The first ballpoint pen – the biro – was invented by a man by the name of Laszlo Biro back in 1938.  He was a Hungarian who later emigrated to Argentina.  Laszlo was a journalist, and he was fascinated by the ink that was used in newspaper printing.  He noticed that it dried instantly and didn’t run or smudge.  Laszlo had the idea of inventing a pen using the same ink, but the ink was so thick it wouldn’t flow, so he had to invent a new kind of nib, and so the ballpoint pen was invented.

The ball being a ball bearing in the tip of the pen that picks up ink as it rotates.  He wasn’t the first to think of this improvement though; the idea was actually patented back in 1888. Mr. Biro patented his new ballpoint pen in Argentina in 1938 and some bright spark in the British government bought the rights.  Back at the beginning of WWII Royal Air Force pilots were having a hard time writing their Last Wills and love letters while they were flying, because the altitude prevented all other pens from functioning properly – they leaked everywhere.  The Biro as we often call it, worked perfectly.

So next time you run into your stationery store and pick up a few biros, now you know why they are called biros, and how they were introduced into our lives.  I wonder if they have come up with specialized ink cartridges that function in space? I’ll have to ask Sir Richard Branson I suppose…

One of the best ways to help you decide what to wear to an interview is to get an idea of what the people who are already working there are wearing. If you are applying for a position where everyone is wearing a nice suit and tie or dressier clothes and you show up with your faded jeans and sneakers, you are not going to give the right impression. On the other hand, if the reverse is true, you might look like you will not fit in with the more casual and laid back team atmosphere. Do your research before the big day so you know exactly what to wear to an interview.

Unless you are applying for a job at certain types of bars or as a dancer of some kind, too much skin is a job interview sin. Be a little more modest in your dress and you will make a more professional impression on the person who is leading the interview. An additional note: if the person who is giving you the interview is not adhering to these guidelines, try not to stare. A little maturity is definitely in order here.

Among the best tips of what to wear to an interview, there are a few of things that you should not wear. Skipping the layers of scent- from body wash, lotion, spray and perfume is a good idea because it is never going to be a good interview if the interviewer is red eyed and miserable from all of the products that you have wafting from your body. If you must use anything, use a small touch of a very subtle scent, otherwise, a clean, freshly showered body is all that you need.

Women were in the factories doing men’s jobs because men were at war. During the day when many women were working with heavy machinery the only safe hairstyle was pinned up and covered with a turban. Turbans became common among the women who worked in the munitions factories, while they were utilitarian in nature, it wasn’t long before stars like Heddy Lamarr were making the everyday turban into something jewelled and stylish.

One of the reasons that the nineteen forties pageboy was so popular was because many women tired of having their hair hidden from sight for most of the day and couldn’t wait to take off their turbans and let their hair swing freely in the evenings. Veronica Lake epitomised the pageboy look with her hair falling naturally over to one side and became a nineteen forties style icon.

Did you ever ask yourself why so many people read blogs? It’s because people are nosey, and they want to know what is going on in someone else’s life. They want the dirt on them. The same curiosity that brings them to your blog will also bring them to your articles and/or short stories. Many take up writing as a hobby, just to put their thoughts in order and express them publicly. Some have no interest whatever in presenting their work for publication, while others write only for publication. No matter what kind of writing you like, you will find that writing is fulfilling. You may even find that you would like to take a writing class to whet your talents and learn better how to phrase your thoughts. It is this skill of stringing words together in the right order that will make your writing go to the next level. Too many writers let their busy lives pull them away from the thing that will satisfy them the most. Don’t let that happen to you. Almost anyone can afford a nominally priced writing course. The best type to choose is the one that has a mentor. Teachers will tell you what is right and wrong, but mentors are available all week long to help you improve your writing style. If you think you have no talent for writing, but would like to give it a try, please do. You’ll be glad you did. The very fact that you have a desire to write says you probably have latent talents waiting to be developed.

Most people who want to write can write. Taking classes is an excellent way to crank yourself into first gear and start a long journey. You’ve heard of “use it or lose it”. That is true of almost anything. If you smother the desire to write, it may never resurface. You will never know what you could have done, what mile markers you could have left behind, what influence you might have had, and what enjoyment has passed you by. Move into action and find what suits you best – one day workshops are for beginners, and will cover only the highlights. Three-day workshops (for beginners and brush-ups) are more intensive with two lessons that cover basic rules for the subject chosen. Two-week courses are very intensive and require a lot of time. (For intermediates.) Eight-week courses are for age 14 and up. These classes will help you produce a story or article for publication. Plunge in for a cool, refreshing dip, and give yourself the opportunity to find a new, exciting door to a more bountiful life.

Just as Philadelphia got some kind of a settlement going, the colonists sparked the place with their presence and kept getting stronger. All the hunting lands in due course of time were banished and concrete structures got constructed on them. That was past.

Today America is a concrete Jungle and the hunting lands have also become the part of saleable flux. The hunting land for sale can be amassed through rigorous search on websites. These along with the ranchlands can be made available to the buyers at a very sparse down payment. Even the interest rates are modest and further no buyer credit rating is required as a criterion for sale.

Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad?

There are no guarantees.

You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life. Nobody said that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Accepting a good word from an influential superior to cut your trip short up the career ladder is not always bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent.  There are too many possible outcomes, which your really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you would act and react to different situations.

Wrong decisions are always at hindsight.

Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realize its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong.

Take the risk: decide.

Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and decide. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure, moreover open more roads. It is all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveller or an accidental tourist of life.  But take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life’s crossroads:
·    Get as many information as you can about your situation.

You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little about what you are faced with. Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation.

·    Identify and create options.

What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.

·    Weigh the pros and cons of every option.

Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the consequences of such an option.

·    Trust yourself and make that decision.

Now that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always at hindsight.  So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.

Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems. But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own life. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell. But do not regret it whatever the outcome. Instead, learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.

The QRAE II is their latest compact model and comes loaded with features that are aimed at confined space entry. Its rubberized exterior cushions a rugged housing that has IP-65 rating for water and dust resistance. The large graphic LCD screen on the Minirae is automatically backlit in dim light, and displays the readings from all sensors – all the time, and can even be flipped electronically so as to be readable when hanging on your belt. An additional metallic barrier gives the QRAE II the best EMI/RFI resistance in its class. This means that the unit will not react when normal radios or walkie-talkies are being used in the area.

These days, dating and the way it is initiated and conducted has taken on another different dimension. With the advent of online dating web sites, daters don’t guess or speculate the qualities of their soulmate. All this is now automated and specific softwares that “matches” the right candidates with the person of their fantasies is fast, influencing the way people meet and link up.

It used to cost to become a member of these sites. Initially, some even charged over $500.00 to match you with your fantasy partner. But today the internet is full with free dating sites where all is that is needed is to create a profile, upload a photo (airbrushed or not) and you are ready to begin to receive inquiries. Many people have subscribed to these free dating sites and if relationships do not work out, simply move forward. With the number of “possible fantasy partners” well in the hundreds or even thousands, there really is plenty of fish in this sea called online dating.

Online dating has its advantages over classic “face to face” dating and the main thing is that it offers you the opportunity to discover part of the other’s qualities by simply chatting for a while before deciding to meet and see how it works. Free dating sites not only help lonely people to get together but represent an important part of the online social system which seems to continue to develop and become more and more popular.

We would like to wish you a Happy New Year! See you next year!

I’ve been reading recently about some of the stupidest laws from different US states and believe me I had a good, well deserved laugh! While I do agree that many countries still have pretty old laws which are not aplicable in our actual society still USA have not only outdated laws but silly and funny at the same time! Here is a top 25 of the stupidest laws I always heard of (and all of them from US states)!

1. In Alabama you may not have an ice cream cone in your back pocket at any time!

2. It seems that slavery is still legal in Decatur, Alabama.

3. A law in Fairbanks, Alaska does not allow moose to have sex on city streets.

4. In Arizona a man can legally beat his wife, but not more than once a month and also oral sex is considered to be sodomy.

5. San Jose: It is illegal to have more than two cats or dogs. -Ord. 7.08.595

6. In California it’s against regulations to let phones ring more than nine times in state offices.

7. Pasadena: It is illegal for a secretary to be alone in a room with her boss.

8. A local ordinance in Atwoodville, Connecticut prohibits people from playing Scrabble while waiting for a politician to speak.

9. Delaware prohibits horse racing of any kind on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

10. The only acceptable sexual position in Washington D.C. is the missionary position. Any other sexual position is considered illegal.

11. In Florida it is illegal to fart in a public place after 6:00pm on a Thursday.

12. Women can be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer. The salon owner can also be fined for this horrible crime.

13. In Georgia it is against the law to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp.

14. Marietta: Though it is illegal to spit from a car or bus, citizens may spit from a truck.

15. It’s safe to make love while parked in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Police officers aren’t allowed to walk up and knock on the window. Any suspicious officer who thinks that sex is taking place must drive up from behind, honk his horn three times and wait approximately two minutes before getting out of his car to investigate.

16. Galesburg: There is a $1,000 dollar fine for beating rats with baseball bats.

17. In Chicago it is illegal to take a French poodle to the opera, and for women over 200 pounds (90 kilos) to ride horses in shorts.

18. Law forbids eating in a place that is on fire.

19. In Zion, Illinois, it is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals kept as pets.

20. “Spiteful Gossip” and “talking behind a person’s back” are illegal in Indiana.

21. Ottumwa: Within the city limits, a man may not wink at any woman he does not know.

22. Snoring is prohibited unless all bedroom windows are closed and securely locked.

23. In Maine, you may not step out of a plane in flight.

24. A Michigan law states that a wife’s hair legally belongs to her husband and she might not be allowed to cut her hair without husband’s permission.

25. No woman may have sex with a man while riding in an ambulance within the boundaries of Tremonton, Utah. If caught, the woman can be charged with a sexual misdemeanor and “her name is to be published in the local newspaper.” The man isn’t charged nor is his name revealed.

I have no idea if any of these laws are still in place but anyway it was funny to read them.