Posted on September 16th, 2008 — in Food And More, Fun Stuff, Top Entertainment
Autumn is such a magical time - leaves falling, pumpkins glowing and little ones spooking up the night in adorable Halloween costumes. With all the wonder of the season, autumn is the perfect time to add a little bit of magic to the everyday. Ring in the season with fun Halloween dinners that the whole family will adore. It’s the perfect way to make the season even more magical.
Here is one of our favorite Halloween dinners served up family style. . .
Sea Monster Hotdogs and Seaweed Mashed Potatoes
Serve up a frightfully yummy dinner with our take on plain ole meat and potatoes. First, cook up your hotdog and then, create four “legs” by slicing from the center of the hotdog down. Make sure the legs are attached to the top of the hotdog so that the top will become freestanding. Spread out the legs of the hotdog and place it down on a plate. Use mustard to draw eyes on to your dog.
For our seaweed mashed potatoes, all you need to do is mix up a bowl of mashed potatoes. When they are done, simply add a bit of green food coloring to the mix and serve.
Toss on pirate themed Halloween costumes to make this dinner extra fun and sail away to Halloween adventure! For more Halloween ideas for the whole family, check out our other blogs and find out how to make the fun of Halloween last all year long.
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Posted on May 24th, 2008 — in Top Entertainment
Mp3 players are everywhere you look now, and it seems like
everyone’s got one. People on tv, in movies, at school, on the
bus, or even walking or running down the street. And the
selections are endless. But with so many options it’s almost
impossible to find the right mp3 player to suit your needs,
especially if you don’t know what you’re needs are!
Do you know what kind of mp3 player you want?
This is where choosing the best mp3 player starts. You have to
know what you’ll be using this mp3 player for. Do you want to
workout with it at the gym? Use it for running laps? Do you want
to be able to put your whole music collection on it? Maybe you
want to use it to hook up to your stereo and play all your
music. Do you need something for your work commute? Is something
that can display pictures or play video files important? Do you
want one of the best mp3 players on the market? Or is price a
factor in your purchase?
As you can see, there are a lot of factors that weigh into your
decision to purchase an mp3 player. I’ll try to go over some of
the basic ones here.
Flash vs. Hard Drive
Most mp3 players can be split into two categories. Flash mp3
players or hard drive mp3 players. Flash mp3 players tend to be
smaller, lighter, and cheaper. They also store less music, but
make up for it by being able to handle more activity. Running,
biking over rough terrain…and things of that sort. Flash mp3
players are most useful while working out or when buying an mp3
player on a budget. Flash mp3 players are also upgradeable. You
can swap out the memory card for a larger one to store more
music. Hard drive mp3 players are mostly known as “jukeboxes”.
Hard drive mp3 players are good for storing large music
collections or as backup drives to store larger files(or with
recent technological advancements…displaying pictures or
playing videos). Hard drive players are great for taking away on
extended trips or vacations. But hard drive mp3 players are
pricey, and the more features they have, the more expensive they
are.
Features
Mp3 players have a variety of different features. From
sound/audio options, to various play options. Things like
battery life and included accessories may be important to you.
All mp3 players will also have different included software for
downloading and managing music files, with some software
packages being better than others. Some mp3 players will even
allow you to rip CDs directly from an audio player to your mp3
player, no computer required. Players will also have different
navigation types. Some using buttons, others using touch pads or
click wheels. Some mp3 players come standard with an FM tuner,
as well as digital voice and FM recording. Then there are
players made specifically for sports use that come with lap
timers and stopwatches and things of that nature. If any
particular feature is important to you, make sure the mp3 player
you want has it(or can at least be bought as an accessory for
it).
Price
If you’re looking to purchase an mp3 player for under $100 or
so, flash mp3 players are going to be your best bet. Very few
hard drive or larger file capacity mp3 players are available at
that kind of price. But there is good news. With competition the
way it is in the mp3 player market, older model mp3 players are
always being made available at huge discounted prices, allowing
you to save anywhere from $20 to $70 on some of the best mp3
players out there.
Brands
There are a lot of competing companies out there making mp3
players. Weeding out the top quality ones from the lesser ones
isn’t always easy. Some of my favorites are Apple, Creative
labs, Sandisk, Rio, iRiver and Archos. There are others, such as
Nike or iAudio, but these are the main contenders. The Apple
iPod is by far the most popular, most pervasive, coolest, and
most expensive mp3 player brand out there. Whether the price of
the iPod is worth it, is your choice. Just make sure you get a
good sense of what other mp3 player brands are out there, and what
each of them are like.
Conclusion
Finding the right mp3 player can be difficult sometimes. Knowing
the answers to many of the questions asked in this article will
make that search, and subsequent decision, easier for you. But
don’t despair if this intro to mp3 players wasn’t enough for
you. There are sites out there dedicated to helping you choose the right mp3 player. Happy hunting!
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Posted on May 21st, 2008 — in Top Entertainment
Greatest Rap Artists of all Time
This list is based on lyrical ability, album sales, and
longevity. Producers are not counted in this list. While we must
give honourable mention to groups like RUN DMC who were
breakthrough artists, and P.Diddy who is arguably the most
powerful rap mogul (with Suge Knight perhaps the most
dangerous), we are focusing on individuals who have each brought
a unique style and message to the rap world. You may also
noticed that the list is testosterone driven, but let’s face it,
other than an argument for Queen Latifah, there simply are no
great female rappers.
10. Talib Kweli
For someone who has never “made it”, no one is more respected in
the rap industry for his lyrical ability than Talib Kweli. If he
has not made it into the mainstream, it’s because he has more to
talk about than just guns, bitches and money.
9. Ludacris
Luda is one of the hottest rappers out there today, but then so
are a bunch of other young rappers like Nelly. Why we put Chris
miles ahead of the pack for the simple reason that Luda is just
plain FEARLESS! He spends his time not just trying to perfect
the right rhyme, but the pitch and rhythmic tones for his speech
patterns as well. He is also not afraid to take on movies with
actual significant speaking parts and was part of the best movie
of 2005 in Crash. Look for Ludacris to overtake LL by end of
2006.
8. LL Cool J
His rap career is basically over. He is reduced to Will Smith
like rap status with his one hit per album these days, as he
concentrates on his TV and movie career. That being said, LL was
the first rapper to break into TV and kept the ball rolling
after 2 Pac’s death for rappers to be considered seriously in
movies. And for a guy who everyone complains about his lack of
lyrical ability, nobody has squashed more beef than LL as well.
7. Chuck D
Fear of a Black Planet. Nuff said? Maybe. If I need to say more,
than I will simply say that Chuck is to the underground what
Emimem is to mainstream.
6. Busta Rhymes
>From his Leaders of the New School origins, to his recently
re-invented shaved head self, Busta Rhymes’ ugly mug can be seen
blasting at you in videos everywhere. Fortunately for him,
talent is not based on looks. Busta’s in your face style, and
crazy videos make him the Rick James of the Rap World.
5. Notorious B.I.G
Ok, ok, before you click on the refresh button to make sure that
you are reading this right, let me just say that had the
Notorious One not been killed during his prime, he may well be
in the top 3, and I would even argue best ever. I will also
concede that he was the best of his time, but compared to the
overall careers of those we put ahead of him, his limited time
in the rap game has him falling short.
4. Nas
God’s Son is next, since you can’t beat B.I.G on album sales
alone. Nas has got the talent to be one of the best ever, and
consistently shows his range on every album. While there is some
controversy over some favourable comments he made about Hitler,
we choose to give him the benefit of the doubt until it is
proven otherwise. Nas’ ability is such that even if the beat is
whack, you will listen to the song just to hear what he has to
say.
3. Emimem (Marshall Mathers)
Speaking of squashing beef, can only one do it better than Slim
Shady? We don’t think so. From Moby, to Benzino, to his own
mother, Marshall has absolutely destroyed all those that sought
to take him down. This man even simulated killing his own wife
on wax, and had you feeling like she deserved it! What we love
about Em is that he writes about what he knows. As his life
changes, so do his songs. You may say that he gets away with all
his crap and makes so many sales because of his skin color, but
I defy you to find anyone that is even willing to take him on
now lyrically. If Curtain Call truly does become his last album,
then he will undoubtedly fall from this list, but at this time,
there is only 1 person alive that can be considered better than
him.
2. Jay Z
>From his debut in 1996 until his “final” solo album in 2003, no
live rapper has sold more hit platinum albums than Hov. Jay Z
also went from co-founding Roc-A-Fella records to becoming the
president of Dej Jam, and is responsible for launching the
careers of many other now platinum artists. Jay Z has done
everything a rapper can do in the business industry without
getting shot or going to jail.
1. Tupac (2 Pac) Shakur
Whether you believe in the Man or the Muth, Tupac’s status has
gone beyond iconic to legendary. More albums have been released
and gone platinum after his death, than when he was alive.
Through his words, you can hear his spirit and his passion for
both his people and the direction they were headed. People of
all colors respond to his music becomes he teaches hope. He is
the only rapper to say that he will rap about guns and violence
in order to reach his audience. Once they are listening, only
then can he capture their hearts by his more peaceful message of
peaceful co-existence by ending struggle through action.
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Posted on May 14th, 2008 — in Top Entertainment
Digital TVs refer to the distribution & receiving or moving pictures & audio by technique of distinct signals which is dissimilar to the traditional analogue signals used by analog tellies. Initiated in the late nineteen nineties this technology was of substantial excitement to the telly broadcasting organisations & consumer electronics industry as it opened up vast economical prospects.
Digital television is recognised to be far more flexible & efficient when measured up to analogue telly. If cleverly given by television broadcasters, digital television gives the opportunity for brilliant quality images and audio as well as offering more programming stations than analog do. Still, even though digital TV can offer astounding technical quality a digital signal may possible not automatically have to carry a better quality image or sound than an analogue signal might. Prices reduced on selected 37″ Plasma TV online at Sound & Vision!
There are a number of different ways to acquire digital TV. One of the oldest methods of receiving DTV is using an aerial; this is known as digital terrestrial television. Amid the more traditional approaches there is the option to obtain a digital cable and a digital satellite. Today regardless of how viewers receive digital telly generally most will pickup digital TV’s with a set-top box, which translates the digital signals into signals that analogue TV’s can recognise.
The newest in and uncomplicated approach to acquire digital TV is to basically buy a telly that has digital television already integrated within the system. A large percentage of TVs have this already as between two-thousand and eight & two-thousand and twelve TV services in the UK is prepared to go utterly digital, TV area by television area. They are not that dear at this minute, actually you ought to possibly find that Digital televisions will be very similar in price as you would think to shell out for a typical telly. Hence, all you have to think of digital being is just another added element that is going to help you when it comes to the ever growing assortment of television programmes you will soon be offered.
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Posted on April 11th, 2008 — in Top Entertainment
Hip hop music is dominating the online and offline music charts. Hip hop music fans experience an “it’s about time” moment every time they turn on MTV, VH1 or any local radio station that doesn’t specialize in country music. Even urban channels that used to play only mid tempo rock music have diversified their rotations to include more hip hop music.
Why is hip hop suddenly everywhere?
Suburban Kids! They latched on the beats, nouveau riche lifestyle full of machismo and bling, and they latched on to the party. Hip hop might have started out as a companion to rap music, but today, the two musical genres are a world apart. Hip hop is funky, full of energy, dynamic, catchy, male, female, American, European, Asian and Indian all at the same time.
Modern hip hop is so dance friendly that frankly no cares about the lyrics anymore. I can name a bunch of up and comers in the field including Lloyd Banks, Ciara (or anyone else out of the Missy/Timbaland factory) and Chingy. Then, let’s not forget the 3 million people that make up G-Unit and D12. That’s pretty cool.
Now, can I name one verse of any song, by any of these artists? Of course not! These people are selling hip hop music for the club. If I hear even three seconds of a song from any one of them, I’m on the dance floor. Still, I can’t come up with two solid lines to any of their songs. Why?
Hip Hop Music Masters
Rap music was artist driven. Hip Hop music is producer driven. Producers are the ones who put together all the ingredients to get you the final product, a hit song. Since the rise of the producers starting with Missy and Timbaland in the mid 90’s hip hop music has gone mainstream.
The lyrics don’t matter much anymore because the meat of the music– is in the music. Literally, the complicated arrangements, samples on top of samples, guest stars, wanna-be stars and more, all culminate into MTV ready hit songs.
It’s not that hip hop is not deep, or socially conscious. It’s just that it has a different lineage. Rap masters were the lyricists. Hip Hop Masters are non verbal communicators. This is the blessing and curse of hip hop music.
That is why hip hop music is so present on radio, cable TV, and now, in the online world. If you think that modern hip hop is a bit much, perhaps you should try one of the streaming radio stations where you can select hip hop music from the 80’s and 90’s when rappers were still in charge. Get in touch with De La Soul and some of the other early hip hop pioneers.
About the Author
This article may be freely distributed as long as there’s an active link to http://www.rapidlingo.com
Syd Johnson
Editor
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