Chicky Lounge Newspaper Sept Edition

Issue #9 for Myra Roldan

9/11/2008 - 9/28/2008

feedjournal.com

HEY LADIES!!!! It's time to get your StyleFixx @ a Girls Nite Out (Chicky Lounge) Submitted at 9/13/2008 6:44:00 PM

Cuski - Gifts For Baby (Chicky Lounge) Submitted at 9/24/2008 6:26:00 PM

Looking for a very cool gift? How about one that will hold mom's scent for baby? It's called Cuski, Your baby can snuggle with it like a baby doll without the choke hazard of googly eyes and it's extra absorbent and extra soft. Plus you can throw it in the wash and it comes out still feeling soft. This comfort gift is created from a unique bamboo yarn. Up until now I never heard of this, but after feeling it and test driving it - I give it 5 thumbs up! ‘Cuski’ is the anglicised Welsh term meaning ‘to sleep’ and was created to bring comfort to babies and children all over the world. Cuski is the brainchild of two mothers whose children had worn out and bulky comfort blankets - a replacement was long over due.

When they searched for alternative products, nothing was available so they set about creating the ideal comforter for theirs and other babies. Cuski recently won an award. CUSKI© KIDS PILLOW WINS GOLD AWARD 2008 Announcement of the 2008 Practical Pre-School Awards Child Care Category After many months of testing and analysing of results, the highly awaited 2008 Practical Pre-School Awards was announced to the book, toy and child care industry on Friday 12 September. With nearly 240 entries overall from 110 different companies, the Practical Pre-School Awards is one of the highlights for the toy, nursery and education resource sectors. Tested by childcare professionals, the results are viewed as a measure of what’s good and what’s not in a field that is

swamped with choice. Over the years, the Childcare category has increased in popularity and this year saw a record number of entries. Rather than shortlisting a limited number of products, the scheme differs uniquely in that it awards the coveted accolades to products on their own merit and not against other entries. Best Regards Suzanne Cannizzo M.D. You can purchase your own Cuski a t http://www.cuski.com/store.******* ****************************** *** by Myra Roldan, Blogger/Editor At Large Chicky Lounge http://chickylounge.blogspot.com Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva http://www.beautifuldiva.com

year round. Or a special section of YouTube. Each side is invited. There is no moderator. There's a chess clock. Each side gets 15 minutes total. While you're talking, your clock is running, but the other side's is not. When you're done, her clock runs. You can talk for ten seconds or ten minutes or whatever you choose. You can ask questions of your opponent, answer questions, make a speech. Whatever you want. It could even be done from two different locations. Every night. Thirty days. If you don't show up, your opponent gets the entire airtime slot. This works best in a limited channel universe, where the airtime is actually worth something, and who knows, it's

possible this will be true in four years (but unlikely). Either way, it goes a long way to helping us find thoughtful people who can think clearly (hard to fake it for thirty nights in a row). It's also hard to run negative, untrue ads when you know you'll be facing her tomorrow night. And here's a clever way to spread ideas: printhetruth.org. Even if you disagree with what's on the posters, it's a fascinating bridge between the digital and the physical world. Find posters you like and print em out and distribute them. If freedom of the press belongs to whomever owns a printer, that makes everyone obligated to print something...

Politics! (Seth's Blog) Submitted at 9/28/2008 2:25:00 AM

Politics is nothing but stories. Governing, of course, is more complicated than that, but not much. But storytelling is all we're seeing these days, stories that resonate, stories that spread... Two semirandom thoughts for Sunday: We need more debates. Not just for President, but for every elected office and for issues as well. (Yes, politics is largely marketing.) Here's my idea from four years ago. I wish I had pushed it harder: Dedicate a half hour every night during the last month to a debate series. Put it on a major channel. Or devote an entire cable channel to this,

BOSTON - October 1st & 2nd, 2008 Shop over 55 designers and brands offering incredible values on one-of-a -kind designs, cutting-edge products, and essential services! ** Indulge in free makeovers all night long! ** Shop hard-to-find items at the Rue La La Lounge. ** Enjoy complimentary hair treatments by G20 Salon. ** Pamper yourself with minimanicures from Wet Paint Nail Spa Beauty Lounge. ** Enjoy massages while sipping on complimentary Ketel One and Mixerz cocktails. So here's my take on this ladies. I attended the very first StyleFixx event last year in Boston. Yes, I drove 2-1/2 hours to Boston with a small crew I dragged along with me. I was actually a vendor at the event and for being a first time event, it was absolutely CRAZY! The place got packed quick. Luckily, we were parked by the cocktail guys who helped business and helped me keep my sanity by slipping me cocktails (and I don't drink, so I made an exception). During the event we offered minifacials, we had people lining up! I plan on attending this year's Style Fixx event as a guest - I wanna party this time. Plus, Jason of Style Fixx just offered me VIP Tickets with Red Carpet Treatment. See being on Oprah didn't even get me that kind of treatment. Style Fixx Rocks! So, I have a great deal in store for all my loyal readers. If you are in the Boston area or just feel like going on a roadtrip to Boston to attend the Style Fixx event, you can purchase y o u r t i c k e t s a t http://stylefixx.com/stylefixx-bostontickets.php enter promo code: MyraStyle and get 25% off your purchase Special Note: Only advanced ticket holders are guaranteed an official StyleFixx Swag Bag! Shoppers will receive an original StyleFixx Swag Bag stuffed with fabulous items from StyleFixx sponsors. The StyleFixx Swag Bags go fast. Buy your tickets before t h e y ' r e gone.************************** ************** by Myra Roldan, Blogger/Editor At Large Chicky L o u n g e http://chickylounge.blogspot.com Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva http://www.beautifuldiva.com

2

Storage Containers to Dream Homes BRILLIANT! (Chicky Lounge) Submitted at 9/24/2008 6:12:00 PM

I am proud to be Puerto Rican and a member of the Hispanic Community which is comprised of Hispanics from different countries. It saddens me to see members of the Hispanic Community struggle, busting their asses for crappy pay. I hate to say this but it seems that we get the short end of the stick - we can't cry that our ancestors were oppressed and therefore we should be compensated. No, we simply have to grin and bare it. If you live here in the States you are struggling to live in a slum. If you're lucky and get an education (like I did), you tend to be better off but spend all your time trying to prove you can perform at the same standards or better than our Caucasian's (I'm being PC). I've been even more discouraged by our failing economy, so when I came across this article I'm about to share, it actually made me feel really good. There is still some good in this world - there's still hope. So read on. The following article was posted on CNN.com (yes, I read CNN.com on a daily basis). ****************************** ******************** CORRALES, New Mexico (AP) -It was a side trip through a destitute, ramshackle neighborhood in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, that detoured Brian McCarthy from building houses in Albuquerque to an idea to offer the very poor a chance to own a home. Shipping containers, such as on the left, will be converted into tiny homes, as seen on the right. Shipping containers, such as on the left, will be converted into tiny homes, as seen on the right. Click to view previous image 1 of 2 Click to view next image His answer lies in a humble steel shipping container 40 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8½ feet tall. McCarthy, 30, and three partners, Pablo Nava, 22; Kyle Annen, 23; and Mackenzie Bishop, 22, have made a prototype out of a standard shipping container that hauls goods worldwide -- a 320-square-foot home with a kitchen, bath with toilet, sleeping areas, windows and a bright blue door. The exterior is painted with a white epoxy coating that has lightreflecting properties to prevent the sun's heat from penetrating. Each small house includes hookups for air conditioning, ventilation, electrical and water systems, and the units ideally could be set up in small communities to make accessing utilities more efficient. The idea began to take shape several years ago, when McCarthy went to the Mexican border city on a field trip as part of an executive MBA program. He found himself impressed by the sophistication and rapid growth of industry in Juarez but

shocked when the bus cut through a poor neighborhood on the way out of the city. Don't Miss * Atlanta gas crunch: 'We've got no gas here' * 'Tent cities' blamed on foreclosures "We saw hundreds of homes that are made out of wood pallets and cardboard and scrap metal and scrap building material," McCarthy said. When he questioned the bus driver, "he said, 'Well, all the people who live here work in the places you just visited.' "It was amazing to me that in an area where there was such growth and economic prosperity, that these employees of Fortune 1000 companies were living in such poor conditions." With Juarez growing by 50,000 to 60,000 people a year and wages low, it was evident traditional homebuilding couldn't respond, said McCarthy, who'd worked in various facets of building homes in Albuquerque, New Mexico. An idea began taking shape about a year and a half later, when he saw an article about a shipping container converted into guest quarters. "They talked about the merits of the construction, how strong they are, how affordable they are and how plentiful they are," McCarthy said. He called Nava, his cousin, with the low-cost home idea. A year later, Nava, then a junior at Notre Dame University, suggested entering the university's business plan competition. Their initial three-quarter page concept expanded as they advanced in the contest. Along the way, Nava invited his roommate, Annen, to join. As the group's acknowledged computer graphics wiz, Annen added drawings to give the presentation more life. Eventually, they won the contest with a 55-page document, illustrated by renderings and floor plans. In July 2007, the partners formed

PFNC Global Communities; PFNC stands for "Por Fin, Nuestra Casa," which roughly translates as "Finally, our own home." They operate out of a back room in a Corrales realty firm but expect offices in Juarez or adjacent El Paso, Texas, and a Juarez plant to manufacture shipping container homes. The house faces two constraints: designing in only 320 square feet and keeping the price to about $8,000 to be affordable for the average worker at maquiladoras, manufacturing plants in Mexico along the U.S. border, McCarthy said. The partners looked at clever designs for small condos and lofts, travel trailers and even private jet planes, adapting ideas they felt would work. "We started with a kitchen and bathroom because they're the most necessary and most basic ingredients of a home," McCarthy said. They designed a galley-style kitchen with a stove, sink, refrigerator and dinette, and a 48-square-foot bathroom with a pedestal sink, shower and commode. Adjacent to the kitchen is a bunk area for children; separate sleeping quarters for the owners lie behind the bathroom wall. The house may be sparse by U.S. standards, but Nava said it's a huge improvement in safety, security and health over where many now live. When drawings and color pictures of the prototype were shown around a poor Juarez neighborhood, people said, "You know, it'd be like a dream to live in one of these," Nava said. "You know, just the thought of having nice fresh air ventilating through the house, a large bed ... a normal kitchen and a safe home that locks and closes each night was more than appealing." Annen cites modern architectural design, with bare metal and piping. "This would fit right in any major city," he said. The company has received a

commitment for equity investment and is in the process of finishing details and closing its first round of funding. The partners anticipate starting production early next year, with the capacity to produce 3,000 homes in the first year and later ramping up. They figure a half million people could benefit from such homes in Juarez alone. PFNC doesn't intend just to build shelter. It wants to build communities, and McCarthy said the group expects to have the first pilot community on the ground late next year. "That was our goal, more than just four walls and a roof but to kind of raise the standard of living in Juarez and other places," Nava said. The shipping containers, which can be hauled by truck, rail or ship, are designed to stack. PFNC envisions a cluster arrangement, eight side by side and four high, with apartmenttype balconies and staircases in the corners. Clusters could be arranged into squares, creating "a safe little plaza in the middle where we hope to build a soccer field or a playground, some safe area for families to be," Nava said. PFNC wants to set up programs with maquiladoras to offer housing as an employee benefit, helping cut the high rate of worker turnover, now between 7 percent and 10 percent a month, McCarthy said. The company is working with a Mexican law firm that has handled work-to-own housing programs. "This is not a rental-type situation or free housing while you work here," McCarthy said. "Rather, the employer takes on some of the burden in setting up the financing program to transfer ownership to the employee." That's important because PFNC needs large orders to keep costs down so low-wage workers can afford the home. The incentive for employers: Studies show housing for employees dramatically increases retention, and having more workers in a given area will reduce the number of buses maquiladoras run to take people to and from their jobs. PFNC doesn't view its homes as the last stop. "With our design and with our price point, we think we'll at least be able to take the first step of getting more families into more homes" and formal property ownership, McCarthy said. "We fully anticipate that people will move into our homes, build up some equity, sell this home," he said. "We see this is a stepping stone to get into a bigger or more comfortable home."************************ **************** by Myra Roldan, Blogger/Editor At Large Chicky L o u n g e http://chickylounge.blogspot.com Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva http://www.beautifuldiva.com

3

$700 Billion Dollar BailOut and Lipstick (Chicky Lounge) Submitted at 9/24/2008 3:36:00 AM

Ok, so someone really needs to give me a good explanation of why our government is able to come up with$700 BILLION dollars (that's a really big number) to bailout these mortgage companies who put themselves in the predicament they are currently in. I was watching Sen. Schumer, sitting there questioning the Secretary of Treasure as to why they should justify granting such a huge bailout. Here's my argument! In Milford, CT where I live, they laid off 128 Teachers, there are school closings all over the place, there are schools without enough funds to purchase updated materials; like Bridgeport Public Schools one of the largest districts in the State of CT. The government has not offered any kind of bailout stimulus for Schools. YET, they can come up with$700 BILLION dollars for a CORPORATE BAILOUT. I don't think this

anymore, I know it is true, our government has its priorities twisted and we are paying for it. I mean In they tell us we are in a recession HELLOOO! In the words of Jodi Hill, should we just "Slap a little lipstick...you'll be fine"? I don't think all the lipstick in the world will help me be fine with this one. It may make me feel a bit better about myself. MAYBE, we need to purchase a crap load of lipstick and send it to Capital Hill because " good psychiatrists are hard to find, and rarely fit inside the zip pocket of your favorite clutch..." I believe these men on Capital Hill are far beyond psychiatric help. (Jodi Hill is the author of "Slap On a Little Lipstick....You'll be fine" a v a i l a b l e o n Amazon.com)******************* ********************* by Myra Roldan, Blogger/Editor At Large C h i c k y L o u n g e http://chickylounge.blogspot.com Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva http://www.beautifuldiva.com

Fun Game for Your Next Girls Nite Out! (Chicky Lounge) Submitted at 9/22/2008 8:14:00 AM

Looking for something different to do during your next get-together with your girlfriends? I have a great game for you to try, it's called, "What's a Dame to Do?". I absolutely love this game. The concept is unique and fun, Games for Dames is the brainchild of Karri and Patty of Sisters 2, Inc.. Here's an except on the game concept which I borrowed from the Games for Dames website: So, you’re in the middle of one of life’s little “Dame Dilemmas,” What’s a DAME to do?! The answer is in the cards! Each player gets a turn being in the spotlight. Who can guess you best? Bonus points are awarded for showing your hilarious side ~ so get your funny on! OBJECT Score the most points by correctly guessing players’ reactions to “Dame dilemmas.” (And laugh a lot while you’re at it!) This game is a riot and you know what they say, "Laughter is the best medicine". Get ready to laugh your ass off with this one. Plus if you have a great dilemma, you can actually submit it to Sisters 2, Inc via the

Games for Dames website and they just might add it to the game. On a final note, they are searching for the next face on their box - you could possibly be a winner. Visit Games for Dames and submit your information for a chance to be the next model on their game box. http://www.gamesfordames.com P r i c e : $34*************************** ************* by Myra Roldan, Blogger/Editor At Large Chicky L o u n g e http://chickylounge.blogspot.com Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva http://www.beautifuldiva.com

Watch TV & Movies on Your Computer (Chicky Lounge) Submitted at 9/22/2008 8:16:00 AM

I'M BAAAACK! I had to take some mental health time off, but I'm back feeling ready to go and I have some great things to share and write about. So let me tell you girl....of the new website I've discovered. It's called F a n c a s t . c o m ( http://www.fancast.com). This site absolutely rocks. Fancast.com is a warehouse of ondemand TV shows and movies you can watch right on your computer FOR FREE! My 9-year old, Isabela, gave it a serious test run this weekend. She was introduced to "Alf", and she sat all day Sunday watching episodes of

"Alf" which are available on fancast.com. The quality was good, even when viewed in full-screen. We have a DSL connection and the site didn't skip, jump, pause or freeze once. I did however push the envelope a bit when I decided to minimize the screen to go check email. This did cause some skipping. So when visiting fancast.com, my recommendation is don't try multitasking. Just sit back and enjoy.************************* *************** by Myra Roldan, Blogger/Editor At Large Chicky L o u n g e http://chickylounge.blogspot.com Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva http://www.beautifuldiva.com

Gifts for Baby (Chicky Lounge) Submitted at 9/24/2008 5:43:00 PM

I'm one of those people who is always on the hunt for unique types of gifts. Don't confuse this with looking for expensive gifts - I have a budget to follow. I have been enlightened with a very cool gift for baby. I've found "Jingle Bells Jewelry" for baby, it's a Cambodian Jingling Jewelry: For thousands of years Cambodian mommies have adorned the feet of their precious babies with silver anklets that have small bells attached to them. Traditionally, it is believed that these whimsical anklets/bracelets ward off bad spirits from its delicate jingling sounds. They also serve a functional purpose by providing auditory clues to their childrens movements and whereabouts. So if you are in the market for a unique holiday present this year for a very special little one - Check out

BabyEmiJewelry.com for your Cambodian Jingling Jewelry.*********************** ***************** by Myra Roldan, Blogger/Editor At Large C h i c k y L o u n g e http://chickylounge.blogspot.com Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva http://www.beautifuldiva.com

9/11 - We should never forget (Chicky Lounge) Submitted at 9/11/2008 6:01:00 AM

Today marks the 7th anniversay of the events of 9/11. This day has a huge impact on me as it did on many others across America. So many people lost their lives, so many children lost their parents. Chaos reigned that horrible day. It's so easy for us to forget the events of that day. Today I sat for a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. alone with a multitude of people on the televisions screen. Passerbys

continued on never stopping a moment to remember those who were lost. It's upset me deeply, but then I remember. Life does go on and we must live everyday with our head held up high, because we are here and w e a r e alive.************************** ************** by Myra Roldan, Blogger/Editor At Large Chicky L o u n g e http://chickylounge.blogspot.com Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva http://www.beautifuldiva.com