Thursday, March 26, 2009

How Old Is Stevie Wonder Now?

Many people have been searching for info on Stevie Wonder's age after his performance on the American Idol show tonight. Of course, I looked it up and it turns out that he's up to 58 now (born May 13, 1950). The TV Guide Recap of the show had a little blurb on it:

Stevie Wonder Performs

Dawgs, how wicked is Stevie? He sings a medley of his greatest hits, and the audience and hopefuls are all rocking out and having a blast. These Idol hopefuls do get some amazing experiences. (What did you do tonight? Oh, just got an up-close and personal concert from Joss Stone, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder. No big.)


Although many reviewers so far seemed to think that the Joss Stone and Smokey Robinson duet turned out to be a rather cheesy lip-sync, most people really liked Stevie Wonder's performance. The "Idol Chatter" section of USA Today remarked,

Stevie Wonder freaking rocks! How old is that guy? And he's still rocking that hard? It's sick.

Adam dances nicely along to Overjoyed. Everyone seems like they're enjoying it. Seriously, the week I went home, I had to hear Akon's auto-tuned "wa-hoo-hoo" 48 times along with Gwen Stefani. And Michael gets Stevie Wonder? Jealousy has now returned.


Read more here

Joss Stone Sings Duet with Smokey Robinson

In celebrity news tonight, Joss Stone sang her much-anticipated duet with Smokey Robinson on the American Idol show. Many people have been wondering about Smokey Robinson's age, so I did a little search to see if I could track this down -- it turns out that he's 69. Wow!

Out of curiosity, I looked up the age on Joss Stone also -- she's only 21. Hmmmm....anyway, here's a clip from the The L.A. Times music blog about the American Idol performance:

The 69-year-old will debut “You’re the One for Me,” a duet with Joss Stone from his forthcoming record, "Time Flies When You're Having Fun," which is tentatively scheduled to drop in May.

“I first met Joss in England when she was about 15,” Robinson said by phone today. “She’s just incredible, and her voice is so powerful.”

The former Miracles member said the two recorded the tune together in New York last year. And Stone isn’t the only guest Robinson has slated to appear on his forthcoming disc either. The “Tears of a Clown” singer has lined up India.Arie and Carlos Santana to appear on other tracks.

“I had a few people in mind for this project,” said Robinson, who added that he had been slowly putting together original songs (and a version of Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why”) for the record over the last three years.

So who would Robinson like to see take “Idol” this year? Could it be Adam Lambert, to whom he gave a standing ovation for the contestant's shockingly elegant take on "Tracks of My Tears"?


Read more here

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Where to Purchase Acai Berry

This article by Eru Chawla suggests some tips about where to purchase acai berry products in various forms and describes some of their associated health benefits.




Do you think you or your children do not take sufficient minerals and vitamins in your everyday diet? If yes then Acai berry supplements and juice can be an easy solution to your problem. Acai berry is among a few nutritious fruits that have immense health benefits and is also used in various protein bars and energy drinks. You may also find it in the powdered form as a good vitamin supplement. Improved memory and mental alertness are a few of the proven benefits of Acai.

Like all other fruits, the best benefits of Acai can be realized when it is consumed as the fresh fruit itself. Unfortunately, these berries get rotten within almost 24 hours of their harvest. So, you may not find fresh berries anywhere outside Brazil, where they are found in abundance in Amazon Rainforest. But the good thing is that, to spread their benefits to the whole world, they are processed soon after their harvest and then transported to different parts of the world. Also, they are processed in a way that almost all the nutritional value of the fruit is retained. So, you may not regret not having found the whole fruit in your country.

There are several forms in which Acai can be purchased: Acai supplements, juices, preserves, smoothies frozen packages, and purees are among some of the most commonly found. Generally, it is a little difficult to find Acai juices or berries at grocery stores, though you might find them at a nearby health food shop, or even better, you may place an order online and get it delivered to your doorstep.

Mona Vie is one of the most popular manufacturers for Acai berry juice. The juice provided blends in itself Acai cherry, which is the real Acai berry along with pomegranate, bilberry, and blueberry. Regular drinking of this juice helps you to overcome serious health ailments such as stroke, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Taking the berry juice also assures that you are getting a balanced and nutritious diet everyday.

Acai Plus or acai-plus.info is a good site to buy Acai juice. However, if you wish to purchase Acai in powdered form, vitaminshoppe.com is the recommended site for you. You may take Acai daily as vitamin supplement with your meals.

The popularity of Acai berry has increased tremendously in the past few years. The fruit has also gained a fair share of publicity by being featured on a few health profiles and television shows such as the famous Oprah Winfrey show. For example, Acai secured the position in top ten super foods by Dr. Nicholas Perricone. In fact, Dr. Perricone was further invited on Oprah, where he explained more about the fruit and its benefits and how it changed the life of many people. So, if you also want to secure a healthy future or improve your present, be smart and purchase an Acai berry product today.


Friday, January 9, 2009

SendEarnings January Newsletter

The get-paid-to (GPT) company SendEarnings sent out its January newsletter this week. This is a program that pays you for reading emails, taking surveys, and completing some simple offers. I have already received a $30 check from them in previous months and should be receiving another one in about a week. You can join SendEarnings easily by clicking on the banner below and registering for free.







Insurance Center

SendEarnings has teamed up with NetQuote to give you a quick and easy way to find the auto, home, health and life insurance that’s right for you. With the web’s largest network of top agents, NetQuote has connected over 20 million people to great savings. Simply by visiting the Insurance Center on SendEarnings, you could save up to 40% on your insurance!

Just log on to SendEarnings and visit the Insurance Center. Select the type of insurance you’re interested in and fill out a basic questionnaire. Up to five agents will contact you to offer the most complete coverage at the lowest possible rate. When insurance agents compete for your business, you come out the winner!

While visiting the Insurance Center, you can also pick up helpful information on items such as making the home insurance claim process smoother and money saving tips for your auto and health insurance. Here, you can also see how easy it is to get free insurance quotes so you can quickly compare rates.

Start this year off by saving a bundle on your auto, home, health and life insurance. Check out the Insurance Center today!

Fantastic Facts

According to USA.gov, the perennial most popular New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight, manage debt and save money.

You can quickly and easily check saving money off your list by visiting the Insurance Center, where you could save up to 40% on your insurance!

Sweepstakes

As the cold of winter is setting in, heat things up with Cash Games on SendEarnings®! In the month of January, for each dollar you earn in your Cash Games account, you’ll also earn a chance to win one of two exciting prizes.

You can keep the fun and games going by winning a Xbox 360. This video game and entertainment system places you in the center of the action by giving you the games you want to play and connecting you to the people you want to play with. But if you have a few items that you were not able to check off your wish list over the holiday season, you can opt for the Gift Card Bundle. With gift cards from Best Buy, Target, Toys ‘R’ Us and Barnes and Noble, you can pick out any gifts that were missed!

To win one of these great prizes, simply play Cash Games. You can play favorites such as Family Feud, Scrabble and Bejeweled – or check out the ever popular Wheel of Fortune. Inspired by the classic game show, you can spin the wheel, solve puzzles and win with Wheel of Fortune!

Check out our Sweepstakes page for more information on how you can win exciting prizes just by playing your favorite Cash Games!

Member Story

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Log In -- Last Reminder

For those members who may not have noticed, as of October 2008 there is a new log in process. Just one last friendly reminder...next time you log in to SendEarnings, be sure to use your email address rather than your username.



Thursday, January 8, 2009

Triond January Newsletter

This is the latest newsletter from Triond, a site where you can submit articles that you have written or have acquired the rights to and earn revenue from them after they are published. Another site in this category that can earn you some money is Bukisa.

You can join Bukisa for free here.

Meanwhile, here is the text of the Triond newsletter:




Happy New Year from everyone at Triond! Some might say that making resolutions for the New Year is passé, but we think it’s an excellent way to set up personal and professional goals. So what are Triond’s resolutions for 2009? We’ve resolved to keep listening closely to your suggestions, and also to be extra innovative when creating and releasing new features. Of course, we have plenty of other great things in store for 2009, so keep track of everything we’re doing by reading our blog and by following us on Twitter.

What's New at Triond?

In addition to a great deal of anticipation and planning for 2009, December saw the release of two new features within our submissions and editorial process.

Spell Checking

This feature was a suggestion that came directly from you – spell checking! Now it’s possible to check the spelling in your article easily before you submit it to our Editorial Team. Click on the ABC button in the Online Editor and any misspellings are underlined. When you click on an incorrect word, a list of corrections will drop down to the right. It was a great suggestion, and it was our pleasure to add it to Triond.

Revisions

Another feature we released allows you to revise your articles after you have submitted them to the Editorial Team. If our Editors feel that an article isn’t quite ready to be published, it will be returned to you as a Revision with notes from our Editorial Team. Our Editors’ suggestions for revision help to make your article ready for its big debut, so heed our advice carefully before submitting your revision.

It’s important to know that if you have an article to revise, make sure to open and resubmit it from the revisions tab. This is the only way to ensure that your article will be fixed and processed properly. If you copy and paste your article to a new submission, your work could be declined for having been submitted previously.


Dear Triond…


As the year ends, we’d like to answer some “back to basics” questions that both new and veteran users ask.

Dear Triond,
How can I change the spacing between lines? My article doesn’t look right when it’s double spaced.


Here’s a great trick that works not only on Triond, but also in many other places where you need to enter text and want to control the spacing. To make lines appear single-spaced, just hit the Shift key at the same time as the Enter/Return key. Instead of your text looking like this:

To see two dangling lines,

Doesn’t look too fine.

It will look like this:

But two lines close together,
Makes me feel much better.


Dear Triond,
Can I change my Pen Name? My email address? My payment method?


Yes, yes and yes. You can also update your mailing address and other contact information, as well as your email preferences. Just click on the Account tab once you’ve signed in to Triond and change your information under Required Details and Additional Details. Please note, you cannot change your username. When you’re done, make sure to save your changes by clicking Update Account at the bottom of the page.

It’s important to update your account information whenever there is a change. If the email address listed under your account is incorrect, we can’t send you important information like monthly statements or payment details! Just like you’d update your mailing address with the Post Office, please update Triond so we can send you what you need to keep publishing.


Dear Triond,
I wrote a poem/short story, but it’s being sent to my Revisions for being “Too Short.” Why is this happening? It’s supposed to be just a few lines!


We know that creative writing can be shorter than the average article, but we can’t be certain that you are submitting creative writing unless you tell us! If you submit creative writing such as short stories, poetry, or haiku, you must select the category “Creative Writing” before sending your submission. As long as you’ve selected “Creative Writing”, our Editorial Team will know not to send your work back for revision on account of it being too short.

Please note, there is another category called “About Writing.” Any articles related to writing techniques, skill development, literature or online writing information should be categorized under “About Writing” to ensure they are published in the best possible location.

What's Hot?

Yes, winter may be the coldest time of year, but there are plenty of hot topics to include in your Triond publications. We’ve already mentioned our New Year’s resolutions, so why not write about yours? You could compile tips for sticking to your resolutions, motivational short stories or poetry, or even analyze the psychology behind breaking a personal resolution.

Another “resolution” of sorts will happen this January 20th, as President-elect Barack Obama is officially inaugurated to the top governmental position in the United States. Why not compile a personal list of your favorite inauguration speeches of the past or create a new version of “Hail to the Chief?”

For other hot topics, check out Google Trends. You can see the hottest search topics according to a specific date. Keep in mind that the searched topics ebb and flow according to relevancy at any given time, so the trending list can change quickly. With that in mind, Google Trends is still an interesting tool to reference when you’re thinking of your next Triond submission.

Using It Wisely: Selecting a Payment Method

One of the greatest assets of Triond is our global community of content creators. Because of this, we’re happy to offer three different payment methods to suit the needs of our diverse community; PayPal, check, and Western Union. Since each of our payment methods has slightly different requirements, here’s a quick review of the most important details of each method. Please note that no matter which payment method you choose, you must first fill out your first name, last name, city and country in your account details before we can issue any payments.

PayPal

PayPal is our preferred method of payment with our lowest threshold for payout. PayPal is an online payment service that is not affiliated with Triond; we use the service just like you would use it – to send and receive secure payments online. The ease and security of PayPal make it the best choice for Triond users.

In order to use PayPal you’ll need to sign up for an account on their site. If you are located outside of the U.S., check with PayPal to see if you are able receive payments in your country. If your country is not able to receive funds via PayPal, you’ll have to choose a different payment method in order to receive your Triond earnings.

The minimum earnings threshold for payment via PayPal is low, only $0.50 (fifty cents). Once you have accumulated at least $0.50, you will be paid on the corresponding pay date. Make sure that your PayPal email address is listed correctly in your account details; otherwise you won’t get the email confirming payment or the payment itself!

Check

Triond also issues payment by check in US Dollars. If you select to be paid by check, we will mail a paper check to you – look out for the Triond envelope in your mailbox! Depending on your location, the check can take up to 14 business days to arrive. (They don’t call it snail mail for no reason). In order to be paid by check, you’ll need to fill in your complete address including street name and house number, city, state/province, ZIP code, and country.

The minimum earnings threshold for payment via check is $50.00 (fifty dollars). Once you have accumulated at least $50.00, you will be paid on the corresponding pay date. Please note that there is a processing fee of up to $3.00 for payment by check. Ask your local bank to make sure they can deposit a check in US Dollars if your local currency is not dollars.

Western Union

Western Union is the standard way to wire money internationally. If you select Western Union as your payment method, we will wire transfer your earnings to the Western Union office closest to your address.

The minimum earnings threshold for payment via Western Union is $50.00 (fifty dollars). Similar to payment by check, there is also a processing fee of up to $3.00 for payment by Western Union. Once you have accumulated at least $50.00, you will be paid on the corresponding pay date. Make sure you check your email for the MTCN transfer number and other payment details. You’ll need them to pick up your earnings at your local Western Union branch.


That’s a wrap for our January update. Best wishes for the New Year from all of us at Triond! As always, check the Triond blog for regular news, and follow us on Twitter.

Happy Publishing!
Triond