1. If you are already collecting your retirement benefit and are at or over full retirement age, you can tell Social Security you want to suspend further benefits and then ask them to restart your benefits at a later date, say age 70. Social Security will then apply its Delayed Retirement Credit to your existing benefit once you start collecting again. Hence, this is a means by which current Social Security recipients who aren't yet 70 can collect higher benefits, albeit at the cost of giving up their check for a while. But this trade off will, on net, often be very advantageous. For example, if you started collecting at 62 and are now at your full retirement age, i.e., 66, you can suspend benefits until 70 and then start collecting 32 percent higher benefits for the rest of your life. This benefit collection strategy can be called Start Stop Start. We are in the process of rolling out a new update of www.maximizemysocialsecurity.com, which incorporates Start Stop Start.
2. If you aren't now collecting and wait until 70 to collect your retirement benefit, your retirement benefit starting at 70 can be as much as 76 percent higher than your age-62 retirement benefit, adjusted for inflation. The reason is that your benefit is not reduced due to Social Security's Early Retirement Reduction; moreover, it's increased due to Social Security's Delayed Retirement Credit. For many people, the increase in the retirement benefit can be even higher if they continue to earn money after age 62 thanks to Social Security's Re-computation of Benefits.
3. But if you are married or divorced, waiting to collect your retirement benefit may be the wrong move. If you are the low-earning spouse, it may be better to take your retirement benefit starting at age 62 and then switch to the spousal benefit you can collect on your current or ex-spouse's account starting at your full retirement age. But beware of the Gottcha in item 5.
4. If you're married, you or your spouse, but not both, can receive spousal benefits after reaching full retirement age while deferring taking your retirement benefits and, thereby, letting them grow. This may require having one spouse file for retirement benefits, but suspend their collection. This is called the File and Suspend strategy.
5. Be careful! If you take your own retirement benefit early and are below full retirement age, you will be forced to take your spousal benefit early and at a permanently reduced level if your spouse collects his/her his/her retirement benefit before or in the month in which you apply to collect your retirement benefit. If your spouse is not collecting a retirement benefit when you apply for an early retirement benefit, you will not be deemed to be applying for your spousal benefit. Hence, you can start collecting your spousal benefit later. (See item 33)
6. Start Stop Start may also make sense for married workers who aren't already collecting and whose age differences are such they they can't take advantage of File and Suspend. Take, for example, a 62 year-old high earner, named Sally, with a 66-year old low earner spouse, named Joe. By starting retirement benefits early, Sally permits Joe to start collecting a spousal benefit immediately. The reason is that spouses aren't eligible to collect spousal benefits unless the worker is either collecting a retirement benefit or has filed for a retirement benefit, but suspended its collection. If Sally starts her retirement benefit at 62, Joe can apply just for his spousal benefit at 66 and then wait until 70 to collect his own retirement benefit, which will be at its highest possible value thanks to Social Security's Delayed Retirement Credit. As for Sally, she can suspend her retirement benefit at 66, when she reaches full retirement, and then restart it at 70, at which point her benefits will be 32 percent higher than what she was collecting. Even singles workers may opt for Start Stop Start to help with their cash flow problems.
7. If your primary insurance amount (your retirement benefit available if you wait until full retirement) is less than half that of your spouse and you take your own retirement benefit early, but are able to wait until full retirement age to collect your spousal benefit, your total check, for the rest of your life, will be less than one half of your spouse's primary insurance amount. Nonetheless, this may still be the best strategy. This reflects another Gotcha explained in 8.
8. On its website, Social Security states, "your spouse can receive a benefit equal to one-half of your full retirement benefit amount if they start receiving benefits at their full retirement age." This is true only if your spouse isn't collecting his/her own retirement benefit. If your spouse is collecting her own retirement benefit, his/her spousal benefit is calculated differently. Rather than equaling one half of your full retirement benefit, it's calculated as half of your full retirement benefit less your spouse's full retirement benefit. This difference is called the excess spousal benefit. The total benefit your spouse will receive is her retirement benefit, inclusive of any reduction, due to taking benefits early, or increment, due to taking benefits late, plus the excess spousal benefit. The excess spousal benefit can't be negative; i.e., its smallest value is zero.
   
   Take Sue and Sam. Suppose they are both 62 and a) Sue opts to take her retirement benefit early and b) Sam opts to file and suspend at full retirement and take his retirement benefit at 70. Between ages 62 and 66 (their full retirement age), Sue collects a reduced retirement benefit, but is not forced to take her spousal benefit (which would be reduced) because Sam isn't collecting a retirement benefit during the years that Sue is 62 to 66. Now when Sue reaches age 66, she starts to collect an unreduced spousal benefit because Sam has qualified her to do so by filing and suspending for his retirement benefit. OK, but her unreduced spousal benefit is calculated as 1/2 x Sam's full retirement benefit less Sue's full retirement benefit. Sue ends up getting a total benefit equal to her own reduced retirement benefit plus her unreduced excess spousal benefit. This total is less than half of Sam's full retirement benefit. To see this note that the total equals half of Sam's full retirement benefit plus Sue's reduced retirement benefit minus Sue's full retirement benefit. The last two terms add to something negative.
9. Are there are two different formulas for spousal benefits depending on whether the spouse is collecting his/her own retirement benefit? It sure seems that way because when the spouse is collecting a retirement benefit, the excess spousal benefit (potentially reduced for taking spousal benefits early) comes into play. And when the spouse isn't collecting a retirement benefit, the spousal benefit equals half of the worker's full retirement benefit. (Note, the spouse has to collect a retirement benefit before full retirement age if she applies for her spousal benefit.) The answer, in fact, is no. There is only one formula. The formula for the spousal benefit is always the excess benefit formula. But here's what happens to the application of that formula if the spouse is not collecting a retirement benefit. In that case, the spouse's full retirement benefit (also called the Primary Insurance Amount) is set to zero in calculating the excess spousal benefit. The reason, according to Social Security, is that a worker's Primary Insurance does not exist (i.e., equals zero) if the worker has not applied for a retirement benefit (and either suspended its collection or started to receive it). In other words, your Primary Insurance Amount is viewed as non-existant until you apply for a retirement benefit. This construct - the primary insurance amount doesn't exist until it's triggered by a retirement benefit application -- lets Social Security claim to have one formula for spousal benefits. But there are, in effect, two spousal benefit formulas and which one you -- the person who will collect a spousal benefit -- faces will depend on whether or not you take your retirement benefit early.
10. If you are divorced, both you and your ex can collect spousal benefits (on each others work histories) after full retirement age while still postponing taking your own retirement benefits until, say, age 70, when they are as high as can be. This is an advantage for divorcees. But there's also a disadvantage. A divorcee who applies for spousal benefits before full retirement age will automatically be forced to apply for retirement benefits even if her/his ex isn't collecting retirement benefits.
11. There is no advantage to waiting to start collecting spousal benefits after you reach your full retirement age.
12. There is no advantage to waiting to start collecting survivor benefits after you reach your full retirement age.
13. If you started collecting Social Security retirement benefits within the last year and decide it wasn't the right move, you can repay all the benefits received, including spousal and child benefits, and reapply for potentially higher benefits at a future date.
14. If you wait to collect your retirement benefit after you reach your full retirement age, but before you hit age 70, you have to wait until the next January to see your full delayed retirement credit show up in your monthly check.
15. Millions of Baby Boomers can significantly raise their retirement benefits by continuing to work in their sixties. This may also significantly raise the spousal, child, and mother and father benefits their relatives collect.
16. If you take retirement, spousal, or widow/widower benefits early and lose some or all of them because of Social Security's earnings test, Social Security will actuarially increase your benefits (under the Adjustment of Reduction Factor) starting at your full retirement age based on the number of months of benefits you forfeited. This is true whether the loss in benefits due to the earnings test reflects benefits based on your own work record or based on your spouse's work record. Consequently, you should not be too concerned about working too much and losing your benefits if you elected to take them early.
17. When it comes to possibly paying federal income taxes on your Social Security benefits, withdrawals from Roth IRAs aren't counted, but withdrawals from 401(k), 403(b), regular IRAs, and other tax-deferred accounts are. So there may be a significant advantage in a) withdrawing from your tax-deferred accounts after you retire, but before you start collecting Social Security, b) using up your tax-deferred accounts before you withdraw from your Roth accounts, and c) converting your tax-deferred accounts to Roth IRA holdings after or even before you retire, but before you start collecting Social Security.
18. Social Security's online benefit calculators either don't handle or don't adequately handle spousal, divorcee, child, mother, father, widow or widower benefits, or file and suspend options.
19. The default assumptions used in Social Security's online retirement benefit calculators is that the economy will experience no economy-wide real wage growth and no inflation going forward. This produces benefit estimates that can, for younger people, be significantly less than what they are most likely to receive.
20. Some widows/widowers may do better taking their survivor benefits starting at 60 and their retirement benefits at or after full retirement. Others may do better taking their retirement benefits starting at 62 and taking their widow/widowers benefits starting at full retirement age.
21. If you're below full retirement age and are collecting a spousal benefit and your spouse is below full retirement age and is collecting a retirement benefit, your spousal benefit can be reduced if your spouse earns beyond the Earnings Test's exempt amount. And it can also be reduced if you earn beyond the Earnings Test's exempt amount.
22. The Windfall Elimination Provision affects how the amount of your retirement or disability benefit is calculated if you receive a pension from work where Social Security taxes were not taken out of your pay, such as a government agency or an employer in another country, and you also worked in other jobs long enough to qualify for a Social Security retirement or disability benefit. A modified formula is used to calculate your benefit amount, resulting in a lower Social Security benefit than you otherwise would receive.
23. Based on the Government Pension Offset provision, if you receive a pension from a federal, state or local government based on work where you did not pay Social Security taxes, your Social Security spouse's or widow's or widower's benefits may be reduced.
24. If you have children, because you started having children late or adopted young children later in life, they can collect child benefits through and including age 17 (or age 19 if they are still in secondary school) if you or your spouse or you ex spouse are collecting retirement benefits.
25. If you have children who are eligible to collect benefits because your spouse or ex spouse is collecting retirement benefits, you can collect mother or father benefits until your child reaches age 16.
26. Your children can receive survivor benefits if your spouse or ex-spouse died and they are under age 18 (or age 19 if they are still in secondary school).
27. You can collect mother or father benefits if you spouse or ex-spouse died and you have children of your spouse or your ex-spouse who are under age 16.
28. There is a maximum family benefit that applies to the total benefits to you, your spouse, and your children that can be received on your earnings record.
29. If you choose to file and suspend in order to enable your spouse to collect a spousal benefit on your earnings record while you delay taking your benefit in order to collect a higher one later, make sure you pay your Medicare Part B premiums out of your own pocket (i.e., you need to send Social Security a check each month). If you don't, Social Security will pay it for you and treat you as waving (i.e., not suspending) your benefit apart from the premium and, get this, you won't get the Delayed Retirement Credit applied to your benefit. In other words, if you don't pay the Part B premiums directly, your benefit when you ask for it in the future will be NO LARGER than when you suspended its receipt. This is a really nasty Gotcha, which I just learned, by accident, from one of Social Security's top actuaries.
30. If you are collecting a disability benefit and your spouse tries to collect just his/her Social Security benefit early, she will be deemed to be filing for her spousal benefits as well. I.e., if your spouse takes his/her retirement benefit early, he/she won't be able to delay taking a spousal benefit early, which means both her retirement and spousal benefits will be permanently reduced thanks to the early retirement benefit and early spousal benefit reduction factors.
31. When inflation is low, like it is now, there is a disadvantage to delaying until, say 70, collecting one's retirement benefit. The disadvantage arises with respect to Medicare Part B premiums. If you collecting benefits (actually were collecting them last year), the increase in the Medicare premium this year will be limited to the increase in your Social Security check. This is referred to as being "held harmless." Hence, when inflation is low, the increase in your check due to the cost of living adjustment will be small, meaning the increase in your Medicare Part B premium will be limited. But, if you aren't collecting a benefit because you are waiting to collect a higher benefit later, tough noogies. You're Medicare Part B premium increase won't be limited. And that increase will be locked into every future year's Medicare Part B premium that you have to pay. You can wait to join Medicare until, say, age 70, but if you aren't working for a large employer, the premiums you'll pay starting at 70 will be higher and stay higher forever. So much for helping the government limit its Medicare spending!
32. Hold harmless -- the provision that your increase in Medicare Part B premium cannot exceed the increase in your Social Security check due to Social Security's Cost of Living Adjustment -- does not apply if you have high income and are paying income-related Medicare Part B premiums.
33. The thresholds beyond which first 50 percent and then 85 percent of your Social Security benefits are subject to federal income taxation are explicitly NOT indexed for inflation. Hence, eventually all Social Security recipients will be tax on 85 percent of their Social Security benefits.
34. If you take your retirement benefit early and your spouse takes his/her retirement benefit any time that is a month or more after you take your retirement benefit, you will NOT be deemed, at that point (when your spouse starts collecting his/her retirement benefit) to be applying for a spousal benefit. In other words, you can, in this situation, wait until your full retirement age to start collecting your unreduced excess spousal benefit. The retirement benefit collection status of your spouse in the month you file for early retirement benefits determines whether you are deemed to be also be applying for spousal benefits. This means that you should think twice about applying for retirement benefits in the same month as your spouse if one or both of you are applying early.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/07/social-security-secrets-you-need-to-know-now.html

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Secrets of Dole Chadee Filed under: News|Trinidad and Tobago Suspected, but never proven, to be one of this country's biggest narco-traffickers, the two- decade reign of Dole Chadee (Nankissoon Boodram) in his self-made "kingdom" in Piparo, ended with his arrest in 1994 for the murders of four members of a Williamsville family and his hanging in 1999, along with his gang of eight. Ten years later, the rumours about him have become enduring myths. Andrew Vasquez was a keeper of some of Chadee's secrets. Vasquez was one of five men within Chadee's inner circle, a confidant, and his driver for almost 20 years. He has decided to tell his story. It is somewhat of an irony that Andrew Vasquez should end up back at work on Dole Chadee's 110-acre estate, on which the latter built his fortressed houses and ran his "agricultural" business. The State-owned land was overrun by the police and army in 1995, and transformed into the Piparo Empowerment Centre. Vasquez is a foreman working with a contractor employed to build an extension to the drug rehabilitation centre. He is 60 years old, but looks 40, and is short, stout, and strong. When Chadee constructed his mansions on the site in 1982-83, Vasquez was also the foreman in charge of that project, in which "money was no object and the best of every single thing was used in the construction". Vasquez recalled in an interview how he ended up being an employee of Chadee. "We first met in 1976 in the village. I was employed with Readymix Ltd (a cement company) in Arima, and was in an accident in 1979. Due to that accident, I was unable to go back to work. I had 55 per cent disability, so I approached him for a work as a driver. I went to him at his house. I asked about my salary, and what he offered me was satisfactory as a family man. And that was it. I stayed with him until the end of his time", he said with a chuckle. At that time, Vasquez said, Chadee owned two Mercedes Benz luxury cars, but did not have his licence. "He got that years after." Vasquez said his association with Chadee began after Chadee was already wealthy. "But he came from poverty. His family was from Curepe but he had family in Piparo. He would spend plenty time down here. He went to the (San Fernando) Technical school and came out as a mason. "But he didn't use them skills when the mansions were being built. "He oversee everything. Houses, temple, all the roads, cattle pens, and goat, sheep and duck pens." Vasques said Chadee had five children, two boys with his "married wife" Ann Marie Boodram, two sons with his common-law wife, Chandra Chadee, and a son with a woman in the village. He said "Chadee's family would seldom visit the estate. They stayed at the other house (a mansion on Pascall Road, Piparo). The estate was his work area, but there was never a typical day for that man. Every day was different". Vasquez recalled the many times police officers came hunting for drugs. "They would always pick up with me. I had to go with them to search buildings. They never found a thing. The police would say, 'you with this man whole day, and you don't know what he doing'. I would tell them that I working on instructions, and I never asked questions. I would say 'you see this car? I just take 'The Boss' around in that'." Vasquez confirmed what most people in Piparo have said over the years about Chadee. He was like a Dole-facts or fiction? Yes, Chadee did own a stable of horses, his most prized being the horse "Mentone", once owned by Conrad Awai and trained by Eric "Colt" Durant. The foreign-bred horse has been described as the "best to ever race on a local track". Vasquez, who accompanied Chadee to racing pools and race tracks but who never gambled, said "Mentone was at that time a ranking racehorse, and Chadee decided he wanted it. He bought the horse when it was still racing proficient, but used it for (stud service) at $15,000 a serve". Yes, Chadee did pay his agricultural workers with one dollar bills from crocus bags. Vasquez said he never asked the origin of the money. "That is a fact. I would go to the hardware sometimes with $10,000, $20,000 in dollar bills and the hardware people would see me coming and say 'oh God, no', because they have to count it all." No, Chadee's estate did not have secret tunnels or underground bunkers to store an arsenal of weapons or give Chadee an avenue of escape. Yes, the army did find several blue, plastic barrels buried in the ground and stuffed with millions of dollars. No, Chadee did not spend his millions jetting around the world. In fact, Vasquez said Chadee did not even have a passport until the late 80s. Yes, Chadee did have plastic surgery, but not to disguise himself. Vasquez said "in the late 80s. Chadee take up a load of grapefruit and was going to the CGA (Citrus Growers Association) in his van when he crash just after the Chaguanas Flyover. The van capsized and gone skating down the highway and part of his face cut away". No, Chadee did not kill drug dealers and bury them in and around the village. Vasquez described that as "a fabrication. So long as you have the stigma of being a person who killing people, wherever someone get kill, is your name they going to call. "Mind you, I don't know what they could have done in my absence, but I never heard him give anyone any instruction, whether verbally or on the phone, to kill anybody". And yes, Chadee did have substantial property assets outside of Piparo. Vasquez said: "I was the one who look after his land taxes, water rate, telephone bill, vehicle insurance and licence. At one time, he had two properties in San Fernando, one on St James Street and one on the Coffee (Street), and a gas station in Carenage. The properties in San Fernando were eventually sold when he was in prison. To who, I can't say." But Vasquez does not know whether, as reported, that some high-profile kidnappings last year had anything to do with Chadee associates trying to collect on money loaned to businessmen. "I personally don't know of those transactions, but the only time I would know for example [is] while passing through Princes Town or San Fernando, Chadee would see a building and say 'that's mine'." Chadee was a godfather, a benefactor capable of doing good for his village, but dealing swiftly with anyone who crossed him. Vasquez said "if there was a prayer meeting, or a death in a family or a wedding, he would ask me if the people had electricity, chairs, tent, food. I would go and investigate and bring back the information. He would say if that is what they need, get it! Sometimes $6,000, $7,000 in groceries going to a house one time. He was always charitable, never turned anybody away. He did this hundreds of times, even wanted to buy land for the cricket club in the area". Vasquez said at no time during his employment did he harbour any fear. "This was my job. I was never in fear at any time because I never questioned his instructions. That is what built his confidence in me. I was honest to him. I was the only person who could wake him out of bed anytime, night or day. Not even his wife. She would be too scared because he had a temper." Vasquez remembers the day that Chadee came a doorstep away from execution, an incident that ended in Chadee being put on his first charge of murder in 1993. "That day, around 6.30 a.m., I saw a Cortina parked up in front Chadee house. The two fellas tell me good morning, they looking for 'The Boss'. One said his name was Cuthbert Charles. I said right now I have to locate him and, in the meantime, they should go back to the junction and wait. "Instead, they drove down to the cattle pens. Two hours after, Chadee met me and said he heard something happen in Williamsville, so see what happen. I went and see this same Cortina wrap around a lamp pole and one of the men dead. "When I told Dole the name, he said 'them fellas come to kill me boy'!" Vasquez said he never asked why. Chadee and two cousins, Indar and Wally Chadee, were charged with the murder of St Clair McMillan, and the State's star witness was Cuthbert "Scotty" Charles. Charles was kidnapped and murdered, and the Chadee trio freed. By Vasquez's estimation, Chadee was at one time worth no less than $50 million. It was what gave him the power to buy anything, anytime he wanted-which was how Chadee ended up in 1993 owning the Totoya Royal Saloon that had once belonged to Prime Minister Patrick Manning. Vasquez said "the story of Chadee buying a car from Manning is a fabrication. It was Sankey (Subance, a San Fernando businessman) who bought the car and, the next day, he called Chadee and said 'look, I bought a car, you want to look at it'? As soon as Chadee see the car, he said 'call a price' and same day we bring it home. The transfer had not been made from the Prime Minister to Sankey, so this is why the certified copy has the car being bought from Manning to Chadee". Vasquez believes he knew Chadee well enough to say that "Dole was not capable of killing. He couldn't even kill a fowl. I believe, to this day, his case was based on fabricated evidence". He also does not believe the State's case that Chadee instructed his gang to "kill everybody" on January 10, ten years ago. "I was not there at that time. Only when I read it in the papers. I did not know (the Baboolals) got killed in Williamsville." Vasquez also said he never witnessed any drug dealings. "I never saw any drugs or ammunition, and I was never involved. I personally never saw a shipment (of drugs). As far as I was concerned, Dole was as clean as clean could be." But Vasquez confirmed that Chadee knew Halminton Baboolal, one of the four victims in Williamsville. "We knew Halminton as 'Mice'. He had once stolen a police uniform and did a hold-up. He was owing Dole approximately $40,000. But instead of paying, he was in the company of some other people when he said he wanted to kidnap one of Dole boys. That information reach back to Dole and he told me "this man owing money and threatening to take my boy. Next thing I hear, Mice dead, father, sister and mother dead." Vasquez returned to the construction business after the arrest of his boss, but he remained loyal to the end. "I am in contact with his boys. They never knew him too well and I still have a picture of them and their father sitting, listening to prayers." When Chadee was in prison, Vasquez would carry food for him every day until he was convicted. "A few weeks before they hang him, I got to see him. He stopped eating, he was very depressed. He gave up already. He knew time was coming to a close and it was the end." On the day in 1999 when Chadee was hanged, Vasquez was at home. "How I felt did not matter. There was nothing I could do. What I do know is he should still be alive. A lot of people will tell you up to this day if he was alive, life for many would have been much better." Vasquez has kept the newspaper clippings on everything Chadee-related, and intends to some day publish his story. "I keeping the other secrets for that," he remarked.

"Restricting talented people is the biggest problem in the entertainment business in Japan," says 24-year-old Erika Sawajiri. "This is the 21st century and it has to change." The sheer frankness of the enigmatic model, actress and singer is certainly an unusual, and I must say refreshing, occurrence in conservative Japan. She has gained a reputation as a difficult, thorny character. But now, in her first ever English-language interview, Sawajiri simply comes across as honest, direct and passionate about changing how Japanese entertainers are treated by their agencies. She has been a revelation to the orderly, deferential world of Japanese entertainers, causing controversy after controversy ever since her infamous "betsu ni" ("not really") responses at a press conference in September 2007. Speaking near-fluent English, and without hesitation -- a real rarity in Japan -- confidence and self-assurance clearly runs through her veins. An exceptional background Perhaps Erika Sawajiri was born to be an exception. Born to a Berber (indigenous north-African) mother and a wealthy Japanese father, her upbringing was anything but standard. "My mum was born in Algeria but moved here from Paris when she was 24 or 25, met my father and stayed. My grandparents died already and I never met them, so I have no contact with my mom's side, but she has six brothers and sisters that I met when I was a child," she explains. "I never learned Berber or French, though I will someday, but my mother always listened to Arabic music and Gypsy Kings when I grew up and that makes a big impression." Growing up mixed-race in Japan is still a rarity, and many feel excluded from Japanese society, as they are considered neither foreign, nor fully Japanese. In recent years attitudes in Tokyo at least have begun to change, thanks to a growing number of celebrities, especially singers, with mixed background. Artists like Crystal Kay (Korean and African-American), Thelma Aoyama (Trinidadian and Japanese) and Kaela Kimura (British and Japanese) have started to change public opinion on what it means to be Japanese. Though some like Angela Aki (Italian-American and Japanese) have spoken of challenges growing up in such an ethnically homogenous nation. "I never went to an international school, so I think I'm totally Japanese," says Sawajiri. "But I had a long-held ambition to go to another country, especially in Europe and at 21 I decided to go to London." Fame and unhappiness By the time she went there to study English for a year at Bell International Institute, she had already gained more life experience than most and was glad to lead a more normal life for at least a while. "My family was quite rich when I was young," she says. "My father had a stable of horses amongst lots of businesses, but suddenly he disappeared when I was about nine years old. We had a big house in Tokyo until then, but we had to move to an apartment as my mother had a hard time to make a living. She had to sell a lot of things, the house, jewelry and so on. It was a tough time. Then one day, suddenly my father came back when I was 15. He told us he had cancer and was going to die. We lived together for one month with my two brothers." Her elder brother then died in a car accident while Sawajiri was in her first year of high school. Sawajiri began modeling as a student but made her breakthrough in the 2005 TV series "1 Litre of Tears," in which she played Aya Ikeuchi, a girl suffering from spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD). Signed to Japanese management company Stardust aged just 13, she would go on to star in further TV dramas like "Song of the Sun" and launch her singing career with two consecutive no.1 singles on Sony, the first time a debutant had achieved the feat since 1983. Her star could hardly have been rising faster. Yet it was all about to come crashing down. And looking back, Sawajiri is glad it did. "Actually I was not really happy because I wasn't satisfied with those songs. In fact I don't know how they could possibly reach no.1. I thought everyone must be crazy to buy them. I didn't like those songs, it was just pop." Fighting the Japanese management system Like the vast majority of talent in Japan, she was tied to a contract in a management firm that controlled what she could and couldn't do. Most talents simply receive monthly stipends as 'employees' of their agencies in Japan, restricting innovation amongst music artists and forcing actors into shows they would never choose themselves. They are also made to work extraordinarily long hours. Even some of Japan's top stars such as Aya Ueto have admitted being severely burdened emotionally by the system. Some have been banned from having normal private lives, leading to social isolation. Many fall off the tracks. "It was hard in Tokyo before I went, every day was working and I couldn't sleep. I would get just three hours so it was so hard every day," says Sawajiri. "I just stopped and went to London, I wanted to live a normal life as a girl. I had to learn English, that was tricky, but it was a really good experience, I just went to school and after class we went to a pub to talk or drink beer." At a press conference for the filmed "Closed Note" in September 2007, seemingly unhappy with the film she had been cast for, she gave a series of short, terse answers to the press. Roundly criticized by Japanese media for breaking Japanese etiquette and being disrespectful to her co-stars, she issued an apology two days later on TV Asahi's Super Morning. "That apology was a mistake!" says Sawajiri. "My agency told me I had to apologize, I kept refusing, I absolutely didn't want to do it. I told them 'this is my way'... but in the end I surrendered. That was my mistake." Controversy and regrets Sawajiri then got involved with Japanese media creator Tsuyoshi Takashiro, 21 years her senior, whom she married on January 20, 2009. Now pending divorce, she is full of regret for the time spent with him too. "It was a hard time in London with him, I don't have a good memories, it was a tough time, a nightmare. Fortunately I made friends amongst local people and they would take me to parties or clubs and that was fun because the nightlife is amazing." After a year in London, she packed her bags for Barcelona where she stayed for another year. Japanese media got wind of a potential separation when it emerged Takashiro was in New Zealand. Then in September 2009, almost two years since her self-imposed break, her management dropped her, meaning she would lose her highly anticipated movie comeback role in 2010 as the lead in "Space Battleship Yamato." "I always wanted to come back and start working again, that was the plan, and now I have a plan to do a film that I really want to do, one that I want to play a role for since it's so important for me to choose a film as my acting comeback." Coming back to life Working from an agency set up in Spain, she would cause outrage once more when faxes appeared on the desks of Japanese media in March 2010 announcing her comeback, with six (rather tame) rules stating what media could and couldn't do. Perfect fodder for the media to uphold her reputation as a troublemaker. "It was not me and I never knew about it!" exclaims Sawajiri. "The truth is those six conditions were my husband's idea. I believed him and trusted him, but he did wrong." "When the problem with my ex-husband -- legally we are still married -- is solved, things are going to change. But I don't know when it will be solved yet." 2010 has seen Sawajiri step out onto the big stage once more, debuting her new English songs at The Girls Awards in May ("Now I want to try dance music," she says) and gracing the cover of seemingly endless glossy magazines. Staying solo For anyone living in Tokyo, Sawajiri appears everywhere. "I am afraid of overexposure because I had that experience in 2007, but it's not that bad now. Honestly I want to do shoots and sing and do things right now, this is the moment and I want to show my creativity any way I can. Even as a hobby I love photography and do some graphic design." With rumors of her signing a deal with an industry giant soon, this time Sawajiri is adamant that they won't have a hand in her management and has strong words of criticism for the entire structure. "I think [restricting talent from having normal lives and expressing opinions] is a problem with the entertainment world in Japan, in fact it's the biggest problem. I think the whole system is so old. The managers themselves are old but we have to change this situation." Not since the days of 1980s idol Seiko Matsuda -- when the leading singer challenged traditional Japanese thinking by refusing to retire upon marriage -- has a female entertainer had the balls to stand up for what she believes in, dividing opinion in the process. For now, living permanently back in Tokyo, as she seeks to reshape how stars can balance personal and creative freedom with success, Sawajiri is working freelance and solo. "I want to cope with the entertainment business of Japan by setting up my own office," she says. "We live in the 21st century so it's time to get up to date."

what if she has forgotten me?

hugo jospin 2 Boulevard De Clichy 75018 Paris France hugojospin@free.fr

17920 W Colonial Drive, Oakland, Fla.

ONLY YOU

Forever, forever, baby
Forever, forever, together
Forever, forever, smiling

Be it a dream or an illusion
I didn’t care if I’d never wake up again
Everybody passed me by
But only you didn’t
I didn’t have anything
I was a hollow humanoid shell
But you filled me
I finally found someone special

(Only your words) My unmoving feet
(Only your eyes) My instantly-shying-away heart
(Only your arms) My scattered tears
You gathered them together and stroked my face

I don’t need anything
Wherever, whenever
I’m not afraid
I might be tiny but I’ll stand tall
And protect you no matter what
Because you give my life meaning

I was wrong
On the day when I doubted you just once
My sadness tried to kill to me
That happened for the first time
But you calmly warmed
And healed me again

(Because it’s you) Even when I’m being a cry-baby
(If it’s with you) Even when I’m lost on a dark road
(Only you) No matter what, you’d never betray me
If it’s to you, I can sing

I don’t need anything
Wherever, whenever
I’m not afraid
I might be tiny but I’ll stand tall
And protect you no matter what
Because you give my life meaning

Halfway down the road on which I kept stumbling
You gave me a reason to stand up again
At all costs, if it’s for your sake
No wound can hurt me

I don’t need anything
Wherever, whenever
I’m not afraid
I might be tiny but I’ll stand tall
And protect you no matter what
Because only you changed me

I don’t want anyone but you
I stand firm
Up until now and in the future
I give it my all and persist
Because only you are
The person I’ve been looking for

Forever, forever, baby
Forever, forever, together
Forever, forever, smiling

prophets of science fiction

“Never regret anything coz at one time it was exactly what u wanted…”,

GM-B34,

WA815T/56/GLK

Afrikaans: Geseënde Kersfees

Afrikander: Een Plesierige Kerfees

African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja: Rehus-Beal-Ledeats

Albanian:Gezur Krislinjden

American Merry Christmas

Arabic: Milad Majid

Argentine: Feliz Navidad

Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand

Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun

Bahasa Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal

Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!

Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha

Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce

Bosnian: (BOSANSKI) Cestit Bozic i Sretna Nova godina

Brazilian: Feliz Natal

Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat

Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo

Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!

Chile: Feliz Navidad

Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun

Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan

Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito

Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo

Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth

Corsian: Pace e salute

Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La Roo

Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi

Croatian: Sretan Bozic

Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok

Danish: Glædelig Jul

Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak

Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast

English: Merry Christmas

Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!

Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon

Estonian: Rõõmsaid Jõulupühi

Ethiopian: (Amharic) Melkin Yelidet Beaal

Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!

Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad

Finnish: Hyvaa joulua

Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar

French: Joyeux Noel

Frisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!

Galician: Bo Nada

Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!

German: Fröhliche Weihnachten

Greek: Kala Christouyenna!

Haiti: (Creole) Jwaye Nowel or to Jesus Edo Bri'cho o Rish D'Shato Brichto

Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!

Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka

Hebrew: Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova

Hindi: Shub Naya Baras (good New Year not Merry Christmas)

Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket

Icelandic: Gledileg Jol

Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal

Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah

Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat

Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.

Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie

Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto

Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags

Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha

Lao: souksan van Christmas

Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!

Latvian: Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!

Lausitzian:Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto

Lettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus

Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu

Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar

Luxembourgish: Schèine Chreschtdaag an e gudde Rutsch

Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik

Maltese: IL-Milied It-tajjeb

Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa

Maori: Meri Kirihimete

Marathi: Shub Naya Varsh (good New Year not Merry Christmas)

Mongolian: Shire jiliin Mend Hurgi

Navajo: Merry Keshmish

Norwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul

Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado

Papiamento: Bon Pasco

Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu

Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!

Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo

Philippines: Maligayang Pasko!

Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie

Portuguese:Feliz Natal

Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha

Rapa-Nui (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua

Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn

Romanche: (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!

Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele or Craciun fericit

Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom

Sami: Buorrit Juovllat

Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou

Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou

Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh

Serbian: Hristos se rodi.

Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa

Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok

Slovene: Vesele Bozicne Praznike Srecno Novo Leto or Vesel Bozic in srecno Novo leto

Spanish: Feliz Navidad

Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År

Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon

Tamil: (Tamizh) Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal (good New Year not Merry Christmas)

Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!

Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai or souksan wan Christmas

Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun

Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym or Z RIZDVOM HRYSTOVYM

Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho (good New Year not Merry Christmas)

Vietnamese: Chuc Mung Giang Sinh

Welsh: Nadolig Llawen

Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!

so I went directly on applying the CQ. It was so much fun! Much easier than OC2 which easily produced high spots if not in correct amount.

When I hear this song I remember you...

But life will soon part us, because I couldn’t follow yours steps.

You are the best part of my life and yet I can’t say how much I love you.

Loving you means I cannot put you in a cage but set you free.

The only thing I can do is waiting for you even knowing that you probably won’t come back to me.

I wish nothing but the best for you. And, please, be happy wherever you go. Your happiness is my happiness.

I love you my guardian angel…

I love you

I've found that some detailing myths are deliberately perpetuated by the industry and others are just common errors of judgment

Myths or marketing hype is usually based on some ‘truth’ to give it credibility, but biased to the advantage of the particular product. Or sometimes just plain misinformation or negative marketing to take advantage of the lack of knowledge by the general public


Leather needs oils to feed and condition it

Leather doesn’t need oils to feed it; it isn’t a living thing. Leather was removed from a dead animal, it’s then fat-liquored to preserve its oils and then sealed, and it also doesn't need proteins, collagen, oils or creams to feed or condition it, even if they could permeate the various coverings.

If you keep polishing your car you’ll take all the paint off.

Most modern vehicle paint film systems thickness is approximately 6.0 Mil (0.006-inches) comprising a Primer coat of 2Mils, a Colour coat of 1-2Mils, and Clear coat 2-3Mils. Ultra violet protection (UV) migrates to the top of the clear coat to protect the paint system from the effects of (UV) radiation (photo degradation (colour fading) oxidation)
Using a medium abrasive polish and a rotary polisher will remove approximately 0. 1 Mil (3µ Microns) from the paint surface (typically 4 passes at 1500-1800 RPM) but there are many variables such as polish/compound and speed / pressure used that may affect the paint removed)

There comes a point when you must judge wither removing a scratch will compromise the clear coat and if so you’ll have to ‘live’ with the imperfection. If you have reservations about the amount of paint surface removed or the amount of paint coating remaining the use of a paint thickness gauge (PTG) is arbitrary

A sealant has no benefit to the paint ‘because’ there is a clear coat

This is baffling, as clear coat is a polyethylene paint but without colour pigmentation, its applied to provide the colour coat (base coat) with shine, if a clear coat did not need a protection applied, there would be no such thing as clear coat failure due to oxidation or any of a myriad of clear coat problems. To provide further improvements in appearance and durability the basecoat / clear coat systems were developed and introduced in the late 70’s. The base coat is comprised primarily of pigments held in place by a polymeric resin film (binder).

To clean really dirty wheels use an acid based cleaner

There is a thin line between effective cleaning and dangerous to use products; so before using any chemicals or solvents, carefully read all of the cautions and medical information on the products container and / or MSDS.

Always follow all of the manufacturer’s recommendations. Ensure that you wear eye protection and acid-proof gloves; this is mandatory. No matter how safe an acidic product is advertised, never run the risk of it splashing in your eye or permeating your skin.

Use a product that has a low acid concentration level i.e. Sulphuric, Phosphoric and Nitric acid. 10% or less) with as high a pH level as you can find for an acid, this constitutes a less aggressive product. A wheel cleaner containing a neutralized acid is far safer yet still very effective to use on most wheels. It will do a far better job than high alkaline cleaners, yet is nowhere near as harmful to the vehicle or yourself

If you dilute an acid it makes it less harmful

Water is amphoteric and can act as an acid or as a base; an aqueous solution is a solution in which the solvent is water. Hydration leaves the non-water component intact. To dilute an acid requires a buffering agent, which adjusts the pH of a solution. The function of a buffering agent is to drive an acidic or basic solution to a certain pH state and prevent a change in this pH. Buffering agents have variable properties -- some are more soluble than others; some are acidic while others are basic.

Low pH acidic and high pH alkaline cleaners should be used with proper skin protection and in plenty of fresh air ventilation. Also proper health precautions should be taken (gloves, respirator, etc)

Using dawn will destroy rubber trim and paint

I would not recommend using a harsh dishwashing detergent such as Dawn on a regular basis, as they contain a degreaser, although most of them are approx pH 8.0 the other ingredients will tend to emulsify, breakdown and leach out oils found in rubber moulding, trim and the paint system, which if used constantly will cause the plasticizers to dry out and oxidize, causing them to lose their flexibility.

The DuPont Teflon® PTFE products that are used in the formulation of our products, add a distinctive performance benefit to the products

Teflon® will help ‘spread ability’ (but then so do silicone oils) it does nothing for durability because of its required application method-although Teflon® is an exceptional product when used as intended; it provides no benefit in a wax or polish. Unless Teflon® is applied at 700.0F, plus the use of a dissolving chemical C8, it is not a viable ingredient, and is 100 percent useless in protecting the paint's finish.

The larger the % of Carnauba wax the better the wax

Misinformation propagates the myth that increasing the Carnauba content of a wax will greatly improve the wax. This is only very marginally true at best; most carnaubas advertised with 50% or more Carnauba wax content is truly advertising a weight, not a volume. 30% by volume is about 50% by weight is about the maximum content (approx 35% Carnauba by volume makes it almost impossible to add/remove) that’s why you never can truly assess the amount of Carnauba in a manufactured wax unless the manufacturer specifically lists its content percentage by weight or volume.

Silicone / Petroleum distillates are harmful to paint

Silicone (Siloxane) oils - are polymers that include silicon together with carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and sometimes other chemical elements, which provide an excellent lubricant that when used as a carrier system in polishes and waxes that makes them easier to apply and remove When used in paints and other coatings it ensures an even flow through a spray nozzle ensuring an even product distribution. It not silicone that you need worry about, just the 'type' (what it’s formulated with) you need to be aware of. Silicone oils provide an excellent lubricant that when used as a carrier system in polishes and waxes that makes them easier to apply and remove When used in paints and other coatings it ensures an even flow through a spray nozzle ensuring an even product distribution.


More soap bubbles in a wash will get things cleaner

Back when laundry was done with soap flakes, suds level was an indicator of cleaning performance. So, many people today think that a good rich level of suds is necessary for clean laundry. However, this is no longer true. Today's detergents are formulated to have any suds level desired without affecting cleaning performance. "They make the removal of dirt easier by reducing the surface tension between the water and the paint surface.

In reality suds (a chemical foaming agent or coconut oil) do absolutely nothing to clean, they are simply a structure that a portion of the solution had taken due to being mixed with air. The amount of foaming produced has nothing to do with its cleaning efficiency, although it does provide a means of encapsulation as well as acting a cushion between the paint surfaces and cleaning tool (although a surfactant is much better at this)

All purpose cleaners (APC) will remove any soil / stain

Classifying stains-

Organic stains- these include proteins and fats, body oils, mould yeast, bacteria, bugs and carbohydrates. Most of the stains found in the vehicle interior are of an organic nature and require an alkaline type cleaner. Some organic stains (i.e. blood, vomit, urine) should be removed with an enzyme type cleaner and a disinfectant applied to the area

Non-Organic stains- mostly found on the exterior of the vehicle, hard water scale (calcium) lime deposits, Road tar, grease and oil film, and require an acidic type cleaner.

Petroleum soils - substances that do not contain water, nor are they miscible, these soil types include, motor oils, and crease and road tar, and require a solvent type cleaner.

Stain Types-

Water Soluble Stains- These stains can be dissolved in cool water or loosened with water based cleaner, coffee; soft drinks, cocoa and chocolate are good examples.

Oil soluble stains- These are stains that are comprised of oily or greasy substances, which include cooking, oil from fried foods and suntan oil.

Combination Stains- These stains contain both water based and oil-soluble properties. Cleaning these stains require treatment with a petroleum solvent followed by water based cleaning solution.

Unidentifiable Stains- Sometimes stains cannot be identified. Treat these stains like a combination stain. Clean with a petroleum solvent followed by water based cleaner.

As you can see from the above list the so-called ‘all purpose cleaner’ (APC) cannot remove all stains, it’s better to use a specific stain remover than to compromise. Always select a chemical / cleaner that are biodegradable, environmentally friendly and safe to use by observing any precautions recommended so that they won’t harm you, your vehicle or the environment

A hard paint surface resists scratches

Hard and soft are both relative terms; you can scratch the hard surface of a vehicles paint with a soft towel by the application of enough pressure. Both pressure and mechanical stress are defined as force per unit area. These two forces are the subject of Newton's third law of motion; the law of reciprocal actions [: to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction]


How can a hard clear coat be so easily scratched? Force acts through a body that has a surface area; if the surface area is really small while maintaining an equal force, the pressure becomes astronomical and the object under pressure capable of penetrating the surface of an otherwise tough material. That’s why a micro fine thread that is twice as fine as silk and a 100 times finer than a human hair, in an otherwise soft towel will scratch your paint. And the same reason a mosquito can penetrate a rhino hide with its proboscis (stinger).

A ‘Touch less’ or Tunnel car wash must be a safe way to clean your vehicle

Most so called ‘Touch less’ car washes today use a low pH acid as a first step, an alkaline to neutralize it and then high pressure water to wash cars. Hand washing is MUCH preferred, do not use an automated car wash period, touch less or not, there are a variety of reasons:

Local by-laws require car washes to re-claim or recycle water. This means they have two choices.

They can collect the water in tanks and pay to truck it away to a recycling centre or they can filter and then recycle the water (dependant on how often the filters are cleaned /changed) will affect how much dirt content there is. Recycled meaning re-use the same water, which may include any road dirt/grit that is not filtered out is used to high-pressure (1,000PSI) wash your vehicle (somewhat similar to sandblasting) the final rinse is usually twice-filtered re-cycled water, this is to give the appearance of a clean surface on the vehicle.

To help clean the recycled water they use a chemical like Presidium Orthophosphate (TSP) and have the chemical formula Na3PO4. It is a highly water-soluble ionic salt. Solutions of it dissolved in water have a high alkaline pH; this does a great job stripping your wax / sealant. TSP is generally not good for cleaning vehicles because it can corrode metal.

Washing my vehicle in my driveway is OK

Disposal of Aqueous Solutions - one should never assume that aqueous solutions can be disposed of down the drain. Your local water treatment authority or publicly owned treatment works will have information on treatment and disposal of these cleaners. Adjustment of pH and dilution are usually required before disposal to a drain Always comply with current water usage and disposal regulations / water usage restrictions

What’s the best wax?

Is there a best? In my opinion- No! While it’s true many of the chemicals used in the formulation of car care products are the same (or at least very similar) Chemists will forever be trying to make the perfect wax for cars, boats, or aircraft to protect us from the harsh climates on the surface of this little blue planet. And these chemists are driven by desire and need and the possibilities are endless as new compounds are adding to existing ones to bring up whole new blending ideas, some will revolutionize our industry but most will simply be duds. Some will be hyped even though they do not really solve a problem or fix a need. Never the less, the race goes on to find the best and we should be thinking about what is in that product before we put it on a car, boat, aircraft or prize possession.

Having used a variety of different products, at various cost levels, I can tell one from another and field testing shows that not all have the durability either, some simply outperform others in many categories and react differently when applied to different paint types, paint hardness, colour, or varied paint surface conditions.

Ultimately the best wax or sealant will prove to be the one that best meets its user's objectives. If a product is not working for you experiment until you find one that’s suitable for your needs. There is no one product that can produce all of the properties for an optically perfect shine, however; for high surface gloss and surface reflectance-a polymer sealant, which also provides durability. Detailing enthusiasts consider shine as only one attribute of a protective wax,sealant or coating. They are equally concerned with; ease of application, resistance to abrasion, atmospheric contamination and weathering.

Using heat, dry ice or suction will pop out a dent

The Paintless Dent Repair PDR) process is done by using many different tools to work the dent back out. Dents are removed and generally you cannot notice where the original dent was. This process requires a lot of training, practice, patience and skill, as well as a keen eye.

Carnauba wax contains natural UV absorbers

Carnauba waxes, contrary to popular belief and / or marketing do not contain natural UV protection; the oils (usually silicone in most products) make it very difficult to add the UV inhibitors. Polymers (acrylics, etc) resist UV degradation very well due to their structure, they are somewhat immune and absorb very little ultra violet radiation, and hence UV energy does not damage them

Detailer's clay bar it pulls the impurity out of the paint.

Detailer’s clay exfoliates bonded surface contaminants by shearing ( a popular misconception - it does not pull or extract contaminants from a paint surface, if this was the case there would be no need for it to be abrasive) it is then encapsulated by the clay resin. These abrasives are extremely small with an average particle size of 1- µ (micron) dependent on the aggressiveness required, mixed in with a powdered synthetic detergent.

Paints require oils to feed / nourish them

This is based upon oil-based paint, nitrocellulose lacquer or enamel and older technology paints on classic vehicles that required oils to keep them from becoming too brittle and cracking, water-based high solid/low solvent and urethane paints only require protection
Covered leather upholstery requires regular conditioning

As the top surface has polyurethane finish over pigmented finished leather, creams, oils or conditioners should not be used. Reminder; you are dealing with the finished surface coating and not with the leather itself.

I use Simple Green and it never hurt my aluminium wheels

It oxidizes aluminium on contact and damages clear from my experiences, it has a pH 9.3 and contains undiluted 2-butoxyethanol (Butyl Cellosolve) – see MSDS (Safe alternative - Simple Green. Pro HD conforms to both Boeing D6-17487P spec for general aircraft exterior cleaning and Pratt & Whitney PWA 36604 Rev C specifications for aircraft engine cleaning. It has been tested, thoroughly and has proven to be non-corrosive to aluminium.

A Lifetime Paint Protection

There is no polymer, synthetic or natural wax, or after-market product available that can provide a two, five year or lifetime protection to a paint film surface; read the fine print in the contract offered by car dealerships.


Water beading means my paint is protected

Nearly all wax and sealant products exhibit water beading or sheeting initially (in fact so does a clean paint surface without an applied protection) this is due solely to surface tension.

Once the protection breaks down (abrasion from water, road dirt/grime and other airborne pollutants) it will cause a reduction in the surface tension and the beading will revert to its former level

Abrasives require heat to break-down

Kinetic friction induced heat is an often misunderstood concept of polishing / compounding; abrasives require friction to breakdown, not heat; heat is just a resultant of friction between two surfaces.

Kerosene (cleaning) Baby Oil (for rubber seals) Shoe Polish (for leather upholstery)

Old school (technology) products that were use before the advent of specialised products specifically formulated for automobiles.
As materials and production methods that are used change; we need to adapt our product usage and application methodologies to change with them

The Lyrics:

Aankhon Mein Jis Ke Koi To Khwab Hai
Khush Tha Wahin Jo Thoda Betaab Hai
Zindagi Mein Koi Arzoo Kijiye
Phir Dekhiye..

Hoton Pe Jis Ke Koi To Geet Hai
Woh Haare Bhi To Us Ki Hi Jeet Hai
Dil Mein Jo Geet Hai Gun Guna Lijiye
Phir Dekhiye..

Yaadon Mein Jis Ke Kisi Ka Naam Hai
Sapno Ke Jaise Us Ki Har Sham Hai
Koi To Aaj Se Apna Dil Dijiye
Phir Dekhiye..

Khwab Bhun Yeh Zara Geet Sun Yeh Zara
Phool Chun Yeh Zara
Phir Dekhiye..


The Translation:

When your eyes hold a dream,
You will be happy, even if restless;
So aspire to something in your life,
And see what happens...

When have a song on your lips,
You will find, there is no such thing as defeat;
So keep that song humming in your heart,
And see what happens...

When someone is always in your thoughts,
You will be living your dream every single day;
So give your heart to that someone,
And see what happens...

So why don't you
Dream some dreams...
Play some songs...
Admire some flowers...
And see what happens...

Your car is German. Your vodka is Russian. Your pizza is Italian. Your kebab is Turkish. Your democracy is Greek. Your coffee is Brazilian. Your movies are American. Your tea is Tamil. Your shirt is Indian. Your oil is Saudi Arabian. Your electronics are Chinese. Your numbers Arabic, your letters Latin. And you complain that your neighbor is an immigrant? Pull yourself together!

Your Dreams and Desires Are Your Guiding Light To Pursue I am a firm believer that our desires are a guiding light for us to follow. No one gets to the end of their life and regrets going for their dream. On the other hand, I’m sure that there are those that wish they could go back and chase their desires. We only live one life. There are no do-overs. If we let time slip by without pursuing our desires, then we may miss our true calling in life. How does one start to pursue their desires? I want to share some thoughts today related to this. 1. Unleash your dreams- Stop holding back on thinking about the desire that is deep in your heart. It may have been there for a long time or it could be brand new. It may be a quiet little whisper telling you to start your own business or it may be a roaring lion urging you to go back to school. However your dream speaks to you right now, stop and listen. Give it a chance. There are seasons in our lives for everything. Your desires may be telling you of a new season ready to spring forth in your life if you are willing to listen to it. Don’t squelch your desires without even giving them a chance to blossom! 2. Stop thinking so small- The desires of our heart usually seem big to us. They challenge and stretch our thinking. This is what is meant by being outside our comfort zone. Dreams and desires often make us uncomfortable. They are a little scary, but we have to stop thinking small. Let your dream expand. Unpack your desires and let them grow on paper and in your mind. Start getting some ideas out and let them simmer for awhile. Discuss your dream with a trusted friend. It is amazing how something as simple as this often becomes the first step toward realizing progress toward a suppressed desire. My desire to start this blog began as some simple ideas jotted in a notebook one day when I was reading at the park. You never know when inspiration will hit! 3. Don’t be afraid to fail- Why are we so afraid of failure? I’m guilty of succumbing to my fears, but if we let it fear will rob us of our greatest potential in life. It will stunt our growth. Don’t let it. Put failure away. Dorothea Brande tells us to, “Act as if it were impossible to fail.” in her book titled “Wake Up and Live”. What would you do today if you knew without a doubt that it was impossible to fail? It is a compelling question, isn’t it? Fear is often hard to overcome. However, the killer part is that we have so much more to lose by not trying at all. The consequences of a setback in our efforts is usually minimal compared to total inaction. Fear is all in our mind. We cannot let it rob us of our dreams! Starting acting as if you cannot fail. 4. Believe that dreams will pay the bills- This is a specific fear that I think is very common. Most of us believe that we cannot make a living at our dream. However, there are a ton of people that have. In fact, we usually make more money by doing something we love. Of course, you have to pursue things in a thoughtful way. If you are supporting your family, please don’t quit your job to pursue your dream without an alternate source of income. However, it is possible to start taking action today to begin changing your course in life. It is possible. In fact, you need to keep telling yourself that it is possible until you start believing it. A few years from now, you will wonder why it took you so long to start working in the area of your passion. 5.Help others get what they want- Helping others bring their dreams into reality is a great way to jumpstart your own desires. I believe that the more you give in life, the more you get. Pour yourself out in serving others. Structure your dream in such a way that it helps other people and then really go the extra mile in serving them. You may need to start working toward your dream as if it were a hobby. For example, if you are a photographer, take some photos for a friend’s family at no charge. If you want to write, then offer to put together a guest post for a blog or write an article for a local magazine. You want to help the other party and get noticed. The best way to do this is to let your passion shine. 6. Don’t give up- I offer this advice every chance I get. The older I get, the more I believe that a lot of the difference between success and failure is perseverance. We often expect too much too soon. We are like fireworks on the 4th of July. We shoot up with a dazzling bright sparkle, make a nice pop at the top, and then fizzle and fall. Slow and steady wins the race. Pace yourself. Don’t burnout and give up. This is the biggest danger to our success. Keep trucking even when you don’t feel like it. It is okay to take a break, but don’t quit. It is when you most feel like quitting that your biggest success is waiting just around the corner! Follow your guiding light to live the life of your dreams! The dreams and desires you have in life are there for a reason. They are your guiding light. They want to lead you to the life you most desire. Your job is to follow them. Put your heart and reputation on the line. Nothing in life is achieved without risk. Don’t be foolhardy, but don’t wait another minute to start pursuing what you most desire. Start taking the simplest steps and see where that leads you. You will be amazed at how fast your dream builds up momentum. Follow Nike’s slogan and “Just Do It!” What are your dreams?

101 WAYS TO ANNOY PEOPLE

Sing the Batman theme incessantly.
In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sensual massage."
Specify that your drive-through order is "to go."
Learn Morse code, and have conversations with friends in public consisting entirely of "Beeeep Bip Bip Beeep Bip..."
If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.
Amuse yourself for endless hours by hooking a camcorder to your TV and then pointing it at the screen.
Speak only in a "robot" voice.
Push all the flat Lego pieces together tightly.
Start each meal by conspicuously licking all your food, and announce that this is so no one will "swipe your grub".
Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch paper, 98 copies.
Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.
Sniffle incessantly.
Leave your turn signal on for fifty miles.
Name your dog "Dog."
Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."
Reply to everything someone says with "that's what YOU think."
Claim that you must always wear a bicycle helmet as part of your "astronaut training."
Declare your apartment an independent nation, and sue your neighbors upstairs for "violating your airspace".
Forget the punchline to a long joke, but assure the listener it was a "real hoot."
Follow a few paces behind someone, spraying everything they touch with Lysol.
Practice making fax and modem noises.
Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc:" them to your boss.
Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
Invent nonsense computer jargon in conversations, and see if people play along to avoid the appearance of ignorance.
Erect an elaborate network of ropes in your backyard, and tell the neighbors you are a "spider person."
Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with the prophesy."
Wear a special hip holster for your remote control.
Do not add any inflection to the end of your sentences, producing awkward silences with the impression that you'll be saying more any moment.
Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears.
Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge across the room.
Give a play-by-play account of a persons every action in a nasal Howard Cosell voice.
Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you "like it that way."
Drum on every available surface.
Staple papers in the middle of the page.
Ask 1-800 operators for dates.
Produce a rental video consisting entirely of dire FBI copyright warnings.
Sew anti-theft detector strips into peoples backpacks.
Hide dairy products in inaccessible places.
Write the surprise ending to a novel on its first page.
Set alarms for random times.
Order a side of pork rinds with your filet mignon.
Instead of Gallo, serve Night Train next Thanksgiving.
Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a "croaking" noise.
Honk and wave to strangers.
Dress only in clothes colored Hunters Orange.
Change channels five minutes before the end of every show.
Tape pieces of "Sweating to the Oldies" over climactic parts of rental movies.
Wear your pants backwards.
Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints by the cash register.
Begin all your sentences with "ooh la la!"
ONLY TYPE IN UPPERCASE.
only type in lowercase.
dont use any punctuation either
Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.
Pay for your dinner with pennies.
Tie jingle bells to all your clothes.
Repeat everything someone says, as a question.
Write "X - BURIED TREASURE" in random spots on all of someone's roadmaps.
Inform everyone you meet of your personal Kennedy assassination/UFO/ O.J Simpson conspiracy theories.
Repeat the following conversation a dozen times: "Do you hear that?" "What?" "Never mind, its gone now."
Light road flares on a birthday cake.
Wander around a restaurant, asking other diners for their parsley.
Leave tips in Bolivian currency.
Demand that everyone address you as "Conquistador."
At the laundromat, use one dryer for each of your socks.
When Christmas caroling, sing "Jingle Bells, Batman smells" until physically restrained.
Wear a cape that says "Magnificent One."
As much as possible, skip rather than walk.
Stand over someone's shoulder, mumbling, as they read.
Pretend your computer's mouse is a CB radio, and talk to it.
Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce "no, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.
Drive half a block.
Inform others that they exist only in your imagination.
Ask people what gender they are.
Lick the filling out of all the Oreos, and place the cookie parts back.
Cultivate a Norwegian accent. If Norwegian, affect a Southern drawl.
Routinely handcuff yourself to furniture, informing the curious that you don't want to fall off "in case the big one comes".
Deliberately hum songs that will remain lodged in co-workers brains, such as "Feliz Navidad", the Archies "Sugar" or the Mr. Rogers theme song.
While making presentations, occasionally bob your head. like a parakeet.
Lie obviously about trivial things such as the time of day.
Leave your Christmas lights up and lit until September.
Change your name to "AaJohn Aaaaasmith" for the great glory of being first in the phone book. Claim it's a Hawaiian name, and demand that people pronounce each "a."
Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.
Chew on pens that you've borrowed.
Wear a LOT of cologne.
Listen to 33rpm records at 45rpm speed, and claim the faster speed is necessary because of your "superior mental processing."
Sing along at the opera.
Mow your lawn with scissors.
At a golf tournament, chant "swing-batabatabata-suhWING-batter!"
Ask the waitress for an extra seat for your "imaginary friend."
Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.
Ask your co-workers mysterious questions, and then scribble their answers in a notebook. Mutter something about "psychological profiles."
Stare at static on the TV and claim you can see a "magic picture."
Select the same song on the jukebox fifty times.
Never make eye contact.
Never break eye contact..
Construct elaborate "crop circles" in your front lawn.
Construct your own pretend "tricorder," and "scan" people with it, announcing the results.
Make appointments for the 31st of September.
Invite lots of people to other people's parties.


100 ZANY WAYS TO PHONE IN A PIZZA ORDER
1. If using a touch-tone, press random numbers while ordering. Ask the person taking the order to stop doing that.
2. Make up a charge-card name. Ask if they accept it.
3. Use CB lingo where applicable.
4. Order a Big Mac Extra Value Meal.
5. Terminate the call with, "Remember, we never had this conversation."
6. Tell the order taker a rival pizza place is on the other line and you're going with the lowest bidder.
7. Give them your address, exclaim "Oh, just surprise me!" and hang up.
8. Answer their questions with questions.
9. In your breathiest voice, tell them to cut the crap about nutrition and ask if they have something outlandishly sinful.
10. Use these bonus words in the conversation: ROBUST FREE-SPIRITED COST-EFFICIENT UKRAINIAN PUCE.
11. Tell them to put the crust on top this time.
12. Sing the order to the tune of your favorite song from Metallica's "Master of Puppets" CD.
13. Do not name the toppings you want. Rather, spell them out.
14. Put an extra edge in your voice when you say "crazy bread."
15. Stutter on the letter "p."
16. Ask for a deal available somewhere else. (e.g. If phoning Domino's, ask for a Cheeser! Cheeser!)
17. Ask what the order taker is wearing.
18. Crack your knuckles into the receiver.
19. Say hello, act stunned for five seconds, then behave as if they called you.
20. Rattle off your order with a determined air. If they ask if you would like drinks with that, panic and become disoriented.
21. Tell the order taker you're depressed. Get him/her to cheer you up.
22. Make a list of exotic cuisines. Order them as toppings.
23. Change your accent every three seconds.
24. Order 52 pepperoni slices prepared in a fractal pattern as follows from an equation you are about to dictate. Ask if they need paper.
25. Act like you know the order taker from somewhere. Say "Bed-Wetters' Camp, right?"
26. Start your order with "I'd like. . . ". A little later, slap yourself and say "No, I don't."
27. If they repeat the order to make sure they have it right, say "OK. That'll be $10.99; please pull up to the first window."
28. Rent a pizza.
29. Order while using an electric knife sharpener.
30. Ask if you get to keep the pizza box. When they say yes, heave a sigh of relief.
31. Put the accent on the last syllable of "pepperoni." Use the long "i" sound.
32. Have your pizza "shaken, not stirred."
33. Say "Are you sure this is (Pizza Place)? When they say yes, say "Well, so is this! You've got some explaining to do!" When they finally offer proof that it is, in fact, (Pizza Place), start to cry and ask, "Do you know what it's like to be lied to?"
34. Move the mouthpiece farther and farther from your lips as you speak. When the call ends, jerk the mouthpiece back into place and scream goodbye at the top of your lungs.
35. Tell them to double-check to make sure your pizza is, in fact, dead.
36. Imitate the order taker's voice.
37. Eliminate verbs from your speech.
38. When they say "What would you like?" say, "Huh? Oh, you mean now."
39. Play a sitar in the background.
40. Say it's your anniversary and you'd appreciate if the deliverer hid behind some furniture waiting for your spouse to arrive so you can surprise him/her.
41. Amuse the order taker with little-known facts about country music.
42. Ask to see a menu.
43. Quote Carl Sandberg.
44. Say you'll be able to pay for this when the movie people call back.
45. Ask if they have any idea what is at stake with this pizza.
46. Ask what topping goes best with well-aged Chardonnay.
47. Belch directly into the mouthpiece; then tell your dog it should be ashamed.
48. Order a slice, not a whole pizza.
49. Shout "I'm through with men/women! Send me a dozen of your best, Gaston!"
50. Doze off in the middle of the order, catch yourself, and say "Where was I? Who are you?"
51. Psychoanalyze the order taker.
52. Ask what their phone number is. Hang up, call them, and ask again.
53. Order two toppings, then say, "No, they'll start fighting."
54. Learn to properly pronounce the ingredients of a Twinkie. Ask that these be included in the pizza.
55. Call to complain about service. Later, call to say you were drunk and didn't mean it.
56. Tell the order taker to tell the manager to tell his supervisor he's fired.
57. Report a petty theft to the order taker.
58. Use expletives like "Great Caesar's Ghost" and "Jesus Joseph and Mary in Tinsel Town."
59. Ask for the guy who took your order last time.
60. If he/she suggests anything, adamantly declare, "I shall not be swayed by your sweet words."
61. Wonder aloud if you should trim those nose hairs.
62. Try to talk while drinking something.
63. Start the conversation with "My Call to (Pizza Place), Take 1, and. . . action!"
64. Ask if the pizza is organically grown.
65. Ask about pizza maintenance and repair.
66. Be vague in your order.
67. When they repeat your order, say "Again, with a little more OOMPH this time."
68. If using a touch-tone press 9-1-1 every 5 seconds throughout the order.
69. After ordering, say "I wonder what THIS button on the phone does." Simulate a cutoff.
70. Start the conversation by reciting today's date and saying, "This may be my last entry."
71. State your order and say that's as far as this relationship is going to get.
72. Ask if they're familiar with the term "spanking a pizza." Make up a description to go with the term. Ask that this be done to your pizza.
73. Say "Kssssssssssssssht" rather loudly into the phone. Ask if they felt that.
74. Detect the order taker's psychic aura. Use it to your advantage.
75. When listing toppings you want on your pizza, include another pizza.
76. Learn to play a blues riff on the harmonica. Stop talking at regular intervals to play it.
77. Ask if they would like to sample your pizza. Suggest an even trade.
78. Perfect a celebrity's voice. Stress that you won't take any crap from some two-bit can't-hack-it pimple-faced gofer.
79. Put them on hold.
80. Teach the order taker a secret code. Use the code on all subsequent orders.
81. Mumble, "There's a bomb under your seat." When asked to repeat that, say "I said 'sauce smothered with meat'."
82. Make the first topping you order mushrooms. Make the last thing you say "No mushrooms, please." Hang up before they have a chance to respond.
83. When the order is repeated, change it slightly. When it is repeated again, change it again. On the third time, say "You just don't get it, do you?"
84. When you'ge given the price, say "Ooooooo, that sounds complicated. I hate math."
85. Haggle.
86. Order a one-inch pizza.
87. Order term life insurance.
88. When they say "Will that be all?", snicker and say "We'll find out, won't we?"
89. Order with a Speak-n-Spell where applicable.
90. Ask how many dolphins were killed to make that pizza.
91. While on the phone, fake entering puberty. Fluctuate pitch often; act embarrassed.
92. Engage in some serious swapping.
93. Dance all around the word "pizza." Avoid saying it at all costs. If he/she says it, say "Please don't mention that word."
94. Have a movie with a good car chase scene playing loudly in the background. Yell "OW!" when a bullet is fired.
95. If he/she suggests a side order, ask why he/she is punishing you.
96. Ask if the pizza has had its shots.
97. Order a steamed pizza.
98. Get taker's name. Later, call exactly on the hour to say, "This is your (time of day) wake-up call, So-and-so." Hang up.
99. Offer to pay for the pizza with a public flogging.
If any of the above practices are rejected by the order taker, 100. Say, in your best pouty voice, "Last guy let me do it."

50 THINGS TO DO IN AN ELEVATOR

Make race car noises when anyone gets on or off.
Blow your nose and offer to show the contents of your kleenex to other passengers.
Grimace painfully while smacking your forehead and muttering: Shut up, dammit, all of you just shut UP!
Whistle the first seven notes of It's a Small World incessantly.
Sell Girl Scout cookies.
On a long ride, sway side to side at the natural frequency of the elevator.
Shave.
Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside ask: Got enough air in there?
Offer name tags to everyone getting on the elevator. Wear yours upside-down.
Stand silent and motionless in the corner, facing the wall, without getting off.
When arriving at your floor, grunt and strain to yank the doors open, then act embarrassed when they open by themselves.
Lean over to another passenger and whisper: Noogie patrol coming!
Greet everyone getting on the elevator with a warm handshake and ask them to call you Admiral.
Censored by your son.
On the highest floor, hold the door open and demand that it stay open until you hear the penny you dropped down the shaft go plink at the bottom.
Do Tai Chi exercises.
Stare, grinning, at another passenger for a while, and then announce: I've got new socks on!
When at least 8 people have boarded, moan from the back: Oh, not now, damn motion sickness!
Give religious tracts to each passenger.
Meow occasionally.
Bet the other passengers you can fit a quarter in your nose.
Frown and mutter gotta go, gotta go then sigh and say oops!
Show other passengers a wound and ask if it looks infected.
Sing Mary had a little lamb while continually pushing buttons.
Holler Chutes away! whenever the elevator descends.
Walk on with a cooler that says human head on the side.
Stare at another passenger for a while, then announce You're one of THEM! and move to the far corner of the elevator.
Burp, and then say mmmm...tasty!
Leave a box between the doors.
Ask each passenger getting on if you can push the button for them.
Wear a puppet on your hand and talk to other passengers through it.
Start a sing-along.
When the elevator is silent, look around and ask is that your beeper?
Play the harmonica.
Shadow box.
Say Ding! at each floor.
Lean against the button panel.
Say I wonder what all these do and push the red buttons.
Listen to the elevator walls with a stethoscope.
Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers that this is your personal space.
Bring a chair along.
Take a bite of a sandwich and ask another passenger: Wanna see wha in muh mouf?
Blow spit bubbles.
Pull your gum out of your mouth in long strings.
Announce in a demonic voice: I must find a more suitable host body.
Carry a blanket and clutch it protectively.
Make explosion noises when anyone presses a button.
Wear X-Ray Specs and leer suggestively at other passengers.
Stare at your thumb and say I think it's getting larger.
If anyone brushes against you, recoil and holler Bad touch!


REAL STATE LAWS
These are real standing laws from around the United States of America.

Alabama: 1. It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.
California: 1. Community leaders passed an ordinance that makes it illegal for anyone to try and stop a child from playfully jumping over puddles of water.
Connecticut: 1. You can be stopped by the police for biking over 65 miles per hour. 2. You are not allowed to walk across a street on your hands.
Florida: 1. Women may be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer, as can the salon owner. 2. A special law prohibits unmarried women from parachuting on Sunday or she shall risk arrest, fine, and/or jailing. 3. If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle. 4. It is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a swimsuit. 5. Men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown.
Illinois: 1. It is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, and other domesticated animal kept as pets.
Iowa: 1. Kisses may last for as much as, but no more than, five minutes.
Kentucky: 1. By law, anyone who has been drinking is "sober" until he or she "cannot hold onto the ground." 2. It is illegal to transport an ice cream cone in your pocket.
Louisiana: 1. It is illegal to rob a bank and then shoot at the bank teller with a water pistol. 2. Biting someone with your natural teeth is "simple assault," while biting someone with your false teeth is "aggravated assault."
Massachusetts: 1. Mourners at a wake may not eat more than three sandwiches. 2. Snoring is prohibited unless all bedroom windows are closed and securely locked. 3. An old ordinance declares goatees illegal unless you first pay a special license fee for the privilege of wearing one in public. 4. Taxi drivers are prohibited from making love in the front seat of their taxi during their shifts.
Nebraska: 1. A parent can be arrested if his child cannot hold back a burp during a church service.
New Mexico: 1. Females are strictly forbidden to appear unshaven in public.
New York: 1. A fine of $25 can be levied for flirting. This old law specifically prohibits men from turning around on any city street and looking "at a woman in that way." A second conviction for a crime of this magnitude calls for the violating male to be forced to wear a "pair of horse-blinders" wherever and whenever he goes outside for a stroll.
North Dakota: 1. Beer & pretzels can't be served at the same time in any bar or restaurant.
Ohio: 1. Women are prohibited from wearing patent leather shoes in public.
Oklahoma: 1. Violators can be fined, arrested or jailed for making ugly faces at a dog. 2. Females are forbidden from doing their own hair without being licensed by the state. 3. Dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate in groups of three or more on private property.
Pennsylvania: 1. A special cleaning ordinance bans housewives from hiding dirt and dust under a rug in a dwelling. 2. No man may purchase alcohol without written consent from his wife.
Rhode Island: 1. It is illegal to throw pickle juice at a trolley.
Texas: 1. A city ordinance states that a person cannot go barefoot without first obtaining a special five-dollar permit. 2. It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.
Vermont: 1. Lawmakers made it obligatory for everybody to take at least one bath each week -- on Saturday night.
Washington: 1. All lollipops are banned. 2. A law to reduce crime states: "It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town."

The Other Side of Suffering

Everyone feels pain
But surely, after suffering satisfaction will arrive
Even with sports; studying or other ordeals with life,
It’s like that for everyone
If we can beat the pain, on the other side
a rainbow of happiness awaits us.
That will definitely become a treasure
Lets believe in that.

Step by Step

When my existence seems to disappear
I will look for the place where I can do the best I can
From now on, I’ll deliberate slowly
I won’t be impatient
I won’t be greedy
I won’t give up
Because everyone takes things step by step

I really don’t want to say things such as “I want to go back to how things were before”. I recognize how i am right now, and I will continue to live on.

Even though I have been hurt before by those heartless glares this also helped me to understand that around me, there still exists some gentle glares. Therefore, I definitely won’t run away. That’s what I’ll do. Definitely. Always.

The quiet classroom after class; The view outside the window; the wooden floor of the corridors; Talking in home room; I like all these. I’m likely to only cause trouble for people and it might not really do me any good to stay here. Even if it’s like that, I still want to stay here. Because this is the place where I am.

To be able to smile and tell everyone this; i have, at least, cried one litre of tears. Therefore, even when i leave this school, I definitely won’t think that some things have ended.

If you look up at the sky after falling down the blue sky is also today stretching limitlessly and smiles at me…I’m alive.

For those people who are really listening, they will definitely understand.

People shouldn’t dwell on the past. It’s enough to try your best in all that you’re doing now.

Reality is too cruel, too brutal. I don’t even have the right to dream. As I think about the future, the tears will come out again.

Where should I head towards? Even if there isn’t answer, I’ll feel better by writing it down. I’ve looked for a pair of helping hands but I couldn’t feel them, couldn’t see them. I only face towards darkness and hear the sounds of my hopeless screams.

It's like everytime i throw up, i look down and i swear i don't remember eating that.

What the aliens have done to me....i cannot fully process.
I'm sure they'll come again. I won't be able to resist their calling.

High up on the desert mountain in the middle of a clear night. I'm the only one who knows they are out there.

They are reading my mind, invading my dreams. They are programming me to do their bidding.

I shall do their bidding.

They will abuse me in ways i will not remember.

Every once in a while, fragments of thoughts enter my consciousness and flashes of memories fill the void. I'm either dreaming it all over again, or it was their intention for me to relive certain brief moments.

Enough to feed the curiosity until next time...

There will always be a next time
until there isn't
& then what...

Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you I had no control over...

Keep away from Pumpkinhead,
Unless you're tired of living,
His enemies are mostly dead,
He's mean and unforgiving,
Laugh at him and you're undone,
But in some dreadful fashion,
Vengeance, he considers fun,
And plans it with a passion,
Time will not erase or blot,
A plot that he has brewing,
It's when you think that he's forgot,
He'll conjure your undoing,
Bolted doors and windows barred,
Guard dogs prowling in the yard,
Won't protect you in your bed,
Nothing will, from Pumpkinhead.

A Cure Valentine

Winged hearts fly
through the vanishing air
to let other hearts out there
know that our hearts care
Yeah, she moves like caged tigers
and we couldn't get closer than that
the way we walk, the way we talk
the way become lovecats...
Sometimes love
is all in the head
so do-do-do-do-do
and let's go to bed
And I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you,
but Friday I'm in love
We come together
from all over the world
a secret club
of cureboys and girls
But no matter how far away,
no matter how long we stay,
whatever words we say
I will always love you, guys
I will always love you.

Death is acceptable to me but,

I am helpless, for I am unable to die.

To the one who has become the pain in my heart,

to the one who has made me suffer,

may He give all the relief of the world.

If you comes to my grave,

please leave me a piece of your veil.

O, the one who made me suffer!

I agreed to the suffering

please leave me a piece of your veil

This is all really good news, except frankly im dissappointed in U2. Im hoping they don't continue to take the pro-USA stance they have embraced over the last few years, or since PoP (specifically post 911).

What the world really needs is a more fair & balanced U2, they are a WORLD band and not just a USA band. They need to take a hard line against the governments of Egypt, Israel and stop flirting with America. Start embracing Iran and North Korea, China and Russia, Pakistan and India.

Stop writing and recording everything in English, why not write an album in arabic or chinese for a change? All of their religion and wealth is off putting to their poor, atheist fans. Also Bono really needs to start wearing cheap sunglasses instead of designer ones.

And for the love of Allah, please no more radio hits. If you think you have something that sounds remotely good or might just be the next big radio single or stadium anthem, kill it immediately! Strip it back down to the basics, remove the classic guitar riffs, remove the drums, bass, chorus, bridge, etc....and throw it in the recycle can. Only then will you have something truly special.

If you need any more of my advice, its not exactly free, for im a very important person with big ideas and my brilliance comes at a high price. But for the sake of art and integrity, i suggest you tune into Battlestar Gallactica on your pilgrimage. Once you have reached the temple on the hilltop, only then can i suggest that you will have achieved full enlightenment, as have i.

Until then, keep making sinners out of babies and questioning your own shoe size.

“I used to change her diapers, and take her to and from kindergarden when she was little. I took care of her a lot,” said Sumiko Takeyama, grandmother of singer Hikaru Utada, 24. “But ever since she left for New York when she was seven, I lost contact with her. I wasn’t even aware of her recent divorce. Maybe if they had a baby, things would have turned out differently. She has witnessed her parents getting divorced. Maybe she couldn’t fight the family blood in her.”

The recent divorce of J-pop diva Hikaru Utada, announced on her website on March 2, has not only shocked her family and fans but also the people who work with her.

Utada married auteur Kazuaki Kiriya, 38, in September of 2002. About her reasons for the divorce, Utada wrote on her blog: “Our future vision and the direction we, as wife and husband, wanted to head toward were different. We lacked communication as the differences became apparent.” What kind of married life did the two have?

“Each of their jobs often took them overseas. They had bases in Tokyo, New York and Los Angeles, but they barely spent time together. Utada dreamed of continuing being a singer while building a family. So her lonely feelings accumulated over the lifestyle they had,” said a showbiz reporter.

Starting last year, Utada was seen bar-hopping or going to karaoke until late night with her music colleagues. The not-so-good relationship between her father, Teruzane Utada, and her husband Kiriya, was also causing a strain, say insiders.

“After their marriage, Utada became more Kiriya-influenced. Kiriya’s status has risen, while Utada’s CD sales struggled,” said one music industry insider. “Her father brought up his daughter to be a money-making star since her youth and he was unhappy to see the situation in which Kiriya was benefiting the most from the marriage, he was quoted as saying. The quarrel between the father and the son-in-law became apparent during the tour Utada conducted last year. The two wanted to produce the tour differently. Not only the staff, but Utada was caught in between, so it is no wonder she was confused. The fact that her new single was a hit without the involvement of Kiriya must have been another factor in Utada’s decision to get divorced.”

Utada’s income for 2004 is estimated at around 1 billion yen. Since her debut in 1998, she has sold more than 33 million CDs. She has easily earned more than 10 billion yen throughout her career.

What will happen to the money with the divorce? “Both sides agreed to a divorce, so there won’t be any consolation money,” said a lawyer specializing in divorce. “The focus is on distributing property. Everything that the two had earned since their marriage will be shared, including royalties Utada has earned. Negotiations usually settle such issues without going to court.”

There are other concerns for Utada, especially the fact that her parents, Teruzane Utada and Keiko Fuji, filed for divorce. In their case, they will most likely end up in court.

“There are reports of Fuji receiving 500 million yen in exchange for resigning from Utada’s office,” said one acquaintance. “But the pattern of their past relationship reveals as soon as Fuji, who has a habit of going on a spending spree and gambling, runs out of cash, she asks her husband to marry her again. She is likely to demand a bigger share this time around.”

The dispute over money is likely to go deep as Utada faces her own divorce as well as her parents, who manage her career. (Translated by Toshiya Fujii)


Utada married Kiriya in 2002 at the age of 19. (Mainichi)