Lisa Rinna appears on the May issue of Playboy magazine, 11 years since her last nude pictorial.

Lisa Rinna had no problem baring it all for next month's issue of Playboy.

The 45 year-old mother of two bares it all for the May issue of Playboy magazine, 11 years since her last nude pictorial.

Speaking about her fabulous body, Lisa said, "I’m 45 years old. I look good right now. Why not? Why not celebrate the beauty of the female body?"

She added, “Dancing with the Stars changed my body and I never let it go back. I got that body and was like, ‘I like this. I’m going to keep it.’”

What does her husband, actor Harry Hamlin think about the new Playboy photos? "They're awesome," Hamlin said. "They're amazing. I mean, look at who the subject was!"

How did Lisa Rinna prep for her May issue of Playboy?

By not working out.

Rinna, 45, tells Usmagazine.com that photographer Deborah Anderson gave her the specific order.

"She knows that I'm a workout fiend and she said, 'Lisa, I don't want you to work out, and I don't want you to starve yourself before the shoot, because I know you will,'" Rinna tells Us.

Can you believe these stars are in their 40s?

When she agreed to bare all, Rinna says she thought, "'OK, I've really got to limit my food intake and be really good. I've got to workout everyday, twice a day, like crazy.'"

Can you guess whose abs these are?

But Anderson told her she didn't want her "muscular, hard, sinewy." She needed to look "soft and beautiful," Rinna recalls.

Says the star, "At first I was like, 'Oh, forget it!' But then I listened to her and said, 'You know what? I've got to trust her. She's an amazing photographer.'"

See Us' Weight Winners of 2008

It wasn't easy.

"I had to really remind myself every time, and go, 'It's OK to eat!'" Rinna tells Us. "She would email me constantly, 'Are you starving yourself?' and I would email back, 'No.'"

See stars who have gotten scary skinny

Rinna tells Us she stopped working out "for three weeks, which is unheard of for me because I'm a fiend."

In the end, Rinna says, "I felt great -- and I looked great! I'm really pleased with how my body looked in Playboy."

You can check out the behind the scenes footage of the shoot on Extra.com. Lisa’s issue of Playboy hits newsstands on April 17, will you be picking up a copy?

as appeared at http://www.usmagazine.com/news/lisa-rinna-forced-to-stop-working-out-for-racy-shoot-2009174 and http://www.hollyscoop.com/lisa-rinna/lisa-rinna-strips-down-for-playboy_19924.aspx

Playright Melissa Nicholson Brings Fairy Tales To Life

By Jennie Adams

If you ever walk into Gamut Classic Theatre on a Saturday afternoon, (and if you are ever in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at around that time, you will want to), you might see forty or so children seated on the floor in front of a tiny stage, watching as a fairy tale or nursery rhyme is brought to life before their eyes. Actors are singing, dancing, and entertaining their way through some of our most beloved classic tales. The children are helping, of course. They might be waving their arms back and forth like tree branches, creating an ambiance for Little Red Riding Hood’s journey through the forest to Grandma’s House. Or they may be shouting, “Pick me! Pick me!” for a chance to join the Players on stage to play a fairy in Sleeping Beauty.

For seventeen years, the Popcorn Hat Player’s Children’s Theatre, led by Melissa Nicholson and husband Clark, have brought classic children’s stories to life for thousands of our youngest audience members.

Melissa wears many hats for her theatre: co-founder, Executive Director, Actor, Director, and Playwright. She has written over thirty original adaptations of classic stories that are performed on her stage by resident actors.

(Photo from The Three Little Pigs)

WOW: Thank you, Melissa, for joining WOW! to talk about this interesting children’s writing niche. Where did your love of writing begin and how did you discover your talent?

MELISSA: I have loved writing short stories and poems since elementary school. In college—Susquehanna University, 1989—I minored in Writing with a major in Communications/Theatre Arts.

WOW: Why children's playwriting? Why did you settle into this genre?

MELISSA: I have 14 nieces and nephews—I am the youngest of six children. I used to make up stories with the older six from the time I was in my late teens/early 20's. I found I had a knack for it—especially with modernizing classic fairy tales and making them entertaining. I was also a camp counselor from age 16 to 19 and worked with a lot of different kinds of children. I worked at a children's theatre for a year before creating Popcorn Hat Players with my husband Clark. I found the plays at that theatre to be far too serious for young ones. I wanted to make our audiences laugh, a lot like I did when I entertained my nieces, nephews, and camp kids.

WOW: Your theatre company revisits your scripts every few seasons. Do you ever make changes when directing them again?

MELISSA: I revisit them before we remount the shows and see what contemporary references need to change. I also rely heavily on the input of our actors who are very adept at improvising. The basic comedy style, though, is timeless, and I use many techniques that worked for The Marx Brothers as well as current comedy presenters.

“I make an outline of the plot points to hit and then I just start writing as if I'm speaking on stage.”

WOW: Walk us through how you take a story from a book and reinvent it for the stage.

MELISSA: I read the story and see what plot points I want to keep and how to end the story effectively. A lot of fairy tales have strange endings, but all Popcorn Hat shows end "happily ever after," so I sometimes need to change the ending a bit.

When I wrote The Three Little Pigs, I tried to think of someway to modernize the characters. Many times the circumstances of production will dictate some of the writing. For example, I knew that we had four actors to be in that show (three women and one man). So I knew that the pigs would need to be girls. I also knew that the three actresses in the show were pretty good singers, so I decided that the three pigs would be a Motown Girls Group from the ’60s. The rest sort of fell into place. I make an outline of the plot points to hit and then I just start writing as if I'm speaking on stage. The second draft is going back and tightening up the language or fleshing out scenes.

In Three Little Pigs, the wolf becomes the manager of the girls group instead of dying in the pot of boiling water, because that's an unexpected and happy ending. When I came up with that ending, I went back and made references throughout the play that the girls needed a manager but didn't have one.

WOW: Have you ever put anything into a play such as a joke or an action that you expected to work for an audience and didn't? Anything surprisingly successful?

MELISSA: I often have jokes I think are hilarious that don't always go over well or that I can't get the actor to understand why it's funny. In those cases, we usually end up cutting that bit. I have a good feel for what will work. It has to make me laugh, and I'm fairly critical. I am writing for parents as well as adults.

Three Little Pigs was very surprisingly successful. I copied that general format for Hansel and Gretel and made the title characters Jitterbug dancers—that was also highly successful.

WOW: Jitterbug dancers! I can see why your characters entertain children and their parents, which is probably good for a children’s playwright to keep in mind. Why do you feel these classic stories are important to reinvent and retell for children today?

MELISSA: Many children don't know these stories. When we first created the company 17 years ago, most kids knew most of the fairy tales, now many of the children don't know the stories unless there was a movie made of it. These stories are part of our history and help influence who we are as people. Many of them have a moral to them—great for kids!

(Photo from Little Red Riding Hood)

WOW: How do you find those morals and present them to your audiences?

MELISSA: I try to find modern morals to go along with the classic stories. For example, the moral in Little Red Riding Hood is “Don’t talk to strangers.” The moral in Pinocchio is “Don’t tell lies.”

The Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales are a little harder to find the morals. He didn't really write any into them. His stories are epic adventures that are difficult to translate on to our stage, like Snow Queen and Thumbelina. In those cases, I make up something. For example, our Snow Queen is not "evil," she's just misunderstood. In the end, she ends up being really nice, and our moral is that you can't judge people just by the rumors you hear about them. That's not an Andersen moral, that's a Nicholson moral, you know what I mean?

WOW: Your productions are a great way to introduce children to the live theatre experience. Beyond that, how does live theatre itself benefit children?

MELISSA: They get to interact with other children and adults in a safe, fun way. Plus, it brings the characters alive in a way that is more visceral than passive entertainment like movies and television.

WOW: Your plays succeed in keeping young children entertained and interested. How do you manage to keep even your youngest audience members (toddlers!) so engaged?

MELISSA: We use a lot of physical comedy and non‑threatening characters and we keep the plays short—40 minutes, max.

WOW: How did you settle on that time length for your plays?

MELISSA: Years of performing for children, before I ever wrote my own script! It's about as long as they can handle!

(Photo from Pinocchio)

WOW: Besides length of course, what are some aspects of children's theatre that are different from adult theatre?

MELISSA: Speaking directly to the audience a good deal of the time, although Shakespeare uses that device as well! Keeping it light and fun. Making very presentational choices and broad character choices.

WOW: Compare children's playwriting to writing books for children. What challenges are presented in children's playwriting that may differ from writing children's books?

MELISSA: I would think that a good children's book would rely a lot on great illustrations—those are the books that my daughter liked the best when she was younger. In children's theatre, we rely on the actors to portray those images. The challenge is to find the right kind of actors to present the story.

WOW: Some classic stories you have adapted, in their original form hundreds of years ago, have some grim events and outcomes. For instance, you mentioned the wolf in Three Little Pigs gets boiled alive. Naturally, this episode was left out of the Popcorn Hat version. How do you deal with these details while still keeping true to the original stories? Is there an example of how this has posed a problem for you in the past?

MELISSA: Sometimes we acknowledge these original "grim" events. For example, in Rapunzel, the device is that the actors are reading from a story book and then acting out portions of the story. So after one of the actors reads a certain narration, the other actor responds with:

Actor 1: So you're telling me that when the peasant man and his wife finally do have a child, the witch makes them give it up to her just because they stole a little lettuce?

Actor 2: That's what the story says, yes.

Actor 1: That seems pretty harsh.

Actor 2: It does, but if that's what the story says then that's what we have to do.

In that same story, the Prince blinds himself when he falls out of the tower. My version just has him losing his memory: "Who am I? Where am I? (pats pockets frantically) Where are my car keys?!"

In our version of Rapunzel, the witch becomes good at the end and becomes Rapunzel's fairy godmother, so we can create that happy ending.

“Fifteen minutes of online research can save you a lot of time and money. ”

WOW: What advice do you have for writers interested in exploring this genre of children's writing? What is a good first step for someone who has written a children's play and is interested in having it produced by a theatre?

MELISSA: I would say that you have to love children and understand what makes them tick and what makes them laugh. I was writing for children long before I had a child of my own, but I had the experience of taking care of my nieces and nephews and camp students to remind me of what they enjoy.

If you are interested in getting your play produced by a theatre, I would make sure you understand what kind of work each particular theatre produces. We often have unsolicited scripts sent to us that just don't fit what we are doing here. Plays with large casts, weighty subject matter... Fifteen minutes of online research can save you a lot of time and money.

WOW: For writers, is there something you can pinpoint that you would consider the most important element to include in any children's play?

MELISSA: Number one: interesting characters that will hold the child's attention.

WOW: Any final advice for writers interested in pursuing this genre of children’s writing?

MELISSA: I write comedies for children, but I don't feel that's the only way to engage children on stage, it's just what has worked best for me and my theatre company. Many of my answers focus on the importance of the comedy, but I'm not making any kind of judgment about writers of children's plays that do not use this device.

You should write what you are most comfortable with and know well. I always enjoyed creating camp skits, watching sketch comedy and classic comic movies and cartoons. My writing for children definitely reflects those influences.

WOW: Thank you, Melissa, for joining the WOW community to talk about your experience as a children’s playwright.

Ladies, you can find information for the Popcorn Hat Players and its sister company the Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival, both founded by Melissa and Clark, at www.gamutplays.org.

***

as appeared at http://wow-womenonwriting.com/27-Inspiration.html

Jennie Adams is a writer and actor in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She lives with her actor/director husband Sean and their two daughters, who are Popcorn Hat kids for life.

Science News - Will The World Really End On December 21st 2012? If Not, What Will Really Happen?

The Meaning of the December 21 End Date

There is a battle going on. Scholar against Scholar, Scientists against Scientists, Religions vs Religions - and of course, the ever present Government cover ups. What is all the fuss about? A round, huge, red dust cloud heading towards our solar system.

The ongoing debate over this phenominal planet heading our way goes way back to ancient civilizations. One of the major contributors is the Mayan belief system and how the Mayan calendar forecasts the "end" of Earth. Date and Time? December 21, 2012. Calendar wars have existed since the days of the early Egyptians and continue to exist today between the Maya themselves, religious scholars and western mathematicians. The Egyptian God Thoth was banished from Egypt because he was insistent on using a calendar aligned with the star system Sirius while the other Gods wanted to use calendars that aligned with their own respective star systems and power bases. According to Sitchin, Thoth relocated to Central and South America and helped build the Mayan civilization as Quetzalcoatl. The Haab calendar is actually the solar Sirian calendar that Thoth introduced to the Mayas. Whichever calendar was established as the primary calendar during the various eras and cultures provided that particular God or institution the ultimate power to control the masses.

The key element of interest in regard to the end-date interpretation of the Mayan long count calendar is that it converges with all the other Mayan calendars on December 21, 2012 and heralds a solstice/galactic center alignment that last took place some 13,000 odd years ago. It also is indicative of a time and space shift as we know it, as we pass through he photon belt over the galactic plane, into the galaxy's right hemisphere. It additionally represents a cyclical and geologically predictable period of major Earth changes, which are already coming to pass. The Earth will not change in a flash such as in a specific date as December 21, 2012. While the changes will continue to be turbulent, they will be gradual, unless the powers that be create a nuclear holocaust first, which is always a possibility, (given their own self-fulfilling Armageddon prophecies). The endtime prophecy and 2012 date do relate to the final passage over the galactic lane; one that started, and has been taking place, since the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, which began more or less in the 1960s although Neptune entered Aquarius in 1998 and transformed the dream. But the Age of Aquarius does not really have a specific start date; the transformation is evolving and has more or less been targeted as manifesting after 2024, when Pluto moves into Aquarius. The renown astrologer Dane Mudhyar gave an estimate of the year 2060. Thus, the December 21, 2012 endtime date serves as the middle doorway in a tunnel or wormhole through multidimensional time and space.

Here is what happened during the last significant alignment, 13,000 years ago, when the summer solstice was aligned with the galactic center and we moved through the galactic plane to the left hemisphere of our galaxy. We had the birth of a new civilization; as evidenced by the Sphinx and Great Pyramid. We had Gods interfacing with humans as evidenced by Egyptian hieroglyphics, with the creation of new technology and architecture, and a booming and fertile civilization arising in the Middle East. Sometime before that, there were major upheavals that appeared to have been Earth changes; thus, the rise of this new civilization seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. While our western history books tend to date the rise of civilization more recently, science -- the antithesis of religion and his story-- has proven that our modern calendars and dating systems are wrong. And while this new civilization was born 3,000 years ago, not all was peaceful and harmonic during that particular transformation as the books of Zecharia Sitchin (Earth Chronicles) will attest to.

However, what the upcoming 2012 shift is all about is a new paradigm; one that is meant to move us out of the Wars of Gods and Men (Sitchin) which have had a debilitating effect on the planet as a result of the power structure that evolved nearly 3,000 years ago, and which grew to favor left-brained male consciousness over right brained female consciousness. The 2012 shift is meant to transform human conscious into one that is more equitable and balanced, and one that will birth a new consciousness in regard to the Earth and life. In essence, we will be moving into a consciousness of universal life, and out of the morbid obsessive consciousness of universal death. This will allow us to finally reconnect with the cosmic life force because we will, once again, be able to recognize it for what it is. This will also provide an opportunity, once again, to be good neighbors to our galactic community, instead of engaging in star wars such as in the past, when opposing forces took refuge on our planet and other planets, and continued their totalitarian wars, including calendar wars, under the guise of governments, religions, and fraternal organizations. These events were all designed to manipulate and control the cycles of consciousness.

The transformation of consciousness is a birthing process. In human life, a birth takes nine months. In cosmic life, it can take decades and even hundreds or thousands of years. Solar calendars do not account for the natural birth and death cycles of the cosmos and planet. They are typically and solely used to repress our innate ability to synchronize with the subtle energies. When you are out-of-sync with the natural cycles, the birthing process can be painful. If you resist, the pain is even greater. Many on our planet are testing this transformation, particularly institutions, government structure. We will see many destructive reactions to the natural cyclical changes as a result. On the other hand, the birthing process -- when one is in tune with one's body, the Earth's cycles, and the cosmos -- can be beautiful and awesome. We can then experience the natural death of old life as it makes way for the new, with minimal discomfort. But it means being attuned to the natural cycles to do so. Women are more in tuned with these cycles than men because of menses (moon cycles) and the birthing process. Solar calendars are not based on birthing cycles. The solar cycle is strictly electrical and when untempered by a magnetic force, will wreak havoc on the planet. However, the Mayan calendars are designed around many cycles and that is why there are so many of them; to account for the many overlapping subtle energies that are meant to keep things in a constant state of balance. They are also three-dimensional since the Mayas walk between worlds. But taking the Mayan calendars literally, one-by-one, is as dangerous as fundamentalists taking the bible literally. You must be able to understand all the cycles and their overlapping implications, and piece them together as you would a puzzle, to interpret the whole message. Both the geometry and hidden intent are sacred and important to interpreting and predicting the events of the past, present and future. Jesus spoke in parables to his 12 disciplines, and created a geometric set of events that transcended a literal timeline. His words, deeds, and actions were purposely veiled so that only true seekers, those who paid attention to the world and cosmic cycles around them, would be able to tune into the subtle meanings and discover the underlying truths that transcended yesterday, today and tomorrow. Some scholars and sects think that he did not actually exist in the flesh at the time of his discipleship, bridging time and space to appear when he did. To cover this up and confuse the masses about his appearance and intent, the calendars of that day were changed to suppress the cyclical and multidimensional evidence and events.

We are now being given our chance to transcend time and space; the very message that Jesus appeared to tell us about. To make the 2012 transition, it is important to keep an open mind and not attach yourself to literal outcomes such as dates of events and linear timelines. Many people in the past have predicted the end of the world and the second coming of the Messiah and have been proven wrong time-and-time again. The mystery of birth, death, and all cosmic cycles is within you. You are one with all of humanity and all of the cosmos and are the past, present, and future. You are the one. The December 21, 2012 end date is only one key to understanding your multidimensional capabilities and learning how to use them. The physical world itself will not end for many; either by choice or by karma. What will end, hopefully, is a long and violent cycle if terrorism, war, death, destruction, desecration, mass manipulation and cover-up; which will allow us to reclaim and nurture the natural cycles of the cosmos, the Earth, and the goddess within us all. That will give way to a new heaven on Earth, and for those that "get it, it will reintroduce the ability to communicate with the multidimensional Gods once more.

Last, it is worth noting that these Gods are no more sacred than we. We, too, will awaken to our multidimensionality, heralding the second coming of the Messiah. All in all, we are all one. The outcome of the upcoming 2012 transformation is to reconnect us to our cosmic origins and the divine, which are both within us and around us. All that the December 21, 2012 endtime date does is provide us with a point of reference. For those who make it that far, the path home will be less strenuous. For those who have resisted the natural cycles and subtle energies by subscribing to a linear and superficial history and timeline, the 2012 endtime date and the ensuing outcome will be their Armageddon.

As appeared at http://beyondthetenth.com/December212012.html

Society News -Australian Channeller Blossom Goodchild Predicted Mass UFO Sighting On October 14th 2008. Scam Or Truth?

By Stephane Wuttunee 

On October 14th, 2008, hundreds of thousands of people around the world will train their eyes to the skies in the hopes of seeing whether or not Australian channeler Blossom Goodchild made good on her prediction: that a massive Extraterrestrial spacecraft and its occupants would visit planet Earth and allow their presence to be known internationally for a minimum of three days.

Goodchild went public with her message from The Federation of Light on August 22nd of this year, in the form of a simple e-mail sent to 125 of her contacts. The announcement spread quickly (without her knowledge and help for the most part) via You Tube videos as well as blogs and web sites. In fact, the topic is so hot that in online forums dedicated to UFOlogy or the paranormal, it is the only thing many members can talk (and argue) about.

Since August, Blossom herself has appeared on several Internet Radio shows and with hosts such as; Mike Quinsey, Lia Ramses (Underworld), Captain Jack (Paranormal Radio), and others to help promote the message. The mainstream media of course, have chosen to leave the topic alone, save for a few local and regional outlets such as; NewsBlaze.com, The Independent Online, The Clanton Advertiser, and Waaytv.com.

So, what differentiates Goodchild from cult leaders and frauds? For one, in contrast to groups and societies where adepts are expected to cough up hundreds if not thousands of dollars (or in some cases, their testes, identities, and hair) to rise up the ranks, Goodchild herself is not asking for people to show up on her doorstep and swear their allegiance. Most all of the information is made public and given freely on her website. In fact, she seems to prefer that they simply stay where they are and just look upward on the fourteenth, saying that this event involves a spiritual awakening for all rather than focus upon one person. Also, her prediction was made public so close to the date on which the phenomenon is slated to take place that it essentially crippled her chances of benefiting financially by means of media exposure as well as e-Book and CD sales. With October 14th being so near, most reasonable people will simply not bother purchasing any of her products and services. They will wait until after mid-October instead. Lastly, the main factor setting Goodchild apart is that judging from her radio interviews and videos, she seems just so…well, nice. It almost feels as though an aunt is relaying the message rather than someone who calls themselves a medium or channeler.

What are some of the possible consequences of this prediction coming to pass, then? Globally speaking, the timeline for Disclosure by governments worldwide would certainly accelerate to breakneck speed. Rather than expect Disclosure in months or years, it might come in mere days or weeks following such an event. With the Million Fax on Washington event looming, having ET show up could only help. Also, for the first time in human history, a whole new paradigm shift within our consciousness would undoubtedly take place and people would begin asking themselves questions by looking within rather than simply trusting worldly bodies.

For Blossom on the other hand, it is safe to say that in case this happens on the fourteenth, her private life would be severely disturbed by all types of people and expectations for many months to come. She could safely expect a constant barrage of phone calls and pleas by people in states of emotional distress to lead them out of the darkness. Offsetting that however of course, would be a dramatic increase in book sales and worldwide recognition by the media - and perhaps a few visits by shadowy military and intelligence types.

And if it doesn't come to pass, well…no big deal. Goodchild will be bombarded with an onslaught of hate mail and derisive remarks for a short while and will simply resume with her life. The incident would have at least created a stir within the UFOlogy community and made people come together to discuss whether or not mediumship is a valid source of information. With science being mostly a male dominated field, it would be nice for a more intuitive and less purely rational form of intelligence gathering to take its place as well.

Unfortunately, seeing this prediction fail also means that similar predictions made by other mediums in the future will be encountered by much fiercer resistance and ridicule: and yet perhaps that is a good thing.

When objectively analyzing the world situation, one cannot help but realize how stellar and perfect some form of benevolent outside intervention would be right now (whether or not such intervention would be welcomed by us is another story). To put it bluntly, the world is a mess. A disaster even. Sure, humans have a track record of pulling together in a crisis and getting themselves out of trouble, but such acts always took place on a stage that wasn't falling apart at the seams. The immediate threats of global economic collapse and wars both pale in comparison to the oncoming juggernaut of environmental catastrophe. We need help - preferably in the form of inspiration, mentorship, and guidance rather than saviorship. The good kind of big brother (and sister). Can Goodchild's prediction be the winning ticket to that kind of turnaround?

Eyes to the skies!

news source: http://www.ufodigest.com/news/1008/showtime.html

Spirituality News - If You Met A Shy, Kind & Loving Woman Would You Believe She Can Talk With Angels?

By Sue Leonard

Monday June 16 2008

If you met a woman who said that she talked to angels every day, you might be forgiven for raising a discreetly cynical eyebrow. But somehow Lorna Byrne is different. Thousands of people say that she has changed their lives for the better, and a hard-headed publisher believed in her story enough to get her to write a book -- and that book is now right up there near the top of the Irish best-sellers list.

I went to meet her with a typical journalist's scepticism -- and came away feeling strangely energised. But let's start at the beginning, with the basic outline of Lorna's life.

When she was a child, Lorna was considered retarded. Unable to learn at school, she had few friends, and seemed always to live in another world.

Bought up in near poverty, Lorna left school early, and worked in her father's garage. There she met Joe, her first boyfriend, and the man she went on to marry. Life was tough. Joe suffered from a type of diabetes that could not be controlled. He had to give up work and, after a series of small strokes and seizures, died in his forties. They had four children. Three are now grown. Lorna lives with the youngest, who is 12, dividing her time between Kilkennyand Maynooth, in houses that have been loaned to her.

In her autobiography, Angels in my Hair, Lorna tells the reader that she sees angels and spirits; that they are her constant companions.

These include an Archangel, Michael, and the prophet Elijah. It was he, she tells us, who showed her Joe in a vision when she was a child. And he told her that she would marry Joe; that they would be happy, but that he would die early.

The increasing number of Irish people who ask questions of angels, and who attend mystics will have no problem believing Lorna. The sick and troubled she has prayed for and helped certainly believe in her.

Jim Corr, Daniel O'Donnell and Coronation Street's William Roche have all given her glowing testimonials.

I didn't know what to expect when I went to meet Lorna at a Dublin hotel. Was she a fraud, or worse, could she be deranged? I was disarmed by the gentleness of the women who greeted me with a shy smile. Soft spoken, Lorna looks much younger than her 54 years. There's a serenity about her, and an innocence.

"I don't like to call myself a psychic; I hate that word," she says. "I am afraid to say I am a healer, but I do help people physically and emotionally. A lot of people have got well."

This 'healing' is often emotional. Lorna sees things about someone's life, and in explaining, helps the person come to terms with it. She can tell, too, when someone is sick and why, often before the condition becomes known by medical tests.

"I won't tell fortunes," she says. "Often people ask me to, but I feel that is dangerous. It's hard, when a beautiful young man comes to see me, and he knows he is unwell. I am told by the angels, 'yes, he is terminal, but the doctors can't find it'.

"I keep sending him back to the doctors, and eventually, when it shows up I know it is too late. I have to help the family through it."

Lorna keeps smiling. She tells me that she can see angels, right now, right here in the room; as clearly as she can see me.

"They are coming and going and messing around with a pen and a pad. They are great mimics. One of them is even wearing a sun hat. They cheer me up."

I listen, keeping an open mind.

"When I was a child I'd play with this little boy Christopher," she says. "He'd drift in and out of my life. When I touched him, he sparked. That was when I realised he was not flesh and blood. Later, my mother told me that Christopher had been born before me, but had died at 10 weeks old."

Lorna says she has been chosen by the angels to spread a message: "I hate saying it, yet I know I was. I feel privileged that the angels enabled me to see them so clearly. They are there and they have taught me everything." That, she says, is why she had such severe learning difficulties.

"The angels kept me away from people and from other children too. They said they didn't want me contaminated by human contact. And that wasn't hard. I had the angels.

"I would wander off somewhere; to my room or to the bottom of the garden. If I was with a group they would talk to me without words. They were my friends. My best companions."

Being close to them is also a burden, she says. "Sometimes I give out to God and the angels. I say: 'you put too much on my shoulders'." And that, she agrees, includes knowing that Joe would die young. "That hurt. It blew me apart. I never told Joe I knew that. How could I?"

It was to be many years before she told him about her gifts. "When I told him it made sense to him. He said, 'I knew you were different. That is why I picked you'."

Lorna charges the three people a week she agrees to see. Most pay e50-100 and stay for an hour and a half. But it's not a commercial enterprise. They keep in touch, ringing her, sometimes for years afterwards, and rarely offer to pay for her wisdom.

Lorna has always known that she would, one day, write a book. "The angels told me so when I was quite young," she says. How though, was that possible, when Lorna can barely write? When I ask her to sign the book she has enormous difficulties. She writes awkwardly, and has to ask me to spell even the simplest of words.

"People have been put into my life to make it possible," she says. "One person just bought me a laptop and a 'speak easy'. You just talk into it. Someone else set it up for me."

The book has reached number three in the Irish best seller lists. How though, did such an 'alternative' book get published, and with such a prestigious publisher as Random House?

Lorna's PA, Jean Callanan, helped with that one. Jean was Marketing Director for Waterford Crystal when she first encountered Lorna. Impressed by the mystic, she was, nevertheless sceptical when Lorna informed her she would, one day, help her to write a book.

When it was time, Jean took the Artists and Writer's yearbook to Lorna. Lorna opened it randomly, pointed to Random House and said, "they are going to publish it". Jean just laughed.

"I thought, 'how am I going to manage that one'," she says, when we talk, later, on the phone. But three months later, she met an agent at a dinner party and mentioned the book.

"He said his friend Mark Booth ran Century -- part of Random House and that I should try him," says Jean. "He's a serious commercial publisher, producing three top 10 best sellers every year. He met Lorna, was impressed by her, and agreed to publish at once."

Everyone has spiritual gifts, Lorna believes. "We all have that experience when we know we should have gone to someone or rung them. We should ask questions of angels and listen. We should make contact, even if you had a row years ago. That phone call might stop someone jumping off a cliff."

Lorna has had a near death experience. She has seen heaven, she says, many times. She has seen souls, and knows that our souls separate from our bodies at death. Therefore, she says, at that moment of death, everyone is at peace.

"I always pray that someone will have a peaceful death, but I do that for the sake of the family. I know the dying person will be all right."

Lorna, meanwhile, is lonely. She would love someone special in her life. In fact, she says she gives out to the angels about it; all the time.

" I say, 'please give me someone who would share openly with me and understand,' and they don't say yes or no. They just smile."

Lorna knows she can't 'prove' her story. She does meet with cynicism, but this doesn't worry her. "When people talk to me they seem to get filled with light. I change things for them. They change. They send a text saying, 'something is happening. You have helped me'."

And Lorna is extraordinary. Whether or not her angels are real, I left her feeling recharged. It was like an experience I had, several years ago when a Glenstal Monk showed me the Icon Chapel. I walked out buzzing with energy, yet at peace.

Angels in my Hair by Lorna Byrne is published by Century, from e10.99

As appeared on http://www.independent.ie

Business News - Is Network Marketing The Winning Formula For A Home Based Business?

(openPR) - A lot of people ask that question when approached with a network marketing business - especially with all the hype and different network marketing companies out there, along with the questionable past reputation of Amway.Contrary to what some think, network marketing is becoming very popular to those entrepreneurs looking to create a passive, residual income.

So popular, celebrities and business tycoons such as Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki, a best-selling author of the books 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad,' the 'Cash Flow Quadrant' and 'The Business School for People Who Like Helping People,' are giving their endorsements to the network marketing industry.

In the summer of 1998, Trump made an appearance on the David Letterman show and was asked by Letterman what he would do if he lost everything and had to start over from scratch. Without hesitating, Trump said "I would find a good network marketing company and get to work." The audience started to shout and boo him. Trump looked out at the audience with his dead-panned response and said "that's why I'm sitting up here and you are all sitting out there!"

Trump and Kiyosaki co-authored the book 'Why We Want You To Be Rich: Two Men, One Message.' In the book, the two listed network marketing as one of the best ways, for the average person, to gain financial freedom."If you can change your outlook, change your values, and change your rules, you'll find there's a whole other set of rules out there that are more conducive to those who want to be rich," says Kiyosaki. "One of the reasons I consider a network marketing business a perfect business is simply because companies will work with you to get the business skills that makes you rich. Always remember, it's not the money that makes you rich, its business skills."

Another advantage to network marketing is its low start-up cost, especially in comparison to traditional business start up costs. "That's the beauty of network marketing companies," he said. "They allow you the time at a low cost and will work with you to make the transition," Kiyosaki said.A network marketing business is just that - a business. It's not a get-rich-quick scheme. Trump, Kiyosaki and many others will agree it takes work, time and persistence."This is a passive income," Kiyosaki said. "You work hard for a few years and income keeps flowing to you - possibly for the rest of your life. It's not a get-rich-quick formula. You don't just do it overnight, It takes time."

According to the Direct Selling Association, more than 32 billion dollars is generated for the direct selling/network marketing industry in the U.S. and more than 100 billion dollars world-wide. The people generating this revenue include more than 15 million distributors in the U.S. and 50 million world-wide.The DSA's research shows some of the most popular reasons people choose direct selling is because it's a good way to meet and socialize with people, earn extra income, and to own a business. It also allows flexible work schedules and earnings in proportion to efforts.There are no required levels of education, experience, financial resources or physical condition. People of all ages and from all backgrounds have succeeded in network marketing.

According to recent DSA surveys, 74 percent of Americans have purchased goods or services through direct sales/network marketing. That's more than the number who have purchased through television shopping and on-line computer services combined. People value the products available through direct selling and 45 percent of Americans want to buy from direct sellers.Dr. Charles King, University of Illinois Professor of Marketing and a graduate of the Harvard Business School, said network marketing is growing beyond traditional retail sales methods."Network marketing is the most powerful channel of distribution in all the marketing disciplines," Dr. King said. "It gets products to consumers more efficiently than traditional wholesale to retail programming."Dr. King is a network marketing expert who has been researching the industry for more than 17 years. He is often called upon by network marketing companies around the world as an expert witness."The fact is network marketing has been proven by traditional marketers to be a successful program in building distribution along side the traditional channels of marketing," Dr. King said. "This is a unique channel that adds a whole new unique dimension."Network marketing is so popular, companies like AT&T, Sprint, Proctor & Gamble and General Foods have been involved.

Network marketing is a sub-category of direct sales. The difference is when a salesmen makes a sale in direct selling alone, the salesman makes a commission and it's all over. In network marketing, the salesmen continue to get paid over and over from sales and from the sales his associates make.This passive, residual income model of network marketing allows businessmen to work smarter instead of harder."I would rather have 1 percent of the efforts of 100 people, than 100 percent of my own efforts" said John Paul Getty, America's first billionaire.It appears the truth is getting out about network marketing and it's becoming more and more appealing.As Kiyosaki says, it could be "the perfect business" for the right person with the right work ethics and persistence to become financially independent.

It's recommended to research the industry, a potential product or service, the company, and the compensation plan before getting involved. If someone has the right attitude and work ethic, a great product or service that a lot of people want and need, with the right pay plan, he can make as much money as he wants to make.

Source News at http://www.openpr.com/news/41113/Network-Marketing-Is-It-Just-Another-One-Of-Those-Deals.html

Health News - Can We Really Heal Ourself With Sunlight?

By Andreas Moritz,
Author of Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation

The time when one’s immediate natural impulse on the first sunny spring day was to get outside and enjoy it is long gone. Only the very courageous or “careless” who defy the grim warnings from medical mandarins and cancer specialists, wholeheartedly endorsed by the sunscreen industry, dare to venture forth into the “dangerous” sun.
Unless they are covered head to toe with sun protection factor (SPF) 60, they gamble with their lives, or so they are made to believe, by those who serve their own vested interests.
Fortunately, this view is beginning to crumble in the blatant absence of scientific proof that sunlight causes disease. What is being discovered instead is that lack of sun exposure is one of the greatest risk factors for disease.
Very few people know that not getting enough sun kills 50,000 people from cancer deaths every year in the US alone. As shown later, these are deaths that are easily preventable through the Vitamin D produced by the body in response to regular sun exposure.
Unfortunately, it is the ultraviolet portion of sunlight that is the most easily eliminated by windows, houses, spectacles, sunglasses, sun lotions, and clothing.
Before antibiotic drugs were discovered in the 1930s – penicillin having been the first one – the healing power of sunlight was favored by the medical community, at least in Europe.

Sunlight therapy, called heliotherapy, was indeed considered to be the most successful treatment for infectious diseases from the late 19th to the mid-20th century. Studies revealed that exposing patients to controlled amounts of sunlight dramatically lowered elevated blood pressure (up to 40 mm Hg drop), decreased cholesterol in the bloodstream, lowered abnormally high blood sugar in diabetics, and increased the number of white blood cells, which people need to help resist disease. Patients suffering from gout, rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, arteriosclerosis, anemia, cystitis, eczema, acne, psoriasis, herpes, lupus, sciatica, kidney problems, asthma, and even burns, have all received great benefits from the healing rays of the sun.
The medical doctor and author, Dr. Auguste Rollier, was the most famous heliotherapist of his day. At his peak, he operated 36 clinics with over 1,000 beds in Leysin, Switzerland. His clinics were situated 5,000 feet above sea level, the high altitude allowing his patients to catch a lot more UV light than was possible at the lower levels of the atmosphere. Dr. Rollier used the UV rays of sunlight to treat diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), rickets, smallpox, lupus vulgaris (skin tuberculosis), and wounds. He followed in the footsteps of Danish physician Dr. Niels Finsen, who won a Nobel Prize in 1903 for his treatment of TB using ultraviolet light. Rollier found that sunbathing early in the morning, in conjunction with a nutritious diet, produced the best effects.

The miraculous complete cures of tuberculosis and other diseases facilitated by these doctors made headlines at the time. What surprised the medical community most was the fact that the sun’s healing rays remained ineffective if the patients wore sunglasses. [Sunglasses block out important rays of the light spectrum which the body requires for essential biological functions.] Note: your eyes receive these rays even if you are in the shade.
By the year 1933, there were over 165 different diseases for which sunlight proved to be a beneficial treatment. However, with the death of Rollier in 1954 and the growing power of the pharmaceutical industry, heliotherapy fell into disuse.
By the 1960s, man-made “miracle drugs” had replaced medicine’s fascination with the sun’s healing powers, and by the 1980s the public was increasingly being bombarded with warnings about sunbathing and the risks of skin cancer.
Today, the sun is considered the main culprit for causing skin cancer, certain cataracts leading to blindness, and aging of the skin. Only those who take the “risk” of exposing themselves to sunlight find that the sun makes them feel better, provided they don’t use sunscreens or burn their skin.

The UV-rays in sunlight actually stimulate the thyroid gland to increase hormone production, which in turn increases the body’s basal metabolic rate. This assists both in weight loss and improved muscle development. Farm animals fatten much faster when kept indoors, and so do people who stay out of the sun.
Therefore, if you want to lose weight or increase your muscle tone, expose your body to the sun on a regular basis.
The use of antibiotics, which has practically replaced heliotherapy, has in recent years led to the development of drug-resistant strains of bacteria, which defy any treatment other than the balanced use of sun, water, air, and food. Cutting out or substantially reducing any of these four essential constituents of life, results in disease.
Any person who misses out on sunlight becomes weak and suffers mental and physical problems as a result. His vital energy diminishes in due time, which is reflected in his quality of life. The populations in Northern European countries like Norway and Finland, which experience months of darkness every year, have a higher incidence of irritability, fatigue, illness, insomnia, depression, alcoholism, and suicide than those living in the sunny parts of the world. Their skin cancer rates are higher, too. For example, the incidence of melanoma (skin cancer) on the Orkney and Shetland Isles, north of Scotland, is 10 times that of Mediterranean islands.

UV light is known to activate an important skin hormone called solitrol. Solitrol influences our immune system and many of our body’s regulatory centers, and, in conjunction with the pineal hormone melatonin, causes changes in mood and daily biological rhythms. The hemoglobin in our red blood cells requires ultraviolet (UV) light to bind to the oxygen needed for all cellular functions. Lack of sunlight can, therefore, be held co-responsible for almost any kind of illness, including skin cancer and other forms of cancer. As you are about to find out, it may be highly detrimental to your health to miss out on sunlight.

Can UV-Radiation Prevent and Cure Skin Cancer?

A major concern of our scientists today is the dramatic increase of skin cancers around the world. There are three main types of skin cancer, two of which, basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma (non-melanomas), are increasingly prevalent, whereas the third, malignant melanoma, is much rarer but far more lethal. The most pressing question is why would the sun suddenly become so vicious and try to kill scores of people after thousands of years of harmlessness?
The medical community claims that ultraviolet light (UV) is the major cause of skin cancers. This theory is based on the assumption that our thinning ozone layer permits too much of the germicidal UV to penetrate to the surface of the earth and causes destruction of all kinds, including damage to our skin and eye cells. Yet the theory has major flaws and no scientific backing. Contrary to general belief, there is no evidence that reduction in the ozone layer, observed at the poles, has caused any increase in melanomas.

The germicidal frequency of UV is destroyed or is filtered out by the ozone layer in the Earth’s stratosphere, and only small amounts—necessary to purify the air we breathe and the water we drink— actually reach the surface of the earth. To that effect, a study of Punta Arenas, the largest South American city close to the Antarctic ozone hole, showed no increase in health problems related to depleted ozone.
In fact, UV measures were too small to have any noticeable effect. Actual measurements taken in the United States since 1974 show that the amount of UV radiation reaching the surface of the earth is decreasing and continues to decrease slightly each year. This research was conducted to detect the frequency of UV radiation that causes sunburn. UV radiation had dropped an average of 0.7 percent per year over the period from 1974 to 1985 and continued to do so afterwards.
The fact that the number of skin cancers in the United States had doubled within this period of 11 years contradicts the theory that UV light is the reason behind the skin cancer epidemic. The number of malignant skin cancers (melanomas) discovered in 1980 in the United States was 8,000, and eight years later it had increased by 350 percent to 28,000. In 1930, the expectancy of developing melanoma was as low as 1 in 1,300 people. Since 2003, 45,000 to 50,000 new cases are diagnosed every year in the United States. Melanomas, which account for 75 percent of all skin cancer deaths, make up only 5 percent of all reported skin cancers. The most striking fact about this lethal form of cancer is that it can occur in parts of the body that are not necessarily exposed to the sun such as the eye, the rectum, vulva, vagina, mouth, respiratory tract, GI tract and urinary bladder.
Overall, since the beginning of the new millennium, each year one million Americans are being diagnosed with some form of skin cancer. There are millions of sufferers now, all of whom have been made to believe that the sun is the culprit for their skin diseases. But since UV radiation is decreasing every year and skin cancers were extremely rare 100 years ago when UV intensity was much higher and people spent much more time outdoors, what other factor could be held responsible for causing skin cancer?

The More UV, the Less Cancer

Even if UV penetration to the surface of the Earth did actually increase by, for example, one percent each year (which is not the case), such slight increases would still be hundreds, if not thousands, of times less than the normal variations which people experience because of differences in geography.
Let’s assume that you move from an area near either one of the Polar Regions, e.g. Iceland or Finland, toward the equator, e.g. Kenya or Uganda in East Africa. By the time you reach the equator, you will have increased your body’s exposure to UV light by a whooping 5,000 percent! If you live in England and decide to move to Northern Australia you will increase your exposure by 600 percent! Calculations show that for every six miles you move closer to the equator, you increase your exposure to UV light by one percent.
Today, millions of people around the world travel from low exposure places to areas of high exposure near the equator. Many thousands of tourists travel to areas that are located at much higher altitudes than where they normally live. For every 100 feet of elevation there is a significant increase in UV radiation. But this does not prevent people from climbing mountains or living in countries like Switzerland or at the high altitudes of the Himalayan Mountains.
According to the UV/cancer theory, most Kenyan, Tibetan, or Swiss residents should be afflicted with skin cancer today. Yet this is not the case at all. The fact is that those who reside at high altitudes or near the equator where UV radiation is the most concentrated are virtually free of all cancers, not just skin cancers! This shows that UV radiation does not cause cancer; in fact, it can even prevent it.
The human body has a unique ability to become accustomed to all kinds of variations in the environment. It is equipped with perfect self-regulating mechanisms that protect it against damage from the natural elements.

Overexposure to swimming in the sea or in a lake can lead to extensive skin swelling, shivering, and circulatory problems. Our body will let us know when it is time to get out of the water. Getting too close to a fire will heat us up and encourage us to move away from it. Rainwater is natural, but standing in the rain for too long can drain our immune system and make us susceptible to catching a cold. Eating sustains our lives, but overeating can lead to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Sleeping recharges our “batteries” and revitalizes the body and mind, yet too much of it makes us sluggish, depressed, and ill. Likewise, sunlight has healing properties unless we use it to burn holes into our skin. Why should any of these natural elements or processes cause us harm unless we abuse or overuse them?
Wouldn’t it make more sense to say that a preference for unnatural things like junk food, stimulants, alcohol, drugs, medical intervention (unless it is for an emergency), as well as pollution, irregular sleeping and eating habits, stress, excessive greed for money and power, and the lack of contact with nature, are more likely to cause such diseases as skin cancer and cataracts than natural phenomena that have ensured continued growth and evolution on the planet throughout the ages?
It is very encouraging to see that new treatments using light are increasingly being recognized as breakthrough methods for cancer and many other diseases. The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved “light therapy” to fight advanced esophageal cancer and early lung cancer—with fewer risks than are found with the use of surgery and chemotherapy.

Although it has been known for over 100 years that light can kill diseased cells, it is only since a number of convincing research studies have been conducted that there has been a sudden resurgence of interest in light therapy. There is promising success with bladder cancer, infertility-causing endometriosis, advanced lung and esophageal cancers, skin cancer, and diseases leading to blindness, psoriasis, and autoimmune disorders. In one study, light therapy eliminated 79 percent of early lung cancers. Regular exposure to sunlight still seems to be one of the best measures one can take to prevent cancer, including cancers of the skin.

Now Even Doctors And Scientists Say, “It’s Not True!”

Like myself, there have always been some health practitioners who didn’t buy into the theory that the sun causes deadly diseases. It warms my heart to hear that now even some of the top authorities in the field are standing up for the truth, despite intense criticism from their colleagues.
In an article written in the New York Times in August 2004, a high-profile dermatologist, Dr. Bernard Ackerman (a recent winner of the American Academy of Dermatology's prestigious, once-yearly Master Award), publicly questioned the commonly accepted assumption about the sunlight/melanoma link.
According to Dr. Ackerman, who in 1999 founded the world's largest center for dermatopathology training, there is no proof whatsoever that sun exposure causes melanoma. To substantiate his arguments, he cites a recently published article in the Archives of Dermatology concluding that no evidence exists supporting the notion that sunscreen prevents melanoma, a claim the mega-million dollar sunscreen industry and those in the medical mainstream have falsely made for decades.

Dr. Ackerman didn’t stop at exposing this decades-long deception of the masses; he also cast doubt on the increase in the incidence of melanoma cases medical mainstream doctors insist is happening. He found that an expansion of the diagnostic definition of “melanoma” has allowed a much broader array of symptoms to be classified as the deadly disease compared to just 30 years ago. Melanoma has to a large extent “grown” to epidemic proportions because of statistical manipulations. In other words, if the same diagnostic definition applied 30 years ago were applied today, melanomas would have increased only insignificantly.
Furthermore, this respected physician challenged the medical mainstream to explain why nearly all cases of melanoma among certain races (black African, Asian and South American) occur in areas of the body that are almost never exposed to sunlight—places like the palms, soles of the feet, and mucous membranes. Should it not raise doubts among physicians and patients alike when even among pale-faces, the most common sites for melanoma (legs in women, torso in men) get significantly less sunlight exposure than other parts of the body?

To make a point, based on this and other evidence, our best chance of avoiding melanoma is to move to areas of higher UV-concentration, such as mountainous regions or the equatorial tropics and become a nudist! Since sunlight boosts the immune system, you may find that such a move would also help with many other health issues from which you may be suffering. Naturally, all this data raises the question, what actually causes skin cancer? The answer may surprise us greatly.

Andreas Moritz is a medical intuitive; a practitioner of Ayurveda, iridology, shiatsu, and vibrational medicine; a writer; and an artist. He is the author of The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush, Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation, Lifting the Veil of Duality, Cancer Is Not a Disease, It's Time to Come Alive, Heart Disease No More, Diabetes No More, Simple Steps to Total Health, Diabetes -- No More, Ending the AIDS Myth and Heal Yourself with Sunlight.

Source news: http://www.mindpowernews.com/HealingSunlight.htm

Technology News - Should we install Windows XP on ASUS Eee PC?

When ASUS first developed their now legendary Eee PC, they designed it for a target market far different to that of the regular business PC: they designed it as a PC perfect for children and education. So it was with great surprise that the Eee PC became such a hit with the general public, stunned as we all were with not only the incredibly affordable price point, but the elegance of a consumer friendly Linux operating system pre-loaded with just about all the software most people would ever need, without the hassles and worry of Windows malware.

Despite all the Ubuntus and Linspires of the world, and previous attempts at loading Linux onto a consumer PC sold through the WalMarts of the world and elsewhere, the Eee PC, in my mind at least, is the first true commercially successful computer with a flavour of Linux pre-loaded and sold almost as widely as any brand name Windows based PC that you can name. ASUS knew that just loading Linux onto a computer was not enough, especially given that most of us aren’t Linux pros, ready to delve into the command line to type in arcane text commands.

So, aside from throwing in a few educational programs for kids, ASUS importantly decided to pre-load some free and/or open source favourites: Firefox, Open Office and the commercial (but free) Skype, among others. Unlike the MacBook Air, ASUS also wisely decided to include several USB ports, an SD high capacity memory card socket and a standard VGA video port, instantly making the ASUS easily expandable and connectable to equipment plenty of people would simply have spare at home, such as external keyboards, mice and monitors. The SD card even allows an incredible simple internal storage upgrade option, with 2GB and 4GB SD cards widely and cheaply available from any computer store. All of this, and more, makes the ASUS Eee PC an incredible Linux computer, coming with just about everything the everyday computer user would be happy to use in the course of a regular day.

Despite Linux’s growing maturity, the fact is that most of us still live in a Windows world, where most hardware and software has been designed to work with Windows first, and other operating systems second. The order is usually Windows, followed by Mac OS X, and then Linux – if we’re lucky. Of course, this is changing as Linux becomes ever more popular. But as already noted, and as you already know, no matter what computer and OS you are currently using to read this article, it’s a Windows world we live in, for better or worse.

The fact that even before a Windows Eee PC has been released outside of Japan, some east Asian markets are selling the ASUS Eee running doctored versions of XP, showing that the demand is strong. In Thailand, I hear tell they’re selling the Asus Eee PC loaded with Windows 2006!But it’s because of Windows’ popularity that ASUS have made it easy for anyone wanting to run Windows XP on their Eee PC to do so. They’ve made a disc of XP drivers available to download from their website to download and burn onto a CD. As you probably already know, the Eee PC doesn’t come with a CD or DVD burner, but these are less than $100 to buy in stores and easily connects via USB, and this is the easiest way to install Windows XP onto the Eee and install the drivers. ASUS have also made allowances for the fact that the Eee’s screen resolution is 800x480 by offering an 800x600 mode that shrinks the screen to fit in the 800x480 dimensions. This is very handy if you have boxes on screen which normally stretch beyond the 480 lines on screen, as is common with most programs today.

Installing XP onto the Eee makes sense for those that must use specific Windows software, or hardware that only has Windows drivers, or better drivers under Windows than Linux. But installing XP then means your computer is much more vulnerable to Windows threats. Installing an anti-virus package, a good firewall, anti-malware software and more is essential. Thankfully there are versions of all of these programs that are available to download free of charge and don’t place an enormous overhead onto your computer, such as AVG’s free anti-virus software, the free Zonealarm firewall and anti-malware software such as Spybot’s Search and Destroy 1.5. I’m not saying that you don’t need these types of programs for Linux too, but the number of viruses, malware and attacks against Linux machines are far fewer than the typical Windows PC will experience on a daily basis.

Given that the Eee PC comes pre-loaded with Xandros Linux and a suite of excellent software, unless you really want one of the smallest and cheapest Windows XP computers around, there really is no need to burden the Eee with XP. And unless you happen to have a spare, licensed copy of XP laying around, the fact is that you’ll need to buy it, adding at least $100 to the cost of your Eee PC. Sure, you can download Skype, Firefox and Open Office onto XP, effectively replicating the software suite the Eee already comes with, free of charge (aside from whatever it costs you to have an Internet connection each month with whatever download limit you’re on). But ASUS have done an incredible job with the Eee as it is. Leave Linux on the Eee, if you buy one, and try using it. Chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Sure, you can run Windows on the Eee PC, but if you’re going to do that, and don’t particularly need a portable computer that’s as small as the Eee, the cost of Windows based notebook computers from major vendors is rapidly approaching the Eee’s price point in retail stores (albeit often with a ‘cashback’ system that requires the buyer to send in the barcode and proof of purchase to receive the money back). These cheap Windows notebooks naturally come with Windows XP (or Vista) pre-loaded, come with a full size keyboard, a much larger screen, multiple ports and an inbuilt optical drive. So, unless you must simply have one of the smallest usable computers that can still be touch typed on with Windows XP loaded onto it (unlike other smaller and much more expensive portable PCs like the OQO series), why bother loading XP onto the world’s most popular Linux based PC? The Eee PC. It’s the computer that doesn’t need Windows, and in many ways that makes it even more perfect than it already is.

Source news: http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16565/1103/