March 13th The Tiger Kingdom.Irsquove always wanted to play with a Tiger. As soon as I arrived at the Tiger Kingdom I was quickly greeted by a couple staff members. They all wanted to know what package I wanted to take. I elected to make my own. It cost me an extra 3 but I was thrilled. What I paid in total was 1220 Baht or about 40. What this bought me was 1520 minutes playing with 3 baby T
Monthly Archives: March 2010
Long Neck Tribe Monkey School and Snake Show
March 13th Long Neck ldquoTriberdquo Monkey School and Snake ShowI wasnrsquot sure about going to see the ldquoLong Neckrdquo tribe. It really occurred to me that people are going to look at them like a zoo. I asked my Tuk Tuk driver many times about if it was disrespectful. He reassured me it wasnrsquot and off we went. When we got there I met a Tribe man who spoke English. He thank
Day 8 Guilin and Shanghai
We had another early start to the day today... we left our hotel at 730 and headed to visit the Fubo Hill in Guilin. This hill is one of Guilin's wonderful scenic spot. Unfortunatly today the weather was not very good and the fog made it very difficult to see the great view. Kamil and I climbed to the top of the hill... taking a bunch of breaks in between as we are out of shape The hill t
The perfect day
March 13th The perfect dayhellipFor everyone in the world the perfect day could mean anything. Winning the lottery getting married having the divorce papers go through but for me today was my perfect day.Irsquom not traveling alone and grateful that I am. Irsquove never minded the company Irsquove had all along but Irsquove found that Irsquom looking to explore more and do more s
Phoenix Day 2
Another day at the ballpark. Temperature only got up to the mid 60s. However in the sun it felt pretty good.
IMPORTANT
Bah i know I have A LOT of updating to do especially because so much has been happening but seriously I am always busy and sometimes this seems total pointless.I was wondering though who actually reads this Leave a message Cause if nobody reads it really what is the point
Day 17
I got up around 10am as I'd planned to meet Sarah and Sandra the two English girls I'd travelled to Buenos Aires with later in the morning although I'd only had a few hours sleep. As rough as I felt I ventured down to their hostel and met them in a nearby cafe. They owed me money and I had Sarah's Portuguese phrase book so we swapped items and had a chat. Sarah was talking to an American gir
Highly Praised Tourist Places in India Top Five
India is one of the most sought after tourism destinations in the world. It attracts tourists from all over the world. Major drawing cards of India tourism are its heritage monuments rich culture tradition cultural geographical diversity etc. There are many worth visit tourist places to see in India. The list is big but in this article I am attempting to tell your about 5 highly praised tou
Day 25 Bad Love
Day 25 Getting out of bed was a challenge.Everyone starred at me most of the time and didn't really say a word to me until I started writing my journal. I then attracted quite a crowd. We then started to chat kind of about where we we all lived and where we were going. They were also really interested in my lonely planet guide and the maps inside. It was quite nice after that but they all carr
hot and dusty……
So its been a while since we last wrote and we have done a lotRight so we travelled out of Ghana but not before each getting to sit on a crocodile which was extremely bizarre We also got to feed monkeys biscuits which was a highlight they actually came out of the trees and snatched the biscuit out of your hand and sat there and ate it..... surreal We then crossed into Burkina Faso and stayed i
Penny Stock Farming With US
During the recent crash of the global market when recession was the common word that the world spoke many thought it were only people who bought stocks of the well established company that had suffered. A closer look would have shown that people who had invested in penny stock were also affected and their number far outran the number of people who had traded in listed stocks. With its very low va
www.bjbead.com Guide you how to wholesale jewelry
Buying wholesale jewelry and accessories may be interesting exciting and confusing. Whether you want to take a gift from the Chinese jewelry and accessories for someone special. Here is some information to help you get the best quality Chinese jewelry and accessories for you if you have a traditional Entity shop or store online.Whether you are attracted by the charm of Fashion Jewelry like pearl
The Definitive Guide to Finding The Planet at SXSW
South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive begins this weekend, and while this is our inaugural appearance at this particular show, we’re not unprepared. In addition to the standard conference fare of expo booth and giveaways, we’ve got some interesting challenges for attendees and a calendar full of events in partnership with companies like Microsoft, Tumblr, Kickstarter and SoundCloud. Without further ado, this is how you can track us down in Austin:
Our Booth
On the SXSW Interactive Trade Show floor, you’ll find us spanning booths 303 and 305 in Exhibit Hall 4 of the Austin Convention Center. You’ll know you’re getting close when you see the pair of unlikely superheroes we are featuring on our “Redefining Hosting” graphics.
Meet The Planet Staff: Once you squirm your way through the droves of people flooding into the booth, you’ll be greeted by friendly faces who will love to chat with you about your business, hosting, the weather or the names of your childhood pets. In exchange for the privilege of meeting you, we can offer a tokens of our appreciation: your choice of one of our clever giveaway T-shirts!
Sign up for WebsiteSpark: With the help of a little company out of Redmond, Washington, we’re able to offer a special opportunity for attendees to sign up for Microsoft’s WebsiteSpark program on the show floor. If you’re unfamiliar with the program, it provides you with access to free licensing for the latest versions of Windows Server and SQL Server … Needless to say, it’s a great resource for businesses with tight budgets.
By applying for the WebsiteSpark program in our booth, you’ll walk away with a 2GB USB drive and a special Microsoft WebsiteSpark + The Planet T-shirt while supplies last. If that’s not enough of an incentive, we’re also offering a year of free hosting at The Planet to one lucky applicant chosen at random.
Compete in the Server Challenge: If our 10′ x 20′ space wasn’t already busy enough, we’ve got one more featured activity in our booth: The Planet Server Challenge – a little competition is designed specifically for techies. Participants have a deconstructed Pentium4 server sitting on a table in front of them, and the objective is to put it back together as quickly as possible. Bragging rights about having the fastest hands at SXSW might be incentive enough, but we’re sweetening the deal by awarding the competitor with the best time an ASUS Eee PC netbook.
We’ll post the current “Time to Beat” on a board in the booth so you can keep that netbook in your sights. The competition details will be available in the booth.
Our Social Events
If the time you spend hanging out with us in our booth isn’t enough for you, you’re in luck. We are participating in a few phenomenal social events, so you can party hardy with us as well.
Saturday, March 13: RSVP and meet us at Emo’s Austin at 6:30 p.m. to get your SXSW experience started on the right foot. We’ve teamed up with Tumblr, Kickstarter and SoundCloud to put on a little soiree for a thousand of our closest friends.
With performances by Eclectic Method, DJ Mel and DJ Suspence, you’ll be entertained, and with an open bar for those who RSVP, you’ll be hydrated.
Sunday, March 14: Speaking of hydration, The Planet is participating in the SXSW Block Party on Sunday between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. While you’re schmoozing around, stop by our booth and help us imbibe the beverages we’re bringing in for the occasion.
Monday, March 15: Are you tired yet? We need you to power through one more day and one more party. The Planet is a gold sponsor of the Houston@SXSW event at Hudson on Fifth on Monday from 7:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. If you RSVP to the event, you get yourself on the list to enjoy presentations and exhibits featuring Houston-based companies along with a few film and music showcases.
Stay Updated
You’re now “in the know.” Are you ready for your pop quiz? Luckily, this isn’t going to be the only communication we do about SXSW. To get up-to-the-minute updates and reminders about what we’re doing, be sure to follow us on Twitter: @theplanet. If the stream gets a little noisy, we’ll move some of the updates to @theplanetevents.
See you in Austin!
-Kevin
Related Posts:
Book Excerpt: The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness
Rami Shapiro's visualization exercises on lovingkindness.
Libertarian Republican candidate emerges for Colorado House; Low Taxes, Home Schooling & Health Savings Accounts
"Freedom let's us improve our lives -- government control makes that impossible" -- Donald Beezley, Republican candidate for Colorado State House
The Broomfield Enterprise reports:
Local businessman Don Beezley, a Republican, launched his campaign for the statehouse on Sunday. He`ll be running against Rep. Dianne Primavera, D-Broomfield, who has held the House District 33 seat since 2007.
Beezley lives in Broomfield with his wife, Pat, and two sons, Connor and Alexander. He is the president of Tager Enterprises.
Beezley has been active in conservative and libertarian circles. He is a guest writer for the libertarian-leaning Independence Institute and serves on the advisory board of the conservative Leadership Program of the Rockies. He also is on the board of the Tabor Foundation, which promotes the Colorado Taxpayer`s Bill of Rights.
Some highlights of Beezley's stances:
•Low taxes and no new taxes
•Oppose unreasonable regulations and oppose any additional taxes, fees and burdens where jobs are created—businesses
•Tax policy that disconnects patients from their doctors must be changed by moving tax benefits to the individual level while empowering individuals with vehicles like Health Savings Accounts.
•School choice, especially in the form of charter schools, must be protected and competition that fuels excellence, innovation and continuous improvement must be fostered.
•Home schooling must be protected as an option for families to choose.
•Stop the massive tax and fee increases imposed by the Democrats—in violation of constitutional requirements that Colorado government must ask the people first.
•Maintain the commonsense provisions of the Taxpayer's Bill of rights (TABOR). Government must ask first before it can take your money.
•Recognize that the depths of a recession when people are losing their jobs and their homes is not the time to impose billions in new taxes and fees.
Texas Politics: Democrats now calling spending cuts "Soviet style"
White Don't Know Much 'Bout History (Or Economics)
From Michael Q. Sullivan, Empower Texas
Democratic gubernatorial candidate apparently knows as little about world history as about good economics. He's taking Texas Gov. Rick Perry to task for "Soviet-style" budget techniques. What technique is that? Well, budget cuts, of course.
Excuse me, Mr. White, the late Soviet Empire imploded for many reasons but government austerity certainly wasn't one of them. Reckless, out-of-control, unrestrained spending was high on the list. And bad economic policy. And oppression of their citizens. And an evil worldview. Spending restraint? Soviets never had a problem with it; they never did it.
At an event hosted this week by the online Texas Tribune, and reported on by the Associated Press, Houston's former mayor also said he "refused to rule out future tax increases to close the gap.”
Texas faces an $11 billion shortfall -- that is, the difference between projected spending and projected revenues. Notice the word "projected."
A budget shortfall can be managed in basically one of two ways. Spending can be cut to match available funds, or taxes can be raised to bring more cash into the treasury.
So what got Mr. White's revisionist goat? Earlier this year, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus staked out their position on the shortfall. They told every state agency to find ways to reduce spending by five-percent.
To Mr. White and the tax-and-spend wing of his party, cutting government spending simply not allowed.
Voters worried about their jobs, and the future of Texas' economy, would do well to let Mr. White join his economic comrades in the dustbin of history.
Editor's Note - Texas House Speaker Rep. Joe Straus of San Antonio is a self-described "libertarian Republican."
“State of the Birds” Report; and Is Climate Change Shrinking Avians? | 80beats
This week the federal government released its 2010 report, “The State of the Birds,” examining the health of the United States’ native fowl. According to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the state of our union’s birds is precarious.
The 2010 report focused on climate in particular. In it, scientists reviewed data for 800 species nationwide, and ranked their sensitivity to climate change based on factors including how many young they produce each year, how able they are to move to new habitats, and how unique their food and nesting needs are [San Jose Mercury News]. Each of the 800 then received a designation of low, medium, or high vulnerability. You can see the methods for scoring here.
Birds that rely on coastal areas are in the most threatened position, Salazar says. Seabirds tend to have low reproductive potential and often nest on islands that can be inundated by rising sea levels, changes in water chemistry and other disruptions to the marine ecosystem [AP]. Hawaii birds are especially troubled, as they many are already under the gun by invasive species and disease, the report says. All 67 species of ocean-reliant seabirds ranked with a medium or high level of vulnerability. Birds native to forests or to arid regions, however, showed less climate vulnerability.
Kenneth Rosenberg of Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology, a contributor to the report, says, “Birds are excellent indicators of the health of our environment, and right now they are telling us an important story about climate change. Many species of conservation concern will face heightened threats, giving us an increased sense of urgency to protect and conserve vital bird habitat” [AFP]. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, Forest Service, and other organizations compiled the 2010 report (the full list at the bottom of the press release).
Meanwhile, a separate study published in the journal Oikos found a different but interesting effect on American birds. In biology, there is a general rule of thumb that animals tend to become smaller in warmer climates: an idea known as Bergmann’s Rule [BBC News]. Biologists aren’t totally settled on why Bergmann’s Rule should be so, but Josh Van Buskirk and colleagues wanted to see if that was happening in the United States over the past decades, as global warming has gradually increased temperatures. Luckily, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Rector, Pennsylvania, has kept measurements of hundreds of thousands of birds, coming from more than 100 different species, that migrated through the area since 1961.
Van Buskirk found birds getting slightly smaller no matter their migratory season: 60 of 83 spring migrating species, 66 of 75 for autumn, 51 of 65 for summer, and 20 of 26 for winter. In a spot of good news, though, the study says that the populations of these birds aren’t in decline, and are perhaps adapting to their changing world. “So many of these species are apparently doing just fine, but the individual birds are becoming gradually smaller nonetheless,” says Dr Buskirk [BBC News].
Related Content:
80beats: Tiny Tern Makes World-Record 44,000-Mile Migration
80beats: The Birds’ Sixth Sense: How They See Magnetic Fields
80beats: Like a Wool Sweater, Scottish Sheep Shrink As Climate Heats Up
80beats: Will All Animals Shrink Under a Warmer Climate
DISCOVER: Works in Progress: How do migrating birds know where to go?
Image: flickr / Wili_hybrid
Sandswept world | Bad Astronomy
Hot on the heels of the post the other day about the winds on Mars blowing the sand dunes and visibly moving them across the planet’s surface comes this new satellite image of a huge sandstorm raging across the planet:
Of course, I’d forgive you if you interpret my saying "the planet" as meaning Mars. However, this picture is of Earth! Specifically, the Middle East. This March 4th image from the Terra satellite shows a plume of sand 100 km (60 miles!) across sweeping from Saudi Arabia over Kuwait and into Iran.
In some ways, Mars and Earth are very similar. Sometimes, it’s even hard to tell them apart…
Americans: Test Your Broadband Speed, Help the FCC Keep ISPs Honest
From Boing Boing:
James from the New America foundation sez, "The FCC launched a consumer broadband test on their blog broadband.gov yesterday. Internet speeds in the US are often 50% to 80% lower than advertised and its vital consumers have reliable information on the actual perf
Dark Asteroids Found Near Earth
From Discovery News - Top Stories:
A new infrared telescope has found 16 to 20 previously unknown asteroids that come close to Earth. The asteroids are dark, with most reflecting less than one-tenth of the sunlight that hits them. One object is as dark as asphalt, reflecting les