Sparkle Motion News - November 2011

[Madame Vita]

 

[xena91388]

I spent many hours putting together an amazing Avi Talk for you guys this month but because the developers of Gaia are too thick-headed near-sighted to update the guilds, it was all lost when my web browser crashed and all the session restore pages for the guild came back as log-in pages, something that does not happen for any other page on this site. I do not have the heart to do it all over again so I'm very sorry but there is no avi talk for this month.

To prevent this from ever happening again to anyone else and helping the guilds receive some much needed attention, I suggest supporting this Spring Cleaning Thread:

☆ Proposal: Vital Guild Suggestions ( Let's List! )

 

[SparkleMotionTreasurer]

 

[One Witchy Woman]

 

[xena91388]

wahmbulance Avoiding Malpractice wahmbulance

The holiday season is high time for doctors and other medical professionals with all the accidents that occur between Halloween and New Years. If you find yourself requiring a sudden trip to the doctor's office, take someone with you! Also, remember that older doesn't mean better when it comes to the doctor's age! Elder doctors, the ones near retirement, often make the most mistakes. They are either overconfident their reputation will keep them safe or truly believe what they did is right even if it sends you to the ER.

The one thing you must remember is: BRING SOMEONE WITH YOU! No matter how "minor" or embarrassing your situation is. When you go to a doctors office, they may tell you that legally they can't tell that person anything or may not want that person in the room with you but you have a legal right to have someone there with you and if you tell the doctors it ok to tell them what they tell you or speak openly to you while the other person is in the room, they have to.

Why am I stressing someone be with you? Because when you are being examined in a place you can't see or are given some medicine/injection while there, you may have no idea what is really going on. It's good to have someone in your corner to keep an eye on things and make sure the doctor doesn't do anything unorthodox. Bonus points if they can access the internet to look up and medicines you may be injected with.

Sound a little paranoid? Well consider these personal experience stories: I once went to the doctor for an ear infection and he gave me amoxicillian (a penicillian derivative) when he knew I was allergic to penicillian and it was only my knowledge in medical terminology that saved my life. I went to the dentist two weeks ago for a filling and couldn't feel anything while he drilled away because of the anesthetic, a couple hours later I get the feeling back in my mouth only to painfully discover he sliced a giant, deep, jagged gash on the underside of my tongue. If I had had someone in the room with me, I'm sure they would have prevented such a thing from happening.

Now the horror stories: When my mother was a little girl, around six or seven, she had an ear infection that was really painful. Her mother was told by the doctors in New York that she needed a special procedure and her mother, not really understanding English well and believing it being important to her daughter's life, agreed. So she sent my mother to NY and asked her aunt to watch over her. The doctors wouldn't let anyone near her and never told my aunt what they did because of "confidentiality" but neither did they bother informing my grandmother. They took out everything in my mother's ear from the drum to the audio nerve leaving her completely deaf in one ear and an almost direct hole straight to her brain that could have killed her had a bug crawled in or it got infected. It wasn't noticed until several years later, after she was married, where it was finally fixed by moving her jawbone to block the hole.

The stories are everywhere if you search for them. Women getting groped while under anesthesia, doctors amputating wrong limbs, leaving behind surgical instruments, administering medicines that are dangerous or too strong a dose, messing up and not saying anything, etc. . .Some doctors have even been known to perform circumcisions on babies and c-sections on mothers without consent! Claiming such actions to be medically necessary even when there is no proven medical benefits to either other than increasing your hospital bill.

And that's what everything comes down to in the end, money.

Doctors used to be revered as the saviors of society but if I were you, I'd take everything they say with a grain of salt.

So stay safe Sparkles and don't be afraid to have a buddy with you or better yet, your mom, when you need medical help.

wahmbulance

 

[Madame Vita]

Your Little Black Dress & her sister's

Make your own fashion collage at www.polyvore.com  

[Pinko Sacredheart]

Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner VS Modern Thanksgiving Dinner


When we think of Thanksgiving many of us picture turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, pumpkin pie and the like. But these days many people are making a twist to their Thanksgiving dinners.

The very first Thanksgiving dinner consisted of turkey, waterfowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, and squash. And many of those dishes have continued to stay with the present dinners. The modern day dinners however have added to or replaced the turkey altogether with turducken, cajun fried turkey, beef, goose, duck, or even tofurkey for the vegetarians. Mashed potatoes aren't just regular mashed potatoes anymore either. Many people have garlic or cheese- hold the gravy completely. Stuffing is now prepared with chicken stock. Sweet potato casserole is also a big side dish now along with wild rice or candied ginger cranberry sauce. Pumpkin pie will always be traditional but apple pie and pecan pie have become just as popular and new staples to the modern dinner.

Is this modern dinner better than the traditional? That would depend on personal opinion. I, for one, prefer ham over turkey but I love my traditional dinner. Who wouldn't want home made mashed potatoes and gravy? Thanksgiving has come a long way and gone through many changes since that first dinner of the pilgrims and indians. Who knows? Maybe in ten years it'll take a complete turn into something new.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone ^_^ Enjoy your dinners, whether traditional or modern♥

 

[xena91388]

The end of October and the beginning of November is the peak season for a very popular nut here in the South known as the Almighty Blessed Pecan. This wonderfully glorious nut, packed full of vitamins and cholesterol lowering oils, is much, much better for you than almonds but much harder to come by and sometimes expensive. If you are going to be shelling your own nuts for this recipe, like I did since I had a lovely tree near my house, make sure the "meat" of the nut is completely clean before using it. You don't have to wash the "meat", just check it real well because sometimes tiny bits of the inner shell can get stuck in the folds of the meat and this inner shell material is extremely bitter and even pinhead sized piece can have you retching in disgust.

This pie recipe was given to me by my elderly neighbor before she passed away and is more "Old-Fashioned" since it does not use corn syrup like most modern recipes do. Most people who have tried this pie prefer it over the corn-syrup pies any day.

Crust

1/2 cup unsalted butter or vegetable shortening (not melted)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold water

Chop butter/shortening into small chunks and mix thoroughly into flour until it is crumbly work quickly so you don't melt the butter/shortening. Add in just enough water to hold the dough together and mix gently with a fork. Roll out on to a lightly floured surface. When it is the size you need, transfer to your pie pan and press in gently. Trim excess with a knife and pierce the bottom with a fork a few times. For a flakier crust, put in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before using.

Pecan Pie

1 cup coarsely crushed pecans
2 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon secret ingredient*

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a bowl, mix together melted butter and eggs with the brown and white sugars until creamy and smooth. Gently mix in the flour and then the milk and vanilla. Add one teaspoon of your secret ingredient* and stir in the nuts.

Pour mixture into pie crust and bake at 400 for 10-minutes and then reduce heat to 350F and bake for 30-minutes or until done.

*Secret Ingredient is: Whatever you want. Most people like to mix in a bit of chocolate or ginger. I like to add a splash of. . . something. . . . spiced. . . made from a plant in the corn family and produced mainly in PR. ninja

heart

 

[SilentlyVicious]

MEN'S GUIDE TO SUITS AND TIES

Hello my fellow Man-Candies! Silent here, taking over the news with some tips just for us! Have a big dance you're going to? Or perhaps a wedding? Then pay close attention because the suit is what makes a lasting impression! You dress poorly and you'll become the laughing stock. So, read these tips and learn more about the confusing world of suits, ties and handkerchiefs. Then you'll be the belle of the ball!

Ties
The most important accessory to any suit, is the tie. Tying one takes practice and says the biggest statement about the man wearing it. A few rules to know about ties are as follows. 1. The tie shouldn't be loud or bright. 2. The tie should be of a darker or matching colour to your suit. And 3. The tie should hang to your waist. Now, tying the perfect tie is difficult and takes a lot of practice. The following is a list of the most common knots in a tie and how to tie them. When you get more practiced, feel free to experiment with other types of knots and see which one suits your suit best.

Three Most Common Ties::
The Four-in-Hand Tie -- How-To
The Half-Windsor Knot -- How-To
The Windsor Knot -- How-To


The Tie Dimple::
A good knot should always have a dimple, the little indentation right below the knot of your tie. A good dimple is made before you tighten the knot. You start by placing your index finger in the fabric directly under the knot while lightly squeezing the side of the fabric as you tighten the knot by pulling down on the wide end of the tie. The dimple should be centered in the middle of your knot.

Pocket Handkerchief
The second most important accessory to any suit is the pocket handkerchief. Most people find these difficult or confusing when folding, so they choose to go without; which is perfectly acceptable. The handkerchief is, of course, optional, but adds to a great look. The following is a short list that talks about how to fold and tuck the handkerchief into your suit pocket.

The Three Most Common Handkerchief Folds::
One Point Pocket Square Fold -- How-To
Two Point Pocket Square Fold -- How-To
Flat Pocket Square Fold -- How-To

The Suit
Now for the main and most important part, The Suit. Without it, the only suit you're wearing is your birthday suit and there's no place for the pocket handkerchief on that one. We men know, there are a lot of different kinds of suits and yes, it's confusing and scary. I hate suit shopping but with this guide, I hope to make it easier for you other guys out there, whether it's a special occasion or just a first date, you're bound to look good and make a good impression.

The Cut::
Short and sweet version, there are two different types of cuts to a suit. There are the single-breasted and the double-breasted. With the 'single-breasted' cut, the suit comes together evenly and holds together with a single line of buttons down the front. The 'double-breasted' cut is when the suit overlaps and is held together by two (double) lines of buttons.

The Fabric::
Yes, it's important. The fabric says a lot and it accounts for comfortably. If you're not comfortable, you look bad, so we'll just go over a few different types of fabrics. The most commonly used fabrics are cottons (and other woolens), silk and tweeds. Silk and cotton are more for formal type events, while tweed offers more of a business casual look and is the only material where breeches (or shorts) are okay.

The Lapels::
Ah, lapels, they go way back. From being dainty little things to the big mud-flaps/wings of the zoot suits, there are several different ways to wear the lapels and we'll just touch base with them briefly so you have an idea.

Notched Lapel is the most common of all lapels found on single-breasted jackets.
Peaked Lapel is the most common of lapels found on the double-breasted jackets.

Vests::
Just a quick note on the use of vests, most suits now no longer have use of the vest. However, in weddings and other special occasions, you'll still make use of the vest. How do you know what a good vest is? Simple. It's the same fabric and colour of your jacket.

Trousers/Slacks::
This should be the most simple of pieces to your suit and just like the vest, it should be the same fabric and same colour as your jacket. I can't stress enough the importance of this, though. Too often have I seen people wearing different coloured trousers with their suits and it looks.... hideous. Completely atrocious. Also, regardless of whether you need to or not, it's always important to wear a belt, typically black leather or, if the suit colour depends on it, brown leather. Suits are made to fit comfortably so the need of the belt isn't likely but it still looks better when you tie it all together with a fancy belt. So this means no wearing your slacks around your knees, if you knew where that came from, I'm sure you'd stop.

Footwear::
Last and certainly not least, is the footwear. Socks and shoes. Socks are always of a dark colour. Never wear white or light coloured socks unless you're wearing a white suit. The typical colour for socks is black, which coincidentally is the same for shoes. They say, "black goes with everything" because its true. Shoes are typically always black, unless of course, you're wearing a white suit and brown shoes are only worn with brown suits. As the saying goes, "never wear brown shoes with a blue suit."

Credits:: www.wikipedia.com, www.samhober.com, www.cheap-neckties.com, www.tiefighter.net

 

[Madame Vita]

 

[SparkleMotionTreasurer]