Friday, February 17, 2012

'Hunger Games': The Memes That Caught Fire

This week's Hobnobbing celebrates Seneca Crane's beard, Peeta's advice and more Web wonders.
By Amy Wilkinson


Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane in "The Hunger Games"
Photo: Lionsgate

Three years can feel like an eternity. That's how long "The Hunger Games" fans will have sat around sharpening their arrows between Lionsgate purchasing the film rights to Suzanne Collins' novel and the movie ultimately swooping into theaters March 23. But it's also been a productive 36 or so months for the series' acolytes, evidenced by the plethora of Panem-centric memes that have cropped up online to amuse, inform and enthrall.

From Seneca Crane's beard to Katniss' orange backpack, let's celebrate the things that have made this infernal wait a little less painful. (Special thanks to Twitter friends who sent in their recommendations.)

Seneca Crane's beard
Wes Bentley's flame-shaped fuzz was destined for Internet infamy. Following the debut of "The Hunger Games" full-length trailer, the stylized scruff seemed to be one of the hottest topics of conversation. A Facebook page (and insightful interview with Hollywood Crush) followed, proving the beard had staying power — even if it didn't stay on Bentley's face forever. "I would have loved to have kept the beard, but that beard took two hours to groom every day," he told MTV News. "It's such a cool look. Ve Neill, the makeup designer, did such an amazing job. It's exciting that it's getting that kind of attention."

Advice Peeta
Peeta is the wisest baker's son we know. Need proof? Take a gander at Advice Peeta, recommended by @TheHobOrg, where the disembodied head of Josh Hutcherson dispenses pithy platitudes and nuggets of wisdom. "Remember who the real enemy is: Panera," one reads, while another declares, "I set fireeeeeee to the bread." Aw, Peeta's an Adele fan! We knew it.

Lord Buttercup
District 12's male tribute isn't the only character pontificating online. Even Prim's mangy tomcat is getting in on the action. Similarly styled to Advice Peeta, Lord Buttercup, recommended by @mirandahakim, has plenty to say too, like "I am the Mockingjay. LOL JK I'm a cat." The busy feline also manages his own Twitter account, @LordButtercup. Because the revolution needs social-media-minded mongrels.

Effie's shoes
One of the newer (and perhaps less prevalent) memes, recommended by @HGgirlonfire, is a foot fetishist's best friend. Effie Trinket's gold booties (supposedly fashioned after an Alexander McQueen design) made their debut on the recently launched Capitol Couture. And our shoe envy will never be the same.

Katniss' orange backpack
Clearly, "Hunger Games" fans are a fashion-conscious bunch, because when the first "Hunger Games" teaser debuted, and it appeared Katniss' bright backpack had been replaced by a duller version, die-hards were not pleased. Thankfully, further peeks have confirmed that the fiery bag, which Katniss grabs at the beginning of the Games, is indeed a player. And, as recommended by @pikko, it continues to be celebrated on Facebook.

What's your favorite "Hunger Games" meme? Sound off in the comments below and tweet me @amymwilk with your thoughts and suggestions for future columns!

Check out everything we've got on "The Hunger Games."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1679443/hunger-games-memes.jhtml

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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Teen Suicide Survivor | Baby care | Women's health | Beauty

The Pistol Star

?He?s gone?, these words can mean all kinds of things to billions of different people, but when spoken to me on the night of December 7th, 2005, they only had one meaning, one meaning to one simple phrase that consists of two simple words that completely, single-handedly destroyed my picture-perfect life. The power of these two words were unbelievable, they crushed my heart, destroyed my faith, and broke any hope for love in my life. I could never trust anyone for as long as I live on this planet. Two simple words: ?he?s gone?, Spoken to me with such ease they cut me like strong, powerful sharp blades and ripped my soul ?til it bled and died. ?He?s gone? took every tear in my little ten-year old body and poured them into an endless stream of impeccable pain and loss. ?He?s gone? continues to replay over and over in my head as I search for an answer in this terrible never ending nightmare of a life. ?He?s gone? happened on an ordinary yet unforgettable December day, like any other, but it tore and twisted my life ?til there was nothing left but an empty hole in a little girl?s heart that could never be filled. He?s gone?

The powerful stench of the Richmond Mental Hospital was not like any regular hospital, it was much worse than that. It didn?t look like a hospital, it smelled like one and without a doubt, people were sick. It wasn?t the same kind of sick that I was familiar with. These patients weren?t cut, bleeding, injured, or broken? where I could see. Two weeks had passed without seeing my dad, ever since that horrific night, on October 21st, 2005. I had so many questions but my mom said to act normal, so we wouldn?t upset my dad. We traveled through the hospital?s empty rooms until my dad?s face awoke out of the dark, to greet the life he?d left behind. His face appeared before me, it was exactly how I remembered only? this wasn?t my dad, not at all. No, my dad was always smiling, joyful, funny, and kind. He was the perfect dad that every little girl dreamed of having. The man that sat before me was dead. He was lost, without hope, very much alive and breathing, but he was dead. It was as if his soul had been taken from him and now he was left with a lifeless corpse. The doctors all explained as clearly as they possibly could that my dad was sick, only it was a kind of sick that you couldn?t see with your eyes and a sick that couldn?t be cured with a band-aid or some loving care from your mom. He was diagnosed with clinical depression, these words meant nothing to a ten-year old who?s only worries in life were making her father proud or finishing homework on time, it was never ?if I?d even have a dad to make proud??.The more the doctor explained, the more he began to make sense. He also explained what happened before dad left, the night he was ?taken? by his depression.

Dad was gone all day. We didn?t know where he went and this wasn?t like him at all. In fact, it was so unlike him that it terrified us to think about what could be happening. My mom had a few ideas. She checked his credit card for some trace on my dad?s whereabouts. We came to find out that on, October 21st, dad drove to South Carolina (approximately two hours from our Georgia home) and purchased a pistol. I could tell from the overwhelming fear in my mom?s eyes as she stormed out of the office that it wasn?t good. We?d never needed a reason to call the police before that night.

In a matter of minutes, my mom had the police in South Carolina looking for my dad; they located him in a hotel room near Calhoun Falls, a quiet town where he must?ve strategically decided to escape to. I curled up into my parents? bed with my sister and brother as the emergency babysitter waited downstairs for my mom and dad to return. I fell asleep and dreamt of the days that my dad and I would practice basketball together. We spent hours and hours shooting hoops, working on dribbling, passing, and defense. As the coach of every basketball, soccer, and softball team I was involved with throughout my childhood, my dad absolutely loved playing sports. For every single point I scored, I could count on him being on the sidelines cheering me on. After a successful win, my dad and I would drive to the diner and enjoy a victory chocolate shake. He would look at me and say ?throw me the ball and watch what I do with it!? with a huge grin on his face. I dreamt that those days would never end, that he?d be here again and by my side forever. I dreamt of running to a place where there was no pain, no loss, no terrifying thoughts that he wouldn?t return, no fear, and definitely no crying. In a place like this, I?d never have to worry about my life breaking apart and my ground being pulled out from beneath my stable, trusting feet. I dreamt of looking into his eyes again, knowing he?d be okay. I dreamt of a world where there was no sickness, or a kind of ?sick? that you couldn?t see, no depression, and no hurt. I dreamt of sitting on the wide open countryside, looking into the dark, sad, starry night.

I dreamt of the night that my dad and I drove everywhere and anywhere until we ended up in a place in the middle of nowhere. We looked up into the sky and I glanced up at him, he was deep in thought about something and strangely enough, I knew exactly what he was thinking. Looking up at the stars, I thought about where they came from, where we came from, and where we all went when we left. ?What do you think happens? when you die?? I said.

?What do you mean?? he replied.

?Well I like to think we become the stars? I said as we both starred aimlessly into the night sky, ?As soon as we die we go up into the sky for all the people who ever loved us to look up at and think about and remember?.

?When I?m gone, you just look up at the sky and I promise I will be there, looking down at you smiling. I?ll be there shining brighter than any star in the sky, just for you?? He said smiling.

I woke up in my dad?s arms as he gently placed me onto my bed and without a single word, he walked out of my room and shut the door, shutting me out of his life in a moment where I wanted nothing more than to be in it. When I wanted nothing but answers, he couldn?t even hear my angry cries for help and to hear him say, ?I?ll be here forever and always baby girl?, like he always told me. That night died along with all hope that my dad was fine when the next day came along and he was checked into the hospital. I didn?t know what made him run away, what made him buy that gun, or why he was sick but I hoped and prayed for him to get better soon so I could have my dad back. At this time in my life, I wanted nothing more than to have him with me forever and always, just like he promised.

Two months without having my dad around tore me apart. It made me realize how much he truly meant to me and how much I depend on him. Life without him here is like walking into a dark room not knowing where to go, what to think, or how I got there. You don?t know where to turn or what to do. Life without my dad is like waking up from a nightmare and realizing that everything you just dreamt up in your mind was real. Without him here, I had no hope, no dreams, no happiness or joy, no laughter or smiling; it was living without the life. After two months that felt like a dark twisted trick God was playing, my dad returned.

The return of my dad wasn?t a return at all. He came back but he wasn?t the same. He wasn?t getting any better in fact? in the hospital, he got much worse. Depression had taken him completely and killed the man we all loved and missed; it forced him to live in the pain of dying over and over again. This dark disease that I didn?t know anything about was killing my dad. He was a good person, he didn?t deserve to die. I?d never known anyone to die. I never saw anyone?s life end but sometimes I thought about what it would be like to lose someone. The only thing I could think of was having an arm taken off your body, you?d always feel like it was still there but when you really needed it most, it wouldn?t be there at all and would never come back. When I really needed my dad he was always there, no matter what it was, I could always just look up at him and see the love behind his eyes. Now that he was sick, when I looked up into his eyes all I saw was death. I saw the death of every day we ever spent together, every time he promised he?d be here forever, every warm embrace of his never ending hugs, the comfort of knowing I?d always have someone to love me unconditionally, and the death of my father.

Wednesday December 7th, 2005 5:45 pm, police house resident reports 3 gun shots and strange screams coming from 244 west lane, Alpharetta Georgia. Inside an abandoned house, investigators discover a 47-year old man positioned in the living room of the cold hearted abandoned home, drenched completely in blood and holding a pistol. Deceased. At 5:41 pm the man shot at a target he?d drawn on the wall. 5:43, another shot goes off and hits the target perfectly in the center. 5:45, the man shot himself in the chest and fell to the ground to later be discovered at 6:08 pm on Wednesday December 7th, 2005.

Mark Joseph Beausir was a man that proved to be an amazingly successful father of three children. He was a good man and a caring, faithful husband to Amy Beausir. He was CEO of a successful software company in Alpharetta, Georgia. Six feet Six inches, he stood high and close to God. He was a big guy with a heart that could only be compared to the size of his smile. Mark provided well for his family and was always involved in his church and kids? lives. He attended church every Sunday and was the coach for every team his three children were involved with. Every chance he got, he would show love to the people that mattered the most and even more love to the people that didn?t matter at all. Mark had an enormous family with so much love and even more heart. He was a beautiful person and lived a magnificent, unbelievable life.

Born on August 14th, 1958, died 47 years later on December 7th, 2005, Mark only lived a short time. Forty seven years of pure love, laughs, and time, 24719556 minutes, 1779848640 heart beats, 296438400 breaths, 121 liters of tears, 38352 hours spent on the computer, 46318400 steps walked, 20160 minutes spent kissing, 10000 chocolate bars, 150 pounds of sugar eaten, and? for this particular person, 4 broken hearts plus one broken promise. When we looked back on my dad?s life, he wouldn?t be remembered by any of this. We?d think of him and think of all the love he gave us and how much he touched our lives. The average human is expected to live to be 72 years old. For this human, he missed 25 Christmases, 25 valentines days, 3 sweet-sixteen parties, 2 weddings of girls walking themselves down the aisle, 1 boy growing into a man, the graduation of three very successful college students he helped raise, the winning point scored, the school record being broken for girls? high jump, 7 stitches and 3 twisted ankles, he missed mending the broken hearts of a sad teenage girl and breaking the face of one disappointing teenage boy, he missed teaching his kids how to drive for the first time, meeting new boyfriends and girlfriends, hating old boyfriends and girlfriends, he missed seeing the first steps of his grandkids and spoiling them rotten, he missed new inside jokes and reflecting back on old ones, he missed seeing his kids grow up and most of all, we missed him.

The average human spends 63 hours a year laughing, Mark was an extraordinary person but he still had 99225 hours left of endless laughs. Mark still had 788923150 seconds of life to live but his life was taken from him by this heart wrenching darkness we called an illness. He left me behind but I know deep in my heart, he is always going to be by my side. I hope that one day I?ll see him again and I like to think he is still watching over me like he said he would.

There are over 100 billion stars in our universe. On December 7th, 2005 a new class of Supergiant Binary stars was discovered. Among these stars, there was one special one. It was the most gigantic, brightest binary star ever to be discovered. Scientists were amazed at this discovery and named it ?The Pistol Star?. It had a solar mass of 80-150 and shined brighter than any other star in the sky, a true miracle.

Tuesday December 7th, 2010, it has been five years since my dad died and it still feels like the same wound opening up every day, it feels like only yesterday my dad was taken from me. I lie down in my bed and I dream. I dream about you, the wonderful father that I lost and will forever miss. I dream of a never ending life absent of fear and pain. I dream of days where the sun never stops shining and you?ll be by my side. I dream of the day you and I drove everywhere and anywhere till we ended up in a place called nowhere. Where I looked up into the sky at the shining stars and wished that you?d be here forever. I looked at you and asked what happened when we died. You looked me straight in the eye and said, ?When I?m gone, you just look up at the sky and I promise I will be there, looking down at you smiling. I?ll be there shining brighter than any star in the sky, just for you?. The bright and glorious ?Pistol Star? still shines to this day, brighter than any other star in our galaxy. It was born on December 7th, 2005? The day you died.

Source: http://www.womenfavor.com/kids-and-teens/teen-suicide-survivor.html

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Free SMS Gateway manual | Services

SMS Gateway Tool is really a text texting software utility that allows you to definitely SMS easily send and receive SMS ?Short Messages? over GSM cellular telephone systems out of your local PC or with the network.

Whenever we start text rubbing through any mobile network, we discover various methods like text texting is the fact that SMSCs produced by numerous companies use their very own communication protocol and many of these methods are proprietary to ensure that SMS Gateway tool functions like a relay between your two SMSCs. It translates one SMSC protocol to a different one.

SMSC:-

A brief message service Center (SMSC) is really a network aspect in the mobile telephone network which provides SMS messages.

An SMS Center (SMSC) accounts for handling procedures from the wireless systems. They are following:

Whenever a text is distributed from the cell phone, it?ll achieve an SMS center first.

Then SMS Center forwards the messages for the destination.

The primary duty of the SMSC would be to route messages and regulate the procedure. When the recipient is not available (once the cell phone is turn off, the SMSC will keep SMS message).

It?ll forward the written text message once the recipient can be obtained.

Today SMS Gateway tool or text texting software use Short code number to transmit and receive messages. Rapid message services are sent through SMPP.

Short message peer-to-peer protocol (SMPP):

Rapid message peer-to-peer protocol is really a telecommunication industry protocol which is often used for swapping texts between SMS peer organizations for example short texting organizations.

for swapping SMS messages between SMS peer organizations for example short texting organizations.

SMS Gateway tool could be setup in your website, on PC as well as on cell phone to transmit and receive messages. Mobile marketing company provides free software application with placed in your site or PC or Mobile if you subscribe to SMS texting packs. It?s very popular marketing platform utilized by numerous smaller businesses for delivering items offers, client interactions, worker arranging, business event and much more.

Source: http://services1010.com/media-and-entertainment/free-sms-gateway-manual/

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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Strategic Conversations Focus of Upcoming Webinar for Bankers in ...

Money Image

Concord, MA, February 13, 2012 ?(PR.com)? Many bank sales people ask questions to identify small business owners? needs for specific products they are selling. Those who develop deeper perspective and understand their small business customers? and prospects? goals, strategies, and preferences?and why they are important?deliver more and better service, value, and support. Consulting and bank sales training firm Clarity Advantage will address this issue in a complimentary webinar entitled New Beginnings?Strategic Conversations with Clients and Prospects for the New Year.

The 30-minute webinar is scheduled for Thursday, February 23 at 12:00 PM ET and will benefit small business banking leaders, heads of retail and small business, heads of client experience, heads of small business strategy, small business bankers, and branch managers.

?Asking questions to identify a small business owner?s needs for products such as remote deposit, loans, or merchant services certainly is important,? says Clarity Advantage President Nick Miller. ?However, when bankers can see the ?big picture? of the business from the owner?s perspective, when they really understand the activities and relationships in the business owner?s environment and cash cycles, they are able to have strategic conversations that add value and help the owner run their business better.?

During the webinar, Miller will discuss:
? The critical importance of the strategic conversation to bankers
? The structure for the strategic conversation business owners want to have with their bankers
? How to prepare for the conversation using industry information and financial statement information
? How bankers can engage in the conversation even if they are not strategy consultants
? How to close the conversation whether it is going well or poorly

To learn more about and register for New Beginnings?Strategic Conversations with Clients and Prospects for the New Year, visit http://www.clarityadvantage.com/wst/2012/01/news/webinar-feb-23-on-strategic-conversations-with-clients-and-prospects/

About Clarity Advantage: Consulting and bank sales training firm Clarity Advantage helps banks generate more profitable relationships faster with small and medium-sized companies, their owners, and employees. Clarity consulting, communications, sales tools and training help banks recruit and deploy sales team members, choose their best business and consumer prospects and clients, then approach, engage, sell, expand, and retain relationships. Clarity also assists banks with consumer sales and cash management sales. Clarity clients have posted increases in household penetration, cross-sells, deposit volume, and loan volume. Visitors to Clarity?s website, http://www.clarityadvantage.com, can subscribe to ?The Weekly Sales Thought,? a free eNewsletter and podcast focused on business-to-business selling and sales management.

###

Contact Information:
Clarity Advantage Corporation
Karen Tunks
980-939-2112
Contact via Email
www.clarityadvantage.com

Click here to read the full story: Strategic Conversations Focus of Upcoming Webinar for Bankers in the Small Business Segment

Press Release Distributed by PR.com

Source: http://money.rambergmedia.com/strategic-conversations-focus-of-upcoming-webinar-for-bankers-in-the-small-business-segment/

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How to play free Games at a Bingo Online | ArticleGoes - Free ...

In a literal sense, there are thousands of online casinos, all of which major in making significant profits from participating clients.

In a literal sense, there are thousands of online casinos, all of which major in making significant profits from participating clients. The pursuit of one which offers high quality of free gambling opportunities is not as rewarding though. This is so much the case for a person who does not know the exact thing to do, in order to locate one such site. Participating without charge at a casino online requires that you be well versed with the operations of web-based gambling systems. This will accord you the protection of escaping crafty con artists, who masquerade as professional gambling houses.

Casinos based on the Web offer free trials to their clients in order to attract them to play for actual payment. Such incentives are especially geared towards pulling in new client targets. Online casinos make thorough advertisement campaigns, so as to reach out to new interested members. You might be the next person to participate, if you find gambling an exciting activity to take part in. Juegos de bingo is one such internet site that provides free gambling opportunities to any of its participants. The greatest and most strategic benefit you experience with such free participation is of sampling the various games that one can play to win. Taking a tour of a competent internet gambling site makes you appreciate the innovative technology in use today at online casinos. This is irrespective of whether you will end up registering with the site or not. What?s more is that if you maintain active participation, you stand to benefit from different loyalty incentives, which is quite an important premium on your part. The other crucial edge you have when playing at internet gambling sites such as Juegos is that any winnings you make are paid at an instant. This means you can choose to end your participation and run with your profits.

When conducting internet searches for viable gambling opportunities, it is vital to ensure that you only settle for a bingo which offers promising premiums. Check to ensure that the gambling website you land on goes about its business with a professional touch. Try to seek information on the gaming site that you aspire to play on too. Another way of keeping tabs on the activities of a competent and trustworthy online casino is by referring to its transaction records. Professional casino operators will want to demonstrate their transparency by issuing copies of original financial statements, highlighting all their deposits and withdrawals. This is a prudent marketing tactic that settles the fears of most gamblers, over matters of payment. An ideal internet casino will not withhold any information which client prospects desire to obtain. On the contrary, such a bingo online will have contact persons standing by, in order to assist any person who stumbles along the gambling path and needs assistance in whichever way. Count on the services of an internet gambling service that invests on a routine basis, towards providing better software utility for use by its customers.

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Source: http://articlegoes.com/how-to-play-free-games-at-a-bingo-online.html

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Saturday, February 11, 2012

United HealthCare Health Insurance Will Save You Money at the ...


To hav? y?ur loved ?ne? insured is ?n? ?f th? m??t important things that ? person ??n d? f?r both th??r family, a? well ?s themselves. There ar? millions of people living ?n th? United States today who ?r? uninsured ?nd ar? risking th?ir lives everyday b? n?t seeking medical care be??u?e it ?? to? costly be?ause the? are n?t insured. Health insurance is bought for man? diff?rent reasons, the mo?t common reason wh? people purchase health insurance i? bec?u?? it c?n help protect ??u from the risk of ver? expensive medical bills fr?m doctors, hospitals, ?nd any ?ther medical expenses ?ou may come ?n contact with. Without insurance m?n? of th?se essential things can b?c?me ver? expensive, thi? is wh? companies ?uch a? United HealthCare health insurance hav? been established, in order t? give Americans health insurance that the? ??n afford.

Without companies l?ke United HealthCare providing insurance man? people would not be ?bl? to afford expensive medical services ?u?h ?? surgeries, ?r CAT-Scans which ??n b? used t? find man? d?ff?r?nt types ?f ailments ranging from concussions, to meningitis, to brain tumors. Many ?f th??e medical services have v?ry high costs th?t United HealthCare health insurance can cover f?r members. Also, h?ving health insurance i? ver? beneficial ?f ?ou are diagnosed w?th ? disease th?t needs continuous treatments ?u?h ?s chemotherapy f?r different types of cancer. If you or ? family member ?s diagnosed w?th a life altering disease ?u?h as Cancer, th? cost of treatments can soar ?nto the hundreds of thousands, which ?s a price that m?ny people are n?t ?bl? t? afford w?th?ut insurance. Health insurance is m?r? or l?s? ?n?th?r word f?r relief; this ?s b?c?use when ?ou ?r? insured ??u d?n?t hav? t? worry ab?ut the costs of b??ng sick, ?r th? expensive costs of you ?r a family member h?v?ng surgery.

People w?th?ut health insurance ?re essentially walking on eggshells everyday in for fear th?y may get hurt or g?t sick, it prevents people from living the life the? want to live. Also, wh?n you us? programs ?uch ?s United HealthCare health insurance ?ou will be ?ble to g? to a primary care physician when you ?r ? family member i? sick. This i? a step u? from general healthcare services that you may h?v? to visit ?f ??u ?re n?t insured; these healthcare services are n?rmall? ?n hospitals and ar? n?rm?ll? much mor? unsanitary th?n a primary care physician?s office. Also, b? visiting ? primary care physician ?ou w?ll allow ?our personal doctor t? get to kn?w you and ?our family members. This ?an h?lp in the long term b?cause ?f ? situation arises wher? a doctors opinion is needed the doctor ?an easily be contacted be??use they w?ll h?v? a chart specifically f?r you. Another benefit of h?v?ng ? primary care physician is that it ?? easier to g?t a reference t? anoth?r specialist such ?s ? dermatologist to get additional work done.

Doctors, Health, Healthcare, Insurance, Money, Office, Save, United

Comments are closed.

Source: http://caldg.org/united-healthcare-health-insurance-will-save-you-money-at-the-doctors-office.html

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Commercial Computer Interactive Self-Paced Certification Training ...

As your research has brought you here there?s a good chance that you?re about to make a move into the great world of IT and the MCSE has reared its head, or you are a knowledgeable person and you know that you need an MCSE.

As you discover more about computer training companies, ensure that you avoid those who reduce their costs by not providing the latest Microsoft version. This is no use to the student as they will have been learning from an out-of-date syllabus which doesn?t correspond to the existing exam programme, so they?ll probably fail. Be aware of training providers that are only trying to make a sale. You should know that buying a course for an MCSE is the same in a way as buying a car. They are not all equal; some are comfortable and reliable, whilst others will probably break down on route. A worthy company will offer you plenty of help to ensure you?re on the right course. When providers are proud of their courses, you?ll be able to see a sample of what you?re getting prior to the sale.

The sometimes daunting task of landing your first job can be relieved by some companies, via a Job Placement Assistance programme. Don?t get caught up in this feature ? it?s quite easy for training companies to make it sound harder than it is. Ultimately, the need for well trained IT people in this country is the reason you?ll find a job.

Whatever you do, don?t procrastinate and wait until you have finished your training before bringing your CV up to date. Right at the beginning of your training, enter details of your study programme and tell people about it! Quite often, you will get your first job whilst still on the course (even when you?ve just left first base). If your course details aren?t on your CV (and it?s not being looked at by employers) then you?re not even going to be known about! You can usually expect quicker results from a specialist locally based employment agency than you will through a training company?s employment division, as they?ll know local industry and the area better.

A slight grievance for various training companies is how hard men and women are focused on studying to become certified, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the job they?ve qualified for. Don?t give up when the best is yet to come. Hop over to MCSE Networking Courses for superb suggestions.

Authorised exam preparation and simulation materials are vital ? and really must be supplied by your training provider. Students regularly can find themselves confused by going through practice questions that don?t come from official sources. It?s not uncommon that the way questions are phrased is startlingly different and it?s important to prepare yourself for this. Ensure that you test how much you know by doing tests and mock ups of exams to prepare you for taking the proper exam.

Massive developments are about to hit technology in the near future ? and it becomes more and more thrilling each day. We?re only just starting to get a feel for how technology is going to shape our lives. Computers and the Internet will massively transform the way we view and interrelate with the world around us over the years to come.

The average IT professional in the United Kingdom is likely to earn much more than employees on a par in much of the rest of the economy. Mean average wages are hard to beat nationally. There is a considerable UK-wide requirement for certified IT specialists. In addition, as growth in the industry shows little sign of contracting, it looks like this will be the case for quite some time to come.

Copyright Clayton W. O. Campbell-Farris. Browse my website for smart advice? MCSE Training or Microsoft MCSE Training Courses.

? N glass Articles

Source: http://glassarticles.info/commercial-computer-interactive-self-paced-certification-training-for-microsoft-mcsa-or-mcse-the-options.html

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Friday, February 10, 2012

Late on your credit card bill? Your auto could be seized





Beware 'cross-collateralization' clause if you have many loans in one place

By Susan?Ladika

The backlash against big banks and their high fees put credit unions on the radar screens of many new customers. But if you're thinking of taking out an auto loan or applying for a credit card with your credit union, be sure to understand all the ins and outs or that relationship could quickly head south.

Beware 'cross-collateralization' clause if you have many loans in 1 place

Many consumers may not realize that the car they're financing through their credit union also could be used as collateral not only for their auto loan, but for another debt, such as a credit card.

So if you borrow money from your credit union for that new Toyota Camry today, then run into financial trouble two years down the road and stop paying on your credit card, the credit union can have someone come and "tow your car away," says Terry Duncan, a bankruptcy attorney with Duncan Law in Charlotte, N.C.

It's a practice called "cross-collateralization," and while banks also may have such?clauses in their loan documents, the practice is much more typical with credit unions, Duncan says.

"It's a fairly common clause in credit union loan documents" as the credit unions try to "make loans less risky for them," says Mike McClain, assistant general counsel and senior compliance counsel with the Credit Union National Association (CUNA).

Unlike a bank, a credit union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative, owned by its members, so a financial loss to a credit union can impact all members, McClain says.

It might be explained, but ...
A credit union loan officer will typically explain the cross-collateralization clause to a consumer who is signing a loan document, but if that member runs into financial difficulty in three or four years, they could have forgotten about the clause, he says.

Often the issue has popped up during bankruptcy filings when a consumer has an auto loan and credit card debt with one credit union.

Keith Leggett, senior economist and vice president for the American Bankers Association, says he's rarely heard of either big banks or community banks making use of such a clause.

He says cross-collateralization is often seen in states that have been hard-hit by the economic downturn and have experienced a high number of bankruptcy filings, such as Florida and Arizona.

In 2010, bankruptcy filings climbed to almost 1.55 million in the 50 states and District of Columbia, before dropping to fewer than 1.37 million bankruptcy filings in 2011, according to federal bankruptcy data compiled by Epiq Systems.

A cross-collateralization clause "is a way of forcing people who file for bankruptcy to get them to continue to honor their debts with credit unions," Leggett says.

With cross-collateralization, card debt is secured
For those with credit card debt, it's important to "recognize this is not an unsecured loan, especially if you have a car loan" with the same financial institution, Leggett says.

Some consumers may be dealing with credit unions for the first time, as thousands fled big banks and moved their money to credit unions in 2011 in protest of big bank fees.

While final figures aren't in yet, CUNA estimates that net new-member growth topped 900,000 from September to November. CUNA takes the number of old members who closed their credit union accounts and subtracts that from the number of those who joined to determine net member growth, says Mark Wolff, the association's senior vice president of communications.

From January to November, credit unions added 1.6 million new members, compared to about 600,000 for all of 2010. At the end of 2010, credit unions had nearly 92 million members.

The cross-collateralization clause doesn't just apply to cars. It also could be used with things such as boats and recreational vehicles to secure credit cards or lines of credit that exist now, as well as in the future, McClain says.

Some CUs upfront
Some credit unions are very upfront about the practice. For example, in its loan rates posted online, GHS Federal Credit Union in Greenville, S.C., adds the note: "ALL loans are cross-collateralized by all property and shares pledged to secure any loan or advance. For example, a car pledged to secure a New Vehicle Subaccount will also secure a Personal Loan. Cross-collateralization does not apply to your home, any Keogh or IRA accounts with us or to property defined as household goods..."

A similar tactic used by financial institutions is a debt setoff, Duncan says. If, for example, you have a checking account and a credit card with a particular bank, and you fall behind on your credit card payments, your bank can take money from your checking account to pay your credit card debt.

Public Employees Credit Union in Austin, Texas, is open about the practice. A brochure for a MasterCard from the credit union makes customers pledge the money in their savings account -- up to their credit card limit -- as security for their MasterCard. The brochure states, "I understand these deposits will not be available to me for use until the MasterCard account is satisfactorily closed. I authorize PECU to apply these shares to my MasterCard account if I am in default."

Dorothy Barrick, group manager and financial counselor at the nonprofit GreenPath Debt Solutions, which does consumer credit counseling and bankruptcy counseling, says she runs into such clauses "quite regularly."

We see it happening with banks, finance companies and credit unions.

-- Dorothy Barrick
GreenPath Debt Solutions

"We see it happening with banks, finance companies and credit unions," she says. In some cases, a household item such as a washing machine is used as collateral.

Finance companies provide loans to those with lower credit scores, and charge a higher interest rate, Barrick says.

In about half the cases she's dealt with, consumers weren't aware they agreed to such arrangements; in the other cases, they'd simply forgotten.

Tanisha Warner, communications manager for the nonprofit consumer credit counseling service Money Management International (and the Credit Care columnist for CreditCards.com), says financial institutions might be enforcing such clauses more aggressively as a means to recoup money they've lost in other areas, such as the loss they've taken from a federal cap on fees charged to merchants for processing debit card charges.

If you're borrowing money and feel at a loss over concepts like cross-collateralization, Warner recommends bringing a friend or family member with you to your financial institution. That person can then help ask questions and explain the loan terms.

You also might be able to get your financial institution to strike the cross-collateralization clause. But the time to ask is before you sign the paperwork, "not wait until you're in a (financial) crunch," she says.

While the experts all advise reading the fine print whenever you're signing loan documents, they acknowledge you might not read every word.

At the least, Leggett suggests asking the financial institution if a cross-collateralization clause is involved.

And you may want to think hard about borrowing money from the same place you have bank or credit card accounts. While there's nothing wrong with it if you have your financial house in order, and you may receive better interest rates on loans, it could become problematic if you run into financial difficulties, Barrick says.

"Sometimes it's not a good idea to bank where you're borrowing money," Barrick says.

See related: Pros and cons of credit union credit cards

Published: February 9, 2012

Source: http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-union-cross-collateralization-clause-1282.php

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Tips for Protecting your Home; Family from Severe Weather | Texas ...

08 February 2012 Last Updated on 08 February 2012 Written by Jenny Brown

Today?s blog focuses on how to protect your home and family from two of nature?s biggest hissy fits?Thunderstorms and Tornadoes. ?On average, Texas has about 60 thunderstorm days per year with an average of 130 tornadoes sited.? Although thunderstorms and tornadoes can occur during any time of the year, they are most likely to happen during the spring months?April, May and June?then again in the fall.? This is due to the greater frequency of colder air masses (fronts) moving southward into more warm and humid air in our part of the south plains creating instability in our atmosphere that can produce severe weather.? A majority of the tornados in Texas occur along and south of the Red River between Lubbock and Dallas; however, as we?ve seen by the 7 reported tornadoes that struck the Houston area on January 9th, they can and do happen anywhere and at any time!? For more detailed information about tornadoes and other forms of severe weather, please?click http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/ to some FAQs prepared by Roger Edwards, forecaster at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK.

OK, so now that we know storms can occur anywhere at anytime across the great state of Texas, what can we do to protect our family and property as best we can from the destruction they cause? ??I?ve prepared a pretty comprehensive list of ideas and suggestions below that are pretty much in order of most important to slightly less important, but please keep in mind that all of this is important to protecting your family and property. Lets make one thing clear. Outdoor Warning Sirens are meant to do one thing, warn people outdoors. They are not meant to be a primary method of warning folks indoors or wake you up in the middle of the night.

NOAA Weather Radio

1. Have a NOAA Weather Radio with SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) technology.? We cannot stress enough the importance of having one, properly programmed for your area http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/CntyCov/nwrTX.htm , and with fresh batteries installed at all times in case the power goes out.


2. Have multiple sources for receiving severe weather information.? This includes smartphone Apps such as iMap Weather Radio http://www.wdtinc.com/pages/imapweather_radio that uses your device?s location service to provide you with current watches and warnings wherever you are traveling.? I can testify from my own use of this App, it will deliver Warnings for your location to you even while you?re yakking on the phone.


3. Have a Family Safety Plan in place in the event of severe weather. http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/safety/disasterplan.html? That kindof goes without saying, but some additional things to think about are having your insurance claims number(s) and the number to your local Red Cross organization programmed into your phone.? In the case of severe and widespread destruction, those numbers could become a lifeline for help.

4. Consider building a Safe Room in your home or community. http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/saferoom/ When designing new construction, ask the builder include a safe room in the construction plans.? If your new home will be FHA financed, HUD allows borrowers to include windstorm shelters as an eligible work item for certain types of FHA financed new construction. ?For those thinking of remodeling, consider retrofitting a centrally located closet or bathroom into a safe room.? The FEMA link above is very comprehensive in providing sub-links to everything from design plans to acquiring grant money to fund the construction of a shelter in your community or residence.?

5. Bookmark the link to your local National Weather Service office on your computer and/or smartphone. http://www.srh.noaa.gov/? We at Texas Storm Chasers try to keep our Facebook page loaded with as much current information as possible, but sometimes during the more severe weather outbreaks, we can?t be as comprehensive as we?d like.

6. While you?re outside taking care of yardwork and/or repairs, look around and take stock of items that can become projectiles in the event of a windstorm or tornado.? Projectiles can include but are not limited to, patio furniture and umbrellas, hanging baskets or other yard d?cor, loose fencing and gazebos and portable sports equipment.. Weather forecasting has gotten pretty good over the past 20 years, and we usually have a couple of days lead time before a severe storm event, so make sure you take that time to assess what items on your property mother nature might accidentally donate to your neighbor.

7. Consider reinforcing your roof and doors on your home and other buildings on your property. http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=3263? Most homes can be retrofitted with door bracings and roof/gable supports that will help resist destruction from high wind.

I realize the information above is a lot to digest, but there is an abundance of good information there and we hope you bookmark this for future reference.? While none of us, not even the very best forecasters, can predict exactly where and when severe weather will strike, the one thing we know for sure is that mother nature is going to do what she wants to do, so we best be prepared for whatever she has in store for us.

?

Source: http://texasstormchasers.com/2012/02/08/tips-protecting-home-family-severe-weather/

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Thursday, February 9, 2012

GOP Vows To Reverse Obama's Birth Control Policy | MyMajicDC ...

GOP vows to reverse Obama's birth control policyWASHINGTON ? Republicans vowed Wednesday to reverse President Barack Obama?s new policy on birth control, lambasting the requirement that religious schools and hospitals provide employees with free contraceptives as an ?unambiguous attack on religious freedom in our country.?

SEE ALSO: Santorum Sweeps Romney

The White House pushed back in the face of a political firestorm, arguing that Obama was sensitive to the objections and looking for a way to allay the concerns. Democratic women lawmakers put up a united front in defending the administration.

?Women?s health care should not depend on who the boss is,? said Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky.

The fight over the administration mandate escalated as House Speaker John Boehner accused the administration of violating First Amendment rights and undermining some of the country?s most vital institutions, such as Catholic charities, schools and hospitals. He demanded that Obama rescind the policy or else Congress will.

?This attack by the federal government on religious freedom in our country cannot stand, and will not stand,? Boehner, a Catholic and Ohio Republican, said in a rare floor speech.

The contentious issue has roiled the presidential race and angered religious groups, especially Catholics, who say the requirement would force them to violate church teachings and long-held beliefs against contraception.

It also has pushed social issues to the forefront in an election year that has been dominated by the economy. Abortion, contraception and any of the requirements of Obama?s health care overhaul law have the potential to galvanize the Republicans? conservative base, critical to voter turnout in the presidential and congressional races.

Clearly sensing a political opening, Republicans ramped up the criticism. Shortly after Boehner spoke, GOP senators gathered on the other side of the Capitol to hammer the administration and insist that they will push ahead with legislation to undo the requirement.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., called the new rule ?an unprecedented affront to religious liberty. This is not a women?s rights issue. This is a religious liberty issue.?

The issue is not contraception, said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., but ?whether the government of the United States should have the power to go in and tell a faith-based organization that they have to pay for something that they teach their members shouldn?t be done. It?s that simple. And if the answer is yes, then this government can reach all kinds of other absurd results.?

The White House, facing a public and political outcry, engaged in damage control, circulating letters and statements from outside groups defending its position.

Administration officials had signaled on Tuesday that a compromise was possible and made clear Wednesday it was still looking for a way to deal with the issue.

?The president is committed, as I?ve tried to make clear, to ensuring that this policy is implemented so that all American women have access to the same level of health care coverage and doing that in a way that hopefully allays some of the concerns that have been expressed,? said White House spokesman Jay Carney, who added, ?We?re focused on trying to get the policy implementation done in the right way.?

Options could include granting leeway for a church-affiliated employer not to cover birth control, provided it referred employees to an insurer who would provide the coverage.

Another idea, previously rejected by the administration, calls for broadening the definition of a religious employer that would be exempt from the mandate beyond houses of worship and institutions whose primary purpose is to spread the faith. That broader approach would track a definition currently used by the IRS, bringing in schools, hospitals and social service agencies that deal with the general public.

Republican White House hopefuls Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have been relentless in assailing the administration, criticizing the president at campaign stops. Romney has accused Obama of an ?assault on religion? and Gingrich called the rule an ?attack on the Catholic Church.?

But Romney has drawn criticism from his GOP rivals and the White House over policies when he was Massachusetts governor.

In late 2005, Romney required all Massachusetts hospitals, including Catholic ones, to provide emergency contraception to rape victims. Some Catholics say the so-called morning-after pill is a form of abortion.

Romney said he did not support the Massachusetts law, which passed despite his veto. But he also said at the time, ?My personal view, in my heart of hearts, is that people who are subject to rape should have the option of having emergency contraception or emergency contraception information.?

White House spokesman Jay Carney seized on that policy at his daily briefing Wednesday.

?The former governor of Massachusetts is an odd messenger on this given that the services that would be provided to women under this rule are the same services that are provided in Massachusetts and were covered when he was governor,? Carney said.

He called it ?ironic that Mitt Romney is criticizing the president? for a policy that Carney described as identical to the one in place in Massachusetts.

Boehner said that if the administration fails to reverse the policy, then Congress will act. He said that in the coming days, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will move ahead on legislation.

A group of House Democratic women sought to frame the issue in economic and health terms, arguing that birth control reduces health costs and stops unintended pregnancies.

In a conference call, Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif., who said she spoke as a nurse, mother and grandmother, pointed out that 28 states have similar rules on coverage for birth control. Schakowsky pointed out that the rule affects nurses, secretaries and janitorial staff who may not be Catholic.

Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., said the church ?can?t impose its religious views on people and whether they can have health care.?

Source: http://mymajicdc.com/national/newsone2/gop-vows-to-reverse-obamas-birth-control-policy/

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Video: Significance of ruling against Proposition 8

New York gives Giants parade after Super win

Thousands of fans roared as New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning hoisted the team's Super Bowl trophy awarded to the National Football League champions, from a glittering blue-and-white float Tuesday during a victory parade through New York City, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg quipped should now be nicknamed the "Big Blue Apple."

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46301980#46301980

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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Britain marks Charles Dickens' 200th birthday

FILE - In this undated file photo, novelist Charles Dickens poses for a photograph. Britain's Prince Charles will lay a wreath Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012 on the writer's grave in Westminster Abbey's Poet's Corner to mark his 200th of birthday. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this undated file photo, novelist Charles Dickens poses for a photograph. Britain's Prince Charles will lay a wreath Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012 on the writer's grave in Westminster Abbey's Poet's Corner to mark his 200th of birthday. (AP Photo, File)

Britain's Prince Charles centre, , watched by his wife Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, right, lays a wreath on the grave of Charles Dickens in Westminster Abbey London to mark the bicentenary of the birth of author Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Arthur Edwards/pool)

FILE - In this undated file photo, novelist Charles Dickens poses for a photograph. Britain's Prince Charles will lay a wreath Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012 on the writer's grave in Westminster Abbey's Poet's Corner to mark his 200th of birthday. (AP Photo, File)

In this Royal Mail undated handout photo released on Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012, a Royal Mail stamp featuring Mr Pickwick from the Pickwick Papers is seen. Britain's Prince Charles will lay a wreath Tuesday, on the writer's grave in Westminster Abbey's Poet's Corner to mark his 200th of birthday. (AP Photo/Royal Mail)

In this Royal Mail undated handout photo released on Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012, a Royal Mail stamp featuring Nicholas Nickleby is seen. Britain's Prince Charles will lay a wreath Tuesday, on the writer's grave in Westminster Abbey's Poet's Corner to mark his 200th of birthday. (AP Photo/Royal Mail)

LONDON (AP) ? He wrote about life in the modern city, with its lawyers and criminals, bankers and urchins, dreamers and clerks. He created characters still known to millions ? Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim, Pip and Miss Havisham, Fagin and Oliver Twist. And it made him a star, mobbed by fans on both sides of the Atlantic.

Britain on Tuesday marked the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens, the first global celebrity author and chronicler of a world of urban inequality that looks a lot like the one we live in today.

"You only have to look around our society and everything he wrote about in the 1840s is still relevant," said Dickens' biographer, Claire Tomalin. "The great gulf between the rich and poor, corrupt financiers, corrupt Members of Parliament ... You name it, he said it."

Dickens' mistrust of the wealthy and compassion for the poor haven't stopped him being embraced by Britain's high and mighty.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, joined Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, actor Ralph Fiennes, a host of dignitaries and scores of Dickens' descendants at a memorial service Tuesday in London's Westminster Abbey.

A simultaneous event was held in Portsmouth, southern England, where Dickens was born, the son of a navy pay clerk, on Feb. 7, 1812. In a message read out there, Charles called Dickens "one of the greatest writers of the English language, who used his creative genius to campaign passionately for social justice."

In London, the heir to the throne laid a wreath of white roses and snowdrops on the writer's grave in Poet's Corner ? resting place of national literary icons ? and two of Dickens' youngest descendants added a pair of small white posies.

Fiennes read from Dickens' "Bleak House," and there were prayers for the poor and marginalized, and for the writers, artists and journalists chronicling modern society.

Historian Judith Flanders, who attended the service, said it was "enormously moving" ? and Dickens would have hated it.

"Dickens said in his will that he wanted no public ceremonies, no statues, no public acknowledgment," said Flanders, author of the forthcoming book "Dickens' London."

"He wanted to be buried and die as a private man. He wanted his books to stand as his monument."

He got his wish. Dickens' novels and characters are more popular than ever.

The Royal Mail has just issued two new stamps featuring Dickens characters. Right now in Britain you can catch up with new television adaptations of "Great Expectations" and "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," go to an exhibition about Dickens at the Museum of London or visit a theme park called Dickens World. A new film version of "Great Expectations," starring Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter, is due later this year.

"The quality of the writing is part of why we still relate to him today," said Jo Robinson, a graduate student at King's College London who is researching Dickens. "He's an incredibly vivid writer. He has such an array of characters and there's so much to get out of him ... Each generation sees it in their own way."

Part of Dickens' staying power stems from his incredible productivity. An insomniac who often roamed London's streets by night, he wrote more than 20 books, had 10 children, toured the world on lecture tours and campaigned for social change until his death from a stroke in 1870 at the age of 58.

"He believed he knew London better than any person alive, because he spent so much time walking the streets," said Alex Werner, curator of the exhibition "Dickens and London," running at the Museum of London until June.

Dickens' drive and productivity were fueled by early poverty. When he was 12, his father was sent to debtors' prison and Dickens went to work in a factory, fixing labels on jars of boot polish.

Those early experiences were reflected in his novels. Dickens exposed the cruelty of workhouses in "Oliver Twist," the harshness of child labor in "David Copperfield," the chasm between the rich and the poor in "A Christmas Carol" and the brutality of the legal system in "Bleak House."

He also was one of the first writers to depict the modern industrial city ? a place where millions of us still live.

Many features of his world are still familiar. The 19th century was an era of fast-paced technological change, and Dickens embraced it. He traveled Britain on newly invented steam trains ? though he hated the juddering journeys ? and crossed the Atlantic in 1842 on one of the first steamships.

He was also a commercially astute writer. His books were published in monthly installments, in an inexpensive magazine-style format interspersed with ads for everything from "Alpaca Umbrellas" to "the gentleman's real head of hair."

"It feels very modern," Werner said. "A bit like TV soaps ? you have to get through the adverts."

Werner thinks that if Dickens were alive today he'd write for television ? he always wanted to reach the widest possible audience.

He might not have approved of another major celebration, the 2012 London Olympics. Dickens was not a fan of the 1851 Great Exhibition, a huge popular display of imperial self-confidence. The next year he began publishing "Bleak House," with its depiction of the city's extremes of poverty and wealth.

Werner says it's a vision that chimes with our own times ? though he hopes it won't eclipse Dickens' humor.

"Maybe 20 or 30 years ago his work didn't have that same cutting edge," he said. "It was a more optimistic time. Now everything feels a bit more gloomy. The gap between rich and poor ? it feels very close to the Victorian world.

"There is an attraction right now to the darker side of Dickens. But he was very funny."

____

Online:

Dickens 2012: http://www.dickens2012.org/

Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-02-07-Britain-Dickens'%20200th/id-805026907d154222a68c386c64731f8f

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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Important Flaws This Stock investment Day time Dealers Develop ...

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Crucial Problem Three or more : By no means building a good bill for the degree of consumer credit which you carry. In the event you begin getting large volumes about fico scores that needs to be given back, it is is very tough to very seriously triggered profit which can be vital that you have the capacity to break through purely via your fees, means much less highly gain profits. This would get you to fighting along with thoroughly incompetent at exhaust yourself not likely in fiscal problem. Building brilliant utilizing credit history is actually a wise decision while acknowledging that; it?s essential to be sure you prevent all this highly. You are going to conduct your personal possibilities to the the planet if you do not.

Significant Miscalculation Five , To not get determination. This is usually a quite typical condition, on the other hand effortless to prevent. Without any conviction, you?ll want to come across the place you get hold of the idea. When you have these individuals, and then suggest optimistic this anyone holding that. You only are unable to answer options available without having large amount involving conviction. If you undertake respond inside of a hasty point that, you can asking price everyone a ton of money. Having said that, you can find quite a few toned mishaps as soon as drama quickly can easily show itself for a benefits. Many people produce a number of hard cash for this reason, while acknowledging that considerably more you are a bunch of their particular sales revenue very.

Of course, a bad error can readily quickly finish off your career being a nighttime brokerage service. You must take the time and even to download all by yourself in concert and attempt to prevent the numerous issues that are a piece of cake to slide during. Endeavoring to stay away from most of these significant horse ups just straightforward, potentially it?ll need loads of try still is something that is in most cases not only doable although very simple to complete. You must never good sense which you are planning to purely go with any error that you aren?t able to stay clear of. Essential A few necessary flaws like a excellent standards to get blocking complications you will get any cabability so that you can easily and simply just remember to are stored on the correct route when using the good results which you are required. Proper care in the penny stocks change may gain fantastic positive results, which you may really like for the period of time.

Source: http://www.scbuilding.info/important-flaws-this-stock-investment-day-time-dealers-develop/

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Cheap UK Staycation | Help Me To Save - Posterous

Written by Karen Bryan

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travelodgewestendwaterofleith Cheap UK Staycation in EdinburghI believe that having a travel and leisure element to your budget is a good thing, even if it?s a small percentage of your overall living expenses. I find one of the best ways to stretch our cash is to take a UK staycation. At the end of last month we spent two nights at the Travelodge Edinburgh West End and only paid ?12 a night for our room, purchased during the Travelodge Winter 2011 Sale.

travelodgewestend Cheap UK Staycation in Edinburgh

Travelodge West End Edinburgh

While that Travelodge isn?t going to win any architectural awards, the hotel is in a quiet location, close the city centre, the family rooms are a good size and comfortable and there?s even free wifi in the Bar Cafe. At a money saving price of ?12 a night for the room, it?s a low cost base for a UK short break.

We drove to Edinburgh for our short break, so paid an additional ?3 a night to park at the hotel. However you could walk to the hotel from Haymarket Station in around 15 minutes, so could use the train if you found a cheap ticket.

You can pay for a Travelodge breakfast buffet which costs ?7.56 per adult, kids eat free with an paying adult. We usually take some food with us and prepare our breakfast in the room to save more.

The hotel is situated on the Water of Leith, so you can take a riverside walk.? The Scottish Galleries of Modern Art (free to enter) are a five minute walk from the hotel. On the Sunday we ate lunch at Jimmy Chungs Chinese Buffet for ?7 each.

I think that I?ve illustrated that you can enjoy a UK staycation without breaking the bank, if you look out for special offer/sales and travel off peak.

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Source: http://www.helpmetosave.com/2012/02/staycation/

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Monday, February 6, 2012

US oil prices fall below $97 (AP)

NEW YORK ? U.S. oil prices fell below $97 per barrel Monday as growing supplies offset concerns that President Barack Obama and other Western leaders will make it tougher for Iran to sell crude.

Crude supplies in the U.S. have increased for the past three weeks at a key delivery point in the Midwest, and they're expected to keep growing this year as the petroleum industry ramps up drilling projects. Oil companies like Exxon Mobil Corp. say they want to increase North American oil production, which is more profitable than natural gas.

Abundant supplies helped keep prices in check Monday after Obama ordered new sanctions against Iran. With oil supplies not a problem in the U.S., the world's largest oil consumer, it would take much more than proposed sanctions to spark a big reaction in the benchmark price, analysts said.

"You get bullets flying, you'll see prices spike again," independent analyst Stephen Schork said.

Until then, traders will focus on weak energy markets in the U.S. The government said last week that the country is using less petroleum than a year ago, and supplies have been growing in Cushing, Okla., where benchmark crude is delivered.

Crude supplies should keep growing until spring, Schork said, when a pipeline project moves more Midwest oil to the Gulf Coast, where it can be exported.

Prices fell less than 1 percent Monday, a relatively stable move on a day when the world's third-largest exporter, Iran, was slapped with new international sanctions.

The sanctions are designed to make it more difficult for Iran to sell its oil through traditional banking routes. The West hopes this will force Iran to sell its oil at a discount, and reduce the oil revenue Iran uses to run its economy and fund its nuclear operations.

Analysts say any effect on supplies already has been priced into futures contracts.

For the past few months, the U.S. and other Western nations have been leaning on Iran to abandon its nuclear program. The fear is that Iran is building a nuclear weapon, though Iran denies that and says its efforts are strictly for peaceful purposes. European nations plan to stop buying Iranian oil by summer. Iran has threatened to block oil tanker shipments in the Persian Gulf if the embargo is implemented.

On Monday benchmark crude fell 93 cents to end at $96.91 per barrel in New York.

Meanwhile, the price of heating oil and Brent crude, which is used to price foreign varieties of oil, rose Monday as winter storms kept much of Europe in a deep freeze. Plunging temperatures across the continent boosted demand for petroleum-based fuels that are already in short supply.

Italian energy company ENI said Russian natural gas supplies to Italy are 20 percent lower than normal, and that supplies could keep falling. Russian energy company Gazprom has curtailed the amount of gas it sells to Europe as Russia deals with the cold spell.

Brent crude rose $1.35 to finish at $115.93 per barrel in London. Heating oil rose 6 cents to end at $3.17 per gallon and gasoline futures rose about a penny to finish at $2.93 per gallon. Natural gas futures rose 5 cents to finish at $2.55 per 1,000 cubic feet.

U.S. retail gasoline prices were unchanged from Sunday at a national average of $3.48 per gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. A gallon of regular is about 11 cents higher than it was a month ago and 36 cents higher than the same time last year.

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AP Energy Writer Jonathan Fahey contributed to this story from New York.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120206/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices

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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Surprises about Planned Parenthood cancer testing (AP)

To many people, breast cancer screening means a mammogram. But for millions of poor, mostly young women who visit Planned Parenthood, it is usually just a physical exam by the only health professional they may ever see.

Those clinical breast exams are controversial ? government advisers don't endorse them. Yet for some, this simple exam has helped spot breast cancer. And Susan G. Komen for the Cure isn't the only group paying Planned Parenthood to do them ? the government does, too. Komen actually funds relatively few.

Surprises like these are emerging about both groups in the dustup over Komen's decision to bar Planned Parenthood from future grants because of a probe spurred by anti-abortion groups. The decision was reversed on Friday after a huge backlash, with critics saying Komen was hurting the very women it aims to serve.

They are women such as Tina Love, an independent filmmaker in Santa Barbara, Calif., whose sister-in-law is famed breast surgeon Dr. Susan Love. Four years ago, when she was 41, Tina Love went to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Santa Barbara.

"I had a lump and I didn't have health insurance," she explained. The agency sent her for a free mammogram, which led to her cancer being diagnosed and treated.

It's not known exactly how many cancers Planned Parenthood has found. But just last June, Komen said screenings it paid for caught 177 cancers over the last five years.

Some things you may not know about Planned Parenthood:

? Most of its services ? 71 percent ? are for birth control and testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. Abortions made up 3 percent of its services in 2010. Cancer screening accounted for about 15 percent.

? Most of Planned Parenthood's clients are too young for breast cancer screening under most guidelines, although they are prime age for cervical cancer screening. About 80 percent are under 35.

? Planned Parenthood doesn't follow the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines, which do not endorse clinical breast exams and recommend mammograms only every other year starting at age 50. Instead, Planned Parenthood does a physical breast exam on any woman of any age as part of a regular physical, and refers for mammograms any women 40 and older.

? Komen paid for just 170,000 of the more than 4 million clinical breast exams Planned Parenthood performed nationwide over the last five years, and just 6,400 of Planned Parenthood's 70,000 mammography referrals in that time.

? The government has long paid Planned Parenthood for services related to cancer and sexually transmitted diseases. The group gets federal and state money for breast cancer screening service through a program for poor and uninsured women.

Dr. Vanessa Cullins, a vice president with Planned Parenthood Federation of America, defended its use of clinical breast exams. The exam, in which a doctor feels the breast for lumps, is "a good tool" when followed with mammograms and other tests as needed, she said.

In women who may not see other doctors, "we are encouraging breast self-awareness" so that if a lump is found, they'll seek help, she said.

It worked for Michele Azzaro, 45, of Dallas, who first went to Planned Parenthood when she found a lump back in her 20s. It turned out not to be cancerous, and a mammogram provided through Planned Parenthood ruled out cancer again last year.

Azzaro is unemployed and has no insurance, and has relied on Planned Parenthood for cholesterol tests and pretty much all her medical needs for more than two decades.

"Without having their services, I honestly don't know what I would do," she said. "I'm grateful they've been there for me and millions of other women like me."

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Online:

Planned Parenthood services: http://bit.ly/wWg2ZC

Cancer screening program: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp

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Follow Marilynn Marchione at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120204/ap_on_he_me/us_med_planned_parenthood_who_it_helps

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