Hello Darlings,

This is Vicky G, Libby's 18 year old sister. I'm assisting my hopelessly trend deficient sister with her quaint little blog. She begged me to write a post about the wonderful world of the Internet. I agreed after much begging and cajoling, because unlike Libby, I actually have a thriving social life. However, I carved a few minutes out of my day to enlighten Libby, and you the reader on the delightful trend of online radio.

So, on to the topic of online radio. I am sure that all of us like to indulge in our favorite music whilst on the computer to liven up other mundane tasks like school work, research, correspondence, or in my case writing a blog post for my little sister ( in jest I assure you). Listening to your own music on the computer utilizing programs like iTunes, Windows Media Player, Real Player is great until you've listened to your pathetic Mp3 collection ad nauseum, at this point may I recommend the wonderful world of online radio.

In the realm of online radio there are a myriad of choices. I haven't the time to describe the online music player of every radio station from 90.1 All Polka, All the Time to 107.9 Great Granny Hits of the 20's, 30's and a 100 yrs ago, so I am going to focus in on two general interest online only radio players.

The first player is Pandora found at http://www.pandora.com/#/stations/create/. The second player is Slacker Radio found at http://www.slacker.com/. Both stations have basic similarities. Both stations allow you to search for an artist, song, or album and create a station based on songs similar to what you have selected. Both players also have stations that are pre-built, that is you select a genre like, Music of Musicals or Hits for Toddlers (Libby's Favorite).

Here's the breakdown of the pros and cons of both players.

Pandora-Pros

1. The Music Genome Project, an interesting program that Pandora uses to figure out why you like the music that you do, and pick other similar music for based on things like, vocals and instruments.
2. No audio ads only banner type ads, so non stop music
3. Pandora seems to have a larger selection of artists, songs, and albums to choose from.

Cons

1. I've found that on Pandora if you "dislike" a song Pandora will ignore you and play it again anyway.
2. Pandora doesn't give you the option to dislike all songs by a certain artist, say Justin Bieber (sorry Biebettes).
3. Pandora's pre-built stations are hard to adjust to music you like.

Slacker-Pros

1. Excellent pre-built stations
2. Wonderful adjusting tools, like more or less hits or newer or older music.
3. The option to dislike all music by a certain artist.

Cons

1. Audio ads every few songs
2. Fewer artists than Pandora
3. Constant pestering to upgrade to Slacker's ad free subscription(monthly fee) radio.

There you go, that's my review of two excellent free online radio players. Happy listening darlings!

-Vicky G.

Fashion - Dresses.

I've been doing jewelry lately, so im switching back to clotheing again!...for a little while at least. Well I've talked about shirts, pants, jewelry, and makeup, but I totally left out dresses!! And that is just tragic...It may still be Spring, but Summer dresses are in. I guess they can be called Spring dresses too, but I prefer Summer. ^.^ Now in the dress department colors are in of course. I think I've rammed that into your head enough times, but flowers are also in. Flower prints, not cheesy ones, cute ones. The cinched waist is here! It gives your the 'curvacious' look LOL. Even if you don't have any! So, thats whats here this week, and many weeks to come!



Until next Tuesday my friends,



L!bby G.

Summary of Missed Days

I'm so sorry, I was terribly busy last week. I only had time to post on Monday and Tuesday. (Thanks bro for doing Wednesday:) Anyway, I am going to recap things I missed.

Thursday~Books~ Alex Rider today, I just started the first one, Stormbreaker, it has been good so far. But I hope to get the others soon!
Friday~Politics~New Supreme Court Justice, has some up in arms, I think I'll do more research, before I delve into that one.
Saturday~Music~Miley Cyrus put out a new music video. And on a couple of music blogs I read, they are going on about Cd's you liked, but shouldn't. I am not really so sure about those yet? Maybe this week?

Alrighty then, thanks much!
P.S. I was writing this and forgot about Internet! Yikes! I will make sure and get that one out there asap!
L!bby G.

Mother's Day History

Hi! Due to time constraints for my computer use, today I justed posted some links for you to explore. They are about the creators of Mother's Day, Julia Ward Howe (the same one who wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic) and Anna Jarvis. I hope you made this day special for your mom and told her how much you love her! Here are the links:
http://www.chiff.com/a/mothers-day-origins.htm

http://www.mothersdaycelebration.com/story-of-anna-jarvis.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Ward_Howe

http://www.peace.ca/mothersdayproclamation.htm

P.S. I checked out most of the just regarding the specific ladies on the pages. Therefore, I am not sure of the content on the rest of the website. Please proceed with caution! : ) Also, I do not share all the liberal/feminist opinions of the women on these sites.

Movies: Pedro's Raiders of the Lost Ark Review

Last week I watched the original Indiana Jones film for the first time in a while and unlike most movies that I have been watching since I was 8, this just gets better every time I see it. It's well scripted, well acted, well edited, well shot, extremely well directed, masterfully scored by John Williams and except for the corny sequence at the end, the effects hold up pretty well considering that it was made in 1981. This movie is one of those relativity early Spielberg classics that set the stereo types and impacted American culture forever.

If you happen to be one of the 27 people in this country who haven't seen this movie, I would highly recommend that you watch do that the clock strikes midnight tonight.

This is Pedro filling in for my sister, signing off.

Fashion - Yes, I did bracelets. o_o

Ok, so I'm pretty much in love with bracelets, and yes, I did talk about jewelry last week. But going a little more in depth never hurt anybody...did it? So I'm talking about bracelets on this wonderfully new week. Anyways theres 5 big trends out there with bracelets.



Trend 1: The safari look is in this Spring/Summer. Like tribal jewelry with a lot of earthy colored beads made out of wood or coconut.



Trend 2: We can't avoid the fact that the recession is out there. Prices of gold are going throught the roof. But! there is hope! Brass and copper are still out there making your arms look fabulous! Who needs stinky gold? We still have our earthy colored metals. :)



Trend 3: Cuff bracelets are not exactly a new thing out there. Their old news, but their still totally in style. Wooden cuff bracelets with silver studs are totally IN. :D



Trend 4: Summer is about color! So bracelets made with elastic wire and big colorful glass beads of purple, pink, blue, and yellow are in. The more the merrier, by the way!



Trend 5: BANGLES! OH MY GOODNESS! Who does't love these?? Their adorable. Not to mention fun, colorful, and shiney!!! Originally from India...adopted in America. Yay!



So here's your wondertasticful new trend's. Live them, love them, and even laugh at them if you must.



Until next time my dears,

L!bby G.

Nellie Bly

History Sunday again! I first remember hearing about Nellie Bly in a history class I took. I was interested in her story, but I didn't really look further into her. I should have! She had a fascinating life. This week we are going to do something a little different and do her life as a timeline. Tell me how you like it!

MAY 5 1864- Born as Elizabeth Jane Cochran in Cochran's Mills, Pennsylvania. She was nicknamed Pink for wearing that color a lot as a child.

1870- Her father, a wealthy former associate justice, dies.

1879- Pink Cochrane (notice the "e" added to her last name, she added this for sophistication.) enrolls at Indiana State Normal School, Indiana, Pennsylvania. This is a boarding school and she only stays there for one term do to lack of funds.

1880- Elizabeth and her family moved to Pittsburgh.

1885- Elizabeth writes a fiery rebuttal in response to a sexist column written in the Pittsburgh Dispatcher. She writes this to the editor under the name "Lonely Orphan Girl." The editor is so impressed with her spunk and earnestness he hired her. She starts a job at the Pittsburgh Dispatcher, her editor choose the pen name, Nellie Bly, adopted from the title character in the popular song, "Nelly Bly" by Stephen Foster.

1887- Bly moves to New York and after 4 months is penniless. She talks her way into the offices of Joseph Pulitzer's newspaper, New York World. She then takes an undercover assignment for which she agreed to pretend to be insane to investigate reports of abuse and neglect at the Woman's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island. She went home and practiced crazed expressions in the mirror, before checking herself into a working class boardinghouse. There she refused to go to bed, telling the boarders she is afraid of them and that they look crazy. Then the boarders decided that she was the crazy one, and they called the police. Taken to a courtroom, she pretends to have amnesia. The judge thought that she had been drugged. She was then examined by several doctors, who all declared her to be insane. "Positively demented," said one, "I consider it a hopeless case. She needs to be put where someone will take care of her." he head of the insane pavilion at Bellevue Hospital pronounced her "undoubtedly insane". The case of the "pretty crazy girl" attracted media attention: "Who Is This Insane Girl?" asked the New York Sun. The New York Times wrote of the "mysterious waif" with the "wild, hunted look in her eyes", and her desperate cry: "I can't remember I can't remember." Click her to read about her, "Ten Days in a Mad-House": http://www.nellieblyonline.com/herwriting

November 14, 1889 to January 25, 1890- Bly suggests to her editor that she try to make Jules Vernes, Around the World in Eighty Days, a reality. It will be a year before she boards a ship, to make the 24,899 mile journey. She makes it in seventy-two days, six hours, eleven minutes and fourteen seconds.

1894- Bly reports on the violent Pullman labor strike for New York World.

1895- Nellie marries millionaire manufacturer Robert Seamen, although he was 40 years her senior! She retires from journalism and becomes president of the Iron Clad Manufacturing Co.

1904- Her husband Robert Seamen died, and she invented and patented the steel barrel that was the model for the 55-gallon oil drum still in widespread use in United States.

1913- She goes back into reporting, and covers things such as the Women's Suffrage Convention of 1913.

1914- Nellie covers World War I from the trenches in the Eastern European front. She was America's first female war correspondent.

1919- She returns to the U.S. and becomes an advocate for poor children, adoptive parents and other various social causes.

January 27, 1922- Nellie Bly dies of bronchopneumonia at St. Mark's Hospital in New York City. She was 57. She is remembered for her "muckraking" skills and her sympathy for human suffering.

I really enjoyed researching Nellie. What a interesting woman! Thanks to Wikipedia and Nellie Bly Online for their great resources on this amazing lady.