Geminid meteor shower reigns in the night sky ( video)

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Geminid meteor shower: Last night's annual meteor shower was a crowd pleaser. The Gemind meteor shower comes from debris shed by a 3-mile-wide  asteroid called 3200 Phaethon.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/FXHxmvVP7I0/Geminid-meteor-shower-reigns-in-the-night-sky-video

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Lost your creativity? | Self Improvement Secrets

You need a 7 Day BrainwashI must be honest. There are some days when I sit down to write and I think there?s not a shred of creativity in me. Today, as I began, was one of those days.

So I thought, why don?t I tell them about that? How do you get creative or resourceful when it just doesn?t seem to be there?

Easy peasy, as we used to say at school. (I think we might have added ?lemon squeezy? too ? but who cares?).

I simply remember all the times I have been resourceful. I see myself sitting at my desk writing furiously, wondering how on earth so much time can have passed I?m on such a roll. I recall times when I was teaching, or explaining something passionately to my kids, or when I had to think up a plausible excuse to get myself out of a hole, or when friends dropped in unexpectedly and I concocted a meal out of a larder I had considered empty ?. the number of times any one of us has been creative and resourceful is huge.

Pretty soon, my brain is so full of ideas, I wonder if I can just keep to one a day. My posture changes, I may walk about, my breathing is different.

And you know what? You can do it the other way round too. If I change my posture, my breathing and my movements to the way I am when I feel creative, that old creative feeling comes back all by itself.

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Source: http://selfimprovement-secrets.com/lost-your-creativity/

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New school for Newtown students renamed Sandy Hook

A man waves to a child on a bus on the first day of classes after the holiday break, in Newtown, Conn.,Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. Nearly three weeks after the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, students and teachers from the school will return to class Thursday in the neighboring town of Monroe. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

A man waves to a child on a bus on the first day of classes after the holiday break, in Newtown, Conn.,Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. Nearly three weeks after the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, students and teachers from the school will return to class Thursday in the neighboring town of Monroe. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

A woman hugs a child before he boards a bus on the first day of classes after the holiday break, in Newtown, Conn., Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. Children from Sandy Hook Elementary School will return to school Thursday in the neighboring town of Monroe. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Chalk Hill School is seen in Monroe, Conn., Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. The Sandy Hook Elementary School students fron Newtown, Conn., will begin classes on Thursday at Chalk Hill School. The school was overhauled specially for them in the neighboring town of Monroe, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

A police officer greets a bus at the entrance to a school on the first day of classes after the holiday break, in Newtown, Conn., Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. Nearly three weeks after the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, students and teachers from the school will return to class Thursday in the neighboring town of Monroe. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

A green and white ribbon, the school colors of Sandy Hook Elementary School is seen attached to a bus on the first day of school after the holiday break, in Newtown, Conn., Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. Nearly three weeks after the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, students and teachers from the school will return to class Thursday in the neighboring town of Monroe. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

(AP) ? The children who escaped last month's shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown will be returning to classes in a neighboring town in a refurbished school now named after their old one, school officials said Wednesday.

Newtown Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson announced that the students' new school, the former Chalk Hill Middle School in Monroe, has been renamed Sandy Hook Elementary School. She said the Sandy Hook staff made that decision.

"That's who they are. They're the Sandy Hook family," Robinson said after a news conference at a park in Monroe a few miles from the school, which will open for classes Thursday morning. An open house was held for parents and students on Wednesday.

Robinson added that renaming the Chalk Hill school will allow staff and students to keep "their identity and a comfort level."

The school where the shootings occurred remains closed and guarded by police. Newtown officials haven't decided yet on the building's future.

It's been nearly three weeks since the Dec. 14 massacre, when gunman Adam Lanza killed 20 students and six educators. Lanza also killed his mother at the home they shared in Newtown before the school shootings, which ended when Lanza fatally shot himself as police arrived.

Police haven't released any details about a motive.

Numerous police officers on Wednesday guarded the outside of the Monroe school, which is about 7 miles from the old school, and told reporters to stay away.

Asked about the level of security at the new school, Monroe police Lt. Keith White said, "I think right now it has to be the safest school in America."

Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe declined to answer questions Wednesday about the investigation.

Teachers attended staff meetings at the new school on Wednesday morning and were visited by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy before the open house, White said.

Robinson said Chalk Hill School has been transformed into a "cheerful" place for the surviving students to resume normal school routines. She said mental health counselors continue to be available for anyone who needs them.

"They're so excited to see the teachers," Robinson said about the open house attendees.

Several signs welcoming the Sandy Hook students to their new school were posted along the road leading to the school in a rural, mostly residential neighborhood. One said "Welcome Sandy Hook Elementary Kids," while a similar sign added "You are in our prayers."

Teams of workers, many of them volunteers, prepared the Chalk Hill school with fresh paint and new furniture and even raised bathroom floors so the smaller elementary school students can reach the toilets. The students' desks, backpacks and other belongings that were left behind following the shooting were taken to the new school to make them feel at home.

Counselors say it's important for children to get back to a normal routine and for teachers and parents to offer sensitive reassurances.

One parent, Robert Bazuro of Newtown, said he was pleased that school was resuming Thursday for the Sandy Hook survivors. He brought his two children, who are in the second and fourth grades, to a barbershop Wednesday morning.

"We're very happy the kids are going back and we're very thankful for Monroe for everything they've done for us," Bazuro said. He said his children weren't at Sandy Hook on the day of the shootings. He declined to elaborate.

When classes start, Robinson said teachers will try to make it as normal a school day as possible for the children.

"We want to get back to teaching and learning," she said. "We will obviously take time out from the academics for any conversations that need to take place, and there will be a lot of support there. All in all, we want the kids to reconnect with their friends and classroom teachers, and I think that's going to be the healthiest thing."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-02-Connecticut%20School%20Shooting/id-ec1255f6b2a4471ebaa3ffeb880f472f

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Despite deal, taxes to rise for most Americans

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden make a statement regarding the passage of the fiscal cliff bill in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden make a statement regarding the passage of the fiscal cliff bill in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

As an evening haze lights the sky with a reddish glow, the lights of the U.S. Capitol burn into the night as the House continues to work on the "fiscal cliff" legislation proposed by the Senate, in Washington, on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

(AP) ? While the tax package that Congress passed New Year's Day will protect 99 percent of Americans from an income tax increase, most of them will still end up paying more federal taxes in 2013.

That's because the legislation did nothing to prevent a temporary reduction in the Social Security payroll tax from expiring. In 2012, that 2-percentage-point cut in the payroll tax was worth about $1,000 to a worker making $50,000 a year.

The Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan Washington research group, estimates that 77 percent of American households will face higher federal taxes in 2013 under the agreement negotiated between President Barack Obama and Senate Republicans. High-income families will feel the biggest tax increases, but many middle- and low-income families will pay higher taxes too.

Households making between $40,000 and $50,000 will face an average tax increase of $579 in 2013, according to the Tax Policy Center's analysis. Households making between $50,000 and $75,000 will face an average tax increase of $822.

"For most people, it's just the payroll tax," said Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center.

The tax increases could be a lot higher. A huge package of tax cuts first enacted under President George W. Bush was scheduled to expire Tuesday as part of the "fiscal cliff." The Bush-era tax cuts lowered taxes for families at every income level, reduced investment taxes and the estate tax, and enhanced a number of tax credits, including a $1,000-per-child credit.

The package passed Tuesday by the Senate and House extends most the Bush-era tax cuts for individuals making less than $400,000 and married couples making less than $450,000.

Obama said the deal "protects 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small business owners from a middle-class tax hike. While neither Democrats nor Republicans got everything they wanted, this agreement is the right thing to do for our country."

The income threshold covers more than 99 percent of all households, exceeding Obama's claim, according to the Tax Policy Center. However, the increase in payroll taxes will hit nearly every wage earner.

Social Security is financed by a 12.4 percent tax on wages up to $113,700, with employers paying half and workers paying the other half. Obama and Congress reduced the share paid by workers from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent for 2011 and 2012, saving a typical family about $1,000 a year.

Obama pushed hard to enact the payroll tax cut for 2011 and to extend it through 2012. But it was never fully embraced by either party, and this time around, there was general agreement to let it expire.

The new tax package would increase the income tax rate from 35 percent to 39.6 percent on income above $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for married couples. Investment taxes would increase for people who fall in the new top tax bracket.

High-income families will also pay higher taxes this year as part of Obama's 2010 health care law. As part of that law, a new 3.8 percent tax is being imposed on investment income for individuals making more than $200,000 a year and couples making more than $250,000.

Together, the new tax package and Obama's health care law will produce significant tax increases for many high-income families.

For 2013, households making between $500,000 and $1 million would get an average tax increase of $14,812, according to the Tax Policy Center analysis. Households making more than $1 million would get an average tax increase of $170,341.

"If you're rich, you're almost certain to get a big tax increase," Williams said.

___

Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-02-Fiscal%20Cliff-Tax%20Impact/id-5de1868c32c54e4bbea6199c8c339e50

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The Single Life: Seven Dating Resolutions That Lead to Marriage ...

Photo Credit: Gary Antoine

Recently, I made a resolution to break up with someone. Well, we weren?t technically together. He said we were dating, but our relationship didn?t exactly fit the definition. He was friendly, funny and fine, but beyond that, I didn?t think we had much in common. ?And for the first time, I lowered my expectations to avoid loneliness during the holidays. My friends encouraged me to ?keep it casual? and ?have fun?. After all, this was one of the first people I went out with after breaking up with my daughter?s dad. I followed their advice for the first few weeks, but as time ticked on, I started to set expectations and seek substance. It?s hard to ?keep it casual? when humans and feelings are involved. I didn?t see this man as ?marriage material,? but I still expected him to act like a future husband or perhaps just a boyfriend.

I know relationships develop overtime. Nonetheless, I wanted him to be something, someone he wasn?t. I wanted more than what he could give. And that wasn?t fair for either of us. So I told him I didn?t think we should pursue anything further. He said he was sorry I felt that way and wished me good luck?but not in a do well way, rather a good luck searching for someone in the club way. There are a lot more details to the story, but I won?t reveal too much information, because like I said, he is a cool person. He?s just not the person for me. In a reflective New Year?s Eve mood, I came up with dating resolutions to lead to marriage. I didn?t write a long list of what I was doing wrong as that could lead to depression,,, not empowerment. Instead, I focused on what I was doing right. We often look for a potential mate to possess a long list of qualities when we should first look within to make sure we?re marriage material.

?1. Become Spiritually Strong

Most of my friends and family members who have strong marriages also have strong spiritual foundations. God is at the center of their union, which anchors their marriage when a storm hits. Having a close relationship with God allows me to have close relationships with others. When I pray or study scriptures, I am more patient, more loving and more kind. Until I meet my mate, I can strive to be the Proverbs 31 woman. I can turn to the Bible instead of society to determine what marriage means and trust God to deliver a mate.

?2. Heal From Past Heartbreaks

After my daughter?s dad dumped me, I didn?t date anyone for a year and a half. I needed that time to heal from heartache, learn from mistakes and move on mentally. I refuse to take baggage packed with anger or envy into a new relationship. Also, I analyzed my other relationships. What went wrong? What went right? What did I learn from my experiences? What qualities do I want in a significant other? What won?t I tolerate? Although people don?t usually change, they can improve. Yes, some things are personality traits, habits you?ve developed over the years. But if you examine yourself, there may be negative behaviors you can work on.

?3. Love Me First

In order to love someone else, I love myself first. Sounds selfish but in reality, it?s the best wedding gift I can give my husband. He won?t be required to fill a void, because I don?t need to be half of a couple to be a complete person. Although I feel insecure at times, those times don?t last long. I am comfortable in my skin. Loving myself means I am less likely to be jealous, desperate or needy in a relationship. Often, I hear single women say, I can do bad by myself. I would like to change that and say, I can do good by myself.

?4. Be a Blushing Bridesmaid

More than 80% of my close friends are married. I?ve been a guest, a hostess or a bridesmaid at more than a dozen weddings over the past decade. I never envied the brides. I was always happy to be a part of their marital bliss. I spent hours helping to plan some of these events and the pre-party festivities, but they put in even more work after they jumped the broom. They?ve taught me what it takes to be a good wife and to build a happy home. And their husbands give great dating advice from a male?s perspective. I?ve also observed the marriages within my family as well. My parents recently celebrated their 45th anniversary, and before my grandparents passed away, they lived longer as husband and wife than they did as individuals. They married at 16 and lived well into their 80s. They are marriage mentors.

?5. Realize Not Everyone I Meet is My Husband

I try not to look at every man I meet as my future spouse. That?s a lot of pressure to put on someone and myself. I can like someone or even love someone, but that someone may not be my husband. I can?t force something to happen or rush into a relationship. In my thirties, I date differently. I don?t compromise my non-negotiables, my authentic self or my values. I developed views on children, religion, money, sex, commitment and divorce and seek someone with a similar marriage mindset.

?6. Determine Why I Want to Get Married

When the movie Why Did I Get Married? hit the silver screen, I was one of the first people in line to buy a ticket. At the time, marriage wasn?t on my mind. My ex was. I went to the prom with actor Lamman Rucker who played Troy, and when he appeared in the movie shirtless, I giggled at the women swooning in the audience. Lamman and I took public transportation to our first date and were more friends than lovers. Still, everyone asked why we weren?t together as if I would marry him just because he made it to Hollywood?leaving his bus pass behind I?m sure. The movie made me examine issues such as commitment, betrayal and forgiveness. And for the first time in my life, I began to determine why I wanted to get married. I want stability and security, for better or for worse. I want to be selfless and supportive. I want my strengths and weaknesses to balance someone else?s and vice versa. I want to love someone like 1 Corinthians 13 and get that love in return from my mate.

?7. Be Marriage Material

This is the toughest point of all. I had to honestly evaluate my life to find out if I was really marriage material. I must be kind, giving, compassionate, trustworthy, nurturing, respectful, discerning, discreet and God-fearing. Although I am independent, I don?t have a problem adopting traditional gender roles. I don?t mind cooking, cleaning and caring for the kids. I must admit that I don?t do this for every man I meet. But I can?t expect a man to do everything for me when I do nothing in return. Before I?m married or even engaged, I work to be financially and emotionally stable.

Hey BMWK family, what would you add to the list? What should someone do to become marriage material?


About the author

Not long ago, Heather Hopson was an award-winning television host in the Cayman Islands. Today, she?s writing a different kind of story as a new mom at www.diaryofafirsttimemom.com. The site includes fabulous features, such as Gaga Giveaways, The Mommy Experiment, Mom Minutes and a Video Diary.


Source: http://blackandmarriedwithkids.com/2013/01/the-single-life-seven-dating-resolutions-that-lead-to-marriage/

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Another Year And I'm Still Here: A New Year's Meditation

Updated Jan. 1, 2013: I've added a postscript to this post. You can find it at the bottom of this page.

Look at yourself. Right now.

You are muscle,skin, bone, brain, blood, warmed by energy, and all of you, every cell, even the subsets of those cells, all trillions and trillions of them, are going to tire, waste and depart. In 10 years almost every bit of you will have been replaced by new bits.

And yet, you will still be you. You will look like you do (sort of), you will behave like you do (sort of), others will know it's you (most of the time), and though a census of your innards will say, this is a new body, a different collection of atoms, you will know it's the same old you. How come?

If you are all new on the inside, how do you persist?

What Keeps Us Whole?

Well, there's your soul. If this weren't a sciencey blog, we could stop here. Your soul, breathed into you at your conception, will hang around till it's time to go and then be off to wherever it is souls go to. But suppose you are a "materialist"? Suppose you choose to imagine this journey naked, you as just a bunch of atoms, nothing added? What holds a soulless soul together?

The answer, these days, is your brain. Your memory. It's the story you tell yourself as you grow up, the unfurling narrative that begins with faces and smells and meals and sounds, then stretches into tales about your mom, dad, siblings, your pets, your family, your friends. It deepens with loves, joys, disappointments. It is always told by you, filtered through you. You are the one who tells it, you are the one who hears it, you are the only one who knows every bit of it.

Memories Are Our Duct Tape

To a significant degree, you are the sum of the stories you tell yourself about yourself.

Take away your memories, the connective tissue of your life, and what's left? You may be breathing, but in the late stages of memory loss, you aren't really there any more. You have unraveled.

We live this life together, but we experience it alone.

And when you actually die, what is annihilated? Well, there are tens of thousands of private images in your head right now: the pigeon you once almost caught when you were 4. The sight of a particularly beautiful girl disappearing through a doorway. The brief whoosh made by a snowy owl flying low that time you were walking alone in the woods. These are things no one knows, no one ever knew, no one but you.

When you go, they go. Forever. But as long as you're here, they stay. So, to all those pigeons, those girls, those owls that live in our heads, as long as we're here ? to all of you, and to us, Happy New Year!

New Year's Day Postscript: What A Happy Memory Looks Like Inside Your Brain

By ROBERT KRULWICH

I just saw a video that captures the idea of the brain as a theater populated by just one audience member ? though in this case, designer Rogier Wieland has taken liberties. His theater is filled with multiple versions of the same person. (Multiple yous, perhaps? You over the years?)

All of them are viewing the same spectacle. When I saw it, I thought to myself, "This must be what my brain looks like when it's happy." The tale being told here is obviously a triumph, and this guy watching just adores himself ... except for a little part of him that's seen it too many times. That part, you'll notice, gets bored.

Created by a Dutch designer and graphic artist Rogier Wieland. He did this with paper, cardboard, wood and cut out video. He calls it "The Audience," and he probably wasn't thinking about brain science, memory or death. That's my thing. Here's his:

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/12/31/168352281/another-year-and-im-still-here-a-new-year-s-meditation?ft=1&f=1007

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INTERVIEW: Scott Ian speaks words about his ?Speaking Words? tour

Anthrax main-man Scott Ian isn?t about to quit metal and hit the after-dinner speaking circuit or anything, at least not just yet. But following a successful one-off spoken word show in London last November he has booked a 16-date spoken word tour of the UK. He?s calling it Speaking Words, because a spoken word tour sounds too ?fancy pants?, and it?ll give him a chance to air some of the stories accrued over a 30-plus year career as a touring musician. Who knows: this could be the start of something big, Scott Ian as a stand-up comic or talk show host. Who knows But if not, well, it?ll be pretty cool to hear all about how Anthrax?s ordinarily inflappable riff-master ended up with a load of shit in his pants the first time he met Lemmy, and all that sort of thing.

Have you gone mad, public speaking is terrifying?
Scott Ian:
?Y?know it?s weird, I know a lot of people are terrified but I don?t find public speaking terrifying for some crazy reason. Maybe there is something wrong with me [laughs].

Is this something you?ve wanted to do for a while?
Scott Ian:
?Yeah, it?s something I?ve always wanted to do, and I?ve always been trying to figure out how can I do this, how would I ever make this possible. I?ve seen Rollins do it all these years; I saw Rollins, maybe on the first time he ever did a tour I went to see what it was going to be about. I mean, I am a huge fan of Rollins? music and I had read all his books at the time, so I really knew that he had a point of view and something he needed to express and he did it really well. It?s something that I always wanted to do and I finally had the opportunity this year; doing this one-off show in London. I was approached by the band?s agent, who basically put it together, and asked, ?Are you interested in doing this?? And I said, ?Absolutely. I?ve been kinda waiting for this to happen but I didn?t know how to kick-start it.? I did the one show in London and I enjoyed myself so much, I had such a good time with it that I was like, ?Can I do more of this? How do we do more of this?? They came back and said, ?There?s a lot of interest in it, do you wanna do a tour?? I was like, ?Sign me up! Let?s find a window when it works and go and do it.??

Where did you get the material from? Was it something that you had sketched out in advance?
Scott Ian:
?No! I did absolutely zero rehearsal. I didn?t even know how to prepare for it, truthfully. The show was booked months in advance, and I had all these months to think about it, and think, ?Okay, I?m going to put a whole show together . . . ? Because I am friends with a lot of stand-up comedians and a lot of writers, and I am a big fan of comedy and certainly live stand-up comedy. I?ve seen my friends do it and I think that it?s the most challenging thing in the world just to sit down, write jokes, get on stage and make people laugh. I mean, I think that?s the hardest thing in the entertainment industry. It doesn?t get any more raw than that, and I am certainly not a joke writer nor am I a stand-up comedian but I just feel that my life is in so many ways ridiculous. The last 32 years of my life spent in a metal band; I?ve got so many stories, whether it?s shit that I?ve done, people that I?ve met, stories that I know from other people . . . I?ve kinda been in this bubble for so long. I sit around in bars with my friends and I?ll get around to telling stories, as we all do, and most of my friends are in this industry or connected to it somehow, so we all have stories and we all sit down and tell stories to each other and crack each other up. I always felt that people need to hear this stuff. This shit is hilarious. It?s just a really fun thing for me to do, to relate to people on that level. That?s what it is. That?s what the material is; it?s shit that I have been through in my life.?

How much of it is biographical?
Scott Ian:
?I don?t go as far back as the whole, ?I grew up in New York and this is what happened to me as a child . . .? It?s not that. Maybe someday I?ll get into that but right now it?s just a lot of crazy stories and crazy shit, and just stuff to share that I think an audience of people who are a fans of my band would be interested in. In fact, you certainly don?t have to be a fan of my band or a metal fan because the stories are just so inherently ridiculous [laughs], and inherently funny, that it doesn?t matter if you listen to this kind of music. Some of it is about me meeting my heroes through the years . . . If you have any sense of humor at all I tend to think that you?ll find some humor in this.?

How did the London show go?
Scott Ian:
?At the London show, I did no rehearsal and I kept getting more and more stressed out about it as it got closer. I was really starting to stress out about it, like, ?What the fuck am I gonna do? I don?t know how to do this. I have no fucking idea what I am doing. I gotta get on stage in a couple of days.? And then my wife and I, and my son flew to London and got in about three days before the show. I got in a panic about two days before; I had really no clue. I had planned sharing some stories. I was going to invite my friends over and regale them with my witty tales: I never did any of that. My wife Pearl just said to me, ?You know these stories. All this stuff is in your brain.? And that totally calmed me down, ?cos I do know ?em, it?s not like I was going to walk on stage and forget everything that had happened to me over the last 30 years.?

And there was a Q&A, too, right?
Scott Ian:
?I winged it. I mean, I just walked on stage and an hour-and-a-half flew by. So I said, ?All right, let?s do Q&A.? And that added almost another hour on because people ask questions and those questions lead me down other paths and they open other doors to tell stories. And I had been pretty clear about it, people could ask me anything they want.?

Is that not a bit dangerous? Was there not something that you?d dread getting asked?
Scott Ian:
?No. I don?t care. If it?s something I don?t wanna answer I?ll say, ?Sorry! I?m not answering that one.? It?s hard for me to imagine what someone would ask that I would be afraid of answering.

Can you see this Speaking Words business taking your career to weird new places, like Rollins. Could you see yourself acting or writing?
Scott Ian:
?Well I pretty much write all the time. I think the actual impetus for me to start to stand up in front of people and do this was I started compiling a lot of these stories earlier this year, and like writing them out long-form, literally typing them out, because someday I will do a book so I might as well start now having all these stories and anecdotes and things like that . . . In case I ever forget. I?ll already have that part [of the book] done. And it was kinda during that that I thought it would be fun to share this with people, get on stage and talk to people about it but still not really having any idea of how to do that because . . . Well I guess I could have called my agent and said, ?Hey, I want to do a spoken word show.? And we could have worked it out. But it just seemed so out of the ballpark. It?s just weird how it worked out that my agent put on these three shows; they did one with me, one with Chris Jericho, and one with Duff McKagan. It was just his idea to do this, that all three of us had something to say, and I was like, ?God, this is such perfect timing for you to come up with this idea. I?m always writing, and I already do write for DC Comics; I?ve got one series for them about Lobo and I am writing another one about The Demon, so I always get to write. As far as acting? That?s a whole different ball game. Of course, I would love to try it, but, [laughs] I?m not going to go out there and start going to acting classes, going on auditions. That?s not something that I am interested in at all. But if the producers of The Walking Dead called me and said, ?We want you to be on the show? I?d go do it and figure it out as I went but it?s not something I am actively pursuing or anything like that.?

Of course you?ve already appeared on The Walking Dead, albeit briefly.
Scott Ian:
?Yeah, but that?s pretty easy though! For me it was, anyway; I have been dreaming about that my whole life.?

**Scott Ian?s Speaking Words tour kicks off on 24 May 2013 at O2 Academy, Oxford
www.Scott-Ian.com**

Source: http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured/interview-scott-ian-speaks-words-about-his-speaking-words-tour/

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Selective memory and your wallet

We easily forget the small purchases we make, but they can add up quickly. Here's how I conquered selective forgetting.

By Trent Hamm,?Guest blogger / December 31, 2012

Hershey's candy bars are displayed at a gas station in Phoenix in this 2011 file photo. Small purchases are easy to forget, but they can add up to a big monthly tab. Here's how to improve your money memory.

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I love my children. I?m proud of them. When I think about their behavior, my thoughts are almost entirely filled with positive things. I think of my oldest child?s studiousness, my daughter?s creative energy, and our youngest child?s humor.

Skip to next paragraph Trent Hamm

The Simple Dollar is a blog for those of us who need both cents and sense: people fighting debt and bad spending habits while building a financially secure future and still affording a latte or two. Our busy lives are crazy enough without having to compare five hundred mutual funds ? we just want simple ways to manage our finances and save a little money.

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What I often don?t recall is when they do things that they shouldn?t. If you ask me at the end of the day what bad decisions they had made, I would have a hard time recalling more than one or two of them.

I know on some level that there are things that they do wrong. They make messes. They leave their coats out. They?re incredibly noisy at times. The sibling competitiveness between our two older children sometimes reaches dangerous heights. They don?t listen at times. They make horrific messes at the dinner table.

The thing is,?my ongoing memory of these events is pretty selective.?We?ll handle a situation, we?ll move on from it, and I?ll forget about it. I remember them later in an aggregate sense, knowing, for example, that they?ve made big messes on spaghetti night at the dinner table. At the end of a given day, though, I don?t specifically recall many of the little things they?ve done wrong.

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