Climate Fortuna

Your Climate Fortuna Coming Soon :)

Yes I'm becoming a Climate Fortune Teller, so if you'd like to learn fun weather facts...

This is the place to be :)

posted by Cielo Azul @ 1:35 AM 0 comments

I Moved

You can find more of my journaling experieces in the following link:

http://www.masharikileo.com/mm-survivingAmerica022804.htm


Don't forget to contact me.

posted by Cielo Azul @ 10:02 PM 0 comments

FAT SPIDER MAN?

This is what you can find in the news wire after the 4th of July celebrations:

FROM LETTERMAN:

Top Ten Things You Don't Want To Hear From A Fat Spider-Man

10. "Got any talc? I'm chafing like a son-of-a-bitch in this thing"
9. "My spider-sense is tingling - - no, wait, I think it's a stroke"
8. "If I climb that wall, do you promise not to stare at my gigantic
ass?"
7. "Thank god the Superhero League dropped the physical fitness
requirements"
6. "I'm part spider, but I'm all man where it counts"
5. "Some bug bites me, next thing I know I'm a fat piece of crap"
4. "If you're in trouble, come find me at Pizza Hut"
3. "Hey, you see a fat Wonder Woman around here?"
2. "I'd gladly trade my superpowers for some self-control at the buffet"
1. "You didn't hear it from me, but Aquaman's gay"

These are the latest news...

posted by Cielo Azul @ 7:54 AM 0 comments

THE GODFATHER SAYS GOODBYE

Actor Marlon Brando is dead.

His attorney says the
"Godfather" and "On the Waterfront" actor died at a Los Angeles
hospital. Brando was 80.

posted by Cielo Azul @ 8:32 AM 0 comments

WHAT A DOG

A BIG DOG HELPS CHICAGOANS BREAK A WORLD RECORD THIS THURSDAY.

DURING LUNCH HOUR A HOT VIENNA BEEF HOT DOG SITTING IN A SUPER SIZE BUN BROKE THE EXISTING WORLD RECORD SET IN SOUTH AFRICA.

THE HUDGE HOT DOG MEASURED 37 FEET BEATING THE PREVIOUS RECORD HOLDER OF 34 AND A HALF FEET LONG.

IT WAS CREATED BY VIENNA BEEF EMPLOYEES AND YOUNG 'TASTE OF CHICAGO' PATRONS AT THE FOOT OF BUCKINGHAM FOUNTAIN.

posted by Cielo Azul @ 7:55 AM 0 comments

MAKE OVER REALITY SHOW ON TOP OF RATINGS

With about 9.1 million viewers between the ages of 18 to 49, "The Swan" a reality show produced by Fox is getting an overall 4.2 rating according to TVhome.com.

For those who have not watched or read about it. "The Swan" deals with a complete makeover of women with low self esteem because they have some type of physical issues that make them think they are 'ugly ducklings.'

For these and other reasons the complete makeover package includes plastic surgeries,diets,personal training, psychological counseling and much more. Everything done in front of the camera. Sixteen women between 20 and 40 years of age were selected for these show and half of them will go on to a beauty pageant were they will compete for the title of the 'Ultimate Swan.'

The interesting characteristic of the contest is that the reality pageant contestants can't see how they look in a mirror when all the makeover process is happening, so they have to trust the professionals that were hired for the show.

They are:
Andrew Caster - Laser Eye Surgeon
Greg Comeaux - Fitness Trainer
Terry J. Dubrow - Cosmetic Surgeon
Nely Galan - Life Coach
Randal Digby Haworth - Cosmetic Surgeon
Debra Luftman dermatologist
Dr. Lynn - Therapist
Sherri Worth - Cosmetics & Dentist

Dr. Lynn is the one that has gotten the most attention from the media because according to The smoking gun.com, she received her Ph.D. from an uncertified correspondence school in California.

Anyways I don't want to focus on the doctor this time. From the 18 contestants, Kathy is from Lake Villa Illinois, and Dawn is from Hobart Indiana, but they have already been disqualified for the final 'ultimate swan pageant.'

Even thought these two Midwest representatives are not in the show anymore, several Columbia College Students said they have watched the show at least twice, and they talked with me about what they like and don't like about this show.

Catherine Wolf, a senior magazine journalism major, says she started watching the show partially because she had curiosity of seeing how these women's physical apearance changed, but she thinks "it's sad that people need to go to a show like that to change their appearance." Freshmen Ivette Somarriva has a similar opinion she says "it's very superficial because they put these women on something like a circus." Somarriva started watching the show along with her roommates because it came on after American Idol, and at the beginning they all thought it was a new concept in reality TV and the makeovers were impressive, but as the show progressed they realized it had a shallow concept.

On the other hand,Sophomore John Wicencyjusz hasn't seen the show at all he says, "the previews look pretty degrading for most of the parts." Wicencyjusz is not interested in reality shows because "they are just producers's ideas" and they lack of a well developed script.

Vanessa Saucedo, believes the show might be "detrimental to women" since many of the participants have expressed they have serious emotional and self esteem problems. Evelyn Oropeza does not agree with Saucedo she says, "it's a good idea especially for young women who don't have confidence in themselves." Oropeza has participated in beauty pageants, and for this reason she thinks "The Swan" is a positive experience for those women who never imagined they could be part of a contest like this one. When I asked Oropeza if she would join a pageant like this one she said, "if I were to look like Roseanne definitely."

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the second season of "The Swan" visit "The Swan's Casting Web Page." If you are a fan of the show you might be interested in joining the yahoo groops swan club or you might want to follow your favorite Swan on the next season of this show called "Where are they now."

posted by Cielo Azul @ 7:10 PM 0 comments

CASINOS, CASINOS, AND MORE CASINOS

It looks like Illinois will not be the only state that plans to add a casino for recreational purposes. But where else could you imagine another casino? Indiana, Georgia, Arizona, or Nevada are not the case.

What if I say the last name Schwarzenegger or to make it clearer California Governor Schwarzenegger. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, Gov. Schwarzenegger "has quietly made a series of decisions that could unleash Indian gambling and open the door to Nevada-style casinos almost anywhere in California."

If you think California doesn't have many casinos, visit the California Casinos web page which provides detailed information on existing casinos in that state. They also have a section destined for the Indian Casinos in California, both links provide a map where you can see the location of these places and visually see there are tons of casinos in that State. In fact, the California Casinos' web page has 126 operating casinos registered.

Reports from the SD tribune say the California Governor is giving Indian reserves the option of having as many slot machines as they want for one price; also, the areas where casinos could be built in the future could include "urban settings," according to James P. Sweeney who wrote the article.

With these and other offers Schwarzenegger has made to the Indian tribes, many located in Nevada are considering this as an expanding opportunity.

For detailed information read James P. Sweeney's article at SignOnSanDiego.com the SD Tribune's official web site.

posted by Cielo Azul @ 5:41 PM 0 comments

CUSTOMIZE YOUR BLOG

There are thousands of features, links, and templates you can include in your personal blogs to make them more appealing and friendly user to your readers. For instance, you can add the basics like a visitor counter, or you can be a bit more sophisticated adding a counter that tells you how many persons are viewing your blog at one time.

If you want to receive feedback from your readers, you can put a link to your email,add a message board to your blog, or add a comments section at the end of your posts. If you don't like blogger's templates, you have tried them all, or you are just tired of them there are many great blog template designers on the web and many of them are free of charge.

Now if you decide to give your blogs a special and personal touch, you can include an icon current mood is, post pictures, add a song to your blog, add moving graphics, add a personal survey, or your readers can summit their birth date in your personal birthday agenda so you wont forget it.

These are only some examples of elements that would give your blog a totally different view. But if you want to try some of these things the first thing you want to do is get familiar with your template settings, don't be afraid to manipulate them, that's what it's all about.

Here is a list of sites where you can find the elements I mentioned in the previous paragraphs, as well as many other interesting or geeky blog accessories, and related web pages.

BLOG (ONLINE JOURNAL)WEBSITES:
www.blogger.com
www.xanga.com
www.livejournal.com
www.spymac.com

BLOG TEMPLATES
www.blogskins.com
www.ms-dicks.com
www.maystardesigns.com
www.imaclanni.diaryland.com

BASIC BLOG ELEMENTS
www.digits.com
www.tag-board.com
www.photobucket.com
www.imageshack.com

NERD TYPE BLOG ELEMENTS
www.blogrolling.com
www.webapps.nerdsonsite.com
www.freefind.com
www.unkymoods.com
www.anymationfactory.com
www.encuestas.ya.com
www.blogpulse.com

WANT MUSIC
www.audblog.com
www.msealsmusic.com


SOME FAMOUS BLOGS

Find links to the blogs of Wil Wheaton, George Carlin, Michael Moore , William Shatner, Al Roker, Jeff Bridges, Melanie Griffith,Terri Clark in the following web address:

http://www.surnameroundup.com/rebelliuspax/famouslist.html


In this link find a list of journalist blogs around the country and the world:

http://www.cyberjournalist.net/cyberjournalists.php

Well those are some of the web sites I have bumped in to; if you'd like to share other interesting blog-related web sites please email me. I hope the ones I provided are useful, and you have fun.

posted by Cielo Azul @ 9:39 PM 0 comments

COLLEGE...SPORTS...GAMBLING

A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF SPORTS WAGERING REVEALS COLLEGE STUDENTS INVOLVED IN SPORTS HAVE A GAMBLING PROBLEM.

DURING A NEWS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY...THE HEAD OF THE NCAA(N-C DOUBLE A) SAID THE RESULTS WERE STARLING AND DISTURBING.

THE STUDY APPLIED TO ATHLETES FROM ALL SPORTS AND DIVISIONS OF 21 THOUSAND COLLEGES ...SHOWS MORE THAN A THIRD OF THE STUDENTS VIOLATE RULES BY GAMBLING ON COLLEGE OR PRO SPORTS.

DURING RESEARCH...PARTICIPANTS IDENTITY WAS NOT REVEALED.

posted by Cielo Azul @ 2:16 PM 0 comments

5 TOP MOVIES THIS WEEKEND

I went to the movies this weekend, and I had no idea what to watch. For some reason Van Helsing was in 7 of the 21 screens of the theater I visited, but because I have been disconnected from T.V. for a while I had no idea on what type of movie this one was.

Now after checking the USA Box Office Hits listed in the Internet Movie Data Base, I know it was this movie's opening weekend. And what an opening for this movie showed in 3,575 screens nation wide. It generated $51,748,040 in revenue leading the top box office movie hits this weekend.

From what I read in www.vanhelsingmovie.com. Van Helsing is a guy that was sent to fight with evil; he is sent to a sort of village where world nightmares apparently live. Most of this movie's locations where shot in Prague, but the use of computer animated graphics takes great part in this film as well.

The teen movie Mean Girls came in second place this week at the box office. The previous weekend the opening night for this sexy ladies; they were at the top of the box office hits with $24,232,195. Even though the movie was played in 2,972 screen (133 more than its opening weekend),the-movie-times.com says this week they made 44 percent less with $13,676,552 in revenue.

Man on Fire is number 3 in the box office hits for the second time. The movie takes place in Mexico City; there Creasy (Denzel Washington) participates in an operative that deals with taking care of a little girl who is later abducted. This weekend Man on Fire was showed in 2,846 screens generating $8,235,535 and a total of $56,350,858 for the 3 weeks it has been playing in theaters.

Warner Brothers and the Olsen twins hit the 4th place at the box office with their New York Minute movie during their first week. According to this movie's web site the plot deals with two twin sisters and their adventures during a day in New York City. The movie was showed in 3,006 screens, and it made a total of $5,962,106.

13 Going On 30 went down two positions this weekend. It was showed in 3,158 and it made $5,816,841(41 percent less than the previous weekend. 13 Going On 30 has accumulated $42,880,123 in 3 weeks.

If you are still wondering what movie I ended up seeing it was "The Alamo" a film that didn't even make it to the top ten this week. If you have seen it you know why.

Whenever you want to find stats about the top box office movies visit www.the-movie-times.com, or www.imdb.com where you can also find an extense database of national and international movie details.

If you feel like having fun with your favorite actors and actresses, or if you feel like remembering forgotten star names visit "The Bacon Oracle" you will play, have fun, and be surprised.

posted by Cielo Azul @ 8:36 PM 0 comments

INFOMANIAC ADVICE

If you have read this and my other blogs, you probably notice I am a bit blog addicted. I love to read,investigate,post, and find interesting blogs and sites to visit.

Not so long ago I was looking for blogs written by Journalist around the country and around the world. I found a useful link at CYBERJOURNALIST.NET they have a list of J-blogs(Journalist Blogs)links. I looked at several of them, but the one that I enjoyed the most is called "Infomaniac:Behind the News."

Elizabeth Donovan is the person that runs this page, and I enjoy reading it because she gives all kinds of useful and out of the ordinary links for her readers to access. Donovan is a reporter that writes for the Miami Herald and has another blog that is part of this news paper.

I decided to contact Donovan asking her to visit this blog and give me some good advice on how can I improve it. I want to thank Ms. Donovan for answering my email in great detail she gave my good tips and pointers I will certainly consider to improve my Smart Sexy News Blog.

Here are some of the sugestions she gave me:

"Make the graphic smaller so it fits at top of a column rather than taking up a whole column by itself."

"Finding a theme and sticking with it will make your blog more useful for readers...a news blog focusing on local news, environmental news, celebrity news, or such, could have better chances of success."

"Find things you can't find anywhere else easily."

Donovan gave me many more details that I will now work on, but I just wanted to show you some examples you might want to consider when editing and posting in your blog. I haven't yet defined this blogs news theme, but I would like to hear from people who read my posts, what would you like me to write about? For example, Ms.Donovan said "I like that you seem to be focusing on Chicago news but if that's what you want to do
you may need to spread out and link to more than just what's in the big papers." Now I will consider adding more sources to add credibility to my posts.

If you want to find interesting and unusual links to web pages visit her at www.newsresearch.blogspot.com

posted by Cielo Azul @ 9:44 PM 0 comments

EXPERIMENTAL DRUG INCREASES GOOD CHOLESTEROL LEVELS

It would be strange to think that by boosting our cholesterol levels we could prevent heart attacks, but if we are talking about our HDL--good cholesterol--levels this could soon become a reality.

Linda Johnson from the Chicago Suntimes explains in her article, "researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Tufts University found that [a] drug doubled HDL in people with worrisomely low levels of the heart-healthy substance." In their preliminary study they also found out "the drug, torcetrapib, also reduced LDL, the bad cholesterol," says Johnson.

A person with higher levels of LDL--bad cholesterol-- has greater possibilities of having a heart attack, but one with higher levels of HDL has a lower risk of heart disease.

Johnson explains that up to this date statin drugs are what doctors have used to "reduce heart attacks by about one third." I wanted to learn more about this drugs, so I asked Doctor Francisco Olguin to clarify some concepts. Olguin, who is Director of Pharmacovigilance and Labeling at Bristol Myers, says "statins work by blocking an enzyme in the body that is involved in the production of LDL cholesterol, especially in the liver...the statins are the most effective group of drugs for lowering the levels of LDL cholesterol in the body."

This explains why Johnson's article says, "many experts hope to drive down heart disease still further by boosting good cholesterol."

You can find Johnson's article in the Chicago Suntimes official web page.

posted by Cielo Azul @ 9:26 PM 0 comments