Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
叹为观止 机场夜景
一组令人叹为观止的长曝光照片，展现了航班起飞和降落的精彩瞬间。2009年7月17日，美国旧金山国际机场，来自密尔布莱的航班从1L/1R跑道 起飞，离开机场。照片曝光时间从晚上10点到11点。照片中，Qantas航空公司的波音747-400从左向右，穿过机场中部，而后起飞前往悉尼。
航班起降
航班起降
航班起降
航班起降
航班起降
航班起降
航班起降
航班起降
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航班起降
Thursday, April 14, 2011
精美地面3D立体画
3D 地画最近几年已经成了世界各地艺术家都踊跃尝试的新兴艺术形式，立体画大师Kurt Wenner用粉笔创作梦幻般的三维视觉作品，他将复杂的几何学运用于经典的意大利建筑并形成一股风潮。Kurt Wenner之前在NASA从事是绘制外星地表景观的工作，而后从美国移居意大利，并把兴趣从外星地表转移到街头地面。
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Bible Verse Ideas for Your Baby’s Birth Announcement
- We prayed for this child and the Lord has granted us what we asked of Him.” – I Samuel 1:27
- “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” – James 1:17
- “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you…” – Jeremiah 1:5
- “From the fullness of grace we have received one blessing after another” - John 1:16
- “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” – Matthew 19:14
- “I sing for joy at the works of Your hands.” – Psalm 92:4
- “We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.” – 1 John 1:4
- “And He took the children in his arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.” Mark 10:16
- “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.” – Psalm 100:1
- “Children too are a gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb, a reward.” – Psalm 127:3
- “And taking a child, he set him in the midst of them. Whom when he had embraced, he saith to them: Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name, receiveth me. And whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.” – Mark 9:36-37
- “For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.” – Psalm 139:13
- “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given.” – Isaiah 9:6
Friday, April 1, 2011
繳社安稅 四重保障
答﹕聯邦社安署（SSA）在3月初舉行的網路研討會中討論了20來歲的年輕人可以享受的社安福利。這項活動主要是向30歲以下，在2011年度需要將收入4.2%繳納社安稅的年輕人，闡明社安金對他們的好處，下面就是最主要的幾項社安福利﹕
1、傷殘保險。如果遭遇傷殘事故，或者健康狀況使得無法工作，在傷殘六個月後，就可能從社安署獲得傷殘補助。社安署表示，目前20多歲的年輕人，大約有三成在67歲之前會變成傷殘。年輕人在支付兩年社安稅之後，就能在遭遇不幸時，有資格獲此補助。
2、未亡人保險。很多Y世代的人已經步入家庭生活。如果過世時子女還沒滿18歲，那麼未成年子女以及照料這些子女的配偶，可能有資格獲得每月的社安金收入，直到一定的年限。社安署估計，大約每七個20歲的人，就有一個在67歲前過世。配偶及子女也可能獲得一次性死亡補助。
3、 幫助扶養父母。當父母以及祖父母獲取社安金收入時，也就意味著他們可能會減少對年輕家庭成員依賴。要年輕子女每月提供1177元生活補助，或許非常困難， 而這正是2011年度社安署向每位退休人員發放的平均社安金金額。如果計劃照料老人生活，那麼這部分收入就能補貼日常家庭開銷。
4、退休後 的收入。退休後獲得的社安金金額，取決於工作年限中收入最高35年的平均月收入。在1960年或之後出生的人，到67歲時就能獲得足額社安金收入。如果在 62歲至66歲之間就開始申請社安金，因為申領年限增加，收入會有折扣。如果延遲至70歲才開始，則收入會增加。
無論壽命多長，聯邦政府都會提供終身性的社安金。社安署預計，目前20歲的年輕人，退休之後大約還有20年的生活。如果實際壽命高於預期，在耗盡退休儲蓄之後，社安金收入將能保證基本生活要求。
Monday, March 28, 2011
25 sites you can't live without it
Full List
Sites to Bookmark
- Amazon.com
- BBC.co.uk
- Citysearch.com
- Craigslist.org
- Del.icio.us
- Digg.com
- Ebay.com
- ESPN.com
- Facebook.com
- FactCheck.org
- Flickr.com
- Google.com
- HowStuffWorks.com
- The Internet Movie Database
- YouTube
- Kayak.com
- National Geographic.com
- Netflix.com
- Technorati.com
- TMZ.com
- USA.gov
- Television WithoutPity.com
- WebMD.com
- Wikipedia.org
- Yahoo.com
2. Citysearch.com Helps steer you to the right restaurants, bars, nightclubs, hotels and spas in dozens of cities, with editors' picks and user reviews, and a Yellow Pages directory that includes shops and other services. A mobile version lets you access listing info from your cell phone. Other local search services worth consulting: Yelp!, which relies on reviews by its members (a.k.a. "yelpers"), who now chime in from more than two dozen cities, and Attendio, which clues you in to events happening in your area.
3. Digg .com The leader in social news, where users determine what's important and interesting by submitting it, "digging" it and posting a comment. Click "Top in 24 Hours" to see the most popular articles, blog posts and other Web pages of the day. In recent months the site has expanded beyond tech news, adding separate sections for Science, World & Business, Sports, Entertainment and Gaming. Digg Labs continues to roll out new and visually interesting ways to view the links and find out immediately what's hot (and what's not). On BigSpy, stories pop up at the top each time they get another digg, the moment they get it. The bigger and bolder the headline, the higher the digg count. Arc, meanwhile, arranges stories in a circle; mouse over a piece of the pie to preview the link.
4. Factcheck.org The Annenberg Political Fact Check, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, is an independent, nonpartisan effort to cut through the routine spin and dissembling of politicians and other public figures. Staff writers check speeches, TV ads, news releases and other public statements for accuracy, and provide clarification and context.
5. Flickr.com More than half a billion images are now posted on Flickr, a superbly designed sharing platform and social network for photo enthusiasts that, since June, also offers French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese and Korean language options. (Next up: video.) Upload and tag your images and make them available for community consumption, and see how they rate on "interestingness" and "gorgeousity;" join a group (there are more than 300,000 of them, and each one has its own theme); comment on other people's images or subscribe to a photo stream. The cool Maps feature shows where photos were taken. For more private sharing and straightforward printing services, use Shutterfly or Kodak EasyShare Gallery. Or try the new, no-frills Picupine; it doesn't offer printing or long-term storage, but it allows you to share your photos quickly and easily, without forcing you to create an account first. Once you've submitted your photos, the site creates a Web link you can then send to friends and family.
6. Howstuffwork.com Easy-to-read explanations of how things work, from plasma converters to antibiotics to E-Z Pass. Now the site lets you upload photos and video to help supplement its written content. UNICEF sent in a video clip about land mines; NASA on sonic booms; and GE on photovoltaics.
7. The Internet Movie Database is not just the Net's more extensive directory of films and TV shows of the past, present and future —it is also a stomping ground for film buffs who like to quote dialogue, share trivia and recommend favorite flicks to their friends. Or, before you head to the theater or pop in that DVD, go to Rotten Tomatoes to see what all the critics have to say. 8. Kayak.com When planning your next trip, make this your first stop. The search engine works fast, scouring hundreds of travel sites to find the best airfares. You can compare rates on different travel dates, or check prices to several destinations at once. Create a profile so you don't have to enter certain data every time you use it. When it comes time to choose a hotel, read the reviews on TripAdvisor.
9. Technorati.com This blog search engine now searches for social media too —photos, video and music posted on online sharing sites — and a tag cloud on the home page shows you the hot topics of the day. Blogs are given an authority rating, based on how many other blogs currently link to it. The new BlogStorm also tracks blog love; register your site to receive free statistics. Another honorable mention goes to Sphere, where you can select a topic (Sports, Politics, Entertainment) and the site will generate links to the most popular blog posts, news stories and other related content.
10. TMZ.com The best for celebrity and entertainment news. Recent scoops include a May 18 post about Andy Roddick's buffed-up bod on the cover of the June/July issue of Men's Fitness (the site's crack team of reporters even scooped Roddick, who blogged about the seemingly doctored photo four days later: "little did I know I had 22-inch guns...") Check out the latest paparazzi shots, browse the video galleries or click for an archive by name. (Full disclosure: TMZ is a joint venture between Telepictures Productions and AOL, which, like TIME and Time.com, is owned by Time Warner.) Can't get enough? Check out Yahoo's splashy new omg!, which is big on photos. (Brangelina with the kids! Kate Bosworth at the beach! Paris jogging — before being jailed!)
11. USA.gov The official Web portal for the U.S. government, with links to every branch, agency and organization involved in federal business, plus reports, guides, reference material and other resources to help you navigate the system, and, whenever possible, get things done online. Each Web page of links is more specific than the last, so you can quickly drill down to the matter at hand. It took three clicks (and three seconds) to find NASA's bank of images and animations of our home planet (select Science & Tech, then Physical Sciences, then Visible Earth), learn how to file for bankruptcy (Money and Taxes/Personal Finance) and read up on Medicare prescription drug coverage (Health). Also: FedStats.
12. Television withoutpity.com Bitingly funny recaps of dozens of popular TV shows, plus forums for further discussion.
13. WebMD.com A big portal packed with information about health and related issues. A recent redesign introduced a nifty new tool called Symptom Checker, which lets you self-diagnose—sorry, "pinpoint potential conditions"—in seconds by clicking on body parts and selecting from a list of specific complaints (just be sure to check with your doctor for a real diagnosis). The new WebMD Health Manager lets you store your personal medical records online and make them available to doctors. The new Revolution Health portal, which launched in April, has many of these same tools and features, including its own symptom checker (but WebMD's has cool graphics). Other trustworthy sources of information about disease and other health matters: the Medem Leaning Centers, which aggregates top articles from leading medical societies on a wide range of topics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health.
怎達成退休儲蓄目標？
答:由於收入有限和用錢的地方較多，一般人很難從每張薪水支票中拿出一部分以備將來退休之用，尤其是因為無法預料將來退休時究竟需要多少錢。因此，制定退休儲蓄目標便成了艱巨挑戰。
基 準財務集團對1127名中小型公司員工的調查顯示，如今不到48%的員工知道，他們需要多少錢才能過舒適的退休生活。嬰兒潮一代人對退休後需有多少儲蓄可 能更清楚，占57%。但20幾歲的Y時代的員工只有31%知道儲蓄目標。男子比女子更可能計算出退休儲蓄需要多少，分別是57%和40%。
30% 的員工認為，他們的儲蓄足可使退休生活過得舒適。54%的人說，他們目前只將最多8%的薪水納入退休積蓄，包括雇主匹配的退休金在內。62%的人說，要存 入9%的薪資才能確保退休無虞。員工拿出薪資3%到5%存為退休金的比例最高，占21%；17%的人是把6%到8%的薪資存進退休帳戶。
下面是激發你儲蓄的幾個方法:
1.提高薪資是增加向401(k)退休帳戶存錢的最佳方式。如果不能與雇主協商好加薪，便要考慮做兼職工作，把部分多餘的錢存入退休帳戶。
2.找一份雇主提供退休匹配金的工作。如果雇主也為你的退休帳戶提供資金，便可省下自己的一部分儲蓄。43%的員工認為，雇主給401(k)帳戶的匹配金或提高匹配額度，是他們願增加退休儲蓄的動力。
3. 規劃退休儲蓄的增長預期。27%的員工說，他們將等到退休帳戶的回報率出現增長趨勢時，再開始多存錢。26%的人表示，要等到經濟好轉後再增多儲蓄。但 是，退休帳戶增值的最大因素是存了多少錢。算出目前的儲蓄到退休時會增值多少，然後再算出每月多存1%會增值多少。在工作期間哪怕只多存1%，也會產生可 觀的效果。
4.重新安排退稅的用途。15%的員工準備把2011年2%的社安減稅存入退休帳戶。其實他們還可考慮把部分退稅存進退休帳戶，或是用退稅款購買儲蓄債券。
5.確定儲蓄目標。8%的員工說，為退休做好準備需要仔細計算，7%的人認為需要聽取理財師的建議，這樣，便能使他們更好地暸解到該為退休儲蓄多少錢。
6.自動儲蓄。把部分薪資直接存入退休帳戶。遇到加薪時還要記住多存一些，直至可以滿足退休目標。
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
小布娃娃（Blythe）“爱厨”的收藏
这是一种收藏型的娃娃，身高大约30公分，眼睛有4组不同颜色的瞳片，只要拉一下后脑的拉绳，就会眨一下眼睛，并变换瞳片。
小布的官网：http://www.blythedoll.com/index-e.html
大陆的小布论坛：http://www.dollbbs.com/
台湾的小布论坛：http://www.blythe.com.tw/bbs/portal.php
英文的小布论坛（美国）：http://www.thisisblythe.com/newforum/
如果你有兴趣买一只来收藏，建议你先到上面几个论坛学习研究一下，弄清楚了各款小布的特色与身价之后再下手，以免花大钱当冤大头。小布是收 藏品，除非是新出来的娃娃，不然的话，旧娃的价位不是很透明，要懂行的才能判断。我当初就是在论坛和各拍卖网站熬了几个月之后才买下第一只小布的。
eBay上有很多娃娃可以买，但是价钱太贵，如果你有机会回国，在国内买便宜些。淘宝上很多。
我主帖里的黄头发小布（JoJo），款式叫BL-5 Kozy cape，是2001年的旧娃，产量少，所以很贵，现在在eBay有人叫价1200美金，但我是在台湾的露天拍卖买的，只花了750。
但如果你买全新，刚出厂的新版小布，价钱可以在100元以内，因为小布会增值涨价的，以后只会越来越贵~~~~
上面那个美国的小布论坛里有娃友的买卖区，也可以找找看。
还有个关于小布各款娃娃的价位参考blog，你也可参考：http://blythepricelist.wordpress.com/
假如买小布有疑问，欢迎问我，我也算是小有心得的哦~~~：））
老牌影星伊丽莎白·泰勒去世
泰勒尤其以一双漂亮的蓝紫色眼睛(violet eyes)闻名于世。
据法新社最新消息，美国好莱坞传奇影星伊丽莎白·泰勒(Elizabeth Taylor)去世，享年79岁。
此前报道称，泰勒在2004年被诊断出有充血性心脏衰竭。上个月，她因为病发而紧急送医治疗，她的亲朋好友都到院探望，并陪她一起观赏奥斯卡颁奖典礼，同时也在医院为她庆生。
伊丽莎白·泰勒号称“好莱坞常青树”和“世界头号美人”，曾主演《埃及艳后》等数十部影片，1961年和1967年先后两次荣获奥斯卡影后，她曾有过8次婚姻，1996年与第8任丈夫拉里·福藤斯基离婚后一直未结婚。
伊丽莎白·泰勒女爵士，DBE（Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor，1932年2月27日－，又译作伊莉沙伯·泰莱），美国电影演员。年青时因为她的美艳而赢得“玉女”的称号。
泰勒1932年生于英国伦敦，7岁时随父母移居美国好莱坞。1942年，年仅十岁便登上银幕，拍摄了《每分钟出生一个孩子》；翌年转米高梅公司，其 后在该公司从艺将近20年。泰勒几十年来一直身踞好莱坞头号女星之列。她容貌秀美、气质高雅、演技精湛，长于不同人物特性的刻画，常饰多情任性的浪漫女 性。在几十年的银幕生涯中，她与众多的好莱坞明星合拍了不少名片，曾两次获得奥斯卡最佳女演员奖（《巴特菲尔德8号》、《谁怕弗吉尼亚·伍尔夫？》），三 次获得奥斯卡奖提名。她有“好莱坞的常青树”和“世界头号美人”之称。目前，她投身于慈善事业，致力于防治艾滋病的公益事业。1999年，他被美國電影學 會選為百年來最偉大的女演員第7名。
步入晚年的伊麗莎白·泰勒身體狀況漸差，在2005年當她出席公開活動時，因行動不便而須坐輪椅。在2006年4月末，有消息傳出伊麗莎白·泰勒已 經病入膏肓，進入彌留狀態，但她的發言人對此加以否認。2010年3月伊麗莎白泰勒重病在身，但她放棄治療拒絕就醫，並直接向親友說：她活夠了。2011 年3月23日病逝。
駕駛人躲罰單 高科技反偵測
今日美國報報導，越來越多希望避免闖紅燈或超速被照相的駕駛人開始用高科技產品逃避罰單。
財務困難的警察局常常以自動相機拍攝闖紅燈或超速的駕駛 人，以增加警方收入。但道高一尺魔高一丈，許多駕駛人用高科技電子偵測產品和電腦軟體，偵測警方照相機架設地點，適時減速或停車，以避免吃罰單。這類產品 包括Cobra公司的iRadar，它可和iPhone連線；Trapster，此產品根據其他駕駛人提供的資訊，顯示警方照相機架設的位置；Fuzz Alert可以和iPhone、iPad連線。
最受使用者歡迎的是PhantomAlert，駕駛人可將這個網上資料庫，下載到GPS或智慧型手機。此應用程式用語音提醒駕駛人，附近有紅燈或超速照相機、警方設下取締超速的陷阱區、學校區、和警方查緝酒醉駕車的地點。
該 應用程式資料庫中的酒測點是根據其他駕駛人提供的資料，此功能讓警方感到困擾。馬里蘭州蒙哥馬利市警察史塔克斯(Paul Starks)說：「如果允許駕駛人使用該產品查出酒測點，豈不縱容駕駛人酒後駕車。他們為了能夠酒後開車，沒有顧到其他駕駛人、行人、車中其他乘員、甚 至他們自身的安全。」
維吉尼亞灘主管紅燈照相業務的警官華特斯(Brian Walters)說：「我贊成讓駕駛人知道警方偵測點的位置。一些GPS公司要求我確認警方偵測相機的位置，我樂於幫助他們。」他說：「如果民間銷售的反偵測產品可以使駕駛人提高警覺，這是很好的事情。」
維州退休消防員芮基特(Dennis Ricketts)一年半前決定終生訂購PhantomAlert，配合他的TomTom GPS使用。他說，該產品使他駕車時更謹慎。
他說：「駕駛人開車時，經常注意力不集中，特別是他們經常走的路，使用反偵測產品後，駕駛人會提高警覺。」
Thursday, March 17, 2011
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