Rizzo's Random Thoughts

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3

BBW Nude Appreciation
2007-10-12 13:22:00
Spock, er...excuse me, Leonard Nimoy has created a book called the Full Body Project which shows an appreciation for all those not a size 2. Actually, from the looks of the pictures (NSFW), it looks as if the the appreciation is for those above a size 12. In fact, Mr. Nimoy insists that his models meet a required weight.I applaud Leonard's efforts, as I think that many woman have a complex about their weight or size from how women are portrayed in our society. This book won't really change the American culture, but hopefully it will be able to make a few people change the views on the "ideal" size of a woman.Some people prefer skinny or athletic girls, but there are some out there that prefer those with something more to them. A lot of these men are afraid to step up and testify to their preference, which is another reason why I think women think that being a little chubby is bad.Overall, I believe that the size of models should change and actually extend up to size 12 or so a...
More About: Appreciation , Reci

Patriots vs. Cowboys
2007-10-11 04:23:00
The battle of the unbeaten. Neither team has managed a loss so far this season, but Dallas tried to give the game against Buffalo away last week. New England has a very potent offense, with Tom Brady leading the league with a 128.7 passer rating and Randy Moss topping all receivers with 551 receiving yards. But don't count out the Cowboy's defense; Anthony Henry leads with four picks this season.Although New England may have a very competent Quarterback/Wide Receiver duo, Dallas still edges them out in Yards Per Game (YPG), with 429.6 yards versus 427.8. Despite Tom Brady's great arm, most of the Patriot's yards come on the ground, while the Cowboy's are the opposite, choosing to take to the air more.The defense for Dallas will need to step up this week. Being a home game for them will be a big help, but the front defensive line will need to step it up and surge into the backfield to create pressure for QB Tom Brady. One downside to this is that the secondary needs to be ...
More About: Cowboys , Patriots , Riots

Send Voice Email from Your Phone
2007-10-08 19:28:00
Have you ever been somewhere and needed to write something down, but only to find out that you have nothing to write with? Welcome to Jott. This free service allows you to call a toll-free number to send yourself a message to your email, or just set a reminder. There are many uses for this service. Check the link and let me know what you think!
More About: Phone , Voice , Email , Send

Free phone headset
2007-10-06 20:59:00
Have you ever found yourself driving and talking on your cell phone? Wouldn't it be nice to have a headset to use with your phone? Well, if you head on over to Free Headset .org, you can! For just the price of shipping ($3.94), you can have a headset for your phone.This is not an advertisement! I just received an email from a friend who said that they saw Rachael Ray talking about this on her show. I've already placed the order for mine, now I'm just awaiting for it to arrive.The website says they are doing this in the interest of public safety, and from the research I have done, it looks as if this is a legitimate website and company. The owner says that he pretty much breaks even.Give it a shot and get your free headset.
More About: Phone

Mall Living
2007-10-04 19:49:00
Imagine if you can, your own apartment above your favorite mall. For 36 year old Michael Townsend, it was more than a dream. With the help of seven friends, they created a 750-square-foot loft above the mall parking garage. While living up there for up to three weeks at a time, the hidden bungalow lacked basic running water and sewage.The group was able to keep the loft hidden for four years, accumulating a T.V., game system, couch, love seat, and dishes. They built a simple cinderblock wall with a door to keep them separated from the outside world. Michael was arrested this past Wednesday on trespassing charges. He was released on probation. Mr. Townsend released an apology on his website that thanked the police and security teams in their professionalism and "good humor".I applaud Michael's efforts, even if they were illegal. I would like to see a documentary on this sort of living, and the trials that they went through.Source
More About: Living , Mall

Universal Health Care
2007-10-02 20:04:00
For many Americans, it is either difficult or impossible to get health care because they either carry little insurance or none at all. A Universal Heal th Care system in the U.S. would fix this problem. Proponents say that it allows all to receive health care, no matter what income level or injury you have. Opponents blast that the coverage is inadequate and wait times are too long.Many developed countries across the world have some sort of Universal Health Care . In fact, the United States is one of the few developed countries that does not offer free medical care. In the U.K., the health system is primarily funded by taxation, while conversely, Canada's health system is funded through taxes, yet at least 30% is paid through the private sector or individuals.I know that American's don't like to be taxed, in fact, I bet you can ask pretty much any one in the world and the answer would be the same. In this instance, I believe that the U.S. could possibly reduce income taxes an...

Child Identity Crisis?
2007-10-01 17:20:00
While public schools have taken a hit from the No Child Left Behind act, some are becoming involved in a battle involving student privacy. With this one might think about the student's rights while in school, but something new is emerging: biometrics.Biometrics is a way of uniquely recognizing humans based upon one or more intrinsic physical or behavioral traits. Basically, it is a way to identify a person based on a fingerprint scan, retina scan, or facial recognition. Although there are many other methods these are very popular.The school district in Boulder, Colorado wanted to find a quicker way to get children through the lunch line. Fingerprint scanners were brought up as a possible solution as it would be easier for the younger children who would have a hard time remembering a six digit PIN number. Parents were outraged at this proposal. Activists believe that the information stored in the database about a person's biometrics could be compromised and lead problems suc...
More About: Identity , Crisis , Cris

Murder by Tylenol
2007-09-29 19:18:00
Mary Kellerman, a 12-year old of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, woke up early and complained to her parents of a sore throat and runny nose. They gave her an Extra-Strength Tylenol Capsule and retreated back to bed. They arose at 7 a.m. to find their daughter collapsed on the bathroom floor. She was pronounced dead after being immediately taken to the hospital.It was September 29, 1982. The day had barely begun in the greater Chicago area and it had already claimed the life of a little girl. This was just the beginning to what would later be labeled a tragedy.Paramedics had arrived on the scene at the residence of Adam Janus, a postal worker, to find him barely clinging to life. He was rushed to the hospital and the attempts to resuscitate him failed. Mr. Janus had become the second victim to what would labeled the Tylenol Crisis.By October 1st, there had been a total of seven deaths related to Tylenol, including two relatives of Adam Janus. Authorities and medical officials w...
More About: Murder

Are Traffic Cameras Fair?
2007-09-28 15:55:00
I have heard many people protest the idea of traffic cameras to catch those who speed. While I know that they can have some errors, I would rather see them in use to keep people honest. Some say that this isn't fair, but I think if you are breaking the law, then you should pay the consequences. Most don't feel the same way as I do, and it shows when speed cameras become targets of vandalism.A company in Holland has developed a speed camera that is near indestructible. The Innovative Digital Enforcement Environment, or IDEE, stands at 13 feet tall and can withstand heat, tampering, and impacts. It has sensors connected to the base to alert authorities when it is being tampered with. But at a cost of up to $100,000, is it worth it?In my opinion, no. People will still find cheap ways to tamper with the cameras, such as spray paint, tape, or Vaseline. The cost of upkeep will be huge and people will begin to learn the locations of such cameras and either adjust their speed arou...
More About: Traffic , Cameras , Fair

Does your vote count?
2007-09-27 14:25:00
When the Constitution was created, there were provisions included within Article II that provided us with a body of electors from each State. These electors were to cast their ballots for who they wanted as President and then cast a separate ballot for who they wanted as Vice-President. Each State is awarded a certain number of Electoral votes based on the number of Senators and Representatives in the House. When all votes are tallied in each State, the electors will compile their votes and the candidate with the most electoral votes will get those electoral points.Here is where it becomes redundant. 27 of the 50 States require the electors to vote the same way as the popular vote. Some of those States even have penalties for those who do not do so. I'm not saying this is wrong, but what I don't understand is if they are required to vote the same as the popular vote, why have the Electoral College at all? Why not just tally up the popular vote and the candidate that wins in...
More About: Vote , Count

Chinese High-Speed Rail
2007-09-26 17:41:00
By the end of the year China will be operating their first domestically produced high-speed rail line. Operating between the 71 mile (115 km) Beijing-Tianjin route, the new rail line will reduce the trip from 70 minutes to a half hour. Capable of moving 600 passengers, the line will be just in time for the Beijing Olympics next August.Nine months ago, I brought up the idea that America should have its own high-speed rail. It seems that I'm not the only one with this idea, as Wired magazine wrote an article on the topic. To me, it just seems like this would be the perfect competition to airlines and bus travel, neither of which are looked at fondly.The Midwest High Speed Rail Association is also looking to increase the awareness of high-speed rail in the central United States. There are many existing tracks that could be upgraded and straightened to create viable high-speed rail lines. In many places tracks have been upgraded and used as high-speed lines and the ridership has ...
More About: Chinese , High Speed

New Defense Weapon
2007-09-25 15:00:00
Raytheon has developed a new less-than-lethal weapon that utilizes millimeter wave technology to essentially "warm" the target and force them from the area. Similar in overall effect to tear gas, tasers, and beanbag shotguns, the Silent Guardian allows the user to disperse a crowd, protect a checkpoint or engage in non-lethal force.This system provides many benefits over other less-than-lethal systems. Unlike tear gas, the Silent Guardian can target a single individual, making it effective against a rogue protester. It also provides the benefit of being able to be deployed from a distance, something that a taser cannot accomplish. The system is very versatile as well; it can adjust from a narrow beam, targeting an individual, to a wide beam to disperse a crowd.This could help those in the military with base perimeter defense or enforcing checkpoints. On the civilian side, it could help with crowd control or riots. Although this device provides many advantages, it is not withou...
More About: Defense , Weapon

Wii Zapper
2007-09-24 15:11:00
Ever since I was little, I was brought up with guns. On my tenth birthday, I received a BB gun. On my sixteenth birthday, a small gauge rifle was my present. I never grew up to be a serial killer, nor an armed robber. True, I was taught the proper way to handle a gun, and the safety involved with it. It seems now that some parents are in outrage over a new attachment for the Nintendo Wii called the Zapp er.Now this little piece of plastic, when aimed at your TV screen will simulate a gun. It will be used for certain games to emulate a gun. This is what has parents in an uproar. They believe that this will increase gun violence in children. First of all, most of the games that will be using the gun will be either rated Teen or Mature, which means that most of the kids will be old enough to know the difference between real and fake. It is also up to the parent to be involved (*gasp*) and let the child know that there is a difference.Why do some people think that the governmen...
More About: Wii Zapper

Mint Money Management
2007-09-22 14:30:00
Have you been wondering where all your money has been going after you've been paid? Are you not sure what percentage of your paycheck goes towards food? Gas? Then maybe you need a program like Mint .Mint is a web based program that tracks your money in real time. Once you create an account on their website, you enter in your bank and credit card information along with passwords and it downloads all transactions for you and categorizes them. Mint just recently received the TechCrunch40 Top Company award and is seeing a new influx of users.I have to admit that I'm still a bit leery of entering in my bank information with passwords; especially to a startup company. But if you read Mint's TOU, you will see that the account information is actually handled by Yodlee. Yodlee handles online portfolios for 32 of the top 50 banks in the U.S. Even with another reputable company handling the account information, I'm still uncomfortable releasing all my information. Unless some sort o...
More About: Money , Money Management , Management

Free Classic Movies and Cartoons!
2007-09-21 16:35:00
If you are one that enjoys a good classic movie, then you should take a look at Entertainment Magazine. They have over 150 movies and cartoons to choose from, including Tom and Jerry, Woody Woodpecker, The Little Shop of Horrors, Zorro and many others.I took a film study class while I was in High School and recognize quite a few of the films that we studied. Don't be put off by black and white films, most were really good. I would have to say when I began my film study course, I was a bit timid about watching a black and white film. I must say that I quickly overcame that shyness and learned to love them as much, if not more than some of the cinema blockbusters today. Just because they use a multi-million dollar budget doesn't mean the movie is going to be good.Give the site and some of the movies a try. Let me know what you think.
More About: Movies , Cartoons , Free , Classic

Ride the Seattle Slut
2007-09-20 19:40:00
People in Seattle have learned that changing an acronym can help change your attitude about things. When the South Lake Union Streetcar's 50.5 million dollar project ran into problems, many residents became resentful and took to bashing the project.Then, among some of the public, the word streetcar changed to trolley. A local coffee shop began making T-Shirts announcing "Ride the S.L.U.T.". The name has taken off and become a favorite of a lot of the working class locals.Personally, I think it is a great affectionate name to help promote the streetcar line and help boost their revenue. On the other hand, I can understand the company not promoting it because of the acronym's negative connotations.There should be another T-Shirt that reads "I rode the Seattle S.L.U.T.".
More About: Slut

Wanna be an Astronaut?
2007-09-20 15:25:00
NASA has released today that it is looking for new astronauts for its 2009 class. Who as a child never thought of becoming an astronaut? I know I had always thought about roaming around the cabin of a space ship; leisurely floating while doing experiments.There are a few requirements though. To apply you must have a bachelors degree in math, science or engineering. You will also have to be physically fit. The training that is entailed is rather intense, but the benefits are many.The site lists some various locations you may visit during your training and missions, such as Texas, Florida, California, Russia, Kazakhstan, the International Space Station and the moon.This is definitely not a quick process. The training and evaluation process can take up to two years! That seems like an awful long time to train for something that you may never get the opportunity to do.This position is open to all civilians and military. It gives me a little motivation to finish up my bachelors d...

Everyday Weekender
2007-09-19 19:55:00
As I was cruising around the blogs I read, I ran across a blog called Everyday Weekender. It has all sorts of posts dealing with recreation and fun. Just from reading his blog for a few minutes, I really enjoyed it and have already bookmarked it.In exchange for people reviewing his blog, he will back link to your blog as well. It is a nice gesture that I am sure to appreciate. Now, I'm not writing this review just for the back link, as I really do enjoy his site. I couldn't post an entry on a site that I didn't like...So, check his site a look and let me know if you like it. One thing that stood out for me was the post on the floating beer cooler. Go check it out.

U.S. Woman advance to quaterfinals
2007-09-19 17:38:00
The U.S. Women's World Cup Soccer team advanced to the quarterfinals last night on an early goal. With only 55 seconds expired on the clock, the U.S. jumped ahead of Nigeria on a goal by Lori Chalupny. This goal was enough to hold the lead for the rest of the match and give the U.S. women a spot in the quarterfinals.The U.S. team had not been playing well up to the game versus Nigeria. Although Nigeria finished last in the division and is eliminated from the competition, the U.S. showed significant improvement over their previous matches.By winning their division, the U.S. has avoided playing Germany in the quarterfinals, and will instead compete with England. Both teams have struggled through the tournament, but the U.S. looks to have improved and should hold out over the Brits.The match begins on Saturday at 7 a.m. CDT and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
More About: Woman , Fina , Quat , Vance

Religion and Nudity
2007-09-18 17:32:00
From the day we are born, we are naked. And on that first day we are covered up. Mainly we are covered up for protection from the elements and to keep things sanitary. But past that, what is the main reason we wear clothing? Why do most religious groups get so uptight about nudity?I believe that being nude is a perfectly natural thing and that people, especially Americans are uptight about it. What is wrong with seeing someone nude when it is not tied to a sexual scene? Set aside the fact that it might be someone you wouldn't want to see naked, but overall, there is nothing wrong about being nude.Now, I don't walk around my house naked, mainly because I feel like a reptile most of the time. I really think I'm cold blooded. My wife on the other hand will walk naked around the house a lot of the time, or at the very least topless or bottomless. No one in our household thinks anything weird of it because we are used to it. If people were raised around nudity, then we would...
More About: Religion , Nudity

Gmail offline?
2007-09-17 18:05:00
I found a post on TechCrunch about India’s Hindustan Times article about the possibility of an offline Gmail client. Presumably running off Google Gears, the offline Gmail client would be beneficial to many people who do not have internet access everywhere they travel.For those people who travel via public transportation or commute in ways where internet access is not available, an offline Gmail client would enable those to download their email before they disconnect from the internet and travel, just as they would if they used a email account from an ISP. Then, while traveling, they would be able to reply to emails and get work done when they were unable to before. As their device connects back to the internet, the Gmail client will then synchronize and download new email while uploading all replied and new emails.I see this as a great innovation for Google and competition in the web based email category. Personally, since switching to Gmail over a year ago, I dropped my Hotm...
More About: Offline

Passing of a Generation
2007-09-10 16:35:00
I found this through an email I had received. I decided to post this exactly as it is on the original web page for a couple of reasons. First, the web page is very poorly designed and has a really distracting background. Second, I believe that this generation deserves to be recognized before they are all gone. Everything you see below is an exact copy from the web page. Thank you to all who serve and have served in our Nation's Armed Forces.FROM A MILITARY DOC I am a doctor specializing in the Emergency Departments of the only two military Level One-Trauma Centers, both in San Antonio, TX and they care for civilian Emergencies as well as military personnel. San Antonio has the largest military retiree population in the world living here. As a military doctor, I work long hours and the pay is less than glamorous. One tends to become jaded by the long hours, lack of sleep, food, family contact and the endless parade of human suffering passing before you. The arrival of another...
More About: Generation , Passi , Passing

PS3 gets PlayTV
2007-09-08 19:09:00
I think somewhere along the way Sony has confused its Playstation 3 gaming console with an all-in-one multimedia center. Sony has said that they are releasing a product by the name of PlayTV that includes two 1080p tuners. Owners will have the ability to record TV broadcasts and transfer them to their PSPs if they like. There will also be some Slingbox capability, where you can watch TV from a remote location through your PS3. While I'm all for cool tech toys, this just seems a bit much for Sony. Personally, I think they are trying to justify the cost of their product (get $ figure), and I also seem them trying to differentiate themselves from the pack. By making the PS3 less like their competitors, the Wii and Xbox 360, Sony is banking that more people would be willing to spend the extra money to get these multimedia features. If I had a flat panel HDTV, I would consider getting a PS3, especially since it has a lot of cool games I can play from the PS2 era. Unfortunately, ...

Set Rovers to "Rove"
2007-09-03 16:15:00
According to NASA, the Mars Rove rs are now exploring the planet again. It has been six weeks since the rovers have been sent into hibernation mode. Severe dust storms over the planet forced mission planners to halt the exploration until the storm passed. "The clearing could take months," said rover Project Scientist Bruce Banerdt. "There is a lot of very fine material suspended high in the atmosphere." I think this project is very important to everyone. This is the first time we have had information of this magnitude about another planet. Sure, we have been to the moon, and that gave us a lot of useful information, but this right now is another planet that we can someday hope to colonize. If the presence of water is found, either in liquid or frozen form, you can almost bet that we will be sending a manned team to the surface of Mars.I hope that if a manned team is sent to Mars, that is done in my lifetime to be able to see it. But, according to the Space Review, "the greates...

Top 10 reasons I love Tivo
2007-08-31 15:23:00
I have had my Tivo boxes for over three years now and I absolutely love them. At times I work odd shifts, so the time-shifting capabilities of the system are great. At work I tout the abilities and the features of Tivo. Many times I get a co-worker who will say that they enjoy their cable company's provided DVR, but to that I say BAH! I feel that the Tivo is superior and here are my top 10 reasons. 10. Internet Radio From time to time I like to be able to listen to my favorite Internet radio station. This feature allows me to access it and play it over my home stereo (which is hooked up to my TV). This is not a feature on cable provided DVRs. 9. Amazon Unbox Although most cable companies provide On-Demand type downloads, the Tivo equivalent is Amazon Unbox. It allows me to download movies and TV shows, but for a fee. Although, I get to keep these movies or TV shows because I have purchased them, unlike On-Demand. 8. Podcasts I love being able to watch my video pod...
More About: Love , Reasons

15 year old girl gets new chance at life
2007-08-29 16:17:00
A 15 year old Canadian girl recently got a new chance at life. Last year she became suddenly ill and required a heart transplant. Since she is still a teenager, they placed an artificial heart within her especially designed for children, named the Berlin Heart.The artificial heart was to give her body more time to wait for a transplant heart. After 146 days, she received a surprise when she was told that her heart had repaired itself as it was able to rest and rebuild with the artificial heart in place."We thought the miracle was that the Berlin Heart would give us time to find the perfect donor heart for Melissa," said her mother, Sharon Mills, in a release. "We are overwhelmed that instead, the Berlin Heart gave her own heart time to rest and repair itself."Since her heart had repaired itself, the doctors performed another surgery to remove the artificial heart.I think this is just a wonderful story. It's nice to see good news for a change. I just hope this girl's heart is ...
More About: Life , Chance , Girl , Year , Chan

Manga Bible announced
2007-08-28 20:27:00
First off, I don't keep up with manga at all. I stumbled across this article earlier and I thought that it was interesting. For those who don't know about manga; it is the Japanese word for comics. For most everyone outside Japan, it refers to comics that originate from Japan. According to manganews.net, the Manga Messiah and Manga Bible will be released this fall. The former being a representation of the four gospels of the New Testament which will be released in September 2007. The Manga Bible, will be released in November 2007. I think that this is really a great idea for youth who are intimidated by the complexity of the Bible or those who have put off reading it because it is "boring". There are a lot of good life lessons and good messages throughout the Bible that I believe that youth can relate to. I'm sure there will be some out there that won't see this as such a good thing and will try to denounce it, but I figure that if people don't like it they don't have...
More About: Anno

U.S. Takes LLWS!
2007-08-27 15:54:00
It seems that for the third straight year, the United States has brought home the Little League World Series Championship. The state of Georgia has been the winner the last two years with Hawaii taking it three years ago. The boys from Warner-Robins, Georgia celebrated as they saw Dalton Carriker's home run clear the right field wall.The game began with Japan taking a 2-0 lead over the boys from Georgia by the second inning. But the U.S. team struck back in the bottom of the second and tied the game at two. From then on it was a pitcher's dual. With 13 strike outs for each team, it didn't seem like any team had an edge. The game continued on until the bottom of the eighth inning when Dalton's walk-off home run ended the game.I'm glad to see the United States win it again, but it wouldn't have bothered me to see Japan win either. I spent a few years in Japan and got to know the people and culture well, so I'm kind of attached in a way. I think that the important thing ...

Manhunt 2 Cleared
2007-08-24 18:15:00
As released by developer Rockstar, their controversial game Manhunt 2 has now received a Mature rating by the ESRB. The game began with an Adults Only (AO) rating in June. For games, that spells disaster as Nintendo and Sony both will not allow AO rated games to be released for their respective consoles. That wasn't the only hurdle for them as retailers such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart would not sell AO rated games. It's not certain what was adjusted within the game to allow the game's rating to be downgraded, but you can be sure that the game has probably dumbed down the amount of violence and gore that was prevalent before. Not to say that the game won't be worth playing for the violence and blood (if you're into that sort of thing), but it definitely won't be the same as it was intended by the developer. My take on the whole situation is that the ESRB is way more over-powering in their rulings. For games the AO rating is akin to the NC-17 rating for a movie. It limits ...
More About: Manhunt 2 , Hunt

Portable Applications
2007-05-23 01:32:00
I know that some of us at one time or another have needed to access commonly used programs, files or settings, but we weren't at our own computer. It can be frustrating and wasteful, not to mention you may not be able to get something done that you had hoped to. Well, welcome to the stage Portable Apps.com.Their trademark of "Your digital life, anywhere" really states what they are trying to accomplish. They have taken popular opensource/freeware programs and made them executable from a thumb/flash drive, within a polished interface that really keeps everything simple and easy.This is just my own personal review of the product and not a paid advertisement. I felt compelled to write about the program because after I have tried it, I found it extremely useful. My work does not allow me to install my own programs for security reasons, so this program fits my needs wonderfully.With my computer at work, I am stuck using Internet Explorer (which I loathe!) and now with PortableApps, ...
More About: Applications