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Most of us walk around living mediocre lives. Some even find that it’s not worth the effort following a major crisis that they feel they cannot overcome. But for those with enough wisdom and experience to know better, it is a gift unlike any other. Difficulties are challenges that provide knowledge and understanding no school in the world can teach. Pain or sorrow constitute opportunities to cherish the joys even more.

When my mother almost lost her life 2 months ago, I would have given anything to save it. Everything in my world faded in the background and I knew it was a challenge I must overcome no matter what the cost. What I learned from the experience was more valuable than the hard-earned money my mother shelled out to put me through college. I learned humility and the reason that there are other people in our lives. I did not overcome the challenge — we did. Along with the help of family, friends, and even people I hardly met in our workplace, my Mom recovered from a fatal illness and we were able to pay for hospital bills that seemed insurmountable.

This very essence of life is what C’elle is trying to help people save. Together with advancements in stem cell technology, C’elle provides women the ability to store stem cells from menstrual fluid that can be used to save lives from diseases that were previously incurable. Stem cells processed from menstrual fluid can be harvested to cure heart disease, spine injury, cancer, and many more. C’elle learned About the Science of stem cells and the method of preservation to save the life of the source and even blood relatives. Wouldn’t you prefer to have the opportunity to save your child or your parents if you could? I know I would’ve paid ten times the value of the C’elle kit to have lessened my mother’s ordeal.

Visit the website of C’elle and find out how you can harvest and preserve your stem cells with their C’elle kit at a price so much less than the value it can save. View C’elle Client Testimonial and discover how the technology has helped so many people to enjoy more of their lives.

An Asian girl working in a factory was found on a new iPhone 3G recently sold to a British customer. The photo generated discussion on the Internet about her identity and her fate. The 3 pictures were posted on the forum of MacRumors.com which shows a young Asian girl dressed in a pink striped outfit and a hat. She is wearing white gloves with yellow tips and seems to be working in an assembly line for IPhones. Known in the web as the IPhone Girl, she is seen smiling and making a victory sign as she poses next to an IPhone unit.

The MacRumors.com member who posted the photos last week said that the pictures showed up on a new 3G IPhone when the iTunes program was launched.

Reports speculate that the woman works at a factory run by an Apple contractor in Taiwan, Foxconn Technology Group. Foxconn spokesman, Liu Kun, confirmed that the girl in the pictures does work for Foxconn. He said workers testing the device may have taken the pictures and forgot to delete them. For those interested about her fate, another official of the company also confirmed that the girl was not fired. She is now dubbed as China’s prettiest factory girl.

Nothing provides me the best start to a day than a good cup of coffee. The smell alone is enough to wake me up from any stupor. It seems that my addiction is not limited only to a few. Wordwide, coffee has become a staple that it is no mystery that coffee bars spring up on just about any corner. Now, people are looking for the ultimate coffee experience that even the most famous gourmet coffee bars can’t offer.

The special 30th anniversary issue of Food & Wine magazine has dubbed Intelligentsia as one of the Best US Coffee Bars. Doug Zell, Emily Mange, and Geoff Watts changed the face of chicago coffee when Intelligentsia was founded in October 1995. What sets Intelligentsia apart from the rest is that Watt’s sources its green coffee either directly from growers or the most renowned coffee importers in the world. As much as possible, their beans are taken from growers and importers who value environmental and social responsibility. It is the company’s belief that business owners who place high value on these factors likewise value the quality of their products and ensure that they serve only the best for their customers. Intelligentsia works on the same perspective and place importance on their service to customers, the environment, and the compassionate treatment of people.

With this mission, it is no wonder that Intelligentsia serves the best organic coffee to coffee lovers in the US. Their newest outpost provides the best coffee los angeles has to offer. As in most things that are intended for our palate, words will not be sufficient to describe the experience. The proof is always in the taste. Try Intelligentsia coffee and discover a coffee experience unlike any other.

It turns out that Steve Job’s team botched the security protection of the IPhone. Losing your IPhone or leaving it lying around poses a security risk to users. MacRumors discovered the fault warning IPhone users of the potential risk.

If you think your IPhone data is protected with the passlock code, think again. It seems that Apple just placed the feature in the mobile phone to scare of potential thieves. It’s nothing more than a screen design that can be easily disabled.

While the IPhone is locked, the only thing any user supposedly can do is to dial emergency numbers. However, even with a passlock code, anyone can unlock your IPhone. All they have to do is to double-click the Home key while in the Emergency Call screen and it will be directed to the default Favorites menu. From there, any attacker gets a free-for-all on your email. Clicking a contact’s email address, then cancel from the message screen and he is in. Web browsing can also be accessed through a contact’s URL found through Google Maps. And of course, they can make any call by clicking your contact’s number and adding a call.

Apparently, Apple is already aware of the possible security breach and is currently working on a security patch. Not to worry though. You can easily remedy the flaw by changing the double-click preferences by setting it to an IPhone capability that will not provide thieves with critical information. If you set it to the iPod, all they get are your videos and music. Better yet, set it to the Home screen which will just bring it back to the Passlock Code panel.

For all IPhone users, just try to keep your security risk at minimum levels if possible. Remember to just leave critical information as little as possible in your mobile phone.

The Sproutwells have a new episode. This time we get a glimpse of Daddy who appears to be a cool yellow banana. I kinda find Daddy’s voice sexy as he enters the house and greets Mom. I think I have a new favorite character. Rosie, the nosy neighbor, is still prying on the family and is introduced to Daddy. They also introduce Phyto, the pet dog, to their father. In this episode, Rosie finally discovers that the deliveries the family gets are from Fresh Funds and hears about the website and the prizes available.

The animated episodes are part of the marketing efforts of freshfunds to promote their healthy snack food, Chiquita and Fresh Express. These snacks are the healthy choice for the entire family considering all the junk foods that are all over the market. You can also join the Fresh Funds Program where you get to accumulate points that you can use to bid on auction items. Auction items are changed each week. So, you can wait and check weekly if the item up for bid gets your attention enough to make you use your earned points. I have my eye on the Wii Fit which I’m sure will be a welcome change to the video games I have been getting my kids.

Share the Sproutwell videos with your friends and invite them to join the Fresh Funds Program. It could be rewarding to their health and even give them a chance to win exciting prizes weekly.

Vancouver Island, Canada was hit by a powerful 6.1 magnitude earthquake a few hours ago. Fortunately, it was not big enough to cause a tsunami. Natural Resources Canada said that it was the largest of a series of earthquakes in the seismically active region since Monday. But the earthquakes were far offshore to be felt on land.

The Emergency Management British Columbia likewise claimed that it was nothing to be alarmed about and was not at all unusual. No reports of casualties or damage were provided to any of the agencies.

Nevertheless, experts say that Canada’s Pacific Coast is overdue for a major earthquake. However, a British Columbia government website on seismic activity indicated that the region experiences earthquakes everyday with only a few noticeable and unlikely to cause any damage.

I love cooking. The best part is when a try a recipe and get it right the first time. Though my taste buds seem to have gotten numb from the taste of what I cook, I relish the look on my kids’ face as they enjoy the meal I prepared. And of course, it feels better when others that you are certain will not patronize you because they are family tells you that your meal was excellent.

My ability to cook stems from watching those chefs on TV making those gorgeous meals. What I envy most about chefs is the enjoyment they seem to get from their jobs. Though I am not as talented as they are, it is satisfying enough to watch them do it on the screen. The same can be said for those recipes I get from the internet. Most of my recipes I download from the web with minor adjustments to ingredients that may either be too expensive or difficult to source. In New Orleans, Lousiana, the Great American Seafood Cookoff features 5 delicious meals that internet surfers can vote for to get a chance to win a trip to New Orleans.

Of the five meals featured in the cook off, I am partial to Chef Mark Holley’s “Texas Gulf Shrimp” from Texas which I voted for. My choice was influenced by my love for luscious fresh shrimps and the taste of vinegar with something sweet. Chef Holley’s recipe has fresh shrimps with Prickly Pear Gastrique which has vinegar and honey.

The important thing about seafood is the freshness of the catch. As such, it is imperative you get your seafood locally. Not only is it easier to source, but it is almost guaranteed fresh. Sourcing your seafood locally assures that you get the best taste out of your recipe or meal.

Go and check out www.greatamericanseafoodcookoff.com and vote for your favorite meal. This may be your chance to visit New Orleans.

Paul Potts is not good looking. He has bad teeth and seems overweight with a pot belly. He claims that he has constantly been bullied and you can imagine why that it by just looking at him. When he speaks, he seems close to stuttering and sputtering. The first time I saw his video, his downcast eyes revealed how minimal his self-confidence was. It has been over a year since his name has become a byword in the UK.

There are a lot of things that Paul knows he is not. But there is absolutely one truth that is unwavering — he wants to be an opera singer. And despite the low self-esteem, the bullying, and the mishaps in his life, he found solace in his voice.

When I first watched his audition video and saw him walking up the stage, I didn’t know what to expect. I guess I had the same look that Simon Cowell had — “ok, let’s get on with it.” A guy looking like Paul didn’t seem to have anything to offer that I would be interested in. As he started to sing “Nessun Dorma,” my eyes opened wide and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I didn’t know why my eyes stung while he was finishing the final notes of the song. Maybe it was shame. Or maybe it was envy. Why do we judge people by their looks? And why do we judge ourselves by the way people look at us?

Paul Potts went on to win the first series of Britain’s Got Talent and in July 2007, his debut album “One Chance” claimed the number 1 spot in the UK Album Charts 6 days after its release. He now continues to do what he loves most and has already completed his own concert series. He may not be very popular in the US or other countries, but there is no doubt in his talent. I am not a fan of opera, but I am a fan of anyone who pursues his dreams regardless of the hurdles and the challenges that come his way.

In the manufacturing business, one of the most difficult challenges in the the 21st century is waste disposal. The continuous deterioration of the environment has prompted the worldwide adoption of strict environmental protection and waste disposal guidelines. Of course, any responsible human being would likewise support such a move. Though waste segregation and recycling is still confined to most developed countries, the need to utilize this environment protection system is now imperative. The erratic weather changes and global warming is telling everyone that efforts to protect the earth from our wastes is not working. We have to work on it now.

Among the industries that have been advocates of waste management is NextGen Enviro Systems, Incorporated. The company provides the best solvent recovery system to manufacturers and fabricators involved in industries such as automotive, boat building, electronics, furnitures, paint, pharmaceuticals, and a lot more that use solvents in their business. It now has

NexGen now has more than 8,000 customers that use their solvent recovery equipment which include small companies and Fortune 100 companies. They also provide government agencies such as the military, NASA, and defense contractors their high performance waste recovery system.

It is a comfort to know that most of these companies are committed to reduce waste and protect their environment. Not only are they contributing to waste reduction, but they are also utilizing a cost-effective system considering that solvents are expensive. NexGen will provide any manufacturer with the best solvent recycling solution available since they can customize their distillation equipment to fit the needs of their clients. Solvent recovery and recycling has always been the foremost expertise of NexGen and they will continue to assist any business in adhering to waste management regulations to protect the environment.

China proved to be a determined first-time Olympic host as it tops the gold medal chart with 51 in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The United States, Britain and an array of small nations also had reasons to celebrate. The US, though with less golds at 36, garnered first place overall for the fourth consecutive Olympics with 110 total medals.

China’s haul of gold medals was the largest since the Soviet Union won 55 in Seoul in 1988. Not since 1936, when Nazi Germany prevailed at the Berlin Olympics, had a country other than the US or the Soviet Union/Russia led the gold medal list. They groomed athletes since childhood in sports academies winning medals in 25 different sports, including its first ever in sailing, beach volleyball and field hockey.

The United States trailed behind the Chinese in golds, the first time since 1992 it didn’t lead the category. Meanwhile, it seems that the sporting world should watch out for Great Britain, host of the 2012 Olympics, which won 47 medals (the most in their history). This is an astonishing 17-medal increase from the previous Athens Olympics. It seems like Great Britain is preparing well as it will host the next Games in London for the first time in 68 years. They have another 4 years to prepare . . . we’ll see if they do as well as China did.

School is already here and vacation is over. There are so many back-to-school deals that we sometimes have no idea which one to take. While I have already bought most of the essentials for the kids, I still can’t help browsing the net to find out if there are more deals out there I might have missed. I got good discounts for their school bags and other necessities. Yet, I want to make sure I’ve covered all the bases.

Charter Communications probably has one of the best back-to-school deals around. They are giving away 1 laptop a day for 30 days to 30 lucky customers who avail one of three Charter services online — Charter High-Speed Internet at $19.99/month for 6 months, Charter Digital Home and High-Speed Internet at $69.98/month for 6 months or Charter Digital Home, High-Speed Internet, and Charter Telephone® at $99.97/month for 12 months. Aside from becoming a possible winner in the Charter Laptop-a-Day Giveaway, you also get a free Shell gas card after purchase of the services included in the promotion.

We are not talking about some cheap laptop for their prize, it is a New HP Compaq Presario C770US Notebook worth $600 with a Dual-Core processor, a 2GB RAM, and a 160 hard drive. It’s considered the best back-to-school deal around not only because of the laptop giveaway, but also because of the exceptional service that Charter Communications provide at the best price. The laptop is just cherry on your sundae. The service is a good enough deal by itself.

Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama chose Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware as his vice presidential running mate Saturday. The choice was aimed to balance his ticket with a congressional veteran known to be well-versed in foreign policy and defense. The announcement was made on his website with a picture and a call for donations.

Biden, 65, has more than 30 years in the Senate and served as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Judiciary Committee. Obama passed over other potential running mates, including former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, his opponent for the Democratic nomination months ago.

Among those on the list, Biden had the most experience in defense or foreign policy. These are areas where Obama fares poorly in the polls versus Republican candidate Sen. John McCain.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, every shopaholic is gearing up for one of the most important days of the year — Black Friday. It’s the day every merchant in the US provides the best deals and discounts to every shopper. And while the economic crisis continues to linger, there is no doubt that shoppers on Black Friday will increase even more. Maybe lines outside shops will even start earlier than 5 am.

If you can’t handle crowds or long lines at the counter, there is another way to take advantage of this day. Why not go your black friday shopping at home? It’s not limited to just outright shop purchases. Black Friday also goes online. You can get your 2008 black friday deals at BlackFridayOnline.com. The site even offers email alerts when new black friday ads have been posted.

I do my Christmas shopping on Black Friday. This early I’m already thinking of what to give the kids. Since video games are what my kids prefer, I’m looking at good deals from CompUSA. I’m also hoping to get a good deal on a new laptop for myself. Of course, discounts from Toys R Us will always be a staple in my shopping spree. My nephew and niece will have to get something nice this Christmas.

Prepare for your Christmas list now and save more this Christmas at BlackFridayOnline.com

With the Beijing Games winding down, the International Olympic Committee wants close all pending controversies regarding the ages of China’s gold medal women’s gymnastics team. The IOC still could not find sufficient proof of any cheating. They did ask the International Gymnastics Federation to investigate “what have been a number of questions and apparent discrepancies.” Nevertheless, all the information the Chinese gymnastics federation presented supports its claim that its gymnasts were in compliance to age requirements.

The IOC hopes that the matter will be put to rest since the information they received seems satisfactory in terms of the correct documentation—including birth certificates. If the federation had found evidence that the gymnasts were underage, it could have affected four of China’s medals. Parents of the gymnasts would already like to have closure on the issue as most of them have allegedly been indignant over the questions regarding their children’s age.

China coach Lu Shanzan said Asian gymnasts are naturally smaller than their American and European rivals.“Surely it’s not possible that these documents are still not sufficient proof of her birthdate?” Lu asked. “The passports were issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The identity card was issued by China’s Ministry of Public Security. It would be a difficult fight for those who believe they have been cheated. If the Chinese government had been part of the conspiracy, there was no way to prove that the girls were indeed underage. Cached website pages found by hackers that prove the girls were underage have since been removed. Previous gymnasts did admit that they had been underage during the Olympics that they had competed on. Maybe it will take a few more years to find the truth about the controversy.

Probably the most enjoyable vacation the family had was when we visited Los Angeles, California. It was fun simply because my kids loved the place. Although the kids enjoyed Knotts Berry Farm, Disneyland, and SeaWorld the most, the most memorable for me was when we took a ride in the Aerial Tramway at Palm Springs. Riding the tramway is not for the faint of heart. My kids and I took the ride and enjoyed it, but not for the old guy that was taking the ride at the same time. When we reached a certain height, my kids and I could see he was scared to death by the look on his face. He was turning green and looked like he was going to faint. My youngest son, who was 6 at that time, kept staring at him as if waiting for him to throw up or jump off the ride. My son’s brows were furrowed as if wondering how long it would take before the guy puked in front of him. My other two kids were already controlling fits of laughter behind my back. We were almost at the end of the ride when my kid couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke to the old guy directly, “Mister, you will feel better letting it out. But please don’t put any on my shoes. They are new.” We are planning to take the Los Angeles tours again soon.

You too can have memorable vacations in any city in the US with your family. Check out the online travel guides of TrustedTours.com and you will find the best sites to spend with your loved ones. I did promise the kids that we will visit Knott’s Berry Farm again. I can even print the Knotts berry farm tickets from their site with no hidden fees.

If you are planning a US vacation for your family too, I suggest you take advantage of TrustedTours.com’s ongoing promotion. Sign up for the Trusted Travels eNewsletter and get a chance to win a $150 Magellan’s Gift Certificate. Do it soon because the offer ends August 31st, 2008.