Thursday, November 1, 2012

A funny new Hannukah cd: Mrs. Maccabee's Kitchen

If you're tired of the usual old Hanukkah songs, here are 17 new ones, in English, with many new perspectives on the old stories! Have a listen:



1. Ain't We Got Hanukah Fun?
2. Mrs. Maccabee's Kitchen
3. A Latke Tango
4. Nobody's Business What I Do
5. After We Get What We Want We Don't Want It
6. Pawn Shop Menorah
7. Doina on the Subject of Good & Bad Latkes
8. Rusishe Sher
9. Antiochus IV (You Crazy Coot) Tango
10. Yiddish Wisdom
11. Hanukah Cowboy-Style
12. Judith and Holofernes
13. Matathias Had a Camp in the Wilderness
14. I Have a Song to Sing, Oh!
15. Nes Gadol
16. Young Noah's Hanukah
17. Sour Cream and Hanukah Latkes
18. The Choliday Song

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Best Flooring For Wheelchair Users

Many wheelchair users struggle with finding flooring which will stand up to their wheelchair. Wheelchairs are tough on floors. When they go outside, they get dirt, germs and other nasty stuff in their treads and spread them all over the floor. They can leave black tire marks on floors that can be difficult to get out. They can cause wear marks in floors. So getting the right kind of flooring is important for a wheelchair user. Read this article about getting the right kind of wheelchair flooring

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Evolution of a Lens: Deli Sandwiches

When I was asked to make a food lens during my one RocketMoms experience, I went into a panic. I'd never made a food lens before. In fact, I have a very spotty relationship with cooking issues as one might detect from reading my fear of cooking lens.

Making a lens about food sounded frightening, at best.

At the time I'd recently lost a restaurant job - one I'd been at for eighteen months. Though cooking at home had been problematic for me, especially in my early youth, I loved cooking at the restaurant. One thing I loved was the opportunity to work on deli sandwich making.

I decided to make my lens on how to create a great deli sandwich.

I wasn't expecting much to come of it.

The lens looked good, I passed that part of the Rocket Moms challenge, and pretty much forgot about it.

Months later I noticed the deli sandwich lens was rising in popularity and lensrank.

Who would have guessed?

The lens went live in August 2009. By September the lensrank was 25,081. I expected it to stay there and be a non-prospering lens, but no... it has never gone that low since then. Only a year later it had its highest lensrank ever: 665.

Since then the lens has floated around in lower-first tier or second tier. Usually second. I've tried to backlink it but so far my efforts haven't succeeded in making it a steady first tier lens.

So far this month it has been in first tier two out of twenty-seven days. It is a borderline lens I very much want to see do better.

With lifetime earnings, so far, of $452, I'm very grateful that I took that Rocket Moms challenge on, and made my first food lens. That's more than I could earn writing an article about deli sandwiches for a major New York women's magazine!

...

LindaJM is a Squidoo lensmaster and owner of The Squid Grotto.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

INSTANTLY Add Google Plus One Button To Blogger Blog

If you have a blogger blog (like this one) you may be asking yourself:

How Can I Add A Google Plus One Button To My Blogger Blog?

I searched the internet for several days about how to easily and quickly add a Google Plus Button. Almost every article I found suggested adding some kind of complicated code into my blogger template. Don't believe me? Here is one article from Blogger Sentral which suggests how to add a Google Plus Button by adding changing the HTML of the blog template. Who wants to mess around with changing your blog's code? As a non-techie, I really wanted to avoid that headache.

I was certain that since Blogger is owned by Google, they would make it easy to integrate a Google Plus Button into a Blogger Blog. But it seemed like a secret that no one knew. Suddenly, I stumbled upon the answer and it was even easier than I could imagine. No messy coding required. So, I made a Squidoo Lens complete with screen grabs to show everyone just how simple it is. 

In just one minute you can learn how to EASILY:

* Add a Google Plus Button to your blog and customize the look of the button
* Add a Google Plus Button after each post
* Add a Google Plus Badge (to make it easy for blog visitors to visit my Google Plus Page)

Click here to read about putting Google Plus On Blogger in about one minute. Once you read this, you may even say "Yes, of course, that is so obvious I should have thought about that before" 

Friday, June 1, 2012

Wheelchair Gloves For Kids

As many parents of kids with disabilties are aware, wheelchair gloves for kids can be very difficult to find. This is because the market for kids wheelchair gloves is rather small and few manufacturers make wheelchair gloves. So, some parents of wheelchair users resort to buying cycle gloves. This can work for some, but cycle gloves were not designed for the constant pushing and stopping required of a kids wheelchair glove.

Here is a lens which offers resources and information for parents looking for wheelchair gloves for children.

Happy Birthday Marilyn Monroe!

Marilyn Monroe was born on 1 June 1926. If she were still alive Marilyn Monroe would be celebrating her 86th birthday today.  On the other hand the 5th August, 2012 will be the 50th anniversary of Marilyn's death.

When Marilyn Monroe died when she was only 36. Marilyn was famous for less than a decade. Yet, unlike most celebrities who are nearly forgotten soon after they die, Marilyn's fame and legend has continued to be strong or perhaps has even grown in the five decades since her death. This is one of the many things that has made Marilyn Monroe unique. Read more facts about Marilyn Monroe.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

After spending years translating three novels by the author Jacob Dinezon from Yiddish to English, I decided to translate this brief (50 page) biography / reminiscence about his life written by S. L. Tsitron. I'm going to translate this book chapter by chapter - next, Isaac Meyer Dik.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Wedding Gift Etiquette

There is a lot of etiquette involved when it comes to wedding ceremonies and gift giving. One area where area that folks typically have questions about when it comes to wedding gifts is whether it's acceptable or is it good etiquette for the bride or groom to enclose a note in the invitations regarding a wedding registry? The answer is, it's NOT good gift etiquette! At first it may seem your saving them the trouble of figuring out a good gift thereby making it more convenient for guests but, leave it to family and friends to spread the word about your wedding gift registry. For more etiquette tips visit our guide to wedding gift etiquette for everything that you need to know to get through the wedding without offending anyone., whether you are looking for that perfect wedding gift idea for the bride, groom, a bridesmaid gift, or presents for the groomsman an attendant, or favors for wedding guests.

wedding gifts
Maid of Honor
One more popular question we cover is, whether it is necessary to send a gift to a wedding couple that invited you to a wedding, that you are not going to be able to go to? The answer is that NO, technically your not obligated to send a wedding gift, but if you are really close to the couple you may wish to do so anyway. Now, if you are going to the wedding, it is good etiquette to get a wedding gift.

Gifts are a big part of any wedding celebration. When you know the gift etiquette surrounding wedding presents, it takes a lot of the guess work out so nobody's ends up offended.

Images in this blog post are stock photos purchased from Fotolia and are copyright protected DO NOT COPY THE PICTURES.
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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Travel To Europe CHEAP

If you are considering traveling to Europe and are looking for advice about how to travel to Europe as cheap as possible, you can read this new Zujava article about How To Travel Europe Cheap. You do not have to put off your European travel until you are have inherited a fortune, won a lottery or retired. There are excellent travel bargains to be found in Europe right now. Included in the article is advice on where to travel in Europe cheap and when to travel to Europe cheap.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Increase Zujava Traffic With Meta Descriptions

One advantage with Zujava over Squidoo and Hubpages is that you are able to write your own meta descriptions. Why is this important? Google and other search engines often use meta-descriptions in their search results. So, by being able to write the description that readers will see in the Google search results, you can write it so that your Zujava leaf will stand out from the rest of the pack.

I wrote a guide on how to increase Zujava traffic by writing meta-descriptions and comment titles. If you love Squidoo and are not already signed up for Zujava, click to create a free account on Zujava.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

How To Sleep Better

Many, many people struggle with sleep. They lie awake at night and go to work exhausted. Or worse yet, the start on the path of taking sedatives to sleep. The danger of taking sedatives is not only are they addictive, they can make it difficult to feel energetic the next day.

But there are many little known techniques which can help to sleep better. Techniques such as autogenic training and progressive muscle relaxation help many people to conquer insomnia and get the sleep that they need. For more information read this article about how to sleep better.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Pajama Party Ideas

I created a new leaf or article about pajama party ideas. Pajama parties are popular themes these days. Schools even have pajama days where everyone goes to class dressed in pajamas. Pajama days combine education and entertainment. Pajama days essentially make learning fun. Similarly pajama parties are a fun way to relax with friends. A pajama party is essentially a party with a pajama theme.

This is my sixth leaf on Zujava. I am pleased to say that many of the most active members of Zujava are also well known members of Squidoo. Because of that there seems to be very high quality content there and a very friendly community. If you have not yet tried it yet, why not create a free account now?

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

How To Sleep Train A Baby

We struggled with our baby's sleep for over a year. It was one of the hardest times of our lives. Then we stumbled on an approach to sleep training that worked for us. In my next Zujava Leaf I share our approach for sleep training our baby.

By the way, this is now my fifth Zujava Leaf! If you do not yet know about Zujava, it is very much like Squidoo but newer. So, by signing up, you can now be at the beginning of a small but rapidly growing community. Next to Squidoo, Zujava is my favorite writing platform. Click below to sign up and find out why.

Sign up for Zujava.com: Simple online publishing.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

How to consolidate my online presence?

It isn't until I have something I really want to publicize that I get frustrated by the too-numerous online platforms where I've landed briefly and left a little bit of contact information. I tend to forget about them then, and they don't do me any good. Like my facebook page! It was supposed to be a place to keep up with news in my various musical endeavors, but because it slipped my mind, I never promoted it and it never went anywhere.

So lately as I think about trying to promote my brand-new cd project, Cabaret Warsaw, Polish Jewish songs of the 1920s and 1930s, I look at all the social media alternatives and realize I can't possibly find the time to keep them all updated. Maybe my facebook page is a good hub for updates?

If people "like" my facebook page, they'll see when I post new free download mp3 tracks of the music we're recording; they'll know when the cd is available for sale and can be pointed to the record label website I've now switched to bandcamp.com; I can also post concert appearances.

If you're interested in the progress of this project, I humbly ask you to "like" my page here and join me at facebook for an adventure in obscure but gorgeous music.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Easy Steps to Potty Training A Baby

I am still on a Zujava binge and have made my fourth and probably favorite leaf. This one is about potty training our baby boy.

This is the milestone that many parents look forward to and many parents dread. We just completed this milestone with great success and in this leaf, I give away our tips for successfully potty training our 2.5 year old boy. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Zujava The New Alternative To Squidoo?

Sign up for Zujava.com: Simple online publishing.


I have created my third leaf on Zujava about Foot Warmers and am really enjoying it there. Why? I love the fact that it is a new small community and there is an opportunity to make an impact and be heard. It is fun to be in on it from the first days.

Another great thing about having an account at Zujava is that it is another place to give a link to your websites from. From the SEO point of view, it is better to have two links to your website, from two different domains, than having 10 links to your website all from the same domain. I am always looking for a good place to give my websites "DoFollow" links. Unlike Hubpages and other websites, Squidoo and Zujava offer "Dofollow" links. Hubpages links will become Nofollow if your ranking drops below a certain value and that makes those links useless.

Sign up at Zujava and join a fresh and growing community of writers. Get in on the ground floor while the building is still being constructed.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Update on Zujava

As I reported earlier, I have been testing Zujava. I am a fan of Squidoo and have long been looking for a good alternative, and BINGO, I think I have found it.

Zujava will never replace Squidoo in my heart. But at the moment, it is a close second. I am not a fan of Hub Pages. In fact, I will go so far as to say, I do not like Hub Pages. I have made very little money with my Hubs and I really resent the fact that, if I am in active, my links become nofollow links. So, my work on Hub Pages have given me very little return.

Zujava is quite similar to Squidoo and as far as I can see, MUCH better than Hubpages. There is a very supportive community there, perhaps because it is still quite small.

I recently created my second "Leaf" on Zujava (a leaf is the Zujava equivalent of a Lens) about how to send a gift to Europe. It is now featured on the home page of Zujava. Not a bad start.

So, if you have not been to Zujava, I recommend to check it out and while you are there, Create a free account on Zujava. What have you got to lose? If you like Squidoo, you are going to like Zujava.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Experimenting With Zujava


In case you have experience with Squidoo and have not yet heard of Zujava you may be interested in learn that Zujava is alot like Squidoo. You can write articles and give your websites dofollow links. You can earn money from Amazon and Google Adsense. And unlike many other Squidoo "Me Toos", Zujava does not require you to have adsense and Amazon accounts. You simply write an article and you get paid monthly by Paypal. Personally, I like that better.

I had read about Zujava on Squidoo and SquidU and thought I would give it a try. It was easy to set up and very easy to write a "Leaf" (the Zujava equivalent of a Lens). While my heart will always belong to Squidoo, I appreciate having a new alternative. Frankly, I do not like Hub Pages, so I am hoping that Zujava will be better. Have a look at my first effort on Zujava, an article about adult footed pajamas or simply click here to Create a free account on Zujava. It is free and easy so why not give it a try?

Monday, January 30, 2012

I can now sell my music on Bandcamp, a great place to browse for great tunes

I own a record label and have an attic full of boxes of cds. Though I love all the music, most of the groups have passed on into that heavenly choir...



Most music groups don't survive long enough to sell all the boxes of cds in their attics.



Theoretically the internet could be a great place to sell the music of bands that can't tour, and I'd love to get rid of the boxes... I've tried a lot of online sites for selling my music but Bandcamp may take the cake. Using it as a content owner is wonderful.



But what's it like for a browser or potential buyer? That I don't know yet. If you happen to cruise on over there by clicking on one of the heading links in these embedded iframes, let me know how it goes for you! Thanks.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Routenote Direct: you can now sell your own digital downloads of music, for free.

I'm giving Routenote Direct a try - anybody can upload single songs or whole albums to this site, and they will be submitted to itunes, spotify, etc. Now, there is also this widget (see above) which should allow you to buy albums directly from Routenote. If you try it be sure to let me know how it works for you! Thanks.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Birthday Gift Ideas


Image Credit Fotolia
Over the course of our life there are certain special occasions with our friends and family that stand out as worthy of celebration, and gifts are of course a really important part of the holiday. Giving wonderful gifts for birthdays to loved ones is a nice thing to do and with some prior planning it doesn't have to be difficult. When you give someone a birthday gift, you are telling indirectly how much you love them. Show how much you care with a gift that's ideally suited to the person receiving the birthday present.

Who looks forward to birthdays like the kids? Nobody of course! If you've ever shopped for birthday presents for kids, you know it can be hard make them happy. Especially this new crop, they prefer the popular stuff that will keep with their friends. That's where our gift guides come in. Stop by to check out
cool birthday gifts for girls and boys.
Milestone birthdays are huge in most people's lives. They traditionally mark a transition in life. A milestone birthday is an event that should not overlooked. This usually means searching for birthday presents that are in tune with this rite of passage. This gift guide is awesome at finding the
best birthday gifts for milestone birthdays.
Even prior to baby's birth, the baby gifts begin with baby shower gifts.
Baby's first birthday is the first big one in a lifetime of yearly celebrations. First birthday gift ideas vary from something for mom to a thoughtful present for baby.
The
sweet sixteen birthday for a girl is one of those milestone birthday celebrations. This is usually a first step to freedom and is usually celebrated in an elaborate way. Many girls have sweet sixteen birthday parties complete with elaborate ceremonies and lots of cool birthday presents.
Eighteen means you aren't a child any more and that you can vote, fight for your country, etc and now you are considered an adult. This also usually occurs at a time when the first year of college start and some of the best 18th birthday gift ideas for young adults include various gifts that will make the college experience more enjoyable.
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday Tyler (Photo credit: Josh Kenzer)

Not until the 21st birthday is full adulthood recognized in the USA. At the age of 21 you are legally old enough to purchase and consume alcohol, like wine beer and spirits. Casino getaways are a cool way to celebrate turning 21.
The next milestone birthday is the 30th birthday. This is a time when you need to get serious and decide where you want to go in life and how your going to get there. Our gift guide has a list of the top gifts for a 30th birthday.
Do you know someone with a 40th birthday sneaking up on them? Forty is not usually anticipated like other birthdays because now you are thought to be "over the hill". Women in particular cant stand their 40th birthday. But worry not and be and confident, the 40th birthday is a time to celebrate being comfortable with yourself as you are.

Milestone birthdays are a epic occasions when we feel compelled to go all out and celebrate giving birthday gifts that will make the recipient laugh. For the best birthday gift ideas when these important birthdays roll around.


above: Check out this awesome video birthday song from Bono and The Edge from U2. They are singing happy birthday to Nelson Mandela who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

Happy Birthday
Image via Wikipedia

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Friday, January 13, 2012

New cd in the making: Cabaret Warsaw


My band Mappamundi: Music of the Northern Hemisphere and the Previous Millennium is going into the recording studio next weekend to begin work on a cd of music composed and performed by Polish Jews, primarily in Warsaw, between the World Wars. It will be called: "Cabaret Warsaw: Yiddish and Polish Hits of the 1930s."

This is a song from our dry run premiere concert of the material. It's called "Nisim, nisim" (Miracles, miracles) and was written by Moshe Broderson and Henech Kon, for the Polish cabaret called Azazel. Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Snuggie Vs Slanket : Which is the better sleeved blanket

For sometime, sleeved blankets have been popular. One of the reasons for their popularity is that they have received so much free advertisement from popular shows like The Tonight Show, Today Show and Ellen Show. For example here you can see the Snuggie on the Today Show:



Don't they look like a church choir? As a result of all of this attention, sleeved blankets (often called snuggle blankets) have recently become one of the most popular types of loungewear for women.

I have done a bit a research on the subject and not surprisingly, there is a huge difference between snuggle blankets. Some of the most popular actually receive the worst reviews. People complain that some brands of sleeved blankets have very think material and that the fleece begins pilling almost immediately. All of this is covered in my snuggle blanket lens, so be certain to read it before investing in a snuggle blanket.