Archive for January, 2010
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40th Birthday Banners to Go With Your Theme

Saturday, January 30th, 2010
Today, you can easily dig it out that people like to celebrate their parties by incorporating a special and unique theme. People like to do things in a different way and birthday parties can really help them to satisfy their senses. However, when you will be throwing a 40th birthday party for either of your parents then you must try to incorporate a more wonderful theme. The best way to strengthen the feel of your theme is by using 40th birthday banners.

You can easily find 40th birthday banners in all styles which imply the fact that you will not have to face any trouble in terms of getting few for your party. To make things impressive, you can use the option of customized 40th birthday banners. You can not only design them on your own, but, you can also design them by using an available template.

It is essential to mention that finding 40th birthday banners is relatively easier than deciding about the party theme. The simplest way to reach to a theme is by knowing about the favorite thing or hobby of your father or mother. For instance, if you are throwing a surprise party for your father and you know that he likes gardening, then you must go with 40th birthday banners showing lots of flowers and such like things. Similarly, your father may like to go for fishing, so, you can consider going with banners depicting fishes and other related stuff. You can also hang related stuff to create a right party environment.

All in all, this can easily be concluded that 40th birthday banners can be used to decorate your entire party place in a great way. These banners can really help you to bring out the right feel and you must try using many of them.

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Decorating Outdoor Decks and Patios With Themes

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Decks and Patios don’t count towards square footage in your home, but they sure do go a long way towards making a home feel larger, more inviting, and fun. Decks and patios can be wonderful places to entertain friends and family, or they can be secluded quiet spots for you to get away from the hustle of everyday life. Whichever you choose… the key to having great decks and patios is to decorate them with a theme.

One popular deck or patio theme is the outdoor barbecue. Now technically this is a function of the area, but using a touch of decorating flair, you can make it into an overall theme too. For instance, putting rustic furniture on your patio or deck would give it a country or western BBQ theme. This works wonderfully when you have a firepit-style barbecue grill, or an outdoor fireplace. If your preference is upscale and classy, and your barbecue equipment is the shiny, fancy, large cookstation-style, try setting up a bistro theme instead.

If you have kids of course, it helps to go with a fun theme instead. A beach theme is an excellent example here: Colorful beach chairs and sun umbrellas set the tone wonderfully. You can even use ropes, sails, nets, and lifeguard floats to hang from the sides of your fun deck, and post flags from different Caribbean or Mediterranean countries on the corners of the deck. Keeping a chest inside of beach paraphernalia – floats, leis, sunglasses, and even a pirate’s eye patch will keep your children entertained as you try to prepare dinner.

A country theme is also wonderful for decks and patios. Try using old barrels as both tables and chairs for this theme. To make the chairs: Cut part of the barrel to leave a curved “back”, then nail the top into place as a seat. You can even put checkered chair cushions on these to enhance them further. And of course, small decorating touches such as old soda bottles, signs, tools, and flowers help enhance and round out the overall look.

Whatever theme you decide to use on your deck, the essentials are a table and chairs with some extra seating and side tables. If your deck is too small for that, you can simply purchase a couple of Adirondack chairs and side tables to match. Your parties may be smaller, but you can always put a picnic table in the yard to seat more people. Choose your own theme; a deck is a place where you can put your favorite random items to good use. So from Coca-Cola to country to classic, create your own deck decorations and spend the rest of the summer enjoying your friends on your jazzy new deck.

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New York City Nightlife Andy Troy Manhattan Bars And Lounges

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Andy Troy’s Tasting NYC Is Your Best Solution For Manhattan Bars And Lounges

TastingNYC.com is a site owned and operated by well-known writer, personal coach and fitness celeb Andy Troy. Andy is the author of,’Living Young : 32 Habits of ageless People’ and the author of the popular fitness DVD,’The Bedroom Workout for Men’.
Andy Troy is an event organizer – his events are held at trendy Manhattan bars and lounges and they’re no cover after work type deals. Andy has thousands of folk signed up for his emailings on MeetUp.com, Andy’s parties are popular – plenty of good looking folks go to Andy’s parties, it’s not just singles but it is’s a lot of singles.

Imagine if Scarlett Johannsen or some other mega-babe threw parties – No extra cost to you, you go and the hub is packed with Scarlett Johannsen’s buddies and associates and people who need to be Scarlett Johannsen’s friend.

Andy is your embracive host at these parties, he circulates, he mingles with the guests, makes sure everyone is having an awesome time including you.

Tickets are listed at exclusive prices ; if you and a friend decide to go out for a straightforward dinner and a show, expect to pay in the $500 range and lots more for box seats and more complicated dining fare.

Musicals are not to be missed as a vibrant part of NYC nightlife in Manhattan. Old faves like Chicago, Grease, gypsy, blokes and Dolls, South Pacific and Pal Joey can be enjoyed, as can new material such as Spamalot, Hairspray and cruel. Straight plays also abound on Broadway. You may make a selection from David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow or American Buffalo, Peter Shaffer’s Equus, Tracy Letts’ comedy August : Osage County, and Anton Chekhov’s immortal classic The Seagull, among several currently in production. There are many Broadway plays that were changed from other mediums, including preferred films. Avenue Q was impressed from the TV show Sesame Street, yet it offers an adult-themed play.

A big part of the Theatre District’s NYC nightlife are the spectacular older theatres. There’s a vibe in these old houses of times past, when folk flocked to the theatres to see the newest plays, and that aura continues today. People get dressed to the nines to visit the theatre, and there’s a spirit of camraderie and bon vivant as the audience settles in together as a group to take part in the experiences the show offers. This is one of the hotspots on Broadway and around the town where you can be in the thick of NYC nightlife, now let’s look at the BARS

Maritime Hotel – Yes, we are listing a hotel as a pick for our Nightlife category and it isn’t because of what goes on behind closed hotel room doors. Found at 363 West 16th St. Now, it is a glamorous Chelsea Hotel that draws a fashionable nightlife scene. Among its hot spots are Matsuri – sushi restaurant , a Japanese-themed club called Hiro and La Bottega – a bar/trattoria which extends outside into a 6,000 square foot patio. 46th St. – between 11th Ave. And West Side Hwy ). This international nightclub transports club-goers from NYC to the steamy tropics, featuring 4 floors ( and thirty thousand square feet ) of options. Navigate a maze of staircases, palm trees, mirrors and tarp covers.
Passerby – Screwdrivers are back and somehow they made the Greyhound even cooler. Their juicer will freshen up your cocktails and their glowing’Saturday Night Fever’ dance floor will liven up your evening. Passerby is found at 436 W. 15th St. ).
Good for a few laid-back Happy Hour pints with old mates and colleagues. Simply make sure you are not watching your waste line if you choose to order grub – the huge mouth-watering burgers and slab-cut fries are worth the calories! White horse tavern is located on Hudson & 11th Street.

bungalow 8 – With so many luxuries offered at this honeymoon-suite locale, who has anytime for sleep? If you’re looking for great drinks and engaging snacks, this mini-resort provides it. A hospitality-themed lounge, bungalow eight offers everything except the mint on your pillow. Good for night-owls who have difficulty turning in. Bungalow 8 is found at 515 W. 27th St. ( between tenth & 11th Aves. ).

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More Orders, More Payments

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Back when I first started making money online over ten years ago, the Amazon.com affiliate program was pretty much the only game in town. Aspiring entrepreneurs like me would gamely drive traffic to the world’s biggest bookstore with dollar signs in our eyes. Send us a book buyer, Amazon said, and we’ll send you a check – brilliant!

Fast-forward a decade and suddenly Amazon is just one more program in a vast sea of revenue sharing opportunities. Merchants and vendors worldwide now offer affiliate programs for just about every conceivable product or service category. The choices – and the risks – are many.

New affiliate marketers often succumb to ‘opportunity fever’ and frantically start joining every ‘hot’ new program they discover. With so many offers of easy money and fat affiliate commissions, who wouldn’t want to jump at every opportunity that comes along? Unfortunately, this misguided business ’strategy’ is also a classic recipe for failure.

My advice – and a strategy that has served me very well through the years – is to get tough from the outset and avoid this temptation with a vengeance. Instead, focus intently on only a handful of proven revenue sources that will both support and enhance your the overall content and theme of your blog or website and you’re likely to achieve far better results.

As you launch your online marketing career or even as you create that new blog or website, try following the brilliant strategy Dave Purves’ uses for his ‘Dave’s Cool Little Website’ product and focus on three key revenue producing partners – Adsense, ClickBank, and eBay.

Adsense – Since it’s launch in 2003, Google’s Adsense program has been one of the hottest topics in the Internet marketing universe. By including a snippet of code on your website, Google is able to automatically display advertisements on your pages, paying you real money when your visitors click.

Through Google’s smart ‘contextual advertising’ technology, the ads that your visitors see are actually targeted to the theme of the content on your pages, making the ads both relevant and appealing to your visitors – and potentially more profitable for you!

ClickBank – Information marketing is hotter than ever and in my opinion nobody does it better than ClickBank. Once you sign on as a ClickBank affiliate, you’ll be able to quickly and easily market any of the digital products offered through ClickBank’s vast digital marketplace.

With over 10,000 digital product vendors offering affiliate commissions that range from 1% all the way up to a whopping 75%, you’re almost certain to find the perfect e-book or digital product or service to profitably compliment the theme of your website.

eBay – You know that eBay is all about buying and selling. But did you know that eBay also has a very popular affiliate program? Managed through Commission Junction, eBay affiliates are able to display auction items from any category live on their websites. When people click-through and buy, eBay affiliates make real money.

There’s literally something for everybody on eBay and that makes this affiliate program a particularly powerful revenue generating tool for even the most unusual website or blog topic.

Although I’ve used variations of this strategy for many years with different degrees of success, the ‘Dave’s Cool Little Website’ hybrid marketing technique has proven to be an incredible moneymaker and I recommend it highly. Get tough, get focused and get to work building your profitable online business. Good luck!

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A Review of Southern Living

Sunday, January 24th, 2010
Southern Living is a company that offers products for every room of your house. Southern Living specializes in selling home equipment. At Southern Living, you can find anything you have ever desired for your home. Although every one of Southern Living’s products must be bought only by a consultant, I believe this part of your purchase will entertain you a lot.

One of the advantages of working for Southern Living is that you do not need to go out of your home. This option is ideal for mothers with small children. We all know that mothers should not leave the children alone but if they want to do work, they can apply as a Southern Living consultant. The advantage is that they will schedule their working hours by themselves. The income they will get depend on the time they will spend working.

The main obligation of the Southern Living’s consultant is to arrange parties and encourage others to do it as well. There parties are all about Southern Living line of products. This will be a wonderful way to earn money from home. Moreover, you will not be working; you will be spending time with your friends.

My sister-in-law quit her regular job. Now, she is a consultant for Southern Living. She loves her job. She didn’t feel well when she was going out for work every day but now she works for Southern Living and she never complains. She is really very proud of her work and she loves most the idea that she determines herself her working hours for Southern Living.

I am always very surprised by the wonderful themes she is presenting at each Southern Living party. The first theme I remember was the classic tea party. She decorated the rooms in a Victorian style. Then she asked the guests to come wearing Victorian style clothing or simply with lacy clothes accessorized with hats and gloves. All guests loved this Southern Living party.

Each summer she makes a Southern Living beach party. It happens that we almost forget that we are at a Southern Living party. This beach party is so much fun. Everyone enjoys the frozen daiquiris and forgets that he or she is at a consultant Southern Living party.

I also remember many other themes, my sister-in-law, used to show us. I am always very amazed by her creativeness. Here I can name a Southern Living parties like golf widows’ day or not just golf but any other sport you can think of. All holidays can also be used as themes for Southern Living parties.

When the time for a Southern Living party comes, I am always very impatient to understand what theme is coming up next. It is always fun to attend a Southern Living party, which has an interesting theme, no matter how good Southern Living products are.

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Yoga: How To Develop A Home Practice

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

Many people ask how to start a home yoga practice so here is some information to get you going. First I will review the basics and then discuss how often to practice and what to practice. Remember though, the only right practice is regular practice! Don’t let your desire for perfectionism get in your way. Just show up at your mat and practice. Yoga is a life-long journey – perhaps many lives!

Environment

The space should be quiet, and ideally used only for yoga. (Can be a section of any room)

Place a mat, blanket or towel on the floor.

The temperature should be moderate – not too cold and not too hot.

The room should have fresh air but not windy or cold.

Sunrise and sundown are desirable times for yoga (although any time works!)

Preparation

Wear light comfortable clothing.

A bath or shower before is good for limberness -wait at least 20 minutes after

practicing before bathing)

In the morning wash, urinate and move the bowels before practice.

Practice before eating or wait two hours after a meal.

Physical Practice (asanas)

Do not practice if there is a fever or deep wounds. Consult a teacher if there is an illness.

Spend five to ten minutes warming up/stretching before beginning practice.

Do not force your limbs into a difficult position. In time your body will open. We are after sensation not pain!

Beginners should hold each asana for 3-5 breaths. After about three months of regular practice this can be increased to 5 to 10 breaths.

Always inhale and exhale through the nostrils unless specified otherwise. Focus on making the breath slow and smooth.

At any time you need a rest come into child pose or shavasana (corpse pose)

Finish asanas with shavasana for five to ten minutes.

How often to practice.

The rule of thumb for how often to practice is simple: It is better to practice for short durations regularly than to practice once a week for a long time. In other words it is better to practice 4 times a week for forty-five minutes then to practice one day for two hours.

With that being said some people get what they need from practicing just a couple of times each week while other practice five or six times a week. It varies from person to person. On average though you will get the most benefit from your practice with average of four sessions per week. The length of time of each session depends on your experience with yoga, time constraints, level of fitness, and motivation. A good idea is to have a journal to keep track of your practice with information such as date, how long you practiced, what you practiced, how you felt during and after your practice, what thoughts came to mind during practice, how you felt later in the day as well as the next day, which postures were challenging and which were felt good.

General framework for your session

Always begin your practice with easy movements and build towards the more difficult postures ending with a cool down. Imagine a bell curve: at the beginning of the bell curve is a moment of centering. As you move up the curve there are warm-ups, then opening postures which help to build heat/ flexibility/strength and at the top of the curve are the most challenging postures. Moving down the other side of the bell curve are cool down postures followed by Shavasana.

Here is a template that you can use to create your own practice session:

Theme or focus (more on this below):

Centering:

Warm-ups:

Opening postures

Challenging postures:

Cool down postures:

Shavasana:

Which postures to practice.

Sometimes it is fun to have a practice without any preconceived notion of what to do and just see what comes out. Sometime it is desirable to tune into your body and see what your body is asking for. Other times you’ll want to plan your session as indicated above. It is during these session that having theme will be helpful. Some classical themes include: backbends, forward bends, twists, balance postures, standing postures, seated postures, inversions, restorative postures, hip openers, shoulder openers, strength building postures, groin openers, hamstring openers, and postures that build energy. Linking postures together (vinyasa) is yet another way to create a practice. In the Iyengar system we focus on linking alignment cues from posture to posture. Of course you may have specific health reasons that you are working with for which it would be best to consult a qualified yoga teacher to help create a practice. I encourage you to be creative – come up with your own themes and see how it is. It has been said that in yoga you are both the scientist and the experiment!

In my book “Beginning Yoga: A Practice Manual” I offer 20 different practice sequences to guide your home practice as well as a chapter on how to set up a home practice.

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Antichrist Film Review

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

One of the most interesting film experience I have been to in a long time. Lars Von Trier is the Writer/Director of Antichrist. This Horror/Drama packs a NC-17 rating with its exploring themes of nature/belief/self-torture. The themes of the film creates the controversies surrounding this film. Once in a great while that a director would take his ideas and literally run with them with a pair of scissors. The film is remarkable and brilliant throughout. With only two characters to run through the film of Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

The film starts off with a prologue, four chapters, and finishes with a strong epilogue. The film starts off with a driven sexual sensation. While their child decides to take a stroll out the window. And with the worse kind of pain is losing a child. The idea of burying your own child into the ground is unthought-of. But unfortunately this is how the story begins. Later the film takes us into the cabin in the woods. I started to laugh out loud the moment I saw where this was going. I mean how many horror films have we seen that evolves around the cabin in the woods. To refresh your memory Evil Dead 1 &2, Cabin Fever, Friday the 13th, and there are lots more to go but you get the picture.

Right before going to the cabin in the woods. After the burial of the child, the film picks up the couple at the hospital she (Charlotte Gainsbourg) collapses at the Nic’s funeral. Now this is where the real boredom starts but it is every important that you pay attention. Because this is where the character development takes place. Now the writing for the most part is very slow but I believe that the director wanted to test our limits of patience. The characters in the film never spoke each other names due to the fact that only two characters are featured in the film. And the only name heard through the film was the child’s name, Nic.

With these nameless characters driving the film. We learn that Willem Dafoe’s character is a therapist and distrustful of the care she is receiving at the hospital. He decides to take action into his own hands. Like any other therapist, he tries to find out what she (Charlotte Gainsbourg) fears most. She tells him that it’s a place called Eden, hence the cabin in the woods. A happy place where she spent her time with Nic and writing her thesis (Gynocide). These characters are created for only two reasons and two reasons only is to either like them or hate them. Willem Dafoe represents the idea of nature, he tells her that sometimes there are things that happen for a reason. And that the reasons cannot be explained. While the Charlotte Gainsbourg comes to despair due to the knowledge of Gynocide. She believes that women are inherently evil. She did not believe this till her studies reveal this so called facts on witch-hunts articles, and her notes on misogynist topics. At this point her mind is so far out of reach that she now thinks of herself, evil.

In each of the chapters entitles Grief, Pain(Chaos Regions), Despair(Gynocide), and The Three Beggars. Each of these chapters explore a theme. The first chapter Grief explores how this couple deals with their grief. As he (Willem Dafoe) believes to be making progress, she (Charlotte Gainsbourg) uses sex to take two steps back while her improvement is progressing. While chapter two Pain (Chaos Regions) as the couple enters into Eden, this is where the rights are wrong. When Despair enters her mind, this is where her mask is slipping and her true face is shown. This chapter is where the audience should stop their snacking because you will find out this experimental idea. And as the three beggars come around this is where everything that happened will end. Where nature must take back control and undo what has happened. Erasing the wrongs into creating the right order.

I have to say this film is not for the weak of stomach. While viewing the film I find myself being scream mish. While I see the women curling up into a fetal position. Now you would think I would give away the good parts but I wouldn’t. I just wished that I was there to take a picture of your facial expression while it happens. Over the years  I’ve seen a lot exploration films and one of my favorites is Audition, Writer/Director Takashi Miike. Where this film explores the ideas of an ideal woman. And once you seen his films you’ll understand what he is trying to achieve. But for this it made my stomach turn. My mind is blown away that it became speechless. The film is unfavorable because of this idea of misogyny. The film was written in a way for the audience to hate it. I hate to say it but I enjoyed the film. Due to the fact of its interesting character development not the nature of the film. I believe that at the time when Lars Von Trier was writing the script. He was in a deep depression so the dark that was lurking inside of himself was coming out.  Where the idea was completely fixated on that theme. I just hope that this film was his therapy session.

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Preschool Theme Ideas

Thursday, January 21st, 2010
When teaching very young children, it is helpful to use preschool theme ideas to get them interested in learning. This is easily done, especially with all of the holidays and special days throughout the year. Those are a big help in coming up with ideas to use as fun learning for this age group.

As the holidays are usually colorful and entertaining, many ideas can be taken from them and turned into a lot of fun for the children. Most of the activities do not need a lot of expensive supplies or skill. This makes them fun for all of the children as they can feel that they have created something wonderful to share.

Preschool theme ideas need to include lots of hands on activities, as children in this age group tend to get bored if they are not being occupied. Halloween is a wonderful theme to work around for these children. They can learn the history and traditions of Halloween celebrations from long ago and relate them to how they are acknowledged today. Helping them in making funny or scary masks is a simple task of coloring and cutting, which can be easily supervised.

Another one of the tried and true preschool theme ideas surrounds the month of November and Thanksgiving. All young children love the story of the settlers and the Indians. You can make the whole month a history one. During the week of Thanksgiving, you can help the children make simple decorations and dress up for a unique holiday feast in the classroom. Stress the message of peace and being grateful for good things received.

Of course there is also the different ways of celebrating Yule. There are many customs and traditions surrounding this very popular holiday. Adjust your preschool theme ideas to the children you will be teaching. There may be different ways of celebrating in their households and you will want to include all of them.

Other fun filled themes can be built around Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. These are both history filled and colorful celebrations that preschool children love. There are many easy crafts that can be done in conjunction with these special days. The children will love doing them and will learn quite a bit of history at the same time.

Simply looking around can help you discover many ways to work themes into teaching preschool age children. This is such an easy age to ignite excitement through all the crafts and stories used to teach. Your real problem may come from having too many ideas and not enough time to implement them all.

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What’s New at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for 2008

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

Since it opened on May 1, 1989 as the third major theme park at Walt Disney World(r) Resort, Disney-MGM Studios has celebrated the golden age of Hollywood with such classic attractions as The Great Movie Ride, Magic of Disney Animation and the fascinating Backlot Tour. However, starting in January 2008, Disney plans to change the theme park’s name to “Disney’s Hollywood Studios,” which reflects “how the park has grown . . . to a celebration of the new entertainment that today’s Hollywood has to offer – in music, television, movies and theater,” according to Walt Disney World President Meg Crofton (August 9, 2007, press release).

Along with the name change to “Disney’s Hollywood Studios,” the 135-acre theme park will launch a slew of new attractions, live shows and special events in 2008 to complement such classics as Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show; Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Major attractions and live entertainment venues to be added for 2008 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios include the following:

Block Party Bash

An all-new Disney-Pixar inspired parade, Block Party Bash, will enable guests to sing and dance along with their favorite characters from such hit Disney animated films as A Bug’s Life, Cars, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc., Ratatouille and Toy Story. The Block Party Bash also features high-flying acrobatics and is a must-see for guests visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios starting in the spring of 2008 (replacing the Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade). .

High School Musical 2: School’s Out!

The interactive High School Musical 2: School’s Out show makes it debut at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with a lively cast that dances and sings to hit songs from the wildly successful Disney Channel original film, “High School Musical 2: School’s Out!” Catch “Wildcat fever” at the High School Musical 2: School’s Out show, which will be presented multiple times daily at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Jedi Training Academy

Based on the incredibly popular Star Wars films, the Jedi Training Academy at Star Tours features an intergalactic entertainment experience that gives young Jedi students the opportunity to learn the “ways of the force” in order to battle and defeat the evil Darth Vader and his minions. The Jedi Training Academy will take place multiple times daily at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Play House Disney-Live on Stage!

A whole new Play House Disney show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will include a host of new Disney Channel characters from such programs as “Handy Manny,” “Little Einsteins” and “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.” Designed for preschoolers, the live Play House Disney show will last approximately 20 minutes and take place multiple times daily at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Playhouse Disney is located on Soundstage 5 in the Animation Courtyard, directly across from The Magic of Disney Animation.

Toy Story Mania!

Toy Story Mania! takes the interactive ride-game experience to infinity . . . and beyond! Inspired by the classic Disney-Pixar animated movie, Toy Story, Toy Story Mania! will make its debut in the summer of 2008 as the newest attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With state-of-the-art, 3-D technology, this thrilling interactive ride will take guests on a wild adventure through a video game where they use spring-action shooters to toss rings at aliens, throw eggs at barnyard targets and launch darts at balloons (scoring points in the process just like at Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin). Toy Story Mania! will feature all your favorite Toy Story characters such as Woody, Hamm, Rex and much more.

In addition, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be an integral part of Disney’s Year of a Million Dreams celebration, which has been extended throughout 2008. Disney’s Year of a Million Dreams celebration will feature the Disney Dreams Giveaway, which boasts “more dreams that only Disney can make true” such as a night’s stay inside Cinderella Castle Suite at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, a star-studded trip to the “High School Musical 3″ film premiere, a flight in a hot air balloon high above a Disney World theme park or a private day at Disney’s tropical island paradise, Castaway Cay.

Special events such as ABC Super Soap Weekend (November), the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (November-January), ESPN the Weekend (late February) and Star Wars Weekends (June) will continue to take place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2008. In addition, Night of Joy at Walt Disney World will be hosted for the first time by Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Held in early September (September 5 and 6 for 2008), Night of Joy features some of the most talented singers in contemporary Christian music for a magical celebration full of joy and inspiration. Four popular acts have already confirmed for the 2008 Night of Joy: MercyMe, tobyMac, Chris Tomlin and Rush of Fools.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2008 will also continue to feature opportunities for kids of all ages to meet and greet their favorite characters such as the Power Rangers, JoJo and Goliath and Little Einsteins as well as Lightning McQueen and Mater from Disney-Pixar’s animated movies, Cars.

“Make plans to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2008 and experience all of the new entertainment options that this dynamic Disney World theme park has to offer,” said Kyle Collins, Director of Interactive Marketing at HotelsCorp.com. “And by booking your Disney World vacation online today, you can enjoy unbeatable savings on discount Disney tickets, hotels near Disney and Disney World vacation packages.”

Orlando, Florida Guide, the best guide to Orlando, offers discount Disney World tickets, discount Universal Orlando tickets and discount Sea World Orlando tickets, as well as discount Orlando hotels and individually tailored Orlando vacation packages.

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Home And Garden Party – 5 New Party Ideas, Themes And More

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
If you’re a home and garden party consultant, helping your hostesses come up with ideas for their parties can be a win-win situation for both of you. For the hostess, having a printed list with ideas, themes and even recipes can take a big part of the stress off her shoulders, and make her more motivated and enthusiastic about the party. For you, the consultant, having a happy hostess means happier and more relaxed guests, and everyone having a wonderful time at the party. This also can translate into more sales for you.

Although a garden party may make you think of elegant women in large hats, sipping tea out of tiny porcelain cups, in reality it doesn’t require a home in the country with a large lawn, beautiful grounds and lots of outdoor furniture. Successful garden parties can happen on small patios in the city, in the backyard of the suburbs or even in a living room or dining room. In fact, some of the most successful garden parties don’t even happen in the hostess’s home – we’ve had successful garden parties at the local park, at a family member or neighbor’s home, and once, even on a mother-daughter camp-out!

Garden parties can range from the elegant to the casual: from large affairs to cozy, intimate gatherings. The most important thing when planning a garden party is to decide on the theme, and then use it to create the atmosphere you want.

Of course you’ll have to take into consideration the time of year, the time of day the party is being held, the number of guests expected and the location. But here are some fun themes that have resulted in successful parties with better-than-average sales and party bookings. Feel free to adapt them so that they work for you!

Tea Party: Get elegant with cloth tablecloths and napkins, fancy napkin rings and place settings. The centerpieces could be glass bowls, decanters or bottles filled with flowers, fruit or candles. Serve tea, finger sandwiches and elegant little desserts on stacked trays.
Use flowers or potted plants if the party is on the patio, or set it up in the garden itself, if the time of year is right. Place your displays inside the house or around the outdoor area, and use the same tablecloths and elegant theme as the party. Light classical music, guitar music or new age would blend in beautifully.

Afternoon Delight: Set up a whimsical party with beach umbrellas or patio tables and umbrellas, a free-standing hammock, and drag out the kids’ plastic pool to fill with sand and use it to hold your outdoor display items. Serve icy margaritas or delicious mimosas with a little Jimmy Buffet in the background, and make sure your games are fun and that guests feel relaxed and at ease. Crackers, cheese and fruit make simple refreshments.

Bridal Shower: Although this idea is a little unusual, it’s actually a good marketing campaign and has been a surprising success. In your next marketing campaign – aimed at brides and maids (or matrons) of honor, mention that you hold garden party bridal showers. The guests get together, laugh, talk, eat and play games, just like at a regular bridal shower, but the bride can register for the gifts that she’d like for her new home, and guests can choose from her list, as well as picking up a little something for themselves. Themes can vary, but some nice touches include: stringing fairy lights and hurricane lanterns around the garden or patio (especially if the party is being held at night), using ribbons, lace and the bride’s wedding colors. Refreshments can be anything from a light buffet using fresh fruits and vegetables of the season (for spring and summer) to soups and a selection of elegant appetizers in the fall and winter months.

Bloom Where you’re Planted: This party is all about celebrating life and enjoying who you are. Table decorations can be tiny terra cotta pots with tea lights in them. You can use flower seed packets as place cards (write the guests’ names on the packets). Set up baskets or pots of flowers and plants around the tables. Use a wheelbarrow or garden cart for displays or refreshments, and if you have a trellis or standing metal archway, it makes a lovely setting for your display. Keep the games light and upbeat and the general theme about gratitude and how wonderful it is that we are all unique and different as flowers in a garden. Refreshments should be kept light – ice tea, lemon-aide or fruit smoothies and finger sandwiches with cookies or a variety of desserts works well.

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