via Mashable:
We don’t usually report on sex tapes over here at Mashable — standards, people — but when we heard that “Weird Al” Yankovic launched his own on his YouTube channel this past Monday, we took notice. Luckily, the vid is completely safe for work — unless you work in a bubble wrap factory.

Yesterday this not-so-salacious vid — which features a fully clothed Yankovic lovingly playing with bubble wrap — only had around 300 views. Today it has more than 50,000. Why the rapid rise in interest? Here’s the basic progression:

“Wha?” begets Morbid interest begets “WTF?” begets Nervous, uncomfortable laughter begets Share

The comedian sets up the joke in the video’s description, which reads:

“‘Weird Al’ Yankovic caught in the act. Extremely graphic. You must be over 18 years old to view this footage.”

All in all, the video is far from lewd — disturbing is another story — but its shear viral nature really says something about our culture, which is obsessed with the latest celebrity indiscretion (I mean, Dustin Diamond has a sex tape, a “Weird Al” fleshfest ain’t that far-fetched).

Take a look if you have a second, although I far prefer “Amish Paradise“:

For this article I used a photo of my real live home office. These tips are important one to me as I am constantly trying to find the balance between spending 14 hours a day in the office working without ever seeing another room in my home not to mention the shower or being totally distracted by home projects, cooking, laundry, etc. I hope you find it useful and find that balance in working from home.
~Cynthia

More and more companies and organizations not only allow but also encourage telecommuting. If your organization offers that option, you can use your mobile PC to be productive in the comfort of your home or another remote location. In this article, I discuss the tools of the trade and provide tips to ensure that the familiar home environment doesn’t prevent you from keeping your focus and achieving your goals.

Tools of the trade
To efficiently telecommute, you’ll need the following tools.
Internet access: Most teleworkers have access to the Internet at home so that they can connect to their corporate network. As a home user, you can choose from three Internet access options:

•DSL: DSL stands for digital subscriber line. It uses ordinary telephone lines and a special modem to provide an Internet connection that can transmit high-bandwidth information to a user’s computer. A DSL line can carry both data and voice signals. The data part of the line is a dedicated connection to the Internet and does not interfere with the use of the telephone. DSL is high speed and is always connected to the Internet.

•Cable Internet: Cable Internet uses your local cable TV line to receive broadband Internet content. This data rate far exceeds that of modems and is about the same as DSL. Your local TV cable company is typically the cable Internet service provider.

•Satellite Internet: If cable or DSL aren’t available in your area, or if the slow dial-up access speeds are not acceptable, consider using satellite internet. It’s available to you if you live in the northern hemisphere and have an unobstructed view of the southern sky. The service is expensive and the data rate is not as fast as a direct line, but it is a good connectivity alternative if you live in an isolated location.

Computer: Of course, you’ll need a computer! You can use a desktop computer or a mobile PC. If you can take your mobile PC home from the office, you won’t have to install the same programs on your desktop computer. If you do need to use a desktop computer to connect to your organization’s network remotely, you may need to install additional software to meet your company’s connectivity and security requirements.

Dedicated space with some privacy: I’ve heard more than one frustrated telecommuter state that they have a hard time focusing when they work at home. When I ask where their desktop computer or mobile PC is located, they usually say it’s on the dining room table. By setting up your workspace in a busy location, you almost guarantee distractions. Instead, set up a safe, healthy, and efficient workspace with easy access to your computer, a phone, reference materials, and supplies.

Communication tools: When telecommuting, make sure that your colleagues, customers, and manager can communicate with you at all times. Whether you’re in the office or working remotely, make it easy for people to contact you. Here are some suggestions:

•Share your phone number with people you work with regularly and leave your contact information with your manager and one or two additional contacts (such as your administrative assistant or receptionist). Also, consider using call forwarding to your home or cell phone so that you receive incoming calls wherever you’re working.

•Consider using instant messaging (IM). Similar to a chat room, IM is a fast means of communicating with one or more people in real time over the Internet. IM also gives you a way to show and update your communication status throughout the day. For example, when you need a couple of hours of undisturbed concentration, set your status as “Busy” and let everyone know that you’ll be slower than usual to reply to e-mail messages and phone calls.

Tips for staying focused
The tools of the trade don’t guarantee success—you’ll also need some strategies to help you stay focused.

•Start working at the same time. Treat telework days like regular workdays: get up, get dressed, and be “at your desk” at the usual time.

•Establish a schedule. Keep work hours similar to the ones you would keep if you were working at your office. Your manager and your co-workers appreciate knowing when you are available.

•Limit distractions. Be careful not to replace office-based interruptions with home-based ones (such as children, neighbors, and friends).

•Plan ahead. Take the appropriate work home. Some work may be better suited for the home office than other work, so be sure to plan the telework a day ahead.

•Take breaks. Plan time to get up and move around. Consider going for a walk or a run during your lunch break to keep your mind fresh.

•Focus on objectives. Work with your manager and colleagues to define clear goals and objectives against which your performance can be objectively measured.

Telecommuting is not for everyone, but if your job lends itself to working remotely and you are self-disciplined and highly motivated, you can reap the rewards of working effectively at home or remotely. Using the information presented in this column, you can take advantage of the opportunity to work efficiently away from the office while remaining in touch with your colleagues and customers.

This article was written by Armelle O’Neal.

Whether or not you are a senior you will understand this one, if you deal with seniors this should help you understand them a little better, and if you are not a senior yet……..God willing, someday you will be……

The $2.99 Special (sent to me by my Uncle…who is a senior)
We went to breakfast at a restaurant where the ’seniors’ special’ was two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast for $2.99.

‘Sounds good,’ my wife said. ‘But I don’t want the eggs.’

‘Then, I’ll have to charge you three dollars and forty-nine cents because you’re ordering a la carte,’ the waitress warned her.

‘You mean I’d have to pay for not taking the eggs?’ my wife asked incredulously.

‘YES!!’ stated the waitress.

‘I’ll take the special then,’ my wife said.

‘How do you want your eggs?’ the waitress asked.

‘Raw and in the shell,’ my wife replied. She took the two eggs home and baked a cake..

DON’T MESS WITH SENIORS!!!
They have been around the block more than once!

This week home mortgage borrowers got the latest word on how much they owe compared to the actual value of their real estate – and the numbers are only getting uglier.

First American CoreLogic, a company that gathers data on millions of mortgages that have been packaged into securities for investors, reports that nearly one in four home loans nationally is now larger than the actual value of the home that backs it. In other words, one-quarter of all home loans are underwater!

In just the last three months of 2009, plummeting home prices and accumulating debts pushed 620,000 more homeowners into negative territory.By far the worst off are borrowers in Nevada, 70 percent of whom now owe more than their homes are worth. Not far behind is Arizona, where more than half of borrowers are underwater, and Florida, where 48 percent are in for more than their homes’ value. New York is weathering the storm the best, with just 6.3 percent of borrowers owing more than their homes are worth. (New Yorkers who own should be thankful for their perpetual housing shortage, since it helps keep prices strong.)

For most homeowners, negative equity is just a temporary setback – like watching your stock portfolio dip below where it was when you bought it. Eventually, odds are the values will recover.

But the new numbers show that for an increasing number of homeowners, negative equity is becoming a way of life – and that means living on the edge of foreclosure. Negative equity sharply increases the odds that a homeowner will decide to “walk away” and stop making mortgage payments. And even if a homeowner is eager to avoid foreclosure, owing significantly more than a home is worth usually makes it impossible to refinance or sell the home. If that owner loses his or her job and can’t find another, or needs to get out of an adjustable rate mortgage, a future foreclosure is likely.

Plummeting home values aren’t the only reason homeowners are sinking more deeply into the hole. Borrowers hold hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of Option ARMs, which allow borrowers to pay less each month than it would actually cost to pay off what they owe on the mortgage so what they owe actually grows. Most borrowers with Option ARM mortgages have only been making those minimum payments. Interest rates are low right now, so some are managing to make a dent in their loan balances anyway. But as rates rise, which they inevitably will, these borrowers are poised to fall farther and farther behind – and when they fall too far below the total amount of principal they owe, their monthly payments are programmed to jump sharply.

In the coming two years, according to Amherst Securities Group, borrowers will see these payment spikes on more than $150 billion worth of Option ARM mortgages. That means that they’ll be forced to start spending more each month, and start catching up with what they actually owe on the house. And if they can’t? That’s when the sheriff comes calling.

The good news: nearly half of all homeowners with a mortgage still have equity in their home. Which side of the picket fence are you on?

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST
Emergency The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked.

SECOND
Have you locked your keys in the car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other “remote” for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Editor’s Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!” (My hubby and I tried this. He went to the grocery store approx 3 miles away. He called me….I hit the button on my cell phone and his truck door opened! It was a hoot!!)

THIRD
Hidden Battery Power
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

FOURTH
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone’s serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 # A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone gets stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won’t get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can’t use/sell it either. And Finally..

FIFTH
Free Directory Service for Cells
Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don’t have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.

Bring a gently used clothing item to Stein Mart on Friday, Saturday or Sunday this week and you will receive a 20% off voucher towards your purchase of a new item. This clothing drive will benefit the Salvation Army. Anyone who knows me, knows that the Salvation Army is my favorite charity and I support this wonderful organization with everything they do for those in need right here in Las Vegas.

Here is the full story:
Next week from March 4th through the 6th you can do both at Stein Mart stores!

Here in the Western part of the United States, you can find Stein Mart stores in the following states:
Arizona
California
Colorado
Nevada
Utah

Stein Mart – started in 1908 by the current CEO Jay Stein’s grandfather – is renown for offering current fashions at 60% below department store prices! Even more important, they specialize in being a good friend to charities and the people they serve.

Their “Give and Receive” event allows shoppers to receive a 20% off coupon for every clean, gently-used garment they donate at one of their stores. Those garments are then given to The Salvation Army and sold in one of our stores to provide funding for our no-cost drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers.

Stein Mart doesn’t stop there. They’re also actively involved in charity efforts to provide free clothing to people in crisis who are starting over in life and need some extra help.

I think that makes Stein Mart a good corporate citizen. Please support them – and us – by stopping by next week with some pieces of your wardrobe that you’re ready to part with. You’ll be doing a lot of good. Thank you.

Start your weekend off with BANG
The Voodoo Cowboys will be rocking the Las Vegas Country Saloon this Friday night
Always free
Always rockin’
…and Always a great way to end the week

We Need YOU…..We are calling in all favors…
Everyone who have not had to chance to come to one of our shows, all our returning friends and fans
we need to win the challenge of which band rules The Country Saloon.
So please help us by showing up to support live music in Las Vegas.

FREE VIP seats available. Call ahead 702.556.3558 to make your reservation~!!!

Friday, March 5th 10pm – 2am
Las Vegas Country Saloon
425 E. Fremont Street @ Las Vegas Blvd
(above Hennessey’s)

Free Line Dancing Lessons
Drink Specials
Delicious Food
Pole Dancing
Bull Riding

Please help the music to continue playing in Las Vegas by supporting live music venues~!!!!

Well, here we are two full months into 2010. This is usually right about the time of year when many people start to fall off the wagon and forget about those goals and resolutions that they set for themselves on January 1st. Hopefully you are still moving full speed ahead towards your goals, but if you need a little bit of extra motivation, I thought I would share some more of my favorite motivational quotes with you. I hope you enjoy them!

“People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don’t know when to quit. Most men succeed because they are determined to.” – George Allen

“I’ve found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often.” -Brian Tracy

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race” – Calvin Coolidge

“Only by contending with challenges that seem to be beyond your strength to handle at the moment can you grow more surely toward the stars.” -Brian Tracy

“Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.” -Earl Nightingale

“Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” -Henry Ford

“Become a ‘possibilitarian’. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see the possibilities- Always see them, for they are always there.” -Norman Vincent Peale

“Your decision to be, have, and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else.” -Brian Tracy

“Don’t waste time waiting for inspiration. Begin, and inspiration will find you.” -Jim Rohn

“Do not think of today’s failures, but of success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will have a joy in overcoming obstacles—a delight in climbing rugged paths which you would perhaps never know if you did not sometimes slip backward. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost.” -Helen Keller.

Hopefully these words of wisdom were able to give you some extra motivation- they always seem to do the trick for me!

The Good
Today’s S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices showed several cities enjoyed rising home prices recorded in the fourth quarter of 2009 like San Francisco where prices rose 4.8% from Q4 2008, followed by a 3% increase in Dallas and a 2.7% increase in San Diego. Washington, Denver, and Boston also saw price increases.

Nationally, the home prices dropped 2.5% but the numbers were massively drug down by cities like Las Vegas that dropped 20.6% and Tampa that dropped 11%, so the fact that so many cities increased is encouraging.

The Bad
Ending 2009, 25% of mortgage holders owe more than their homes are worth, according to First American CoreLogic with problem areas like Nevada plaguing the national average as 70% of borrowers underwater. More than 50% of borrowers Florida and Arizona as well as 33% of California borrowers are underwater.

The Ugly
The ugly of all of this news is that it’s great that some cities saw home price increases, that saves some homeowners from being underwater, but for the areas that are suffering in home prices, the rate of those underwater is exaggerated. Some areas appear to be experiencing some stabilization but others (most notably Nevada) are still in critical condition.