angelm's Blog

STOP NEEDLE PAIN!

Make your flu shot feel less piercing by putting pressure around the area that's about to be stuck. Push down on either side of the target site with the tips of your thumb and forefinger for a few seconds as you're receiving the shot. This helps your skin's touch receptors override its pain receptors�essentially tricking your nerves. Voil�, the sharp jab feels more like a gentle poke
***********saw this in a magazine-don't know if it works***************

Ingredients:
1 cup plain popped popcorn -1 cup mini marshmallows- 1 cup salted peanuts -1 pound semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
Directions:
Coat a 12 cup mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide popcorn, marshmallows and peanuts evenly among the cups.
Place the chocolate into a microwave-safe container. Heat on high for 45 seconds, then continue to heat at 15 second intervals, stirring each time, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour into the muffin cups, filling to the top. Gently tap the pan on the counter to release any bubbles. Refrigerate until chocolate is set.

Scientists create model of monster 'Frankenstorm'

LOS ANGELES � Think the recent wild weather that hammered California was bad? Experts are imagining far worse.

As torrential rains pelted wildfire-stripped hillsides and flooded highways, a team of scientists hunkered down at the California Institute of Technology to work on a "Frankenstorm" scenario � a mother lode wintry blast that could potentially sock the Golden State.

The hypothetical but plausible storm would be similar to the 1861-1862 extreme floods that temporarily moved the state capital from Sacramento to San Francisco and forced the then-governor to attend his inauguration by rowboat.

The scenario "is much larger than anything in living memory," said project manager Dale Cox with the U.S. Geological Survey.

In the scenario, the storm system forms in the Pacific and slams into the West Coast with hurricane-force winds, hitting Southern California the hardest. After more than a week of ferocious weather, the system stalls for a few days. Another storm brews offshore and this time pummels Northern California.

Such a monster storm could unleash as much as 8 feet of rain over three weeks in some areas, said research meteorologist Martin Ralph with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who is part of the project.

It makes the latest Pacific storm system look like a drop in the bucket. A weeklong siege of storms walloped California, flooding coasts and roads, spawning tornados and forcing the evacuation of about 2,000 homes below fire-scarred mountains for fear of mudslides. The National Weather Service said the storms dumped up to a foot in the mountains northwest of Los Angeles in a week.

Weather experts say West Coast storms could get more frequent and severe with climate change. Last fall, a team of federal, state and academic experts was formed to tackle what would happen if a series of powerful storms lashed at the state for 23 days. The scenario is expected to be completed this summer and will be used in a statewide disaster drill next year.

Ironically, the team had scheduled meetings at Caltech to learn about the fictional storm's impact to dams, sewage treatment plants, transportation and the electrical grid. About a dozen canceled due to the storms.

"They had to deal with the real thing," said chief scientist Lucy Jones of the USGS.

The next step is to estimate economic damages as well as the risk of landslides and coastal erosion and impact to infrastructure and the environment.

Several scientists on storm watch were involved in the 2008 planning of a mock "Big One" on the San Andreas Fault that was incorporated into an earthquake preparedness drill.

The Great Flood of 1861-1862 was believed to be the most powerful and longest series of storms in state history, lasting a month and causing severe flooding.

The Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys were water-logged and spontaneous lakes popped up in the Mojave Desert and Los Angeles basin. Nearly a third of the young state's taxable land was destroyed.

Since there are few meteorological records available on the 1861-1862 events, scientists stitched together data from two recent storms to create "Frankenstorm."

Where is spring?????If its not cold and snowy,it's pouring the rain!It is sooooooooo gloomy!Show me some sunshine-please

Peanut Butter Bon Bons
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 (16-ounce) package confectioners' (powdered) sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 ounces milk chocolate coating
Line a cookie sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Set aside.
Place the butter, peanut butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract in medium mixing bowl. Using a heavy duty mixer, or a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients into a smooth dough. Using two teaspoons of dough for each, shape the dough into balls. Place on cookie sheet and refrigerate.
Melt the chocolate coating according to package directions.
Remove peanut butter balls from refrigerator. Stick a toothpick into a ball and carefully dip the ball into the chocolate coating
Place on paper-line cookie sheet, . Refrigerate until chocolate is firm.

(CNN) -- If you're looking to watch "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" on Friday night, you won't have any trouble finding it.

The two-hour, star-studded telethon is set to be one of the most widely distributed prime-time televised benefits in history, appearing simultaneously on more than 25 networks -- including CNN, where Anderson Cooper will report live from Haiti during the event.

Other networks airing "Hope for Haiti" include ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT. The show will even air on the Discovery's eco-lifestyle television network, Planet Green.

MTV is presenting the benefit, which will be helmed by Oscar-winning actor George Clooney in Los Angeles, California, and musician Wyclef Jean from New York. CNN's Anderson Cooper will report live from Haiti.

Plenty of entertainers have joined the roster to raise awareness about the earthquake in Haiti that has left tens of thousands dead and many more homeless and injured.

Some of the big name performers scheduled to appear include Beyonc�, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Rihanna and Taylor Swift.

Will Smith, Ben Stiller, Brad Pitt, Robert Pattinson, Muhammad Ali, Meryl Streep and former president Bill Clinton are just a smattering of names of some of the other celebs who are set to make an appearance.

Proceeds from "Hope for Haiti Now" will benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Foundation, and the Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation.

The event is not the first time the stars have come out to shine in the aftermath of a catastrophe.

Celebrities stepped up to lend their names and voices to telethons after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami in South Asia. The granddaddy of them all was Live Aid, which raised millions for the continent of Africa and was broadcast around the world in 1985.

Anyone hear use facebook?I recently signed up-i would like to become a fan of lottery post but guess its not on there yet or have I just not got the hang of it yet?

Ingredients-----
1/2 cup raisins, chopped fine
1/4 cup spiced rum--1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup corn flakes
12 vanilla wafers
3/4 cup whole almond, toasted
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Directions-----
1-Soak raisins and rum in small bowl until raisins plump, about 10 minutes.
2-In large bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined. Place granulated sugar in shallow dish.
3-Process cornflakes, vanilla wafers, almonds, and coconut in food processor to fine crumbs and add to confectioners' sugar mixture.
4-Mix in corn syrup, plumped raisins, and rum until mixture looks wet. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls, roll in granulated sugar, transfer to large plate, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Ingredients1-8 oz Low-Fat or Fat-Free Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 c Splenda sweetener----1 1/2 c Frozen whipped topping, thawed
1-20 oz can crushed pineapple in pineapple juice(not syrup), well drained
1 graham cracker pie crust

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a bowl. Fold in whipped topping and drained pineapple. Spoon into the pie crust. Chill 2 hours or overnight. Garnish with pineapple, graham cracker crumbs, and whipped topping

On rare map, China is the center of the world
  ...
WASHINGTON � A rarely seen 400-year-old map that identified Florida as "the Land of Flowers" and put China at the center of the world went on display Tuesday at the Library of Congress.

The map created by Matteo Ricci was the first in Chinese to show the Americas. Ricci, a Jesuit missionary from Italy, was among the first Westerners to live in what is now Beijing in the early 1600s. Known for introducing Western science to China, Ricci created the map in 1602 at the request of Emperor Wanli.

Ricci's map includes pictures and annotations describing different regions of the world. Africa was noted to have the world's highest mountain and longest river. The brief description of North America mentions "humped oxen" or bison, wild horses and a region named "Ka-na-ta."

Several Central and South American places are named, including "Wa-ti-ma-la" (Guatemala), "Yu-ho-t'ang" (Yucatan) and "Chih-Li" (Chile).

Ricci gave a brief description of the discovery of the Americas.

"In olden days, nobody had ever known that there were such places as North and South America or Magellanica," he wrote, using a label that early mapmakers gave to Australia and Antarctica. "But a hundred years ago, Europeans came sailing in their ships to parts of the sea coast, and so discovered them."

The Ricci map gained the nickname the "Impossible Black Tulip of Cartography" because it was so hard to find.

This map � one of only two in good condition � was purchased by the James Ford Bell Trust in October for $1 million, making it the second most expensive rare map ever sold. The library bought another of the world's rarest maps, the Waldseemuller world map, which was the first to name "America," for $10 million in 2003.

The Ricci map going on display had been held for years by a private collector in Japan and will eventually be housed at the Bell Library at the University of Minnesota. The map symbolizes the first connection between Eastern and Western thinking and commerce, said Ford W. Bell, co-trustee of the fund started by his grandfather, General Mills founder James Ford Bell.

Custodians at the Bell Library focus "on the development of trade and how that drove civilization � how that constant desire to find new markets to sell new products led to exchanges of knowledge, science, technology and really drove civilization," said Bell, who is also president of the American Association of Museums. "So (the map) fits in beautifully."

The map was being shown publicly for the first time in North America. It measures 12 feet by 5 feet, printed on six rolls of rice paper.

The Library of Congress rarely exhibits artifacts it does not own because its holdings are so vast, but curators made an exception for the Ricci map. It will be on view through April alongside the Waldseemuller map and later will be shown at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

The library also will create a digital image of the map to be posted online for researchers and students.

Ti Bin Zhang, first secretary for cultural affairs at the Chinese Embassy, said the map represents "the momentous first meeting of East and West" and was the "catalyst for commerce."

No examples of the map are known to exist in China, where Ricci was revered and buried. Only a few original copies are known to exist, held by the Vatican's libraries and collectors in France and Japan.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 pounds cubed beef stew meat 1 onion, chopped 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers 1 1/2 cups beef broth 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1 teaspoon ground cumin salt to taste ground black pepper to taste 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil and brown the stew meat and the onions until onions are translucent; about 5 minutes
Pour in the diced tomatoes with chiles, beef broth and chile peppers. Stir in the garlic salt and cumin. Salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add a little more beef broth or water if needed during simmering.
Stir in cubed potatoes to the mixture and simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender

Seinfeld back to TV with show about marriage

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) � Actor and stand-up comic Jerry Seinfeld is headed back to U.S. television with a show about marriage that he says is silly and impossible to explain but aimed at making people laugh.

"There is no way here today we are going to be able to explain to you exactly what the show is," the married star of the hit 1990s show "Seinfeld" told reporters on Sunday.

"Our entire drive is to try and make you laugh," he said, describing "The Marriage Ref" as a combination of reality show, game panel and comedy with no big prizes for its feuding contestant couples.

"The Marriage Ref" will be given a sneak preview on NBC on February 28 before starting in its regular Sunday night slot on March 14.

Seinfeld, 55, who has done little TV since "Seinfeld" ended in 1998, is executive producer and will appear in the series as a celebrity panelist.

Actors Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Eva Longoria and Larry David are among other celebrities who will make an appearance -- not fighting with their spouses but helping to decide which spouse should "win" a spat filmed in their own homes.

Stand-up comic Tom Papa will be the "marriage ref" who makes the final decision.

Fights already filmed for the show include a husband who enrages his wife by parking a motorcycle in their living room and a couple who argue about whether to have their dead dog stuffed.

"They want to end their fight ... and the person who wins has to say to the other 'You're right'," Seinfeld said.

Marriage therapy is definitely not part of the format because "experts are helpful. And that is not our thing. This is a comedy show," he said.

Seinfeld said the idea was inspired by his own experiences with his wife Jessica and those of their friends.

"After 10 years of marriage, I have discovered the comedic potential of this subject is quite rich," he quipped.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef- 2 cups shredded Chinese cabbage -1 carrot, shredded 1 onion, minced 1 egg -1 teaspoon sugar- 1 teaspoon salt- 1 tablespoon soy sauce -1 tablespoon vegetable oil -1 (14 ounce) package wonton wrappers
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together beef, cabbage, carrot, and onion. Stir in the egg, sugar, salt, soy sauce, and vegetable oil.
Place a large teaspoonful of filling in the center of a dumpling skin. Moisten the edges of a wonton with a few drops of water. Then fold the dumpling in half, and pinch the edges together to seal. Create a ripple pattern along the pinched edge by pinching and gently pushing together small segments of it. Repeat with remaining dumplings.
Boil the dumplings in water until they float to the top, about 5 minutes

I am freezing!My heat went out this morning.I called around and the soonest anyone could come is Friday.We are expecting an accumulation of snow too.My luck is just awful right now(and not just in lottery)!I have two space heaters but it's crazy cold in here.I have had bad luck since the new year started-I hope it gets better!!

In 2010, consumer should expect to see more revolutionary products supplanting old mainstays. In media, DVDs, books, newspapers and magazines will continue to lose ground to services like in-home movie rentals and gadgets like the Amazon (AMZN) Kindle. In big-ticket items, the push for energy efficiency will continue to influence consumer decisions on cars and home upgrades.

As a result, some consumer products appear poised for a dip in sales, which could be a prelude to obsolescence. Here are 10 items not to buy in 2010.

DVDs

The days of going to a video shop to rent a movie are at an end. In September, Blockbuster (BBI) said it plans to close roughly 22% of its stores by the end of 2010; meanwhile, third-quarter revenue was down 21% from the year-ago period. (The company didn't return calls for comment.)

Looking ahead, DVD purchases could turn cold, as well. On average, DVDs sell for at least $20 each. That's pricier than signing up for Netflix (NFLX) or renting movies from cable providers' on-demand channels. Netflix charges as little as $8.99 a month to rent one DVD at a time (with no limit to the number of monthly rentals).

Time Warner Cable offers thousands of movies on demand for around $4.99 each. Verizon Fios cable service charges $5.99 a month to download unlimited movies.

Home telephone service

It will probably take a while, but home landlines could become as archaic as the rotary phone.

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, more than one in five U.S. homes (22.7%) had cellphones � and no landlines � during the first half of 2009, up from 10.5% during the same period in 2006.

Ditching your home phone is easier now than it has been in the past, as cell phone companies compete for greater market share and alternatives to the home landline continue growing. For example, magicJack provides phone service when it's plugged into a computer's USB port and a home phone. It costs $39.95 and includes a one-year license for calls in the U.S. and Canada; after that, service costs $19.95 per year. (By contrast, Time Warner Cable's digital home phone service costs $39.95 per month.)

And, consider Skype, which is free when you communicate with other Skype users; this software application uses the Internet as a platform to make calls, hold video conferences and send instant messages.

External hard drives

Consumers who keep their computers for years and upload thousands of songs, videos, movies and photos will need to get more space at some point.

External hard drives are one option, but an up-and-coming alternative might be simpler and save you another transition down the road. Online backup services, like Carbonite.com or Mozy.com, allow users to back up data over the Internet.

These services are more expensive than purchasing an external hard drive, which typically starts at around $70. At Carbonite.com, a one-year subscription starts at $54.95, and at Mozy.com monthly subscription costs total $54.45 for a year.

Smartphone also-rans

In the past few years, several smartphones hit the market with similar features to the iPhone and BlackBerry, but they haven't generated the same buzz. As a result, fewer developers are likely to create applications and other products that cater to those phones.

Today, the BlackBerry dominates the smartphone market with 40% market share, followed by the iPhone with 25%, according to data released by ComScore in December. In the near term, both are expected to stay at the top. ComScore found that most consumers who'll be shopping for smartphones in the next three months plan to purchase a Blackberry (51%) or an iPhone (20%).

By contrast, only 5% of respondents said they planned to purchase T-Mobile's MyTouch. The Palm Pre and Palm Centro received 2% and 1% of the vote, respectively.

A possible upcoming competitor that could shake up the space is Google's (GOOG) Android. According to ComScore, as of October, the Android's market share had doubled to 3.5% in the past year.

Compact digital cameras

For nearly a decade, digital compact cameras were must-haves for most consumers.

But during the past several years, another type of digital camera has been slowly rising in popularity: the single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, from manufacturers including Nikon, Canon (CAJ), Sony (SNE) and Olympus. Although bulkier, these cameras produce pictures that more accurately represent what's in their viewfinders than those that use older technology.

They're also pricier. For example, Canon's digital compact cameras start at $110, while the SLRs start at $570.

Newspaper subscriptions

The past few years have been unkind to the publishing industry.

In 2008, newspaper advertising revenues declined by 17.7%, according to the Newspaper Association of America. Meanwhile, average daily circulation at 379 newspapers fell 10.6% from April through September 2009, compared to the same period a year ago, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Magazines haven't fared any better. In 2009, more than 360 magazines shut down. During the first half of 2009, ad pages fell 27.9% when compared to the same period in 2008, according to Publishers Information Bureau.

The morning newspaper has been replaced by a growing online media presence � much of which is accessible for free. The Amazon Kindle � even with its price tag of around $250 � and other eBook readers could increasingly become one-stop sources to access newspapers, magazines and books.

CDs

When was the last time you bought a CD or even walked into a record store?

The past decade was one of the worst for the industry. In the beginning, there was Napster. Then came iTunes, which was introduced in 2001 and offered affordable pricing and easy accessibility. Face it, CDs aren't coming back.

Record stores are feeling the pinch. Most Virgin Megastores in the U.S. have shut down following declines in sales and revenues. In 2004, Tower Records entered bankruptcy and by 2006 most locations had closed.

New college textbooks

Unless a student absolutely needs brand-new textbooks, they can use several alternatives to save.

Shop for used textbooks, which can help you save 70% to 90% off the retail price, says Mike Gatti, the executive director at the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, a trade group. Check out web sites like CheapestTextbooks.com, Booksprice.com or Amazon.com. Many college bookstores also sell used texts.

Another option is downloading books online. Sites like Coursesmart.com sell subscriptions to digital copies of more than 7,000 textbooks. TextbookMedia.com allows students to download textbooks for free. You can also rent textbooks on Chegg.com.

Gas-guzzling cars

Skyrocketing gasoline prices dominated headlines during most of the decade, and they remain volatile.

The Energy Information Administration estimates that crude oil prices will average around $77 a barrel for the fourth quarter of 2009, up from $42.90 in the first quarter. The EIA also projects prices will rise in 2010 to their highest point in more than two years: $81.33 a barrel.

Recent announcements by car manufacturers to mass produce fuel-efficient cars could help push consumers away from gas-guzzling vehicles.

According to the Department of Energy, the most efficient cars include the Honda Civic Hybrid, which gets 40 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 45 mpg on the highway, the Volkswagen Jetta and Golf (both run on diesel), which each get 30 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway, and the Toyota Prius hybrid (51/48 mpg).

Energy-inefficient homes and appliances

Ten years ago, shopping for home upgrades involved looking at a product's functionality and aesthetic. Now, there's another component: energy efficiency.

Today, the products most touted by manufacturers and retailers are those that are Energy Star certified and those that meet new federal environmental standards � most of which have higher price tags than their counterparts but help to lower heating and cooling bills.

The government is offering a federal tax credit of up to $1,500 on energy-efficient home upgrades through Dec. 31, 2016. But many are set to expire by Dec. 31, 2010; these include eligible insulation, roofs and windows and doors