Happy Mothers Day

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY ~~~~Deals

Mother's Day 2013 is here, and it is time to celebrate Mom for all those times she did your laundry and made your lunch, and even that one time she bit her tongue when you decided to dye your hair blue.
Kudos to those who have flowers, chocolates and diamonds ready for Sunday. For those who procrastinate a bit more or are tight on cash this year, there are plenty of Mother's Day freebies and deals to take advantage of to thank the woman who gave you life. After all, she always told you to save your pennies, right?
Hooters: This year, Hooters wants you to impress Mom with some free grub on May 12. When moms order any meal priced $10 or less, plus a drink purchase, the food is on the house. Moms must be accompanied by one or more offspring.
IKEA: Does your mom have a penchant for hearty breakfast food? Ikea is offering a free breakfast for moms on Mother's Day. This deal includes a 99-cent breakfast plate of bacon, eggs and potatoes, plus a cup of coffee. (Sorry, no Swedish meatballs.) The offer is good Sunday, May 12 until 11 a.m.
TCBY: For moms with a sweet tooth, TCBY is offering mothers a free frozen yogurt, either for self-serve or a small cup or cone, up to a 6-ounce cup. This deal includes all flavors of yogurts and sorbets, any toppings combinations and all “Super Fro-Yo.” Yum!
Uno: Uno will give moms a free mini dessert this Sunday, no coupon needed. Moms can choose from one of four delicious dishes. If you want to splurge a bit more, buy your mother a $25 gift card and get $5 back.
My Yoga Online: The world's largest online yoga video company is offering over 1,000 free yoga classes on Mother's Day, May 12 until midnight on May 13. To access the deal, send a personalized Mother's Day email to invite your mom to participate in My Yoga Online.
Redbox: Buy a Redbox eGift card for Mom and get a code for a bonus one-day DVD rental on Monday, May 13.
Applebees: Purchase $50 in Applebees giftcards for Mom, and you'll get a free $10 giftcard in return.
Ripley's Believe It or Not, Times Square: This Mother's Day, moms can head to Ripley's Believe It or Not's Odditorium in New York City's Times Square for a chance to win free admission from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. by spinning the wheel of "juggling challenges." Moms who aren't feeling so lucky will receive half-price admission with the purchase of a full-price child admission.
Best Buy: If you have a tech-savvy mama, Best Buy is offering three days of deals just for her, plus free shipping or free in-store pickup on all items.
1-800-Flowers: Floral arrangements are a classic gift for moms on this holiday. 1-800-Flowers is offering deals up to 40 percent off bouquets and gifts for Mom, no promo code required.
Hersheypark: On May 12, head to Hersheypark in Hershey, Pa., where moms will get in free. Print this coupon for a free one-day admission ticket for Mom, when purchased with another full-price, one-day admission ticket.
Amazon.com Give your ma a laugh with a free, personalized Amazon.com Mother's Day card from JibJab.
Take Mom to the Zoo!: Over 50 zoos around the nation are offering free admission for mothers. Click here to see a list of participating venues.

 

Air Force One For Sale: Government Selling Former Presidential Plane

Ever dreamed of owning Air Force One? Now you can!
Technically, a president has to be in an Air Force jet for it to be officially called Air Force One. But this plane "was part of Air Force 2 and may have acted as Air Force 1," according to the GSA Auctions page where you can bid on the aircraft:

A seamstress buried 17 days ALIVE morden day miracle

DHAKA, Bangladesh — A seamstress buried in the wreckage of a collapsed garment factory building for 17 days was rescued Friday, a miraculous moment set against a scene of unimaginable horror, where the death toll shot past 1,000.
Reshma survived, in remarkably good shape, by eating dried food that was in her area and drinking spare amounts of water with her. She was discovered on the second floor of the eight-story Rana Plaza building, where crews have been focused on recovering bodies, not rescuing survivors, for much of the past two weeks

WIFI Tracking using your smartphone who's doing it and why?

Privacy advocates have an entirely new worry to keep them awake at night.
National retailers like Nordstrom and Home Depot, working with a company called Euclid Analytics, have devised a method for tracking shoppers in their stores. The service identifies shoppers' smartphones by requests the devices make for Wi-Fi, even if they aren't connecting to the store's network.
UPDATE: Thursday, 4:30 p.m. -- According to spokeswoman Tara Darrow, as of May 8, Nordstrom is no longer using Euclid for data collection in their stores. Said Darrow in an email to The Huffington Post, "We've said all along that Euclid was a test for us. We had it in select stores since September. We felt like we learned a lot and got great feedback from our customers."
Previously:
According to Euclid, 40 to 70 percent of all shoppers are equipped with a smartphone that can be used to determine specific departments a shopper visits and how long a shopper may spend there. Thus, any person with a Wi-Fi-enabled phone is automatically tracked as he moves through the store. Shoppers looking to go un-tracked have to turn off their Wi-Fi or power down their handsets, a point that has some critics livid.
"I think it's outrageous," John Soma, executive director of the University of Denver Privacy Foundation, told Denver's ABC7. "What are they going to do with that data? Are they going to keep it forever? Are they going to aggregate it? Are they going to sell it to 'affiliates?' We just don't know. That's what's so troubling to me."
John Fu, Euclid’s director of marketing, told Texas-based news outlet CBS DFW that the company's client list includes a wide variety of establishments, from "mom & pop stores and coffee shops to large department stores."
Nordstrom, one such retailer that uses Euclid in some of its stores, told CBS DFW the anonymous reports they receive give them "a better sense of customer foot traffic."
In a piece published earlier this year, The New York Times speculated that retailers could use the data to alter their placement of high- and low-margin items based on who walks by them. In the not-so-distant future, the service could single out specific shoppers, pointing customers who choose to be personally identified toward items they may be interested in.

 

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES take your lovely mom out for dinner

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - How much has mom done for you over the years? So much that it’s probably easier to detail the things she hasn’t done. She began taking care of your needs the day you were born. She hasn’t stopped looking out for you, no matter how old you are today.

How do you pay her back? You can’t. But you can begin to try on Mother’s Day. One option is taking her out for a nice meal.

The restaurants of Downtown Los Angeles are here to help, and on Sunday, May 12, there are places all across the community that have mom in mind. Whether you want a multi-course dinner, a high-end tea sipping or an all you can eat and drink party at a modern Mexican restaurant, the Central City has you covered.

The below list of seven dining options isn’t close to complete. Rather, think of it as a starter guide to all Downtown has to offer on May 12. Now start planning. Mom deserves it.

Decisions, Decisions: If mom believes in freedom of choice, then consider taking her to Chaya for lunch. The Asian fusion restaurant in the Financial District has nearly 20 options for Mother’s Day. Chaya’s $39 brunch special includes six starter choices, among them warm asparagus salad, corn puree soup and a wild arugula and strawberry salad. The nine main course selections include smoked salmon eggs benedict, pancetta-wrapped Gulf shrimp and pulled short rib. For dessert she’ll have to decide between flourless chocolate cake, chocolate croissant bread pudding or raspberry sorbet. The decisions don’t end there, since brunch is served with a mimosa, wine or cider. If it all proves to be too much, help mom finish the leftovers. 

At 525 S. Flower St.,  (213) 236-9577 or thechaya.com.

Red Hot Brunch: Mom doesn’t have to be a firefighter in order to get a good meal in a firehouse. She just needs to be invited to the Mother’s Day Firehouse Brunch at Engine Co. No. 28. The firehouse-turned-restaurant on Figueroa Street is serving a $45 three-course meal with appetizers such as gazpacho and shrimp ceviche, and main courses like Chilean sea bass and fettuccini Alfredo with breaded chicken. The come desserts such as crème brûlée and New York style cheesecake.

At 644 S. Figueroa St., (213) 624-6996 or engineco.com. 

Rendezvous Buffet: The scenery in the Italian Renaissance-inspired Rendezvous Court at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel will be a little more delicious from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. on Mother’s Day thanks to the hotel’s brunch buffet. Food will be prepared at Smeraldi’s, the hotel’s restaurant. Available for the picking will be salads, omelets, eggs, scones, cinnamon rolls, croissants and more. A carving station will serve meaty options like slow-roasted rib-eye in horseradish cream. If mom likes seafood, she’ll see it there too in the form of crab legs, shrimp and pan-seared scallops. The meal is $59 for adults and $25 for kids 4-11. 

At 506 S. Grand Ave., (213) 612-1562 or millenniumhotels.com.

Top Tea Time:It’s tea party time at the Convention Center hotel. Not a Mad Hatter off-with-your-head tea party, but rather the fanciest kind, one at WP24. The L.A. Live restaurant with the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Downtown has a $65 Mother’s Day tea ($25 for the under-12 set) with blends from organic tea importer Art of Tea. It is complemented with miniature sandwiches, scones and other pastries. The kids get treats in the form of mini-peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and ham and cheese croissants. For the little ones who forgot to bring a gift (or the dads who forgot to give one to the kids to give to mom), there’s a card making area. 

At 900 W. Olympic Blvd. (213) 743-8800 or wolfgangpuck.com.

Blue Ribbon Meal: During the week, people bring their lunch and eat in the tranquil garden on the roof of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. But on Mother’s Day from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., no one has to brown bag it up there, thanks to Patina Catering’s Mother’s Day brunch buffet. The Patina chefs will prepare a meal with country ham, crepes, a build your own parfait bar, brioche French toast and Vienna style fried chicken. It costs $45 ($19 for kids under 12). This could be a popular event, and the park is less than an acre with limited table space, so reservations are required. Remember what mom said and don’t procrastinate.

At 111 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-7565 or patinagroup.com.

Outdoor Style: If mom is the outdoorsy type, and by that we mean she likes to enjoy a relaxing lunch in a patio garden setting, then get thee to Café Pinot. The contemporary California-French eatery next to the Central Library will offer a May 12 three-course meal from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Choices at the $45 lunch ($16 for those under 12) include Dijon mustard Jidori chicken, salmon salad, French toast and hanger steak. 

At 700 W. Fifth St., (213) 239-6500 or patinagroup.com.

Small But Endless:Just like mom can’t limit how much she loves you, Border Grill isn’t limiting how much she can eat on Sunday. The modern Mexican restaurant is breaking up its Mother’s Day celebration into two parts, with a 10 a.m.-2 p.m. brunch and a 4-9 p.m. dinner. Real hunger is a must at both. The brunch is $35 and means unlimited small plates, which are similar to tapas. The details of the brunch menu are still being worked out, but for another $8 mom can also get bottomless mimosas. At dinner the price drops to $25 with small plates that include green corn tamales, plantain empanadas and lamb barbecue. The dinner drink specials are the $20 margarita pitchers, although those aren’t bottomless. 

At 445 S. Figueroa St., (213) 486-5171 or bordergrill.com.

 

Alzheimer's breakthrough to help memory recall

A team of scientists at the University of Southern California believe they are two years away from creating a brain implant capable of generating memories within patients' brains.
The implications could be profound for medicine - and probably not horrific in a 'Total Recall' sort of way.
If successful it could help victims of brain injuries and possibly Alzheimer's with memory recall - and has the potential to help patients remember who they are.
The implant will target the hippocampus, an area thought to be crucial in forming long-term memories.
The team intend to develop a technique to recreate the electrical signals used in the hippocampus that have been lost due to illness or injury.
They have already had success in tests on rats and monkeys.
Professor Ted Berger who worked on the project told MIT Technology Review: "We're not putting individual memories back into the brain. We're putting in the capacity to generate memories.