Madonna ties with Presley for singles chart record

Rhianna has always loved Elvis since childhood & has also been a Madonna fan.
Cool -- 2 idols linked together.

Madonna ties with Presley for singles chart record : Hollywoodreporter.com

"As Madonna's 'Hung Up' jumps seven places to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the pop icon matches Elvis Presley's tally for top-10 hits -- 36, the most for any artist in the rock era. Madonna racked up that tally in about 21 and a half years, starting with 'Borderline.' Presley scored his 36 top 10 hits in 16 and a half years, from 1956 with 'Heartbreak Hotel' until 1972 with 'Burning Love.'"

Madonna has a hit (again)

Entertainment News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Madonna's up on top again and somehow she always gets a boost by twisting Catholic tradition i.e. this time it's Confession
Rhianna has been a Madonna fan since wayback -- early 80s but has yet to hear Madonna's latest goodies.

"LONDON (Reuters) - Madonna stayed top of the British music charts on Sunday with her single 'Hung Up' which samples heavily from the 1979 Abba hit 'Gimme Gimme Gimme'.

Madonna, 47, who had her first number one in the UK in 1985, released the single from her new album 'Confessions on a Dancefloor', according to the Official UK Charts Company."

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Indian sets balloon flight record

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Indian sets balloon flight record

Stephen Fossett needs to think of something to beat this record:

Vijaypat Singhania has claimed a new world record for the highest flight in a hot air balloon, after a voyage lasting several hours.

Happy Thanksgiving

Rhianna started her blog in 2001 with a Thanksgiving quote from The American Political Mind: A Textbook in Political Theory that is still timely today.


New Cranberry News

CBS News | Cranberry Juice Cuts Cavities | November 23, 2005?13:30:06: "(WebMD) Cranberry juice curbs cavities, new research shows.

The juice contains a chemical that blocks cavity-causing bacteria from sticking to teeth, scientists report in Caries Research.

'Something in the cranberry juice disarms the pathogens that cause tooth decay,' researcher Hyun (Michel) Koo, DDS, PhD, says in a news release.

Koo is an oral biologist at New York's University of Rochester Medical Center. "

Astrological Excuse Not To Talk To Press

Mercury is the primary ruler of Gemini and Virgo and is exalted in Aquarius.
When Mercury is prominent, it is easier to exchange ideas; Mercury is the planet that opens up communication. Does the Prime Minister really believe in a more receptive alignment with the Cosmos, or is he just looking for a way to ditch the press?

6abc.com: Planets Not Aligned for Reporter Questions

"Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra says he won't answer questions from reporters until next year because the alignment of the planets is not in his favor.
'Right now Mercury ... is in a corner perfectly aligned with my star. Mercury is no good, so if it's not good, I am going to request not to speak,' Thaksin told reporters Sunday.
Mercury moves slowly and will not steer clear of his star until next year, he said."

Bird Flu Spreading in China's Poultry

1010wins.com:

In China they are vaccinating the birds, that's just going to keep bird flu spreading around. The probelm is that too many chickens are couped up one on top of another. The chickens should have more room to roam ... free range chickens should be a goal!

"BEIJING (AP) -- China said Friday that bird flu is spreading among its poultry flocks despite mammoth efforts to control the disease, while leaders at an Asia-Pacific summit warned that greater vigilance is needed to prevent more human infections."

Tigger Bends a Spoon

Tigger the Psychic Wonder Cat is the most Amazing Spoon Bender around!

Tigger Bends a Spoon

"Tigger the Wonder Psychic Cat continues to amaze scientists around the world. Now Tigger has bent a spoon with mind power, and here is the proof, in the three pictures on this page. These photographs have not been retouched or altered in any way."

Vatican astronomer says 'intelligent design' doesn't belong in science class - billingsgazette.com

Vatican astronomer says 'intelligent design' doesn't belong in science class - billingsgazette.com:

"VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican's chief astronomer said Friday that 'intelligent design' isn't science and doesn't belong in science classrooms, the latest high-ranking Roman Catholic official to enter the evolution debate in the United States.

The Rev. George Coyne, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, said placing intelligent design theory alongside that of evolution in school programs was 'wrong' and was akin to mixing apples with oranges."

Fun Things to Do For Free in New York City

Planning a holiday in New York City? There are many fun things to do for free :-)

NYC for Free

You can read more about planning your NYC visit at: http://www.nycvisit.com

Are these WEB Predictions?

Abandon the Web!

Check out the woman eating potato chips ... somehow Rhianna was reminded of Wacky Packages.

Technorati Profiles & Is Tag It?

Rhianna signed up because she noticed that Lugosi signed up for Technorati: leave it to Lugosi, he's always on the cutting edge of intelligent Internet design. Hmmm, what does Lugosi thing of Tag-World? NVNCBL looks like it's finished for good this time?

Think about your birth control methods

There have been complications and deaths from the Ortho Evra birth control patch because hormones from patches go directly into the bloodstream. If you are using the patch, consult your OB/BYN to see if the pill or another contraceptive would be right for you.
Sexual abstinence is a choice too.

Last but not least, take a look at your relationship. Is the guy worth going on birth control for when you consider the possible complications? Why not wait for the right relationship for sex?
Young women in their teens and early 20s experienced serious problems from the patch; regardless of the contraceptive choice used, the decision to engage in sex is a serious and important personal decision that shouldn't be rushed.

USATODAY.com - Warning issued for birth-control patch: "The Associated Press reported that patch users die and suffer blood clots at a rate three times higher than women taking the pill.

Citing federal death and injury reports, the AP also found that about a dozen women, most in their late teens and early 20s, died in 2004 from blood clots believed to be related to the birth-control patch, and dozens more survived strokes and other clot-related problems."

Five Reasons Not To Buy An Extended Warranty

Five Reasons Not To Buy An Extended Warranty

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/extended_warranty.html

• They Usually Cost More Than They’re Worth
• Would it be cheaper to replace than to repair the product?
• Industry sources put the profit margin on consumer electronics extended warranties at between 40 percent and 80 percent.
  

• Warranty Work May Be Unreliable

The company holding the warranty,(not you), will determine who does the repair. This could be a subcontractor you had not planned on dealing with.

• The Warranty May Not Cover What You Think It Does

You gotta read the fine print of the service plan.

• Who is the Warranty Underwriter?

• What does it cover & how long does it last?

Bringing Up an Old Debate

Debating the Italian Origin of Tarot Cards: Google Groups : alt.tarot

I still think Tarot cards are derived from Byzantine icons.

Recall of Fairy Wand Party Favors

There's a recall of Fairy Wands manufactured in China.

The recalled fairy wands are pink or purple with multi-colored beads, feathers
and ribbons. The wands are 7-inches long. There were four wands in each package.
The packaging has a light pink cardboard backer.
Model number WAND1361 is written on the back of the packaging.
These wands were sold at: Discount, toy, drug, grocery, party and specialty gift stores
nationwide from March 2003 through September 2005 for about $4.

The problem is that sharp wires could be exposed if the Fairy wands are broken.
If you have young children, you can take away the wands and exchange them for
a redeemable coupon. Contact the distributor of the wands, American Greetings Corporation,
if you'd like additional information at:
(800) 777-4891 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday,
or visit the firm's Web site at http://americangreetings.com.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the
public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than
15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's
hotline at
(800) 638-2772
or CPSC's teletypewriter at
(800) 638-8270 or visit
CPSC's Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html.
Consumers can obtain this
release and recall information at
CPSC's Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov.

SEC charges Mass. hedge fund manager with fraud

Stock Market News and Investment Information | Reuters.com

"BOSTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - A Massachusetts hedge fund manager, who forged documents to cover up heavy losses and fabricated an accounting firm, was charged with fraud, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Wednesday.

Financial regulators said Mark Conway, 44, hid millions of dollars in losses from friends and family members who invested in Groundswell Partners, his five-year-old hedge fund located in Waltham, a suburb near Boston.

Conway promised to make money by using complicated mathematical formulas to trade stocks.

Instead he altered fund-related documents and inflated the size of his fund, telling investors the fund had $43 million while it only had $14 million..."

Crisis In France

Crisis In France:

"On Nov. 8, France's center-right government declared a state of emergency. It has clamped curfews on dozens of troubled neighborhoods and ordered the expulsion of foreigners convicted in the rioting. Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin announced a package of measures aimed at fighting discrimination and poverty, including increased spending on housing and social programs in disadvantaged areas as well as expanded job-training opportunities for young people.

But without more sweeping economic change, it won't be long before unrest flares anew. The riots in France underscore just how untenable Europe's economic model has become. For decades government policies across much of the Old World have put a higher value on social protections and job security than on growth and job creation.

'They're Humiliated'
Those policies had the laudable goal of guaranteeing everyone a decent standard of living. But instead, in today's globalized economy, they are helping to create a vast underclass of jobless youths, many from immigrant backgrounds. '"

-- http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_47/b3960013.htm

Early Card painters and Printers in Germany, Austria and Flandern (14th and 15th century)

Origin of Tarot. Research of the history of Tarot.

" Analysis of the data to early card painters and printers in Germany and Flandern as collected by W.L. Schreiber in Die ältesten Spielkarten und die auf das Kartenspiel Bezug habenden Urkunden des 14. und 15. Jahrh. (1937), p. 133 - 135, in relation to "1390: first German paper mill in Nürnberg" and a later paper mill near Basel.
Schreiber didn't collect data to the profession "Formschneider", but adds in his remarks, that likely early Formschneiders (which are frequently mentioned in old documents) worked also as playing card producers."

Includes chart & various lists
http://trionfi.com/0/e1/20/

Byzantium 1200

Byzantium 1200: "Byzantium 1200 is a project aimed at creating computer reconstructions of the Byzantine Monuments located in Istanbul, TURKEY as of year 1200 AD."

Trumping up the Bird Flu scare while ignoring the obvious?

-- R.J. Matson, NY, The New York Observer and Roll Call

Pluto's New Moons & AstrologyA Reflection Upon Power?

Like Moonlight? Try Pluto: From The Tampa Tribune

"Pluto, the ninth planet, has three moons, not one, images from the Hubble Space Telescope suggest.

Pluto, discovered in 1930, was thought to be alone until its moon Charon was spotted in 1978. The new moons, more than twice as far away as Charon and many times fainter, were spotted by the Hubble Space Telescope in May."

Hmmm, more moons around Pluto.

Pluto means power. Pluto is the the ruler of Scorpio, the co-ruler of Aries and gives the enormous will power to Leo (i.e. Pluto is exalted in the sign).
Pluto often bestows power, especially will power. A moon is usually reflective. What will happen to the influences of Pluto in astrological terms now that 2 moons have been discovered as satellites around Pluto?

Pluto also deals with recycling efforts: is this a sign that all countries of the globe should increase their recycling efforts?

Change. Transformation -- new creativity. Is Pluto in your chart? There are many benefits from Pluto to those where Pluto is prominent in their charts, Pluto can also act as a warning (depending on the circumstances and chart).

Whatever Pluto means to your astrological profile, Pluto will be getting more attention now that these satellite moons have been discovered.

The Hermitage: Tarot History

The Hermitage: Tarot History

"Some time in the first half of the fifteenth century, somewhere in northern Italy, someone created the first set of tarot cards. Like the playing cards of the time, the tarot deck included number cards (1 through 10) in four suits, and court cards page, knight, and king. But the tarot deck had more: a queen was added to each of the courts, and 22 special cards, not belonging to any suit, were added. These special cards bore symbolic pictures, with such subjects as the Emperor, the Pope, The Wheel of Fortune, Death, the Devil, and the Moon.

The tarot cards were used to play a new type of card game, similar to bridge, but with 21 of the special cards serving as permanent trumps, which could be played regardless of what suit was led, and outranked all the ordinary cards. This Game of Triumphs, as it was called, became extraordinarily popular, particularly among the upper classes, and spread through northern Italy and eastern France. As the game spread to new locales, changes were often made in the pictures, and also in the ranking of the trumps, which usually bore no numbers. In time, tarot spread south to Sicily and north to Austria, Germany, and the low countries.

Centuries later, devotees of the occult arts in France and England encountered the tarot and saw mystical and magical meaning in the enigmatic symbolism of the cards. Their fascination with the cards led to the reputation tarot presently has as a divination tool and occult artifact.

One objective of tarot history is to trace the many changes the cards have undergone through the centuries, as they were taken to different locales and redesigned by different artists and cardmakers. Many variant designs are beautiful, intriguing, or provocative, giving us a window on the popular culture of different times and places..."

-- http://www.tarothermit.com/index.htm

Tarocchi of Mantegna

Tarocchi of Mantegna

"Little is known of the Tarocchi of Mantegna and what we do know entirely contradicts it name. Most scholars are of the opinion that this Tarocchi has been wrongly attributed to Andreas Mantegna (1431-1506) the painter and printmaker of the School of Padua, and rather are to be seen as emanating from the School of Ferrara. They are not a 'Tarocchi' pack in the true sense of that technical term, and they are not cards but a set of prints. Kenneth Clark, the well known art historian of the Renaissance, attributes them to a Parrasio Michele, Master of the School of Ferrara. They consist of a set of 50 finely executed engravings divided into five decades, which could be characterised as:-

1 The archetypal social stations of humanity;
2 The nine Muses and Apollo;
3 The Liberal Arts;
4 The Cardinal Virtues;
5 The Heavenly Spheres.

The symbolism of these cards, or perhaps we should say 'emblematic figures', would seem to derive from the Hermetic tradition which is now recognised as underlying the Italian Renaissance of the mid-fifteenth century. It was during this period that the Platonic Academies of the Medici's were set up and Ficino and other scholars began translating texts such as the Corpus Hermeticum and the works of Plato, some of which were brought to the Court of Florence from Constantinople by Gemistus Plethon (c.1355-1450), a Greek scholar who was probably an initiate of a 'Platonic' Mystery School in the East. This reconstruction of hermetic and neoplatonic esotericism is reflected in such ideas as the Muses, the Liberal Arts, the Cardinal Virtues, and the Heavenly Spheres, and it is my view that the Tarocchi of Mantegna should be seen as an 'emblem book...' "

Beautiful handmade Sterling Silver Gemstone Jewelry

Brilliant-cut authentic Amethyst gemstone sterling silver pendants

Brilliant-cut authentic Amethyst gemstone sterling silver rings

Brilliant-cut authentic Amethyst gemstone sterling silver necklaces

Brilliant-cut authentic Amethyst gemstone sterling silver earrings

Brilliant-cut authentic Moonstone gemstone sterling silver pendants

Amazon.com to allow individual pages to be purchased - 11/04/05

Amazon.com to allow individual pages to be purchased - 11/04/05: "Amazon.com Inc. plans to let customers to buy portions of a book -- even just one page -- for online viewing. A second program, Amazon Upgrade, will offer full online access when a traditional text is purchased.

Both services are expected to begin next year."