New York Chef Daniel Angerer's wife gave birth to their daughter Arabella eight weeks ago. The wife's breasts was producing more milk than needed to feed the baby, so she started freezing excess milk. The chef started thinking of ways of using it and voila, the idea came - why not make cheese out of it?

Daniel said: 'Being a chef, you're curious about anything in terms of flavour - you look out for something new and what you can do with it.

'After two weeks ageing, it was somewhat like a raw-milk cheese - it had all the flavours in there. It tastes just like really sweet cow's milk.

‘It wasn't like, “Hey, this is such an amazing cheese.” It's just like, “Can you use human milk? Yes, you absolutely can!”

'Our baby has plenty of back-up mother's milk in the freezer, so whoever wants to try it is welcome to try it as long as the supply lasts.'

He added that his 'cooking instincts are rather natural... such as sourcing ingredients from the local market... but this is a whole other level of “natural”.’

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Check the recipe -

Step-by Step
My Spouse’s Mommy Milk Cheese Making Experiment
(basic recipe using 8 cups of any milk - yields about ½ pound cheese)

2 cups mother’s milk
2 cups milk (just about any animal milk will work)
1½-teaspoon yogurt (must be active cultured yogurt)
1/8-tablet rennet (buy from supermarket, usually located in pudding section)
1 teaspoon sea salt such as Baline
 
1. Inoculate milks by heating (68 degree Fahrenheit) then introduce starter bacteria (active yogurt) then let stand for 6 – 8 hours at room temperature, 68ºF covered with a lid. Bacteria will grow in this way and convert milk sugar (lactose) to lactic acid. You can detect its presence by the tart/sour taste.
2. After inoculating the milk heat to 86 degrees Fahrenheit then add rennet (I use tablets which I dissolve in water) and stir throughout. Cover pot and don’t disturb for an hour until “clean break stage” is achieved, meaning with a clean spoon lift a small piece of curd out of the milk - if it is still soft and gel-like let pot stand for an hour longer. If curds “break clean” cut with a knife into a squares (cut inside the pot a ½-inch cube pattern). 
3. Raise temperature slowly continuously stirring with a pastry spatula (this will prevent clumping of cut curd). This is what I call the “ricotta stage” if you like this kind of fresh cheese – here it is. For cheese with a little bit more of texture heat curds to 92 degree Fahrenheit - for soft curd cheese, or as high 102oF for very firm cheese. The heating of the curd makes all the difference in the consistency of the cheese. When heated the curd looks almost like scrambled eggs at this point (curd should be at bottom of pot in whey liquid).
4. Pour curd through a fine strainer (this will separate curd from whey) then transfer into a bowl and add salt and mix with a pastry spatula (this will prevent curd from spoiling). Whey can be drank - it is quite healthy and its protein is very efficiently absorbed into the blood stream making it a sought-after product in shakes for bodybuilders.
5. Give curd shape by lining a container with cheese cloth (allow any excess of cheese cloth to hang over edges of container). Transfer drained, warm curd in the cheese cloth lined container (I used a large plastic quart containers like a large Chinese take- out soup container and cut 4 holes in the bottom with the tip of my knife). Fold excess cheese cloth over top of cheese then weight curd down (with second container filled with water or such) then store in refrigerator (14 hours or so – put container into a second larger container – this will catch draining whey liquid).
6. Take pressed curd out of container (flip container upside-down then unwrap carefully not to damage structure of pressed curd). Rewrap pressed curd with new cheese cloth then age in refrigerator for several weeks (cheese will form a light brown skin around week two – this is normal). Age cheese longer for a more pronounced/sharper cheese flavor.

Source: www.danielangerer.com

Please read his very interesting blog for more recipes (not all of them use breast milk).

Not sure if you would qualify it as a weird or a delicacy or an efficient use.

New York Chef Daniel Angerer's wife gave birth to their daughter Arabella eight weeks ago. The wife's breasts was producing more milk than needed to feed the baby, so she started freezing excess milk. The chef started thinking of ways of using it and voila, the idea came - why not make cheese out of it?

Daniel said: 'Being a chef, you're curious about anything in terms of flavour - you look out for something new and what you can do with it.

'After two weeks ageing, it was somewhat like a raw-milk cheese - it had all the flavours in there. It tastes just like really sweet cow's milk.

‘It wasn't like, “Hey, this is such an amazing cheese.” It's just like, “Can you use human milk? Yes, you absolutely can!”

'Our baby has plenty of back-up mother's milk in the freezer, so whoever wants to try it is welcome to try it as long as the supply lasts.'

He added that his 'cooking instincts are rather natural... such as sourcing ingredients from the local market... but this is a whole other level of “natural”.’

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Check the recipe -

Step-by Step
My Spouse’s Mommy Milk Cheese Making Experiment
(basic recipe using 8 cups of any milk - yields about ½ pound cheese)

2 cups mother’s milk
2 cups milk (just about any animal milk will work)
1½-teaspoon yogurt (must be active cultured yogurt)
1/8-tablet rennet (buy from supermarket, usually located in pudding section)
1 teaspoon sea salt such as Baline
 
1. Inoculate milks by heating (68 degree Fahrenheit) then introduce starter bacteria (active yogurt) then let stand for 6 – 8 hours at room temperature, 68ºF covered with a lid. Bacteria will grow in this way and convert milk sugar (lactose) to lactic acid. You can detect its presence by the tart/sour taste.
2. After inoculating the milk heat to 86 degrees Fahrenheit then add rennet (I use tablets which I dissolve in water) and stir throughout. Cover pot and don’t disturb for an hour until “clean break stage” is achieved, meaning with a clean spoon lift a small piece of curd out of the milk - if it is still soft and gel-like let pot stand for an hour longer. If curds “break clean” cut with a knife into a squares (cut inside the pot a ½-inch cube pattern). 
3. Raise temperature slowly continuously stirring with a pastry spatula (this will prevent clumping of cut curd). This is what I call the “ricotta stage” if you like this kind of fresh cheese – here it is. For cheese with a little bit more of texture heat curds to 92 degree Fahrenheit - for soft curd cheese, or as high 102oF for very firm cheese. The heating of the curd makes all the difference in the consistency of the cheese. When heated the curd looks almost like scrambled eggs at this point (curd should be at bottom of pot in whey liquid).
4. Pour curd through a fine strainer (this will separate curd from whey) then transfer into a bowl and add salt and mix with a pastry spatula (this will prevent curd from spoiling). Whey can be drank - it is quite healthy and its protein is very efficiently absorbed into the blood stream making it a sought-after product in shakes for bodybuilders.
5. Give curd shape by lining a container with cheese cloth (allow any excess of cheese cloth to hang over edges of container). Transfer drained, warm curd in the cheese cloth lined container (I used a large plastic quart containers like a large Chinese take- out soup container and cut 4 holes in the bottom with the tip of my knife). Fold excess cheese cloth over top of cheese then weight curd down (with second container filled with water or such) then store in refrigerator (14 hours or so – put container into a second larger container – this will catch draining whey liquid).
6. Take pressed curd out of container (flip container upside-down then unwrap carefully not to damage structure of pressed curd). Rewrap pressed curd with new cheese cloth then age in refrigerator for several weeks (cheese will form a light brown skin around week two – this is normal). Age cheese longer for a more pronounced/sharper cheese flavor.

Source: www.danielangerer.com

Please read his very interesting blog for more recipes (not all of them use breast milk).

Not sure if you would qualify it as a weird or a delicacy or an efficient use.

Losing your mother to cancer is a very big thing for any teenager. Sarah Phillips, 16, did something different - she made this heart wrenching tribute for her dying mother Debbie who was nearing the end of her four year old battle with cervical cancer.

"I had this song [Autumn] in mind as something that was really appropriate because there is this line that says: 'You still live on in my father's eyes.' Mummy also liked Paulo Nutini's music too.

"In the run-up to mummy's death, I thought it was absolutely perfect but it was unrealistic for me to be able to sing it live at her funeral [because she would be too upset]," said Sarah.

"So I recorded it on my mobile phone in my bedroom at about 10pm [on February 10]. I looked the lyrics up on my computer – it was the first time I had seen them.

"I had said my 'goodbye' to mummy the day before. It was exactly as you would expect. I said: 'I love you.' She just said she wanted me to be happy, but she could not speak very much because her breathing was laboured.

"She was upset by what she would miss – our [her three children's] weddings, having grandchildren. She would have been an amazing grandmother."

Sarah mentioned the recording to her father three days after her mother's death and a family friend, Charlie Mole, a professional score composer and songwriter, helped edit it and put it to music.

The video clips came from 70 hours of family recordings mainly recorded during family holidays abroad.

"I never appreciated how much mummy suffered because her priority was always to make sure we were not upset by her illness," Sarah said.

"She was incredibly selfless – everything she did was for other people. I was always very close to my mother and we have always been a close-knit family. I have wonderful memories of us all together."

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

I would request you all to follow the link to donate for a great cause - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/online-giving/gi...

I think, this is the saddest video I have ever seen in my whole life. I just couldn't hold back my tears!

Losing your mother to cancer is a very big thing for any teenager. Sarah Phillips, 16, did something different - she made this heart wrenching tribute for her dying mother Debbie who was nearing the end of her four year old battle with cervical cancer.

"I had this song [Autumn] in mind as something that was really appropriate because there is this line that says: 'You still live on in my father's eyes.' Mummy also liked Paulo Nutini's music too.

"In the run-up to mummy's death, I thought it was absolutely perfect but it was unrealistic for me to be able to sing it live at her funeral [because she would be too upset]," said Sarah.

"So I recorded it on my mobile phone in my bedroom at about 10pm [on February 10]. I looked the lyrics up on my computer – it was the first time I had seen them.

"I had said my 'goodbye' to mummy the day before. It was exactly as you would expect. I said: 'I love you.' She just said she wanted me to be happy, but she could not speak very much because her breathing was laboured.

"She was upset by what she would miss – our [her three children's] weddings, having grandchildren. She would have been an amazing grandmother."

Sarah mentioned the recording to her father three days after her mother's death and a family friend, Charlie Mole, a professional score composer and songwriter, helped edit it and put it to music.

The video clips came from 70 hours of family recordings mainly recorded during family holidays abroad.

"I never appreciated how much mummy suffered because her priority was always to make sure we were not upset by her illness," Sarah said.

"She was incredibly selfless – everything she did was for other people. I was always very close to my mother and we have always been a close-knit family. I have wonderful memories of us all together."

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

I would request you all to follow the link to donate for a great cause - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/online-giving/gi...

I think, this is the saddest video I have ever seen in my whole life. I just couldn't hold back my tears!

I am no expert in the scientific community, but a "perfect wife" sounds a little too strange as a concept. The research for perfect wife was led by Nguyen Vi Cao of HES-SO School of Business Administration in Carouge, Switzerland (University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland).

The study looked at 1,074 couples aged between 19 and 75 years, to find which social factors were most important to a long and happy relationship. It came out with the following guidelines -

• The husband should be 5 years older to the wife.
• Husband and wife should be of the same heritage.
• Wife should be 27% more intelligent than the husband.
• Wife should hold a degree while he shouldn't.
• Don't marry a divorcee.

The study says that if you follow the above guidelines, then you will increase the chances of a long marriage by 20%.

The study is set to be published in the European Journal of Operational Research in April 2010 edition and the paper is called “Optimizing the marriage market: An application of the linear assignment model.”and is authored by Nguyen Vi Cao, Emmanuel Fragnière, Jacques-Antoine Gauthier, Marlène Sapin and Eric D. Widmer.

Check the abstract from the paper -

Research shows that the success of marriages and other intimate partnerships depends on objective attributes such as differences in age, cultural background, and educational level. This article proposes a mathematical approach to optimizing marriage by allocating spouses in such a way as to reduce the likelihood of divorce or separation. To produce our optimization model, we use the assumption of a central “agency” that would coordinate the matching of couples. Based on a representative and longitudinal sample of 1074 cohabiting and married couples living in Switzerland, we estimate various objective functions corresponding to age, education, ethnicity, and prior divorce concerning every possible combination of men and women. Our results show that the current state of marriages or partnerships is well below the social optimum. We reallocate approximately 68% of individuals (7 out of 10) to a new couple that we posit has a higher likelihood of survival. From this selection of new partners, we obtain our final “optimal” solutions, with a 21% reduction in the objective function.Source: www.sciencedirect.com

You might be wondering, what is Operations research? You are in luck, because one of my best friends work in the field and he pointed me to this definition (wikipedia) -

Operations research, also known as operational research, is an interdisciplinary branch of applied mathematics and formal science that uses advanced analytical methods such as mathematical modeling, statistical analysis, and mathematical optimization to arrive at optimal or near-optimal solutions to complex decision-making problems. It is often concerned with determining the maximum (of profit, performance, or yield) or minimum (of loss, risk, or cost) of some real-world objective. Originating in military efforts before World War II, its techniques have grown to concern problems in a variety of industries.

I do understand that finding a bride or a husband is a complex decision making problem, but not sure if the guidelines work for all of us. More research needed?

I am no expert in the scientific community, but a "perfect wife" sounds a little too strange as a concept. The research for perfect wife was led by Nguyen Vi Cao of HES-SO School of Business Administration in Carouge, Switzerland (University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland).

The study looked at 1,074 couples aged between 19 and 75 years, to find which social factors were most important to a long and happy relationship. It came out with the following guidelines -

• The husband should be 5 years older to the wife.
• Husband and wife should be of the same heritage.
• Wife should be 27% more intelligent than the husband.
• Wife should hold a degree while he shouldn't.
• Don't marry a divorcee.

The study says that if you follow the above guidelines, then you will increase the chances of a long marriage by 20%.

The study is set to be published in the European Journal of Operational Research in April 2010 edition and the paper is called “Optimizing the marriage market: An application of the linear assignment model.”and is authored by Nguyen Vi Cao, Emmanuel Fragnière, Jacques-Antoine Gauthier, Marlène Sapin and Eric D. Widmer.

Check the abstract from the paper -

Research shows that the success of marriages and other intimate partnerships depends on objective attributes such as differences in age, cultural background, and educational level. This article proposes a mathematical approach to optimizing marriage by allocating spouses in such a way as to reduce the likelihood of divorce or separation. To produce our optimization model, we use the assumption of a central “agency” that would coordinate the matching of couples. Based on a representative and longitudinal sample of 1074 cohabiting and married couples living in Switzerland, we estimate various objective functions corresponding to age, education, ethnicity, and prior divorce concerning every possible combination of men and women. Our results show that the current state of marriages or partnerships is well below the social optimum. We reallocate approximately 68% of individuals (7 out of 10) to a new couple that we posit has a higher likelihood of survival. From this selection of new partners, we obtain our final “optimal” solutions, with a 21% reduction in the objective function.Source: www.sciencedirect.com

You might be wondering, what is Operations research? You are in luck, because one of my best friends work in the field and he pointed me to this definition (wikipedia) -

Operations research, also known as operational research, is an interdisciplinary branch of applied mathematics and formal science that uses advanced analytical methods such as mathematical modeling, statistical analysis, and mathematical optimization to arrive at optimal or near-optimal solutions to complex decision-making problems. It is often concerned with determining the maximum (of profit, performance, or yield) or minimum (of loss, risk, or cost) of some real-world objective. Originating in military efforts before World War II, its techniques have grown to concern problems in a variety of industries.

I do understand that finding a bride or a husband is a complex decision making problem, but not sure if the guidelines work for all of us. More research needed?

This has to be a dream job where you get a rent-free studio on park ave south  in Manhattan for working as a PA to Harvard-trained eye surgeon Dr. Emil Chynn and an additional bonus of $10,000 for finding him a wife. The studio includes free utilities, Internet and telephone (local and long distance). Responsibilities include back-walking, grocery shopping, internet shopping, opening/closing/cleaning of beach houses, etc. And you have to be a Dog-lover!

congrats on getting a great gig where you get free rent including free phone and hi-speed internet on park ave south, all in exchange for 1 hour walking on my back and taking orders, and another hour of dedicated time per weekday, with other crap bundled into your regular weekly activities Source: newyork.craigslist.org

Check the Craigslist Advertisement -

I am a successful small business owner, who owns my own space on Park Avenue South. I've put a studio apartment in the basement for my Personal Assistant to live in, rent-free, in exchange for her PA work. Here's the deal:

I've had PAs for several years, and to be a good match for me, you have to be very:
orderly, organized, responsible, reliable, dependable, punctual
smart, quick, sharp, good common sense, good attention to detail, good memory and note-taking habits, doesn't need reminding
good project-management skills, ability to back out intermediate deadlines so major deadline will be met on-time
good at internet research, ordering things on the internet (shopping)
good sense of style and fashion, well-mannered, well-groomed, very polished, professional, and presentable
graduate of a 4-year college
25-30 years of age (approximately)--younger is often not-so-clued-in; older is often too inflexible

HERE IS YOUR APARTMENT:
studio with full bath, bedroom, living room, kitchenette
free utilities included
free local and long-distance phone anywhere within the continental US
free high-speed internet (T1)
it is currently being finished out, so if you interview asap, you can choose the finishing touches, etc!

HERE ARE YOUR DUTIES:
1. you'll spend ONLY ONE HOUR with me MONDAY - FRIDAY where i will tell you your new tasks, you will give me follow-up and status on your ongoing projects

2. that hour will be spent sometime between 9AM - 7 PM depending on my availability, and will be in my office, and simultaneously you will be either walking on my back (preferred, if you weigh less than 115 lb) as i have a lot of lower-back stiffness, or if you are more than 115, you can just give me a deep masage or something like that. please note this is NOT ANYTHING SEXUAL i do not want anything like that, it's just part of your job as my PA, because that's what i need (one of my PAs was also a former dancer, so instead of the massage she just stretched out my hamstrings and quads professionally, which was fine as i think a lot of my lower-back stiffness is due to inflexibility of my hip flexors. but the intake/outtake must be done simultaneously to the massage/stretch, or i won't have time for either (which is why i need a PA in the 1st place)

3. you will then be assigned tasks that you will need to devote ONE HOUR PER DAY to me exclusively, and other tasks that you can just bundle into your regular day. eg, shop for something exclusively for 1 hour, and pick up things for me at the grocery store when you shop for yourself anyway

4. during most weekends you will be OFF. but some weekends, like when i am going away to open or close my ski house, my beach house, or my other beach house, you will have to accompany me and assist with the opening/closing/cleaning (there are worse things in life than helping out at a ski or beach house part-time for a weekend, and skiing or sunbathing the rest of the time, by the way!)

rent for this space including utilities on park ave so. would be $2000 per month, so paying you the going rate for part-time PA work of $20 per hour means you need to give me 100 hours per month, or 25 hours per week, or 3 hours per day of PA work, approximately (although as described above that's really only 5 hours per week M-F getting your assignments and walking on my back, 5 hours per week M-F doing stuff exclusively for me, and the other 15 hours per week just bundling in my stuff into your stuff.

i am, by the way, single and looking, so part of your assignment will probably be to reactivate my match.com profile and troll for dates for me, as i don't really have the time to do this properly. because i'm a single guy i am also chronically malnourished, so part of this deal is i always get to eat your leftovers (i am not picky at all), but you never have to cook for me specially, just stick your leftovers every day or so in the office fridge upstairs for me, or i skip meals bc busy and lose weight!:(

my parents are immigrants and desperate for their only son to marry and have a child (preferably a boy, i guess), so if you do happen to miraculously set me up with a girl i marry, through match.com or your other resources (i am notoriously picky, by the way, as have multiple ivy-league degrees), my parents will give you a reward of $10,000 in cash, ie bills, so that's a bonus!

to apply, please submit a cover letter, your relevant work experience, and your resume, and if you wish, a picture (optional). if you have prior PA experience, that's a plus, although similar experience like Executive Assistant would be fine. if you're a professional massage therapist, you're probably hired, by the way!:)

congrats on getting a great gig where you get free rent including free phone and hi-speed internet on park ave south, all in exchange for 1 hour walking on my back and taking orders, and another hour of dedicated time per weekday, with other crap bundled into your regular weekly activities

oh, i forgot to mention, i have a very sweet dog, so you must like dogs and he must like you, as he is the love of my life (at least until i find a wife) and you'll have to walk him at least every other day or take him to the dogrun to play!:) you CANNOT however have a dog or cat or any pets of your own (except fish, of course!)

Sounds like a great deal and if he throws in one Lasik surgery free, even I would take it, though I am outside the age restriction.

This has to be a dream job where you get a rent-free studio on park ave south  in Manhattan for working as a PA to Harvard-trained eye surgeon Dr. Emil Chynn and an additional bonus of $10,000 for finding him a wife. The studio includes free utilities, Internet and telephone (local and long distance). Responsibilities include back-walking, grocery shopping, internet shopping, opening/closing/cleaning of beach houses, etc. And you have to be a Dog-lover!

congrats on getting a great gig where you get free rent including free phone and hi-speed internet on park ave south, all in exchange for 1 hour walking on my back and taking orders, and another hour of dedicated time per weekday, with other crap bundled into your regular weekly activities Source: newyork.craigslist.org

Check the Craigslist Advertisement -

I am a successful small business owner, who owns my own space on Park Avenue South. I've put a studio apartment in the basement for my Personal Assistant to live in, rent-free, in exchange for her PA work. Here's the deal:

I've had PAs for several years, and to be a good match for me, you have to be very:
orderly, organized, responsible, reliable, dependable, punctual
smart, quick, sharp, good common sense, good attention to detail, good memory and note-taking habits, doesn't need reminding
good project-management skills, ability to back out intermediate deadlines so major deadline will be met on-time
good at internet research, ordering things on the internet (shopping)
good sense of style and fashion, well-mannered, well-groomed, very polished, professional, and presentable
graduate of a 4-year college
25-30 years of age (approximately)--younger is often not-so-clued-in; older is often too inflexible

HERE IS YOUR APARTMENT:
studio with full bath, bedroom, living room, kitchenette
free utilities included
free local and long-distance phone anywhere within the continental US
free high-speed internet (T1)
it is currently being finished out, so if you interview asap, you can choose the finishing touches, etc!

HERE ARE YOUR DUTIES:
1. you'll spend ONLY ONE HOUR with me MONDAY - FRIDAY where i will tell you your new tasks, you will give me follow-up and status on your ongoing projects

2. that hour will be spent sometime between 9AM - 7 PM depending on my availability, and will be in my office, and simultaneously you will be either walking on my back (preferred, if you weigh less than 115 lb) as i have a lot of lower-back stiffness, or if you are more than 115, you can just give me a deep masage or something like that. please note this is NOT ANYTHING SEXUAL i do not want anything like that, it's just part of your job as my PA, because that's what i need (one of my PAs was also a former dancer, so instead of the massage she just stretched out my hamstrings and quads professionally, which was fine as i think a lot of my lower-back stiffness is due to inflexibility of my hip flexors. but the intake/outtake must be done simultaneously to the massage/stretch, or i won't have time for either (which is why i need a PA in the 1st place)

3. you will then be assigned tasks that you will need to devote ONE HOUR PER DAY to me exclusively, and other tasks that you can just bundle into your regular day. eg, shop for something exclusively for 1 hour, and pick up things for me at the grocery store when you shop for yourself anyway

4. during most weekends you will be OFF. but some weekends, like when i am going away to open or close my ski house, my beach house, or my other beach house, you will have to accompany me and assist with the opening/closing/cleaning (there are worse things in life than helping out at a ski or beach house part-time for a weekend, and skiing or sunbathing the rest of the time, by the way!)

rent for this space including utilities on park ave so. would be $2000 per month, so paying you the going rate for part-time PA work of $20 per hour means you need to give me 100 hours per month, or 25 hours per week, or 3 hours per day of PA work, approximately (although as described above that's really only 5 hours per week M-F getting your assignments and walking on my back, 5 hours per week M-F doing stuff exclusively for me, and the other 15 hours per week just bundling in my stuff into your stuff.

i am, by the way, single and looking, so part of your assignment will probably be to reactivate my match.com profile and troll for dates for me, as i don't really have the time to do this properly. because i'm a single guy i am also chronically malnourished, so part of this deal is i always get to eat your leftovers (i am not picky at all), but you never have to cook for me specially, just stick your leftovers every day or so in the office fridge upstairs for me, or i skip meals bc busy and lose weight!:(

my parents are immigrants and desperate for their only son to marry and have a child (preferably a boy, i guess), so if you do happen to miraculously set me up with a girl i marry, through match.com or your other resources (i am notoriously picky, by the way, as have multiple ivy-league degrees), my parents will give you a reward of $10,000 in cash, ie bills, so that's a bonus!

to apply, please submit a cover letter, your relevant work experience, and your resume, and if you wish, a picture (optional). if you have prior PA experience, that's a plus, although similar experience like Executive Assistant would be fine. if you're a professional massage therapist, you're probably hired, by the way!:)

congrats on getting a great gig where you get free rent including free phone and hi-speed internet on park ave south, all in exchange for 1 hour walking on my back and taking orders, and another hour of dedicated time per weekday, with other crap bundled into your regular weekly activities

oh, i forgot to mention, i have a very sweet dog, so you must like dogs and he must like you, as he is the love of my life (at least until i find a wife) and you'll have to walk him at least every other day or take him to the dogrun to play!:) you CANNOT however have a dog or cat or any pets of your own (except fish, of course!)

Sounds like a great deal and if he throws in one Lasik surgery free, even I would take it, though I am outside the age restriction.

Residents at the desert town of Lajamanu in Northern Australia were baffled when they saw fish, believed to be small spangled perch, raining from the sky. The town is hundreds of miles from lakes and water bodies that could carry the fishes.

 "Locals were picking them up off the footy oval and on the ground everywhere. These fish were alive when they hit the ground.

"I haven't lost my marbles. Thank God it didn't rain crocodiles."

Source: www.nzherald.co.nz

Reminds of the movie - "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs". Maybe someone has finally made a machine to can manufactur food or here fish?

Though the real reason seems to be a  tornado over a body of water that could have picked up the fish, carried them and then rained them over the town.

Weather bureau senior forecaster Ashley Patterson told the Northern Territory News that a tornado in the nearby Douglas Daly region may have been responsible, although no twisters had been reported.

"It's a very unusual event," he said. "With an updraft, [fish and water picked up] could get up high - up to 60,000 or 70,000 feet. Or possibly from a tornado over a large water body - but we haven't had any reports."

Source: www.nzherald.co.nz

I think I have heard similar stories about raining turtles, fishes, etc. earlier too. Though still haven't heard about raining meatballs or cheeseburgers!

Residents at the desert town of Lajamanu in Northern Australia were baffled when they saw fish, believed to be small spangled perch, raining from the sky. The town is hundreds of miles from lakes and water bodies that could carry the fishes.

 "Locals were picking them up off the footy oval and on the ground everywhere. These fish were alive when they hit the ground.

"I haven't lost my marbles. Thank God it didn't rain crocodiles."

Source: www.nzherald.co.nz

Reminds of the movie - "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs". Maybe someone has finally made a machine to can manufactur food or here fish?

Though the real reason seems to be a  tornado over a body of water that could have picked up the fish, carried them and then rained them over the town.

Weather bureau senior forecaster Ashley Patterson told the Northern Territory News that a tornado in the nearby Douglas Daly region may have been responsible, although no twisters had been reported.

"It's a very unusual event," he said. "With an updraft, [fish and water picked up] could get up high - up to 60,000 or 70,000 feet. Or possibly from a tornado over a large water body - but we haven't had any reports."

Source: www.nzherald.co.nz

I think I have heard similar stories about raining turtles, fishes, etc. earlier too. Though still haven't heard about raining meatballs or cheeseburgers!

In tragic news, 24-year British Teacher Emma Jones, who was working in International School of Choueifat in Khalifa City in Abu Dhabi since 2008, committed suicide after ex-boyfriend, Jamie Brayley, allegedly posted naked pictures of her on Facebook.

Mrs Rowlands, 41, said: ‘He put a memory stick in the computer and copied some indecent images of Emma. He put them on her Facebook and she said she was accused of prostitution by a man working at the school. She was crying, she was breaking her heart. I said, “Emma, whatever it is can't be that bad. Just come home’. But Emma told her mother: ‘I can't leave the country, they will throw me in jail.’

But the inquest heard a man called George working in the IT department at the school had seen the pictures - and she feared he would report it to the authorities. Mrs Rowlands said: ‘Emma and George didn't get on at all. She said she had to get away.’Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Her apartment mate,  Iranian teacher Mona Moshki, found her dead in the apartment with her passport in the jeans pocket and clothing lying in bed ready to be packed.

Her ex-boyfriend refuted the claim that he was responsible.

Former boyfriend IT consultant Mr Brayley described Mrs Rowlands' claims as ‘complete fantasy’. He admitted he had used Miss Jones’s computer but denied he had ever downloaded private photographs of her.
He said: ‘Emma never sent me any indecent images. She wasn't that type of character.’Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

 Deputy assistant coroner Thomas Atherton did rule of foul play but also suggested that Emma could have drunk the cleaning fluid by mistake, thinking it was water.

He said Ms Jones may have accidentally drunk cleaning fluid from an unlabelled container believing it to be water, and could not be certain she had intended to kill herself.

"For whatever reason Emma expressed concern she was about to be arrested and put in prison," he said.

"She agreed the best course of action was to leave Abu Dhabi and return to Britain.

"Her clothes were out and her passport was in her pocket. That's not someone who is contemplating suicide."

Source: BBC

How does anyone drink cleaning fluid assuming it to be water? I do agree that it was un-labelled but what are the odds of her not knowing the content of the bottle, especially since it was her own apartment?

What do you guys think - suicide, foul play or terrible accident?

In tragic news, 24-year British Teacher Emma Jones, who was working in International School of Choueifat in Khalifa City in Abu Dhabi since 2008, committed suicide after ex-boyfriend, Jamie Brayley, allegedly posted naked pictures of her on Facebook.

Mrs Rowlands, 41, said: ‘He put a memory stick in the computer and copied some indecent images of Emma. He put them on her Facebook and she said she was accused of prostitution by a man working at the school. She was crying, she was breaking her heart. I said, “Emma, whatever it is can't be that bad. Just come home’. But Emma told her mother: ‘I can't leave the country, they will throw me in jail.’

But the inquest heard a man called George working in the IT department at the school had seen the pictures - and she feared he would report it to the authorities. Mrs Rowlands said: ‘Emma and George didn't get on at all. She said she had to get away.’Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Her apartment mate,  Iranian teacher Mona Moshki, found her dead in the apartment with her passport in the jeans pocket and clothing lying in bed ready to be packed.

Her ex-boyfriend refuted the claim that he was responsible.

Former boyfriend IT consultant Mr Brayley described Mrs Rowlands' claims as ‘complete fantasy’. He admitted he had used Miss Jones’s computer but denied he had ever downloaded private photographs of her.
He said: ‘Emma never sent me any indecent images. She wasn't that type of character.’Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

 Deputy assistant coroner Thomas Atherton did rule of foul play but also suggested that Emma could have drunk the cleaning fluid by mistake, thinking it was water.

He said Ms Jones may have accidentally drunk cleaning fluid from an unlabelled container believing it to be water, and could not be certain she had intended to kill herself.

"For whatever reason Emma expressed concern she was about to be arrested and put in prison," he said.

"She agreed the best course of action was to leave Abu Dhabi and return to Britain.

"Her clothes were out and her passport was in her pocket. That's not someone who is contemplating suicide."

Source: BBC

How does anyone drink cleaning fluid assuming it to be water? I do agree that it was un-labelled but what are the odds of her not knowing the content of the bottle, especially since it was her own apartment?

What do you guys think - suicide, foul play or terrible accident?

Some like it, some love it, but there are some who are absolutely mad about it. Ya Ting Li and Joshua Li are definitely mad about Apple. So, they planned their wedding inside the Apple store on the 5th Avenue in New York.

Highlights of the wedding -

• Ceremony kicked off at 12:01 AM on Valentines Day
• The rings were on a first gen iPod.

• Vows were written on a card that said "I love you more than this" followed by a picture of an iPhone.
• Priest dressed as Steve Jobs, the company’s chief executive

Her vows were written on a card that said "I love you more than this" followed by a picture of an iPhone.
A funny story about the shirt. I looked in every store and I ended up finding it... at Sears... for $4.97... on the clearance rack... In Extra Large...

Apparently, black turtle necks are not "in" this season.Source: www.trashyyetclassy.com

• Both bride and groom read their vows from their iPhones

Part of their vows included a passage from the Apple CEO that said: “You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down.”

Mrs Ling, dressed in a strapless wedding dress, had her vows written on a card that said "I love you more than this" followed by a picture of an iPhone.

Details of the unauthorised wedding, which was attended by about 30 friends, emerged after an Apple Store employee, tweeted about the wedding on Twitter, the mico-blogging site.

“We got to know each other because Ting was looking to buy an iPod…and I managed to strike up a conversation that way,” Mr Ting, who was dressed in a suit and a pink tie, later told Entertainment Weekly.

“I used to joke that the Apple Store is my church because I am not religious, and I loved everything Apple.

“Ting then came up with the idea of having the wedding there.”

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The ceremony was not authorised by Apple, but staff "did not interfere".

Congratulations to the newly weds!

Stupid and creative? you decide!

Some like it, some love it, but there are some who are absolutely mad about it. Ya Ting Li and Joshua Li are definitely mad about Apple. So, they planned their wedding inside the Apple store on the 5th Avenue in New York.

Highlights of the wedding -

• Ceremony kicked off at 12:01 AM on Valentines Day
• The rings were on a first gen iPod.

• Vows were written on a card that said "I love you more than this" followed by a picture of an iPhone.
• Priest dressed as Steve Jobs, the company’s chief executive

Her vows were written on a card that said "I love you more than this" followed by a picture of an iPhone.
A funny story about the shirt. I looked in every store and I ended up finding it... at Sears... for $4.97... on the clearance rack... In Extra Large...

Apparently, black turtle necks are not "in" this season.Source: www.trashyyetclassy.com

• Both bride and groom read their vows from their iPhones

Part of their vows included a passage from the Apple CEO that said: “You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down.”

Mrs Ling, dressed in a strapless wedding dress, had her vows written on a card that said "I love you more than this" followed by a picture of an iPhone.

Details of the unauthorised wedding, which was attended by about 30 friends, emerged after an Apple Store employee, tweeted about the wedding on Twitter, the mico-blogging site.

“We got to know each other because Ting was looking to buy an iPod…and I managed to strike up a conversation that way,” Mr Ting, who was dressed in a suit and a pink tie, later told Entertainment Weekly.

“I used to joke that the Apple Store is my church because I am not religious, and I loved everything Apple.

“Ting then came up with the idea of having the wedding there.”

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The ceremony was not authorised by Apple, but staff "did not interfere".

Congratulations to the newly weds!

Stupid and creative? you decide!

J.K. Rowling is been accused of plagiarizing in multi-million pound case for using ideas for her Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire from the British author  Mr Jacob's 1987 book The Adventures of Willy the Wizard: No 1 Livid Lan. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire  was published in July 2000.

Mr Jacobs' estate entered a lawsuit against Bloomsbury Publishing, publishers of the Harry Potter series, in a London court last June. The suit claims that Mr Jacobs used concepts and themes such as wizard prisons, wizard hospitals and wizard colleges years before Ms Rowling did. The two authors also shared an agent, Christopher Little, who manages the Harry Potter brand worldwide, according to the statement.

The theme of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire — a year of wizardry competition — was identical to the theme of Willy the Wizard, he added. "If your child read Willy the Wizard he would say to you, 'That's just like Goblet of Fire'," he said. Source: entertainment.timesonline.co.uk

Ms Rowling strongly disputes the claims.

Ms Rowling said in a statement: “I am saddened that yet another claim has been made that I have taken material from another source to write Harry. The fact is I had never heard of the author or the book before the first accusation by those connected to the author’s estate in 2004; I have certainly never read the book.

"The claims that are made are not only unfounded but absurd and I am disappointed that I, and my UK publisher Bloomsbury, are put in a position to have to defend ourselves. We will be applying to the Court immediately for a ruling that the claim is without merit and should therefore be dismissed without delay.”

Source: entertainment.timesonline.co.uk

Not a lot of people have heard about Mr Jacob's book as it only sold around 5000 copies, but almost everyone has heard of Rowling and her books. It is quite likely that the similarities in the books are coincidental and Mr Jacob's estate is trying to make a quick buck out of it.

But what if there is a some copying of ideas involved?

J.K. Rowling is been accused of plagiarizing in multi-million pound case for using ideas for her Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire from the British author  Mr Jacob's 1987 book The Adventures of Willy the Wizard: No 1 Livid Lan. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire  was published in July 2000.

Mr Jacobs' estate entered a lawsuit against Bloomsbury Publishing, publishers of the Harry Potter series, in a London court last June. The suit claims that Mr Jacobs used concepts and themes such as wizard prisons, wizard hospitals and wizard colleges years before Ms Rowling did. The two authors also shared an agent, Christopher Little, who manages the Harry Potter brand worldwide, according to the statement.

The theme of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire — a year of wizardry competition — was identical to the theme of Willy the Wizard, he added. "If your child read Willy the Wizard he would say to you, 'That's just like Goblet of Fire'," he said. Source: entertainment.timesonline.co.uk

Ms Rowling strongly disputes the claims.

Ms Rowling said in a statement: “I am saddened that yet another claim has been made that I have taken material from another source to write Harry. The fact is I had never heard of the author or the book before the first accusation by those connected to the author’s estate in 2004; I have certainly never read the book.

"The claims that are made are not only unfounded but absurd and I am disappointed that I, and my UK publisher Bloomsbury, are put in a position to have to defend ourselves. We will be applying to the Court immediately for a ruling that the claim is without merit and should therefore be dismissed without delay.”

Source: entertainment.timesonline.co.uk

Not a lot of people have heard about Mr Jacob's book as it only sold around 5000 copies, but almost everyone has heard of Rowling and her books. It is quite likely that the similarities in the books are coincidental and Mr Jacob's estate is trying to make a quick buck out of it.

But what if there is a some copying of ideas involved?

Do you have it in you to be President Barack Obama's Social Networks Manager? Can you manage President's Facebook, Twitter, mySpace, etc. accounts?

Then check it below -

Job Description

Organizing for America, the successor organization to Obama for America, is building on the movement that elected President Obama by empowering communities across the country to organize around the issues they care most about. The Democratic National Committee and Organizing for America is hiring a Social Networks Manager

The Social Networks Manager is responsible for maintaining the Democratic Party and Organizing for America accounts on all social networks (such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace accounts, etc.) The Social Networks Manager works closely with the rest of the New Media department to execute grassroots campaigns to advance the President’s agenda for change.

Qualifications:

• Excellent writing and editing skills with strong attention to detail; your writing is strong, sharp, and personable
• Strong organizing and campaigning instincts; you can craft messages that move people to act, and you know what actions will achieve the right impact at the right time
• Strong familiarity with social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.
• Ready to work hard; this isn’t a 9-5 sort of job
• Ability to work under deadline pressure
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects
• Passionate about engaging millions of Americans in advancing President Obama's agenda and changing the country
• Candidates must be willing to relocate to Washington, DC

Preference given for experience with:

• Online organizing experience with an electoral campaign, advocacy organization or non-profit
• Complex project management
• Experience using social media for organizing

Interested? Apply here

It seems like the current Obama's current ghost tweeter is stepping down and the replacement is sought not only to manage twitter but other social networking accounts. Do you think you can do it?

Do you have it in you to be President Barack Obama's Social Networks Manager? Can you manage President's Facebook, Twitter, mySpace, etc. accounts?

Then check it below -

Job Description

Organizing for America, the successor organization to Obama for America, is building on the movement that elected President Obama by empowering communities across the country to organize around the issues they care most about. The Democratic National Committee and Organizing for America is hiring a Social Networks Manager

The Social Networks Manager is responsible for maintaining the Democratic Party and Organizing for America accounts on all social networks (such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace accounts, etc.) The Social Networks Manager works closely with the rest of the New Media department to execute grassroots campaigns to advance the President’s agenda for change.

Qualifications:

• Excellent writing and editing skills with strong attention to detail; your writing is strong, sharp, and personable
• Strong organizing and campaigning instincts; you can craft messages that move people to act, and you know what actions will achieve the right impact at the right time
• Strong familiarity with social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.
• Ready to work hard; this isn’t a 9-5 sort of job
• Ability to work under deadline pressure
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects
• Passionate about engaging millions of Americans in advancing President Obama's agenda and changing the country
• Candidates must be willing to relocate to Washington, DC

Preference given for experience with:

• Online organizing experience with an electoral campaign, advocacy organization or non-profit
• Complex project management
• Experience using social media for organizing

Interested? Apply here

It seems like the current Obama's current ghost tweeter is stepping down and the replacement is sought not only to manage twitter but other social networking accounts. Do you think you can do it?

Mary King, 30, and her husband David, 27, are proud parents of their "incredible" six month old son, Xavier, who started sitting up on his own at just three months old and walking a distance of 6 feet without support at 6 months. He was born last July weighing 9lb 1oz.

Mrs King, from Cambridge, said of her first child: "Xavier is more advanced than most babies his age. It was just amazing when he got up and started putting one leg in front of the other.

"The only problem now is that I can't leave him alone so have had to buy a play pen so he doesn't get into any mischief."

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Child development experts are stunned by the news and have confirmed that it is extremely rare for a baby to begin walking at such a young age.

Dr Martin Ward Platt, consultant paediatrician at Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, said: "To be quite so precocious with your walking is extremely uncommon, but with 700,000 babies delivered every in the UK it will happen from time to time.

"For his parents, having to cope with a much more mobile child much earlier than expected simply brings forward the moment you need eyes in the back of your head."

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Is he the next superman and will fly by the age of 10? I doubt that but who knows!

Mary King, 30, and her husband David, 27, are proud parents of their "incredible" six month old son, Xavier, who started sitting up on his own at just three months old and walking a distance of 6 feet without support at 6 months. He was born last July weighing 9lb 1oz.

Mrs King, from Cambridge, said of her first child: "Xavier is more advanced than most babies his age. It was just amazing when he got up and started putting one leg in front of the other.

"The only problem now is that I can't leave him alone so have had to buy a play pen so he doesn't get into any mischief."

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Child development experts are stunned by the news and have confirmed that it is extremely rare for a baby to begin walking at such a young age.

Dr Martin Ward Platt, consultant paediatrician at Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, said: "To be quite so precocious with your walking is extremely uncommon, but with 700,000 babies delivered every in the UK it will happen from time to time.

"For his parents, having to cope with a much more mobile child much earlier than expected simply brings forward the moment you need eyes in the back of your head."

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Is he the next superman and will fly by the age of 10? I doubt that but who knows!