@leatherbear: [image: 34d36f8a-2a3a-4ce9-8eb9-7cf4ac7401da_Home-TECH-TESTING-Sheets.jpg] By Izabela Rutkowski | Consumer Reports A mantra at Consumer Reports is that high-priced products aren’t necessarily higher performing. The same can be said of sheets with high thread counts. Despite the notion that more is better, in our past sheet tests we confirmed that a higher thread count doesn't guarantee better sheets. To uncover the truth behind this misleading marketing gotcha, we talked to our experts. Thread count is the number of vertical and horizontal threads per square inch. Not long ago, sheets typically had thread counts of 120 with 60 horizontal and 60 vertical threads. In the 1960’s, a sheet with a 180 thread count was considered a luxury.  “Now you see 1,000 thread count sheets but you just can’t get that many threads on a loom,” says Pat Slaven, a textile expert at Consumer Reports. To get that higher number, manufacturers use thinner strands of fabric twisted together as if they were one. Then they double, triple or even quadruple the thread count to make the number more attractive to the consumer. “It ups the count but doesn’t give you a better sheet,” says Slaven. “The sweet spot is 400.” In Consumer Reports last sheet tests, our top-scoring percale sheet had a thread count of only 280. They were strong, shrank little, and easily fit mattresses up to 17 inches thick, even after we washed and dried them five times. Spending money on sheets that have more than a 400 thread count is not necessary, says Slaven. Instead, focus on the fabric the sheets are made of. Combed cotton, Egyptian cotton or Pima cotton are the best choices. Read the labels closely. If you like soft sheets, choose a sateen but if you prefer crisp sheets, try percale. And keep in mind that selecting sheets by how they feel in the store can be misleading because manufacturers add hand enhancers, silicone softeners, that wash out after the first trip to a laundry. That’s why it’s important to keep the receipt and return the sheets if you don’t like how they feel after they’ve been washed. To prevent your sheets from pilling, wash them separately from your towels because the short fibers in towels can attach to the smooth surface of the sheets. And use a good laundry detergent. Tide Ultra plus Bleach Vivid White + Bright HE, 23 cents per load, topped our laundry detergent Ratings. It was excellent overall, even in cool water. If you prefer single-use detergents, our top-performing pods were Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean Pacs from Costco, 14 cents per load, and Tide Pods, 22 cents per load. For more on shopping for sheets, see Pat Slaven’s appearance earlier this summer on ABC News. She can also show you how to fold a fitted sheet, a task that confounds many. And don't miss our mattress Ratings, including six recommended mattresses. http://shopping.yahoo.com/news/higher-thread-count-doesn%E2%80%99t-guarantee-better-sheets-014325496.html **This article contains many live links within the text in the original post.[/b [/quote] Wow, I never really understood the whole hoo-hah about thread counts, and this is good to know next time I buy sheets! Thanks for the post!**

I already called shotgun on Jason Collins

Ah well in the Us for a contract  dealing with cash or property you simply need two witness and a properly worded document no legal process other than filing.

Newest Yahoo Report ~ http://news.yahoo.com/court-decides-gay-juror-taken-off-case-095101591.html

@jonandjon: Meh, he should take some tips from this, the ultimate parody of Wrecking Ball. Enjoy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6DmHGYy_xk I really loved the first one, was in shock the first time I watched it.

Very true…  Like watching a match in low definition :cry2:

For researchers, it took them years to get to this point and it's not all of a sudden going to randomly start progressing at the speed of light. hiv test kits

This "new perspective" on Shepard's case is somewhat amusing and appalling at the same time. And to claim that McKinney became Shepard's lover is just preposterous! Does the author wants to eradicate this "anti-gay hate crime" label on McKinney? Because I think, it doesn't matter. To take one's life is an inhumane act. I learned this Shepard incident from reading a play called "The Laramie Project" by Moisés Kaufman and in the play, there's this subtle notion that Shepard's murder was highly sensationalized because it is labeled as an "anti-gay hate crime" but in another city near Laramie, there's this another murder on the same day when Shepard's body was seen tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie and yet, no one seemed to bother about it. It may be an unpopular opinion but a murder is a murder whatever the motivation or the gender of the murdered person is and it's a crime against humanity.

By Rick Clemons for YourTango.com / Huffington Post Coming out is a monumental event in most people's lives, whether you're actually the person 'coming out' or a member of their inner circle. It doesn't matter what position you play—the experience is life changing. In 1869, LGBT rights advocate Karl Heinrich Ulrich introduced coming out concept as a means of emancipation and changing societal opinions. Granted, people have been coming out for centuries…just not as openly as we see it today. While the process of coming out makes headline new on almost a daily basis, I find it interesting to bring other terms to the forefront that might better support people in this journey. Here are just a few of my ideas for communicating "I'm Coming Out" in some different terms. I'm living my truth.
Nothing says honesty like slapping yourself upside the head and saying, "Wake up and start living life as your authentic self!" Taking that brave step to fully embrace our sexuality starts with you living your truth. Getting real with myself.
 Or, in slang terms: to "Get Real," means to get down with your bad self and no longer pretend to be something you're not. Doesn't that feel refreshing? Living my life fantastically. Nothing says you're alive and loving more than when you say, "I feel fantastic." It's pretty darn hard to be fantastic when you're not feeling good about yourself. These three terms illustrate my point, but let's take it a step further. As I was contemplating how the term "coming out" could be morphed into something that would catch people's attention, I landed on a term that says it all. However, before I share this little nugget, I want to make it clear that I do believe if you're gay, you are born this way… gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender. It's not because a higher power crossed the wires or "made a mistake." We are just this way, and we're more than okay. In fact, we’re gifted with GDNA, LDNA, BDNA, and TDNA. Okay; now that we've got that clear, back to my new term for coming out. I'm a recovering heterosexual.
 Some people claim to be recovering Catholics, recovering sugar addicts, recovering vegetarians, or recovering Kardashian fans. So, why can't we who have come out be recovering heterosexuals? So what does that mean? • We're stepping beyond the confines of heterosexual normative behavior. • We're releasing the social expectations that boys date girls and girls date boys. • We're blurring the lines of masculinity and femininity. • We're blazing new trails of human existence. • We're allowing curiosity to prevail rather than accepting what is. • We're honoring our human form and allowing it to flourish creatively. • We're acknowledging our heterosexual upbringing and integrating it into our sexual orientation. • We're allowing our logical self to play in the sand box of our heart's desires with no regrets. • We're recovering from assumptions, interpretations, and limiting beliefs that no longer serve our sexuality. • We're embracing that our sexuality is only one small piece of our complete package. At the end of the day, whether you call it coming out, getting real with yourself, living your life fantastically, or functioning as a recovering heterosexual, it really doesn't matter. The fact of the matter is you're just being authentic. And, that feels pretty darn good.

Saw the first yesterday, great. Bookmarked the second for later Thanks

I am shocked every time I read something like this. It's like my brain can't process this kind of behavior.