What Not to Buy at Ikea

1.    Mattresses
Ikea offers mattresses at a price range from $80 for a simple, twin-sized spring mattress to $649 for a king-size foam mattress.To walk away from Ikea with a complete bed set, you’d have to purchase three more items:  A bed base, foundation, and at least one mattress pad, adding almost $500 more to your total cost.
2.    Imitation Wood Products You’ll Use Every Day
Ikea is full of products that look like wood but are actually made of laminate or pressed wood—or wood particles glued together. You might find yourself replacing that laminate coffee or dining table within a year as the daily use will cause the laminate to peal away at the edges or become stained or scratched.
3.    Dinnerware
If you’d like your flatware to make a bit more of a statement, Ikea’s selection is lacking.
4.    Quality Cutlery
Any professional chef or avid home cook will tell you that a quality set of knives is essential. And unfortunately, quality requires investment. There’s no way the $10 set Ikea offers will provide the ease, precision, longevity, or efficiency that a professional knife set promises.
5.    Things with Complicated Assembly Instructions
Unless you’re a natural handyman, be wary of some of the items that require a huge amount of DIY assembly.  Purchasing a fully-formed bookshelf elsewhere for a bit more might be worth what you save in time and sanity.
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Ok lol so some of these things are like no brainers. You should know not to buy the plastic wood stuff anywhere espacially at Ikea. I'm not sayin this is a bad store its just the some things arent all the great of quality.  I love this store though because they have lots of cool crazy stuff there.  But is it me, or is almost everything there DIY with VERY complicated instructions... well i dont know it just seems like everything is. But other than that, its not a bad store. So what do yall think of the quality at Ikea?

link
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/what-not-to-buy-at-ikea-2482669/

"The memorial site, still under construction, was surrounded by spontaneous celebrations along Church and Liberty Streets in lower Manhattan. The War on Terror was never going to be won with a formal surrender followed by a signing ceremony. The death of bin Laden is as close to a VE-Day as our generation will ever know. We know now that justice delayed was not justice denied."

Finally.  Its been like 10 years now and he is finally in his grave, thank goodness.  Hopefully this will give america enough time to get a head start on getting rid of the rest of the terrorists while they are rattled without their leader and role model. But dude, I wish I could have been in New York to celebtate at ground zero.  That would be an amazing site ya know, seeing American pride and unity like this. What about ya'll?

link
http://news.yahoo.com/s/dailybeast/20110502/ts_dailybeast/13831_binladendead911firstrespondersreact

Most Valuable Degrees

1st: Bachelor's Degree in Business

Time to completion: 4 years
Starting income: $41,100
Mid-career income: $70,600

2nd: Associate's Degree in Medical Assisting

Time to completion: 18 months to 2 years
Average income: $29,450
Potential income: $39,970

3rd: Bachelor's Degree in Accounting

Time to completion: 4 years
Starting income: $46,500
Mid-career income: $77,500

4th: Associate's Degree in Paralegal Studies

Time to completion: 2 years
Average income: $50,080
Potential income: $75,700

5th: Bachelor's of Science in Nursing

Time to completion: 4 years
Starting income: $52,700
Mid-career income: $68,200

I dont know about yall but I'm going to collage and this is really interesting to me cause it just shows how much 2-4 years of your life can help you in the long run.  For those of you who dont plan on going to collage, I highly recomend at least going to one of the 2 years.

link

http://education.yahoo.net/articles/most_valuable_degrees.htm?kid=16K8L

Gagarin's secret last words

One of the last things Yuri Gagarin did before making his pioneering voyage into space 50 years ago was make sure he had enough sausage to last him on the trip back home to Moscow.

"There in the flap you have dinner, supper and breakfast," the father of the Soviet rocket programme told Gagarin by radio as the clock ticked down.

"Got it," Gagarin replied in comments originally posted on the lifenews.ru website.

"You've got sausage, candy and jam to go with the tea," Korolyov went on. "Sixty-three pieces -- you'll get fat! When you get back today, eat everything right away."

Gagarin joked back: "The main thing is that there is sausage -- to go with the moonshine."

Korolyov appeared to take the joke in stride.

"Damn. This thing is recording everything, the bastard," the scientist said in reference to the relay recorders.

Well I dont know about yall but I think this is pretty funny.  But its also kind of interesting thinking of how much we dont see when something happens, like all the behind the scenes stuff.  Oh and if I were going to the moon I'd bring 63 bags of baked lays.....mmmm :) and mentos....and pretzles......and can you take soda into space. Not sure that would turn out too well.  It would also be pretty cool to make a bracelet from moon rocks or somethin like that.  What would yall bring with you if you were going into space. Dont say soda cause I'm almost positive that would blow up.

link
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110411/sc_afp/russiaspace50yearsgagarinoffbeat

Ridiculous Executive Perks

$2 Million Birthday Party
When Dennis Kozlowski's second wife hit the magic age of 40 in 2001 -- only a few months after they wed -- the former Tyco chief went all out. He threw a weeklong Roman-themed party on the island of Sardinia -- replete with scantily clad models, chariots and an ice-sculpture vodka fountain made to look like Michelangelo's David. Tyco, now based in Switzerland, paid half of the $2 million tab.
Post-Mortem Non-Compete
According to the company's most recent proxy statement, Shaw will pay Bernhard -- or his heirs -- $15 million (plus interest) when he leaves for his promise not to compete -- even if he can't compete because he's dead.
Housekeeping
The most objectionable perk was having Tyson company employees clean Mr. Tyson's house and mow his lawn. According to a 2005 SEC settlement, Tyson Foods spent $203,675 having employees clean five different homes owned by Don Tyson, his family or friends. The company, headquartered in Springdale, Ark., also sprang for $84,000 in lawn-maintenance costs for the same five homes.
Flying School Bus
Edward Mueller's employment agreement gave his wife and daughter the right to use the company jet to commute to and from California, where his daughter was still in high school. The phone company expensed $281,182 that year for Mueller family joy rides on the jet and ended up buying his California home for a $1.8 million premium to its resale price, too.
Tax-Free California
Over the course of the next six years, the Los Angeles-based energy company shelled out $5.8 million to pay taxes for Irani. But the problem with paying taxes for someone is that even the tax payment is taxable. There's also tax on the tax on the tax, making this one of the most egregious corporate perks in America. Occidental, long a target of pay critics, responded to shareholder objections by paying Irani a lump sum of $95 million in 1997 to buy out his contract and rescind the company tax subsidy.
Flying Cash Cow
A $90-million Gulfstream V is a pretty good perk. It became even better in 2002, when the Cupertino, Cal., company started reimbursing Jobs whenever he used his plane on company business. In 2002, Apple paid $1.1 million in flight-cost reimbursements for his use for the past two years.
Super Security
To say that Oracle's Larry Ellison is security-conscious is a bit of an understatement. He installed a security system at his expansive northern California home, and Oracle, based in Redwood Shores, Cal., pays about $1.4 million annually to monitor it. (To put this in perspective, Qwest pays about $3,000 annually to protect Mueller.)
Box Seats 'Til Death
Perks that GE provided : fresh flowers and a wait-staff for his New York City apartment; floor-level seats for Knicks games; a sky box for Red Sox games; and VIP seating at the French Open. Experts say the resulting brouhaha is one of the reasons regulators revamped corporate-disclosure rules. Welch subsequently gave up the bulk of his perks.

Dude this is ridiculous.  I can’t even imagine how much money they spend on random stuff like this.  One of those guys bought his wife a solid gold......trashcan, for her bathroom.  What a waste of money and mostly it’s a waste of gold.  He also bought her a dog shaped umbrella stand.  That’s pretty weird if you ask me.  But don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind having a solid gold trash can in my bathroom, right next to my solid gold toilet.  And a dog shaped umbrella stand to lounge under at my private beach here in Colorado.
What do yall think of this?

link
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/112473/outrageous-executive-perks-kiplinger?mod=career-salary_negotiation

More Radioactive Water in Japan

"Workers discovered new pools of radioactive water leaking from Japan's crippled nuclear complex, officials said Monday, as emergency crews struggled to pump out hundreds of tons of contaminated water and bring the plant back under control."  There are five pools so far but two are new from leaking reactors and three were already known about.

Its crazy how much radiation is in Japan right now.  The numbers seem to just keep growing and growing.  Yet they tell everyone that they are safe when they really aren't.  I think they should evacuate more people because they arent safe there.  I know they are doing everything they can but all these people are going to have major health problems later on...espacially if they stay.  And I dont think most of us realize what kind of a sacrafice the workers at the power plant are making.  So I'm saying thankyou to them.

link
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110328/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake

Devistation in Japan

There are millions of people facing a fourth night without water, food or heating in near-freezing temperatures along the northeast coast of Japan that was devastated by Friday's disasters.  A third reactor at a nuclear power plant lost its cooling capacity and its fuel rods are fully exposed, raising fears of a meltdown.

The official death toll rose to nearly 1,900, but the discovery of the washed-up bodies and other reports of deaths suggest that the real number is much higher than thought before. "In Miyagi, the police chief has said 10,000 people are estimated to have died in his province alone."

"We have already begun cremations, but we can only handle 18 bodies a day. We are overwhelmed and are asking other cites to help us deal with bodies. We only have one crematorium in town," Katsuhiko Abe, an official in Soma, told The Associated Press.

These people need our prayers desperatly.  I know most of yall arent Christians or any other religion but if anything just keep them in your thoughts.  The amount of people who have died is just...wow.  To me, the girl in this picture shows the loss people are facing and the devistation going on in Japan.  And its scary to think about the nuclear radiation in the air there.  I mean, like what if it spreads everywhere and puts the entire world into crisis mode.

the link is

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake

Boy drops dead after making winning shot

"Tragedy struck Western Michigan on Thursday when Fennville (Mich.) High basketball star Wes Leonard hit a game-winning shot in a 57-55, overtime victory over Bridgman (Mich.) High, then collapsed on the court while celebrating the victory and was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly thereafter."  Leonard was celebrating with his teammates when he collapsed to the ground.  Paramedics tried giving him CPR at the court and in the ambulance but he died right before they reached the hospital.  "Thirty seconds earlier, he was laying in the winning bucket," Fennville coach Ryan Klingler told the Associated Press. "And then 10 seconds later … everything’s pulled out from under you, from out of nowhere."  Fennville is still going to continue their season as planed but without their most important player. 
"On Friday, Ottawa County medical examiner David Start's autopsy determined that Leonard died of cardiac arrest due to an enlarged heart. While Start said that athletics could have played a role in causing that heart attack, he also said it would be difficult to prove that was the case."

Thats kinda scary that something like that can happen and you dont know that there is something wrong until something like this happens but by then its too late.  It can happen to anyone and if it does, are you ready?  If you die tomarow do you know where your goin?  I do, but imagine if one of your best friends died suddenly, would you continue to play for the rest of the season? I think that they are doin the right thing by continuing their season.  What do yall think about that?

the link  is
http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/Prep-star-hits-game-winning-shot-for-perfect-sea?urn=highschool-329684

Who really owns the U.S of A?

Even though most of our country's $14 trillion debt is held by private banks in the U.S., the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Board estimate that, as of December, about $4.4 trillion of it is held by foreign governments that have purchased our treasury securities. 
1. Mainland China
Amount of U.S. debt: $891.6 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 20.4%
2. Japan
Amount of U.S. debt: $883.6 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 20.2%
3. United Kingdom
Amount of U.S. debt: $541.3 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 12.4%
4. Oil Exporters
Amount of U.S. debt: $218 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 5%
5. Brazil
Amount of U.S. debt: $180.8 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 4.1%
6. Caribbean Banking Centers
Amount of U.S. debt: $155.6 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 3.6%
7. Hong Kong
Amount of U.S. debt: $138.2 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 3.2%
8. Canada
Amount of U.S. debt: $134.6 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 3.1%
9. Taiwan
Amount of U.S. debt: $131.9 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 3.0%
10. Russia
Amount of U.S. debt: $106.2 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 2.4%

Well I think its kind of scary considering China is on that list 3 times: Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.  All together, we owe China 1161.7 billion, so thats over a trillion.  What if one of those nations on the list decide to collect the bebts we owe them? We wouldnt be able to pay up.  And if we cant pay in cash, what will they collect instead? Our territories maybe? What do yall think? Will we ever be able to pay off our debts?

This is the link
http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/112189/who-owns-the-us?mod=bb-debtmanagement

In the Year 2050

"A growing, more affluent population competing for ever scarcer resources could make for an 'unrecognizable' world by 2050, researchers warned at a major US science conference Sunday."  The Global population in 2008 was 6,697,798,604 and as of last year was 6,775,235,741.  In one year it went up about 80 million.  The Global Population is expected to reach 7 billion this year, which is about a 230 million rise from last year.  At the rate our planet's population is growing, the United Nations expect the Global Population to reach 9 billion by the year 2050.  To feed everyone, "we will need to produce as much food in the next 40 years as we have in the last 8,000," said Jason Clay.  Population experts are calling for more funding for the family planning programs which helps control the the population.

I think its a good idea to control the population because we are exceeding what the Earth can handle.  Like when your in an elevator and too many people are in there and the elevator wont go up because you've exceeded the weight limit.  Well our recources are going to run out sooner or later if we keep useing them up like this and the Earth just wont produce enough food because it cant for 9 billion people.  What do ya'll think about controlling the population to fix this future problem?

The link is
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110220/ts_afp/scienceuspopulationfood

Valentines Day- a day of Death or Love?

A lot of people dont really know where Valentines Day originated from...Saint Valentine.  Its questionable whether he even existed or not.  "Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who, with St. Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II." Valentine was beaten and then executed after authorities were unable to force him to renounce his faith. His death occurred on February 14.  So how did Valentines Day start off as the day of Saint Valentines cruel death to hearts and chocolate?  Well, according to a blog specializing in saints, "some believe the Romans had a mid-February custom where boys drew the names of girls in honor of the sex and fertility goddess, Februata Juno."

Valentines Day as we know it is like a mix of the two holidays.  Taking Valentine's date and name with the love theme from the Roman custom to honor Februata Juno.  So we're like celebrating a day of crualty and death with love and chocolate.  Whats with that?  And am I the only one that noticed that the sex and fertility goddess's name is Juno? But its kind of ironic that Valentines Day is the worste day of the year for some (like myself) and the most amazing for others.  So coming from two different holidayse merged into one, it makes since on how you hate it or love it consitering that one was for love and the other for hate.  What do ya'll think about it? Do you like Valentines Day or not?

This is the link of article

http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/94286

#12 is 3x #4

Aparently there is this famous "farve barn" in Wisconsin thats a tribute to Brett Farve on Highway 10/45 in Winnebago County.  Even when Brett Farve signed with the New York Jets, Patti Schroeder who is the owner of the barn kept the message up but split the heart.  Only recently did she change it to honor Brett Farve's replacement, Aaron Rodgers for leading the Packers to the Super Bowl.  It used to say "4 ever in our ♥" but now it says "#12 is 3x #4". Schroeder says it's clearly "Mr. Rodgers' neighborhood" now.

I think its about time Patti Schroeder changed the message on her barn cause Brett switched teams.  I dont know about yall but I'm a Packers fan not a Brett Farve fan although I did love him while he was with the Green Bay Packers.  Oh, and just for the record...Packers totally kicked @$$ in the Super Bowl!! Anyways, the message has been updated and I think thats awsome. What do yall think about her finally changing the message on her barn?

This is the link for the article
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Famed-Favre-barn-becomes-Mr-Rodgers-neighbo?urn=nfl-319007