I just got a new camera: It's nearly one hundred years old. It's not in the greatest of shape; it's had a rough life. Maybe that's why I felt an immediate kinship to it. Collectors would say it's not worth...

Time for a summer tote, bitches. ... More »

Post from: TheGloss

By Jenny Finke A study by Child’s Play Communications found that 40% of moms bought something based off a Facebook recommendation. It’s no secret that Facebook is worth its weight in PR gold, but it does require some nurturing. A neglected Facebook Fan Page shows the world that you don’t care about your online reputation. [...]

We all realize it's tough growing up female in America, but if you ever needed proof to back up that statement, three stories that surfaced this week show exactly what women are up against:

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From the sounds of it, Kristen Bell isn't going to wake up any time soon and think, "It's a nice day for a white wedding!" The adorable actress confessed to ShowBiz Spy that she's just not the type of girl to do a traditional celebration for her pending marriage to fiance Dax Shepard. "We’re just not having a wedding, so there’s no story to report there. I mean, we’re still getting married, but we’re going to do it whenever we feel like it," Kristen told the website. "The fact that he asked me to marry him is of a little more importance than me planning a party."

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The sheer volume of @sshattery that has come out of the mouths of members of the GOP is astonishing. Today's bumper crop yielded two nominees for 'The Stupid It Burns' poll.

First, Little Ricky Santorum, who claims Obama 'Didn't Get Osama Bin Laden!'. He went on the Laura Ingraham show and showed his @ss over Osama bin Laden and who deserves credit for it, particularly to give the kudos to Bush for his torture interrogation tactics. Via Think Progress:

SANTORUM: 9/11 families and everybody else in America should be furious at this president that he's walking abound taking credit for, you know, getting Osama bin Laden. He didn't get Osama bin Laden! ... The president of the United States simply said - courageous act, give him credit for saying yes - but that's all he did, is say yes. He didn't do the hard work. The people he's going after did the hard work. And that is an outrage.

Santorum is referrering to his claim that Attorney General Eric Holder is "going after" CIA agents who used enhanced interrogation tactics under President Bush. But perhaps Santorum is too fixated on his Google problem to remember that Obama said two years ago that he wouldn't prosecute CIA agents who engaged in torture.

Number 2 nominee is Rep. Allen West (R-FL). The batsh*ttery here is hard to beat. At a town hall in Fort Lauderdale he opened his pie hole and a lot of truthiness of epic proportions came out.

Warning the crowd about the economic and national security dangers that China poses to the United States, West declared - twice - that "China is in control of the Panama Canal":

WEST: I had the opportunity to go down to the United States southern command which is headquartered in Miami, Florida. There is a huge threat coming up out of South America through Central America, through Mexico, and into the United States. Iran is in South America. Hezbollah is in South America. I already talked about how China is in control of the Panama Canal. And even about 50 miles away from here in the Bahamas, building a port there. You know, there is some serious threats to our country.

The notion that China controls the Panama Canal is patently false.

So who wins the poll? Cast your vote below.

Image credit. This comment from me to the makers of Duke Nukem: Are you serious? Elicited this deliciously patronising and not quite sincere response from Randy Pitchford, President of GearboxSoftware.com (my use of bold in the quote below) assuring me that there is nothing objectifying or sexist about their new game: Hi, Thanks for the [...]

We've already given you some great diet advice for getting that perfect bikini body. You know what foods to eat and which to avoid but we thought it'd be useful to give you ladies a sample meal plan for a day so we enlisted one of our fitness expert's Brooke Mora to help us out. It may not sounds as delicious as pasta, pizza or chocolate but it'll help you get that bikini body just in time for summer.

 

Breakfast
 
4 egg whites
½ cup Oatmeal
 
Multiple Vitamin
12 oz of Water
 
Mid Morning
 
¼ cup Almonds or piece of string cheese
half an apple
12 oz of Water
 
Lunch
 
Chicken 1 chicken brst., Turkey breast 4 oz., Tuna 4 oz., Salmon 4oz., Fish 4 oz.
Leafy green salad 1tbs olive oil dressing
½ cup Brown Rice or 1- med Sweet Potatoes
12 oz water
 
Mid Afternoon
 
½ low/no fat greek yogurt
¼ cup Almonds
12 oz of Water
 
Dinner
 
Chicken 1 brst, Turkey 4oz., Tuna 4 oz., Salmon4 oz., Fish 4oz.
Leafy green salad 1tbs olive oil dressing or 1 cup steamed veggies
 
Multi-Vitamin
12 oz water

Bikini Bootcamp is brought to you by the ladies at GirlsGuideTo and Dance Central (T) on Kinect for Xbox 360. Put down the controller and hit the stage with Dance Central (T) on Kinect for Xbox 360. Just you, your moves, and your dance floor.  Step to the beats of Dance Central (T) on Kinect for Xbox 360. No controllers. All you need is you, your moves, & your living room to move with Dance Central (T) on Kinect for Xbox 360. Take your moves to the next level in Dance Central (T) - the 1st controller-free, body tracking, fully-immersive dance video game. To learn more check out the Xbox for All Facebook page

Enjoying the Kentucky Derby together. How to meet a guy if you're an over 35 divorcee. What is Single Woman Syndrome? Why being happy is sexy. 10 extra reasons to love condoms. What guys think of menstruation. How to initiate sex after a lady has a baby. When he doesn't say "I love you." How to win over in-laws.

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In the run up to the big day, bookies have been minting fortunes. Odds were offered on the music, the honeymoon venue, the color of the Queen's hat. Even the length of the sermon. Will the bride's wedding car break down before her prince whisks her off in a ceremonial coach? What shade of white will the dress be? Will Prince Harry remain sober for his best man speech? Will his trousers split? The gloomiest bets by far have been on how long the marriage will last. Some say a day. Some, a lifetime. One to 10 years seems to be the favorite.

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At some point in the next three to four weeks, I will be giving birth to mine and my husband’s first child. As the big day approaches, and while I waddle around in public, I get the inevitable question: "Are you nervous?" The truth is, not a single bit. And why should I be? I am completely educated and prepared, and I trust that my body knows just what to do. After all, this baby kept on growing inside me with very little effort on my part. I believe that it also will handle most of what needs to happen in order for her to move on out. I said, most.

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This is a guest post by Coupon Sherpa, a simple and easy to use, all inclusive coupon site with deals on online, grocery, mobile and printable coupons. My mother was the best. She was loving, thoughtful, attentive, a great cook, dressed age appropriately, entertained effortlessly, raised six kids of which she was proud… the list [...]

Hello friends, the wait is over! The BlogHer Food '11 Pre-Conference Guide has arrived!

This guide is designed to help you navigate the conference both in advance and while on site. You will get tips on restaurants, directions from the airport, a check list on what to bring and most important, information about the sessions and speakers!

Since we make every effort to green all of our events, please only print what you need. We will also have a handout on site to help you navigate during your stay.

Happy reading, and we'll see you soon!

Lori Luna
director of events

Press Release from The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission indicates that the infamous Ugandan "Anti-homosexuality bill" is not only not dead, but possibly in danger of passing soon:

Public hearings on the Bill took place today in the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee. The remaining stages of the legislative process – namely second and third readings of the bill and presidential adoption – could be completed within the remaining week of the current parliamentary session.

The Bill reaffirms existing penalties for consensual same-sex relationships, and criminalizes the "promotion of homosexuality" and failure to report homosexual activity. The Parliamentary Committee itself has said that the provisions of the Bill are redundant and unnecessary. Most controversially, the Bill would punish "aggravated homosexuality" – including activity by "serial offenders" or those who are HIV positive – with the death penalty. To IGLHRC's knowledge, the provisions related to the death penalty remain part of the Bill, despite statements by the Bill's author that these would be removed.

Disturbing news. Representative Barney Frank introduced a measure that might provide financial disincentives to gay hostile states. The likelihood of it reaching fruition in Boehner's House is not good. The United States Secretary of State has a contact information page here.

La Red Innova is the No.1 Tech Conference on Innovation, Internet, Creativity and Entrepreneurship where Spain, Portugal and Latin America meet the World. Opinion leaders, entrepreneurs, managers, investors, academics, bloggers and government entities come together to share their experiences, ideas and projects.

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We know, we haven’t done a new Throwback in awhile, but … we’re back! For the newbies, Throwback is Parlour‘s DJ spotlight featuring a nice lil’ mix to boot… Read the rest

Wildflower gardens can make people feel they are in the woods or walking through an open field—after all, wildflowers are nature at its best. Many people who have tried and failed at making a wildflower garden may think they don’t have any gardening luck—or a green thumb. The truth is having a wild flower garden is not about luck. It’s about understanding wildflowers.

Wildflowers are much like people. Each one has its own niche and personality. Taking a plant out of its natural habitat and expecting it to grow elsewhere simply won’t work. The plant will soon grow sick and die. The key to having a wildflower garden is choosing plants that are native to your region and mimicking their natural habitats in your garden. 

Inspecting Wildflower Sites

The best thing you can do to learn about growing wildflowers is to visit natural habitats in your area where wildflowers are plentiful. Visit various sites and take notes. Which plants are growing there? Which plants are growing together? What is the environment? Sunny, shady, dry, wet? Inspect the soil. Is it rocky, sandy, damp, airy, dry?

Compare what you learn to your personal growing area and plan to make changes to it, if needed. However, if you make the changes, don’t get discouraged if the plants don’t adapt and grow. If this occurs, you will just have to find a natural site that is more like your property.

Site Preparation

You should prepare the growing area carefully before you bring any plants home. Do not bring your wildflowers home and then prepare the site. Preparing a site can take a while and the plants will need to go directly into the ground.

Site preparation can be extensive, depending on your property and the type of environment you are trying to mimic. For instance, if you are mimicking the soil from the woods, your growing soil will need to be full of leaf mold—or have deep, rich and dark soil. Also, the drainage of the planting site should be excellent. This may require that you dig deep and put some stone or gravel in the ground. Over the gravel put down top soil, and then put the rich soil that mimics the dirt from the woods over the top soil. 

Transplanting Wild Flowers

Lift wildflowers from their natural growing sites carefully. Wildflowers should be lifted and transplanted after blossoming time is complete. When you dig up the flowers, be sure you also take some of the plant’s soil along with the plants.

Once you arrive with your plants, dig planting holes and lightly water it. The soil that came from the original site should either be placed in the planting hole, or packed lightly around the plant’s roots as it is being replanted.

Wildflower Gardening Tips

If you are planning to have a large wildflower garden, you may want to consider adding some native grasses into the area to help fill in the thin spots. These grasses will also help to discourage weeds from growing.

If the goal of your wildflower garden is to attract birds and butterflies, here is a list of plants/flowers that can attract them:

Wildflowers that Attract Butterflies

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Cleome (Cleome hasslerana)
Cornflower (Cetaurea cyanus)
Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)

Wildflowers That Feed Hummingbirds

Cleome (Cleome jasslerana)
Garden Columbine (Aquilegia Vulgaris)
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)

Final Note

Getting a wildflower garden off to a good start does take a bit of work. Patience comes in handy, too. It will take a while for your garden to become established. However, once the plants are established, they really require very little care. All you will really be required to do is water the area in dry spells and keep the weeds from invading and taking over. In late fall after the annuals have gone to seed and your perennials are dormant, you will need to chop, or mow, the entire area down to about six inches. This will insure that the seed heads drop. Come spring, your garden should be more healthy and on its way to maturing.

Recommended Reading

For more information and advice on wildflower gardening, take a look at the following books:

Gardening with Native Wildflowers
The Wild Garden: Expanded Edition
Wildflowers: A Guide to Growing and Propagating Native Flowers of North America

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I spoke to the coolest (former) Army wife ever. Her husband is a West Point graduate, a Ranger, a Harvard MBA and a great all-around guy. He was deployed in Iraq during the middle of the last decade. While she may not have had the exact same experience as most Army wives, I'm sure it was more similar than it was different. We're not trying to downplay the stresses, especially while pregnant during a deployment, but we'd like to point out there are some real perks to being married to a soldier, sailor, airman or marine.

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You have to hand it to Paul McCartney. Despite a very messy and public divorce from his last wife, Heather Mills, the 68-year-old former Beatle is evidently not afraid to take another stroll down the wedding aisle. According to People Magazine, Paul is engaged to his girlfriend of four years, American socialite and millionaire Nancy Shevell.

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If you're an avid online dater and you're getting pretty sick of the (new)age-old formula of filling out a profile, nudging potential matches and waiting to get winks back, then let us introduce you to InboxCupid.

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Our little girl isn't looking for advice; she's looking to connect. And she does that through what she shares, expecting reciprocation. So in two-and-a-half years, she's managed to teach my husband more about communicating with women than I have.

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This week has been immense for great blog posts coming my way. I’m thinking of renaming this weekly feature the Flaminglacer Round-up because Tricia seems to provide me with at least one or 2 items every week (make sure you follow her on Twitter if you aren’t already). Anyway, I’ve whittled it down a little but there are still quite a few things to share with you that are too good to leave out (I’ve even had to save a couple for next week).   All Things Business Related 3 More Ways To Manage ...

Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), headquartered in California, appointed Dr. Maria Klawe to its Board of Directors. Maria, who holds a bachelor's degree and doctorate in Mathematics from the University of Alberta, is President of Harvey Mudd College, and before that...

Linkedin appointed Emily Ketchen (pictured) Director, Global Agency Relations, responsible for the relationships with all major advertising and marketing agencies around the world. Emily had been with McCann Worldgroup San Francisco, where she was a Senior Vice President and Group...

The Los Angeles Times Media Group appointed Kathy Thomson President and Chief Operating Officer. Kathy had been VP, Business Operations at FLO TV Incorporated, a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated. Read more in the Business Wire press release.

Something on your mind? Chat about it here. I came across these shoes while randomly trolling around Zappos, and they totally make me drool. First, Ferragamo is always a brand that is mentioned when we talk about comfortable heels, but the brand is sometimes lacking in a bit of -- oomph, perhaps. These sandals pack them aplenty -- I'd wear them on a night out with girlfriends or my husband, or depending on my office, I might even try them with a skirt suit at work. They're $595 at Zappos Couture. Salvatore Ferragamo - Debbie (Nero) - Footwear (L-2)

Honestly? If I had $6,500 to blow I probably would. ... More »

Post from: TheGloss

What would you do if you married a seemingly virile fellow, only to find out he was unable to meet any of your womanly needs? This is a real concern in places like Dubai, where a sexually conservative culture dictates many people do not so much as peek under the hood until they're already married. The Hindustan Times reports one Dubai woman has grown proactive on the issue, not only divorcing her limp-dicked husband, but suing him for 10.99 million dollars. Looks like she might just fuck him yet. ... More »

Post from: TheGloss

This is a guest post by Jessica Mack. Jessica is a global feminist and reproductive rights advocate. She is an editor at Gender Across Borders and currently lives in Seattle, planning her next adventure. William Easterly is Professor of Economics at New York University. He is Co-Director of the Development Research Institute and editor of [...]

The relationship between mother and daughter is difficult at times. One day it's as easy as kissing a boo-boo and, in the blink of an eye, we don't believe that our mothers can help us anymore. Cat of Taxidermy Worms dealt with these issues in a big way and her post is a tribute to the hard, dog-days of motherhood. It's hard, it's in your face but it's amazing.

Tough As Nails:

Over the next few visits we slowly verbalized word by word the stories of other adolescent girls struggling in ways similar and all-together different than I was. The pages of that copy of Reviving Ophelia are stained with tears and tinged with the soreness of healing even now. As the days went on we paused and added a few words of our own here and there; "that's how I feel" and "what do you think of this?". Soon we were talking more and reading less. It wasn't a cure, but it was a start.

Read the rest to see how Cat's mom saved her life.

My educational philosophy is that a genuine, physical connection generates the best learning opportunities. Children can use all of their sense to explore, ask questions, and perform experiments in the giant laboratory of the natural world.

As an Eagle Scout, my husband is a lifelong outdoorsman. I also love just wandering around a beach or forest path to see what we can find. So, we get outside a lot with our young family.

Still, sometimes it helps motivate me to have a goal and focus. There are a number of free iPhone and iPad apps that encourage young children to get outside and learn.

Project Noah: This app allows you to upload sightings of local flora and fauna and get identification help from the community, sign-up for local or word-wide missions, and earn badges for your involvement. Kids will enjoy the opportunity to share their own knowledge and be part of a larger effort.

Oh, Ranger! Parkfinder: This app provides a "comprehensive database of every national park, state park and federal public land in America." An intuitive and simple interface allows you to find parks near you that offer specific activities. The description of the park provides more detail about each of the activities, hours, events, and more. The missed opportunity here is to offer readers a chance to add comments and tips, or at least ratings, to add an element of social recommendation and interactivity to the app.

Geocaching (Intro): At almost every trail we enjoy hiking, there is at least one geocache. Turning our outdoor adventures into a scavenger hunt makes the kids even more excited to go exploring our local trails. They like learning to use the compass and watching the distance countdown as we move closer to our goal. And we've learned more about the history and ecology of our favorite spots from the descriptions included.

Chirp! Lite: Although the free version will not satisfy avid birders, junior ornithologists will have fun learning the calls and practicing their identifications. You may see all birds in the database or select your region.

Planets: Scan the horizon to spot the stars, constellations, planets, and more. You can also find out when major celestial bodies are visible or view the earth from a satellite perspective. As the weather warms up, head outside after sunset and enjoy a little stargazing.

SkyView Free: This app blends your camera view with images of the stars, planets, and satellites visible in your location. The app also moves with you and uses illustrations to highlight the constellations. This is a fun visual app although the free one only includes a handful of constellations.

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Candace Lindemann is an educational consultant and writer who blogs at Naturally Educational and Mamanista. She is also the co-founder of Bloganthropy, a non-profit dedicated to charity in social media.

BlogHers have done is again -- from Hollywood scripts to cookbooks -- in this latest installment of BlogHer Network Member News.

Arlene Gibbs from nyc/caribbean ragazza co-wrote a movie, Jumping the Broom, that is being released nationwide today. It is her first screenplay credit.

Megan Hart from Welcoming Kitchen has a cookbook, Welcoming Kitchen, now available for pre-order on Amazon.

Kristen Howerton of Rage Against The Minivan will be taking part in the LA version of Listen To Your Mother – a national show that highlights personal stories of motherhood, read by the authors.

Kim Tracy Prince from House of Prince is working with Help a Mother Out - a diaper-collecting non-profit that she represents in Los Angeles - to hold a 5-location diaper drive and fundraising event in honor of Mother's Day. On Saturday May 7 from 11-4, anyone who brings diapers or cash to help families in need will get a free personal pizza. Donations can be made online, too.

BlogHer Publishing Network members -- do you have news to share? Click here to share it: https://spreadsheets.google.com/. And click here to see all the BlogHer Publishing Network member news in the series.

Scott blogged earlier about the dilemma of Josh Vandiver and Henry Velandia, a bi-national couple that faced separation over Velandia's deportation order. Some relief to report today. (AP):

A Venezuelan salsa dancer who legally married an American man in a same-sex ceremony last year has had his deportation placed on hold.

The decision comes one day after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder set aside a Board of Immigration Appeals ruling in a similar case.

Henry Velandia, who faces deportation to Venezuela, is petitioning to be allowed to remain in the U.S. as the spouse of U.S. citizen Josh Vandiver.

GetEqual broke the news:

@GetEQUAL: Henry Velandia's deportation hearing - Case adjourned to master calendar in Dec...allowed to stay in country til then.

Courtesy of Sociological Images, here’s a graph showing the gender of people being awarded PhDs, department by department. As you can see, women are wildly underrepresented in physics, computer sciences and engineering. We already knew this, of course – women are underrepresented at all levels of the “hard” sciences – but when you see it [...]

Pregnant lady flash mob! Miriam has a great piece in Colorlines on the negative impact that teen pregnancy prevention programs have on teen parents. The Texas legislation that would force women to get a sonogram before an abortion is on its way to Gov. Perry’s desk, who has every intention of signing it. Melissa on [...]

U.S. President Barack Obama made an emotional visit to Ground Zero Thursday to mark the death of Osama bin Laden and pay tribute to his victims. Amid high security on… Read the rest

Natalie MacNeil: Tell us about Bratface Marketing. Where did the name come from? Andrea Baxter: We are a boutique marketing firm in Vancouver, BC with a specialty in social media marketing, strategy, branding & strategic planning. We work with companies in all industries but focus on franchise organizations, start up to medium sized businesses. Our [...]

My Interview with One Smart Cookie, Andrea Baxter is a post from She Takes on the World

Marie Osmond has had a rough few years. She split from her second husband in 2007, and in February of last year, her adopted son, Michael, committed suicide. However, grief has a way of bringing people back together, and, in Marie's case, it has brought her back to her first husband, Stephen Craig, whom she re-married this week, after 26 years apart. Wearing the same dress that she wore during their 1982 wedding, Marie married the former basketball player in a small ceremony in Las Vegas, where she is currently starring in a variety show with her brother, Donny Osmond.

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A disturbing new make-out gadget, or a long-distance relationship tool of the future? We'll let you make up your own mind about the "Kiss Transmission Device," although we'd be lying if we said we weren't a little weirded out.

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