWIG, graphical interface. An all-in-one program, it lets you design, code, preview, and publish your pages.
CoffeeCup has plenty of features for both novices and advanced users, including templates and sample code, and a slew of widgets such as prebuilt calendars. You also get multiple tabs for working on several projects at once, and a visual editing tool that lets you easily place graphics onto a page, directly from your PC.
Note: Advertisements are parked along the top of the free version, and the program asks you to sign up for various added services. If you register for $50, they'll disappear.
Download CoffeeCup HTML Editor (trial version)

Qnext
Instant messaging programs aren't only for kids and teens-they've made their way into the mainstream as well. They have one problem, however: They don't communicate with one another. If you want to exchange messages with people on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and other IM services, you have to use multiple programs.
Or you could instead use this freebie, a universal instant messenger that communicates with all of those networks. It does a lot more, too, including letting you share files, pictures, and music with others, as well as place audio and video calls.
Download Qnext
Security software
Security software may be the ultimate must-have: You always need to keep your PC safe from hackers, crackers, and malware makers.

Avast Anti-Virus
One of the most critical applications for your PC is a good antivirus program. Most PCs ship with some kind of antivirus trialware, such as McAfee or Symantec, but after your trial period you must pay...and pay...and pay, as antivirus software typically requires an annual fee.
Not so with Avast. It's free for personal and home use, and unlike big commercial programs, it won't bog down your PC by taking too much RAM or system resources. Despite its lean build, it protects your computer as the bigger programs do. It offers live virus protection to stop your machine from being infected in the first place, virus scanning and virus killing, and various protections against e-mail viruses, Web-borne viruses, and other threats.
Download Avast Anti-Virus

Ad-Aware 2007 Free
This longtime favorite spyware killer recently underwent a face-lift, so if you're using an older version, be sure to upgrade. And if you haven't used it before, consider it a must-have. After all, not only does it kill spyware, but it's free as well.
It's exceptionally easy to use, and lets you customize spyware scans as well as schedule them. When the program reports what it finds, you can tell it to kill the potential infections, put them into quarantine, or ignore them. The new interface is much slicker-looking and easier to use than earlier versions.
This program lacks just one thing: real-time spyware protection. For that, you'll need another antispyware utility--the next must-have below.
Download Ad-Aware 2007 Free

Windows Defender
Spyware is so noxious and so hard to detect that you should use more than one antispyware app. Windows Defender is a very good choice for a second layer of security. It's free, it does a nice job of finding and killing spyware, and, unlike Ad-Aware, it offers real-time protection.
It also has some extras, such as tools for monitoring all the software and processes currently running on your PC, and for stopping programs from running on startup if you decide you don't need them.
Download Windows Defender

Outpost Firewall Pro
This is the best firewall you've never heard about. It's rated by the Moutsec.com firewall-testing site as one of the most effective you can get. Unlike the Windows XP firewall, it blocks dangerous outbound traffic as well as inbound traffic. It also guards against the leaking of personal information from your PC.
Outpost Firewall Pro offers features not found in many competitors. For example, it can block banner ads on the Internet, as well as block ActiveX controls, scripts, applets, and other potentially dangerous content. It also provides real-time spyware protection. The program contains prebuilt profiles for many applications, too, so it knows how to handle their Internet access.
We have a 30-day trial version in our Downloads library. A one-year license, which includes updates and support, is $40.
Download Outpost Firewall Pro (trial version)

NOD32
You've probably never heard of this oddly named antivirus software, but that's no reason not to give it a try. It provides real-time protection against viruses, scans and disinfects your system, and takes up little RAM and processor time in comparison with the big packages from Symantec and McAfee.
The program can integrate into Outlook and Outlook Express to protect your e-mail against malware, and it scans for spyware and adware in addition to viruses. One nice touch: It performs all of those scans at once, whereas some other tools require multiple scans. The utility also gives you plenty of control over how to handle potential infections, including moving them to quarantine and deleting them.
Our download link below will take you to the developer's site, where you can obtain the software to try it out for 30 days. A full one-year subscription is $40.
Download NOD32

Cellular Network Technologies

2008-07-16T01:14:00.002-05:00

The United States hosts two main families of cellular network technology.
Sprint and Verizon use CDMA and its faster progeny-1xRTT, EvDO, and EvDO Rev A-nationally;
meanwhile, AT&T and T-Mobile work with GSM/GPRS and a speedier upgrade, EDGE, nationally.
Of the two, GSM/GPRS is a little more flexible because all service and subscriber information is stored on a small, removable SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card.
In theory, you can switch carriers simply by replacing one service's SIM card with another's; conversely, you should be able to switch handsets by slipping your current SIM card into a new phone.
In practice, however, a number of GSM carriers-including AT&T and T-Mobile--use software that locks a handset to a specific SIM card. To use a different SIM card, you must unlock your handset-a process that usually involves entering a code that you obtain from your carrier.
In some cases, a GSM carrier will help you unlock your phone if you have been a subscriber for a certain period of time. For instance, T-Mobile users can unlock their phone after 90 days, though the company says that an unlock code isn't available for all cell phones.
Some mom-and-pop cell phone shops and Web services will unlock certain GSM phones for a fee.
Another option is to buy an unlock code from sites such as Mobile Unlock, TravelInsider.com, and UnlockToTalk-or if you're lucky, you might find an unlock code on a forum by running a search for your particular model: "Nokia 5300 unlock code," say.
BlackBerry Curve 8300
$45 at Amazon.com with 2-year, $40/month voice and $30/month data plan.
• $100 at Newegg.com with 2-year, $60/month voice plan.
• $300 at AT&T with 2-year, $50/month data plan ($100 mail-in rebate available).
• $350 at eBay, unlocked version. Prices are as of 6/28/07
Where will you get the best deals?
I did some comparison shopping on the Web, at a few local retailers, and over the phone. The best place to start is with an online pricing engine, such as DealTime, Google Product Search, MSN Shopping, Pricegrabber.com (PC World's pricing engine), and Yahoo Shopping; use the engine to check out sellers and estimated prices for the phone models that you're interested in.
For the best deals and the widest selection, online stores generally beat brick-and-mortars and phone-order systems hands down.
Also, the carrier must have network coverage in your area
If something goes awry, you'll have to convince either your credit card company or the PayPal service to reverse the charge--an inconvenient hassle.
Carriers normally sell GSM handsets locked to keep you from switching services by swapping out the SIM card. But you can buy an unlocked phone from a third party.
The benefits: No contract is required, and you're free to use any SIM card at any time, including cards from overseas carriers. If you're a frequent overseas traveler, your cell phone needs will differ from those of homebodies. Here are key options, viewed from a globetrotter's perspective.
GSM vs. CDMA: In most cases, a GSM phone is the better choice because GSM networks are widely available throughout Asia, Europe, Oceania, and South America. But you should get a quad-band or so-called world phone--a handset that supports GSM on the 800-, 850-, 1800-, and 1900-MHz bands--because foreign nations don't use the same GSM frequencies as North America does.CDMA networks, used in the United States by Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless, are less common overseas, although they are widely employed in Japan and Korea. Sprint or Verizon customers who travel a lot should consider a CDMA-GSM hybrid (see "Dual-Mode Cell Phones," below, for more details).
International roaming: If you have a GSM world phone (or are using your CDMA phone in a region that supports it), you should be able to get it set up for international roaming with your carrier, but be prepared for voice and data charges that will be much higher than what you're accustomed to paying back home (check with your carrier about rates). When traveling, turn your phone off when you're not ready to answer it, or you'll pay even more for calls that aren't sent directly to voice mail.
Using an overseas carrier: Instead of roaming on a GSM world phone, consider opening an account with a local carrier at your overseas destination and swapping in that carrier's SIM card for your usual one. (You typically cannot activate a CDMA phone on a different carrier's network.) But you'll need to either buy an unlocked GSM phone or ask your carrier (or someone else) to help you unlock your handset. Our chart lists the pros and cons of this approach versus international roaming.

Ima vremena za kafu

2008-07-16T01:00:00.000-05:00

Kada vam se ucini da gubite kontrolu nad svojim zivotom, kada 24h nadan nije dovoljno, setite se tegle kiselih krastavaca... i kafe.
Profesor je stajao pred grupom studenata na casu filozofije i drzao nekepredmete iza sebe.
Kada je cas poceo, bez reci je podigao veliku, praznu teglu od kiselih krastavaca, stavio je na katedru i napunio lopticama za tenis.
Upitao je studente da li je tegla puna.
Slozili su se da jeste.Zatim je podigao kutiju punu kamencica i sipao ih u teglu.
Blago je protresao. Kamencici su se otkotrljali u prazan prostor izmedu loptica.
Tada je ponovo upitao studente je li tegla puna.Opet su odgovorili da jeste.Sledeca kutija koju je uzeo, bila je puna peska. Kada ga je sipao, pesak je, naravno, ispunio sve preostale supljine u tegli.
Pitao je jos jednom je li tegla puna.
Studenti su skruseno odgovorili da jeste.Onda je profesor ispod stola izvadio dve soljice pune kafe i sipao ih u teglu. Kafa je natopila pesak.Sada!', rekao je profesor, hocu da shvatite da ova tegla predstavlja vas zivot.
Teniske loptice su vazne stvari u vasem zivotu. To su one stvari uz koje bi vas zivot i dalje bio ispunjen, i kada bi sve drugo nestalo.
Kamencici su ostale stvari koje su malo manje vazne.Pesak predstavlja preostale stvari - male stvari koje cine potpunu ispunu.
Ako napunite teglu peskom, nema mesta za kamencice i teniske loptice.Vodite racuna o stvarima koje su kljucne za vasu srecu.Prvo se pobrinite za teniske loptice - stvari koje su vam zaista vazne.
A sta predstavlja kafa?Nju sipam, da bi vam pokazao, da bez obzira koliko mislite da vam je zivot pun, uvek ima prostora za soljicu kafe sa prijateljem.

YouTube upload

2008-07-16T00:54:00.002-05:00

YouTube accepts a wide range of video file formats such as .WMV, .AVI, .MOV, and .MPG.
Using Microsoft Movie Maker you can easily edit your videos, add soundtracks, change the file type, compress the file size, etc.
How do I make a video out of JPEG images?
Here are a few steps to convert JPEG images into videos by using Windows Movie Maker.
1. From your desktop, click the "Start" button.
2. Select "Run".
3. Type: moviemk and click the "OK" button.
4. Drag or import the image files to the "Collection Window".
5. Drag the file down to the "Time Line" pane at the bottom.
6. Edit the images until they appear the way you prefer.
7. At the top, select "File" and "Save Movie File".
8. Under the movie selection select "The Web".
9. Click the "Next" button.
10. Name the movie and click the "Next" button.
11. Click the "Show more choices" link
12. If you'd like to use our Single File Uploader, make sure your video is under 100MB.
If your file's between 100MB and 1GB, you'll have to use the YouTube Uploader.
Once you've completed these steps, your movie will be ready to be uploaded to YouTube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPWFi75pES4

Kodak Zi6 kamera

2008-07-16T00:48:00.001-05:00

Америчка компанија Кодак представила је до сада најбољу камеру намењену YouTube генерацији.
Камера носи назив Zi6 - омогућава директно постављање видео фајлова са камере на сајт YouTube!
Камера има способност снимања видео материјала у 720п квалитету, који ниједан од конкурената не може да достигне, и то све у 60 фрејмова у секунди (fps).
Постоји и VGA мод за снимање видео фајлова, које можете прегледати на екрану величине 2.4 инча. Опције које су при оваквој манипулацији видеом могуће укључују и успоравање, премотавање видеа и друго.
Меморија за складиштење видео материјала долази преко SDHC слота и износи 32 гигабајта, што би требало да задовољи и најзахтевније кориснике.
Кодак Zi6 и поред свих додатака и побољшања која поседује, од конкуренције се не издваја много већом ценом - може се купити у САД за свега 180 долара.

Maternji jezik

2008-03-09T01:30:00.002-06:00

izvod sa foruma
Ево ра3говора са кућепазитељом овдашњим:
Овај апартмент ти је веома шајни, тешко да има ту бедрум бољи у нејборхуд, нема нојз,трафик је никакав ,а парк плејс за 50 бака ти је преко пута, земљак. Дневно - питам ја. Не, не монсли и то само за наше тенанте-он одговара па наставља- Опејнтаћу га, калер који 'оћеш, променићу каунтертоп у кухињи, а могу и све тапове, то те ништа не чарџа, само комплeјнирај на време... пошто има компетитор тенанта кол'ко 'оћеш.
Posle mnogih godina po belosvetju i sam patim od mentalnih blokada, jezičke disleksije, pa da se setim neke reči - ama nikako. Ali to je već nešto drugo.
Sasvim je normalno da kad govoris vise jezika ne mozes da se setis nekih reci, pa ih zamenis stranim. To kod mene uglavnom zavisi od moje koncentracije. Teze je kad si umoran, okupiran necim itd. Govorim i razmisljam na engleskom na poslu, pa kuci jos dva jezika, ali obavezno ucim klince da pricaju pravilno jezike svojih predaka.
Jezik se inace mora koristiti da se ne bi zaboravio. Kada sam prvi put dosla kuci, posle 5 meseci, desavalo mi se da pocnem recenice za engleskom.
Ja sam sama u inostranstvu, pricam srpski dnevno najvise 10 minuta sa porodicom (ne druzim se sa nasKim svetom tamo) i 1-2 meseca koji provedem u Srbiji. A kada dodjem kuci, tj ili vamo ili tamo, prvih dana ne ubacujem strane reci, jer me slusaoci ionako ne bi nista razumeli, ali se toliko znam blokirati da prvih par dana pricam srpski/italijanski kao neka osoba koja stalno laze (neamaterski) - a pritom mi kroz glavu prolaze prave reci samo na engleskom jeziku - reci koje nisam ni znala da znam. Ali brzo to prodje.

H - novo pogonsko gorivo

2008-03-09T01:25:00.001-06:00

Zahvaljujući srpskim naučnicima koji rade u Americi, globalnom otopljenju su možda odbrojani dani. Primenom nove tehnologije potpuno bi se rešila globalna energetska situacija na Zemlji, jer bi prestala potreba za naftom kao glavnim izvorom energije.
Renomirani časopis „Science” objavio je u ekskluzivnoj ediciji „Sajens ekspres” otkriće grupe američkih naučnika, koju su predvodili Vojislav Stamenković i Nenad Marković.
Tim stručnjaka pronašao je novi materijal za konverziju energije.
On je efikasniji približno sto puta više od svih postojećih materijala koji se trenutno koriste u tehnologiji gorivnih ćelija, koje bi trebalo da zamene motore sa unutrašnjim sagorevanjem u automobilskoj industriji.
Time bi se kao pogonsko gorivo koristio isključivo vodonik, a produkt sagorevanja bila bi čista voda.

VMA - plasticna hirurgija

2008-03-09T01:18:00.003-06:00

maj'06.
U Srbiji je nastala prava pomama za estetskim zahvatima.
Zaposleni na Vojnomedicinskoj akademiji, koja je začetnik estetske hirurgije kod nas, bukvalno spadaju sa nogu od posla.
Korekcija nosa je popularan zahvat, ali profesor Novaković upozorava da je to najstresnija operacija i za doktora i za pacijenta, jer se konačan rezultat prikaže tek nakon šest do osam nedelja. Ako želite novi nos, moraćete za njega da izdvojite oko 60.000 dinara.
Podizanje kapaka se radi pod lokalnom anestezijom. Od zahvata podizanja kapaka se pacijent oporavlja već nakon pet dana, a košta oko 24.000 dinara.
Korekcija ušiju se radi najčešće u detinjstvu, i nešto je pristupačnija – košta 20.000 dinara.
Za liposukciju (cesto je potrebno više od jednog zahvata da bi se postigao željeni rezultat) se mora izdvojiti 20.000-60.000 dinara.

Prva Srpkinja na krovu sveta

2008-03-09T01:06:00.002-06:00

Sedam od devet članova srpske planinarske ekspedicije „Mont Everest 2007” uspelo je u nedelju 20. maja rano ujutru da osvoji najvišu tačku sveta na istoimenoj planini.
Na „vrh sveta” popeli su se:
Basar Čarovac,
Dragan Petrić,
Ilija Andrejić i
Petar Pećanac,
a sat i 15 minuta kasnije pridružili su im se i
Miloš Ivačković,
Gligor Delev i
Dragana Rajblović - prva žena iz Srbije koja se popela na Mont Everest.
Vrh visok 8.848 m planinari su osvojili oko 8.45 po lokalnom vremenu. „Ovo je teško opisati. Samo je nebo iznad nas. Višegodišnje pripreme urodile su plodom, a potoci znoja materijalizovani su na najlepši način.", rekao je planinar novopazarskog društva „Sandžak” Basar Čarovac. Čarovac se u dosadašnjoj karijeri popeo još i na Kilimandžaro, Akonkagvu, Damavand, Ararat i himalajske vrhove Loboće, Ajland Pik i Čo Jo.
Ekspedicija, je iz Beograda krenula 30. marta.
Do sada su vrh Mont Everesta iz Srbije osvojila samo dva planinara - Dragan Jaćimović i Isa Panić.

Biorevolucija Emira Kusturice

2008-03-09T01:03:00.002-06:00

Vlasnik Drvengrada Emir Kusturica sklopio je ugovor sa Fabrikom sokova „DMB” iz Arilja o plasmanu prirodnih sokova koji se proizvode u mini-pogonu u jednoj od kuća brvnara na Mećavniku. Projekat proizvodnje sokova pod nazivom ´Biorevolucija´ je izuzetno primljen kod posetilaca Drvengrada.
Etikete na ovim prirodnim sokovima imaju na sebi likove:
Če Gevare (malina),
Fidela Kastra (kupina),
Josipa Broza Tita (borovnica),
Draže Mihajlovića (višnja) i
Emira Kusturice (jagoda).
Kusturica najavljuje da će uskoro biti proizvedeni sokovi sa imenima Maradone i Sadama Huseina.

Great Products

2008-03-08T01:37:00.000-06:00

(*) Johnson's Soothing Naturals, nourishing lotion

Etno selo Stanisici

2008-02-13T10:16:00.014-06:00

Fragrances

2008-02-11T13:53:00.002-06:00

(*) Euphoria - Calvin Klein (introduced in 2005.)

(*) Angel - Thierry Mugler
Rising Star Eau de Parfum Refillable Spray 3.4oz ............. 157$
Etoile Collection Eau de Parfume Refillable Spray 2.6oz ....177$

Shooting Star Eau de Parfum Refillable Spray 0.8oz ............72$

nordstrom.com

Lepo

2008-01-28T17:35:00.000-06:00

Biljka Mesozder

2008-01-28T15:54:00.000-06:00

Dionaea muscipula je najpoznatija biljka mesožderka na svetu.

Nije egzotična biljka, već raste u Sjedinjenim Državama u državi Karolina.
Dionaea raste u močvarnim područjima gdje je prisutnost vode konstanta te zbog nedostatka visoke vegetacije ima uvek jako puno direktnog sunčevog svijetla.

Zimi se temperature spuštaju blizu nule no retko kad se temperatura spušta ispod nule.

Pošto zimi u prirodi nema onoliko insekata koliko ih ima tokom leta Dionaea zimi usporava svoj rast te uglavnom proizvodi listove koji rastu uz tlo. Brzina kojom se klopka zatvara u slučaju podražaja je jako spora te biljka zahteva manje vode tokom hladnog perioda.
Dionaea muscipula privlači pažnju zbog svog specifičnog lista koji se nakon podražaja zatvara munjevitom brzinom. Njen list se sastoji od dva dela: prvi, izduženi deo i klopka sa sitnim dlačicama koje su osetljive na podražaj.

Unutrasnja strana klopke se leti boji u crveno kako bi privukla pažnju insekata. Na obodu klopke koja završava izduženim trepavicama muholovka izlučuje sočni nektar koji je zajedno sa bojom jednostavno neodoljiv insektima. U letnom razdoblju listovi se uzdižu desetak centimetara iz središnjeg dela biljke.

U proleće muholovka cveta.

Stabiljka cveta uzdiže se i do 40 centimetara od biljke te na taj način omogućuje insektu da na sigurnoj udaljenosti opraši cvet.
Klopka se ne zatvara u potpunosti nakon prvog podražaja već nakon drugog.

Često se uzgajivaci mesožderki šale na račun muholovke nazivajući je najpametnijom biljkom na svijetu jer zna da broji do dva. Objašnjenje za takvo ponašanje je jednostavno. Kada bi se klopka zatvarala u potpunosti nakon samo jednog podražaja biljka bi utrošila jako puno energije a ne bi imala nikakvu garanciju da je nešto ulovila. Na taj način kada insekt po prvi put “nagazi” na dlačicu klopka se zatvara. Nakon što je sa svojim trepavicama onemogućila beg insektu on se počne nekontrolisano kretati kako bi pronašao izlaz i na taj način stimulise i ostale dlačice i signalizira biljci da nastavi sa zatvaranjem. Kada se klopka u potpunosti zatvori biljka započinje sa procesom varenja plena te izlučuje probavne enzime. Varenje insekta traje deset do petnaest dana nakon kojih se klopka otvara. U klopci ostane probavljeni insekt ukoliko biljka ne “pojede” celog, već dio koji je razgradiv.

Nakon prvog ulova sa istom klopkom isto će moći ponoviti još samo dva puta a nakon trećeg ulova klopka će pocrneti te će se osušiti.
Posebna napomena: bez obzira na to što vas klopka muholovke fascinira morate ćete vaše prste držati na distanci ne zato sto bi vas mogla ugristi već zato što ćete biljku nepotrebno izložiti stresu. Biljka svakim zatvaranjem klopke potroši veliku količinu energije koja očekuje da će joj se vratiti kada ulovi plen.
Prva stvar koju morate znati vezanu za gajenje muholovke jest to da ona nije nekakva egzotična biljka koja raste u nekakvim prašumama. Klima u kojoj Dionaea raste je jako slična našem podneblju.

Biljci je tokom leta potrebno jako puno vode i jako puno direktnog sunčevog svetla. Njeno stanište je siromašno hranjivim materijama zbog vode koja ispira tlo.

Kompost u prirodi ima i karakteristiku da je jako kiseo.

Dionaea krajem devetog meseca usporava sa rastom te se priprema za jesenje razdoblje i zimu. Razdoblje odmora neophodno je da bi biljka bila zadovoljna. Zavisno od temperature i vremenskih prilika voda se počinje smanjivati početkom jedanaestog meseca te se dodaje toliko da se kompost ne bi potpuno osušio.

Na proleće biljka će započeti sa svojim rastom i verojatno će procvetati. Cvet obično režemo kada postigne visinu od nekoliko centimetara kako bi se biljka što više koncentrisala na sopstveni rast. Posebno je važno cvet odrezati ako je biljka slaba.

Dionaea koju kupimo odmah selimo u novi kompost i u punu veću posudu.Pesak koji se koristi u kompostu za mesožderke zove se perlit.

Perlit je pesak vulkanskog porekla tretiran na specifični način kako bi se postigla poroznost njegovih zrnaca. Njegova glavna karakteristika je ta da ne deluje na hemijske karakteristike komposta.
Jedini prihvatljivi kompost je čist treset bez ikakvih dodataka. pH vrednost komposta mora biti 3,5 - 4,5. Treset se u razmeri 50%-50% meša sa perlitom kako bi se povećala prohodnost vazduha u kompostu. Drugi razlog je voda koja se u slučaju biljaka mesožderki stavlja u podmetac saksije te se voda kapilarnim putem penje do biljke. Kada ne bi koristili perlit kompost bi ostao bez vazduha a zbog pritiska vode u podmetacu kompost bi se stvrdnuo.
Za mesožderke koristimo isključivo destilisanu vodu, kišnicu ili vodu dobijenu procesom inverzne osmoze. Nema kompromisa što se ove stavke tiče.

Voda je sastavni deo staništa mesožderki. Ako nešto nije u redu sa vodom onda ni biljka neće rasti. Voda ne smije sadržavati kamenac, hlor, ili minerale. Biljkama neće ništa biti ako ih jednom ili dva put zalijemo vodom iz cesme ali dugoročno gledano biljka neće preživeti. Ako se nalazite u situaciji da nemate destilisane vode onda uzmete lonac, napunite ga vodom te pustite vodu da odstoji 24 sata pre nego što je upotrebite za zalivanje biljke.
Posebna napomena: kuvanjem vode se ništa ne postiže. Kuvanjem deo vode ispari a minerali i ostale materije štetne za biljku ostaju u vodi.
Mesožderkama treba puno svetla. Nužno je direktno sunčevo svetlo da bi biljke zadovoljno rasle. Balkon koji se nalazi na južnom delu kuće je savršen za mesožderke. Ako biljke ne dobiju dovoljno svetla sa vremenom će prestati da rastu.
Posebna napomena: Dionaea muscipula NIKAKO ne možemo držati u terarijumu. Biljci je potrebno puno sunca i vode, zato je morate držati na balkonu kako bi upila što više svetla.
Vlaga je takođe bitna stavka za neke mesožderke. Što se Dionaea muscipula-e tiče ona nije toliko bitna pa se ne morate brinuti za vlagu. Biće dovoljna ona koje se formira isparavanjem vode iz podmetaca posude.
Za mesožderke koristimo obične plastične posude kao i za ostale biljke. Treba samo paziti da su posuded duboke oko 15 centimetara a široke najmanje 10 centimetara.

Trip

2008-01-28T04:10:00.000-06:00

ASIA
Bali:
A world apart from the unrest that sometimes grips other parts of Indonesia, Bali seduces visitors with its magnificent beaches, lush volcanic peaks and impossibly green rice paddies. This tropical island is dotted with thousands of Hindu shrines and temples.
A few dollars buys a lot of luxury here. For $10 to $20, you can bunk in a simple guesthouse or rent a beach bungalow. Even Bali's most lavish resorts cost a fraction of what you'd pay in other beach destinations. You can always afford a $20 massage to soothe your hangover the next day.
Laos:
Laos is one of the best bargains in Southeast Asia. Because tourism is only beginning to make inroads in Laos, visitors are not seen as mere revenue streams; locals extend a warm and genuine welcome.
Life moves at a languid pace in the former royal capital of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There, French colonial architecture coexists with dozens of graceful Buddhist temples, and monks in brilliant orange robes stroll the streets. You can find an inexpensive guesthouse for less than $20 a night; open-air cafes along the Mekong River offer absurdly cheap French and Lao specialties.
If you're backpacking, set off into the rugged countryside for caving, jungle trekking and a taste of traditional village life. In Xieng Khouang province, don't miss the "Plain of Jars," a mysterious field lined with hundreds of ancient stone urns.
Vietnam:
In the colorful and chaotic cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, you can rough it for a few dollars a day, or get a comfortable room with air conditioning and hot showers for $30 a night. In any street market, a mere $1 buys a steaming bowl of pho and a cold beer.
In Halong Bay, you can kayak amid towering limestone formations; the city of Hue offers a wealth of ancient imperial sites. For tropical seclusion, head for Phu Quoc Island, where a simple beachfront bungalow (including breakfast) can be yours for only $17 to $25.
India: Rajasthan
India can be a challenging place to travel, but no other nation on earth offers such a thrilling mix of cultures, landscapes and spiritual possibilities. If you have an adventurous spirit, you can get by on less than $20 a day—but even $40 to $50 a day will land you some creature comforts and more elaborate meals.
First-time visitors might consider flying into sprawling, bustling Delhi before making a side trip to Agra's wondrous Taj Mahal. Then go off to tour the vast province of Rajasthan, with its outrageously ornate forts and palaces. Rajasthan is full of adventure, whether you dream of spotting an elusive tiger or taking a camel safari under the stars. Its cities are equally impressive. In dusty-pink Jaipur, chaotic bazaars offer unbelievable deals on jewelry, pottery, fabrics and crafts. Another key stop is the city of Jodhpur, where the rooftops sport an intense shade of cobalt blue.
AFRICA
Zambia
It's possible to book your safari after you arrive—cutting out the middleman and saving a wad of cash. You can even travel to the game parks independently.
Zambia (www.zambiatourism.com) is not just one of Africa's unheralded destinations; it's also one of the continent's best safari values. South Luangwa National Park is a magnificent preserve, with leopards, elephants, zebras, giraffes and hippos roaming free. Just outside the park, budget chalets charge under $40 a day—or even less if you're willing to camp.
Zambia is also home to another of Africa’s most stunning spectacles: Victoria Falls. The Zambian side of the thundering falls offers camping for less than $5, or you can rent a hut for $40 to $50, with meals included.
Tunisia:
Morocco used to be North Africa's hub for backpackers, but prices are now on the rise as wealthy Europeans snap up vacation properties. Today it's Tunisia (www.tourismtunisia.com) that beckons with fabulous bargains. It's a modern and secular society, where travel is surprisingly convenient.
Tunisia is a land of ornate mosques and Lawrence of Arabia desert landscapes. Bustling markets tout rugs, pottery and colorful crafts—yours for a song. Archaeological wonders await, too, from the ancient city of Carthage to glorious Roman ruins. After you explore the culture, relax on a gorgeous Mediterranean beach where basic rooms and hostel bunks go for less than $15. If you can swing $50 a day, you'll sleep comfortably and eat well.
CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA
Honduras
Costa Rica, which used to be one of the best-kept secrets in budget travel, is now home to luxury developments and thousands of tourists. Farther north, however, Honduras (www.letsgohonduras.com) is still flying under most people's radar.Like Costa Rica, this laid-back Central American nation offers a pristine rain forest that's alive with howler monkeys and multicolor birds. You'll find hiking, river rafting and impressive Mayan ruins (at Copán). The Bay Islands are home to world-class scuba diving and snorkeling along a dazzling coral reef—in fact, this is one of the cheapest and best places in the world for diving instruction. Head to Honduras. For now, $8 buys you a hearty dinner; decent budget digs go for less than $25 per night. You can spend even less if you don't mind sleeping in a hammock.
Guatemala: Window into Mayan culture
Guatemala combines natural splendor with a fascinating glimpse into Mayan culture, history and traditions. Antigua, the former capital city, is a cobblestoned gem full of colorful colonial architecture, with lush volcanoes looming in the distance. Don't miss the highland city of Chichicastenango, with its vast and colorful open-air market, or the pristine blue waters of Lake Atitlán. But the highlight for most travelers is surely Tikal: The ruins of a once-great Mayan city feature spectacular towering pyramids that rise out of the dense jungle. Wherever you go, you'll find lots of simple bungalows and homey family-run inns that host budget travelers for as little as $20 to $30 per night. In low-key local joints, you can dine for about $5; frosty beers can be had for $1.50.
Peru: Bargains from the Andes to the Amazon
Peru offers some of the most rugged and diverse scenery in South America. Real shoestring travelers can get by on $25 a day, while $50 a day will put you up in midrange hotels with style and character. Years ago, I lived in Lima, so trust me: You don't need to spend your time there. Instead, make a beeline for Cusco, a captivating colonial city high in the Andes. Though it's best known as the jumping-off point for Machu Picchu, don't overlook several other excursions that are closer to the city, like the remarkable ruins of Sacsayhuamán. If you plan on trekking to Machu Picchu, along the demanding—and sadly overcrowded—Inca Trail, you're now required to hire a guide. But you can also reach these haunting and majestic ruins via one of the most spectacular train rides on the continent.
The Amazon Basin presents a completely different face of Peru. Hostel bunks and jungle lodges are plentiful in gateway towns such as Iquitos, where boat tours reveal the diversity and wonder of the rain forest.
Argentina
Argentina has one of the few currencies that's faring even worse than the dollar.
Begin your trip in sophisticated Buenos Aires, a city of grand boulevards and tango salons. Carnivores will think they've died and gone to heaven: Parrillas (barbecue joints) offer incomparable steak dinners for $10. A bed in a hostel goes for $9, but in this town, $40 or $50 a night buys an extremely comfortable midrange hotel room. Buenos Aires is only a preview of what Argentina has to offer. The beach resort of Mar del Plata is legendary for its rollicking nightlife. The garden city of Mendoza makes a great base for touring the wine country or taking on a whitewater rafting challenge. Or fly to the ends of the earth to see the towering peaks and glaciers of Patagonia and stroll among the friendly penguin colonies at Punta Tombo.

Srpska galerija Savremene Umetnosti

2008-01-15T01:25:00.000-06:00

Yaris, Corsa, Clio

2008-01-10T22:49:00.000-06:00

Svi modeli: Toyota Yaris, Opel Corsa i Renault Clio imaju servo upravljac.
Yaris sa klima uredjajem kosta nesto vise od 6.000 еvra.
Odrzavanje Clia II nije nista skuplje od odrzavanja Opel Corse, а cene delova za Toyotu Yaris takodje su prihvatljive.
Ukoliko se oslonite na statisticke podatke:
* Yaris је ubedljivi pobednik, јеr je najpouzdaniji,
* а iza njega је Corsa,
* dok је Clio II na zacelju, аli zato ima izuzetno povoljnu cenu.
Кada pricamo o komforu, situacija je obrnuta:
* najudobnije oslanjanje ima Clio II, koji odlicno upija neravnine sa puta,
* Corsa је tvrdja ali ima odlicno dimenzionisana prednja sedista,
* dok Yaris ima kratku sedalnu povrsinu.

Andrija Bikic

2008-01-07T14:38:00.001-06:00

QUILTING

2007-11-19T14:56:00.001-06:00

By Kate Mawdsley

2007-11-15T23:08:00.001-06:00

Fork Art

2007-11-15T23:00:00.001-06:00

Sandwiches

2007-11-13T03:44:00.001-06:00

Animals With Us

2007-11-13T03:30:00.001-06:00

Nest

2007-11-13T03:18:00.001-06:00

Oh, flowers...

2007-10-31T03:05:00.001-05:00

Metal Junk Art

2007-10-30T23:18:00.001-05:00