Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Golden Treasures of the Thracian Kings-photos









Who were the Thracians?

Among the peoples of the Mediterranean, they have usually been numbered among fringe cultures, shadowy folk on the periphery of the bright world of Greeks and Romans.

Emerging as a distinctive culture during the third millennium B.C.,
they lived in tribal groups in an area bordered on the south by the Aegean,
on the east and west by the Black Sea and the Vardar River,
and on the north by the Carpathians. Although loosely linked by culture and,
apparently, by language, they never achieved political unity,
living in small towns and villages. Cities did not appear until late in their history,
and their most monumental buildings were tombs.

The Thracians left no written account of their customs and history,
and their language is known only from place names and
a small number of inscriptions written in Greek characters.
The Greeks, however, were well aware of their northern neighbors,
with whom they came into contact, and conflict,
in the course of colonizing the northern Aegean shore.
To the Greeks, Thrace was a wild and woolly place:
the birthplace of the violent war god, Ares,
the home of the man-eating mares of Diomedes,
and the land where demented women tore the singer Orpheus limb from limb.
Homer's Iliad provides a striking portrait of the Thracian hero Rhesos,
an ally of the Trojans and a fearsome warrior, remarkable for his large
and beautiful horses, his ornate chariot, and his golden armor.

The historian Herodotus describes the Thracians in some detail,
commenting on their large numbers, their lack of political unity,
and various customs such as polygamy and branding of slaves that,
from a Greek perspective, struck him as very odd.

Greeks settled in Thrace and Thracians lived in Greek cities,
and there was significant interaction between the two cultures,
but any portrait that emerges from surviving written sources is
fundamentally biased--the Greeks regarded the Thracians as barbarians.
It is only by turning to archaeology that we can gain a better
understanding of these people.


The largest Thracian treasure found so far,
dated to the pre-Hellenistic Age, was discovered at the village of Rogozen,
Vratsa District. This treasure was rightly called the find of the century,
because it is a huge collection of 165 beautifully worked silver vessels.

Once upon a time the Thracians inhabited Bulgarian lands.
Thracian rulers and members of the nobility were buried
in monumental stone tombs,
which also served as places for ritual ceremonies to honor the deceased ruler,
with offerings of rich funeral gifts. In the summer of 2004 ,
archeologists have discovered a 2,500-year-old golden mask that was
likely made for a Thracian monarch's funeral.
The mask depicts a full face with moustache and beard.
The rare artifact is made of 600 grams of solid gold and
"is without paragon in archeology," according to Georgi Kitov and
his team that unearthed the find near the village of Shipka,
in the so-called Valley of Thracian Kings.

Santa Claus House, North Pole, Alaska-Photo

The warmest, happiest, friendliest place in all of North Pole! Despite the summer weather, it's Christmas inside! North Pole was established as a town with a Christmas theme in the early 1950s, to lure tourists and visitors to an otherwise un-noteworthy collection of homes and small businesses in the area.

Free Desktop Wallpaper-Fiji Underwater


800 pixels x 600 pixels (SVGA)
1024 pixels x 768 pixels (XGA)
1280 pixels x 1024 pixels (SXGA)

To make one of these images your Windows wallpaper (background image), click on the resolution you require for the selected image and allow the image to load fully in your web browser. With Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, right click on the image and select Set as Wallpaper. You're done!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Mining Twitters Hidden Treasures -free boost productivity tool

"Cranberry Snow" 2008 (Hasn't snowed in this part of Mississippi since 1984)-
free photo by William Thomas
"Rare Mississippi Snow 2008"-free photo by William Thomas


"Skies Reflected in Water" (My Front Yard) - free photo by Kathy Thomas


Hi from Kathy!

This is the first of "how to increase productivity" tips
for the ordinary blogger. I will post the things that work for me.

Subscribe to my posts (preview) to get all the tips free. I personally "Mine" Twitter.
I'm looking always looking for
freebies, samples, sweepstakes, and other specific information.
Here is an easy way to find that stuff on Twitter.
***Use Keyword Tracking and Email Digest at Tweet Later

I track words (sweepstakes,free,sample,freebie,home school)
I set my Tweet Later to send me an email each day that has a list of
all the Tweets that day that I was looking for!

I can't read every Tweet but I CAN read every Tweet that interests me.
Try tracking "music" or "German Tweets"

Click Here To Start

Knowledge Is Power:
Set up alerts and track keywords in the public Twitter stream.
We will monitor the Twitter tweet stream and
periodically email you a digest of the tweets
that contain those keywords. It's similar in functionality to the
[defunct] Twitter track feature,
except that alerts are sent in an email digest format.

You can also use this to track your @replies.


Clean Tweet Stream:
Grab your own personal 140-character tweet scheduling engine and RSS feed.
You can schedule and publish tweets that don't go to Twitter
, they go to your personal tweet stream, which is available in RSS, XML and Javascript formats.
Grab this feed and do with it what you desire -- display them on your web site,
get friends or customers to subscribe to your feed,
pull them into another application that sends them to opted-in mobile phones... the sky is the limit.
Be as chatty as you want on Twitter, this personal tweet stream of yours doesn't contain
any of your Twitter tweets. As part of this enhancement, you can also schedule the same
tweet for all or some of your accounts with one click.
Don't Miss A Tweet: Schedule tweets
and keep your Twitter stream ticking over with new tweets
even when you're not in front of your computer.
Publish tweets when your international followers are online and you're asleep.


Courtesy Costs Nothing:

Send automated thank you notes to new followers, and automatically follow new followers,
if you choose to do so. You can also ask us to periodically email you a digest of
the @replies you received.


Put Away Your Credit Card:
Add and manage as many Twitter accounts as you want.
It's free.


TweetLater's keyword tracking and tweet email digest is a very powerful way of mining
the wealth of knowledge that's hidden in the Twitter public tweet stream.
To fully use
this feature to your advantage, use the Power Keyword Wizard that you open by clicking
the button "Open Power Keyword Wizard" on the page where you set up your keyword alerts.


You can even limit the selection of tweets for a specific keyword to a specific language only.
For example, if you want to receive only English tweets, or Dutch tweets, or German tweets, you can do that.
I strongly recommend that you use the Wizard for building any keywords that are more complex than an single-word keyword. It will ensure that your keyword is in the correct format and can be understood by the search engine.

Click Here To Start

Monday, December 15, 2008

Free Desktop Wallpapers-Free Photos-Blue Christmas Lights, New York




photos by William Thomas

Hello from New York!

Here are some free trucking photos of blue Christmas lights
to give you a colorful birds eye view of my life. I know our
wives wonder what we really do out here!
I take pictures to share my trucking life with Kathy.
I snapped these in Freeport, New York, Dec. 15th, 2008
It's already getting dark here. You can copy these and have fun
with them on your blog, desktops or in emails.

Colorful Free Images-Freeport, New York-Secret Life of Truckers




photos by William Thomas

Hello from New York!

Here are some free trucking photos to give
you a colorful birds eye view of my life. I know our
wives wonder what we really do out here!
I take pictures to share my trucking life with Kathy.
I snapped these 15 minutes ago!
It's already getting dark here. You can copy these and have fun
with them on your blog or in emails.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Scorpions - Wind of Change Lyrics-Obama Photos








Wind of change

I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night
Soldiers passing by
Listening to the wind of change
The world is closing in
Did you ever think
That we could be so close, like brothers
The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the wind of change
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
in the wind of change
Walking down the street
Distant memories
Are buried in the past forever
I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
in the wind of change
The wind of change blows straight
Into the face of time
Like a stormwind that will ring
The freedom bell for peace of mind
Let your balalaika sing
What my guitar wants to say
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
in the wind of change

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Siddharth Nagrajan-Indias Youngest Drummer-Photos





There is a genius in each of us just waiting to explode!

What do a a classically trained singer from Mumbai and a percussionists of South Indian music
have in common? Siddharth Nagarajan featured on “My Brilliant Brain” on National Geographic channel.

India has vast numbers of brilliant children. There are more honor students
in India than the total population of US children!

Siddharth was born on 25th September 1997 in Chennai to Vidya and Nagi. Siddharth has always been amidst music, hailing from a family of musicians. His grandfather G.Narayanan is a tablist who worked with the legendary cine music director Sri K.V. Mahadevan for more than 45 years.

His father Nagarajan (Nagi as he is popularly known), is one of the most sought after percussionists of the South Indian music industry today. He is the rhythm programmer for several music directors including Shri Vidyasagar, S.A.Rajkumar, Anu Malik to name a few.

His mother, Vidya is a classically trained singer who hails from Mumbai. She has been singing for the last 25 years. She runs her own music troupe catering to weddings and corporates.

His sister Dhanashree is also a good singer who has many awards and prizes to her credit. Siddharth is presently in Class III in Padma Seshadri School (K.K.Nagar).

Siddharth is a born musician. “He responded to music as soon as he was born when music was customarily played in the labour room”, says his mother proudly. He continued to display his craving for rhythm as he grew.

India's Youngest Drummer Video:
if you can't see the video click here

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Top Disco and 70's Dance Songs-Photos





Listen to the songs free click here


Playlist

Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry
Lady Marmalade (Voulez Vouz Couchez Avec Moi) - LaBelle
Disco Inferno - The Trammps
Let's Groove - Earth, Wind, & Fire
Le Freak - Chic
Stayin' Alive - The Bee Gees
Love Rollercoaster - The Ohio Players
Jungle Boogie - Kool & The Gang
Car Wash - Rose Royce
Heart Of Glass - Blondie
Give It To Me Baby - Rick James
September - Earth, Wind, & Fire
Brick House - The Commodores
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches & Herb
Do Ya Think I'm Sexy - Rod Stewart
She Works Hard For The Money - Donna Summer
The Groove Line - Heatwave
Night Fever - The Bee Gees
Dancing Queen - Abba
Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste Of Honey
I Love The Nightlife - Alicia Bridges
Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
Funkytown - Lipps, Inc.
Hot Stuff - Donna Summer
Get Down On It - Kool & The Gang
The Hustle - Van McCoy
Got To Be Real - Cheryl Lynn
Get Down Tonight - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Shining Star - Earth, Wind, & Fire
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
Let It Whip - Dazz Band
You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate
Knock On Wood - Amii Stewart
Super Freak - Rick James
Bad Girls - Donna Summer
That's The Way (I Like It) - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Kiss - Prince
Low Rider - War
We Are Family - Sister Sledge
You Should Be Dancin' - The Bee Gees
I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross
Boogie Fever - The Sylvers
Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
My Sharona - The Knack
Da Butt - E.U.
Walk This Way - Aerosmith
Take Your Time (Do It Right) - SOS Band
Good Times - Chic
Celebration - Kool & The Gang
Last Dance - Donna Summer

Post Your Favorites in Comments!

U.S. Senator Patty Murray sends letter to me in Allyn,Wa


Patty Murray never planned to enter politics, but today she’s serving her third term in the U.S. Senate as a member of the Democratic Leadership. From the U.S. Senator Patty Murray classroom to the Congress, Patty Murray has been an effective and tireless advocate for Washington’s working families. Originally known for her work on education and children’s issues, Murray has become a leading figure on transportation, border and port security, healthcare, economic development and veteran's issues.

The Letter:

Dear Mr. Thomas:

Thank you for writing me about the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) proposed rule regarding reimbursement to facilities that offer contraception. It is good to hear from you.

As you may know, on July 15, 2008, the New York Times reported that HHS is drafting a rule that would require all recipients of aid under federal health programs to certify that they will not refuse to hire health care professionals who object to abortion. This proposal contains an ill-considered, overbroad definition of abortion, defining it as "any of the various procedures.that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation." This definition would allow health-care corporations or individuals to classify many common forms of contraception, including the birth control pill and emergency contraception, as "abortions." This definition would allow these health professionals to refuse to provide contraception to women who need it.

I am extremely concerned about this proposal's potential to affect millions of women's reproductive health. It is a poorly veiled attempt to rollback women's health care options before the current Administration leaves office. Instead of undercutting access to contraception and family planning services, the Bush Administration should be putting prevention first. You will be pleased to know that I have joined my colleagues in sending letters to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on two separate occasions, urging him to abandon plans to formulate such a rule.

Rest assured, I will continue to fight this misguided plan to put in place new obstacles for women accessing family planning services and as I do, I will certainly keep your thoughts in mind.

Again, thank you for contacting me about this issue. If you would like to know more about my work in the Senate, please feel free to sign up for my weekly updates at http://murray.senate.gov/updates. Please keep in touch.


I hope all is well in Allyn.
U.S. Senator Patty Murray

Monday, December 8, 2008

Nature's Fury-The Calm before the Storm-amazing photos






With worries of Global Warming I just can't stop looking at these photos.

Top 100 Disco Songs-Photos



Listen to the songs free --click here

The disco era ran roughly from the early 1970s through the early 1980s.

1. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor - 1978
2. Le Freak - Chic - 1978
3. Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees - 1977
4. Super Freak - Rick James - 1981
5. Funky Town - Lipps Inc. - 1979
6. Disco Inferno - Trammps - 1976
7. YMCA - Village People - 1978
8. Born To Be Alive - Patrick Hernandez - 1979
9. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson - 1982
10. Get Up...I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine - James Brown-'70
11. Mandolay - La Flavour - 1980
12. I Feel Love - Donna Summer - 1977
13. Love To Love You Baby - Donna Summer - 1975
14. Shame - Evelyn "Champagne" King - 1977
15. I'm So Excited - Pointer Sisters - 1982
16. Do You Wanna Funk - Sylvester - 1982
17. Babe We're Gonna Love Tonight - Lime - 1982
18. That's The Way I Like It - K.C. & the Sunshine Band - 1975
19. Knock On Wood - Amii Stewart - 1978
20. Night Fever - Bee Gees - 1977
21. Last Dance - Donna Summer - 1978
22. Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston - 1976
23. Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel - Tavares - 1976
24. Take Your Time (Do It Right) - S.O.S. Band - 1980
25. Double Dutch Bus - Frankie Smith - 1981
26. Rapper's Delight - Sugarhill Gang - 1979
27. Feels Like I'm In Love - Kelly Marie - 1981
28. Celebration - Kool & the Gang - 1980
29. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson - 1979
30. Love Hangover - Diana Ross - 1976
31. Hot Stuff - Donna Summer - 1979
32. Heaven Must Have Sent You - Bonnie Pointer - 1979
33. This Time Baby - Jackie Moore - 1979
34. Let's All Chant - Michael Zager Band - 1978
35. Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste Of Honey - 1978
36. Get Down Tonight - K.C. & the Sunshine Band - 1975
37. Spank - Jimmy "Bo" Horne - 1978
38. Bad Girls - Donna Summer - 1979
39. The Hustle - Van McCoy - 1975
40. Ladies Night - Kool & the Gang - 1979
41. Macho Man - Village People - 1978
42. Turn The Beat Around - Vicki Sue Robinson - 1976
43. Never Can Say Goodbye - Gloria Gaynor - 1974
44. White Lines (Don't Do It) - Grandmaster Flash - 1983
45. So Many Men, So Little Time - Miquel Brown - 1983
46. There But For The Grace Of God - Machine - 1979
47. The Love I Lost - Harold Melvin & Bluenotes - 1973
48. Come To Me - France Joli - 1979
49. I'll Always Love My Mama - Intruders - 1973
50. Can't Get Enough Of Your Love - Barry White - 1974
51. Bad Luck - Harold Melvin & Bluenotes - 1975
52. I Love The Night Life-(Disco 'Round) - Alicia Bridges - 1978
53. We Are Family - Sister Sledge - 1979
54. Wishing On A Star - Rose Royce - 1978
55. It Only Takes A Minute - Tavares - 1975
56. Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango - 1973
57. Give It To Me Baby - Rick James -1981
58. Holiday - Madonna - 1983
59. Where Do We Go From Here - Trammps - 1974
60. Sugar Pie Guy - Joneses - 1974
61. Heart Of Glass - Blondie - 1978
62. You're The One For Me - "D" Train - 1981
63. Let's Start II Dance Again - Bohannon - 1981
64. Contact - Edwin Starr - 1978
65. Love Train - O'Jays - 1972
66. Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart - Trammps - 1972
67. Rock Your Baby - George McCrae - 1974
68. Good Times - Chic - 1979
69. Date With The Rain - Eddie Kendricks - 1972
70. Ten Percent - Double Exposure - 1976
71. More, More, More - Andrea True Connection - 1976
72. It's Raining Men - Weather Girls - 1982
73. Let's Groove - Earth Wind & Fire - 1981
74. Souvenirs - Voyage - 1978
75. Devil's Gun - C.J. & Co. - 1977
76. Think (About It) - Lynn Collins - 1972
77. Rock The Boat - Hues Corporation - 1974
78. San Francisco (medley) - Village People - 1977
79. I Love Music - O'Jays - 1975
80. Doing It To Death-Fred Wesley & J.B.'s (James Brown)-'73
81. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) - Sylvester - 1978
82. Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life - Indeep - 1982
83. La La Peace Song - O.C. Smith - 1973
84. September - Earth, Wind & Fire - 1978
85. The Boss - Diana Ross - 1979
86. 1999 - Prince - 1982
87. Relight My Fire - Dan Hartman - 1979
88. Ask Me - Ecstasy. Passion & Pain - 1974
89. All My Love - L.A.X. - 1981
90. Brick House - Commodores - 1977
91. Honey Bee - Gloria Gaynor - 1973
92. I Found Love - Love & Kisses - 1977
93. Car Wash - Rose Royce - 1976
94. TSOP - MFSB featuring the Three Degrees - 1974
95. That's Where The Happy People Go - Trammps - 1976
96. Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now - McFadden & Whitehead - 1979
97. Woman - Barrabas - 1973
98. Get Off - Foxy - 1978
99. Got To Give It Up (pt. 1) - Marvin Gaye - 1977
100. Lady (You Bring Me Up) - Commodores - 1981

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Global rally to stop global warming draws hundreds in Toronto


Global rally to stop global warming draws hundreds in Toronto

TORONTO, Dec. 7 /CNW Telbec/
- Hundreds of people rallied at Toronto's

Yonge-Dundas Square today to demonstrate over the
Canadian government's lack

of action on greenhouse gas emissions.
Rallies took place in twenty Canadian

cities, and over seventy countries around the world to demand
immediate action

while the 14th United Nations Conference on Climate Change takes place in
Poznan, Poland.
"Canadians are frustrated at our government's inaction
on climate change.

This week, the Canadian delegation at the UN talks was
given the "Fossil of

the Day" award four times for their obstructionist approach
to reducing

emissions" said Charlotte Ireland of the Toronto Climate Campaign.
"Around the

world this weekend, we saw a groundswell of public opinion
pushing for urgent

and radical action on global warming, without which we risk catastrophe."
The Canadian government has failed to act on global warming and has
blocked progress at previous climate meetings.
The Toronto Climate Campaign

demands that the government increase support
for renewable energy, energy

efficiency and green jobs.
The TCC also promotes KYOTOplus (www.kyotoplus.ca),
a campaign to ensure

that the Kyoto Protocol is strengthened and
extended at the UN climate

conference in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Speakers List:

Bruce Cox, Executive Director, Greenpeace Canada
John Cartwright, President, Toronto & York Region Labour Council;
Shelley Melanson and Hilda Otiano, Canadian Federation of Students
Feodor Snagovsky, The Solar and Wind Initiatives
Towards Change (SWITCH);

Francisco Rico-Martinez, Canadian Council for Refugees;
Dewan Afzal, Bangladeshi Community Activist and
Member of the Sunshine
Walk
Misha Hamu, 13 year old Environtmental Activist, Toronto Climate
Campaign.

Race for Children in Need-free clicks will sponsor a child






Feeling helpless, lonely and depressed? I've got just the right "medicine"
for you! Empower yourself and reach out and change a little child's life.
Best of all you can afford it because it is free to you! All You have to do is click
a button each day to help sponsor a child!

Welcome to Care2.com's Race for Children in Need! The Race for Children in Need is a quick, easy way to help our needy children with a simple point and click. The race is 100% free to you!

Care2's Race for Children in Need generates funding from corporate race sponsors to help meet the basic physical, emotional and educational needs of 14 children that Care2 has committed to sponsor for the year. Each of Care2's member clicks help generate this funding. It take 18,000 clicks to support each child for 30 days. If we can increase the number of our daily clicks, we will increase the number of children we can support each month. To start off the race, we will support the 14 children from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala & the Philippines. By the end of 2004, we hope to double that number. We need your help to do it!
(free) click here to help a child now!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Listings to Free Holiday Assistance Nationwide


These have been hard times for many and more and more of us are dreading the holidays because we know it will be hard if not impossible to put a Christmas meal on the table or gifts under the tree. There are many social service programs that offer free Christmas Food Baskets, toys and more for those in need.


Free Christmas desktop wallpapers& free photos






Use these free images to brighten your desktop, blogs and emails!
Merry Christmas!