The Blog of Jake and Renee!

Hmm. The Bridge is a new movie out in theatres that is a documentary of the Golden Gate Bridge. The whole point to the movie is waiting for people to commit suicide. The film crew spent over a year filming the bridge and they caught like 10 people kill themselves:( It is an awful thing to film, but it is getting great ratings, check it out!

Hawaii, specifically Maui, is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. With white sand beaches, warm water, and the most gorgeous waterfalls how can you not just fall in love with this lovely island? On top of being a nice place to vacation, it would also be a beautiful place to have a wedding! When I was there I actually saw a few different Maui Wedings taking place along the shore and on the cliff side. So if you are thinking of an outdoor wedding, where better to have one than Maui?! 

Man am I tired of studying! The one downfall of leaving for a short "vacation time" (like I’m getting this weekend) is that you usually are pressured to get things done in a shorter amount of time than expected. This week I have had one quiz, a paper, and two tests to do before I leave! Ahhh…Only one more test to go though and I will be done! Soon I will forget about the stress of this week and will be having fun with the Fam in CA! 

Have you discovered that working at home isn’t as easy and stress-free as you thought it would be? For some people, working at home really is as good as it seems. For others, however, it may consist of running the kids around, pointless phone calls that interrupt their work, the yummy desserts left over from last night that only further help them procrastinate…and countless other intrusions. If this sounds like you, then you need an office! Don’t have the funds or resources? Then sign up for The Home Office From Hell contest. The Grand Prize winner will receive 12 months of rent (up to $12,000) at any location posted on Offices2Share.com plus a paid trip to New York City to have lunch with Donald Trump's right-hand man and former Co-Star of The Apprentice - George Ross. Plus, there are thousands of dollars in additional prizes from their Corporate Participants - Dell and Trump University. All you need to do is post the top 10 reasons why you need to move out of your “home office from hell”. Good luck! 

As I've already reported, this season of Project Runway has come to an end. Now that the top four designers have shown their final collections, you can buy them from the Project Runway auction on BravoTv.com! So if there was a certain design you fell in love with, and don’t mind spending at least SEVERAL hundred dollars for it, then check it out and make your bid!

Can you imagine having a place where you can look out and see this? Wow, I for one would love it! This place is actually a lovely little Spanish villa. I have never been to Spain, but from what I have seen, it looks very beautiful. Now, I don’t know Spanish to save my life so it wouldn’t be my first choice to live…but I could sure handle it for vacation! If I had the money someday, I would love to buy a property in Spain and have a lovely Spanish villa like this to escape to! Really, who wouldn’t want to see this out their back window?!

Yes! Only 3 more days until I am back in California! This weekend my mom and I are flying out for a “quick” weekend trip to help celebrate Nonno’s (my grandpa’s) 70th birthday day! This is really a special opportunity because we don’t get the chance to be a part of family events like this anymore since we moved. So I am pumped to be able to go! Thanks mom and dad for letting me go and Happy Birthday Nonno!

PayPerPost is amazing! I was looking for a way to earn some more money on top of the job I already have in order to pay off my debt to my parents…and  PayPerPost was the answer!  A friend found out about PPP and started checking it out and discovered that it was legit and a great way to make money. After seeing how much he had made and how easy it was for him, I knew I had to step in too! I’ve only been using PPP on this blog for about 1 ½ months, and so far I’ve been paid about $40 or so…but I have just over $100 coming already! How sweet is that?

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend, The Main Event. This was an awesome event that brought around 1,000 students to the University of Northern Iowa to worship God and grow in their faith. I really enjoyed this event. The weekend consisted of several large group session where the band lead us in a great worship time, small group sessions where we had the chance to meet and get to know some new people on a deeper level, and workshops. On Saturday, I went to a workshop called something like "How to eat PB & J to the glory of God." It was really helpful and opened my eyes to how I can really make God a part of everything I do in my life and glorify Him in everything.

If you are on the internet for any length of time you are bound to see at least one ad that tells you "YOU HAVE JUST WON ___" or "SIGN UP AND WIN A ____". Well, apparently ipodsweepstakes.com holds true to these claims and makes winning a free ipod as easy as it sounds! iPodSweepstakes.com gives away a free iPod every single day. There's nothing to buy, no credit card needed and you don't have to refer your friends. Sounds pretty good to me! Check them out to Get a Free iPod from iPodSweepstakes.com Now and start listening to your favorite tunes anywhere!

The latest sesion of Project Runway has come to an end! With four designers left on the last episode to show off their talent in 12 final designs only one would leave the winner. Micheal, Laura, Uli, and Jefferey designed some amazing outfits but Jefferey came out on top and won it all with his final designs. Good Job Jefferey and Congratulations!

Finding the right furniture for a room can be one heck of a job! My family finally decided to switch out our very 1990s looking couch and love seat set to a more contemporary leather sofa and matching chairs. But wow…what an ordeal. Having only a few arrangement options in our living room, finding the right furniture in the right size was not so easy. If you have similar problems or just don’t know where to start, then check out what Furniture Biz has to offer. Their aim is to “help you make the right decisions when it comes to choosing furniture for your living space.”

As I have written about before, weight issues are something that I have a heart for. It's not because I am too fat or too thin or have struggled with weight before, I think its just because I care about how people feel about themselves and I know the pressure we all face to look a certain way. The fashion industry is something I find very frustrating. Don't get me wrong, I love fashion and part of me dreams of being a designer...but its the models that bother me. I'm sure not all runway models are way too skinny, but many are. Why is it that the 'standard' size of runway models seems to get smaller and smaller? I'm not trying to blame the models themselves or put this on them, I'm sure they face a tremendous amount of pressure to be thin. I can't imagine what these girls go through.

The beach cruisers are coming back! This is comfy, retro ride was made popular in the 1960s and 70s and has now made a new, flashy come back. These bicycles – with flat tires that can handle sand, wide handlebars, and cushy seats— are not only great for cruising the beach but can be a relaxing, comfortable ride wherever you are!  So if you want one of these new Beach cruisers for a low price check out the bikes from XYZ!

I am not a big TV watcher, but I will admit that I do enjoy watching some of those late morning talk shows.  Regis and Kelly and The View are ones my roomate and I usually have one.  Regis and
Kelly is a great one to get your day started on a fun, light hearted not.  The View is also a fun one to watch, but quite a bit more intense.  The ladies usually have something to disagree on, especially when politics comes up, but I still enjoy hearing what they have to say.  So if you are surfing the channels in the mornings, then tune into ABC and check out these shows!

If you or someone you know is suffering from painkiller addiction, there may be a solution that does not involve an expensive hospital or a lengthy rehabilitation process. Meditox Drug Detox Centers offer a new way for people with painkiller or opiate addictions. This new treatment from Meditox claims to have “developed a revolutionary drug detox method that utilizes buprenorphine (also known as Subutex or Suboxone) combined with one-on-one “detox coaching” by trained clinicians who will help you or your loved one detox from drugs painlessly & privately without any disruption of your normal, daily life.” This sounds like a quick and painless way to overcome this addiction, but because addiction to anything can be a huge problem I would be cautious when trying to overcome it in one day; it may take more than just detoxifying your body. However, if you are suffering from painkiller addiction, then this may be something to seriously look into.  

Last night I had the opportunity to hear Marilyn Wann, the author and founder of the zine (a small, private magazine) Fat!So?, speak about "fat empowerment".  Marilyn is a fat woman who has come to accept her body and love herself, despite her size.  She travels all over challenging social stereotypes about fatness and encouraging others to stop fat discrimination. The first issue of her zine, FAT!SO?, came out July 1994 when she was inspired by a really bad day to come out about being fat. On this day, she was out with a guy she was dating and he told her he was embarrassed to introduce her to his friends because she was fat! Wow…how insensitive and horrible is that?? On this same day, she received a letter from Blue Cross of California denying her health insurance because she was considered “morbidly obese”. It was great to hear Marilyn’s story and her passion to lead our society into a non-fat hating one little by little.  

New PayPerPost Puzzle!
This happens to be piece #38! Who knows how many more there may be!
As you may know, PayPerPost is at it again with their own blog ads! They have began releasing puzzle pieces for a new puzzle. Similar to last time, the first person to collect all the pieces and post it and submit it as an opportunity gets $500! I sure hope I can pull it off this time! But to be honest, I am actually more excited to simply figure out what the big news is! All we know thus far, is that it is code named "payperpostbluemonster." So, as you can see, PPP sure takes care of their posties, whether it is in the form of puzzles or just making payments as promised! PPP rocks!

If you are in need of healthcare and/or insurance, or if you are just looking to find a better supplier or better care, Vimo is here for you! Vimo makes buying healthcare and insurance so much easier than other companies. Vimo will provide healthcare and insurance cheaper and much more transparent than you will get with other companies. Vimo is the only internet destination that allows users to get such a terrific comprehensive shopping-comparison of leading insurance choices for you at the best prices. Finding the best insurance and healthcare for your money can be very frustrating and difficult, but not anymore. Don’t waste your time with anyone else; be sure to check out Vimo first!

It seems that the population in the United States has officially hit the 300 million mark! AHH! Experts estimate that by 2043 the population will be up to 400 million! Between all of the incoming immigrants and all of the babies being born every single day, our population is growing faster than ever! I just hope that things don't ever get out of control like China!

If you are an online shopper then I’m sure you are always looking for the best deal to save you a little (or a lot!) here or there. Personally, I love to check out the deals on Overstock.com for my online shopping and now I’ve come across a site were you can get online coupons from tons of different merchants, including Overstock! So before you go shopping online, check out the Overstock.com coupons and more to see where you can save! 

Wow...first half of the semester is already about over!  I can not believe how fast
it has gone.  Ofcourse this means midterms and new halfsemester classes to begin 
for many of us...or maybe it means just finishing up a class  for  you! If  this  is the case, you are probably more than ready to get rid  of  that  big  text  book of yours and start looking for what you need next. Well  if  you  are  one  to  get your books from the book store, then I would highly suggest that you  try  looking online for the next  books  you  need. I've  been very  successful  at  this and have saved hundreds of dollars.  Check out sites like  Amazon.com  and  half.com to buy or sell your books...trust me it will be worth it!  

If you are looking for a home security system, or if you need one for your office, I found just the thing for you! The LaserShield Home Security System is great! They are expandable so you can connect multiple systems, 24/7 monitoring, and they are perfect for your home or your office! It is a wireless system with hi-tech infrared technology! The best part is, they are actually affordable! So, don't be stuck in your home unsecured anymore! Try it out!

I don't know if any of you buy microwave dinners, but I am sure you've all tried them. Well, being in college I buy a hefty load of microwave dinners and have tried about all of them. I have bought some that are at best, 'disappointing', and I have tried others that are average. Not any more my friends! I hit the mother load! HUNGRYMAN dinners (available pretty much everywhere) Rock! No more of that 1/20 lb of food like the others, Hungryman dinners are all 1-2 POUNDS of food! The best thing is that they are dirt cheap and taste GREAT! I strongly suggest hitting Wal-Mart and trying them out!

Everyday Health is an awesome health related resource for everyone! If you need information on anything dealing with health topics, be sure to head over and check them out! They have all the Health Information you will need in any circumstance!

The PS3 was placed on display in public for 3 days in the UK last week and specators could not get enough of its beauty! For the time that the PS3 was on display it is estimated that over 2,000,000 people stopped to check out what promises to be the best gaming system ever!

If you are an internet business person or just a fan of internet business in general, I have found the perfect resource for you! JamesBrausch.com has an awesome internet business blog with all sorts of helpful news and information for anyone that has an interest in this subject! I strongly suggest checking out his blog for all your business needs!

At Urbana 06, over 25,000 people will gather to worship God and hear how he is using people to accomplish his purposes throughout the world. For SIXTY years, God has been using Urbana conventions to change the lives of students and to advance his kingdom in our world. If you are wondering how you might use your education, skills, and resources to share the love of Christ with people around the world, you should check it out too! I'll be there and I am really pumped! You can learn more about this awesome even at Urbana 06.

KVM2USB is a truly amazing. Think of it as a "truly portably crash cart." Thanks to KVM2USB, all you need to bring with you on an administrative site is your laptop! KVM2USB is about the size of a box of paperclips. KVM2USB conveys VGA images from host machines, directly to your laptop, and it simulates the laptop's keyboard and mouse outputs! The KVM2USB works with nearly any computerized machine or embedded system, such as Windows, Macintosh, Unix computers and servers Medical devices, scientific and lab equipment, ATM machines, Slot machines and VLTs! This allows administrators and technicians to quickly and easily connect to and administrate headless machines with no hassles! From now on there is no more worrying about finding and lugging around "crash carts" with monitor, keyboard and mouse to administer servers and other headless machines. So, if you have needs for administrative computerized equipment on your worksites or any other time, than don't spend all day lugging around an oversized and far too expensive crash cart! Get yourself this revolutionary device and you won’t have to worry about those big crash carts! Be sure to check out the KVM2USB Technical Specifications website and I am sure you will be impressed!


 

Bloomingdales, as we all know, have a tremendous selection of women's apparel! When you are in need of new clothes for yourself or your loved ones, be sure to check out Bloomingdales hot, new, and contemporary styles, at great prices! Check out the new styles at Bloomingdales.com!

Gambling is a very risky activity and I would not encourage you to get involved in an internet poker site or become a regular visitor to a casino. However, it can be fun to play some of these games, if you aren’t wasting your money away. Growing up with two brothers I’ve learned how to play a friendly game of Texas Hold’em and realize that poker is actually kind of fun (even when you’re playing with monopoly money or fake chips!). Learning the rules and developing strategies can be tricky however. So if you are interested in learning the basic forms of this game and the various poker rules then check out this site and invite your friends over for a game night!

This is one of the parables of Jesus that means the most to me. I had the opportunity to be a part of a mission project in Poland and this was one of our lessons. In my readings the other day I came across it again so I'm going to share it with you! The Parable of the Sower is found in Matthew 13 and is about a farmer who went out and scattered his seeds. Some fell on the path, where they were eaten by the birds, some fell on rocky places with little soil, some fell among the thorns, and others fell on good soil. Verses 19-23 explains how this relates to us:

"When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

If you enjoy selling your items on eBay but don't as often as you like because you find it hard to list something, then you should check out what List'd has to offer.
Their eBay listing tool does all the hard work for you, making it a breeze to list almost anything on eBay, and it's all FREE! List'd give you: unlimited free image hosting, free templates, free scheduled listings and more to make your listings easy and look good!

I have been learning a lot about issues related to health and weight from my class and from Jon Robinson and Karen Carrier's book, "The Spirit and Science of Holistic Health" (which I would highly recomend if you are interested in a health profession). One thing I have found very interesting is the fact that being "overweight" may not be the cause of various health issues. What do you think? If you or someone you know is, lets say...75 pounds overweight, and was having high blood pressure and cholesterol problems what do you think is first step they should take? If you think losing weight would be the first thing to do, then listen up!... "Numerous studies have actually shown that thsee so-called weight related health problems can be treated effectively with lifestyle interventions that do not result in weight loss! For example, blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels all improved in these studies even though individuals remain markedly "obese" by traditional medical standards. For many people, increased weight may be a relatively benign symptom that is related to but not necessarily be the cause of insulin insensitivity, diabetes, hypertension, and artherosclerosis."

ACC Select is a new broadband experience that gives you the sports you love, the teams you care about and the games you can't see anywhere else. On ACCSelect.com you are able to view full-screen video right on your computer! So check out them out to get the latest on your favorite ACC Sports!  

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?...

For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock...

I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

Did you know that the hand dryers provided in public bathrooms are not as sanitary as they seem? In fact, they are quite unhygienic. Most dryers suck in dirty washroom air, heat it up, and then blow it back onto your hands exposing your clean hands to dirty bacteria. The new Dyson Airblade hand drier, however, uses HEPA filtration which removes 99.97% of bacteria from the air before it’s blown onto hands. Dyson's motor technology and the anti-bacterial filters developed for their vacuum cleaners clean both the air that blows onto your hands and the water that comes off them.  So for cleaner, faster, and more efficient drying check out Dyson's products!  

I LOVE COFFEE! I truley believe it is one of the best drinks invented. Here are a few statistics
about this wonderful drink and the people who love it.

• Among coffee drinkers the average consumption in the United States is 3.1 cups of coffee per day.
• Nearly 52% of Americans over 18 years of age drink coffee every day. This represents over 100 million daily drinkers. 30 million American adults drink specialty coffee beverages daily; which include a mocha, latte, espresso, café mocha, cappuccino, frozen/iced coffee beverages, etc.
• The average price for an espresso based drink is $2.45
• 35% of coffee drinkers prefer black coffee, 65% prefer to add sugar and/or cream
• The United States imports in excess of $4 Billion worth of coffee per year.
  

If you have not yet heard about the new VOIP technology, then listen up! VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is an enormously fast-growing technology that allows people to use the internet to make phone calls. One of its advantages is that with many VoIP plans you can talk for as long as you want with any person in the world (as long as the other person has an Internet connection). You can also talk with many people at the same time without any additional cost. Because calls are promised to be cheap or free, one of the primary attractions of VoIP is its ability to help companies reduce expenses by allowing telephone calls to travel over the data network rather than the phone company's network.

Doesn't it seem like sometimes you just don't have enough time to sleep? Though easy to do, putting off sleep in order to compensate for our busy schedules is definately not the healthiest thing to do. On average, Americans sleep roughly 7 hours a night, 1 to 2 fewer hours per night than they did 40 years ago. And, as we all know, when we do hit the sack, sleep doesn't necessarily follow. Check out CNN's article, Sleepless nights can cause worse problems than grumpiness to learn more about sleeping!

Have you ever wondered how a gas turbine jet engine works?  I did not even know what one was, let alone how one worked, before reading about them at www.rolls-royce.com.  So in case you are uneducated in this area like me, let me share a little of what they had to say about them:  'Like the motor car engine, the gas turbine is an internal combustion engine. However, in a jet engine combustion is continuous and its power results from expanding gas being forced out of the rear of the engine.'  So there you have it!  If you want to learn more, check out their site!

CAUSES OF DEATH - U.S. 1990

Tobacco 400,000
Diet/Activity Patterns 300,000
Alcohol 100,000
Microbial Agents 90,000
Toxic Agents 60,000
Firearms 35,000
Sexual Behavior 30,000
Motor Vehicles 25,000

We've all heard about these numbers right....labeling obesity as one of the top causes of death in the US? But where does it actually say anything about "obesity" or being "overweight"?

Yes, our nation is becoming more and more fat, but is it really as lethal of a problem as we make it? It sad that we dont hear the real statistics on this:

"For overweight and obesity combined, our estimate was 25,814 excess deaths" (Flegal et al, JAMA 2005)

What they don't tell us is that the "obesity rate" is actually a combination of undereating and overeating. If only we were aware of the fact that being too thin may be just as harmful as being too fat.

The VGA Recording Pro is all you will need for recording presentations, conferences, training, and monitoring and surveillance. This device captures 100% of the native image quality from any VGA signal source, and can synchronously combine the VGA signal with video and audio sources. VGA Recorder Pro can record all three signal sources at the same time and switch seamlessly between multiple VGA signals without interrupting the video and/or audio recording. In addition, the VGA Recording Pro is an external standalone device and is conveniently available as a desktop unit, a 4U rack mount chassis or a portable laptop. Click here to learn more about VGA Recorder PRO. Technical Specifications.

If you are an aerobics instructor, intrested in instructing a class someday, or just want to do aerobics in your own home I have found another great site to check out. JumpyBumpy has a huge selection of music and vidoes for cardio, step, dance, boot camp, and more. You can even preview the music and videos before you purchase them to make sure they are what you are looking for. Also, if you become a member you can enjoy the many other benefits they offer! Check them out!

New PayPerPost contest! Take a long, careful look at this puzzle piece below because it just may help you win the contest! This puzzle piece contains part of the information relating to the payperpostbignews announcement that will debut later today. Be the first person to reassemble all the pieces and post it on your blog to win! PPP is always taking Blog Marketing to new levels!