The Alternative Broadcasting Online News Station

Over the years, like it or not, surveillance has become a
greater part of our lives. Some say, maybe a little too much a
part of our lives. Anyway, it’s here to stay and becoming more
and more prevalent in businesses and to the dismay of many, even
in our personal lives.

There is surveillance in banks, retail stores, on street
corners, in train stations and airports, and the list goes on
and on. Seems like slowly but surely someone is always watching,
in many cases unbeknownst to the person or persons being
observed. In some cases this is a great thing. At other times,
it’s not so great. It really depends upon what it is your doing
when being observed.

Surveillance has been used to catch a cheating spouse or just
because and beyond. Scary thought about how far some have gone,
right? Cameras are now so small they fit inside a shirt or
jacket button. It has also been used to catch those in the act
of committing a criminal act. It’s amazing how fast someone will
suddenly change their story when confronted with video evidence.
So, there is some good to be derived from using surveillance.

Now for those that feel they are unnecessarily being surveilled,
this is counter surveillance also known as countermeasures. This
is something the observee can use to, well, fight back. It can
get kind of crazy and very expensive. So the measure of privacy
has to be measured against how important it is to protect. Like
I said, it can get very expensive.

How many times have you despaired of being understood? How many
times do you repress your despair at being rejected by the
person who is supposed to love you more than anybody else? And
why do you keep those feelings inside you? Because you are
afraid of creating a worse conflict if you speak up?

My best friend, Anne, was at the end of her rope. Of course she
was developing ulcers and was taking some kind of pills for
life. Of course she was unable to sleep and would toss and turn
whole night, thinking that perhaps a new pill will provide
relief!

When I finally met her, after 6 years of being distant because
of geography, I could not recognize my old friend in this
frazzled person I had in front of me. She looked older and
spent. It took me some time before I had the courage to ask:
What is happening to you? And she said “I don’t know how to face
my husband with the zillion things that harass me in his
behaviour, but I’m so angry at him that I could explode any
time!”

What happens is that Anne doesn’t know how to confront him, she
is afraid of his resistance and probably strong denial and thus
she leaves a bad situation to escalate into a worst one, where
her anger sits in a bed of despair and contempt. Or course, at
this time, there is little love or respect left in her for her
husband, who is oblivious to the depth of her negative feelings,
of course! He thinks that she has stress ulcers! It took some
private meetings with her to get to the bottom of her feelings
and ask the question:

“Why is that you don’t confront him with his negative
behaviour”? And her answer was: I never learnt how to face him!
Because I was only told to be always nice and polite, I don’t
know how to confront anybody when they do things that upset or
damage me!

Is this a picture that you recognize? Could you identify with
this situation, where you have neither the permission to
confront, nor the skills to do it in a safe way? Are you afraid
of any kind of confrontation, even a healthy one to defend
yourself?

This is partially true: if you confront without knowing how to,
in a respectful but firm way, you can get a worse response, and
so confirm your fears. But, where does not doing a confrontation
leave us? If we can’t confront, we stay frustrated and
resentful, and the anger eats at us inside.

Meanwhile, the other person continues the offensive behaviour as
before, because nobody told him/her not to do so! When at last
we do confront, we do in such state of frustration that results
are not encouraging, and the other person, taken by surprise,
can react very strongly.

If you don’t tell the other person when and how she is
infringing on you: * You are not in control of your life, * You
have more stress. * You begin carrying emotional baggage of
resentment. * The relationship deteriorates and the other person
never has the opportunity to improve his behaviour.

THEN, if you confront:

* You get the control of your life back. * You are not a passive
victim. * Stress level improves. * Mental health goes back to
balance. * There is no build up of emotional baggage.

So, HOW do you confront someone about his/her inadequate
behaviour? It is simple, not by reproaching the wrong behaviour,
but asking for the right one:

If you are tempted to say something like: “You are a jerk! How
do you dare to leave without asking me if I had my car repaired!
You left me behind last night” It is better to say: “I need you
to take better care of me. When we have only a car, it would be
better to coordinate transportation among us. In this way, I
will feel that we are really a good team.”

Main parts of this new response are: Focus is on “I” and not on
“you,” because this expression feels accusatory, and because it
helps highlight the issue of what are our needs that are being
frustrated now.

The problem is described, as it is -a real transportation
problem- in a calm way. And the solution is provided: “checking
with each other is a good thing.”

Three take away ideas:

1. It is best to confront sooner than later, letting things
fester is wrong. 2. It is best to confront skilfully, using this
model. 3. Behavioural change requires that we keep confronting
about the wrong behaviour up until the moment when it improves,
and then we praise the new behaviour.

7. Drive mirroring through software: Drive mirroring basically means that you can use a program such as Norton Ghost, Acronis or Drive Image to make an exact copy of all of the contents of your hard drive. The process can be done manually or automatically. The data image can be done on DVD, CD, to another hard drive or across the network to another computer.
Some programs allow incremental backups where initially you create a full backup and after that only the files that have been changed from the last backup are backed up. One of the advantages of drive mirroring is that it allows the backup of the operating system files along with the data. In the case of a computer crash you can replace the failed drive run a disaster recovery CD or floppy and restore your computer to a working state in a matter of minutes.

8. File synchronization: File synchronization programs have been around for a long time. They allow you to have a real time copy of the data in two places simultaneously. The synchronization can be set to happen at a specific time or in real time. The idea is that if you change a file on the master computer the corresponding file on the remote computer also changes.

9. External hard drives: With the price of hard drives dropping everyday they present a great alternative for backups. Units equipped with USB or Firewire ports are the most recommended. They are portable enough to be taken offsite. You can either buy ready to use units or you can buy an enclosure that holds several drives and populate it with hard drives. Some of the ready to use units come with a basic backup programs that allows one touch backup of specified directories or complete hard drives.

10. Drive Trays: Computers can be easily equipped with hard drive trays that allow the easy removal of hard drives to be stored away from the computer for safety. The advantage over portable USB or Firewire is that internal hard drives use a faster connection to the computer.

11. Backup to disk: As hard drive prices have been decreasing, backing up to disk has become commonplace as a replacement to tape backups. A server or a unit attached to the computer is set up with several disks and the backup software is scheduled to backup the files to a different disk every day of the week. The advange is that there is not tape library to manage and the process can be totally automated. In addition the process is much faster than with tape.

As we can see there are many options for file backups with different levels of reliability, automation and price. Ideally, the wedding photographer will use a combination of the above backup strategies. Relying on a single strategy can be fatal to your wedding files, your business, and professional reputation.

Setting up scheduled backups is a must. With the data volume that the typical wedding photographer deals these days a couple of days without backups can create a big liability in the event of a disaster.

Keeping a backup copy at a remote location is also a must. It doesn’t matter how many copies of your data you have, if all of them reside at the same location they are potentially exposed to the same level of risk.

Some photographers have found that for weddings more than a couple of years old it is wise to give a copy of all the files to the client. This makes the client happy and the photographer gets an extra backup copy.

It is also recommended that you take the outmost precautions at your place of business including an alarm system and that you physically secure your computers with antitheft cables and that you keep all the backup media in a safe. Also, your working computers need to be equipped with surge protectors and battery backup systems to avoid damage due to lighting or electricity spikes.

In addition to the above strategies the wedding photographer must have liability and disaster recovery insurance.

To some, the above guidelines may seem paranoid. However, the wedding day memories are too precious to be lost.

Juan Carlos Torres is a very respected and awarded wedding photographer in Oregon.
He has a Masters Degree in Remote Sensing with a strong background in digital
image processing and photography. He is a member of the several professional photographer
organizations including the Professional Photographers of America, the Professional
Photographers of Oregon, the Wedding Photojournalist Association, and the Oregon
Wedding Photo Guild. His wedding photographs are unique and very artistic and
have been featured in national and international magazines. For a sample of his
works please visit Portland Oregon Wedding
Photographer and Salem Oregon
Wedding Photographer For a discussion on wedding photography see our Blog
at Oregon
Wedding Photographer

You want your wedding to reflect who you are as a couple-unique
and special. If a traditional wedding seems a little a little
boring, consider a theme wedding–one of the hottest trends in
weddings today.

Whether you’re into all things western or romantic strolls on
the beach, butterflies or fairytales, the most important aspect
in choosing a theme is that it be something that you consider to
be romantic and fun. After all, memories of your wedding day
will be cherished for a lifetime.

8 Tips for Planning a Themed Wedding

1. Consider the time of year for your wedding. A beach bash may
not work in February; just as a winter wonderland theme will
melt in July.

2. If you want your guests to participate in the theme by
dressing in costume, then let them know early. A good way to do
this is with your choice of announcements and invitations.

3. Make sure that your attendants and groomsmen are supportive
of the idea, particularly with regard to wedding attire. No one
wants to feel uncomfortable on your wedding day.

4. Discuss your plans with the wedding officiate to make sure he
or she harbors no objections.

5. The ‘less is more’ adage is true with regard to decorations.
Avoid overkill and choose one or two major motifs from a theme
and use decorations sparingly.

6. Talk to your wedding vendors. With theme weddings on the rise
in popularity, these wedding professionals may be able to offer
ideas to pull your theme together.

7. If you have chosen a theme and are having difficulty
implementing your plans, hire a wedding coordinator to help.
Coordinators may have the wedding industry contacts to help plan
your theme wedding down to the very last detail.

8. Do not let the theme detract from the meaning of the day.
Your wedding day is only one day: the first of many in your new
life together.

For theme ideas and inspiration visit
http://www.WhereBridesGo.com.

Are you looking for something a bit different for your wedding day? Something that
shows how trendy, fun-loving and interesting you are, without being tacky? Well
instead of using a normal every-day boring bouquet of flowers, why not make
yourself a bouquet made of fruit?

Yes thats right I said fruit!

Now you’re probably thinking that a fruit bouquet would be interesting, but that it
might not be quite the look you want for your wedding. In fact, maybe you’re
thinking a fruit bouquet would just look plain ridiculous!

Well, I think you’ll be surprised how good a fruit bouquet can actually look. If you
keep the bouquet small and prepare the bouquet carefully, you can have a really
great looking wedding bouquet that will definitely be a talking point amongst your
family and friends afterwards.

The trick is to not overload the bouquet with too much fruit. If you add too much
fruit, it will start to look tacky, and you’ll have trouble carrying the bouquet down
the aisle!

So what fruit do you use in a fruit bouquet?

I suggest using a variety of small fruits like:

• Apricots
• Nectarines
• Mandarines
• Passionfruits
• Small apples
• Kiwi fruit
• Strawberries

One thing to be aware of when chosing your fruit, is that some fruits (like
strawberries), will stain if you are not careful. Just wrap them in cellophane, and you
won’t have to worry about everything getting stained.

Make sure you use small pieces of fruit. This will allow you to make a fairly decent
sized bouquet, without having to worry about your arm dropping off when you’re
carrying it!

Once you’ve chosen your fruit, you need to wire the fruit into the bouquet. You will
need to use heavy gauge wire, which you can get from your local flower shop.

You can either put the wires straight through the fruit and then tape the wires, or
you can wrap the fruit in cellophone first, and then wire and tape.

The next thing to do is add some leaves to the bouquet. I like to use big leaves, as
they make it look like the fruit is hiding in the leaves. This make the fruit bouquet
more subtle, and stops it from looking like a fruit basket.

You can also cut a bunch of leaves off a fruit tree and wire the fruit amongst the
leaves. Make sure the branch is fairly straight. This will allow you to tape the branch,
and will add a more bridal look to the bouquet.

Finally, place some ribbon bows near the leaves, to soften the fruit bouquet, and to
add some elegance.

As you can see, it isn’t too hard to make a fruit bouquet, and it’s definitely
something you should consider if you want something a little more interesting than
a regular flower bouquet for your wedding. And there’s the added advantage, that if
you get hungry later, you’ve got something handy to eat!

Peta D’Silva has been making silk bouquets for over 14 years. She is the webmaster of http://www.visionsofsilk.com, a
website with detailed, easy-to-understand articles
about creating your own bouquets.

Lavish, sparkling and smooth are the synonyms of diamonds. It is
not only their eternal beauty that forces a person to acquire
them but the value that these stones carry due to their
rareness. So, if you want someone to make special and
distinguish go for a glittering diamond. Believe me, you don’t
need any words, its spark and light will say every thing.

Women and diamonds are said to be complementary to each other.
Their association is like different and beautiful colors in a
painting which enhances its beauty and gives a new meaning to
it. No doubt, diamonds are considered girl’s best friend as its
beauty and light gives an added value to her personality. Women
feel a sense of greatness and richness with diamonds. That’s why
every women love to have diamond as gifts. They are always eager
to add variety of diamond in their collection. Therefore, most
of diamond selling companies keep women as their centre.

Diamond is really scare and costly and their value increases
tremendously because of their clarity and cut. It simply means
the price of diamond increases with its clarity. The price of
diamond also depends on the cut and design it possesses. A
complex and heavy design is costlier than a simple design as
diamond is difficult to cut. A small mistake in cut can ruin the
whole piece. The color of the diamond also decides its worth.
There are different natural-colored diamonds that are available
in the market. Yellow, white, orange, brown, blue, red and pink
diamonds are those rare forms which are far from vicinity.
Nowadays, green diamond is also in fashion. Due to their
scarcity, pink and green diamonds are really difficult to locate
in showrooms. Because of the clarity and size, colorless and
clear crystal diamond is rarest and most expensive diamond
available on earth. If you are going for buying a diamond, try
to understand its worth and value.

Weight is also a major factor in deciding the worth of a
diamond. Normally, showroom people do not reveal the correct
weight of the listed diamond to earn profit. To protect innocent
buyers from any kind of cheating, an international authority has
been set up to monitor the business of diamonds. They ensure
that a customer should get their money’s worth.

Diamonds are not only that they actually appear, they are more
than that. From a bright and vivacious beauty to a personality
adder they make you feel special and tall.

For more information on diamond jewelry, pearl jewelry, silver jewelry visit http://www.1a-jewelry.com

Planning a wedding should be fun and exciting. However, if you don’t do the proper research and stay within your budget things can go bad in a hurry. What you need is to keep things well organized and simple. Here are some tips to help make sure your weeding plans go smoothly.

1. The first thing you should decide is how big and complex you want your wedding to be. Do you want a small wedding? Or would you rather have a big wedding? You need to make sure both you and your partner are on the same page and agree on things. Prepare to make some compromises.

2. Decide on a good theme for your wedding. This includes how people will dress, food, location, and decorations.

3. How much can you really afford. There is no reason to go all out on a wedding if you cant afford it. This could lead to some really big problems with your families and you as a couple.

4. Do you want to hire a wedding planner? Wedding planners are certainly great and do a good job. But there not necessary either. Be sure if you do hire one that they don’t get you spending allot more money then you originally planned.

5. Don’t wait to long to get your plans in order. This is something that you must start taking care of. Start booking locations, getting invitations ready, and find your dress. Planning a wedding takes time and work. You need to set a date and get at it. If you don’t you might find a year or two go by and your still not married.

If you follow some of these basic tips I think you will find things to along smoothly. Soon you will be off on your honeymoon with your sweet heart.

Tyler Casselman operates the site Wedding Ideas Home.

Ignorance is the most common trap in the business of divorce, so becoming informed is crucial. However, friends, relatives and “common knowledge” are the worst and most expensive sources of advice. Use these for moral support, but when they give you advice, just smile and say “Thank You” but do not take it seriously. If you didn’t get the advice from a reputable book or an attorney, don’t trust it! Just because you like or trust someone doesn’t make them right. And if you take bad advice, who pays the price? You do–perhaps for the rest of your life.

Millions of people have done their own divorces since self-help law was established in 1971, so you can probably do it too. If you do need an attorney for help, one of your biggest problems is going to be finding the right one. Not just any lawyer will do.

If you have trouble with some part of doing your own divorce, or if you and your spouse are trying to work out terms and get stuck, or if you need more information or legal advice, or for any reason at all, you may decide that a little time spent in conference with an attorney would be worthwhile. Instead of having a lawyer do the whole job, you might have him or her help you with just part of it. Some attorneys might not be willing to this. You have to shop around.

Shopping for an attorney is very much like shopping for melons. You have to check the prices and see if they “feel” right to you. You have the right to ask questions, look things over, and be choosy about whom you hire to take on such a major personal role in your life.

The best way to find an attorney is through some friend or trusted person who has had a satisfactory personal experience with one. But don’t forget to check things out for yourself. Don’t be intimidated. Call around on the telephone to find out how much an initial interview will cost, and how much the whole case might cost. See if you like the way the attorney and the law office staff treat you. If you only want some advice on part of doing your own divorce, ask ahead of time to see if they are willing to do this and find out what their rates are for consultations.

Most attorneys will do the first interview for nothing or for a very small fee, perhaps $15 to $25. Hourly rates run from $50 to $200 per hour, but $100 is pretty common. Price is not everything–it has to feel right. Talk to the attorney to see if you like the experience.

Why You Should Not Retain an Attorney

It is okay to use an attorney, but most people should never retain one in their divorce case unless there is a clear reason for doing so. When you retain an attorney, the attorney takes professional responsibility to act on your behalf–to represent you. You are literally handing over your power and authority to act.

Our system of justice is known as “the adversary system.” It began in the middle ages when trial by combat meant that whoever survived was right. This approach to justice forms the basis of our legal system today. The attorney works in our system as a combatant, but that is not what you want for solving family and personal problems. Law schools do not require courses in counseling or communications. They teach aggressive and defensive strategy and how to get the advantage in every case. Lawyers are taught to look for problems, not solutions.

Lawyers are taught to act in ways that will complicate your case and make it worse instead of better. They tend to take cases into court quickly, even when that is likely to cause upset and make settlement more difficult.

Never forget that when you retain an attorney, the more trouble you have, the more money the attorney makes. That’s hardly an incentive to keep things simple. But keeping things simple is what you want to have the best possible divorce.



Copyright 2005 Ed Sherman

Ed Sherman is a family law attorney, divorce expert, and founder of Nolo Press. He started the self-help law movement in 1971 when he published the first edition of How to Do Your Own Divorce, and founded the paralegal industry in 1973. With more than a million books sold, Ed has saved the public billions of dollars in legal fees while making divorce go more smoothly and easily for millions of readers. You can order his books from http://www.nolodivorce.com or by calling (800) 464-5502.

Selecting a divorce lawyer to handle your family law case is a very important decision. The following are a few important criteria to help in finding the right divorce lawyer.

Experience and Focus

Any divorce lawyer you consider should have substantial experience in handling divorce cases in your location. An experienced divorce lawyer will know the tendencies of the various judges in your jurisdiction and should be able to use this knowledge to your advantage. Additionally, that lawyer should practice primarily in the field of divorce law. Often people will hire a lawyer who practices primarily in some other area, thinking that any lawyer will do. However, divorce law is a very specialized field that requires particular skills and experience in order to have a likelihood of reaching a successful conclusion.

Past Client Testimonials

Perhaps the best way to decide which divorce lawyer to use for your divorce case is to find out what former clients have to say about that lawyer. While divorce is never an enjoyable process, some divorce lawyers have more success at satisfying their clients than others. If you do not know someone who has been a client of that particular divorce lawyer, you should consider asking the lawyer for a list of clients that you can contact who can describe their experience with the lawyer. While client confidentiality is important, any good experienced divorce lawyer should have at least a few former clients who are willing to vouch for him or her.

Accessible

When a client becomes dissatisfied with a divorce lawyer, one of the most common complaints is that they were unable to communicate with the lawyer. It is very important that your divorce lawyer be accessible and prompt in responding to your phone calls, emails, and requests for meetings. While you can ask the divorce lawyer about their office policy, this is another area where you can best evaluate the divorce lawyer by hearing what former clients have to say.

If a former client of the lawyer tells you that they found it very difficult to contact the attorney, or that the lawyer either did not return calls or respond to emails or would take several days to do so, you should definitely avoid that lawyer. Divorce is an unpleasant and frustrating process under the best of circumstances. If you are unable to reach your divorce attorney, or at least someone on his or her staff, the frustration level can increase exponentially.

Fees

When you make your initial appointment with the divorce attorney, you should inquire about a consultation fee. Some lawyers do brief initial consultations for free, although most experienced divorce lawyers will charge between $100.00 and $200.00 as a consultation fee, or will charge their normal hourly rate.

For example, I charge a flat $100.00 consultation fee with no additional hourly charges, regardless of the length of the meeting. Essentially, the consultation fee is to “weed out” those people who are not serious about the possibility of hiring me. Given that my normal hourly rate is $200.00/hour and the usual typical consultation takes about 90 minutes, the charge for my consultation is significantly discounted. Therefore, you shouldn’t let a consultation fee scare you away from interviewing a particular lawyer.

During the consultation it is vitally important that you have a candid discussion with the prospective divorce lawyer about fees and what you can expect. Typically, an experienced divorce lawyer will require the payment of a substantial retainer up front, against which that lawyer’s hourly rate and expenses will be charged. You should find out what that lawyer’s hourly rate is, what the up front retainer will be, whether any portion of the retainer is refundable if it is not exhausted, and how often you can expect to receive invoices that detail their hourly charges and expenses. You also will want to know how detailed the invoices are. Once again, this is another area where you can get excellent information from those people who have been clients of that divorce lawyer.

Comfortable

While all the above issues are important, there is one final question you should ask yourself before hiring a divorce lawyer. Are you comfortable with that lawyer and are you confident in his or her abilities? If the answer is anything other than a resounding “yes,” you should keep looking. Your case is too important to entrust to someone who does not inspire your confidence.

Scott Morgan is a Houston attorney who practices exclusively in the field of divorce and family law. He has practiced family law in Texas since 1994. For more information go to http://www.houstondivorce.com

One of the most fun — and occasionally dreaded — parts of a bridal shower are the games. Although they’re meant to be bonding experiences, bridal shower games aren’t for everyone … and if your gal group meets exclusively for cosmos and indie jazz, you might want to skip them.

But the fact is, bridal shower games serve a purpose. No matter how familiar or unsophisticated they might seem, they still serve as icebreakers. And icebreakers are especially useful if your shower combines guests from different walks of life. A shower might toss the bride’s work friends together with her hometown friends and a handful of relatives — and these groups probably don’t know each other — but an icebreaker can bring them together (of course, so can a few chilled bottles of Veuve Clicquot).

So your guest list is a mixed bag of ages, backgrounds, tastes and styles, here are some true-blue games that will bring your shower through with flying colors.

Bridal Shower Bingo
One of the most popular is, of course, Bridal Shower Bingo. To play this game, dream up a list of words for each bingo card that relates to weddings, wedding gifts, the bride herself, or romance. For the cards themselves, arrange a grid of squares in your favorite desktop publisher, placing each word or phrase in its own square. Make the center square “free” (you’re just generous that way). Or just grab some of those no-cost, printable bridal bingo cards from the internet.

Give each guest their own card. Or if you really want to press home the icebreaker effect, get two guests to share one.

Next, print out your word selection with lots of letter spacing so you can cut up the sheet into strips and toss them in a basket.

Finally, have the hostess act as the caller. She’ll pull the words out of the basket and call them out. Once a player gets a complete marked-off line of words, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally, she shouts out “Bingo” (or “Bride”) in return for a prize.

Uncool, you say? Angelina Jolie would never be caught dead playing Bridal Shower Bingo? Maybe, but you’d be surprised how jiggy things get when you turn up the music and start calling out those words. There’s a reason why hundreds of people flock to bingo halls on a weekly basis — it’s freakishly fun. Leave the anthropologists to wonder why, and just roll with it.

Bingo Redux
One of the funniest variations on Bridal Shower Bingo is to give guests blank cards and have them fill it out with predictions of what gifts the bride will get.

Or for another twist, fill your cards with titles of songs relating to love and romance, and then play 10 second snippets from a CD you’ve burned ahead of time. This gives your guests the double challenge of identifying what they’re hearing, and crossing off the titles. Choose a sweet Starbucks-y combo of Cole Porter, Diana Krall, Ray Charles, and obscure Beatles tunes. It’s fun and cool.

Kiss George Clooney
You could also “kiss the groom,” but why not kiss George Clooney instead?

Take a sturdy board, and staple on a men’s shirt and pants combo from the thrift store. Draw in the hands and shoes, and glue on a life-sized printout of George Clooney’s winsome face. Have each guest apply a healthy dose of lipstick. Now blindfold her, turn her around three times, and have her try to kiss George Clooney on the lips. The closest kisser wins a prize (how about an inexpensive autographed photo from the man himself? Try eBay). The rest get to dream.

Lottery Tickets
Fast and simple, not too costly, and who knows? Someone might go home with special memories … to her new penthouse suite. It could happen!

Purse Pursuit
Or try a scavenger hunt — through a purse. In this one, give your guests a list of things you might find in a purse. Guests mark off items for points as they hunt through their purse. Expected items (aspirin, cosmetics, mints) should get a few points. Give higher points for odder objects (tiny airline liquor bottles, a granola bar, crochet hooks, a Canadian coin). Award really high points for random items that might show up in a purse (a rock, toilet paper, chopsticks).

If all this seems too complicated, weigh each purse and hand out a prize to the heaviest handbag — since a gift certificate to an orthopedic specialist probably won’t fit your budget.

For bridal shower favors and great bridal shower prizes (don’t forget … you can usually order just one of each favor and gift!), check out FavorIdeas.com.