Win A Wii System - And Teach Kids Responsible Small Pet Ownership At The Same Time - Image via Wikipedia

Can you name that guinea pig? That’s the question CareFRESH is asking for your help with. They are asking kids to come up with a great name for their guinea pig mascot who has cool shades, a punked out rainbow hairdoo and a toothy smile.

CareFRESH is asking that the kids get their parents permission and visit www.carefresh.com/scholarship to provide the name they pick and to enter the contest.

The winner receives a Wii game system and a scholarship annuity.

According to CareFresh, they will select five finalists out of the entries they receive and all five finalists will receive a Wii game system. Then all of the five finalists will be listed on their website and everyone gets to vote to pick the top winner. The winner chosen from the five finalists also receives the scholarship.

A unique twist to this contest is that CareFresh is also tying in how to be a responsible small pet owner. They mention that this contest is part of the CareFRESH Critter College, which is a free lesson in kit form for grades four through seven and its goal is to teach children how to properly take care of smaller pets like hamsters, rabbits, gerbils and guinea pigs.

To enter the contest, CareFRESH has a small quiz about responsibly taking care of small pets that the kids have to pass. Answers can be found on their site or in the Critter College.

“Lots of kids in grades 4-7 are responsible for taking care of small pets,” said Shawn Dooley, CareFRESH vice president. “We want to help them to be good pet owners and also reward them for giving our guinea pig a cool name.”

Entries must be received by 6/1/11. The contest is open to residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are between the ages of five and 15 by May 24, 2010.

Video Surveillance - With a Joystick? James Bond Would Love It - Image via Wikipedia

What would a combination of James Bond 007 and the gaming industry look like?

Well, CH Products has brought spying and gaming together with their cool new idea. CH Products says they are a leading manufacturer of simulation control devices like trackballs and joysticks. There newest innovation is an IPD Launch Joystick. Their joystick is a three axix resistive with ten programmable push buttons and is an inexpensive option for professionals in the security sector.

They say its easy to install and operate with a simple USB interface.

The three axix controll provides control intuitively for camera zooming, tilting and panning. The programmable pushbuttons provide control to change cameras, move to different workspaces, and views and PTZ presets. The color choice is black and they mention that is a great color to blend in.

The USB is a 1.1 interface versus a 2.0 CH Products says that no device drives are needed, that it will work with Microsoft DirectX with USB joystick software.

Can you see Q showing James Bond how to use this joystick to save the world. Well that may be a little to fantastic, but if it works the way they say it does, this could be a good tool in the right hands.

Tidal Energy - International Tidal Awards At The International Tidal Energy Summit - Image via Wikipedia

Companies competing the tidal energy community are in the process of nominating those who are most deserving of recognition. This is an international award going to those companies that have made great strides and progress in bringing useable tidal projects to the international community.

Several categories for the awards in 2010 are:

Newcomer of the Year
Tidal Energy Technology Innovation
Tidal Energy Engineering Firm of the Year
Tidal Energy Technology Supplier of the Year
Most Effective Tidal Energy Project Development of the Year
Tidal Energy Competitiveness

Tidal Today has announced the awards ceremony will be part of the 4th International Tidal Energy Summit. The ceremony will take place at the Victoria Park Plaza Hotel on November 23rd 2010.

“We’re thrilled to be host these awards as part of the International Tidal Energy Summit this year and are looking forward to providing companies the recognition they deserve for their progress in tidal energy development this year,” says Tidal Today Director, Abbie Badcock.

Nominations can come from any company in the Tidal Energy Eco-System.

Recession Effects on Kids - Could It Be a Blessing In Disguise? - Image via Wikipedia

Recession has many consequences. One is less disposable income for parents, the other side of the coin is less allowances and spending money for the kids.

Kids today have cell phones, computers, xboxes, flat screen televisions, computeres, designer jeans and more. They like to go to movies, sporting events, and all those wonderful things that don’t come cheaply. The concern among many is when kids don’t have the money to do these things, what will they put in its place?

“This economic climate creates a call for priorities to change. Children need emotional intimacy, and may have become use to filling that void with material things,” states Dr. Bonnie Eaker Weil, PhD, author of Financial Infidelity.

“Replacing mall time with sit down dinners is an antidote to a myriad of trouble kids can get into,” explains Dr. Bonnie who cites a 2005 Columbia University study. The survey found that frequent family dinners are associated with better school performance. The study also found that teens having family dinners five or more times a week were 42 percent less likely to drink, 59 percent less likely to smoke cigarettes and 66 percent less likely to try marijuana. “Regular family dinners fill children’s biological need for connection. Parents need to be present in their children’s lives, model emotional intimacy, and have frequent talks and long hugs,” advises Dr. Weil. “The recession might just be a blessing in disguise for a positive change in the modern American family.”

“Regular family dinners fill children’s biological need for connection. Parents need to be present in their children’s lives, model emotional intimacy, and have frequent talks and long hugs,” advises Dr. Weil. “The recession might just be a blessing in disguise for a positive change in the modern American family.”

Can parents get together and discuss creative ways to spend some quality time together?

James Beard Foundation - Despite Scandal, Celebrity Chef Tour Will Continue - Image via Wikipedia

The James Beard Foundation, founded in honor of James Beard is a non profit organization whose focus is to promote culinary arts by giving honor to journalists, wine professionals, and chefs, through special award ceremonies and by awarding scholarships to qualified candidates.

Peter Kump who was a student of James Beard, started the foundation in 1986. Over the years, the James Beard Foundation Awards have become the premiers Awards for the culinary community. Recipients get great exposure and is a great way to launch their carrers.

In 2004, a couple of months before an audit of the foundation, the former president Leonard F. Pickell, Jr. resigned. He was later convicted of fraud for misuse of funds.

In October of 2010, the James Beard Foundation will be hosting the Celebrity Chef Tour at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel.

The Celebrity Chef Tour was first started in 2004. Its intent was to provide other cities around the country the opportunity to experience the taste and feel of what it would be like to dine at the actual James Beard House in New York.

Sistine Chapel - Phenomenal Floating Sisting Chapel Comes To Toyko - Image by orensanz via Flickr

On Monday September 27th, Angel Orensanz, a sculptor brought a new look to the city of Toyko with a sculp of the the landmark Marunouchi Building. To look like an extension of the Roman Sistine Chapel, Orensanz lit it up in many vivid colors.

The “Floating Sistine Chapel” had its premiere in New York in early summer 2010 in Lower Manhattan at the Angel Orensanz Foundation. On September 5th all of Japan, North Korea was able to watch a lvie broadcast for 15 minutes by Nippon Hoso Kyokai direct from the Angel Orensanz Foundation.

Sculptor Angel Orensanz constructed the “Floating Sistine Chapel” to revive and extend the mystique, philosophy, and aesthetics of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The Sistine Chapel monument is one of the historic masterpieces of art, The ceiling and walls were painted by Michelango.

Chicago Cubs Fans - New Haven for Loyal Cubs Fans - Image via Wikipedia

Chicago Cubs fans will soon have more apparel and products to choose from at the Wrigleyville store, Sports World. Cubworld.com, a well known retailer has started construction on September 5th.

Adding 1,500 square feet to the retail outlet has been in the works “for a while,” said partner Brad Rosen. “We’ve finally gotten it off the ground, and we’re excited to be able to expand and offer even more merchandise for fans.”

Sports World, a retail mecca selling exclusive official gear for the Chicago Cubs baseball team, will remain open during construction. “It’s important for Cubs fans and customers to know we’re always here for them,” Rosen said, “even if it’s not baseball season.” Rosen expects construction on Sports World to be completed by March 2011.

The Sports World retail expansion is not related to the another local project. The Addison Park on Clark project is a project that is being planned behind the Sports World expansion.

Sports World, which operates CubWorld.com and online retailers BlackhawksShop.com, ChiTownFootball.com, and NYDugout.com, has been in business since 1988. Offering an ample selection of sports merchandise to fans is Sports World’s “ultimate goal,” Rosen said.

12 Respected Professional Photographers Join Think Tank Photo Design Board - Image by The Suss-Man (live from Albany, GA) via Flickr

Think Tank Photo’s president and lead designer Doug Murdoch has announced that there companies design board has been joined by 12 professional respected filmmakers and photographers. These 12 professionals will provide detailed information on types of photographic equipment to use in various settings and some of the challenges to overcome. They will bring to the table assessments of what works and what doesn’t and the real world experience that comes from working in this field for many years.

Members serve terms ranging from six months to two years and to get on the design board of Think Tank Photo is by invitation only.

When we started Think Tank Photo, we vowed to eliminate all of the bureaucracy normally separating working photographers and filmmakers from designers,” said Murdoch. The Design Board allows us to not only create products that photographers and filmmakers really need, but to expedite the process significantly.

A list of the new members on the design board are:

David Bergman. Action photographer and video producer
Boogie — Street photographer
Matt Brandon – Humanitarian photographer
David Burnett – Photojournalist, Contact Press Images
Bob Deutsch – Staff photographer, USA Today
David DuChemin – Humanitarian photographer.
David Alan Harvey – Photographer, Magnum Potos
Reed Hoffman – Editorial photographer and educator
Ed Kashi – Documentary photographer and filmmaker, VII Photo Agency
Rachel Lacour Niesen – Wedding photographer and storyteller
Bob Sacha – Multimedia producer and documentary filmmaker
Tyler Stableford – Commercial photographer and filmmaker