A Korean spread for Superbowl Sunday: grilled beef, squid, and oyster mushrooms. Kimchi, spinach, bean sprouts, and ferns on the side. #occupytummies

#HappyHungerGames - Who's going to see +The Hunger Games this weekend? I'm going on Sunday! :))

#FrenemyFriday #MayTheOddsBeEverInYourFavor

Quite possibly the fastest dinner I've ever cooked!

From Episode 6: Origins of Monstrosity.  When this scene came up, was I the only one thinking how bad it must stink inside the Bloody Face mask?  Gross.  

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::chuckles::

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Photo from perpetualkid ...We see a lot of this coat brand here and this made me laugh hope it does you too.
#weneedalaughwednesday curated by +Pat Kennedy Corlin

Happy Thursday Friday G+

Another health alert for the week. This time J&J recalls Infant Tylenol. See below.
#parenting #health #babies

This one's for my good   #AHS  buddy +Isaiah Mullins 

So I just checked my Facebook and as a I "liked" a status, in my head, I said to myself, "Plus one". Oh, +Google+, you have stolen my social media heart. :)

Madness Scary end to my work day. All I know is cops/security were chasing a man outside my store, in the mall. Policeman drew gun when man pulled a knife and grabbed a woman by her neck. Next thing you know, a single gun shot.

Allow me a moment to vent.  I am SO freaking tired!  I have been some kind of sick since July.  It started with eczema in my, ahem, we're all friends here, right?... in my girly parts.  Then I started lactating and I'm not even preggo.  Now that the eczema is almost gone I have something new to deal with.  A headache that is now 10 days old which is most likely due to my newly diagnosed high blood pressure.  I found out I had high BP on Saturday when I had a nosebleed that accompanied the neverending headache.  The doc's office sent me to the ER. The high blood pressure that is still high and the meds I'm on is not controlling it.  So, today, I go for a brain MRI, this is from my endocrinologist who is trying to figure out why my non-pregnant self is lactating.  And then I go back to my primary doctor to figure out new dosage to regulate my blood pressure.  I'm tired, physically, mentally, emotionally...  I just want to sleep and wake up my old normal self.   I think the old has something to do with it... I'm turning 34 on Saturday... does all this come with that?  LOL.  

OK, vent over.

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I have seen some beautiful sunsets in my life, but none quite as beautiful as this. The depth, the layers of clouds and colors and sky, it's quite stunning. Well done, +Sumit Sen

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Sunset in the Sundarbans, India
Resharing a very old post for my friend +Fabio Bucchieri 's page +Hawkea's friends where the theme till Friday is Fiery . Think this one is appropriate!

Midnight snack I'd offer you some but you're all the way over there. :) Next time, perhaps.

This is not about the Facebook IPO. However it is a #facebookrant . Gah! Someone just commented on there about +Google+ "It's like going to a different McDonald's with all the same people & food. It's the same experience". Come on IMO, if you don't want to come along, then by all means, stay there with the same people, the same lame topics, the same ads, the same game notifications... the same same same... They obviously don't know how awesome you all are, nor do they know how Google+ works.

I think this video should be called Jimmy Kimmel asked me to scream "What the ...?"

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Bonkers. My heart would drop to the ground if my husband did this to my lil' guy! Wahhh!

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OMG!

How I feel about you if we had to compete in +The Hunger Games.

#MayTheOddsBeEverInYourFavor #FrenemyFriday

Wii or Kinect ?

Ok, Google Plussers, I'm looking for some good feedback since it's a pretty big decision for us. It will be our first game system. I have a 2 year old boy and an 8 year old girl if that helps. :)

Happy Thursday #Plussers !!

Join me in wishing my brother, +Daniel Dumandan , the happiest of birthdays.

Happy Happy Happy Birthday, brother! Not only are you a year older and wiser today, you're just plain old. LOL. I hope you have a fantastic day (at work) and an even better night with +Katarina Mozo.

I love you to pieces! :)

I had to stalk your page +Henry A. Otero to make sure I don't miss any of the community pages. :)  Yay for #TWD :D

Ok, joke's over... who signed me up for a Similac Nourishing Newborns Feeding Kit ? Coz I'm not preggo (at least not that I know of). Or does Similac employ a fortune teller that knows something that I don't... Hmmm...

And now a little ditty to get you through your midweek hump...

Don't Give Up by Bruno Mars and the Sesame Street Muppets

Enjoy, the weekend is almost here. :)

#musiceveryday #welovemusicwednesday #humpdaymusic

Hey, America! Don't forget to save daylight. ;)

Real talk, not excited about losing an hour since I just got home from work. Wahhh!

In case you're in a Martha Stewart mood and want to get creative for your love on Valentine's Day, here are some chocolate dessert recipes ( wipes drool off chin) that is sure to please.

Bon Appétit :)

#occupytummies #foodie #chocolatecravings

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Guess what today is FRINGIES! That's right! It's #FRINGEfriday! Watch +Fringe LIVE, join the +Fringe Circle and attend the live chat tonight hosted by the #1 Fringie himself, +Henry A. Otero ! See below for chat details. :)

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Join us Tonight, Feb.3 (9pm EST USA) and chat LIVE during Episode 11 of #FRINGE ! (Mostly during the commercial breaks) ...Please RSVP in the comments below if you plan to attend so we can add you to our "huddle" group and make sure to SHARE this post with your #FRINGE circles. Thanks!

You MUST have the Google+ mobile app installed. This is a text chat not a video "Hangout". You can also use the G+ App in an iPod Touch and iPad to join our 'huddle'!

~HENRY [+Henry A. Otero] <<<< Circle me, I will be hosting this mobile chat!

Ingenious! This video is a few years old but new to me. Gary Chang is brilliant. I wonder if anyone living in NYC's cramped apartments has adopted this idea.

I dunno voters, I like Phillip and all, but Jessica is the clear winner to me. No worries, all's well. The runner up on American Idol usually makes out better than the winner anyway. [smirks]

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Lord knows I can't stand rodents... they just skeeve me out but I gotta admit, this is almost cute. ;)

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Late dinner: avocado,mango, and shrimp salad on a bed of lettuce, tomato, and cukes. Nom.

Just started watching Being Human. I think I like. "I'm Sally. I'm a ghost."

An oldie but goodie. :)

On this day, last year, we had that freak snow storm here in NYC. I was also lucky enough to be with these lovely ladies at the Redbook Magazine office for our Mommy Tummy Challenge photo shoot. Happy anniversary, you sexy Mamas!

I see you all working so hard at your desks, why don't you take some time and Treat Yo' Self today. :) I'm going to treat myself to a HD Banana Split Dazzler when I take my break at work later.

#treatyoself #ilovethisshow #parksandrecreation

Wanted: Compassion - If found, please post in comment section below

People really amaze me. This is not a Whitney rant but it was brought on by the events of tthis week. Living in Jersey, close to where her home is, a lot of the people I've encountered in the last couple of days have strong opinions about her and the memorial service. Some not so good. Take for instance the woman I encountered last night. She was telling me that she did not want to pick up the phone calls from her boss because she knew they were going to ask her to work during Whitney's memorial service and she didn't want to (she said she works in law enforcement). Her actual words were "Don't nobody care about no crackhead Whitney!" I was baffled and not because I think sooo highly of the singer. I was baffled because at the end of the day, she was someone's daughter, someone's mother, an aunt, a friend... she was someone's someone.

No matter what you think of a person, whether they are dead or alive, they are someone's someone. Compassion, it's lacking. I'm not a perfect person but I try to live my life treating other's with mercy and grace because I don't know what you might be going through. My smile or "Hello" may be the only one you get today. Far too often people post typography of niceties but don't make the effort to live it. What's the point? ::shrugs::

Compassion, mercy, and grace - it's a good thing.

#agoodthing #humanity

I hate when I'm on the other social networking site and I "J" to scroll to the next post and nothing happens. o_O

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Re-sharing for maximum exposure. :)

It'll only take you 30 minutes. 30 minutes to raise awareness. 30 minutes to challenge you to make a difference. Even if it's only to SHARE the video to raise more awareness. Please watch this video.

#SocialInjustice #LRA #Africa #Uganda #JosephKony #HumanRightsAbuses #HumanTrafficking #WeAREtheWorld #InvisibleChildren

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Watch KONY 2012 and help make #1 war criminal and leader of the Lords Resistance Army – Joseph Kony – famous. In this inspirational short film by Aid for Africa member Invisible Children, learn how cities will be blanketed with hundreds of thousands of posters, policy makers and celebrities flooded with calls for action and people like yourself recruited to ensure that Kony is brought to justice.

Any New Yorkers (or from the TriState area) doing the Color Run in August? I'm stoked to go. Looks like a lot of fun! :)

#fitness #health #running

Happy Thanksgiving once again Plussers!  I'm thankful to have circled you and been circled by you!  Smooches!  

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Yeah, I guess I'd be angry too. :)

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I got a kick outta this.

My husband, +Lenin Perdomo, is the most disciplined man I know. He has been training in several martial arts [judo, jujutsu, and aikido] since he was a child and has earned several black belts in those arts. Currently, he is a student of Kendo/Kumdo and will be testing for his black belt this spring. In addition to all that insanity, he runs, does yoga, and does whatever he can to stay fit, strong, and healthy for his brood. Haha. He recently signed up for the Spartan race and has taken up screaming, "This is Spartaaaaaa!" randomly throughout the day. LOL. Our lil' guy, who's 2, now imitates him when he does this except it sounds like, "Iss Isss ArrrArrrrrrrr!

This one's for you, +Lenin Perdomo, and our lil guy, Logan. :)

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+Daniel Dumandan - I thought you might appreciate this. :)

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Guess who won an iPad at last night's company sponsored raffle?? Uh huh! Yep, I sure did. ;-)

I've been MIA from G+ for a while. Life just gets in the way of my free time. Life being, you know, husband, kids, work, and lately, my Kindle. Thought I'd stop in to say, "Hey!" I'm sure I've missed some interesting, funny, and informative posts. I'll be stopping by your pages soon! :)

Two things I wanted to share from my day today:

First, I had a prospective applicant come to my store today asking me, "Are yous hiring?" I wanted to reply, "Yes, we's hiring." (drenched in sarcasm of course) but I didn't. I simply directed her where she can go to pick up and application. Really though? Yous? On the street, I'll let you slide. Applying for a job, no.

Secondly, this evening I decided to cook some dumplings (pre-made, frozen, bought at the Asian store) for dinner. I cooked it like I usually do - boil, pan fry. Well, come to find out these are boil-only dumplings. So for dinner we had bottom-less dumplings. The bottoms were stuck on the pan. o_O At least they were tasty.

Have a good night all! :))

This one's for +Aidy P. - I'd get this done after I make the cupcakes so they don't get ruined. :) +The Hunger Games nail art from http://nailasaurus.blogspot.com/2011/07/may-odds-be-ever-in-your-favour-hunger.html

#FrenemyFriday #MayTHeOddsBeEverInYourFavor

Can't sleep so I think I will compose a letter to my landlord, complete with photos, detailing all that needs fixing in our apartment.  Yes, indeed, that's what I'm going to do. ;)

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Here is a video of Jada Williams reading her essay: Jada Connects Frederick Douglass Narrative to Todays Education System

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"A grand price was paid in order for us to be where we are today; but in my mind we should be a lot further, so again I encourage the white teachers to instruct and I encourage my people to not just be a student, but become a learner." These are the words of Jada Williams.

Here is a child who tried to bridge a divide, to challenge her teachers to keep on teaching and her peers to not just be students but to be learners. What did she get in return? Retaliation from her teachers and from the school administrators. It takes a lot of courage for students (children, really) to tell the truth and for the situation to be handled the way that it was is unconscionable. Their actions or lack of proper action illustrates her point exactly.

I will be calling their Board of Ed and the City of Rochester, NY to voice my distaste.

#EducationInAmerica #Disgrace

Happy birthday, +Henry A. Otero ! (Thanks for the reminder +Jessica Wood ) This one's for you. :)

If you don't know Hank, well, you don't know what you're missing. He's someone that needs to be in your entertainment circles. :) Check him out, he's a cool cat. :)

Ok, MusicLoverPlussers, +Kina Grannis is currently on a world tour , I highly recommend you go see her when she comes to your part of the world. She is wonderfully talented. :) http://kinagrannis.com/?page=tour

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"FB is primarily for re-connecting with people from your past whereas G+ is for connecting with people for your future." Yep, what he said! :) This is the best I've heard it explained. Thanks +Levi Moore - I am posting a link to this post on my FB status.

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Wow, Google +, you've changed! ;)

Daily Ditty: Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears for Fears

Growing up in Bahrain in the 80's we didn't have MTV, we had Top of the Pops and Smash Hits. I'm smiling now, as this wave of nostalgia sweeps over me. Ahhh, the good old days. :)

Happy Sunday G+!

#musiceveryday #dailydittty #topofthepops

Good morning Plussers! So glad it's Wednesday. The weekend's almost here and I can't wait! :)

It's a good morning!
Wake up to a brand new day
This morning, I'm stepping, stepping on my way
Good morning,
You give me strength, you give me just what I need
And I can feel the hope that's rising up in me.
It's a good morning.
#musiceveryday #humpday

Ears Ringing Waaahhhh! Is it because my ears are blocked? My ear infection? Make it stop? About to google this insanity. It's enough to drive me mad!

I'm wearing blue in honor of my Mom who we lost 14 years ago and those still fighting colon cancer. Colon cancer is often beatable when caught early, yet it is still the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

Click the link to learn more about colon cancer, prevention, screening, and how to get involved. :)

Prayer should not be regarded "as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty." E.M. Bounds

via +Gateway Church (Gateway Prayer and Intercession on FB)

</3 still hard to believe.

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This is some of the awesomeness I miss when I don't visit G+ often enough. So glad I saw this! Thanks to +Chris Chabot for sharing.

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Moonbows

So apparently moonbows are a real thing, you'd think they belong in the same category as leprechauns and pots of gold, but no - a few days a year the moon is aligned just right so that it hits the water vapors of the Yosemite water falls at such an angle that you get full moon powered rainbows, ie, moonbows!

So this weekend was that special time that all the conditions were just perfect, the moon was a super moon this cycle, it was a full moon and it was just in the right place - well almost perfect because there also wasn't so much wind so the water vapor didn't travel as much as it needed to to create a luscious moonbow for us, and by 9pm only a tiny corner of a moonbow could be seen.

So I waited it out in the cold night, and what do you know, by 10.30ish the wind had picked up just enough to give us a somewhat impressive showing of the moonbows.

So ladies and gentleman may I present: A Moonbow In Yosemite

Please be advised that I may be blowing up your stream with +The Hunger Games and +Fringe related posts today - dry heave inducing, over the top amounts of it. What a great Friday! :)

#FrenemyFriday

The winds are howling and we're not even in the brunt of the storm yet.  I'm really hoping we don't lose power!  East Coast Plussers, hope you've got all your provisions and are somewhere safe.  

#sandy  

"We saw the boys with the saggy baggies hanging out, and we decided how would they like it if their grandmothers had their underwear hanging out?"

These sassy Grandmas are tired of seeing men's behinds because of their pants hanging so low and they're not taking it anymore. So they're giving it right back with the ThongPends available in Tiger print too. :)

Pants on the ground, pants on the ground. Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground. Gen. Platt should work with these sassy Grandmas.

Alcatraz: Paxton Petty I finally caught last week's episode in full and I have to agree with most that it's the best episode so far. It's the first time that I felt connected to Madsen and Hauser. Seeing Hauser's vulnerability when he was on the bomb and also his obvious affection for Sengupta made him feel a little more "real". And Madsen, I think she's finally growing on me. I did feel bad for her when her friend Tanner got blown up by the bomb.

Alas, it's now time for #BeingHuman. I'll catch +Alcatraz on dvr after the show. :)

#PartTimeHardCoreCouchPotato

French toast & fruit kabobs for my lil' girl.

#occupytummies #foodie

ok for real... good night Plussers and +George Rowe :) See you all in a few hours. Haha.

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#americanidol
Jessica Sanchez avoids paying American Idol a portion of her earnings for the next 5 years. YEAH!

Also cooking up some oxtail in red wine & beef stock for tomorrow's dinner.

And finally, +Elaine Barlow , for you. This song evokes feelings of happiness, hope, and promise. I send you those three things tonight. Thanks for the (virtual) fun times tonight! :)

"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain." - Bob Marley

#musiceveryday

Cross Colours

Remember those? The super colorful urban clothing line from the 90s. I haven't worn colored jeans since I was a freshman in high school. My favorite pair was orange and I stuck bandaids on them (because I thought I was part of the group TLC). LoL. Fast forward all these years and I'm back to colored jeans. I don't really do self-pics but I figured, what the heck, who knows when I'll be in red jeans again.

Red jeans. Coz I'm cool like dat. ;)

#mystyle #crosscolors

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I don't have a green thumb but I so wanna try this.

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This is a neat idea, i think i may have to give this a go!

It's scary and it's real. If I could be with my children 24/7 just to protect them I would.

Ok +Elaine Barlow, maybe not marriage, perhaps a Bizarre Love Triangle :)

#musiceveryday

It's time! Happy +The Hunger Games to me! :-))

Regine Velasquez <3 Love me some Regine, her voice is clean, crisp, and so incredibly soothing for my achy ears. :)

#opm #musiceverday #musiclovers

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Yes.

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A Bit of G+ Etiquette:
If the About on your profile is blank, don't expect people to blindly follow you.
If you post every 15 minutes, don't expect anyone to gladly suffer your spam.
If all you do is repost other people's efforts, don't be surprised if no one considers you worth circling.
If you don't take the time to review your stream and +1 the things you like, don't expect anyone to take notice of your own efforts.
If you can't be bothered to comment, don't expect feedback on your own posts.

It's that time of the year, America.

Our favorite uncle, Uncle Sam, is going to be making a stop near you to give, to take, and sometimes both. Originally, I was going to say that he was going to leave us a gift, but you can hardly call it that since it's owed to you, right? This year, we'll be socking some away for a rainy day and redistributing the rest to certain payees.

But honestly, I'd rather take a trip to satisfy my wanderlust. I happened upon this post from +Doug Yeum the other day. A trip to beautiful Korea would definitely satisfy my wanderlust. Look, see. :)

Another one of my favorite youtube artists. His voice is smooth like butter, not just butter, but whipped butter. :)

Hey there NJ Plussers! Looking for temporary housing for a family of 4 who lost everything to Sandy in/near the Toms River area. Please let me know if you have any leads. Thank you!

#HappyHungerGames !

#frenemyfriday

‎"the rights I take for granted are only valid if I fight to give those same rights to others."

"I got a lot of emails about Trayvon. I have read a lot of articles. I have seen a lot of television segments. The message is consistent. Most of the commentators, writers, op-ed pages agree. Something went wrong. Trayvon was murdered. Racially profiled. Race. America's elephant that never seems to leave the room. But, the part that doesn't sit well with me is that all of the messengers of this message are all black too. I mean, it was only two weeks ago when almost every white person I knew was tweeting about stopping a brutal African warlord from killing more innocent children. And they even took thirty minutes out of their busy schedules to watch a movie about dude. They bought t-shirts. Some bracelets. Even tweeted at Rihanna to take a stance. But, a 17 year old American kid is followed and then ultimately killed by a neighborhood vigilante who happens to be carrying a semi-automatic weapon and my white friends are quiet. Eerily quiet. Not even a trending topic for the young man."

+Hannibal whoa!

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Health alert: Arsenic in organic baby formula. Yikes.

The first thing I thought of when I saw this photo was +Chrysta Rae - I'm not a photographer so I don't contribute to her scavenger hunts but I enjoy the end results of her hardwork and the contributions of the Google+ community of photographers (You're all brilliant, the whole lot of you!). I digress. Anywho, I saw a lot of posts about #ChrystaRaeDay and rice cakes, hence the Chrysta Rae association

Then of course, I panicked. I thought, "What the??" Is there really anything safe to eat anymore. Honestly, there are so many health alerts that come up with processed and unprocessed foods that it makes you wonder. I choose organic gluten free products for my little guy because he has a lot of food allergies, including wheat. It's incredibly disturbing to read news like this. What's even more disturbing is how did this even get on the shelves? Especially in baby formula.

#food #parenting #babies #health

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Major consumer alert this morning: A new study warns arsenic may be in your baby's formula and also energy bars. More here: http://abcn.ws/wEQcaI

(Credit: Vanessa Davies / Getty Images)

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Wonders if there's a kindle edition...

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♫ The Beatles - Girl

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She's brilliantly talented. You should add her to your music circles.

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new video: "fix you" - coldplay cover.

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Too funny!

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har har har .... We should all do this LOL :))) 

hee hee

great for a smile ♥

"Quite honestly children see no apparent boundaries in this existence. All of it is merged and I feel as adults we lose that perspective.

Isaac Asimov: 'The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.',

We can do better, we can be wiser."

Indeed, we can +Christopher Kelm. Thank you for your well written post.

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Thanks +Andy Stuart, for reminding us to take care of our oceans and the wonderful photos.

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Our Seas
As photographers we love shooting at the coast, the public love the images and the sea produces £millions for the economy. Having said that you would think, even for purely economic reasons, that we would try to keep our seas in pristine condition.

Approximately 71% of the planet's surface (~3.6×108 km2) is covered by saline water. Because it is the principal component of Earth's hydrosphere, the world ocean is integral to all known life, forms part of the carbon cycle, and influences climate and weather patterns. The total volume is approximately 1.3 billion cubic kilometres (310 million cu mi) with an average depth of 3,790 metres (12,430 ft). It is the habitat of 230,000 species known to science, however much of the ocean's depths remain unexplored and it is estimated that over 2 million marine species may exist.
Yet we still abuse the Oceans with chemicals, particles, industrial, agricultural and residential waste, noise, or the spread of invasive organisms. Most sources of marine pollution are land based. Many potentially toxic chemicals adhere to tiny particles which are then taken up by plankton and benthos animals, most of which are either deposit or filter feeders. In this way, the toxins are concentrated upward within ocean food chains. Many particles combine chemically in a manner highly depletive of oxygen, causing estuaries to become anoxic.
Whaling is the hunting of free roaming whales. It has become a high-profile issue in marine conservation activism as it has led to the endangerment of 5 out of the 13 kinds of whales. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) had instituted a whaling moratorium in order to give whales time to recover. According to environmental groups, however, blue whales have not recovered. Other whale populations have been drastically depleted.
The IWC does not include three countries who ignore the moratorium and continue their whaling practices: Japan, Iceland and Norway. 20 years after the moratorium, the whale is again at risk of further endangerment. Unlike whales, small cetaceans (e.g., dolphins, pilot whales, belugas, and orcas) do not have an international body like the International Whaling Commission to regulate the killing. There are simply no regulations or the regulations are ignored.
90% of the world's large shark populations already wiped out, sharks are being depleted faster than they can reproduce. This threatens the stability of marine ecosystems around the world. Sharks are vitally important apex predators. They have shaped marine life in the oceans for over 400 million years and are essential to the health of the planet, and ultimately to the survival of mankind.
Canada's commercial seal "hunt" is the largest mass slaughter of marine mammals in the world. This year, Canada will allow 270,000 harp seals to be killed.
Canada's 2006 quota for killing seals: 325,000 for the regular commercial "hunt" and an additional 10,000 harp seal allowance for new aboriginal initiatives, personal use, and Arctic hunts. As usual, the commercial quota was exceeded, resulting in over 330,000 seals being killed.
The bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is the fastest fish in the sea, one of the largest fish in the ocean, and a marvel of creation – unique in that is a warm-blooded animal. Bluefin tuna (BFT) are one of the top predators of the seas – they eat just about anything and travel great distances, swimming up to 55 miles per hour, to find their prey. Unfortunately, it is the favoured fish of sushi restaurants worldwide, especially in Japan, and that is the reason that this magnificent creature is now on the fast track to biological extinction.
One fish sold for US$173,000 recently. With that kind of financial incentive, it is impossible to expect common sense to reign. Governments have proven to be incapable of putting a stop to this carnage due to the deep pockets of the fishing industry, and corruption is rampant. Stocks of bluefin tuna have fallen by at least 85% since the industrial fishing era began. Bluefin quotas are set at a ludicrously high 13,500 tons by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), but realistically over 60,000 tons are killed every year. The scientific community believes bluefin tuna is at a high risk of fisheries and stock collapse in the Mediterranean Sea in less than 5 years. The quota is too high and it is not enforced.
These are just some examples of abuse of the Oceans around the world. Even the waters shown in the images are not without major problems as this clipping from the Guardian newspaper from May 2010 highlights.

The crash has been huge for some species. From 1889 to 2007, the LPUP declined 500 times for halibut, more than 100 times for haddock, and more than 20 times for plaice, wolffish, hake and ling.
Cod had declined by 87%, the study, published by the online science journal Nature Communications, found.
The figures indicated fish stocks were in decline well before the amount of fish being caught went "catastrophically downhill" in the 1960s, the study's authors said.
They called for much stronger reform of the EU common fisheries policy to allow for recovery of fisheries in the seas around the British Isles.
The study's lead author, Ruth Thurstan, of the University of York's environment department, said: "Fishermen have to work 17 times harder than 100 years ago to get the equivalent catch.
"And this is despite more powerful boats, more durable and wider nets, freezing facilities – technology that is far more sophisticated than in the last century.
"Now UK fishing trawlers are bringing in about 150,000 tonnes a year, compared to double that 100 years ago.
"The availability of certain bottom-living fish, like halibut, turbot, haddock and plaice, has also dropped by 94%. This is not a direct measure of fish stocks, but based on catch numbers ... it does give a strong indication of the state fish stocks are in."
Simon Brockington, the head of conservation at the MCS and the co-author of the study, said: "Over a century of intensive trawl fishing has severely depleted UK seas of bottom-living fish like halibut, turbot, haddock and plaice.
"It is vital that governments recognise the changes that have taken place. The reform of the common fisheries policy gives an opportunity to set stock protection and recovery targets that are reflective of the historical productivity of the sea."

Scotland's seas and coasts are home to an amazing range of marine species and habitats, from the sheltered sea lochs to the open waters, from seagrass beds to rocky reefs and underwater seamounts. Not only do such diverse habitats support thriving populations of sea mammals like otters, dolphins, whales and seals, but they are also home to vast numbers of seabirds, fish and other spectacular marine wildlife like seahorses, sponges and deepwater corals. The marine environment also supports numerous human activities including fisheries, tourism and will be a key area for the development of important marine renewable infrastructures.

Despite the importance of the marine environment, we are failing to manage it sustainably. This is why WWF Scotland is working to move management towards sustainability in line with international commitments to ensure the long term health of Scotland's marine species and habitats.

We must start to take more care of our oceans and the habitats beneath the waves, before it's too late for them to recover.

Info and further reading from:
http://scotland.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/safeguarding_the_natural_world/scottish_seas/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_pollution
http://overfishing.org/
http://www.seashepherd.org/index.php
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/04/fish-stocks-uk-decline

#nature #ocean #atlantic #conservation #photography #whaling #sealhunt #sharkfinning #tuna #bluefintuna #wwf

One of the many joys of working retail is early morning inventory ! Joy! :) still in shock over Whitney Houston's untimely passing. Many of her songs are part of the soundtrack of my life (all 33 years of them). My heart hurts most for her daughter. It's a hard thing, losing your mother. =/ "Where do broken hearts go? Can they find their way home..."

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Beautiful Brooklyn love from +Jose Vazquez

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Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in...
I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

Happy iPhoneography Friday! Here's my submission...a beautiful sunset from the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn. I processed this in Camera+ and Snapseed.

Don't forget to mention +iPhoneography Friday in all your iPhone posts today. Also, use the tag #iPhoneographyFriday to make it easier for us to find it.

#newyorkcity #nyc #brooklyn #iPhoneography
#BreakfastClub (+Breakfast Club)

So as it turns out, my ears won't be popping off my head nor will my right swollen cheek be peeling off my face. Both of my ears are infected, so is my throat, and let's add sinusitis to that list. Our family is a regular here at CVS.

#Sucksbeingsick #blech

not diggin the new Gmail preview.... it's so... blah!

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Yes! This! :)

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Here's a nifty doc we can all use. It's a Who's-Who of Google+ Pages/Authors & Circles. Have fun Circling! :)

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It's almost time Walkers. #thewalkingdead returns on 12.02.12 - Join the circle.

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The DEAD return in less than 2 weeks! You ready? Make sure to share this post with your Google+ circles... let's keep growin' our herd!
#thewalkingdead #twd

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I'm sayen... I never did get how paper beat rock. Whack. Rock all the way!

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Worth the entire read. I support rock.

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Love it! Hahaha

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This is what I say when someone who is in front of a computer asking me a question that they can't quite figure out ...

nifty.

Overheard my kids singing carols.  Little man, Logan (he's 3) has his own special version of "Jingle Bells", it goes:

Jingle bells, jingle bells, 
Jingle all the way.
Old MacDonald had a farm
In a one horse open sleigh, HEY!  

He's cute. I know. :D

The apple of my eye.  He laid on my chest and said, "I hug you".  My rainbow baby will be three years old a week and a half.  <3  

I've been so sick lately that I haven't had the energy to even go to the market to shop for Thanksgiving.  When I told my nine year old daughter that we would have to postpone celebrating Thanksgiving until Mommy was feeling better she understood but she had this underlying sadness on her face. Originally, we were supposed to go to my Dad's.   Now, at 3:43am, I've decided to hit the market as soon as they open to pick up a chicken roaster, a roast beef, a pie, and lots of salad.  Just so we can have a nice, small dinner.  And so I can see her smile.    Wish me luck, I hope the markets are still well stocked this morning.  

Wishing you a HAPPY THANKSGIVING surrounded by your loving family, crazy friends, and lots of delicious food!

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This is fantastic! This just made my day! :-))

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When you wake up feeling kind of old and beat up, watch this video and get motivated for the day. This young lady steppin' out on the dance floor for a performance is 94 years old. GO GIRL!!

Application For Permission To Date My Daughter

This is something my husband would definitely use. Future heartbreakers of America, be warned, my husband don't play that! Haha

#8 is my favorite: In 50 words or less, explain what "DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER" means to you.

#chuckles #parenting #ftw