Grab Bag Wow Moment:

Some fabulous images as seen through now sadly dark but gifted eyes:

French photographer Laurent Schwebel, 52 years old, was stabbed and killed and his camera stolen while he was taking pictures in Buenos Aires.  A naturalist photographer, he was born in 1959 in the Alsace region of eastern France and killed on February 8, 2012, in Plaza San Martin, Retiro, Buenos Aires . He worked as a geologist, naturalist and photographer under the guidance of a French travel agency specializing in naturalist travels.

Hit this in full screen mode for full enjoyment.

Thanks to sweet sistah Tally D. for sending this to me 🙂

Grab Bag Calm .Com:

Simple. Calming. Effective.

Calm.com (how did they snag that URL?) is offering you a corner of the internet to chill out and tune in.

Go here, pick your visual, choose how much time you want to devote to the mind float, and get your Zen on for free. Use on your computer and/or get the app for your iPhone and you can zone at work :-), on the plane, on the road (in the passenger seat!).

A guided meditation in the comfort of your own home, hotel room or desk cubicle at work is just what we all need.

Ommmmmmmmm…..

Grab Bag Bank Buster:

God love her. Senator Elizabeth Warren is running a US Senate Banking Committee hearing on illegal home foreclosures. She’s awesome and they are scrambling to come up with acceptable answers….. and flailing.

Grab Bag Texti:

Brilliant. They guys Uber.com have filled the gap between scuzzy taxi cabs and 4-hour minimum limousines.

Sign up and download the Uber app for free (you can also magically summon a shiny black car from your computer after signing up). You will be asked to provide a credit card they will keep on file.

OK now, here we go…. you’re in one of dozens of cities around the world (but let’s say San Francisco, where Uber was born)…. you need to get somewhere and you either can’t find a cab or you’d just prefer a shiny, clean town car, or an SUV.

Wasn’t that cool? From SF to NYC to Amsterdam to London to…. loads of cities will happily Uber you around town from the comfort of your phone or computer. I just may try it soon myself 🙂

Grab Bag Brain Game:

A series of quick, mini-games to challenge your brain in different ways:

Grab Bag Funny Stuff:

ALERTS TO FINANCIAL AND MILITARY THREATS IN 2012 EUROPE

By John Cleese (British writer, actor and tall person):

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Syria and have therefore raised their security level from “Miffed” to “Peeved.” Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to “Irritated” or even “A Bit Cross.” The English have not been “A Bit Cross” since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from “Tiresome” to “A Bloody Nuisance.” The last time the British issued a “Bloody Nuisance” warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.

The Scots have raised their threat level from “Pissed Off” to “Let’s get the Bastards.” They don’t have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from “Run” to “Hide.” The only two higher levels in France are “Collaborate” and “Surrender.” The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France ‘s white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country’s military capability.

Italy has increased the alert level from “Shout Loudly and Excitedly” to “Elaborate Military Posturing.” Two more levels remain: “Ineffective Combat Operations” and “Change Sides.”

The Germans have increased their alert state from “Disdainful Arrogance” to “Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs.” They also have two higher levels: “Invade a Neighbour” and “Lose.” Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels .

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

Australia , meanwhile, has raised its security level from “No worries” to “She’ll be alright, Mate.” Two more escalation levels remain: “Crikey! I think we’ll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!” and “The barbie is cancelled.” So far no situation has ever warranted use of the last final escalation level.

A final thought -” Greece is collapsing, the Iranians are getting aggressive, and Rome is in disarray. Welcome back to 430 BC.”

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