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Plant or Flower-Themed Comic Book Characters

I’ve always been partial to comic books, and I’ve also developed a bit of a green thumb over the years. Given my two passions, it’s not surprising that I would take an interest in plant or flower-themed comic book characters. If you’re a comic book geek like myself, you may want to hunt down some of the many back issues containing these memorable characters. As Stan Lee would say, “Excelsior!”

• Floronic Man - A longtime nemesis of Swamp Thing, the Floronic Man can merge with and mentally control plant life. His most famous appearances came in issues of Swamp Thing written by comic book legend Alan Moore.
• Poison Ivy – One of Batman’s sexiest villains, Poison Ivy is a radical psychopath who believes plants should rule the planet instead of humans. Originally modeled after Bettie Page, Ivy has the ability to use toxins and mind-controlling pheromones from plants to fight Batman and his allies. Her only real friend seems to be Harley Quinn, the deranged partner of the Joker.
• Solomon Grundy - An undead creature made up of swamp matter, wood, and pale flesh, Grundy is a longtime enemy of the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott.
• Black Orchid – With ties to the mysterious nature-based force known as the Green, Black Orchid is a master of disguise who excels at solving crimes and catching bad guys by blending into the background. At one point, she was a member of the notorious Suicide Squad.
• Plantman – With an extensive knowledge of gardening and the ability to control plants and plantlike creatures, Plantman has faced Marvel superheroes such as Iron Man, Human Torch, and Namor.

The next time someone challenges your knowledge of comics, feel free to whip out this list of plant or flower-themed comic book characters and leave them speechless. If you can convince them to put up some money beforehand, you’ll walk away with some extra coin in your pocket and have enough to get some good deals on flowers under $20.

Everyone has a few songs on their iPod that they wouldn’t readily admit to in a group of strangers. It’s kind of like revealing that you clip Oscar Mayer coupons in order to save a few bucks at the checkout line.

In this article, I’m going to confess some of my deepest secrets in this area. Feel free to laugh if you want, but those with an extra dose of guts will jump on the comments section and share their own guilty iPod pleasures.

“Spice Up Your Life” – The Spice Girls try their hand at writing a song for the world. I just like the catchy salsa beat and the chorus where Ginger sounds like she’s speaking through a megaphone.

“Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” – Big & Rich combine country rock and country rap to create a hit single that appeals to people who normally dislike country music (like myself).

“One Night in Bangkok” – Murray Head sings about the virtues of chess and puts down the city of Bangkok every chance he gets. Taken straight from the Broadway musical Chess, it’s a catchy tune that’s admittedly a little bit (okay, a whole lot) geeky.

“The Sweet Escape” – I’ve got a thing for singer Gwen Stefani, and that makes me more prone to like her music. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, so I guess I’m not the only person who liked it (although many of these other consumers were probably teenage girls).

“Toxic” – Britney Spears falls into the same category as Gwen Stefani: I think she’s incredibly attractive, so I also find her music enjoyable. But even if I thought Britney was ugly, I don’t think I could deny this uber-catchy song.

There you have it: the guilty pleasures from my iPod. I’ve got a number of guilty movie pleasure to confess, as well, but that’s another article for another time. Speaking of movies, I recommend using AMC coupons to save a few bucks the next time you go to the theatre.

When it comes to parody songs, nobody does it better than Weird Al Yankovic. For decades, the singer/songwriter has been poking gentle fun at pop culture, and his fans have responded with record sales totalling over 12 million. Weird Al’s videos are also a lot of fun, and this list details some of my favorites. Netflix doesn’t stream Weird Al Yankovic videos just yet, but thanks to their relationship with Starz Play, it’s just a matter of time. Until then, there’s always YouTube.

“White and Nerdy” – A monster hit for Weird Al, the video is filled with stereotypical nerds and gangstas, all trying to be as cool as possible.

“Smells Like Nirvana” – Nirvana’s classic video is parodied by Weird Al, complete with people on fire and a janitor wearing a tu-tu.

“Living with a Hernia” – Weird Al dons a wig and glitzy outfit to portray James Brown. The results are predictably hilarious.

“Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies” – A computer animated romp through the world of the Beverly Hillbillies, with concert footage shot in the style of Dire Straits.

“Bedrock Anthem” – Weird Al sings about Fred Flintstone while parodying one of the biggest music videos from The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

“It’s All About the Pentiums” – Puff Daddy’s rock remix gets a makeover, depicting Weird Al as a computer guru boasting about the power of his hardware. Al wears a tank top, looks like a rock star for once, and even has some sexy back-up dancers.

“Fat” – Featuring Weird Al in a fatsuit, this outrageous video is the perfect bookend to go along with Martin Scorsese’s “Bad” video.

If you need a laugh, give one or more of these best Weird Al Yankovic videos a try. Many of the artists he’s lampooning can be checked out online, and the multiple Netflix plans make the online rental service an appealing option for music fans.

Why should you spend money on board games or card games? After all, in the 21st century, don’t we have dozens of entertainment options available to us at any given time? You can play video games, or watch movies, or watch television. But none of these activities provide the kind of socializing opportunities that a game of poker or bridge offers. And if you don’t want to play something quite so traditional, you have plenty of other options too.

But perhaps the best reason to play card games and board games is because when you look at them from a value perspective, they provide tremendous amounts of value for very little money. For example, I bought a copy of the Lost Cities card game for $19 on Amazon. That’s about what it would cost for me and my daughter to see one movie at the theater together, assuming we don’t have much in the way of snacks. But we play this game at least once a week for an hour at a time. In a year, we’ll have gotten 50 hours of entertainment for that $19 spend. THAT is value.

Not all games will provide this much value. Some games aren’t much fun. But if you buy a game that isn’t fun, it’s a simple enough matter to just list it for sale on eBay. Games are popular on eBay right now, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting most of your money back on your game, especially if you only played it once.

If you’re looking for ideas of which games to try, take a look at this list of popular card games and this list of popular board games.

Pranks rarely require an occasion, but an event such as April 1st or a friend’s birthday is a pretty sound reason to pull a trick that will leave them for a few hours or minutes, dpending on the time limit. It also needs the knowledge of their capacity to bear shocks and anxiety. You can also pull hilarious pranks in the form of a revenge or if you are just plain bored and are looking for ways to break the monotony. No matter what the occasion or the reason is, pulling nice, humorous pranks is a great way of killing the boredom. One of the commonly tried and tested pranks involve cars. They are expensive and people use them pretty regularly, and the latter is a good enough reason to develop a fondness for them. Using this weakness, one can play memorable, harmless pranks with their car:

Broken Window- This requires a little planning on our part. You can go to a junkyard and choose a second-hand car window. Once it is brought, break it into small pieces. You can take the pieces in a container and go to the victim’s car. The next step requires you to have keys to their car, so borrow it from them. Once you have the keys, start the ignition and roll down one of the windows. The shattered car is spread all over the floor and the seat below the rolled down window. This will give the paaearance of a car break in. What the victim does not know is, the window is actually hidden.

Smoking Car- This may create a mess, both in the air and the prankster’s lungs, but the trick is worth it. You can take some vegetable oil, and pout it on the muffler of the victim’s car. It can either be poured or rubbed it in with a rag. Following which, there will be huge amount of smoke emanating from vehicle which will convince the owner that there is smething wrong.

Invisible Accident- This is one of those hilarious pranks which are guaranteed to give a mild heart attack to your friends. Write a note and make it sound like a hit-and-run- note. It can go something like this “I hit your vehicle and now I am in the hospital. Call me at the earliest, so that we can work it out.” Follow it up, by leaving a fake number at the end of it. Your friend will start thinking that he is in big trouble. After finding the note, they are bound to look for signs of damage and when they don’t find any, they will get confused. To really throw them off-balance, have another of your friends, pose as the “victim” which will give your pal the scare of that day.

1 Minute Prank and Hacks- This comes under the category of one of the most hilarious pranks, while in the office. It is called a screen flip. First, choose the option of screen properties and some video cards have an option to rotate the screen. Choose one of these and rotate the screen. They will be unable to do anything as their screen is upside down.

Visit here for more information on: Scary Pranks.

Rapping is lately gaining prominence as an eminent music form. Whoever thought that rap was only a bunch of rhyming words strung together, needs to know that it is much more than that. One of the famous rapping styles is Freestyle Rap. Its basically rap lyrics that are written spontaneously, without any previous preparation. Later on, music is added to complete the piece. There are many eminent rappers who have made a mark in the rap genre. For instance, names such as Hardy Michael Troy a.k.a Myka 9 and Antonio Monterio a.k.a. Big Daddy Kane were prominent rappers in their day. To guide youngsters in the art of rapping, there have been quite a few books written on the subject such as ‘A God on the Mic’ or ‘How to Rap’. However, books are generally not very helpful, when it comes to performing arts. The two things that a person needs to have an excellent vocabulary and a sense of rhythm. However there are a few steps one can follow to get a head start:

Easy start- It involves spontaneity. So when you are rapping just be random and refrain from following any deep thought process. Usually, free and simple lyrics can set the beat.

Go with the Flow- The best part about freestyle rap is there is plenty of scope for mistakes. You can pull off a mistake if it is rhymed for mistakes. You can pull off a mistake if it is rhymed perfectly.

Timing- In rapping, timing is crucial. One should be ahead in their mind while rapping. For instance, you should know the end of the next line as soon as the previous line ends.

Lyrics writing- Writing is always a good exercise, be it in any form of art. It gives you the scope to experiment with different words.

Rap about the world around you- It is easy to gain a fan following if one raps about things associated with their lives and the surrounding ones.

Freestyle Rap is different from Orthodox rap and takes rhyme into consideration. “Battles” usually focus on either written or freestyle. A freestyle rap competition involves rappers battling or throwing challenges against each other. There are some more methods which you can use to practice your art. They are listed as below:

Beats are important- Just by throwing in rhyming words, one cannot be a decent rapper. Know what beat to use to make your sounds interesting. Put the coposed sentences and words in a song and sing with beats. For the rhythm and pace, you can use a drum too.

Increase your vocabulary- Exhaustive vocabulary is a must. Unlike other forms of music, this genre chiefly depends on words and music cannot be used as a filler. Memorize rhyming words to help you master this style of music.

Participation is more important than winning- To know the extent of your learning, the best way is to participate in rapping styles. These competitions usually include the opponents including each other with rhymed words set to music!

Read here for more information on: Best Rock Songs.

Young boys have a vivid imagination and the energy to go with that. To keep them occupied is every tired mother’s prayer and fantasy. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to keep them occupied without locking them in their rooms. Mothers of hyperactive children have found the solution in arts and crafts. Knowing how to make a paper gun falls under these solutions. Little boys (and some girls) lover making paper guns and if they shoot paper pellets, all the more better. It is very easy to make paper guns that can keep your little one occupied. It requires little amount of time and patience to make paper guns and even lesser materials to make them. In the steps below, it has been illustrated, how one can make the perfect paper gun:

To know how to make a paper gun is an art itself. Although it is simple one needs to have deft fingers to make a successful firearm.

Materials

Plain sheets of Paper (depending on how many paper guns, one wishes to make)

What to do?

Fold an A4 size sheet in half

Next, refold the paper twice

Repeat the previous steps with a second piece of paper by folding them thrice

One of the pieces of paper should be folded in half, across the width. This is the “barrel” of the gun

The other paper should be folded in a 90 degree angle and at one end should be facing upward. This step should be repeated at the other end too. There should be a gap of four inches between the two ends.

The “barrel” should be slid around both the 90 degrees such that they are even and aligned

Pull it back and slide it forward to use it as a “safety catch” and prevent “accidental discharge”

For more realistic guns such as a Berretta or an Uzi there are a number of video tutorials available on the Internet or there are numerous art schools for children where one can learn to make different

objects out of different raw materials such as clay, paper, bamboo, wax and so on. All that one requires to make a paper gun (apart from paper) is glue, scissors and a little bit of patience.

Here are some additional suggestions that might make the activity more fun:

Let the children color the paper as per their choice, so that they have a gun in their favorite color

To hold the pieces of paper one may use glue or stapler to keep it from coming apart

Try different varieties of paper such as origami paper or tissue paper or papier mache or scrapbook paper or notebook paper and so on.

Safety

Paper guns are the safest forms of toy guns and it can be made by any child who is not a toddler. It may require some adult supervision since scissors may be fatal but apart from that this activity will keep children from getting into mischief and knowing how to make a paper gun raises the children’s estimation of the adult.

The English Alphabet Song has a very melodious and illustrious past. It was based on a melody by Mozart. Charles Bradlee copyrighted in 1835 as “The A.B.C.” with flute accompanied by the piano forte. Needless to say, there are many versions and variation in other languages (which do not use the word “alphabet”. For instance, in Russian the word is pronounced as “azbuka”. The song is easy to learn and it is one of the first songs that one learns as a child. Some are taught in schools, others are taught in Sesame Street. Yet others learn it from their parents. While learning, children may have some difficulties learning the alphabets. There are some steps on how one can effectively learn the song. They are listed as follows:

1)Sing the words of the alphabet song repeatedly

2)The song needs to be sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”

3)The secret to learning anything is reiteration and practice. So, to make sure the child learns the alphabet properly, repeat, “A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z. Now I know my ABC’s next time won’t you sing with me.”

4)Give the child the opportunity to hear the song from other people. At times, a particular style of singing, may help the child pick up faster.

5)To help the child pick up the alphabet song, faster, start the song on a slower tempo. This can help the child pick up the lyrics. Once the child gains confidence, gradually increase the tempo of the song.

6)Sing it again and again until the child is capable of singing the song on his/her own.

There are other ways through which one can teach the alphabet song to youngsters. The letters can be made available everywhere. It has been scientifically proved that if a child is capable of absorbing more, if the lessons are taught as a game. For instance, if the letters are displayed individually on a surface such as a refrigerator, it can help a child pick up the song faster. Or, if the letters are drawn with foam during a fun bathing session, that is an effective method too. There are some variations in the song such as the Zed for Zee.

In the US, Z is pronounced as zee, whereas in most other countries, it is pronounced as zed. This is also a point raised when singing the “A,B,C” song in French. In that case y is said as “i-grec” and z is said as “zed”. The US version is: “A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z. Now I know my ABC’s next time won’t you sing with me” whereas the UK version is “A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y, Zed. Now I know my ABC’s. Next time won’t you sing with me.” There is a third version that is followed in the rest of the English speaking world, which goes like “A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y, Z. Sugar on your bread, eat it all up, before you go to bed.”

Read here for more information on: Old English Alphabet.

Children live what they learn!   This is so clear considering the kind of world we live in these days.  We are so technologically advanced to the point where persons call or email each other from different sections of a house.   Kids no longer spend time playing family games or fooling around the house.  As a substitute, they are stuck in their allocated rooms browsing the internet, playing video games or watching movies.  Movies are packed with action that most times is gun related and as a result kids have developed a fascination for guns.  Boys particularly have a an obsession for toy guns.  Because of the rise in fame of this dangerous weapon, new designs have been created to meet the demands of the eager little boys.  One such model is the paper gun.  Paper guns can also be fun for kids to create so it comes with additional fun in creating it then playing with it.

Paper gun making can be a good connection method for parents and children especially father-to-son connection.  For kids who are fascinated with guns and movies showing the use of guns extensively, making a paper gun is far better and inexpensive than to buy one.  They are harmless, exciting and easy to make.  There are also various techniques to create paper guns.  Follow the guidelines provided on how to make a paper gun and sooner or later you will become skilled at the craft.

Materials Required:

2 sheets of letter size copy paper (you can also use origami paper if you choose).

Instructions:

1.Fold one sheet of paper in half lengthwise.
2.Fold the paper in half another time lengthwise.
3.The half-size paper that you now have, fold it in half another time lengthwise.  You should have a long paper like a ruler.
4.Take the other sheet of letter size paper.  Fold it in half lengthways, and then fold in half lengthwise again.  Fold it again to get the same results like you did with the first piece of paper.  Thus you should have two long pieces of paper.
5.Take one of the papers that you folded and fold it the other way, that is, across the width ensuring that the left edge joins the right edge.   Crease the paper well.  This will form the barrel of the gun.
6.Take the next sheet of paper and fold over each end at a 90-degree angle.  Leave approximately 4 inches space in the middle.  The two ends must be even and equally aligned.
7.Take the paper in hand and fold the two 90-degree folds exactly in two in the middle space.  Both ends of the paper must be equally aligned and even.
8.Take the piece of paper to be used as the gun barrel and place it over the 90-degree angles so that it fits into the pockets created by the 90-degree angles when folded together.
9.Pull it back and slide forward to form an L-shaped gun.  Your gun is now complete and ready for battle!

Tips:

You can permit kids to colour the paper in the colour they desire their guns to be to make it more fun. You can even use markers to outline the gun to make it look more interesting.
You can try other kinds of paper like notebook paper or origami paper.  There are metallic types of origami paper that will effectively make the gun look more real.
You may try with various sizes and shapes to come up with various kinds of gun once you learn the main gun creation method.
If you want your gun to be more stable, you can use glue or staples to hold the folded areas in place.
Search online for how to make a paper gun and find various techniques in making the craft.

Music is said to be a path or a connection to numerous abstract concepts such as love, hate, God and so on. One of those concepts include patriotism. Patriotic music is one such concept. It has the potential to play a vital role in every citizen’s life. It is immaterial, which country a citizen may belong to. The music composed in this genre is is targeted specifically to arouse the nationalistic feelings of the native residents of a particular country. The music has a particular way of inducing certain feelings into soul which may enable a person to feel the spirit of triumph, or joy or hope or empowerment.

Patriotic music in America is no different. It has been a part of the history and cultural since the country originated in the 18th century. The music was put together as a way of endorsing sentiments of national pride and unity for the natives of America. The songs have been played in various forms such as military themes, hymns, national songs and so on. Most of the songs are inspired by the four major wars fought in the American history. They were the War of 1812, the American Civil War, the American Revolution and the Spanish American War. They are also played on major holidays such as Memorial Day, Independence Day and the Veteran Day.

During the American Civil War, both the North and South came up with numerous composition to rouse the feelings of patriotism and battle. A couple of wars fought on the American soil inspired memorable songs. For instance, the American Revolution, has provided inspiration for three songs- “God Save the King”, “Yankee Doodle” and “British Grenadiers”. The present day national anthem of America, “Star Spangled Banner” was composed during the War of 1812 by Francis Scott Key.

Like every other song or music, patriotic music has its own colorful and fascinating history. Most of these songs of patriotism have some history behind their composition. Listed below are some patriotic songs and their history:

Star Spangled Banner- This song was composed by Francis Scott Key post the War of 1812. There are four stanzas in this song, usually the first stanza is performed. The melody of the song is inspired from an English song “To Anacreon in Heaven”.

Rally Round the Flag- This song was composed by George F. Root in 1862. The song as composed for the Union Army and was widely sung in the North.

Battle Hymn of the Republic- This song was composed by Julia H. Howe 1861. The song was set to a camp meeting tune. The song was played at the funerals of Robert Kennedy, Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan.

America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee)- This song was composed by Samuel F Smith in 1832. It gained popularity in Britain as “God Save the Queen” but later became bi-continental. A R&B rendition was performed by Ray Charles which made the song popular amongst the audience of this century.

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