Robert asked:


For several years, laser lipolysis with the SmartLipo has proven a popular alternative to traditional liposuction in Europe, Asia, and South America. The SmartLipo was introduced to the USA in the winter of 2006 and now thousands of Americans have experienced the procedure.

The SmartLipo uses a laser fiber to rupture fat cells and in addition to usage in traditional liposuction areas such as the abdomen, flanks, and thighs, it can also be used in delicate areas such as the neck and arms.

The laser lipolysis offers advantages over traditional liposuction; unlike traditional liposuction the SmartLipo is done in a doctors office without the need for general anesthesia, the laser fiber coagulates blood vessels leading to less bruising and swelling, and the laser fiber tightens the skin. There is often virtually no downtime, with some people referring to this procedure as “lunchtime lipo.”

As with many cosmetic procedures, celebrities are often the early adopters. With the recent reports that Britney Spears underwent the SmartLipo procedure in Las Vegas, there has been a surge in interest in this procedure. The same factors that make the procedure ideal for celebrities, quick recovery, minimal bruising, dramatic results, make the procedure ideal for everyone.

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High Priestess Enoch asked:


REALLY MANIFESTING YOUR REALITY

by High Priestess Enoch

PsychicSpellCaster.com

You shape reality. Your own reality. If you want it, you got it. A seemingly ‘new age’ idea….. right? Actually the idea is old. Older than dirt. I guess the masses did not let that sink in. After all, 2000 years ago, Jesus was teaching “Ask and yee shall receive.” Budda spoke about finding God within. Druids dating back 10,000 years talked about awakening your power to become an ultimate creator. And let me point out, the oldest magic Transcendental Magic, makes it’s own philosophy from the central idea of if you can think it, you can make it happen. Transcendental Magic is found in Sumerian reliefs (Sumeria is the oldest civilization archeologists have unearthed). Well I’ll be damned…. Actually, we are all damned. Energy has been wasted on bitching about our life. And that book What The Bleep Do We Know, and all those guru’s that came before , is trying to say that it’s our own damn fault (well, that’s the skinny of it). It’s our own damn fault because it’s all in our hands to begin with. If we don’t like something, change it. Get out of it. You don’t have to sit there and take it.

What The Bleep Do We Know has broken the philosophy down to a science. None of the philosophers of the past were able to describe it in scientific terms before. Now with the help of Quantum Physics, Transcendental Magic can be clinically studied and observed. In a nut shell, this is what Quantum Physics says: Imagine a cell in your body. Or an atom. It has a nucleus (center), with a bead(s) of an electron(s) circling around it. But sometimes, that bead of an electron does not circle around the nucleus, like it is ‘suppose to’. Sometimes it just appears on one side of the nucleus, then the other side. Kinda blinking in and out of existence at random times and places. And the thing about all of this, is that the nucleus is operating every single movement the electron makes. How freaky is that?! The cell or atom’s brain (nucleus) tells it when to exist, where to exist and how to exist. Now. Shift this idea in perspective to your body and your life. Can you see how your head (nucleus) can manipulate your life (electrons)? Can you see how you can put those electrons (that is your life) any where, or whether you want them there to begin with? So there you go. It’s your electrons. Whatcha gonna do wit em’ now?

O.k. We got the scientific point on how manifesting your reality works. Now how do we go about really doing it……….

I’m passionate about this, which is why I wrote this out. I’ve been looking into the fine points of manifesting/transcendentalism for years now. This is what I’ve come up with: From beginning of time, each of us has a brain that creates our individual reality by emitting thoughts and feelings. These are the key elements. The way you think, or don’t think, about something creates your reality. And the way you feel about something also creates your reality. Kinda like a magnet. Your brain being the magnet. And it can magnetizes shit. It magnetizes the awesome. It is responsible for your life. Even the shit other people have done to you. Because you are the one that magnetized that shitty person’s attitude into your life. The author that explains this the easiest and the best is Lynn Grabhorn. Her book Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting can says it perfectly. Just like What the Bleep Do We Know, the book Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting explains how you manifest your surroundings. But her book is more of a ‘how to’. What the Bleep Do We Know is more of a scientific/philosophy approach.

Let me now go over with you what you already know how to do (but because of years of just ‘going with the flow’, you forgot). Think of something good, good happens in your life. Feel something good, good happens in your life. Think & feel good a little, small, sometimes unnoticable things happen in your life. Think &feel good a lot, and BAM! A lot of good things happen in your life. Just the way you want them to, and in the way you want them to. I have even found that you can manipulate other people this way too………… but it really isn’t manipulating other people……… it is more like helping them to help you……… helping them to get in sync with your good vibration. And it helps the world……… the universe……. to get into your good vibration.

To prove your absolute power, I have organized a step-by-step process with help from Lynn Grabhorn’s book Excuse Me, Your Life IsWaiting……..

1) for 15 seconds, think about something that made you smile in the past/i.e.-get happy 2) for another 15 seconds, think about what you want to happen as if you are experiencing it now.

That’s it. All it takes. The secret of manifesting. The secret to life. Oz has spoken………. Lynn Grabhorn speaks about it more in depth in her book (I’ve never pushed a book as hard as this one). She explains how if you do the above ritual twice a day for a week, you’ll see small stuff start to happen in your life. And after months of continual use, you’ll start pulling new cars out of your ass (not literally- unless you really want to shock the medical community). She even starts talking about the ‘butterfly feeling’ you begin to feel after a while, during your manifesting, and how this feeling is a signal that you are creating things on a big scale. Have I tried it? Yes. Does it work. Yes! Want examples? I wanted a group to lead- in comes our Charleston Mystics group. I wanted our group to grow- in comes 10 more active members. I wanted a large, but expensive fish tank. In comes my 4 ft. aquarium. I wanted a bigger car. In comes my Ford Taurus. When I first moved back to Charleston, I carefully manifested friends that were as active as myself. That has come out beautifully. And still does. As long as I do the 30 second process mentioned above, more active friends come to me. And that’s all you have to do too.

I Only Want The Best For You- And Damn It, So Should You!!! check out my services at www.PsychicSpellCaster.com

High Priestess Enoch

THINK ABOUT THIS:

When a talk show host interviews a celebrity, many times the celebrity will gush that when they were a child, they would pretend they were a big star and was being interviewed by the host.

Did the child manifest his/her reality of becoming a celebrity? Jenna Elfman, Tom Hanks, Jessica Sarah Parker, Oprah Winfrey, Tira Banks are all successful now.

Big moguls/millionares are often heard to say how much they dreamed as a child or as a young adult that they were filthy rich. Many started off as dirt poor, but it only made them dream harder. Donald Trump, Abe Lincoln, Jennifer Lopez, Jim Carrey, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Britney Spears, Madonna, M.Knight Shaymalan all did. Look at them now.

Jim Carrey wrote out a million dollar check to himself while a poor struggling comic, telling his fellow comics he will cash the real thing one day.

Maddona would only expect to be treated as a diva even though she sang in a tiny club before her fame.

Britney Spears pretended to be singing to sold out stadiums while singing to her Barbie dolls.

Jenna Elfman practiced talking to Letterman while she sat on the toilet.

Every name listed above really did say these things- I heard them myself.

Working as a Psychic Medium, I would frequently hear from the spirits that a client was not becoming wealthy as they wanted because subconsciously they were jealous of wealthy people and told themselves that the wealthy person was stupid or stuck up. No wonder money never came to them!!! The client said they wish they had more money only part of the time, while most of the time they were thinking bad thoughts about people that did have money!

When I was a child, I learned about the sleeping prophet Edward Cayce (named so for the meditative/sleeping trances he would get into when doing a psychic reading.). I dreamed and wished all the time that I was and would become as psychic as he was.

Today I am 80% accurate with my psychic reading- usually scaring my client and sometimes myself.

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John Kim asked:


Britney Jean Spears was born on December 2, 1981. She is a Grammy Award-winning pop artist. Though she has had acting and writing credits, she is primarily known for her studio albums, music videos, chart-topping pop songs, and provocative stage performances. Her first single hit, “…Baby One More Time,” hit #1 in 1998.
Born in Mississippi and raised in Louisiana, Spears was an accomplished gymnast competing in state-level competitions before breaking out into the music scene. Spears earned public renown when she joined the New Mickey Mouse Club in the early 90’s. In 1992, she would win the first round of Star Search, but would lose in the second round. After the show ended, Spears took a five year break before storming the music scene. Spears’ debut album, “Baby One More Time” sold over 28 million copies worldwide, propelled by its lead single, “…Baby One More Time”, as well as the follow up hit single, “(You Drive Me) Crazy”. Spears’ sophomore album, “Oops!…I Did It Again” would go on to sell 24 million units worldwide, led by hit singles such as “Opps!…I Did It Again”, “Lucky”, and “Stronger”. By the early 2000’s, she had gained huge commercial success and public appeal, inking deals with big companies such as Pepsi.
In late 2001, Spears released her third album, “Britney”, which would go on to sell over 746,000 copies in its first week in the U.S. The success of Spears’ third album debut made her the only female ever in SoundScan history to have her first three albums debut at #1 on the charts. The “Britney” album would go on to sell 15 million copies worldwide. The following year, Britney would star in a movie, Crossroads, which would reach second place on U.S. box-office charts in its opening weekend. The film, however would not last long in the top ten. Her highly-publicized relationship with former ‘N Sync front man and former Mouseketeer, Justin Timberlake, ended in March of 2002.
In November 2003, Spears released her fourth album, “In the Zone,” which would become her fourth album to debut at the top of the album charts. To date, “In the Zone” has sold about 10 million units worldwide. In 2004, Spears would debut with her first perfume, “Curious,” which would net more than $100 million in sales in its first year of sales. In late 2004, Spears’ first greatest hits album, “Greatest Hits: My Prerogative” was released. The album would go on to sell a total of 8 million copies worldwide. That same year, Spears married dancer and hopeful rapper Kevin Federline, with whom she had her first child. She is currently pregnant with the couple’s second child, which is due in September.
In September 2005, Spears released her second fragrance, “Fantasy,” which also became a top-selling perfume. During the spring of 2005, Spears and Federline launched their own five-episode reality show, Britney and Kevin: Chaotic, which premiered on UPN to sub-par ratings and reviews by critics. In late 2005, Spears released a remix album, B in the Mix: The Remixes. The album, which received minimal promotion, debuted outside the top 100, but to date has sold over a million units worldwide. In February 2006, Spears joined the cast of NBC’s Will & Grace as a guest star and released limited edition perfume, “In Control”. In May 2006, Spears would announce her second pregnancy on The Late Show with David Letterman. Spears, most recently sat down with Matt Lauer in an interview with Matt Lauer aired on The Today Show. In the interview, Spears made public that she would not release a studio album for at least one more year. One June 20, 2006, Spears released on her official website, the chorus to a new song from her, entitled “Rebellion”. Three days later, a 50 second clip of the song was posted.

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Jaci Rae asked:


In today’s society we know that the moral fiber of our communities is in peril. Why then, do we not protect our children? We have a responsibility to safeguard our most vulnerable; instead, we prematurely catapult them into a world they are not mature enough to handle and destroy their innocence.
Frequently, I am asked by parents and friends of aspiring “stars” to offer my opinion about getting their child into show business. Recently my publicist, Marsha Friedman, President of Event Management sent me the following question:
“…After the performance I spoke with her mom (who was in tears the whole time) about their incredible daughter and her future. Their daughter’s dream is to be on stage singing professionally…I said I would forward some information to you - to get your thoughts.”
After much contemplation, I wrote to the parents (excerpt):
“No matter how strong your daughter or your dream is, wait until she is 18 to try for stardom. She is already doing what she most wants, and that is to be on stage. Once she is 18 and you are ready for her to sell sex to other teenagers and older men in their 20’s - 60’s, she will be better equipped to handle the response, as you will be also…”
These words may strike you as unnecessarily candid, and perhaps a touch vulgar, but the reality is that most parents and children do NOT dream of just “being on stage.” If that was the sole requirement for their happiness, then local stage performances (a much safer avenue) would satisfy their dream. Since the child may already be doing that, there would be no more questions as the goal would have been achieved. Sadly, the aim as stated is wrong. What the parents and child really want is stardom, without knowing the cost.
They focus on the Hollywood dream and convince themselves that the path to stardom will be a romantic ride. The fantasy is filled with adoring fans, endless wealth, eternal fame and glamorous travel. This illusion inevitably fades, and what remains is disappointment, heartache, bills and endless travel (in less than desirable circumstances). More ominously, some of the “adoring fans” may actually be obsessed with the child, to the point of danger. This should not be entirely surprising as the child is being sold to look like the American male fantasy of an adult woman.
Many people reading this article will be convinced that I am wrong, or at least exaggerating. I ask you to consider the last time you saw a child “star” that looked like a child in their videos? The typical images are a 15 year old Britney Spears, a 14 year old JoJo, or a 13 year old Leanne Rimes
When Spears came into the public eye, she was dressed like a Catholic school girl, seducing the audience with, “Ooh, baby baby.” Leanne Rimes was dressed in a black satin outfit singing, “How Do I Live Without You.” (It should be noted that her ‘look’ would be considered tame by today’s standards.) Why are they dressed this way? Frankly, the music industry sells sex, sex sells.
These girls (although Leanne and Britney are now adults) are talented and beautiful, yet they are strategically packaged to entice older men. The fans who are young teenage girls don’t care whether the artists are sexy when they purchase music. However, continually seeing their idols dressed seductively has made them aware of sexuality and they want to dress the same way. This contributes to the cheapening of children’s values and image, and the cycle continues.
Recently, I was running on the treadmill at the gym when I was stunned by what I saw on one of the news channels. It was a feature about a modeling contest for children limited to those twelve and under. The winner would receive a one million dollar modeling contract, which of course sounds amazing! However, as the clip continued, mouths dropped throughout the gym. Three girls (under 12 - contest requirements) dressed in skimpy bikinis were being drenched with water and gazing at the camera like they wanted to seduce each man watching. If the girls were twenty-five, aware of what they were doing and, as adults, making their own decisions, I wouldn’t think much about it. However, the participation of twelve year olds is horrifying. Child pornography is universally condemned and pedophiles treated with not only revulsion, but the full force of the law. Doesn’t this fall under the same category, just corporately condoned?
In my opinion, prostituting children in this manner is perpetuating child pornography in a purportedly “legal” manner. This practice needs to be stopped. While the music industry to date, has not participated in such an extreme level of exploitation of children, I still believe that children should be kept out of the music industry on a professional level until they are at least 18. Even with the strongest family support possible, they are not emotionally equipped to handle the issues that will inevitably emerge. Realistically, however, I know that children will continue to be signed and sold long before their eighteenth birthdays, let me offer some practical advice.
1. From a financial perspective, learn the business inside and out. You MUST know: Who gets what and why? How much was made or lost? What is the bottom line? If you don’t make this a priority, you will join the host of famous artists who have been forced to claim bankruptcy.
2. Put together a dazzling press kit. People receiving the kit must be enticed into opening the package, so you will have to present your child in their best light. The demo must be well produced and include four of your child’s best numbers. Keep in mind that each song will be listened to for about fifteen to thirty seconds before moving on to the next piece. It’s possible to make a pretty impressive demo on your own for about two thousand dollars, including pressing. Don’t fall victim to the scam of someone guaranteeing stardom for your child with a professionally cut demo if you simply write a ten thousand dollar check.
3. If possible, establish a track record of sales BEFORE any contact with recording labels. (Get your CD listed on Soundscan.) You’ll have greater bargaining power if you know your product value prior to negotiating.
4. If a label finances the recording of a CD, it is a loan, NOT a gift, and must be paid back. The recording industry is a business, not a charity. Beware of becoming competitors insurance. If you fall into that trap, you may lose everything. (I detail all of this in my book, The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money.)
5. The phrase is, accurately, “Show Business,” and your child must be prepared to put on a “show,” just as you and they need to learn the “business.” Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Madonna and Justin Timberlake are great examples of how this is done and the work involved to sustain sell-out crowds.
6. Provide acting, vocal and dance lessons for your child, and register them for writing classes. Writers currently receive 8.5 cents per song on a CD, while the artist generally receives one point per album. Writers make the most money, with little or no initial investment. Make sure you understand how to legitimately copyright music. The aptly named ‘poor man’s copyright’ won’t hold up in court.
7. Avoid anyone stating that for an upfront fee, they can make your child a star. Managers and agents get paid a percentage in the range of 10-20%. Managers usually receive 10-15%, while agents receive 15-20%. You also need to know and understand the difference between managers and agents. Similarly, lawyers shopping a deal for your child on his/her own volition will take a percentage of the contract. (Lawyers that you hire on your own request must be paid up front.)
8. Marketing and promotion are imperative and can be very expensive. Labels have access to promotion capabilities that most individuals cannot afford. However, there is no limit or cost to imagination, so be creative! Affordable promotion can be attainable.
9. Develop personal relationships with contacts at the labels. Once you get to know people, they may offer you a special code to put on the outside of your package which signals to the front desk that your package is requested. (simply writing “material requested” on the outside of the package will not work) DON’T submit anything without permission; most throw unsolicited press kits in the garbage and a few return them unopened. Warner Brothers sends a nice note referencing legal concerns, while Disney sends a nicer more detailed note explaining their policy around copyright laws. Don’t waste valuable product and time.
Currently, many people are considering the ‘American Idol’ route, while forgetting that only one person in the 22 million that showed up for auditions last year actually made it.
One last note: Label representation can be an awesome thing, but you must know the business first! There is much more detailed and valuable information in my book, “The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and Money” ISBN 978-0-9746229-4-1. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.

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Gemma Bailey asked:


Oh the life of a celebrity, money, fame, fun, popularity…trauma? Is the life of a superstar really all that different to us “normal” folk?

The truth is probably not, but what happens when anyone becomes successful is that everything within their life is totally amplified. I remember being at a seminar about increasing one’s income where somebody said that generally we think that if we get rich the problems go away. They don’t, the problems are bigger and the person dealing with them is either well adapted and strong enough to cope with them, or not.

It is reasonably well documented that Britney’s plunge into stardom came as a result of her mums ambition to get her there, managing her daughter career. For many of us, the thought of having someone manage us is bad enough and is something we can just about put up with from 9-5 Monday to Friday in our employment situations, but for Britney, this relationship was with her own mother. Lets be honest in managing others we are always in a position of control, but most of us tend to go home at the end of the day, rather than sitting down to eat dinner with our boss and watching the Simpson’s.

So the rebellion started with a dramatic change in her music, a 24 hour marriage and a disastrous 2nd marriage to a guy who already had a baby on the way with someone else. I’m sure that Britney genuinely hoped that her marriage to Federline would be the making of the domestic housewife within, however, the troubled relationships came to a classic Hollywood break up. Perhaps if the dynamics of their relationship had been different, the gremlins within her would have settled, or perhaps it was those gremlins within that attracted her towards him in the first place.

Either way, the results have been broadcast for all to see. And what a statement she has made. Shaving her head really tells us that at this time Britney Spears is wanting to be anything but Britney Spears. She has taken control of something, something that nobody else can control. She has crossed a line that nobody else could have gone near, perhaps because she felt that this was one of the few things that was untouchable about her, in a life that everybody else seems to have a part of.

Some might say, that this was an attempt to send a very clear message to her ex husband about what the failed relationship has driven her to. My personal opinion is that Britney felt broken and has an enormous dislike for her life. Now all of us, including herself, need to love her for who she is and not how she was.

And Britney has the biggest job of all, she needs to learn to love life again. This is a massive act of rebellion and if it isn’t caused by the puppeteered life she has had, then you can bet your bottom dollar that she is wanting to escape, to break out of the body of Britney. The trouble with the act she has made is that is that the real problems are only ever within, that is the place where there work must be done.

If you can relate to Britney’s situation and are experiencing similar erratic behaviour or negative emotions, know now that life doesn’t need to continue in this way. You can change your life and even improve it.

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Levi Reiss asked:


The twelfth arrondissement is situated on the Right Bank of the Seine River in eastern Paris. It is home to one of Paris’s largest parks, the Bois de Vincennes which is described below. Its land area is about 6.3 square miles (16.3 square kilometers) counting the park. If you exclude the Bois de Vincennes the land area is less than 2.5 square miles (about 6.4 square kilometers). The population is approximately one hundred thirty seven thousand inhabitants, and the area is home to over one hundred twelve thousand jobs, mostly in the Bercy area near the Seine.

The Place de la Bastille was the site of the infamous Bastille prison, destroyed in the early days of the French Revolution. The square is shared by the fourth, eleventh, and twelfth arrondissements. Nothing of the old prison remains, except the memories. At the center of the square is the Colonne de Juillet (July Column) a 154 foot (fifty meter) column commemorating the 1830 Revolution in which King Charles X was overthrown in favor of his cousin Louis-Phillippe.

The Bastille was built during the late Fourteenth Century to help defend Paris. It was converted into a prison, mostly for political prisoners, in the Seventeenth Century. Just before its destruction the Bastille was composed of eight eighty foot (twenty-four meter) towers and an armory. By that time the cachots (dungeons) had been abandoned and the prison was not considered the worst in the city. When it was stormed on July 14, 1789 the jail contained seven inmates: four counterfeiters, two madmen, and a young aristocrat on the outs with his father. During the storming ninety-eight attackers and one defender died. Others died afterwards, including the governor. During excavation for the Paris Metro the remains of one tower surfaced and are on display in a nearby park. The Bastille square is often used in political demonstrations, and the area is full of night life, in particular to the northeast.

L’Opera de la Bastille (Bastille Opera) is a new home of the Opera National de Paris. It was supposed to replace the old Paris Opera House (Palais Garnier) described in our companion article I Love Touring Paris - The Ninth Arrondissement but such was not to be the case. Given the city’s size and cultural importance it seems that Paris can support two (actually more) opera houses. Interestingly enough the winner of the international competition was an unknown architect from Uruguay. Every one of the Bastille Opera’s nearly three thousand seats has an unrestricted view of the stage. On the other hand many say that the acoustics are disappointing at best. The building, replacing a train station, was inaugurated on the two-hundredth anniversary of the storming of the Bastille but its first opera performance was almost a year later.

The Promenade Plantee is a 2.5 mile (4.5 kilometer) long elevated park constructed on an abandoned Nineteenth Century railway viaduct, running from the Bastille Opera almost to the Bois de Vincennes. The Promenade is said to be only elevated park in the world. Some portions are enclosed and others are open and provide great views. There are pedestrian and cyclist routes and arcades with arts and crafts workshops. The Promenade was featured in the 2004 movie, Before Sunset.

The Cimetiere de Picpus (Picpus Cemetery) is the only private cemetery in the city sitting on land seized from a convent during the French Revolution. It is a few minutes from the Place de la Nation, site of a 1794 guillotine in 1794 that dispatched up to fifty people a day. After Robespierre was beheaded the violence stopped. Among the cemetery’s dead are the Marquis de La Fayette, who died a natural death, his wife, and her sister and mother who died in the terror.

The Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy (Paris-Bercy All Sports Palace) is an indoor sports arena hosting a wide variety of sports including Basketball, Boxing, Gymnastics, and Show Jumping. It also hosts popular concerts with the likes of Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Madonna, and many, many more. The Palace seats up to eighteen thousand spectators.

The Bois de Vincennes (Vincennes Woods) is an English-garden type park covering over 3.8 square miles (a little less than 10 square kilometers). This Parisian gem is almost three times as big as New York’s Central Park and four times as big as London’s Hyde Park. The Bois de Vincennes was once a royal hunting preserve. After the French Revolution it was transformed into a military exercise area. Napoleon III made it a public park in 1860. Be sure to see the Chateau de Vincennes, once a royal castle, and later a porcelain factory, a state prison holding the Marquis de Sade among others, and even an arms factory. The famous spy Mata-Hari was executed here. The Chateau de Vincennes also served as the military headquarters of the Chief of General Staff in 1940 during the unsuccessful defense of France against the German invasion of 1940. The Bois de Vincennes is also boasts a small zoo and four lakes.

Of course you don’t want to be in Paris without sampling fine French wine and food. In my article I Love French Wine and Food - A Midi Syrah I reviewed such a wine and suggested a sample menu: Start with Garbure (Cabbage Soup with Poultry). For your second course savor Cassoulet Toulousain (Bean and Pork Stew). And as dessert indulge yourself with Violette de Toulouse (Violet Flower Crystallized in Sugar). Your Parisian sommelier (wine steward) will be happy to suggest appropriate wines to accompany each course.

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Andrea Glass asked:


When you think of karaoke, there are usually a few songs in particular that top the list. Stereotypically, certain songs like “I Will Survive” recall thoughts of a karaoke bar with its drunken performers. While Gloria Gayner’s hit song comes close, it does not make the top 10 of best karaoke songs. Here are many karaoke artists’ top 10 songs to sing:

1. “The Rose” by Bette Midler

2. “You’re Still the One” by Shania Twain

3. “Amazing Grace”

4. “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan

5. “Heaven” by Bryan Adams

6. “Happy Birthday”

7. “Hopelessly Devoted To You” by Olivia Newton-John

8. “I Believe I Can Fly” by R Kelly

9. “Yesterday” by The Beatles

10. “The Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler

These songs top the list because simply, they are big. Songs like these are inspirational and allow the singer to put everything they have into the lyrics. Songs like “I Believe I Can Fly” are uplifting and “You’re Still the One” is a pure love song. They both require big voices which allows singers to feel the song and get wrapped up in it. “Happy Birthday” and “Amazing Grace” are songs everyone knows and they are just a joy to sing.

While songs can uplift the spirit and voice, there are some that can ruin any evening and should be banned from the karaoke scene, never to be sung by a hopeful again. Although these songs may be great, when you hear them enough at a karaoke bar, they can be ruined with the wrong singer and the many renditions done by those who think they can sing. Here is a list of the 10 worst karaoke songs ever, in no particular order:

1. “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston

2. “Macarena”

3. “I Feel Like A Woman” by Shania Twain

4. “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” by Michael Bolton

5. “Oops I Did It Again” by Britney Spears

6. “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion

7. “My Humps” by The Black Eyed Peas

8. “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra

9. “Red Neck Woman” by Gretchen Wilson

10. “American Pie” by Don Mclean

Where to begin? These songs have all been overplayed by the original artist, and now amateurs want a stab at it. The humanity in everyone would say to just put these songs to rest before someone gets hurt. While we all love Whitney Houston, pre-Bobby Brown of course, there are not too many who can sing the way she does. So let’s just leave the big ballads to her, please. Now, about “Macarena”- enough said. Any song that requires the audience to participate in a song that seems to teach toddlers where their body parts are probably isn’t a good choice. Britney Spears shouldn’t have done it the first time, and neither should you.

All of these songs are great; some rather than others should be left to the professionals. Whatever your song choice, though, remember to have fun. But beware that if your song is on the latter list, don’t be surprised if your audience is suddenly half its size.

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John Alexandrov asked:


Scientists, psychologists and economists are working together these days to study and promote a new economic theory called “Neuroeconomics.” Neuroeconomics combines neuroscience, economics and psychology to study how we make financial choices. It looks at the role of the brain when we evaluate decisions, categorize risks and rewards and interact with each other.

Britney Spears is a prime candidate for the study of neuroeconomics. After all, wouldn’t you like to know what is going on “in her brain” as she is making the decision to put her children at risk, her career at risk and her life at risk? It’s easy for us to sit back and say, “I would never do that. If I had what Britney has, I would be set for life.”

The Neuroeconomists are discovering something different however. They are discovering how our brain acts independently at times. How our brains can make seemingly “irrational” choices as compared to the risks or rewards before us. And how our brains produce certain chemicals when we are emotional or traumatized that creates a false sense of risk or lack thereof.

The current state of the US economy is a reflection of what neuroscientists and neuroeconomists are discovering. Right now people are asking, “Who in their right mind would have bought a house in the past 3 years when property values were skyrocketing and then finance that home purchase with a negative amortization loan”? Well, hundreds of thousands of people made that decision and science is showing why…

From “Addiction and Cue-Triggered Decision Processes”
By B. DOUGLAS BERNHEIM AND ANTONIO RANGEL

“Research indicates that addictive substances systematically interfere with the proper operation of an important process which the brain uses to forecast near-term hedonic rewards (pleasure), and this leads to strong, misguided, cue-triggered impulses that often defeat higher cognitive control. As a matter of formal mathematics, our model is tractable and involves a small departure from the standard framework. It generates a plausible mapping from the characteristics of the user, substance, and environment to dynamic behavior. It accounts for a number of important patterns associated with addiction, gives rise to a clear welfare standard, and has novel implications for public policy.”

“It is natural to wonder whether the model applies not just to addictive substances, but also to other problematic behaviors such as overeating or compulsive shopping. These questions are currently the subject of study among neuro-scientists and psychologists… Notably, people who suffer from pathological gambling, overeating, compulsive shopping, and kleptomania describe their experience as involving strong and often overwhelming cravings, they respond to cues such as stress and advertisements, and they exhibit cycles of binges and abstention.”

Our economic choices are not predominantly rational, they are emotional. That’s why we have swings in markets, almost as if collectively as a society we are manic depressive; sky high one day and down in the dumps the next.

So give Britney a break. Believe it or not she is making the same choices millions of other people would be making in the same situation. Her brain isn’t functioning rationally because she lives in an irrational world. Money pouring in (and out), paparazzi everywhere, pressure from her parents and managers, criticism from the public, the loss of her marriage.

How would you be “acting” in those circumstances? Are you sure?

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