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The Gorgeous Italian actress/model was the recent covergirl for French jeweler and watchmaker Cartier and also for luxury designer house Dior.

The bag she is carrying is Longchamp’s new simple expandable, a great daily purse. It features a soft pebbled leather body with stud silver accents and the duo side zippers even allow for additional room - just zip down for some extra breathing room. The color she is carrying is called Fox brown and unfortunately I couldn’t locate that bag online (try calling Lonchamp 888.828.8081). However, saks has the lovely white version available.

$740

By:  Jennifer                        Source

I mentioned in Tuesday’s post that our last chore of the rainy and overcast day at Roundrock involved setting up the game camera to point at the suet feeder we keep on a tree there. The feeder has been in place for years, so the forest birds know where to come for cakes of suet — even the ground below it is swept clean by foragers looking for bits of suet that have fallen there.

The problem with my photography objective was that the feeder was hanging on the wrong side of the tree. If I were to take pictures of it where it was, they would be washed out by the background light coming from the south. It normally hangs from a horseshoe we have nailed to the tree. You can just see a bit of it on the top right of the trunk. (Another problem was that from that side there was no place to hang the camera, the shelter tarp having filled the open space there, but open space it is.) To solve this little problem I drove a nail into the other side of the tree. There happens to be a fine tree at just about the right distance on this side from which to hang the camera, as you see below.

See the lake in the background glinting so marvelously? This was an overcast day; imagine if the sun had been out (which is was about ten minutes later).

The camera has a test mode that is supposed to let the user know if it is set up properly. You set it in this mode then cavort in front of the camera at the proper distance, and it’s supposed to take a picture if you did everything right. It didn’t take a single picture. This was annoying, but I assumed I was misunderstanding something, so I just switched the camera to business mode and crossed my fingers.

There are two cakes of suet in the cage above. I had filled the log with peanuts as we normally do and still had plenty left, so I thought I would place some peanuts atop the suet cage in case that attracted an ivory-billed woodpecker or something. You see that they fell right through the cage and in among the suet cakes.

The last thing I did was take these two photos. You’ll see (if you look closely) that the counter on the camera registered two shots taken. All is well in the woods.

Missouri calendar:

Turtles crossing roads; watch out!
Chimney swifts return.

By:  Roundrockjournal                        Source

Google is going hyper - and businesses are worried about it, according to BusinessWeek.Google is rolling out new "under-the-hood" search technology, codenamed "Caffeine," that could change how your company ranks in its search results. For those businesses that live-and-die based on Google-generated traffic, this is potentially a very big deal.The story has been out there for a couple of days in the more geek-oriented suburbs of the blogosphere, but the business implications didn't dawn on me right away. Then I saw the BusinessWeek article. David Coursey of PC World looks at the possible shake up as a result of Google's new technology that may be comign to the world of web design and SEO. It's unclear just how much of a different the new Google would make in search results.

© Yodel Anecdotal

By:  Steve                        Source

China is embracing carbon trading and it will change things forever. Indeed, China is likely to become a dominant player.

First, let it be said that a carbon trading system in China is still in its infancy, especially given that it's financial system is still evolving. But as reported here , China already owns one third of the world's total quota for sellable carbon and this number is set to increase to 41% by 2012. That's puts it in a very strong position.

A McKinsey report says China has reduced the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that it produces for every unit of GDP by 4.9% each year on average over the past 15 years, compared with just 1.7% in the United States and 2.7% in Germany. China is also building the world's biggest solar plant.

But according to this report, the big difference with the Chinese carbon trading system is the question of caps. While the US Congress has moved to reduce emissions, China will not tolerate that approach because it is committed to economic development. The Chinese system will instead seek to create financial incentives for companies to embrace renewable energy. In other words, it seeks to limit emission by providing companies with incentives, and some of that money will no doubt come from non-Chinese investors trying to get a toe-hold in that market.

Given the size of the Chinese market, and the opportunities for companies to invest in the world's fastest growing economy, it might just actually work. As Bryan Walsh at Time Magazine says, it could see China overtaking the US in the race to develop clean energy.

By:  Bose                        Source

© Michiel2005

In yesterday's Business Week, Mehul Srivastava described a decline in salaries and turnover in Indian firms, no doubt caused by the declining economy. That certainly parallels the global recession - particularly in areas such as technology investment and long term deals.

Ultimately, it will be interesting to see whether offshoring becomes a leading or lagging indicator of labor market growth over the next two or three years. On the one hand, one could expect that firms will be reluctant to grow their own staff - instead relying upon outsources to pick up the slack as markets improve. On the other hand, there is lots of cheap, readily available skilled labor in the U.S., and companies may decide to grow their internal or on-shore outsourced relationships prior to moving offshore.

After the recession is finally behind us, however, we will have some empirical data as to whether offshoring acts as a leading indicator to labor rebounds or lags behind it. Then, economists may have a new indicator to rely upon when predicting the end of difficult times.

By:  Prem                        Source

Like so many marketplaces today, Search Engine Optimization is a competitive business. If you're looking for a forceful marketing solution to turn your marketing program into actual sales, you may be looking for Manticore Technology.

For many businesses, the solution to their sales problems could be the powerful, easy to use marketing automation solutions offered by Manticore Technology. Their resources can make lead management a more fruitful process for your business.

Wouldn't it be nice for your sales people to be able to make decisions with hard data provided by an automated system? Manticore Technology is a leader in this area. Their system will generate demands for you. Your sales people will be able to see who the real prospects are a move them along in the process

Sometimes you need in solving your sales problems. Recognizing that and then looking for help is a sign of strength in your company, not weakness. When it comes time for your company to exercise that strength, consider Manticore Technology.

© Maldita la hora

By:  Jason                        Source

CNN had an interesting analysis recently of different types of Facebook users. CNN calls them "annoying" types of users - and then goes on to describe almost every type of Facebook user I can think of. Some examples:

The Self-Promoter

The Friend-Padder

The Town Crier

The Bad Grammarian

The Sympathy-Baiter

In all they list a dozen types of users. And since they're all annoying, it makes you wonder whether they think Facebook in general is annoying….

By:  Nancy                        Source

Wikipedia is becoming just a little less freewheeling and crowdsourced, according to a recent article in the NY Times. The eight year old, user-generated online encyclopedia has decided to make it harder for users to make changes to articles about living people.Officials at the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit in San Francisco that governs Wikipedia, say that within weeks, the English-language Wikipedia will begin imposing a layer of editorial review on articles about living people.

The new feature, called "flagged revisions," will require that an experienced volunteer editor for Wikipedia sign off on any change made by the public before it can go live. Until the change is approved - or in Wikispeak, flagged - it will sit invisibly on Wikipedia's servers, and visitors will be directed to the earlier version.Wikipedia is a fairly well trusted source in the public mind even though anyone can create and account and make revisions to a Wikipedia article. Political campaigns in the past have seen their candidate's biographies revised during the election cycle. And vandals recently change West Virginia Senator Robert C. Byrd's Wikipedia entry so that it falsely reported that he had died.

By:  Paul                        Source

For anyone who admires Corvettes, this new 1:24 die-cast 1972 Corvette Convertible model from the Franklin Mint is a "must have." Model year '72 marked the end of an era for the ultimate American sports car, as those distinctive front and rear chrome bumpers made their last appearance. The horsepower rating had dropped to 255 hp from 330 hp the previous year, after which the legendary LT-1 solid-lifter, high-compression engine option disappeared until an improved version returned twenty years later,

This precision model sports a fully appointed interior plus an impressive re-creation of the V-8 OHV RPO LT-1 under the hood. The front wheels are steerable, the hood is hinged at the front to a 75-degree angle, doors open to an approximately 45-degree angle, the seatbacks are hinged, and the headlights can be displayed in either the open or closed position. As you can see from the photos the model certainly does justice this classic sports car. A hard-top and soft-top are included at the price of $125. Click here to learn more or to order your own special Corvette.

By:  Daniel                        Source

by Eric Kohn

Mike Judge has always presented sophisticated takes on human behavior, but he only recently allowed his anti-heroes to take charge. His fourth movie as a writer-director, Extract, focuses on trouble in suburbia and revolves around a dissatisfied factory owner. This brief synopsis alone should demonstrate the breadth of Judge”s thematic journey, but a deeper look reveals its methodical progression.

With the sophomoric antics of Beavis and Butthead, Judge savagely critiqued the inanity of the MTV generation, singling out the lowest common denominator with anthropological specificity: His relentlessly giggling animated idiots qualified as “tornado bait,” according to his own assessment, reflecting an ostracized youth culture rather than blindly endorsing it. These caricatures are relegated to the sidelines in Extract, signaling Judge”s broader concerns.

By:  ahillis                        Source