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(Yahoo.com) Who can forget the thrill — and terror — of that first solo bicycle ride: Mom or Dad letting go, the magic of two-wheeled freedom and, inevitably, toppling over in a knee-scraping crash?
Read Full Story: New Design Could Transform 1st Bike Ride - Yahoo! News
(CNSNews.com) - The Catholic college that offered to give U.S. Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York an honorary doctoral degree was formally dropped as a Roman Catholic institution on Thursday.
Read Full Story: College Honoring Clinton Declared ‘No Longer Catholic’
No more fumbling for cash or swiping a card when you make a purchase. Soon you’ll be able to simply wave your cell phone at the register
Read Full Story: Paying by cell phone on the way
Internet Equipment Updated to Handle Historic Events
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 27, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See’s Web page has succeeded in coping with the unprecedented interest in Pope John Paul II’s illness, death and funeral, the conclave, and Benedict XVI’s election.
According to Global Language Monitor, interest in John Paul II’s death far surpassed that of other events such as the December tsunami in southern Asia; the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; and the deaths of Ronald Reagan and Princess Diana.
The greatest impact on Internet was registered by the Vatican’s official site (www.vatican.va).
Our home phone number was switched over to VoIP today.
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and replaces your standard telephone line. Our VoIP service includes unlimited nationwide phone service, Caller ID, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, 3-way Conference calling, voicemail and several other features for a flat $19.95 per month.
Dad sent this to me in an email. It is the Papal Oath taken by all Popes since at least A.D. 681, except Pope John Paul I and John Paul II.
The Oath is first proved be taken by His Holiness, Pope St. Agatho.
We do not use Huggies or Pampers unless Erin has a coupon and they end up being the same price as Aldi or Wal-Mart’s diapers. Hopefully Aldi and Wal-Mart won’t raise the prices of their diapers!
(MSNBC.com) Diapers will start to cost more this summer as Procter & Gamble Co. and Kimberly-Clark Corp. raise prices to offset higher costs for materials such as resins and paper.
Read Full Story: Parents! Get ready to spend more on diapers
When I was in Las Vegas in January, they were working on the hill in front of the resort. It was amazing how many trees they had sitting on the golf course waiting to be planted. I can’t wait to see the finished product in person.
(MSNBC.com) Kirk Kerkorian took Mirage Resorts away from him - now he’s striking back
Casino developer Steve Wynn will open the first new resort in five years on the Las Vegas Strip this week.
Read Full Story: The revenge of Steve Wynn
See hotel pictures, details and specials at 4DiscountTravel.com
(Wired.com) For a transport vehicle to be all it can be, the Army says it needs to run far on a tank of gas and provide portable power. To meet this goal, the military is developing a hybrid Humvee alternative that could boost the market for combination combustion-electric vehicles.
Read Full Story: Wired News: Hybrid Could Fill Humvee’s Boots
By Brian Saint-Paul, from Crisis Magazine e-Report
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger is now Pope Benedict XVI. Can there be any question that the Holy Spirit guides the conclave? From John Paul II to Benedict XVI… oh, this is a good time to be Catholic.
Of course, not everyone agrees.
Mere moments after the announcement, the criticism began. If all you knew about the new pope was what you’ve heard from mainstream media outlets, you’d think the cardinals just elected a cold, calculating hard-liner with a Nazi past who just can’t wait to reinstitute the Spanish Inquisition to take care of liberals, gays, and women. (I suppose liberal gay women would have it particularly hard.)
That’s not to say that there haven’t been notable exceptions in the media. One of the positive things throughout this whole period is that some journalists have actually been quite fair in their reporting on the new pope.
But unfortunately, at this stage, they stand as the exceptions. On the whole, we’ve heard a string of inaccuracies and inanities. So, to help you answer them, I’ve compiled a list of the four most common myths about the new pope, along with responses to them.
(MSNBC.com) Will America’s favorite technology really go dark next year?
Depending on the outcome of discussions in Congress, television as we know it may end at exactly midnight Dec. 31, 2006.
Read Full Story: The end of analog TV - PRACTICAL FUTURIST
(suntimes.com) A long-dormant proposal to boost recycling with a five-cent deposit on bottles and cans has resurfaced in Springfield.
Read Full Story: Bill to add 5-cent deposit to cans, bottles faces long odds
(chicagotribune.com) As the popularity of bottled drinks increases, so does the amount of litter that is generated, making this a good time to renew debate in Illinois on whether to charge consumers a 5-cent deposit on each beverage container to encourage recycling, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn announced Sunday.
Read Full Story:Quinn uncaps plan for bottle-recycling (Free Subscription Required)
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This post orginally started as an email to some friends that are expectant parents. The email ended up being a lot longer that I had planned, so I thought I would post it here.
I gave a short review of the Diaper Champ diaper pail, the Hands-Free Gate by The First Years and the SuperYard XT.
Interview With Marta and Anthony Valle
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 24, 2005 (Zenit.org).- When Marta and Anthony Valle were married last June by the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, they did not imagine that their marriage would be blessed by the future Benedict XVI.
In this interview with ZENIT, Marta and Anthony speak about their personal experiences with the cardinal, and their admiration for the man who married them.
Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s a pretty good deal from Bose. Existing owners of a Bose Lifestyle 18, 28 and 35 can upgrade their media centers and receve the media center and remote that comes with the Bose Lifestyle 48. Click here for deatails: Upgrade your current Bose® Lifestyle® System to include uMusic and Bose Link: Your Electronic Warehouse
(MSNBC.com) When people go through the ritual of moving their clocks forward each spring ushering in daylight-saving time, they’re also saving energy by using more sunlight instead of electricity in the evenings — the equivalent of thousands of barrels of oil, in fact.
Read full story: Extend daylight saving? Lawmakers plan to - Politics - MSNBC.com
Related links:
Happy Earth Day! Here’s a topic I hadn’t thought of much until last year, at the 2004 CES Show, a couple people hounded Michael Dell about what Dell was doing about all the technological waste.
Just because Dell sells replacements to old technology, I don’t know if they should be responsible for disposing of the old electronics. Impressively, they have taken a role in disposing of old equipment. When we bought our new Dell printer this year, they sent a pre-paid freight sticker for us to mail our old printer back to them. I haven’t yet, but I plan too since its not worth much anymore (Canon BJC-4300).
I think over the next few years, we’ll see more and more options for recycling old electronics and cleaning up our landfills.
Here’s the article that got me thinking about this today: The Buzz Report: The evils of old tech - CNET.com At the end of the article, they list ways to recycle old electronics such as cell phones, batteries, computers, etc.
Yes! I can’t tell you how many stories I hear of people who have problems on their trip and do not have travel insurance. We (Quincy’s Discount Travel) always highly recommend purchasing travel insurance. Read this top ten list on why to buy travel insurance from our insurance provider, Travelex Insurance.
My dad is going to Italy this summer and asked if he should spend the extra money on travel insurance. My basic response was that Radio Host, Clark Howard, is a self-titled “cheapskate” and that he highly recommends Travel Insurance:
When do you need it?
These policies should always be purchased when you are taking a cruise, a tour or traveling on a trip that requires pre-payment of thousands of dollars.
Read more: Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
I also just read an interesting article about travel insurance:
(Bankrate.com) With tensions in the travel industry and the global political scene, more travelers are looking into travel insurance.
Read full story: Travel insurance: Much needed and little understood
Don’t get stuck on a vacation without it!
Good Job Sen. John Sullivan!
Illinois Senate Bill 659 creates rural technology zones to help outlying areas better develop wireless telecommunications and Internet access. This bill would help my parents be able to get high speed internet access.
Article from the Quincy Herald Whig:
Internet legislation passes Senate, ‘boost’ for area - Apr 10, 2005
(Whig.com) SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Legislation from state Sen. John Sullivan could help bring high speed Internet and wireless telecommunications to Western Illinois. Sullivan, D-Rushville, is the chief sponsor of SB659, which would provide tax credits for companies that develop telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas of the state. The bill was approved unanimously by the Senate on Friday and now heads to the House for action. “Because it is more expensive for companies to install high speed Internet and wireless telecommunications in less populated areas, residents and businesses in these regions are less likely to receive these services,” Sullivan said. “This … is a major boost for Western Illinois and other rural areas.” One of the bill’s co-sponsors is Sen. Deanna Demuzio, D-Carlinville, whose district includes most of Pike County.
There are two competing formats for the next generation DVD, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. Both new formats allow discs to store more information which is need for high-definition movies and television. Sony and Toshiba are in talks to merge the two technologies into one, which will be a good thing for consumers.
Read Story: Sony, Toshiba Mull Unified Format to Avoid DVD War
Southwest Airlines is the only U.S. carrier to be profitable every year since 1972. Baseline spoke to CEO Gary Kelly about how he uses technology to help keep the airline turning planes around quickly and maintaining its primary advantage: low costs.
Read Full Story: Southwest Airlines: Flying Low
Google is debuting a new service called My Search History that will remember your searches on Google. Some are worried about privacy, but I know I will really like this new feature. I can’t tell you the number of times that I try and find a past search. Read more about it: USATODAY.com - Google rolls out test of personalized search tool
(I have to give Mike Halbrook credit for finding this. I first read about it on his blog. )
The other Google service you need to check out is Google Maps. It is still in beta, but far superior to all the other online mapping sites! Google maps always uses the full screen, no matter what your resolution. You can move around on the map, see a satellite view, and much more! They’ve also integrated local search with their maps. Do a search for pizza in quincy, il and it will show you several places in Quincy that serve pizza. Click on the thumbtacks on the map, and it will give you the places address, phone number, website, and a link for directions to/from that place.
(MSNBC.com) President Bush signed the biggest rewrite of U.S. bankruptcy law in a quarter century on Wednesday, making it harder for debt-ridden Americans to wipe out their obligations.
“Bankruptcy should always be a last resort in our legal system,” Bush said. “If someone does not pay his or her debts the rest of society ends up paying them.”
Read Full Story: Bush signs tougher bankruptcy bill into law
Another good article about bankruptcy from BankRate.com:
Don’t blame credit card companies for bankruptcy woes
(MSNBC.com) The line between religion and politics isn’t clear, but the papacy of Benedict XVI could erase it altogether. Remember the nasty arguments over whether Sen. John Kerry — a Catholic supporter of abortion rights — was entitled to receive Communion? Some American bishops threatened to deny it to him. Well, in retrospect, those were merely opening skirmishes in the bitter war over the role of faith in public life. And the Vatican of this pope will play an out-front, aggressive role.
Read Full Story: New papacy could blur religion, politics
(WhiteHouse.gov) THE PRESIDENT: Laura and I offer our congratulations to Pope Benedict XVI. He’s a man of great wisdom and knowledge. He’s a man who serves the Lord. We remember well his sermon at the Pope’s funeral in Rome, how his words touched our hearts and the hearts of millions. We join with our fellow citizens and millions around the world who pray for continued strength and wisdom as His Holiness leads the Catholic Church. White House Press Release
Dennis keeps reading about “Intel’s new wireless chip” in the USA Today and asking me about it. Intel’s chip is for the WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) chipset and other manufactures are making similar devices. They say it will be 18-14 months before WiMax devices are on the market.
WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is the replacement for WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) and has a much further range. The first version of WiFi (802.11b) had a max speed of about 10Mbps and the newer WiFi standard (802.11g) has a speed of about 50Mbs with a range of a few hundred feet. WiMax (802.16) has a theoretical speed of 70Mbs with a range of over 30 miles. WiMax will help to cover areas, like the whole town of Quincy (Google Maps), via wireless internet and to rural areas like my parent’s house outside of Versailles (Google Maps).
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The Cardinals have elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany as the 265th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He has taken the name Benedict XVI. Ratzinger was Pope John Paul II’s right hand man.
Erin said that Katelyn was enjoying watching the announcement yesterday. She kept pointing to the TV and saying, “Hope, Hope, Jesus, Jesus!” (Pope comes out sounding like Hope) Every night before she goes to bed we have to get a picture of the Pope and pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. She does a pretty good job of following along. I’m going to need to find a picture of the new pope to take home!
The following is an email I received from dad about the pope’s names:
(CathoiCity.com) It is interesting the Holy Spirit chose a man baptized Joseph, and, that he, Joseph Ratzinger, chose Benedict as his pontifical name…
Read Full Story: Pope Benedict XVI: What’s In Two Names?
For: Ella Grace Meats
Date: April 24, 2005
Time: 2:00 PM
Place: St. Peter Church – 25th and Maine (Google Maps)
RSVP: 221-0696
Please join us for a cake and punch reception following the Baptism
