Giovanni dealing with one of his preferred dishes...
Giovanni alle prese con uno dei suoi piatti preferiti...



Lobster tails, giant scallops, asparagus, spring salad with aged vinegar.

47 Reasons on Why It's Good to Be a Man!

1. Your last name stays put.

2. The garage is all yours.

3. Wedding plans take care of themselves.

4. Chocolate is just another snack.

5. You can be President.

6. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.

7. Car mechanics tell you the truth.

8. You don't give a rat's ass if someone notices your new haircut.

9. The world is your urinal.

10. You never have to drive to another gas station because this one's just too "yucky."

11. Same work...more pay.

12. Wrinkles add character.

13. Wedding Dress $5000; Tux rental $100.

14. People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.

15. The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.

16. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.

17. Your pals can be trusted never to trap you with: "So, notice anything different?"

18. One mood, ALL the time.

19. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.

20. You know stuff about tanks.

21. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.

22. You can open all your own jars.

23. Dry cleaners and hair stylists don't rob you blind.

24. You can leave the motel bed unmade.

25. You can kill your own food.

26. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

27. If someone forgets to invite you to something, he or she can still be your friend.

28. Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.

29. If you are 34 and single, nobody notices.

30. Everything on your face stays its original color.

31. You can quietly enjoy a car ride from the passenger's seat.

32. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.

33. You don't have to clean your apartment if the maid is coming.

34. You can quietly watch a game with a buddy for hours without thinking: "He must be mad at me."

35. You don't mooch off other's desserts.

36. You can drop by to see a friend without having to bring a little gift.

37. You are not expected to know the names of more than five colors.

38. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.

39. You almost never have strap problems in public.

40. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.

41. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.

42. You don't have to shave below your neck.

43. Your belly usually hides your big hips.

44. One wallet and one pair of shoes, one color, all seasons.

45. You can "do" your nails with a pocketknife.

46. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.

47. You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives, on December 24th.....in 45 minutes.

Damn... it's good to be a man.

After applying some simple algebra to some trite phrases and cliches a new understanding can be reached of the secret to wealth and success.

Here it goes.

Knowledge is Power

Time is Money and as every engineer knows,

Power is Work over Time.

So, substituting algebraic equations for these time worn bits of wisdom, we get:

K = P (1)
T = M (2)
P = W/T (3)

Now, do a few simple substitutions:

Put W/T in for P in equation (1), which yields:

K = W/T (4)
Put M in for T into equation (4), which yields:

K = W/M (5).

Now we've got something. Expanding back into English, we get:
Knowledge equals Work over Money.

What this MEANS is that:

1. The More You Know, the More Work You Do, and
2. The More You Know, the Less Money You Make.

Solving for Money, we get:

M = W/K (6)

Money equals Work Over Knowledge.

From equation (6) we see that Money approaches infinity as Knowledge approaches 0,
regardless of the Work done.

What THIS MEANS is:

The More you Make, the Less you Know.

Solving for Work, we get

W = M K (7)

Work equals Money times Knowledge

From equation (7) we see that Work approaches 0 as Knowledge approaches 0.

What THIS MEANS is:

The stupid rich do little or no work.

Pastor Ted Haggard's Apology

The statement below was released by New Life Church. It is the text of a letter from Ted Haggard read during church services yesterday. It is notable for a couple of reasons.

- He asks for money - its stunning. He admits to being a complete and total idiot, but asks for the sheeple to continue giving.

- He does not admit to being gay - He does not even admit to homosexual behavior, he just eludes to it.

- He does not admit to drug use - This I don't get. Drug use, meth in particular, needs appropriate medical attention and counseling. If you cannot even admit it. The problem is unlikely to go away.

- He is guilty of sexual immorality - I'm not sure what sexual immorality is; it must be a fundie buzz word. However, since the only things he did that was immoral, is cheat on his wife, use addictive drugs, and lie through his meth stained teeth, I would have preferred a more succinct expression of guilt. Like an admission of adultery, drug addition, and the struggle with his own sexuality, not to mention the obvious chronic lying, hypocrisy, and deceit.

By the way,
one thing I didn't hear from Haggard is an apology to the guy he called a liar.
Hmm.
I would say that he isn't really sorry for what he did at all, and is now blaming it on the devil, or the guy he spent the last three years with, or anyone but himself. It sounds like he will try to get his lucrative position back at some point, thanks to pulling a Jimmy Swaggart.

He also didn't apologize to the people of Colorado or the people of the United States for helping draft these anti-gay marriage amendments. I suppose that means he still believes in traditional family values while he takes his meth and sleeps with men...




My Dear New Life Church Family,


I am so sorry. I am sorry for the disappointment, the betrayal, and the hurt. I am sorry for the horrible example I have set for you.

I have an overwhelming, all-consuming sadness in my heart for the pain that you and Iand my family have experienced over the past few days. I am so sorry for the circumstances that have caused shame and embarrassment to all of you.

I asked that this note be read to you this morning so I could clarify my heart's condition to you. The last four days have been so difficult for me, my family and all of you, and I have further confused the situation with some of the things I've said during interviews with reporters who would catch me coming or going from my home. But I alone am responsible for the confusion caused by my inconsistent statements. The fact is, I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem.

I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I’ve been warring against it all of my adult life. For extended periods of time, I would enjoy victory and rejoice in freedom. Then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that were contrary to everything I believe and teach.

Through the years, I’ve sought assistance in a variety of ways, with none of them proving to be effective in me. Then, because of pride, I began deceiving those I love the most because I didn’t want to hurt or disappoint them.



The public person I was wasn’t a lie; it was just incomplete. When I stopped communicating about my problems, the darkness increased and finally dominated me. As a result, I did things that were contrary to everything I believe.

The accusations that have been leveled against me are not all true, but enough of them are true that I have been appropriately and lovingly removed from ministry. Our church's overseers have required me to submit to the oversight of Dr. James Dobson, Pastor Jack Hayford, and Pastor Tommy Barnett. Those men will perform a thorough analysis of my mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical life. They will guide me through a program with the goal of healing and restoration for my life, my marriage, and my family.

I created this entire situation. The things that I did opened the door for additional allegations. But I am responsible; I alone need to be disciplined and corrected. An example must be set.



It is important that you know how much I love and appreciate my wife, Gayle. What I did should never reflect in a negative way on her relationship with me. She has been and continues to be incredible. The problem was not with her, my children, or any of you. It was created 100% by me.

I have been permanently removed from the office of Senior Pastor of New Life Church. Until a new senior pastor is chosen, our Associate Senior Pastor, Ross Parsley, will assume all of the responsibilities of the office. On the day he accepted this new role, he and his wife, Aimee, had a new baby boy. A new life in the midst of this circumstance—I consider that confluence of events to be prophetic. Please commit to join with Pastor

Ross and the others in church leadership to make their service to you easy and without burden. They are fine leaders. You are blessed. I appreciate your loving and forgiving nature, and I humbly ask you to do a few things:

1. Please stay faithful to God through service and giving.

2. Please forgive me. I am so embarrassed and ashamed. I caused this and I have no excuse. I am a sinner. I have fallen. I desperately need to be forgiven and healed.

3. Please forgive my accuser. He is revealing the deception and sensuality that was in my life. Those sins, and others, need to be dealt with harshly. So, forgive him and, actually, thank God for him. I am trusting that his actions will make me, my wife and family, and ultimately all of you, stronger. He didn’t violate you; I did.


4. Please stay faithful to each other. Perform your functions well. Encourage each other and rejoice in God’s faithfulness. Our church body is a beautiful body, and like every family, our strength is tested and proven in the midst of adversity. Because of the negative publicity I’ve created with my foolishness, we can now demonstrate to the world how our sick and wounded can be healed, and how even
disappointed and betrayed church bodies can prosper and rejoice.

Gayle and I need to be gone for a while. We will never return to a leadership role at New Life Church. In our hearts, we will always be members of this body. We love you as our family. I know this situation will put you to the test. I’m sorry I’ve created the test, but please rise to this challenge and demonstrate the incredible grace that is available to all of us.

A picture that speaks by itself!

Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain NewsThe night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. "I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it," she said. "I think that's what he would have wanted."

The March to War: Iran Preparing for US Air Attacks: "If there were to be war between the United States and Iran, the aerial campaign would unleash fierce combat. It would be fully interactive on multiple fronts. It would be a difficult battle involving active movement in the air from both sides.

If war were to occur, the estimates of casualties envisaged by American and British war planners would be high.

The expected wave of aerial attacks would resemble the tactics of the Israeli air-war against Lebanon and would follow the same template, but on a larger scale of execution. "

Tucson Weekly : currents : Censored Stories: "The 10 stories the nation's mainstream news media ignored, neglected or missed last year"

If you want to know why the Media is so biased here in US you should look at Newsweek's cover this week by geographical region

 
Queste due sono delle birbe! Fate Attenzione! 

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories - How to make the simplest electric motor: "
How to make the simplest electric motor"

You have one drywall screw, one 1.5 V alkaline cell, six inches of plain copper wire, one small neodymium disk magnet, and no other tools or supplies. You have 30 seconds to make an electric motor running in excess of ten thousand RPM. Can you do it?

See how fast you can type!

Give a try it's fun!

See how fast you can type!

Have you ever waned to find out how fast you can type?
Well now you can.
Give a try!

Anechoic Wind Tunnel

As airline travel peaks for the Thanksgiving
holiday, a newly completed wind tunnel at the University of Florida may
help reduce the noise of commercial airplanes as they fly over homes
and neighborhoods.The tunnel is one of only a handful in the country and currently the largest at a university
designed specifically to reduce noise from planes passing overhead and
landing. Engineers will use the $400,000 tunnel to learn how to reduce
the noise caused by the flow of air over wings, flaps and landing gear
– the primary sources of the annoying sound that reaches people on the
ground when planes are landing.

Google: "Any man whose errors take ten years to correct is quite a man.
- J. Robert Oppenheimer"

Pictures: Pilot trapped for 5h in cockpit of USAF's new $135m F-22A Raptor after canopy jams-25/04/2006-Washington DC-Flight International: "Pilot trapped for 5h in cockpit of USAF's new $135m F-22A Raptor after canopy jams"

CNN.com - Study: Geography Greek to young Americans - May 2, 2006: "After more than three years of combat and nearly 2,400 U.S. military deaths in Iraq, nearly two-thirds of Americans aged 18 to 24 still cannot find Iraq on a map, a study released Tuesday showed."

XCOR Aerospace: The EZ-Rocket: rocket powered aircraft

Terror Watch: Rumsfeld’s E-Mail Secrets - Newsweek Politics - MSNBC.com: "The House committee established to investigate Katrina was “informed that neither Secretary Chertoff nor Secretary Rumsfeld use e-mail,” reported Reps. Charlie Melancon and William Jefferson, two Louisiana Democrats who participated in the inquiry despite a boycott by other House Democrats who felt that the inquiry was too partisan."

In the latest twist in the debate over presidential powers, a Justice Department official suggested that in certain circumstances, the president might have the power to order the killing of terrorist suspects inside the United States. Steven Bradbury, acting head of the department's Office of Legal Counsel, went to a closed-door Senate intelligence committee meeting last week to defend President George W. Bush's surveillance program. During the briefing, said administration and Capitol Hill officials (who declined to be identified because the session was private), California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein asked Bradbury questions about the extent of presidential powers to fight Al Qaeda; could Bush, for instance, order the killing of a Qaeda suspect known to be on U.S. soil? Bradbury replied that he believed Bush could indeed do this, at least in certain circumstances.

Newsvine - Police Apologize, Drop Charge Vs. Sheehan: "Capitol Police dropped a charge of unlawful conduct against anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan on Wednesday and apologized for ejecting her and a congressman's wife from President Bush's State of the Union address for wearing T-shirts with war messages."

"The officers made a good faith, but mistaken effort to enforce an old unwritten interpretation of the prohibitions about demonstrating in the Capitol," Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer said in a statement late Wednesday.

"The policy and procedures were too vague," he added. "The failure to adequately prepare the officers is mine."

The extraordinary statement came a day after police removed Sheehan and Beverly Young, wife of Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young, R-Fla., from the visitors gallery Tuesday night. Sheehan was taken away in handcuffs before Bush's arrival at the Capitol and charged with a misdemeanor, while Young left the gallery and therefore was not arrested, Gainer said.

U.S. details tax breaks for hybrid cars: "Treasury Secretary John Snow on Friday (Jan. 13) announced the issuance of guidance regarding the tax credits for hybrid vehicles.

The credit, which was enacted by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, may be as much as $3,400 for those who purchase the most fuel-efficient vehicles."

OPENPHOTOPROJECT

Other sites for free photos:

stockcache
High Resolution Free Photos

Entering the Past Vintage Pixels is a large database of historical, high quality, royalty-free images which allows people to share their archived photos. You can download images for print, or use in graphic design, as well upload images to add to the ever growing album of vintage images. The best part - it's all free!

USDA PhotosThe Image Gallery is provided as a complimentary source of high quality digital photographs available from the Agricultural Research Service Information Staff.

a repository for public domain (free for any use) images


bigfoto.com
, the royalty free photo agency offering free use of all pictures

Cepolina

The photo archive at Gimp-Savvy.com has more than 27,000 free photos and images, consisting of over 2.5 Gbytes of data.
The images and photos found in this archive come from three main sources: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

BrainFuel » Boot up Windows before you even log in: "If you don’t use any Windows XP login security, then you can skip this article. Otherwise, if you are like many Windows XP users who have to enter a password every time their computer sluggishly boots up, then read this!

Ok. Here’s the scenario:

You have to wait 2 minutes while your computer turns on. You have to sit in front of your computer during this whole time because once it finally gets to the login screen, you have to type in the password. The computer then crunches numbers for another 2 minutes while it loads a wide variety of programs (MSN messenger, your Norton Antivirus, your Microsoft Office shortcut bar, etc…). Finally, after like 5 minutes, you have access to your desktop.

How would you like your computer to load all those programs *before* you ever have to enter your password? You could press the button to power up your system and go get a cup of coffee. Five minutes later, you come to your desk and type in your password. BAM! Instantly dropped to the desktop! Your programs are already running and all systems are a go!

Here’s how to do it:

1. Download Microsoft’s free TweakUI tool and install it.
2. Click your Start button, go to your Programs menu, and select Tweak UI from the “Powertoys for Windows XP” folder.
3. In the TweakUI window, double-click the “Logon” item in the left-hand column to expand it.
4. Click on the “Autologon” item underneath the “Logon” section.
5. Check the box that says “Log on automatically at system startup”
6. Click the “Set Password” button and enter in your windows login password
7. Click OK and close Tweak UI.
8. Download this .reg file and run it. When it asks you if you want to merge it with your registry, choose “Yes”.

NOTE: If you feel queasy about merging a reg file with your registry, you can also add it by hand. Go to Start > Run and type in “regedit” and press OK. Browse to [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] and create a new String Value. Name it “Lock Computer on Startup“, and set the value to “rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation“

Presto! You’re done!

Home - CAElinux: "Based on the open-source CAE softwares Salomé & Code_Aster, you can load STEP / IGES geometry in Salomé and start partitionning and meshing your problem in just 5 minutes. Then you can simulate incredibly complexe physics with the ISO 9001 certified FE solver Code_Aster: non-linear thermo-mechanics, coupled fluid-structure dynamics, sismic / non-linear explicit dynamics, contacts, visco-plasticity, in other words all that you could imagine can be simulated with Code_Aster!! Then reload your results files in Salomé to post-process your data in 3D... And don't forget all these features are based on open-source / free softwares, so now you don't have to pay for excessively expensive licenses."

Ubuntu How-To Install: GPartEd, LaTeX, Java, JEdit, gvim, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Flash player, codecs, and so many other interesting things.

welcome home : vim online: "Vim is a highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing. It is an improved version of the vi editor distributed with most UNIX systems. Vim is distributed free as charityware."

HOW TO: Using Performancing for Firefox | Performancing.com