Life is so relentless... every now and then a person needs a treat... what better gift to oneself than a dollar smoothie ( or "SMOOTIE" is it?) from the Central Ave. Mickey D's?


The Central Ave. restaurant is more 3rd world than 3rd world McDonald's I've visited along the years... a cool stop on a hot day, totally charming, a cacaphony of voices speaking in many different languages permeates the french-fried atmosphere... the workers are friendly and polite...


This was my first time tasting this Mango/pineapple concoction: it was delightful. (I'm still working on my idea for a high-fiber lo-cal milkshake) Really hit the spot! (But I still prefer the Southeast Asian McD Mango Pies w/Fried Chicken!)


Thank-you, McD's! ♥♥♥

#Lunch was awesome!

Take advantage of the "Extra" savings items: WATCH OUT when buying anything else!

A week ago today I mentioned the vast difference in prices on grocery items when comparing Price Chopper vs. Hannaford [read that here] ...now, with Shop-Rite breathing down it's neck, Price Chopper is loading up those "loss leader" items.

The other day my neighbor got out of his SUV with some Price Chopper bags and proclaimed (as we exchanged 'hello's'') "Look at this! I got two GIANT bottles of Hawaiian Punch for just $2.19!" I replied "up - I got the same at Hannaford for $1.49 each." He looked back at me incredulously.

Here's how it works, people: For most of june and early July, Price Chopper was selling HP for $2 a bottle. It was $1.99 at Hannaford and Sav-A-Lot.

Price Chopper has a new "Double Coupon" deal where they double any manufacturer's coupon up to a dollar. It seems that when a manufacturer's coupon comes out in one of the weekly fliers, they "adjust" the price.

Hawaiian Punch (when the mfg 50cents off coupon began circulating) went up to $3.19 at PC but stayed the same $1.99 at HFD and SAL.

So, when you buy the product and present the coupon, you're still paying more for the item! What I did was take my 50cents off coupon to Hannaford, and bought the item for $1.49.

MORAL ::: when couponing, watch your prices carefully. You may have similar differences between supermarkets in your onw area. DO NOT BASE YOUR SHOPPING LIST ON YOUR LAST TRIP TO THE STORE (especially if a new 50c or less coupon is out!) And be especially vigilant at the Price Chopper checkout. On more than one occasion the electronic scanner has rung up a price more expensive than the marked price. DO NOT BUY ANY ITEM THAT DOES NOT HAVE THE PRICE ON IT. If you do, you have "no proof" at the register.

Attention Shoppers

Pups are on the menu in Baguio City!

THIS shocking menu is where half million dogs a year end up after being snatched off the streets and illegally killed in the Philippines.

British-based non-profit organization Network For Animals is trying to put a stop to dogmeat as a human food source: “Particularly popular is pulutan, a dog meat bar snack. Another very popular dish is deep fried dog paws, known as ‘spare parts’...It was bizarre and surreal to see what we regard as man’s best friend and a pet regarded as legitimate food.”

In last week’s Sunday Express phone poll more than 3,000 ­people demanded an end to the cruel practice.

Network For Animals’ online petition can be signed at ­networkforanimals.org

NFA is also asking people to contact the Philippines Embassy. You can write the embassy at 6-8 Suffolk Street, London SW1Y 4HG; call: 020 7451 1800 or email embassy@philemb.co.uk

Tags: eating dogmeat, animal cruelty



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Anyone For Bowser?

CELEBRITIES ::: Last night, police were called to the Palomar Hotel in Dallas, Texas by an employee per Nicki Minaj’s request following a scuffle at the hotel’s pool. Grapevine sez Nicki got into a verbal tiff with an unidentified male she was staying with. The row moved to her hotel room where NM told police the man smacked her in the lower lip. When police arrived the unknown man had already left the premises and Nicki asked to not file charges on the attacker whom she stated was not in a relationship with.

via TMZ

Pablo Andrés Rivero shares [es] a slideshow by photographer Patricio Cooker with music by rapper Ukamau y Ke: “The pictures reflect everyday life in El Alto, one of the most sui generis cities in Latin America, because of its rapid growth and its peculiar social, economic, and political dynamics.”

BLOG COMMENTING ::: “1 New Comment.” That line is one of the most exciting things a blogger can read and can make his day. It shows that someone out there is actually reading his blog, and taking some time off to comment on his article. It is like a gold star on the workbook of a preschooler, applause after a recital or a medal after a competition. For those who spend their time isolated in their homes and chugging away in front of the computer, this is their way of socializing and meeting new people. After all, that is what blog comments are about – it’s an online conversation... supposedly... Nikki Romero explains...

FOOD ::: The refreshing and delicious watermelon salad recipe.

China Media Project highlightsanother food scandal. A tofu workshop in Lanzhou added chemicals and shampoo into Tofu to create a sticky texture.

•Oiwan Lam

Xiaxue as a Live Mannequin for Essential

Tags: XiaXue, blogging



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NetActive 13 July 2011

#Wordless Wednesday ::: UFO

Passing by "Page One" of the weekend Times union (I know it's Tuesday... I'm playing 'catch-up'!) for some truly remarkable headlines that feature stories that REALLY impact our culture!

HACKERS FIND NEW TARGET IN ANDROID no doubt will concern those using the 'droid smartphone. It boils down to the subheadline "Open design of Google's operating system makes smartphones vulnerable." MAJOR WARNING BELLS HERE! Last thing anybody wants these days is to have their personal telephone compromised or screwed up by a virus. This could become for Google what viruses have meant to Windows users. My advice: get a smartphone with any other OS until you can be 100% damn sure your phone can't get infected!

THIS ELECTRICITY HOG LIVES IN A LITTLE BOX Makes me happy because I abhor cable TV, with the crappy picture and sporadic service that can simultaneously disable your TV, internet and home phone in one single line failure! Turns out that your cable box drains more power tha your refrigerator - 446 kilowatt hours a year - that's 12% more than the ref here at the apartment in NYC!

Particularly of interest to Capital Region peeps:

This isn't really a "headline" - just a half-page ad in the Sunday paper: "Hey Capital District Chopper Shoppers, Celebrate a NEW way to save! We now DOUBLE manufacturer's coupons with a face value of up to 99 cents... EVERY DAY"

My advice: gather up your coupons and shop at PC on a "coupon only" basis. (Make sure you wouldn't save more by using the coupon UNdoubled someplace else!) Most of their stuff is priced way over Hannaford and Walmart. Hannaford totally wins when it comes to meat. A steak at PC runs you around $7 - the same cut at Hfd I just paid $2.41!

Here's a genuine headline:

JENNINGS: FIRST IN LINE TO WED GAYS If you really want hold politcial office, you have to be "one with the people." Check out Jerry Jenning's career as Mayor of the city of Albany. Time after time, facts prove he has "the pulse of the people" beating through his brain!

Last but not least, the following tale actually made Page One of the "Capital Region" section of Sunday's times Union: "Visa denials keep son from dad in U.S." ::: As much as the newspaper might like to make this a human interest story, perhaps Carlos Galvan would have been much better off taking the Jose Antonio Vargas route!




Tags: Virus Google Android, Hannaford, time-warner cable, smartphone virus, DVR, Hack Android



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Weekend Headlines You May Have Missed

Here's what's happening now around the blogosphere and on the net!

nancycasanova Nancy Casanova

Oh no! @TheAtlanticWire: The "anatomically correct" Anthony Weiner doll and other newsmakers-turned-action figureshttp://theatln.tc/mgQYKm

#WeinerGate UPDATE
# Wife Huma Abedin returns to Washington home
# New pictures show Weiner cross dressing and 'oiled up'
# Weiner 'waiting for wife' to decide on his fate say colleagues
# Congressman believed to have flown out of New York to rehab facility
# Pelosi says 'he must go'
# Obama tells NBC's Ann Curry 'If it was me, I would resign'
# Weiner granted two weeks leave by House

#AminaArraf UPDATE
THE GUARDIAN (UK) STRUGGLES TO FIGURE OUT The weird world of the lesbian hoaxers, posing the question "Why did a heterosexual, married man pose as a lesbian online on the blog A Gay Girl in Damascus?" Guardian writer Kira Cochrane concludes "it's more about power than sexual kicks." I think it's all about power too, but a different kind of power, specifically, numbers, as in "traffic" and the feeling that one's writing (blog) is influencing major mainstream media outlets. In retrospect, there should have been all kinds of red flags.

Perhaps the biggest reason "GGinD" became a hit with Western media is that the blog was so easy to access. There are probably pro-human-rights people blogging from Arab countries, but, other than going through Global Voices (and even Global Voices got punk'd) it might not be such an easy story to hunt them down in Arabic. (Or even French. I've come across many "exclusives" for this humble weblog that were gleaned from French blogs and websites).

NPR seems to like tumblr... me too!

http://www.myweku.com/2011/06/10-of-africas-best-food-blogs-2/

MyWeku makes its inaugural annual picks of the African food blogs we can’t live without. This list comprises 10 of our favourites. Most of these African food blogs are slick with their own Flickr photo portals, Face Book fan pages and twitter following.

Those of you living in gastronomic agony need not suffer any longer. If the combination of writing, photography and the sheer abundance of recipes in these blogs fail to awaken you from your slumber, then I’m afraid nothing will!

List curated by Ada Iwugo: Fashion and Lifestyle Editor - Follow me @mywekulifestyle

NetActive 15 June 2011

#WordlessWednesday

Genette Cordova, cover girl!

Say it with CERTITUDE! #WeinerGate followers, this post is dedicated to you!

In one of my earlier #WeinerGate posts, I mentioned that Michelle Malkin had, curiously, not weighed in on the issue. WELL! MM tackles Weiner with dazzling precision! Snippet time:

"In a little-noticed red flag during his softball interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, Weiner himself indicated that he may have stored such photos “in another account.”

There is no end to this... not yet, anyway!



Here are some other articles for you to consider & comment on:::

Do you have a Google account? Are you using the new +1 feature?

News Corpse (Blog) » The Internet's Chronicle of Media Decay

The SeXiest accent in China? Jenny Zhu reports.

Teen girls are solidly supporting Rihanna, who has been under a firestorm of controversy since her “Man Down” video was released Tuesday. In the video, RiRi is portrayed shooting a man, who we later find out sexually assaulted her in the storyline. Groups such as the Parents Television Council are fighting to have the video banned from major networks. Rihanna:
Thank you for the amazing response on ManDownVideo I love you guys, and I love that u GOT IT!!!
1 Jun

And what about that e-coli outbreak in Europe? Would having your own garden be a better alternative?







Tags: Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin, Politics & Social Media



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#WeinerGate #certitude