The Best Microfiber Wiping Towels I've Ever Used For My Car

Microfiber Wiping Towels

It doesn't matter if you just bought a shiny new 2013 Jaguar or you own a 85' Mustang, who doesn't want a nice clean car? No matter how old or what type of car it is, we all want one that looks shiny and new. I prefer to wash my own car rather than take it to a car wash for multiple reasons. I don't want to risk it getting damaged, it's expensive and I take great pride in my car after I'm done working on it. I decided to look for something that could clean it easily, quickly with the best possible results and the least amount of work. I started to search for the the best microfiber car wash towels available. I realized that microfiber car wash towels are ideal for all types of cleaning not just cars but are phenomenal for my vehicle. They are great for drying, leaving no water spots or streaks and are awesome at cleaning off hard to remove dirt. I've come to learn there are multiple reasons why they are great to have around.

The best microfiber car wash towels are practically lint free. They are super absorbent and attract, trap and lift dust away with its electrically static charged fibers and the amazing wiping action microfiber has. These microfiber terry cloth towels have a knitted finish and its nap/pile is medium. They are made out of 70 percent polyester and 30 percent polyamide which I've come to find it is blended that way so they hold large amounts of water but dry super fast also. These car wash towels come in various sizes but the best for drying my car is 16"x27" inches. While I use the larger one to dry the exterior of my car, I also have come to find that using the other specialized ones deliver exceptional results. I used the microfiber glass cloth specifically for cleaning my windows, the microfiber dusting cloth just for the interior of my car and the microfiber suede cloth for polishing my chrome and for one final wipe after I wax. The results are simply amazing, as good as any professional detail job that would have cost me at least a hundred bucks. I also buy them in different colors to know which use each towel was for.

One of the cool things about using the best microfiber car wash towels there are is that they can be washed and reused more than 300 times over. They don't scratch the exterior or interior of the car. I can use less water and car wash cleaning solution than I have to with ordinary towels when cleaning the car, so I'm saving money that way as well. They make removing stubborn, hard to remove dirt, bird do, dead bugs, and dirty water stains easier with less solution. I am so delighted I discovered how easy using the best microfiber car wash towels can make keeping my car looking in great shape. It's a "no brainer" for me. I prefer using my own microfiber car wash towels rather than wasting money time and time again for a car wash. I'm able to keep my car in like new condition within a short amount of time instead of paying a ridiculous amount of money for someone to do it for me.

Rebuttal to Reading Eagle: Canal Street Farm Site Statement

Rebuttal to Reading Eagle Reportings: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=399975  

Canal Street Farm Site Statement

July 19, 2012

Today we lost our Canal Street farm site. It has been ten months since we broke ground last October with an outpouring of community support for our project. As part of our Reading Roots Urban Farm, the Canal St. site was a major—some said impossible—undertaking. The trials and tribulations of urban farming efforts are well-known, but we began inspired by the story of Will Allen and Growing Power as a compelling catalyst for lasting community change.

  

The issues that led up to the revocation of our five-year lease agreement revolved around complaints about the appearance of the site and the methods we were using to begin cultivation. The cardboard and weeds were cited as unsightly, “destroy[ing] the open space” and otherwise degrading the vacant property that had remained an empty expanse of lawn in the 40 years following the 1972 flood.

 

While the effort this Spring suffered a number of setbacks in getting started, including funding limitations, regular vandalism, storage and supply logistics, and heatwave after heatwave, progress was being made. The cardboard was spread across the ground to smother the grass and prepare the garden beds, a common practice called sheet mulching. The several types of “weeds” that were allowed to proliferate, primarily chicory, provided cover for valuable edible plants and bushes from theft, attracted more beneficial insects than ever experienced on the site, and improved the soil by accumulating nutrient concentrations and breaking through the compaction. Much of the overall work was actually done manually, with traditional tools.

 

These methods are central to the discipline of permaculture, whose ethics and principles form the basis of our organization’s mission and values. We knew that such unconventional practices might stir up discontent by passers-by, but underestimated the amount of engagement that would be needed to foster understanding and interest in the neighborhood. For all future projects, especially in urban environments, we’ve learned essential lessons on the social dimension of design.

 

In the weeks leading up to the end of the lease, major developments were in motion to begin the farm operation. A secure shipping container provided all the storage needs for equipment and supplies, and water access and irrigation were being installed. Several large volunteer days were scheduled, including for this weekend, giving our many supporters an opportunity to finally begin digging in. We are forever grateful for our army of volunteers for all the help they’ve already contributed to the site, and will be quickly shifting people to our many other opportunities to get involved.

 

It is important to note that one of the biggest considerations in ending our efforts, even with the steady buildup of momentum, was the ever-present threat of ultimately losing the land to development. Our lease for the land, like most urban farming projects, required us to vacate the property if a developer committed to purchasing the property, which put our investments of time and money in jeopardy even if the land was maintained to neighborhood standards.

 

With our limited resources and an interest in creating more “permanent agriculture” projects, the most responsible thing to do is seek out a more certain situation for our garden sites. We hope that someday soon the Canal Street site will be developed and further improve the South of Penn community, and thank the Redevelopment Authority for the opportunity to explore large-scale site development.

 

So where do we go from here? The Reading Roots Urban Farm is alive and well, including the greenhouse in City Park, our many market plots in the Berks County Conservancy’s community gardens, and our weekly stand at the Penn Street Farmers' Market. We’re still in need of additional space for our perennial nursery and research gardens, and will be reaching out to our partners to explore new opportunities. In the meantime, we plan to discuss the situation with our volunteers and begin cleaning up and moving out of the site.

Since breaking ground last Fall, we’ve experienced a freak snow storm several weeks later, the warmest winter in history, record heat waves, storms, and wildfires, and economically-crippling drought conditions.

 

Permaculture is about creating a future in which we can grow food, build homes, manage water, capture energy, and eliminate waste by working with nature, not against it.

 

With so many of us living in concentrated urban centers, adopting these practices will be critical to building resilient and regenerative human habitats in the face of an increasingly uncertain future. Permacultivate will continue to lead in this effort in the City of Reading and surrounding Berks County and Schuylkill River watershed. We hope you will continue to support us in this critical effort.

 

 

–The Permacultivate Team

Is Technology Terrifying?

Does the New Flying Car Scare You As Much As It Scares Me?

Technology has always been something that terrified me.

Not in the way that you’re thinking. I’m not afraid to use tech. If anything, I’m the first to embrace the newest thing and to marvel at it’s implications. The world is changing faster than is ever has before in human history, and it has been a lot of fun to be present for. I often think about how incredible it must be for the oldest among us who saw the world change from a time when a horse and buggy were the primary forms of transportation to the world as it is today, where transference of information between anywhere in the world is almost instantaneous. I envy how incredible that journey must have been for them, but I’m equally as excited about my own journey and optimistic that I will see something just as incredible, if not more so. I just hope that I live to be old enough to see what the future holds.

Today I saw the video for a new flying car that could potentially be on the market in the next few years, and I am petrified by the thought. See, technology scares me because it changes everything. The internet and the personal computer have completely changed the way the world communicates, and we will never be able to go back to the way it was before. Could a flying car do the same thing for the way we travel? In a few years could we be driving to a sky-way exit instead of a free way exit? Could getting across the country take only a few hours instead of a few days?

The idea of a vehicle we can back out of our drive way, drive to a run way and then take off and fly it where we want is, for me at least, a simultaneously exciting and scary thing. I think about the exciting possibilities of people being able to travel great distances in much shorter spans of time. I think about families who live in different parts of the country and will be able to see each other more often, about business people who will spend less time traveling, about the tourism that could be generated by making a cheap, easy way to travel great distances. All of these things are incredible advances, and surely everyone will benefit from them. What am I afraid of? But then I think about what could disappear from our lives. What will happen to the airline industry? Where will those jobs go? Stewardesses, pilots, airport security personnel, I’m sure the jobs won’t disappear entirely, but I imagine if this flying car thing becomes a consumer level product there certainly wont be as many of them. I even think about the cultural affects.

The thrill of air travel will leave us. What will happen to all of the classic airline food jokes we all love to hate? All of these changes scare me, because I think that the hardest thing to remember about life is that if you stand still you fall behind. I do not want to fall behind, but I’m afraid that I wont be able to keep up.

What do you think? Am I being paranoid? Are flying cars going to be awesome, or are they going to change things for the worse?

 

How to Choose an Emergency Alert System

More than 33 percent of accidents and falls involving people 65 years old and over occur at home, according to the CDC. A caregiver's worries never end, particularly when the elderly parent wants to remain living in their own home – which most seniors would prefer to do for as long as possible. But what if an elderly mother falls, or dad has heart attack, stroke or any medical emergency? What if they are home alone? What if they can't get to a telephone to dial for help?

There are many devices available that will instantly summon help in the event of an emergency. Sometimes called Personal Emergency Response System, Medical Alert, or Medical Emergency Response Systems, all systems work in essentially the same way: When emergency help (medical, fire, or police) is needed, the senior presses the transmitter's button. The elderly person wears the transmitter around their neck, on their wrist, belt buckle or wheelchair. In case of emergency, the senior calls for help by simply pressing the alert button, without needing to reach the telephone.

"A medical alert system provides peace of mind for the caregiver and the elderly parent," says Ken Gross, President of Medical Alert, by Connect America, a leader in the medical alarm industry since 1977. "The senior simply presses a button and help is one the way. The transmitter sends a signal to the speaker box that is connected to the phone. The console has a two-way speaker, so the operator can hear the senior, and the senior can hear the operator. A medical alarm system provides round-the-clock monitoring 24/7."

Emergency Response Systems have three components: a small radio transmitter (a help button carried or worn by the user); a console, or base station, connected to the user's telephone; and an emergency response center that monitors calls. The console automatically dials the Central Monitoring Station. Most systems can dial out even if the phone is in use or off the hook. (This is called "seizing the line.")
In addition to dialing the emergency response center, once notified, the operator will also contact family, friends and neighbors. With so many systems on the market, what should a caregiver look for when purchasing?

To help you shop for an emergency response system, consider the following suggestions, provided by Gross, whose company, Medical Alert was recommended as the best medical alert system by Good Housekeeping magazine in an article titled "Home Alone" (Nov 2005).

Price – Medical alert companies charge a monthly fee for monitoring services. Compare pricing, features and servicing of each system. Also, ask if the price will increase. Some companies raise the monitoring fee every year.

"Our fee is $29.95 per month, for as long as the senior has the system. The price never goes up, so the senior and caregiver, many of whom are on tight budgets, don't have to worry about the cost going up unexpectedly."

Hidden Costs – There should be no up-front costs. Seniors should not have to pay for the transmitter or monitoring console. The systems should be included as part of the monthly fee.

Contracts – Don't sign a long-term contract. Caregivers and their aging parents should be able to cancel at any time. Read the agreement carefully before signing.

Experience – How long has the company been in business? Portability – Can the system be used when the elder is away from home – i.e., is it portable? Some companies offer a small base unit that is the size of an answering machine. "The senior can take the system with them when they travel, and it will work in all 50 states. It's great for snowbirds," Gross says.

Ease of Use –Try out the system and make sure it is easy to use. Is the emergency button large and easy for the senior to see and press? Are there any complicated instructions, buttons on the console or other features that might be troublesome for the elder to operate?

---

Here are more things to look for when buying an emergency response system:

Waterproof – "Most accidents happen in the bathroom," Ken Gross points out. Make sure the emergency button can be worn in the bath or shower.

Trained Operators – Find out what kind of training the monitoring center staff receives. It's all about the service. In the case of an emergency, when every second counts, you will want qualified care specialists to assist you and your parent.

Hours – Make sure the monitoring center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for both emergency monitoring and customer service. What happens if you are having difficulty using the system? Or perhaps you have questions about your service? Make sure to ask if the medical alert company has a 24/7-customer support line available in addition to monitoring service.

Testing – Your emergency response company should test the system on a regular basis to make sure it is functioning properly. Ask what procedures the center uses to test systems in your home. And how often are tests conducted? "Medical Alert receives a silent signal from the home on a weekly basis, to ensure that the customer's medical alert system is connected and functioning," Mr. Gross explains.

Repairs – Make sure your system includes repair and replacement service.

Obtaining the right medical alert system is crucial for your security and peace of mind.

Use these tips to help you make the right decision when choosing the best medical alert provider for you and your aging parents.

4 Healthy Practices That Aren’t Very Healthy

 4 Unhealthy Daily Behaviors

1) Diet Soda 

 

So you’re thirsty, but you’re not much of a water drinker. Man, a Coke would be really good right now wouldn’t it? It would really hit the spot. But Coke has all of that sugar right? And that’s going to send your diet right down the toilet. But what about a Diet Coke? That will be better right?

Oops… 

 

Turns out that artificial sweeteners can actually have negative affects in terms of weight loss. The taste of the sweetener actually make our bodies think we’re getting a dose of sugar, when we are in fact not, and this will in turn put our hunger and weight regulation out of sync. In a recent study rats that were fed artificial sweeteners actually gained weight rather than lost it. In another 7 year study, researchers showed that diet soda may even have a link to obesity, though they are unsure why.

I suggest steering clear of the Diet Coke next time you’re thirsty. How about some Vitamin Water?

2) Vitamin Water

What? Come on! It’s called Vitamin Water? How could it possibly be bad for you? It’s packaged in those nice neat clear bottles and it comes in clear colors so they can’t be filled with that much sugar? It has to be better than a Soda?

Oops…

Well okay, Vitamin Water does have less sugar than you average can of soda, but it’s still got about 32 grams of sugar in each bottle. To put that in perspective, that’s more than your average candy bar.

“Hey, wait a minute”, you’re saying. “I’m looking at the nutrition facts of a vitamin water right now and it says there are only 13 grams of sugar! Liar!” Look at the service size chief, 2.5 servings per container. Are you trying to tell me you were only going to drink about half of that bottle and save the rest for dinner? I didn’t think so.

3) Fast Food Salads

Okay, so you’re about to go to lunch, and you’ve only got about half an hour before your boss would take your head off for taking a long lunch, so fast food is really the only option, right? It’s okay, you’ll get one of the salads, then you’ll still be on your diet.

Oops…

You’d actually be better off eating the cheesburger. The Asian sesame salad from Wendy’s actually has more calories, carbs, sugar and sodium than a double cheeseburger. I mean, you were probably aware that if you were walking into a Wendy’s ordering a salad you weren’t getting the most healthy salad in the world, but I’m sure you at least thought you’d be getting something better than their cheeseburger. Sorry, but if you’re on a diet you’re probably better off steering clear of fast food all together, delicious as it may be.

4) Low-Carb Diets

Okay, you’re thinking, I’ll just really stick to my guns and get on a serious diet that actually works. What about that atkins diet? I’ll cut out all of my carbs and I’ll lose a couple pounds and I will be good to go, right?

Oops…

See, the problem with low-carb diets is that essentially what you’re doing is tricking your body into thinking it’s starving so that it burns off your excess fat and muscle for the glucose it needs. That leads to a number of negative affects. The first of which being most of the weight you lose is going to be water weight and therefore will be gained back just as quickly once you’re off the diet. The other problem is that this process, called ketosis, can cause your kidney’s to overwork, give you headaches, and even cause heart palpitations.

Sorry to break it to you, but there is just no short cut for living a healthy lifestyle. If you want to grow old someday you’re just going to have to get out and stay active. If you’re already older and want to improve your quality of life I recommend the  medical alarms for seniors with mobile options that allow you to get out of the house and remain protected with their personal emergency alarms.

 

Here’s a Thought… Let's Try to Always Protect & Our Elders

Think of an older person in your life that you respect or has influenced you as a person. It could be a grandparent, an elderly neighbor, a mentor from your childhood that has grown old, anybody.

Now, when you conjure up that image, what do you think of that person? If you’re anything like me, you feel a sense of gratitude. You know that you owe them for everything that they’ve given you, whether it’s something small like a piece of sage-like advice or something huge like financial help in a time of crisis. The simple reality is that humanity has only advanced by building on top of what the previous generation has provided. All of the knowledge, skills and tools we have to succeed we only have because the people who came before us passed that knowledge, skill or tool onto us. It’s why we say, “Respect your elders.” We owe our elders everything.

That’s why, if you’re like me, reading this article will make you pretty angry.

What the article essentially highlights is the fact that as many as one in ten people over the age of 60 suffer from some sort of abuse. This abuse could be anything from neglect, mistreatment, or exploitation of a physical, psychological or sexual nature. That’s as many as 4 million seniors being abused across the country. How could we let this happen?

It’s not just our responsibility to respect our elders, but also to protect our elders. They certainly deserve better than to be physically abused or taken advantage of. It makes me sick that this stuff is going on and so little is being done about it.

Back in 2010 we did pass the Elder Justice Act, but with statistics like that it seems that 2 years later the policy has done little to change a situation that is only going to get worse if unchecked.

Census projection data shows us that by 2020 there will be an estimated 74 million people living in the US over 60 years old. That’s nearly twice as many as in 2010. With the baby boomers reaching retirement age there is going to be a lot of pressure on the younger generations to step up and take care of the growing older generation. With so many more elderly to take care of it is going to be more likely that their care is entrusted to someone who is going to abuse them. We need to take steps to ensure that that does not happen.

I honestly believe that the best way to make sure that our elders stay protected is to give them the power to get help quickly and efficiently. The best way to do this is to arm our seniors with Medical Alerts. There is no better way to make sure that someone can get help when they need it then to put an device in their hands that means one button gets them the help they need.

Just look at this news story of a woman who’s medical alert button saved her from an attack by her daughter. Seeing is believing.

Why Aren’t the Son’s of the Baby Boomers Leaving the Nest?

Trend Watch: Gen X Not Leaving the Nest 

By. Christopher Dreno

I read an article in Philly Mag the other day that says that Young Men, ages 18-34, just aren’t behaving like adults in the way that society says they should. The Author, Sandy Hingston, cites numerous statistics that all show how young men are staying home, not getting jobs and definitely not getting married, or at least not doing those things before age 30. The big statistic that she quoted that hit home with me was this:

“Sociologists cite five “markers” or “milestones” that have traditionally defined our notion of adulthood: finishing school, moving away from the parental home, becoming financially independent, getting married, and having a child. In 1960, 65 percent of men had ticked off all five by age 30; by 2000, only a third had.”

Now, I am a 24, I’ve lived away from my parent’s house since I was 19, I’ve graduated from college, I have a job, I pay my own bills, I even have a girlfriend who I’ve been dating for 4 years, and I’ve got 6 whole years before I’m 30 to get married and start having kids. With all that, it would be pretty easy for me to dismiss this whole article as the grumbling of an older generation against the younger one. I want to say: “I’m doing just fine, mom and dad, even if I didn’t walk to school uphill both ways in the snow.”

But, even with all that I have to admit that she has a point. Things are changing quite a bit in young men my age, and I’m not entirely convinced that it is for the better.

Before I go any further, I want to point out that this article is extraordinarily biased and does not take many factors into consideration in a lot of it’s points, but I don’t really want to delve too deeply into that rabbit hole. I still recommend reading it; just remember to take some of the points with a grain of salt.

The thing that made me take the article seriously wasn’t all of the statics on how young people are living with their parents longer. There are plenty of explanations for that. More and more people are staying in college longer, getting masters degrees. The economy is really tough right now and families often have to band together to make it through. I’m sure some of us are even living at home for medical reasons, taking care of our parents because we’re afraid to leave them home alone (if you’re one of these people I recommend getting your parents a Medical Alert they make the best medical alarms for seniors). All of those are totally understandable reasons for living with your parents in your 30’s. The thing that got me was that in the interviews the author conducted with people my age there was an all too familiar theme of apathy ringing in their words. It wasn’t just that they had to move home for financial reasons; it was that they didn’t care.

It’s one thing to have a hard time finding a job after college, or to fall on some hard times and have to move back home, it’s another thing to settle into the comfort of home with seemingly no desire to leave. The scary thing to me was that the apathy I saw in Hingston’s interviews wasn’t very different from the apathy I’ve seen in a lot of young men I have met.

So what do you think? Is the younger generation really just lazy? Or am I just turning into the kind of guy that tells kids to get off his lawn a little early?

 

Here’s a Thought… Protect & Respect Your Elders

By. Christopher Dreno

I read an article in Philly Mag the other day that says that Young Men, ages 18-34, just aren’t behaving like adults in the way that society says they should. The Author, Sandy Hingston, cites numerous statistics that all show how young men are staying home, not getting jobs and definitely not getting married, or at least not doing those things before age 30. The big statistic that she quoted that hit home with me was this:
 
“Sociologists cite five “markers” or “milestones” that have traditionally defined our notion of adulthood: finishing school, moving away from the parental home, becoming financially independent, getting married, and having a child. In 1960, 65 percent of men had ticked off all five by age 30; by 2000, only a third had.”
 
Now, I am a 24, I’ve lived away from my parent’s house since I was 19, I’ve graduated from college, I have a job, I pay my own bills, I even have a girlfriend who I’ve been dating for 4 years, and I’ve got 6 whole years before I’m 30 to get married and start having kids. With all that, it would be pretty easy for me to dismiss this whole article as the grumbling of an older generation against the younger one. I want to say: “I’m doing just fine, mom and dad, even if I didn’t walk to school uphill both ways in the snow.”
 
But, even with all that I have to admit that she has a point. Things are changing quite a bit in young men my age, and I’m not entirely convinced that it is for the better.
 
Before I go any further, I want to point out that this article is extraordinarily biased and does not take many factors into consideration in a lot of it’s points, but I don’t really want to delve too deeply into that rabbit hole. I still recommend reading it; just remember to take some of the points with a grain of salt.
 
The thing that made me take the article seriously wasn’t all of the statics on how young people are living with their parents longer. There are plenty of explanations for that. More and more people are staying in college longer, getting masters degrees. The economy is really tough right now and families often have to band together to make it through. I’m sure some of us are even living at home for medical reasons, taking care of our parents because we’re afraid to leave them home alone (if you’re one of these people I recommend getting your parents a Medical Alert they make the best medical alarms for seniors). All of those are totally understandable reasons for living with your parents in your 30’s. The thing that got me was that in the interviews the author conducted with people my age there was an all too familiar theme of apathy ringing in their words. It wasn’t just that they had to move home for financial reasons; it was that they didn’t care.
 
It’s one thing to have a hard time finding a job after college, or to fall on some hard times and have to move back home, it’s another thing to settle into the comfort of home with seemingly no desire to leave. The scary thing to me was that the apathy I saw in Hingston’s interviews wasn’t very different from the apathy I’ve seen in a lot of young men I have met.
 
So what do you think? Is the younger generation really just lazy? Or am I just turning into the kind of guy that tells kids to get off his lawn a little early?

Cure for Cancer Goes Unnoticed

So I read this article today, and I thought it was some pretty exciting news. That is, until I realized that it was published in 2007…

It turns out that at the University of Alberta researchers discovered a new way to fight cancer, a way that, until recently, scientists and doctors had never considered. Inside of every cell there is a useful little organelle called the mitochondria. You probably know it from your high school biology classes as the energy producing part of the cell, but the mitochondria has a second, very important function: self-destruct. In cancer cells, the mitochondrion’s self destruct function is switched off. This is why cancer tumors continue to grow and spread, the cancer cells never die. Since the 1930’s scientists have believed that the mitochondria in cancer cells were permanently damaged and that was a result of, or even the cause of the cancer. In Alberta they figured out a way to reactivate the mitochondria in cancer cells, allowing them to self-destruct and causing cancer cells to diminish.

But here is the real beauty about this whole thing. The treatment that they are developing only affects cancerous cells, and leaves healthy cells alone. This means that there are very few side affects to the treatment. Even better, the treatment (called DCA) cannot be patented and can be produced pretty cheaply. So there is a cheap, affective cancer treatment out there with few side-affects? Hallelujah!
So why am I only just hearing about this now? This initial research was done back in 2007, surely 5 years is enough time to have gotten the ball rolling on this one. It’s obvious, according to this DCA update site, that this research is ongoing, so what’s the holdup?

Well, here’s where things get sticky. Some people think that pharmaceutical companies aren’t backing this research because the treatment can’t be patented and therefore wont make them any money. So you mean to tell me that we’re not investing in a possible cancer treatment because there is no way to make money off of it? The original researcher, Dr. Evangelos Michelakis, even said that he was worried he would not be able to get much funding for that very reason.

So what gives Big Pharmacy? Can’t we invest in just helping people? I admit that it’s possible that this research is just not providing sufficient findings, but everything I’ve read suggests otherwise. Something must be stopping this treatment from gaining some ground and I don’t know what else it could be.

I just get so worked up thinking about all of our elders suffering from this disease in nursing homes and hospitals when with this treatment they might be able to come home and spend their golden years in their own homes or with their families. Of course, I would never let my parents go without their medical alert system to keep them safe.

Circular Perfection | Gold Light Art Studios

The sphere is perfect as a classroom exercise because there is no way of faking it! If you make one of the transition tones in the light even a little bit too dark it will look like a spot or blemish. Make the value too light in the dark range and the form doesn't turn. The more one works on it and the more real looking it becomes, the more delicate your handling must become or it will stand out compared to the previously painted passages.

Jessica Du painted this during the Sunday drawing and painting class. She is in high school and works very consistently here, even though she has the usual full high school schedule. This is all going into her college portfolio I am completely impressed at her level of focus and the care she puts into her studies. At that age, I had nowhere near her level of maturity or quality of finished work.

Medical Alert Goes on Television Courtesy of DRTV Agency Kre8 Media Inc.

Medical Alert Direct Response Via TV

Although it’s one of the veteran companies in its category, Medical Alert had never used direct-response television advertising before choosing Kre8 Media Inc. as its new agency. Medical Alert’s new TV campaign from Kre8 Media debuted in August and new leads and orders have spiked.
Medical Alert’s in-home personal alarm system lets people who are experiencing a medical emergency summon help by pushing a button on a wristband or pendant.
The campaign from Kre8 Media is aimed both at senior citizens who live by themselves and the people who care for them. This represents a combined audience in excess of 10 million people. Previously, Medical Alert, a unit of Connect America, had relied on print and online advertising.
Kre8 is using two of its trademark tactics to increase Medical Alert’s market share: telephone numbers that are unique to the networks on which the commercials run and the single Internet URL use www.medicalalert.com. Much of Kre8’s growth and success since its founding is the result of its ability to track Internet responses to the commercials that generated the responses with the aid of sophisticated metrics and modeling.

“Medical Alert is a natural for direct-response TV advertising,” said T. Lee Cutler, founder and president of Kre8 Media. “Their dual audience now has two ways of responding to the company’s offer: an 800 number for the seniors and an Internet address for their younger caregivers. Using this new approach, we’ve already seen an increase at this early stage in the TV campaign.” Kre8 Media’s DRTV Buying tactics have proven to be extremely effective.

New Jersey Pain Management

 

NJ_Pain_Management: If you suffer from chronic pain, NJCSPM provides effective, long-term pain management treatment.

Most Memorable List For 2011

What was the most memorable list in 2011 to you? Let us know in the comments.

According to Nielsen, the top web brands in 2011 (in the U.S.) were:

1. Google

2. Facebook

3. Yahoo

4. MSN/WindowsLive/Bing

5. YouTube

6. Microsoft

7. AOL Media Network

8. Wikipedia

9. Apple

10. Ask

For social networks and blogs (in the U.S.) the list was:

1. Facebook

2. Blogger

3. Twitter

4. WordPress

5. MySpace

6. LinkedIn

7. Tumblr

8. Google+

9. Yahoo Pulse

10. Six Apart TypePad

The Top online destinations for video (in the U.S.) were:

1. YouTube

2. VEVO

3. Facebook

4. Yahoo

5. MSN/WindowsLive/Bing

6. AOL Media Network

7. Hulu

8. The CollegeHumor Network

9. CNN Digital Network

10. Netflix

 

Twitter

Twitter's most tweeted events (tweets per second):

6,939 - JAN 1 - New Years

4,064 - FEB 6 - Super Bowl

5,530 - MAR 11 - Japanese earthquake and tsunami

3,966 - APR 29 - UK Royal Wedding

5,106 - MAY 2 - Raid on Osama bin Laden

6,303 - MAY 28 - UEFA Champions League

5,531 - JUN 13- NBA Finals

6,436 - JUN 27 - BET Awards

4,995 - JUL 11 - Home Run Derby

7,166 - JUL 17 - Brazil eliminated from the Copa America

7,196 - JUL 17 - End of FIFA Women's World Cup

5,449 - AUG 23 - East Coast earthquake

7,064 - AUG 25 - Steve Jobs resigns

8,868 - AUG 28 - MTV Video Music Awards

7,671 - SEP 20 - Troy Davis executed

6,049 - OCT 6 - Steve Jobs passes away

The top hashtags of the year were:

1. #egypt

2. #tigerblood

3. #threewordstoliveby

4. #idontunderstandwhy

5. #japan

6. #improudtosay

7. #superbowl

8. #jan25

The top topics were broken down by category

TV:

1. Pretty Little Liars

2. Two and a Half Men

3. The Craigslist Killer

4. Golden Globe Awards

5. People's Choice Awards

Movies:

1. Thor

2. The Dark Knight Rises

3. X-Men: First Class

4. Fast Five

5. Green Hornet

Music:

1. Rebecca Black and Friday

2. Nate Dogg

3. FEMME FATALE

4. Gerry Rafferty

5. Gil Scott-Heron

Actresses:

1. Elizabeth Taylor

2. Mila Kunis

3. Anne Hathaway

4. Raven Symone

5. Natalie Portman

6. Elisabeth Sladen

7. Jennifer Lopez

8. Nina Dobrev

9. Emma Watson

10. Fernanda Vasconcellos

Actors:

1. Charlie Sheen

2. Macaulay Culkin

3. Ryan Dunn

4. Ricky Gervais

5. Pete Postlethwaite

6. Tracy Morgan

7. Jake Gyllenhaal

8. Ashton Kutcher

9. Colin Firth

10. James Franco

Soccer:

1. Wayne Rooney

2. Fernando Torres

3. Howard Webb

4. Wembley Stadium

5. Colo Colo

Football:

1. Dallas

2. Green & Yellow

3. Superbowl MMXI

4. Jim Harbaugh

5. Pittsburgh Steelers

NBA:

1. Rashard Lewis

2. Ray Allen

3. Derrick Rose

4. Jason Terry

5. Dallas Mavericks

Baseball:

1. Texas Rangers

2. Bert Blyleven

3. Roberto Alomar

4. Vernon Wells

5. Justin Verlander

Food and Drink:

1. McLobster

2. Fried Kool-Aid

3. Starbucks Trenta

4. Devassa Beer

5. Guinness

6. BBQ

7. Mac & Cheese

World News:

1. Mubarak's resignation

2. Raid on Osama bin Laden

3. Japanese earthquake and Fukushima nuclear disaster

4. Shooting of Gabrielle Giffords

5. Gaddafi's death

6. Swine Flu outbreak

7. WoW Gold Guide

Cities and Countries:

1. Cairo

2. Egypt

3. Japan

4. Libya

5. Tokyo

6. Dallas

7. Vancouver

8. Hawaii

9. Joplin

10. Austin

Tech:

1. Mac App Store

2. Sony NGP

3. Guitar Hero

4. Mozilla Firefox

5. Duke Nukem Forever

6. iPad

7. iPhone

8. Nintendo 3DS

9. Mortal Kombat

10. iPod

Facebook

Facebook's top games:

Gardens of Time (Playdom)

The Sims Social (EA)

Cityville (Zynga)

DoubleDown Casino (DoubleDown Interactive)

Indiana Jones Adventure World (Zynga)

Words With Friends (Zynga)

Bingo Blitz (Buffalo Studios)

Empires & Allies (Zynga)

Slotomania-Slot Machines (Playtika)

Diamond Dash (wooga)

Facebook topic lists for 2011

US Top 10 status trends

1. lms (like my status)

2. tbh (to be honest)

3. Death of Osama bin Laden

4. Charlie Sheen

5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

6. Casey Anthony found not guilty

7. Packers win the Super Bowl

8. Hurricane Irene

9. Insidious (movie)

10. Death of Amy Winehouse

Fastest growing areas of interest on Facebook globally

Entertainment

Actors and TV Personalities

1. Megan Fox

2. Vin Diesel

3. Adam Sandler

4. Selena Gomez

5. Will Smith

6. Taylor Lautner

7. Jackie Chan

8. Ashley Tisdale

9. DJ Pauly D

10. Kim Kardashian

  

Movies

1. Harry Potter

2. The Twilight Saga

3. Toy Story

4. Avatar

5. Jackass

6. Shrek

7. Saw

8. Pirates of the Caribbean

9. Fast &Furious

10. Titanic

  

TV Shows

1. House

2. Two and a Half Men

3. The Simpsons

4. Family Guy

5. South Park

6. Grey's Anatomy

7. SpongeBob SquarePants

8. CSI: Miami

9. iCarly

10. The Big Bang Theory

 

Fictional Characters

1. Dr. House

2. Dory

3. Patrick Star

4. Mr. Bean

5. Upin & Ipin

6. Bob Esponja

7. Mario

8. Doraemon

9. Ari Gold

10. Sue Sylvester (GLEE)

Music

Musicians

1. Rihanna

2. Bob Marley

3. Avril Lavigne

4. David Guetta

5. Enrique Iglesias

6. Usher

7. Lady Gaga

8. Metallica

9. Green Day

10. Black Eyed Peas

Most Listened To Songs

1. We Found Love - Rihanna and Calvin Harris

2. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) - Katy Perry

3. Sexy And I Know It - LMFAO

4. Titanium - David Guetta and Sia

5. First of the Year - Skrillex

6. Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites - Skrillex

7. Without You - David Guetta and Usher

8. Stereo Hearts - Gym Class Heroes featuring Adam Levine

9. Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People

10. Someone Like You - Adele

Sports

Athletes

1. Leo Messi

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

3. John Cena

4. Ricardo Kaka

5. David Beckham

6. Michael Jordan

7. Sachin Tendulkar

8. Andres Iniesta

9. Kobe Bryant

10. Cesc Fbregas

Sports Teams

1. FC Barcelona

2. Real Madrid C.F.

3. Manchester United

4. LA Lakers

5. Chelsea Football Club

6. Liverpool FC

7. A.C. Milan

8. Arsenal

9. Galatasaray

10. Fenerbahce

News

News Outlets

1. CNN

2. Fox News

3. NPR

4. The Onion

5. The New York Times

6. Al Jazeera Channel

7. Yahoo! News

8. The Times of India

9. BBC World News

10. PBS

Most Shared Articles

Satellite Photos of Japan, Before and After the Quake and Tsunami (New York Times)

What teachers really want to tell parents (CNN) No, your zodiac sign hasn't changed (CNN)

Parents, don't dress your girls like tramps (CNN)

(video) - Father Daughter Dance Medley (Yahoo)

At funeral, dog mourns the death of Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan (Yahoo)

You'll freak when you see the new Facebook (CNN)

Dog in Japan stays by the side of ailing friend in the rubble (Yahoo)

Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines (Yahoo)

New Zodiac Sign Dates: Ophiuchus The 13th Sign? (The Huffington Post)

Frugal Dad put out this infographic comparing the year in review through the eyes of Twitter, Facebook and Twitter.

StumbleUpon

Top topics from StumbleUpon's explore box:

1. love

2. funny

3. tattoo

4. games

5. diy

6. wedding

7. harry potter

8. hair

9. recipes

10. food

Blogs

Pingdom ranked the top blogging services in terms of downtime:

1. Blogger

2. WordPress

3. Typepad

4. Posterous

5. Tumblr

YouTube

Most popular videos of the year:

1. Rebecca Black - Friday

2. Ultimate Dog Tease

3. Jack Sparrow (feat. Michael Bolton)

4. Talking Twin Babies (pt. 2)

5. Nyan Cat

6. Look at me now - cover by @KarminMusic

7. The Creep (feat. Nicki Minaj & John Waters)

8. Maria Aragon - Born this way cover

9. The Force - Volkswagen commercial

10. Cat mom hugs her baby kitten

Most viewed videos from major record labels:

Jennifer Lopez - On The Floor ft. Pitbull

LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem ft. Lauren Bennett, GoonRock

Bruno Mars - The Lazy Song [Official Video]

Nicki Minaj - Super Bass

Pitbull - Give Me Everything ft. Ne-Yo, Afroj