Issue #9 for Myra Roldan
com
Cuski - Gifts For Baby
(Chicky Lounge)
Submitted at 9/24/2008 6:26:00 PM
Looking for a very cool gift? How
about one that will hold mom's scent
for baby? It's called Cuski, Your baby
can snuggle with it like a baby doll
without the choke hazard of googly
eyes and it's extra absorbent and extra
soft. Plus you can throw it in the
wash and it comes out still feeling
soft. This comfort gift is created from
a unique bamboo yarn. Up until now I
never heard of this, but after feeling it
and test driving it - I give it 5 thumbs
up!
‘Cuski’ is the anglicised Welsh term
meaning ‘to sleep’ and was created to
bring comfort to babies and children
all over the world.
Cuski is the brainchild of two
mothers whose children had worn out
and bulky comfort blankets - a
replacement was long over due.
Politics!
(Seth's Blog)
Submitted at 9/28/2008 2:25:00 AM
Politics is nothing but stories.
Governing, of course, is more
complicated than that, but not much.
But storytelling is all we're seeing
these days, stories that resonate,
stories that spread... Two semi-
random thoughts for Sunday:
We need more debates. Not just for
President, but for every elected office
and for issues as well. (Yes, politics
is largely marketing.)
Here's my idea from four years ago.
I wish I had pushed it harder:
Dedicate a half hour every night
during the last month to a debate
series. Put it on a major channel. Or
devote an entire cable channel to this,
9/11/2008 - 9/28/2008
When they searched for alternative
products, nothing was available so
they set about creating the ideal
comforter for theirs and other babies.
Cuski recently won an award.
CUSKI© KIDS PILLOW
WINS GOLD AWARD 2008
Announcement of the 2008
Practical Pre-School Awards
Child Care Category
After many months of testing and
analysing of results, the highly
awaited 2008 Practical Pre-School
Awards was announced to the book,
toy and child care industry on Friday
12 September.
With nearly 240 entries overall
from 110 different companies, the
Practical Pre-School Awards is one of
the highlights for the toy, nursery and
education resource sectors. Tested by
childcare professionals, the results are
viewed as a measure of what’s good
and what’s not in a field that is
year round. Or a special section of
YouTube.
Each side is invited. There is no
moderator. There's a chess clock.
Each side gets 15 minutes total.
While you're talking, your clock is
running, but the other side's is not.
When you're done, her clock runs.
You can talk for ten seconds or ten
minutes or whatever you choose. You
can ask questions of your opponent,
answer questions, make a speech.
Whatever you want. It could even be
done from two different locations.
Every night. Thirty days.
If you don't show up, your
opponent gets the entire airtime slot.
This works best in a limited channel
universe, where the airtime is actually
worth something, and who knows, it's
swamped with choice.
Over the years, the Childcare
category has increased in popularity
and this year saw a record number of
entries. Rather than shortlisting a
limited number of products, the
scheme differs uniquely in that it
awards the coveted accolades to
products on their own merit and not
against other entries.
Best Regards
Suzanne Cannizzo M.D.
You can purchase your own Cuski
a t
http://www.cuski.com/store.*******
******************************
*** by Myra Roldan, Blogger/Editor
At Large Chicky Lounge -
http://chickylounge.blogspot.com
Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva -
http://www.beautifuldiva.com
possible this will be true in four years
(but unlikely). Either way, it goes a
long way to helping us find
thoughtful people who can think
clearly (hard to fake it for thirty
nights in a row). It's also hard to run
negative, untrue ads when you know
you'll be facing her tomorrow night.
And here's a clever way to spread
ideas: printhetruth.org. Even if you
disagree with what's on the posters,
it's a fascinating bridge between the
digital and the physical world. Find
posters you like and print em out and
distribute them. If freedom of the
press belongs to whomever owns a
printer, that makes everyone
obligated to print something...
feedjournal.
HEY LADIES!!!! It's
time to get your
StyleFixx @ a Girls
Nite Out
(Chicky Lounge)
Submitted at 9/13/2008 6:44:00 PM
BOSTON - October 1st & 2nd, 2008
Shop over 55 designers and brands
offering incredible values on one-of-a
-kind designs, cutting-edge products,
and essential services!
** Indulge in free makeovers all
night long!
** Shop hard-to-find items at the
Rue La La Lounge.
** Enjoy complimentary hair
treatments by G20 Salon.
** Pamper yourself with mini-
manicures from Wet Paint Nail Spa
Beauty Lounge.
** Enjoy massages while sipping on
complimentary Ketel One and Mixerz
cocktails.
So here's my take on this ladies. I
attended the very first StyleFixx
event last year in Boston. Yes, I
drove 2-1/2 hours to Boston with a
small crew I dragged along with me. I
was actually a vendor at the event and
for being a first time event, it was
absolutely CRAZY! The place got
packed quick. Luckily, we were
parked by the cocktail guys who
helped business and helped me keep
my sanity by slipping me cocktails
(and I don't drink, so I made an
exception).
During the event we offered mini-
facials, we had people lining up! I
plan on attending this year's Style
Fixx event as a guest - I wanna party
this time. Plus, Jason of Style Fixx
just offered me VIP Tickets with Red
Carpet Treatment. See being on
Oprah didn't even get me that kind of
treatment. Style Fixx Rocks!
So, I have a great deal in store for
all my loyal readers. If you are in the
Boston area or just feel like going on
a roadtrip to Boston to attend the
Style Fixx event, you can purchase
y o u r t i c k e t s a t
http://stylefixx.com/stylefixx-boston-
tickets.php enter promo code: Myra-
Style and get 25% off your purchase
Special Note: Only advanced ticket
holders are guaranteed an official
StyleFixx Swag Bag!
Shoppers will receive an original
StyleFixx Swag Bag stuffed with
fabulous items from StyleFixx
sponsors. The StyleFixx Swag Bags
go fast. Buy your tickets before
t h e y ' r e
gone.**************************
************** by Myra Roldan,
Blogger/Editor At Large Chicky
L o u n g e -
http://chickylounge.blogspot.com
Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva -
http://www.beautifuldiva.com
2
Storage Containers to Dream Homes -
BRILLIANT!
(Chicky Lounge)
Submitted at 9/24/2008 6:12:00 PM
I am proud to be Puerto Rican and a
member of the Hispanic Community
which is comprised of Hispanics from
different countries. It saddens me to
see members of the Hispanic
Community struggle, busting their
asses for crappy pay. I hate to say this
but it seems that we get the short end
of the stick - we can't cry that our
ancestors were oppressed and
therefore we should be compensated.
No, we simply have to grin and bare
it. If you live here in the States you
are struggling to live in a slum. If
you're lucky and get an education
(like I did), you tend to be better off
but spend all your time trying to
prove you can perform at the same
standards or better than our
Caucasian's (I'm being PC).
I've been even more discouraged by
our failing economy, so when I came
across this article I'm about to share,
it actually made me feel really good.
There is still some good in this world
- there's still hope. So read on. The
following article was posted on
CNN.com (yes, I read CNN.com on a
daily basis).
******************************
********************
CORRALES, New Mexico (AP) --
It was a side trip through a destitute,
ramshackle neighborhood in Ciudad
Juarez, Mexico, that detoured Brian
McCarthy from building houses in
Albuquerque to an idea to offer the
very poor a chance to own a home.
Shipping containers, such as on the
left, will be converted into tiny
homes, as seen on the right.
Shipping containers, such as on the
left, will be converted into tiny
homes, as seen on the right.
Click to view previous image
1 of 2
Click to view next image
His answer lies in a humble steel
shipping container 40 feet long, 8 feet
wide and 8½ feet tall.
McCarthy, 30, and three partners,
Pablo Nava, 22; Kyle Annen, 23; and
Mackenzie Bishop, 22, have made a
prototype out of a standard shipping
container that hauls goods worldwide
-- a 320-square-foot home with a
kitchen, bath with toilet, sleeping
areas, windows and a bright blue
door. The exterior is painted with a
white epoxy coating that has light-
reflecting properties to prevent the
sun's heat from penetrating.
Each small house includes hookups
for air conditioning, ventilation,
electrical and water systems, and the
units ideally could be set up in small
communities to make accessing
utilities more efficient.
The idea began to take shape
several years ago, when McCarthy
went to the Mexican border city on a
field trip as part of an executive MBA
program. He found himself impressed
by the sophistication and rapid
growth of industry in Juarez but
shocked when the bus cut through a
poor neighborhood on the way out of
the city.
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"We saw hundreds of homes that are
made out of wood pallets and
cardboard and scrap metal and scrap
building material," McCarthy said.
When he questioned the bus driver,
"he said, 'Well, all the people who
live here work in the places you just
visited.'
"It was amazing to me that in an
area where there was such growth and
economic prosperity, that these
employees of Fortune 1000
companies were living in such poor
conditions."
With Juarez growing by 50,000 to
60,000 people a year and wages low,
it was evident traditional
homebuilding couldn't respond, said
McCarthy, who'd worked in various
facets of building homes in
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
An idea began taking shape about a
year and a half later, when he saw an
article about a shipping container
converted into guest quarters.
"They talked about the merits of the
construction, how strong they are,
how affordable they are and how
plentiful they are," McCarthy said.
He called Nava, his cousin, with the
low-cost home idea. A year later,
Nava, then a junior at Notre Dame
University, suggested entering the
university's business plan
competition.
Their initial three-quarter page
concept expanded as they advanced
in the contest. Along the way, Nava
invited his roommate, Annen, to join.
As the group's acknowledged
computer graphics wiz, Annen added
drawings to give the presentation
more life.
Eventually, they won the contest
with a 55-page document, illustrated
by renderings and floor plans.
In July 2007, the partners formed
PFNC Global Communities; PFNC
stands for "Por Fin, Nuestra Casa,"
which roughly translates as "Finally,
our own home."
They operate out of a back room in
a Corrales realty firm but expect
offices in Juarez or adjacent El Paso,
Texas, and a Juarez plant to
manufacture shipping container
homes.
The house faces two constraints:
designing in only 320 square feet and
keeping the price to about $8,000 to
be affordable for the average worker
at maquiladoras, manufacturing
plants in Mexico along the U.S.
border, McCarthy said.
The partners looked at clever
designs for small condos and lofts,
travel trailers and even private jet
planes, adapting ideas they felt would
work.
"We started with a kitchen and
bathroom because they're the most
necessary and most basic ingredients
of a home," McCarthy said.
They designed a galley-style
kitchen with a stove, sink, refrigerator
and dinette, and a 48-square-foot
bathroom with a pedestal sink,
shower and commode. Adjacent to
the kitchen is a bunk area for
children; separate sleeping quarters
for the owners lie behind the
bathroom wall.
The house may be sparse by U.S.
standards, but Nava said it's a huge
improvement in safety, security and
health over where many now live.
When drawings and color pictures
of the prototype were shown around a
poor Juarez neighborhood, people
said, "You know, it'd be like a dream
to live in one of these," Nava said.
"You know, just the thought of
having nice fresh air ventilating
through the house, a large bed ... a
normal kitchen and a safe home that
locks and closes each night was more
than appealing."
Annen cites modern architectural
design, with bare metal and piping.
"This would fit right in any major
city," he said.
The company has received a
commitment for equity investment
and is in the process of finishing
details and closing its first round of
funding. The partners anticipate
starting production early next year,
with the capacity to produce 3,000
homes in the first year and later
ramping up.
They figure a half million people
could benefit from such homes in
Juarez alone.
PFNC doesn't intend just to build
shelter. It wants to build
communities, and McCarthy said the
group expects to have the first pilot
community on the ground late next
year.
"That was our goal, more than just
four walls and a roof but to kind of
raise the standard of living in Juarez
and other places," Nava said.
The shipping containers, which can
be hauled by truck, rail or ship, are
designed to stack. PFNC envisions a
cluster arrangement, eight side by
side and four high, with apartment-
type balconies and staircases in the
corners.
Clusters could be arranged into
squares, creating "a safe little plaza in
the middle where we hope to build a
soccer field or a playground, some
safe area for families to be," Nava
said.
PFNC wants to set up programs
with maquiladoras to offer housing as
an employee benefit, helping cut the
high rate of worker turnover, now
between 7 percent and 10 percent a
month, McCarthy said. The company
is working with a Mexican law firm
that has handled work-to-own
housing programs.
"This is not a rental-type situation or
free housing while you work here,"
McCarthy said. "Rather, the employer
takes on some of the burden in setting
up the financing program to transfer
ownership to the employee."
That's important because PFNC
needs large orders to keep costs down
so low-wage workers can afford the
home. The incentive for employers:
Studies show housing for employees
dramatically increases retention, and
having more workers in a given area
will reduce the number of buses
maquiladoras run to take people to
and from their jobs.
PFNC doesn't view its homes as the
last stop.
"With our design and with our price
point, we think we'll at least be able
to take the first step of getting more
families into more homes" and formal
property ownership, McCarthy said.
"We fully anticipate that people will
move into our homes, build up some
equity, sell this home," he said. "We
see this is a stepping stone to get into
a bigger or more comfortable
home."************************
**************** by Myra Roldan,
Blogger/Editor At Large Chicky
L o u n g e -
http://chickylounge.blogspot.com
Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva -
http://www.beautifuldiva.com

$700 Billion Dollar
BailOut and Lipstick
(Chicky Lounge)
Submitted at 9/24/2008 3:36:00 AM
Ok, so someone really needs to give
me a good explanation of why our
government is able to come up
with$700 BILLION dollars (that's a
really big number) to bailout these
mortgage companies who put
themselves in the predicament they
are currently in. I was watching Sen.
Schumer, sitting there questioning the
Secretary of Treasure as to why they
should justify granting such a huge
bailout.
Here's my argument! In Milford,
CT where I live, they laid off 128
Teachers, there are school closings all
over the place, there are schools
without enough funds to purchase
updated materials; like Bridgeport
Public Schools one of the largest
districts in the State of CT. The
government has not offered any kind
of bailout stimulus for Schools. YET,
they can come up with$700
BILLION dollars for a CORPORATE
BAILOUT. I don't think this
Fun Game for Your
Next Girls Nite Out!
(Chicky Lounge)
Submitted at 9/22/2008 8:14:00 AM
Looking for something different to
do during your next get-together with
your girlfriends? I have a great game
for you to try, it's called, "What's a
Dame to Do?". I absolutely love this
game. The concept is unique and fun,
Games for Dames is the brainchild of
Karri and Patty of Sisters 2, Inc..
Here's an except on the game
concept which I borrowed from the
Games for Dames website:
So, you’re in the middle of one of
life’s little “Dame Dilemmas,”
What’s a DAME to do?! The answer
is in the cards! Each player gets a turn
being in the spotlight. Who can guess
you best? Bonus points are awarded
for showing your hilarious side ~ so
get your funny on!
OBJECT
Score the most points by correctly
guessing players’ reactions to “Dame
dilemmas.” (And laugh a lot while
you’re at it!)
This game is a riot and you know
what they say, "Laughter is the best
medicine". Get ready to laugh your
ass off with this one. Plus if you have
a great dilemma, you can actually
submit it to Sisters 2, Inc via the
anymore, I know it is true, our
government has its priorities twisted
and we are paying for it. I mean In
they tell us we are in a recession -
HELLOOO!
In the words of Jodi Hill, should we
just "Slap a little lipstick...you'll be
fine"? I don't think all the lipstick in
the world will help me be fine with
this one. It may make me feel a bit
better about myself. MAYBE, we
need to purchase a crap load of
lipstick and send it to Capital Hill -
because " good psychiatrists are hard
to find, and rarely fit inside the zip
pocket of your favorite clutch..." I
believe these men on Capital Hill are
far beyond psychiatric help.
(Jodi Hill is the author of "Slap On a
Little Lipstick....You'll be fine"
a v a i l a b l e
Amazon.com)*******************
********************* by Myra
o n
Roldan, Blogger/Editor At Large
C h i c k y L o u n g e - Submitted at 9/24/2008 5:43:00 PM
http://chickylounge.blogspot.com
Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva -
http://www.beautifuldiva.com
Games for Dames website and they
just might add it to the game.
On a final note, they are searching
for the next face on their box - you
could possibly be a winner. Visit
Games for Dames and submit your
information for a chance to be the
next model on their game box.
http://www.gamesfordames.com
P r i c e :
$34***************************
************* by Myra Roldan,
Blogger/Editor At Large Chicky
L o u n g e - events of that day. Today I sat for a
http://chickylounge.blogspot.com
Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva -
http://www.beautifuldiva.com
Watch TV & Movies on
Your Computer
(Chicky Lounge)
Submitted at 9/22/2008 8:16:00 AM
I'M BAAAACK! I had to take some
mental health time off, but I'm back
feeling ready to go and I have some
great things to share and write about.
So let me tell you girl....of the new
website I've discovered. It's called
F a n c a s t . c o m (
http://www.fancast.com).
This site absolutely rocks.
Fancast.com is a warehouse of on-
demand TV shows and movies you
can watch right on your computer -
FOR FREE!
My 9-year old, Isabela, gave it a
serious test run this weekend. She
was introduced to "Alf", and she sat
all day Sunday watching episodes of
Gifts for Baby
(Chicky Lounge)
I'm one of those people who is
always on the hunt for unique types
of gifts. Don't confuse this with
looking for expensive gifts - I have a
budget to follow. I have been
enlightened with a very cool gift for
baby.
I've found "Jingle Bells Jewelry"
for baby, it's a Cambodian Jingling
Jewelry: For thousands of years
Cambodian mommies have adorned
the feet of their precious babies with
silver anklets that have small bells
attached to them. Traditionally, it is
believed that these whimsical
anklets/bracelets ward off bad spirits
from its delicate jingling sounds.
They also serve a functional purpose
by providing auditory clues to their
childrens movements and
whereabouts.
So if you are in the market for a
unique holiday present this year for a
very special little one - Check out
9/11 - We should never forget
(Chicky Lounge)
Submitted at 9/11/2008 6:01:00 AM
Today marks the 7th anniversay of
the events of 9/11. This day has a
huge impact on me as it did on many
others across America. So many
people lost their lives, so many
children lost their parents. Chaos
reigned that horrible day.
It's so easy for us to forget the
moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. -
alone with a multitude of people on
the televisions screen. Passerbys
3
"Alf" which are available on
fancast.com. The quality was good,
even when viewed in full-screen. We
have a DSL connection and the site
didn't skip, jump, pause or freeze
once.
I did however push the envelope a
bit when I decided to minimize the
screen to go check email. This did
cause some skipping. So when
visiting fancast.com, my
recommendation is don't try multi-
tasking. Just sit back and
enjoy.*************************
*************** by Myra Roldan,
Blogger/Editor At Large Chicky
L o u n g e -
http://chickylounge.blogspot.com
Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva -
http://www.beautifuldiva.com
BabyEmiJewelry.com for your
Cambodian Jingling
Jewelry.***********************
***************** by Myra
Roldan, Blogger/Editor At Large
C h i c k y L o u n g e -
http://chickylounge.blogspot.com
Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva -
http://www.beautifuldiva.com
continued on never stopping a
moment to remember those who were
lost. It's upset me deeply, but then I
remember. Life does go on and we
must live everyday with our head
held up high, because we are here and
w e a r e
alive.**************************
************** by Myra Roldan,
Blogger/Editor At Large Chicky
L o u n g e -
http://chickylounge.blogspot.com
Founder /Owner, Beautiful Diva -
http://www.beautifuldiva.com