Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Freej
Freej (Arabic: فريج; trademarked as FREEJ) is an Emirati three-dimensional, computer animated television series for children and adults alike.[1]
The show was produced by Mohammed Saeed Harib, who also directed the fifteen standalone episodes of fifteen minutes each. It is the tale of four old Emirati women living in a secluded neighbourhood in modern day Dubai. The show's main characters - Um Saeed, Um Saloom, Um Allawi and Um Khammas - try to live a peaceful life in the midst of the ever-expanding city around them, but the city’s boom unveils new social issues every day that they would have to tackle solve in their own simple way. For those four old women, there is no issue too hard to crack with a good cup of coffee at Um Saeed’s house.
The show's title is a reference to "freej", a term which means "neighbourhood" in Emirati Arabic, based on accent of the people of Dubai's slums. So far, Freej is only available in Arabic, and is not likely to be dubbed into other languages due to the show's heavy use of the Emirati dialect, which is integral to the show's humour factor. However, the show can still be subtitled.
The show premiered on September 24, 2006 in during Ramadan in Sama Dubai, and ever since it returns with new episodes traditionally debuting every year during Ramadan.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Stampede Leasing
For over 25 years, Stampede Leasing have offered customized leasing solutions to individuals, professionals and corporations in Calgary and beyond. They are proud to offer an all makes - all models leasing service.
Glen Rumpel started Stampede Leasing in North East Calgary. He subsequently acquired a Toyota dealership in 1982 and re-named it Stampede Toyota and Leasing Ltd. Following a clear vision, and an unparalleled dedication to our customers we have passed the 25-year milestone. As we continue to build on our previous achievements, we invite you to help us write the next 25 years in our successful history.
Macau Keychain
Macau (Chinese: 澳門), also spelled Macao ( /məˈkaʊ/), along with Hong Kong, is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China. It lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east and south.
The territory's economy is heavily dependent on gambling and tourism, but also includes manufacturing.
Macau was a Portuguese colony, and is both the first and last European colony in China.Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on 20 December 1999. The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer.
Under the policy of "one country, two systems", the PRC's Central People's Government is responsible for the territory's defense and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, and immigration policy. Macau participates in many international organizations and events that do not require members to possess national sovereignty. According to The World Factbook, Macau has the second highest life expectancy in the world.
XLR8 Chip
XLR8 is the Codon Stream's DNA sample of a Kineceleran from the planet Kinet.
XLR8 resembles a semi-armored velociraptor. XLR8 has wheel-shaped feet and wears a helmet with a visor, leaving the other features of his head unknown. Whenever that visor does come up, you can see that he has a blue face, green eyes and black lips and stripes. XLR8 wears the Omnitrix/Ultimatrix symbol on his chest.
In Ben 10 Ultimate Alien, XLR8 looks the same but is much taller.
XLR8 can manipulate friction to reach speeds of 500 mph (approximately 805 km) in an instant and the same power allows him to climb up walls and run on water with relative ease. Using his speed, XLR8 can perform a number of unique feats. He can create tornadoes through centripetal force, either through running in a small circle or spinning and can deliver speed-enhanced attacks in rapid succession. Amazing reflexes accompany this speed, allowing XLR8 to quickly dodge attacks with relative ease. His scissor-like claws can also cut through many objects.
In The Unnaturals, XLR8 is shown to be able to increase his speed to the point that time appears to stop completely.
Ben 10,000's XLR8 has a scanner built into the helmet, the product of nanotechnology Ben 10,000 uses to enhance his aliens.
In the Pop Up Version of Ben 10 vs. the Negative 10, it is said that XLR8 can recover injuries faster than other species.
XLR8's weakness is his lack of physical strength, which is about the same as an average normal human. His speed does not always work on all surfaces, like ice or strong adhesives. Magnets and charged pulses are said to be a problem, apparently disorienting XLR8 to the point that he cannot balance properly, but the series has never showed this weakness.
Coke Christmas Bottle Cap
Coke Lore
Coca-Cola® and Santa Claus
Most people can agree on what Santa Claus looks like -- jolly, with a red suit and a white beard. But he did not always look that way, and Coca-Cola® advertising actually helped shape this modern-day image of Santa.
2006 marked the 75th anniversary of the famous Coca-Cola Santa Claus. Starting in 1931, magazine ads for Coca-Cola featured St. Nick as a kind, jolly man in a red suit. Because magazines were so widely viewed, and because this image of Santa appeared for more than three decades, the image of Santa most people have today is largely based on our advertising.
Before the 1931 introduction of the Coca-Cola Santa Claus created by artist Haddon Sundblom, the image of Santa ranged from big to small and fat to tall. Santa even appeared as an elf and looked a bit spooky.
Through the centuries, Santa Claus has been depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to an elf. He has worn a bishop's robe and a Norse huntsman's animal skin. The modern-day Santa Claus is a combination of a number of the stories from a variety of countries.
The Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly in 1862; Santa was shown as a small elf-like figure who supported the Union. Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years and along the way changed the color of his coat from tan to the now traditional red. Though some people believe the Coca-Cola Santa wears red because that is the Coke® color, the red suit comes from Nast's interpretation of St. Nick.
The Coca-Cola Company began its Christmas advertising in the 1920s with shopping-related ads in magazines like The Saturday Evening Post. The first Santa ads used a strict-looking Claus, in the vein of Thomas Nast.
At this time, many people thought of Coca-Cola as a drink only for warm weather. The Coca-Cola Company began a campaign to remind people that Coca-Cola was a great choice in any month. This began with the 1922 slogan "Thirst Knows No Season," and continued with a campaign connecting a true icon of winter -- Santa Claus -- with the beverage.
In 1930, artist Fred Mizen painted a department store Santa in a crowd drinking a bottle of Coke. The ad featured the world's largest soda fountain, which was located in the department store of Famous Barr Co. in St. Louis, Mo. Mizen's painting was used in print ads that Christmas season, appearing in The Saturday Evening Post in December 1930.
Archie Lee, the D'Arcy Advertising Agency executive working with The Coca-Cola Company, wanted the next campaign to show a wholesome Santa as both realistic and symbolic. In 1931, The Coca-Cola Company commissioned Michigan-born illustrator Haddon Sundblom to develop advertising images using Santa Claus -- showing Santa himself, not a man dressed as Santa, as Mizen’s work had portrayed him.
For inspiration, Sundblom turned to Clement Clark Moore's 1822 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (commonly called "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"). Moore's description of St. Nick led to an image of Santa that was warm, friendly, pleasantly plump and human. For the next 33 years, Sundblom painted portraits of Santa that helped to create the modern image of Santa -- an interpretation that today lives on in the minds of people of all ages, all over the world.
From 1931 to 1964, Coca-Cola advertising showed Santa delivering (and playing!) with toys, pausing to read a letter and enjoy a Coke, playing with children who stayed up to greet him and raiding the refrigerators at a number of homes. The original oil paintings Sundblom created were adapted for Coca-Cola advertising in magazines, store displays, billboards, posters, calendars and even plush dolls. Many of those items today are popular collectibles.
The Coca-Cola Santa made its debut in 1931 in The Saturday Evening Post and appeared regularly in that magazine, as well as Ladies Home Journal, National Geographic, The New Yorker and others. The instantly popular ad campaign appeared each season, reflecting the times. One ad even featured Santa in a rocket!
Sundblom continued to create new visions of Santa Claus through 1964. For decades after, Coca-Cola advertising has featured Santa’s image based on Sundblom’s original works.
These original paintings by Haddon Sundblom are some of the most prized pieces in the art collection of our Company’s Archives Department, and have been on exhibit around the world, including at the Louvre in Paris, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the Isetan Department Store in Tokyo and the NK Department Store in Stockholm.
The Coca-Cola Santa has had a powerful, enduring quality that continues to resonate today. Many of the original paintings can be seen on display at World of Coca-Cola Atlanta or touring during the holiday season.
Did you know?
It's a common misconception that Santa wears a red coat because red is the color of Coca-Cola. In fact, Santa appeared in a red coat before artist Haddon Sundblom painted him for Coca-Cola advertising.
People loved the Coca-Cola Santa images and paid such close attention to them, that when anything changed, they sent letters to The Coca-Cola Company. One year, Santa's large belt was backwards (perhaps because artist Haddon Sundblom used himself as a model and painted by looking in a mirror). Another year, Santa Claus appeared without a wedding ring, causing fans to write asking what happened to Mrs. Claus.
In the beginning, artist Haddon Sundblom painted the image of Santa using a live model -- his friend, Lou Prentiss, a retired salesman. When Prentiss passed away, Sundblom used himself as a model, painting while looking into a mirror. After the 1930s, he used photographs to create the image of St. Nick.
The children who appear with Santa Claus in Haddon Sundlbom’s paintings were based on Sundblom's neighbors. However, the neighbors were both girls, and Sundblom simply changed one to a boy in his paintings!
The dog in the 1964 original Santa Claus painting by artist Haddon Sundblom was actually a gray poodle belonging to the neighborhood florist. Sundblom painted the animal with black fur, instead, to make the dog stand out in the holiday scene.
The image of Santa Claus has appeared on cartons for bottles of Coca-Cola since 1931, when artist Haddon Sundblom first created his version of St. Nick. Early cartons completely covered the bottles of Coke -- almost as if they were inside a box -- and had a handle at the very top. The carton itself was created -- and patented -- by the Coca-Cola system. Introduced in 1923, it allowed people to take home more bottles of Coke.
The Coca-Cola Polar Bear stars with Santa Claus on the 2006 store advertising for the U.S. Hispanic market. The Coca-Cola Polar Bear was introduced in 1993 as part of the "Always Coca-Cola" campaign. The first commercial featuring the bear showed was called "Northern Lights" and showed a group of bears watching a "movie" (the aurora borealis) and drinking from bottles of Coca-Cola.
The "Sprite Boy" character, who appeared with Santa Claus and was used in Coca-Cola advertising in the 1940s and 50s, was also created by artist Haddon Sundblom. Though The Coca-Cola Company does have a drink called Sprite®, the Sprite Boy character was not named for the beverage. Sprite Boy's name came because he is a sprite -- an elf. Sprite Boy first appeared in ads in 1942, while the drink Sprite was not introduced until the 1960s.
In 2001, the artwork from Haddon Sundblom's 1962 original painting was used as the basis for an animated TV commercial starring the Coca-Cola Santa. The ad was created by Academy Award-winning animator Alexandre Petrov.
Manila Bulletin's Amazing Grace Deck of Cards
The Manila Bulletin (PSE: MB), (also known as the Bulletin and previously known as the Manila Daily Bulletin and the Bulletin Today) is the Philippines' largest broadsheet newspaper by circulation, followed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. It bills itself as "The Nation's Leading Newspaper", which is its official slogan. Founded in 1900 as a shipping journal, it is the second-oldest Philippine newspaper, second only to The Manila Times.
Its name was changed from Bulletin Today on March 12, 1986.
It was originally owned by a Swiss expatriate named Hans Menzi. The Manila Bulletin survived the Martial law era of President Ferdinand Marcos for propaganda purposes.
The newspaper is owned by Filipino-Chinese business mogul Emilio Yap, who, aside from the Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation (the paper's controlling company), also owns the Manila Hotel, Centro Escolar University and Euro-Phil Laboratories. The company has been listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange since 1990, and had revenues of approximately US$45 million in 2004. Besides its flagship it publishes two other daily tabloids, Tempo and Balita, as well as nine magazines such as the Philippine Panorama, Bannawag, Liwayway, Bisaya and a host of other journals in English, Tagalog, Cebuano and other Philippine languages.
The newspaper is regarded by many for being pro-administration regardless of whoever is in power and also for its optimistic and non-sensational journalism. To further enhance its image as a newspaper which presents positive news articles, the Bulletin recently introduced a new marketing tagline "There's good news here". In addition it maintains the oldest news web site in the Philippines.
On December 22, 2007, survey results by Nielsen Media Research "Nielsen Media Index Study (Enhanced Wave 2)," covering the whole year of 2007, showed that the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) was the choice of 53% "of those who said they had read a broadsheet" with 1.3 million readers. Manila Bulletin came second with 47 % (1.17 million readers), while the Philippine Star was third with 42% (1.05 million readers). Nielsen survey also showed that the Sunday Inquirer Magazine, led in its category, with 39% readership, Panorama came in second with 35%, while Starweek was third with 12%.
Upgrade Chip
Upgrade is the Codon Stream's DNA sample of a Galvanic Mechamorph from Galvan Prime's moon, Galvan B.
Upgrade has black skin with green lines that resemble circuitry all over him. The green circle on his head is his eye.
Upgrade wore white clothing on his front torso and the Omnitrix/Ultimatrix symbol is on his chest.
In Ultimate Alien, he has green and black stipes where the white was in the original series.
Upgrade has the ability to reshape himself, as he can turn to some sort of mechanical solid at will. His internal nanotechnology allows for Upgrade's primary ability to merge with and 'possess' any technology within reach by spreading over it like solid, enhancing it far beyond its original design. The size of the device is inconsequential. While merged with a device, Upgrade controls it as he would his own body. Upgrade can reconfigure his form around his eye in order to fire a plasma beam from it. Upgrade is also capable of forming simple constructs from plasma, such as spikes and also partially posses a machine to enhance his lasers. He can phase through metal and technology. As shown in Be Afraid of the Dark, Upgrade can survive in a vacuum. Upgrade can reform after being blasted, as shown in Midnight Madness after being shot by police and was shown to be able to gently float in air similar to a parachute in Secrets. In Ultimate Alien, he is shown to be able to upgrade technology much faster, doing it nearly instantly.
Upgrade cannot possess natural creatures. He is weak against electricity (being living metal) as shown in Tourist Trap when he was battling the Megawhatt. Also, being made of metal, Upgrade's body can be affected by magnetic fields.
M and M Red Button Pin
M&M's (named after the surnames of Forrest Mars, Sr., & Bruce Murrie of Hershey's) are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies"[1] produced by Mars, Incorporated. The candy shells, each of which has the letter "m" printed in lower case on one side, surround a variety of fillings, including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, crisped rice, mint chocolate, peanuts, almonds, orange chocolate, coconut, pretzel, wild cherry, and peanut butter. M&M's originated in the United States in 1941, and are now sold in over 100 countries.[1] They are produced in different colors, some of which have changed over the years.
Red candies were eliminated in 1976[9] due to health concerns over the dye amaranth (FD&C Red #2), which was a suspected carcinogen, and were replaced with orange-colored candies. This was done despite the fact that M&M's did not contain the dye; the action was purely to satisfy worried consumers. Red candies were reintroduced later, but they also kept the orange colored M&M's. They currently contain Allura Red AC (FD&C Red #40, E129). In Europe, Allura Red AC is not recommended for consumption by children. It is banned in Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, and Norway. Instead, Cochineal (E120) is used in the red shells.
In 1980, M&M's were introduced internationally to Australia, Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.
Although they were marketed and then withdrawn in the 1960s, in 1988, almond-centered M&M's hit stores again in limited release, with appearances only during Christmas and Easter times; they became a standard part of the product line in 1992.
Also in 1986, M&M's launched HOLIDAYS Chocolate Candies for Easter and Christmas, with the Easter candies having bunny, chick, and egg symbols on pastel-colored shells, and the Christmas candies having pine tree and candle symbols on red and green shells. By 1993, the holiday symbols were replaced with the trademark "M".
Fu Lin Garden
Fu Lin Garden is located at Alabang-Zapote Road in Alabang. Fu Lin used to have a branch in Mega Mall. For a long time my sister, Maila Lugue, worked in the particular branch of Fu Lin... which is very handy because I've often frequented Mega Mall Back then. And whenever I ran short of money and I still have a particular toy that I must have, I simply go to her and she would, with a little reluctance at first, give me the money I need. These memories of Fu Lin made me realize just how great a sister I have.
Hot Wheels Grand Prix
In 1968, Mattel introduced a exciting new line of diecast toy car: "Hot Wheels"! Since then, much has been written about the history, success, and sustained popularity of the Hot Wheels line. To learn more about the history of Hot Wheels, the reader is referred to the following excellent books:
"The Ultimate Redline Guide". by Jack Clark & Robert P. Wicker
"Hot Wheels: 35 Years of Speed, Power Performance & Attitude", by Randy Leffingwell
"Hot Wheels Cars", by Mac Ragan
"Tomart's Price Guide to Hot Wheels Collectibles", by Michael Thomas Strauss
A signature feature of early Hot Wheels cars (from 1968 through 1977) were their mag wheels and red-striped tires. These so-called "redline" cars were wildly popular when first introduced in the 1960s, and remain a hot collectible item today. Toy cars that sold for less than a dollar in the '60s and '70s often sell for hundreds of dollars today, depending on their condition and color.
Like many other kids growing up in the '60s, I was a huge fan of Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. I managed to hang on to many of the cars I played with as a child, and they formed the foundation of a new collection that was started a few years ago when my sons discovered Hot Wheels cars.
This website is dedicated to my favorite type of Hot Wheels cars: the Grand Prix Series. Grand Prix cars form the nucleus of my adult collection, and I have spent a lot of time researching, collecting, and trying to learn as much as possible about the various Grand Prix castings and their variations, colors, relative scarcity and value. Within these pages I attempt to list much of what I have learned in hopes that other collectors can both learn and correct my errors and omissions.
The eleven Grand Prix cars can be divided into two groups: the open-wheel Indy cars and the wide-body Le Mans/CanAm cars. The four Indy cars - Brabham Repco, Indy Eagle, Lotus Turbine and Shelby Turbine - were produced only at the Hong Kong plant, while the seven wide body cars were produced at both the U.S. and Hong Kong plants. All of the Grand Prix cars were produced in multiple Spectraflame colors and a few signature enamel colors. Spectraflame paint was another unique feature of the early Hot Wheels cars. It was basically a transparent paint that was applied over a shiny metal body, resulting in a metallic appearance of the paint job. The colors of the various cars are very important to collectors because the color in large part determines the value. For example, a purple Indy Eagle is relatively common while a purple Porsche 917 is quite rare and worth several hundred dollars! Likewise, the combination of color and casting variation also determines value. For example, purple Ferrari 312Ps from the H.K. plant are common, but U.S. purple 312Ps are very rare. A color guide is provided at this site to help collectors determine the colors of their favorite Grand Prix cars.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Coke Pog
Pogs are circular cartons with designs on it which are played by the kids during the 90′s , it originated from milk caps game which was later made into colorful cartons for kids to enjoy. I was already in college when the popularity of the Coca Cola Pogs became a craze. But that never stopped me from collecting then nevertheless. I was having an apostolate in Dau Mabalacat Parish with Msgr. Greg P. Binuya at the time. Good thing there is a mini sari sari store near the convent and I secretly would collect all the Coke crowns with the winning Pogs mark. I really enjoyed moments when I am preoccupied with stuff like this. Especially when you have so much stressful things to do...it's a breath of fresh air to have something trivial to collect.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
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