We come in attack, yo!

If aliens announced their presence on earth tomorrow... and were hostile!

To defeat this:We need the smooth charm and powerful passion of:The ingenuity and decision-making of:And the ass-kicking abilities of:Alternatively, we hand control of the planet over to this man (if he doesn't control it already):

A vague feeling of discomfort

First of all

I think Barack Obama will be a good president. I think America is actually spoilt for choice, as both Obama and McCain would make good presidents. Obama is going to win, and I think he'll make a good president.
BUT

I've been thinking about this for a few days and then Scott Adams goes and posts it before I had a chance to:

Admittedly my sample is not large, but of the dozen or so McCain supporters I have spoken with, there is a common thread: Obama gives them a vague feeling of discomfort that they can't quite identify. When I ask about this vague feeling of discomfort, the answer has something to do with how his views got formed, his past associations, how quickly he rose to prominence, and how charismatic (slick) he is.

This is exactly how I feel. I'm not a McCain supporter, but I definitely have a "vague feeling of discomfort" about Obama. For those reasons listed. It's a combination of the Palestinian terrorists friend(s?), the American terrorist friend (and the denials), the books he's written about himself, and the Socialist ideals. I can't quite put my finger on all of it, but he just worries me.

Now I'm not saying McCain would be a better president, or that Obama would make bad decision. I have just been thinking about my feelings on the next President of the United States of America, and that's how I feel. I think he's an excellent communicator, people are inspired by him, and he's energetic. He knows as the first black president he's got to do a freaking good job. So the weight of history will help him not make rash decisions.

I don't believe he's going to do anything too rash. What I am worried about is the very real chance he could raise tariffs. This would have a knock-on effect around the world. America raising tariffs would certainly destroy industries in other parts of the world, while artificially propping up failing industries in the US (and making it tougher on efficient ones). There is a direct correlation between free trade (ie, low trade tariffs) and global prosperity. There is also a direct correlation between protectionism (ie, high trade tariffs) and economic depression. The DNC is usually very protectionist, due to its association with the unions. I worry that tariffs could be raised and the world suffers.

(For those who don't know, a tariff is a tax imposed when something is imported into a country. So when Australia imports foreign cars, the Government puts a tariff on them, raising the price. This is to protect the Australian car industry from being flooded by cheaper imports, because it's more expensive to make cars here. Tariffs are used on everything, from wheat to sugar to TVs. Australia is traditionally an exporter, so tariffs in other countries hurt our businesses significantly).

What do people think? Does anyone else get that feeling from Obama or is it just me? I am fully prepared to be alone on this ;)

Christmas Tree Pictures

A Christmas tree, Yule tree or Tannenbaum (German: fir tree) is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas. It is normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, and is decorated with Christmas lights and colorful ornaments during the days around Christmas. An angel or star is often placed at the top of the tree, representing the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity story.

Christmas Tree Pictures

Christmas Tree Pictures

Source: premiumchristmastree, beyondblossoms, veglawyer, doobybrain, wikimedia.org, orovalleyhomes4sale

Christmas lights

Christmas lights (also sometimes called fairy lights, twinkle lights or holiday lights in the United States) are strands of electric lights used to decorate homes, public/commercial buildings and Christmas trees during the Christmas season. Christmas lights come in a dazzling array of configurations and colors. The small "midget" bulbs commonly known as fairy lights are also called Italian lights in some parts of the U.S., such as Chicago.

Christmas Lights

Christmas Lights

Source: download-for-free, chinatraderonline, groovyvegetarian, travelblog, limoservicedenver, coloradoguy, sustainabledesignupdate, christmaslightscity,

Nightmare Before Christmas Wallpaper

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 animated musical film written and produced by Tim Burton, directed by Henry Selick and scored by Danny Elfman. The film was based on Burton's characters and original story. It was released alongside The Wrong Trousers, a 1993 short film.

Nightmare Before Christmas Wallpaper

Nightmare Before Christmas Wallpaper

The film begins in Halloween Town, a magical world inhabited by various creatures who make elaborate plans for Halloween every year on October 31, hoping for each Halloween to be superior to the last ("This is Halloween"). Though the residents of Halloween Town are always eager for a trick or a good scare, they never truly mean to hurt anyone. The land is ruled by Jack Skellington, an undead skeleton who is thought to be the scariest being in the entire world. As the townspeople celebrate their annual ceremony, Jack wonders whether there is more to life than scaring people ("Jack's Lament"). Meanwhile, Sally, a Frankenstein's monster-like Rag Doll, pines for Jack from afar, although she is constantly thwarted by her domineering creator, Doctor Finklestein.

While wandering in the hinterlands, Jack and his ghostly pet dog, Zero, encounter portals leading to other holiday-themed worlds. Jack accidentally enters Christmas Town, a land of eternal winter, and is amazed by the population's joyfulness ("What's This?"). Jack, wishing to embrace this culture, quickly returns to Halloween Town, where he presents the townspeople with his slightly inaccurate impressions of Christmas. While Jack may slightly understand Christmas, the townspeople do not understand it at all and compare everything Jack says to their ideas of Halloween. Nonetheless interested in the holiday, the townspeople agree to celebrate Christmas this year ("Town Meeting Song").

Jack decides to operate the holiday, eventually becoming obsessed with Christmas and deciding to usurp the role of ""Sandy Claws", as Jack mistakenly calls Santa Claus ("Jack's Obsession"). Every resident is assigned a task, including Sally who, alone of them, fears that his plans will lead to ruin. There is some foreshadowing to suggest that she is correct; because the people of Halloween Town have lived all their lives by scaring people, the Christmas gifts and decorations they create are more frightening and grotesque than pleasing. Jack ignores Sally's warning and commissions her to create his Christmas outfit. Jack then assigns Lock, Shock, and Barrel, a trio of mischievous, child-like monsters representing trick-or-treaters, to transport 'Sandy Claws' to Halloween Town ("Kidnap the Sandy Claws"). They, after mistakenly capturing (and, on Jack's orders, returning) the Easter Bunny, successfully kidnap Santa. Against Jack's wishes and largely for their own amusement, the trio deliver Santa to the lair of Oogie Boogie, a gambling-addict boogey man who plots to play a game with Santa's life ("Oogie Boogie's Song").

Christmas Eve arrives soon after. Although Sally attempts to stop him, Jack embarks into the sky on a coffin-like sled pulled by skeletal reindeer (created by Finklestein), hoping to deliver presents to children around the world. While the townspeople are overjoyed, Sally wanders off alone to be miserable ("Sally's Song"). As Jack begins delivering gifts, children are horrified by their monstrous, animated presents, which include shrunken heads, man-eating wreaths, vampiric teddy bears, 30-foot snakes, and pull-string ducks dotted with bloody bullet holes. Their parents believe Jack to be an imposter attempting to imitate Santa, and the military is eventually commissioned to shoot Jack out of the sky. Jack gets shot with a missile and crashes into a cemetery; the townspeople witness this and believes that Jack did not survive (even for one of the undead), but in reality he recovers from a faint. Although he is initially depressed by the destruction he had caused, he realizes he is still the ruler of Halloween Town and can bring joy to the world in his own way ("Poor Jack").

Sally attempts to free Santa, only to be captured by Oogie Boogie. Just as they are about to be killed by immersion in a foul stew, Jack arrives and challenges their captor. Oogie Boogie flees, placing his complex, sophisticated, deadly gaming machines in Jack's path as obstacles. However, Oogie Boogie becomes tangled in one of his own machines and is (with Jack's assistance) split open, revealing himself to be merely an animated sackful of insects. Most of Oogie's "bugs" fall into the stew and are boiled alive. A final bug, believed to be the "main bug", attempts to flee, but is squashed by Santa.

Freed, Santa reprimands Jack before setting off to correct Jack's Christmas by exchanging all of the frightening toys for more pleasant playthings. After Santa leaves, Jack asks Sally of how she had gotten into Oogie's casino. Sally tries to tell Jack she wanted to help him, but only stutters. Jack then realizes that Sally loves him. Jack and Sally then return to Halloween Town, aided by the Mayor and a reformed Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Santa flies over Halloween Town and gives it snow as a gift to the town, signifying that there be no hard feelings between him and Jack. The townspeople are confused at first, but start to play in the snow, and soon realize that there is to the world more than just scaring people. Sally discovers that she has been replaced in Doctor Finklestein's service by another creation (who purposely bears a very strong resemblance to the Doctor himself), leaving her free to pursue Jack's attention. She picks a flower and heads towards Spiral Hill, and Jack notices she's leaving the celebration. As she sits on the hill, Jack follows her and the two realize they are "simply meant to be." They then share a kiss while Zero contently looks on from afar ("Finale/Reprise").

Source: movieforum, allposters, moviewallpapers, worldofchristmas, warnerbros

Christmas Traditions – Gift Giving

Gift giving is probably the most well known of all Christmas traditions in both Eastern and Western cultures. Moms and Dads have the opportunity to share with their children important truths about giving during their family’s Christmas celebration. While a good deal of focus will be placed upon purchasing safe, fun, and educational children’s toys, parents may also take this time to let children experience the joy of giving to others.

Several months after Jesus Christ was born, wise men came and presented gifts to Him. “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh" (Matthew 2:1-2, 11).

* Just as the wise men gave costly gifts to the Holy Child without hope of anything in return, parents can lead sons and daughters to purchase gifts for elderly loved-ones and neighbors who may be less fortunate. These gifts need not be costly, but they should be given with thought, care, and love.

* Children who receive a lot of gifts might be encouraged to give a few of them to children in homeless shelters or children’s hospitals. This is the true spirit of Christmas gift giving.

The custom of giving to the needy was one of the legendary traditions of Boxing Day which is celebrated the first weekday after Christmas in many countries. On Boxing Day, employers gave their servants boxes of food and other necessities and public workers such as mailmen were remembered by the people they served. Some traditions hold that money was taken from church collection boxes and distributed to the disadvantaged.

The giving of gifts is a wonderful expression of the love and good will that surrounds the Christmas season. Ultimately, gift giving at Christmas should be done in remembrance of the greatest gift of all -- Jesus Christ the Son, the gift of the Father. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Christmas Traditions – Celebrating Jesus’ birth
Parents can redirect the festivities of the Christmas holidays to reflect the true meaning of the day – Jesus birth in Bethlehem.

* Families can attend worship services, singing Christmas songs and listening to the recitation of the Christmas story.

* Read the Christmas story together as a family. The story can be found in Luke 2:1-18.

Christmas Traditions

Christmas Traditions – Santa Claus
Santa Claus, that jolly, rotund bringer of presents, is a controversial Christmas tradition for mothers and fathers. Though he is clearly a character from folklore, many parents go through great lengths to keep alive their child’s belief in Santa Claus. Instead of taking credit for the expense and effort of producing gifts for their children, parents lead children to believe that their toys are a result of a Christmas Eve visit from Santa. The character of Santa Claus, as he is depicted today, is derived from two very old legends: Saint Nicholas, a bishop who gave generous gifts to the poor and was considered to be the patron saint of sailors and children and Father Christmas, who was considered to be the spirit of good cheer.

The original bishop’s garb worn by Saint Nicholas was replaced, after many evolutions, by a bright red costume fitting snugly across an ample midsection. (Both Saint Nicholas and Father Christmas were described as plump.) The horse used for getting to and fro was replaced by reindeer; the servants, by elves. These elves assisted Santa Claus in his duties which were to provide toys for children; all were to be hand-made. To receive gifts, children had to behave well all year long.

* Share the stories of Saint Nicholas and Father Christmas with your children.

Parents must thoughtfully consider how they will present Santa and the receiving of gifts to their young ones. Ironically, the necessity to be good enough to receive good things becomes part of the unlearning process which we must undergo when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior. God gives us good things according to His loving grace, not because of anything that we have merited, or because we are good (Romans 5:17).

Christmas Traditions – Christmas Day
Christmas Day is traditionally celebrated on December 25 in most of the Western world. Theologians have not agreed on the actual date of Jesus’ birth; calculations based alternately on the reign of Herod and the time of the census as recorded in the New Testament book of Luke have created discrepancies. The ancient celebrations of the day have their origins in neo-paganism. Despite its godless origins, parents are encouraged to celebrate the greatest gift of all -- Jesus Christ.

The earliest Christmas traditions coincide with the observance of Yule, the birth of the new sun god. It was believed that Holly King died at Yule; Holly King was the old year and shortened sun. Oak King was born at Yule; he was the new year and growing sun. The celebration of Christmas on December 25th also corresponded to the Winter solstice. Solstice means “the sun stands still.” The Winter solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the year. This meant that the height of the sun at noon appeared to be static from day to day. Both Yule and the Winter solstice were marked by celebrations. Inasmuch as a new year was beginning, revelers feasted and wished for good luck in the days to come.

The Christian designation of Christmas as a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ is more recent than the celebrations of Yule and the Winter Solstice. The Christian ceremony coincided with the Feast of Epiphany which proclaimed the shining forth of God in human form. This was believed to be a fulfillment of the Jewish Festival of Lights which the Jews celebrate as Hanukkah.

There is no commandment in the New Testament to celebrate Christ’s birth. Moms and Dads have the privilege and responsibility to teach their children about Jesus’ miraculous birth and advent into the world. We as Christians believe and know that God came to earth in human form and did, indeed, show forth the glory of the Father: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Christmas Traditions

Source: elvesaroundtheworld, buzzle, musicforgifts, art2canvas.nuxit, entrepreneur, howstuffworks

4 Little Ducks for 2 Little Princesses called Gigi & Lulu...

Besides the fact that I just love gingham check on baby gear, 4 Little Ducks has a delightful range of girls & boys fashion & accessories - too many in fact to choose from. Both Gigi & Lulu have worn items from 4 Little Ducks - I first found Melissa's range at the Hills Craft Market in Castle Hill & later at the Mosman Village Art & Craft Market. I was very excited when I came across the website for 4 Little Ducks and have seen the new items added to the collection. Based in Sydney, they will also ship to international locations. Lulu had the gorgeous applique heart gift set shown above and also a matching sleeping bag with the functional seat belt split - perfect for winter nights on the way home from Nonna & Nonno's house. I haven't yet shown Gigi the butterfly t-shirt - I know when she sees it she will want 10 of them!

Chapter 80.4: World Champion Phillies

No one picked them in my poll. None of my friends thought they'd win. I thought it was possible, but I expected the Rays pitching to dominate. But no, the Phillies are the World Champions.

Congratulations, Phils. But next year, we're going to be gunning for you.

Let's Go Mets! Let's Go Mets! Let's Go Mets!

CanTeen - National Bandanna Day - October 31

CanTeen is the Australian national support organization for young people, 12-24 years of age, who are living with cancer. It is a wonderful charity giving so much encouragement and support to young people who are already dealing with the pressures of just being a teenager, let alone the diagnosis of cancer, both personally or that of a close family member. Today is National Bandanna Day - a day where you can show your support for this fantastic organization by purchasing a signature bandanna. Click here to see where you can purchase a CanTeen bandanna - which can be worn any way you like - see the picture above for some alternative ways to wear a bandanna. There is a beautiful section on the CanTeen website called Inspirational Stuff where you will find some moving poems written by some of CanTeen's young people (click through to the Creative Corner section). Please buy yourself a bandanna today to support this inspirational charity

We come in peace, yo

If aliens announced their presence on earth tomorrow

First up
Assuming they're friendly, we'd have a heap of questions.
How did you get here?
Where did you come from?
How long have you been around the galaxy?
How did you find us?
Have you been here before?
What is your planet like?
Are there more alien races out there?
(and of course)
Are there any hot alien chicks? (cos Captain Kirk wants to know)Secondly
How would the world respond?
Would we put aside our differences on Earth to form a world alliance to explore the stars?
Somehow I doubt it. Cos who freakin' cares about some alien planet 10million light years away, when your neighbour has been trying to blow the crap out of your for 50 years.
It would cause some massive debates in science, religion and among policy makers.
You'd have to think the USA, with it's strong commitment to a space program, would be ahead of the game. But then France and Germany have spent some money in this area, while Japan and China have been spending cash too. India has also announced a plan to put a man on the moon. So there is some expertise around.

Thirdly
What could we learn from the aliens?
New power sources? Environmental control? Possible medicinal advances? Obviously new technological information (they did reach our planet, after all).
What dangers are out there? What should we avoid?

Fourthly
The future - where do we go?
Are there new worlds to colonise? Humans have always been explorers, after all.
Is there trade and commerce to be had, money to be made?
So yes, I've been watching a fair bit of Stargate Atlantis ;)

Happy Birthday Nonna - with love from Gigi & Lulu

Happy Birthday Nonna! We hope you have a lovely day!
With lots & lots of love & kisses & hugs from Gigi & Lulu x x x
This photo is from Lucia's christening in 2007 - Gigi is wearing a handmade smocked dress, Esprit crossover cardigan and black patent leather Clarks shoes. Lulu is wearing a cream knitted christening gown - made by her Nonna pictured here and worn by me when I was a baby. The antique lace bib and bonnet was fashioned from lace given to me by my beloved Nonna who passed away after a long illness just 17hrs after Gigi was born x x x

Butterflies are beautiful - just ask Ava Phillippe

All little girls love butterflies and pretty little Ava Phillippe is no exception. Out and about in LA with dad, actor Ryan Phillippe, Ava is wearing a 3/4 sleeve scoop neck tee from Old Navy in their white butterfly print (it also comes in blue). Gigi has an Old Navy soft denim mini skirt that Aunty Rach sent her for her birthday from the US last year and the quality of the denim is fantastic. She still wore it this winter with pretty pink leggings but it has now gone over into Lulu's wardrobe for a run next winter

Happy Halloween from Celebrate Express

Halloween is not celebrated in Australia with as much enthusiasm as in the United States but had we the need for trick or treat costumes, I have found these beautiful little buzzy bee & ladybug tutus from US based online party shop, Celebrate Express, that have Gigi salivating at the mouth. With coordinating wings, headband, wands and shoes, and with the cost of shipping from the US quite reasonable, these gorgeous little costumes are unique and different. Now if only the Aussie dollar would stop its slide and get back up there again - it's making online shopping from US boutiques that little more costly at the moment. Either way, we still love these little outfits..

Stargate; Awesome

Choices

- Go outside and enjoy the beautiful sunshine

- Stay inside and watch Stargate Atlantis from the comfort of my own bed

One guess!

October alternate costume watch

Golden Axe Beast Rider has received mostly negative reviews, but I'm still a little interested thanks to this image post above from the irojanaikedo board. I'm a sucker for the old school costume. Maybe I'll take the chance once the game gets discounted.

It sounds like Street Fighter IV is going to be out before the end of the year. I thought it would be Feb, but whatever. I hope the characters have more than one alternate outfit.

Il Tutto - the Baby Bag that literally has "Everything"

Everyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for anything in red so when I came across this gorgeous baby bag from Il Tutto, (meaning "everything" in Italian) I had to add it to my wish list. Also available in black & cream, the "Mia" tote is the brainchild of local designer Lucie Trinco, and I recommend you check out her website for all the other beautiful styles of baby bags. Having said that, I do really love this style, also a favourite of Australian actress & Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. Naomi Watts & Sarah Murdoch also own an Il Tutto baby bag. There are so many boring baby bags on the market - you know the ones - navy blue with tartan check lining, PVC outer, lots of silly shaped pockets and long straps etc that seem "practical" yet SCREAM "BLAH". My very first baby bag was a groovy gorgeous striped shoulder bag, hand made by my best friend, which I adored. Since then, and another baby later, I have lost count of the amount of bags that have come and gone. You could call me the Imelda Marcos of baby bags. As Gigi & Lulu got bigger and I needed to tote more stuff around with me (including their little handbags that must go everywhere with us!), I tend to prefer either trendy, expensive baby bags or just really cool over sized tote bags, similar in style and shape to the "Mia" Il Tutto bag. Right now I am working a gorgeous leather Gucci bag but I think I might be in the mood for a splash of red...

Tori & Stella come up Trumps when it comes to funky footwear

Another celebrity fan of the Trumpette Pixie socks, actress Tori Spelling took baby Stella to the Malibu Country Mart Playground over the weekend. Along for the ride were the boys in Stella's life - daddy Dean McDermott and big brothers Jack & Liam.

Welcome to the future

THE YEAR 2000!

We're living in the future. But there is a lot more future still to come.

A few predictions
- Online commerce will grow exponentially in luxury and hard to find items, but more particularly - entertainment. Music, DVD and computer game shops will be swallowed up by large chains and become just a section in a department store as their business moves online.
- New release movies will also be available to download in high def to your home theatre on the day of release. You will, of course, have to pay for it. Entertainment companies will offer this in order to try and cut the pirates out of the market.- Premium postal delivery services will become a larger market. Getting goods delivered will be a bigger part of everyday life.
- The growth of online commerce will affect some stores and not others. Local grocery shops and supermarket chains will still exist. They will probably have an online delivery component to their regular business.
- Communities will become more established online, as people spend more time joining a virtual culture and basing their social interaction around them. This might well have a positive affect on people who would have otherwise struggled to find a place to belong in regular culture.
- A least one media superstar will arise who is unashamedly catering to the lowest common denominator. He or she will not care about negative coverage from the mainstream media, but will rely on a massive fanbase in low socio-economic groups. They will be something like the combination of Kid Rock, Britney Spears, and the WWE.Anyone else got some thoughts?

Rock me like a hurricane

A great adYes, that's Olympic superfish Michael Phelps, skateboarder Tony Hawk (he of the computer game fame), NBA MVP and Olympic gold medallist basketballer Kobe Bryant, and superstar baseballer (and Madonna's new gristle-cuddler) Alex 'A-Rod' Rodriguez.

And yes, they're sliding around like Tom Cruise, all playing Guitar Hero: World Tour.

Hat tip to Kanye

Five things I love about Guitar Hero
- Ripping through a seemingly impossible solo and then shaking your guitar like a rock star to use your Star Power for the chorus
- In fact, shaking the guitar like a rock star and unleashing Star Power is awesome by itself.
- Finding out there are new songs still to unlock, even though you've been playing the game for months.
- A really tense multiplayer battle, where you're both dominating and ripping through the song until it comes down to the final few notes
- Learning to enjoy new songs that I otherwise wouldn't have paid attention to.