Paying down charge card debt the smart way

If you are working to reduce charge card debt, you’ve a lot of choices to make. Maximizing the amount of money you’ve could be tough. The right decisions can make it work. Decisions about paying down your debt are not always the smartest. Science has shown that you need to re-think how you are paying down.

The technology of how to reduce charge card debt

Studies show a lot of people do not make very good financial choices when it comes to paying off charge card debt. Even with the lowest rate of interest possible, many will pay down the credit card debt they can “get rid of” first. This is the option chosen. Several suggest that you are making more progress when closing a loan or credit card quicker. Even if you get out of debt slower, this is often the choice taken. Get rid of the card with the highest rate of interest. Pay it first.

Facts on charge card debt interest you may question

Consider interest on charge cards first when paying off debt. This will help a lot. You will end up paying more cash on cards with higher interest rates. The annual percentage rate is what the charge card business is charging you just for the privilege of owing money. You don’t want to keep higher interest rates. This is since the money compounds more meaning you’ll have more to pay. Even if you have a small loan that you could repay, it is wiser to put cash toward the highest interest debt.

What you need to do to pay down your credit card debt

How should you pay your charge card debt even though you know which one to pay first?

1. List all your debts. Order them so you are paying the highest Annual Percentage Rate first. Make sure the interest is listed with them.
2. Make a basic household budget if you do not already use one so you know how much money could be spent on paying charge card debt down.
3. Pay more than the minimum amount. You will forever be in debt by paying the minimum. Make sure you are getting it paid.
4. Find extra money to pay down your debt. Find a part-time job or recycle some of your stuff.
5. Leave your savings alone. Several like to just borrow from themselves. You should have that extra cash laying around for emergencies though since otherwise you will just end up using your charge cards again and get put back to the cycle.

Articles cited

Marketplace

marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/09/14/pm-loans-q/

Sugarloaf ski lift breaks - ski patrol evacuates

Sugarloaf ski area is facing an enormous evacuation. A gust of wind broke the lift. The Sugarloaf ski lift brought 5 seats down forty feet and trapped 100 others. Trapped skiers are being separately lowered from the lift. Emergency response teams are estimating two hours to get everyone down. I imagine the resort will probably take out a huge payday loan to repair their lift.

Sugarloaf ski lift collapses and smashes

An enormous gust of wind hit the Sugarloaf ski area at 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday. The cables derailed with the Spillway East Slope lift. Many skiers were hurt as five chairs were thrown 30 to 40 feet down to the snow. There were about one hundred skiers that could not leave the lift. This morning, the wind got up to 20 and 30 miles per hour at the Sugarloaf ski area. The temperature ended up being between 8 and 10 degrees. That means skiers ended up stranded and worried about the cold.

Severe injuries not an issue at Sugarloaf

Though the ski lift failure at Sugarloaf injured several skiers, nobody was critically injured. Sugarloaf was at a “condition yellow” as outlined by Emergency Management for Franklin County, Maine which means there were no deaths or severe traumas. The ski patrol got some help from emergency management crews. This helped get the Sugarloaf Spillway lift clear of skiers. Estimates said that it would take between 90 minutes and 2 hrs to evacuate all of the skiers off the lift.

What the Sugarloaf ski lift evacuation looks like

Ropes and harnesses were used to do the Sugarloaf ski lift evacuation. Teams are throwing ropes over the broken-down ski lift and harnessing skiers to slide down. Skiers are getting from the lift with their skis and everything else even though the procedure is described as “much like rock climbing” by many. The Spillway East will shut down in the Sugarloaf ski resort for a while. This will take weeks to repair the lift, though it may be done faster. All over the coast there have been power outages and shut down cities while this is just the most recent news from the East Coast blizzard.

Citations

WMTV

wmtw.com/r/26299543/detail.html

CNN

news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/28/skiers-fall-from-chairlift-at-maine-resort/?npt=NP1

Assange law enforcement officials report released; legal team enraged

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may be out on bail right now, however that doesn’t mean his lawful team is happy. The British newspaper The Guardian appears to have figured that turnabout is fair play, so they published information on Assange’s leaked out law enforcement officials report. Based on reports, not simply was the statement intended to be private, however the sexually visual facts leaked are apparently incriminating towards Assange.

Julian Assange noted in law enforcement officials statement

The alleged leaked law enforcement officials statement isn't considered a case of turnabout when it comes to Julian Assange's camp trying to determine if it ought to release thousands of cables about intelligence that are private when trying to get free information out there.

Bjorn Hurtig, Julian Assange’s Swedish lawyer, plans to file a formal complaint over the law enforcement officials statement leak.

"It is with great concern that I hear about this because it puts Julian and his defense in a bad position,” Hurtig said.

Press involved in trial

While Assange is currently released on £275,000 ($432,305) bail by super star backers like Jemima Khan, Michael Moore and Bianca Jagger, Assange nevertheless faces criminal allegations in Sweden over multiple counts of sexual assault. The Assange law enforcement official’s statement being released has been characterized as a "smear campaign" meant to bring the 39-year-old journalist/provocateur before the judging eye of the media and circumvent due process.

The sex allegations towards Assange within the Guardian were just a "brief summary" supposedly. His lawful team claims that getting Assange convicted within the court of public opinion was the real purpose of it.

It’s a conspiracy theory that Sweden and Americans take part in

Julian Assange maintains that since the facts surrounding his sexual assault claims came to light, Sweden and the U.S. have been working together in a conspiracy to punish him for the release of various sensitive U.S. intelligence cables. Mark Stephens is Julian Assange's lawyer. He states that Assange won’t be extradited and tried under United States treason laws if he has anything to do with it. Assange is not a United States citizen meaning this likely could be the case. He is really Australian. Furthermore, as Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard recently made the pronouncement that Assange had broken no Australian laws, it could be interesting to see how far the United States may go to trigger an international rift.

Citations

The Australian

theaustralian.com.au/news/world/lawyers-cry-foul-over-leak-of-julian-assange-sex-case-papers/story-e6frg6so-1225973548657

Julia Gillard says Assange broke no Australian laws

youtube.com/watch?v=IqaRK_STjdw

Can underwater home loans be preserved with principal reduction?

Government policymakers are arguing about the efficacy of principal reduction as a solution to a growing number of underwater mortgages. The Obama Administration is trying to convince Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to join a program that decreases the balance of underwater mortgage loans. Specialists say the program will not work unless Freddie and Fannie are on board, but the regulator of those agencies opposes their involvement.

Cutting the foreclosure issue off

It is good for both loan companies and borrows to cut back the amount owed on a mortgage, called principal reduction. Foreclosures benefit nobody, and if you are an underwater borrowers, this is meant to help you keep your home. Nearly 25 percent of U.S. home loans are underwater. Home values continuously dropping is causing the number of underwater home values to continue to grow. There are around 1.5 million underwater home loans, and the government hopes to help them out by adding the principal reduction plan to the Home Affordable Refinancing Program.

Fannie and Freddie need to be team participants

To jump start a sputtering HAMP program, in October the Administration started offering banks additional subsidies in return for principal reduction on underwater mortgages. Qualifying borrows have to owe more than 15 percent than what their home is worth and have to be up-do-date on their mortgage payments. The success of this program is weighed heavily on if Freddie and Fannie join in and participate or not. Around half of all home loans are owned by Fannie and Freddie. So far banks have been reluctant to support principal reduction. The consensus is that if Freddie and Fannie join in, the biggest banks in the U.S. will be pressured to do the exact same.

The reason why won't Freddie and Fannie play along

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will not join in unless the Federal Housing Finance Agency grants their approval, and they won't. When the government had to take over the mortgage giants in 2008, FHFA was charged with curbing losses at Freddie and Fannie. $134 billion and rising is the amount of money thus far the mortgage industry has costs tax payers. Fannie and Freddie's participation in also being pushed by the Obama Administration. Long term losses can be lowered with short term principal reduction. But the FHFA claims as long as underwater borrowers keep making their payments as is, Fannie and Freddie will keep taking their cash.

Articles cited

Pro Publica

propublica.org/article/fannie-and-freddies-govt-regulator-opposes-reducing-mortgages-for-strugglin

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703963704576005990436624546.html

Mortgage11.com

mortgage11.com/2010/12/hamp-loan-modification-help-to-know-more-on-principal-reduction-for-underwater-homeowners/

Low-income loans in Baltimore might happen to be more costly

In Baltimore, Maryland, and surrounding areas, there have been accusations of discriminatory lending rates. When taking out a Federal Housing Administration loan, the rate, no matter your income or credit rating, is supposed to be within a narrow range. One group’s research claims that minority neighborhood FHA loans might have had a higher rate.

Need to have a Federal Housing Administration mortgage while in Baltimore?

A study was released that supposedly proves there is discrimination when it comes to obtaining FHA financial loans by a community-organizing group in Baltimore. For all financial loans that are FHA secured, the interest rate should be close to the same. There is not much of an impact on the rate from the credit rating and amount of loan which isn't like traditional house loans. Then there are Veteran's Administration financial loans. They are very similar. In Baltimore, Maryland, something about FHA loans was discovered within the study. It showed that there were higher interest rates for homes in minority and low-income neighborhoods.

Overages may be responsible

The Justice Department has identified "overages" as one place for abuse. This is for FHA financial loans mostly. Some employees are able to make decisions on things like "overages" on financial loans. This includes processing fees. These mortgage overages help determine the commission the salesperson is paid for the GHA mortgage they help set up. Overage charges are generally higher in low-income or minority neighborhoods. This ends up showing discrimination that happens.

Exactly what discrimination offense had the Federal Reserve Expressing

2008 was when Communities United did its study. The FHA loans had an analysis that year that countered the offense of discrimination from the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve studied these same Baltimore Federal Housing Administration loans, using information that is not readily accessible to the public. In order to preserve privacy, the exact dates mortgages are offered aren’t published. The dive in home prices in late 2008 is what the Federal Reserve attributes the anomaly in mortgage cost to come from. The Baltimore FHA mortgages might really be discriminatory. In that case, more research needs to be done with the 2009 and on data to see if it is true.

Articles cited

Baltimore Sun

weblogs.baltimoresun.com/business/realestate/blog/2010/11/study_raises_questions_about_disparities_in_fha_loans.html

Long-time sweetheart Gibson says yes to Michaels proposal

Bret Michaels has proposed to his longtime girlfriend Gibson. This is after sixteen years of on-again, off-again dating and two children. Michaels got on one knee and proposed to Gibson while they were filming his reality show. The rest of the episode focused on the fact it was the couple’s anniversary. The pair has not yet set a wedding date, however info is soon to follow. This wedding ceremony may need the use of a personel loan to plan it correctly. Source of article – Bret Michaels engaged – Gibson promises to have, hold, and smoke by MoneyBlogNewz.

Getting married is Michaels

The climax of his VH1 show “Bret Michaels: Life as I Know It,” centered on the question of if Bret would propose to his sweetheart. Kristi Gibson and Bret Michaels have had an on-again, off-again relationship for the last 16 years. The couple also has 2 children together, 10 year old Raine and 5 year old Jorja. Kristi did say yes to Michael’s proposal, and the pair is now officially engaged to be married.

Michaels proposal

There was a twist to the proposal. He did end up engaged still. He ended up saying, “I bought you that ring, not to be a friendship with benefits… we’ve had that for a while. It is just one of those things. I love you and I respect you and you’ve been through so much with me. It means something to me.” Both Gibson and Michaels are committed to their children and being parents while Gibson was seen at his side both times this year when he had stints even though they’re on again, off again at times. Michaels spoke about his heart surgery in the proposal too. He said, “if it does not work out and I die during the operation, will you roll my ashes and smoke me?”

Abnormal relationship for Bret Michaels

Though they have been together for sixteen years, Bret Michaels and Kristi Gibson are bucking a trend in relationships. The pair is odd because they have children together, have stayed together and are financially well off. In fact, only 6 percent of children not born within a marriage will end up with parents who have a college degree or higher. A lot of people don’t end up marrying the parent of their child. That makes the couple highly unusual.

Citations

MTV

mtv.com/news/articles/1654705/20101221/bret_michaels.jhtml

BMW emblem burned into the retinas of unsuspecting movie viewers

The Bavarian Motor Works emblem made quite an impression in a marketing demonstration at a German movie theater recently. An audience watching a Bavarian Motor Works commercial had a Bavarian Motor Works logo imprinted on their retinas with a flash they could see after shutting their eyes. Target audience people were fascinated with the cleverness of the ad, while others questioned the safety and integrity of such a method. In any case, you know the company took out an enormous payday installment loan to have something such as this carried out. Source of article – BMW logo burned into the retinas of unsuspecting movie audience by MoneyBlogNewz.

Projecting the BMW logo

The BMW logo has gone where no logo has gone before. Using a type of flash projection technology employed in digital cameras, marketing producers stamped an after-image of the BMW logo on the brains of unsuspecting viewers. The reason why this gimmick was done was clear. It was based off the fact you get the image of the sun imprinted on your retina each time you check out it. It seems to be on the back of your eyelids when they’re closed for a moment. A studio flash unit called Profoto Pro-7B was used behind the screen at a German movie theater. A stencil of the BMW logo was placed in front of the flash.

All about the BMW commercial

An ad for BMW motorcycles with the Superbike world champion Ruben Xaus in it was when the BMW logo was projected into people's retinas. Producers say the goal is to "literally get inside people's heads" like this. This is what the BMW brand afterimage will do. They called the technique a “harmless photo flash.”. First Xaus talks. He says, "I am living my dream. ‘What dream?’ you ask. Just close your eyes and look deep inside yourself. Possibly it’s your dream too. It is in you.” At this moment the BMW logo is projected at the audience. The flash is all the audience notices. Xaus then says “Close your eyes and you also will see it.”

The BMW logo flash got the audience saying

There were a lot of audience members very fascinated with it. They didn't care that they were being tested out. Others question the safety of having a BMW logo burned to the retinas at the movies. It only lasts for about 1/3,000 to 1/400 of a second with the Profoto Pro-7B flash. The light is very bright though. It is common knowledge that looking at the sun can hurt your eyesight. Brief flashes of light that are bright enough are bad too. Epileptic seizures are caused by them.

BMW logo flash projection

youtube.com/watch?v=GR_vDq2iXJ4

Info from

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/Innovation/Latest-News-Wires/2010/1217/BMW-logo-branded-on-eyelids-How-did-they-do-that-video

CNET

news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20025875-71.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=TechnicallyIncorrect

The Epoch Times

theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/47641/

Secret Society of Women offers anonymous sharing

There is yet another place online to share. The Secret Society of Women is built for women. The Secret Society was founded by journalist Ling. The site appears to have true staying power. It has only been around for a few months, however is already growing. Don't feel concerned, this is not yet another thing that you’d have to take out a personal loan simply to enroll in. Resource for this article – Secret Society of Women provides anonymous sharing by MoneyBlogNewz.

The reason for beginning the Secret Society of Women

Lisa Ling co-founded the Secret Society of Women website. After a miscarriage, Ling had been having a hard time. Then she said women needed “a confidential, anonymous community to share experiences and soak up advice and words of wisdom from other women.” The site went live in early Nov., and on Dec. 7 Ling announced the site on “The View.”.

Making a community to talk in

You will find two things encouraged by the Secret Society of Women's website. Building a community and sharing secrets are these two things. Sharing secrets can happen in various different areas. "Daily Wish," "Favorite Things" and "Wisdom" are all examples of categories available to post in. One has to register with a username and e-mail address if one is to post on the site although all sharing could be done anonymously.

Making secrets public on more than the Secret Society of Women

The Secret Society of Women is just the latest incarnation of secret-sharing online. Postcards with many peoples' secrets are posted on a blog called PostSecret which had a huge following. The anonymity that is available on the internet has been long used to develop communities based around secrets or very personal elements of one’s life. The Secret Society of Women is likely going to be very popular considering the following it has although it is just a general community.

Articles cited

Secret Society of Women

secretsocietyofwomen.com/

E Online

eonline.com/uberblog/b214936_lisa_ling_opens_up_about_miscarriage.html

Yahoo login goes down as business lets go 700 workers

Customers of Yahoo offerings today were presented with a site that worked only intermittently. This is happening at the very same time that Yahoo declared layoffs of more than seven-hundred employees. The internal layoffs and Yahoo login issues aren’t specifically connected, though some are theorizing it might mark the downfall of the company. This layoff puts more individuals in the payday loans line. Source of article – Yahoo login goes down as company lays off 700 employees by MoneyBlogNewz.

Yahoo login and Yahoo offerings down

This morning, in scattered reports on the web, users were saying the Yahoo login was not functioning. Users could not login to Yahoo offerings like Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Buzz and Yahoo News. Several outside email offerings reported that Yahoo Email servers were off. Tues at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time, things were better. It seemed all Yahoo services were working intermittently.

Yahoo layoffs documented

The Brand new York Times explained that there were rumors going around Monday night. Yahoo layoffs was the topic. Tuesday morning, news outlets across the country confirmed that the company will be laying off between 600 and seven hundred employees, roughly 5 percent of the workforce. Yahoo's merchandise group, including Yahoo email and other major merchandise at Yahoo, will be where the layoffs occur. The Yahoo product division head told department heads to prepare for up to 20 percent of their workforce to get laid off a few days ago.

Yahoo will not enable an AOL buyout

In early 2009, Carol Bartz took over the CEO position for Yahoo. She claims that the business has been trying to develop ways for "users to interact in social fashions" which has been worked on a lot. Previously, AOL was thinking about making a buyout offer for Yahoo. Now the offer is no longer there. It was never officially made either. Less individuals will be losing their jobs with the AOL offer off of the table and with Yahoo making layoffs since more of the workforce would have been lost with a combined Yahoo/AOL business.

Details from

Search Engine land

searchengineland.com/report-aol-abandons-yahoo-merger-as-yahoo-cuts-headcount-58712

LA Times

articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/11/business/la-fi-yahoo-20101011

New Big Ten logo builds twelve groups to the iconography

The Big Ten is the biggest athletic conference for colleges within the nation. The Big Ten began its life as the Big Nine. Three additional groups have been added, however. Big Ten will have 12 members in 2011. The Big Ten emblem, though, has been refined. They most likely needed to get a payday cash advance loan to fund altering a whole emblem. Source of article – Big Ten logo tries to incorporate 12 teams by MoneyBlogNewz.

Big Ten's logo to change

Integrating numbers with text could be gone with the new Big Ten logo that was revealed Monday. The number 11 was in the Big Ten emblem when 11 groups were within the Big Ten. The designers of the Big Ten logo picked a simpler option than trying to integrate 12 into the logo with the twelve groups. The 2 words "Big" and "Ten" are put in the new "Big Ten" emblem. In "Big," the "I" and "G" is accentuated. This implies the number 10 in it. It is a very simple emblem that is easy to reproduce just about everywhere.

The Big Ten logo needs to be used

The logos of the 12 teams put them into 2 groups. This is part of the Big Ten logo change. The "Legends" team and the "Leaders" team all have six in them. The new Big Ten emblem has 10 different options while some of the options have the "Legends" and "Leaders" team logos up into it. In short, the brand new Big Ten logo is as much of a compromise as is possible. It does not matter that millions — if not billions — of dollars are involved within the issue thinking about it is college football with the Big Ten emblem.

Distinction between Big Ten and Big twelve

The Big Ten conference thought about naming the conference Big 12 once a 12th member was added. There is already a Big twelve conference though. What is interesting and kind of ironic when it comes to comparing the Big 12 conference and the Big Ten conference is the Big 12 is dropping to 10 members while the Big Ten has picked up an extra member to have 12. All twelve members are in the new Big Ten logo even though the name will not change.

Citations

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ten_Conference

Big Ten

bigten.org/genrel/121310aaa.html

Bisphenol A found on receipts and money

Two advocacy groups have launched a statement on sources of BPA. A study has discovered BPA on both receipts and money. BPA is very controversial. The chemical has been found in over 90 % of $1 bills examined by these groups. The amounts of Bisphenol A discovered are well inside of levels considered "safe" by U.S. and European governments. Those $1 bills could possibly force lots of people to get a personal loan for healthcare expenses if they have an excessive amount of contact with the bills. Source of article – BPA chemical found on money possibly transferred from receipts by MoneyBlogNewz.

Details on BPA

Plastics generally have Bisphenol A, or BPA, in it as an organic chemical. Typically BPA is used for hardening. Polycarbonate and epoxy resins are hardened. BPA could be used also to line the metal that is in cans of food. Estrogen in the body is being mimicked by BPA. Animal studies have shown a link with BPA to numerous things. Neurological disorders, obesity, thyroid dysfunction and cancer are all linked. If there is enough BPA exposure, other things can happen. Permanently altering DNA is one of these items. In fact, Canada takes extreme caution with BPA. It is toxic there. The United States implies that BPA is defined as a "chemical of concern." It isn't regulated much though.

Receipts having BPA on them

There is some "preliminary evidence" to suggest BPA is on receipts. Three studies released this year show this. Thermal receipts use a powder of BPA blended with ink to work. Heating or pressing on the powder causes the ink to release. That causing printing to happen. Numerous restaurants, retail stores and shops use thermal receipts. A "microdose" of BPA is given if the powder rubs off the receipts. A study was done on it. Individuals would not “receive more than about 2.5 % of the tolerable daily intake of BPA from handling a single receipt.”

BPA on money as well

After discovering BPA was transferred from receipts, it had been decided to look other places. Money was the next study. A study had been done with 22 $1 bills by the Washington Toxic Coalition. They found that 21 of them had "significant" amounts of BPA on them. Money would have gotten the BPA on them from being with receipts. This isn't proven yet and is just a theory. More research needs to be done on the story though. It is just one small study that needs to be looked into. You should make an effort to minimize your exposure to BPA by handling money less. It is possible that an act like the Toxic Substances Control Act making BPA a toxic substance might be passed by Congress soon though.

Info from

Science News

sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/61764/title/Receipts_a_large_%E2%80%94_and_largely_ignored_%E2%80%94_source_of_BPA

Time

healthland.time.com/2010/12/08/dirty-money-traces-of-bpa-found-on-currency/

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A#World_Health_Organization

Taliban captive Bergdahl turns up again on video clip

The Afghan Taliban took United States soldier Bowe Bergdahl in June 2009. A few days ago Bowe Bergdahl showed up in a Taliban propaganda video. Bergdahl’s captivity began with death threats, however a journalist basing his opinion on personal experience said the soldier is worth more to the Taliban still living. The Taliban won't permit somebody to get a good installment loan to purchase Bergdahl's independence either. Source for this article – U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl, a Taliban captive, seen on new video by Money Blog Newz.

Bergdahl taken sixteen months back

Bowe Bergdahl seems within the most recent Taliban video clean shaven and evidently suffering from a beating. Many experts suggest the shot was taken sixteen months back right after Bergdahl's capture because of his appearance within the Taliban video. The video clip launched Wednesday is the fourth Taliban video Bowe Bergdahl has came out in since he was captured in eastern Afghanistan. Other videos show him with facial hair. A longer beard is in some. In the 45 minute video that has clips of militant attacks and a senior Taliban commander called Jalaluddin Haqqani giving a speech, the United States solider appears and is expected to be the only United States soldier the Taliban is holding hostage.

Taliban seeing cooperation from Bowe Bergdahl?

A Taliban video clip showed Bowe Bergdahl in it in April. He was begging for release and denouncing the Afghanistan war. It was said in the Sunday Times in August that Bowe Bergdahl was converted to Islam and learned how to convert a cell phone into a remote detonator for a roadside bomb. This is what one of the designed Bowe Bergdahl captors said. Supposedly the Afghan intelligence officials cooperated with the Taliban then. Bowe Bergdahl did too. However, the alleged captor said the information Bowe Bergdahl shared with the Taliban were common knowledge and that he was pretending to be a Muslim to keep from being beheaded.

Attempting to stay still living with some kind of value is Bowe Bergdahl

Bowe Bergdahl is safe, according to a journalist who had been captured by the Taliban in 2008. Idaho Public Television interviewed Jere Van Dyk. He said that the Taliban wouldn’t hurt him more than likely. Van Dyk was released by the Taliban after being kidnapped and held 45 days. Bowe Bergdahl would be changed into Muslim more than likely by the Taliban though. He is still alive though as a valuable propaganda tool. The Taliban wants to show that they have changed. They terrorize their enemies by keeping captors still living now, claims Van Dyk.

Data from

CBS News

cbsnews.com/stories/2010/12/08/world/main7129125.shtml

Idaho Mountain Express

mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005134245

Daily Mail

dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1305184/Bowe-Bergdahl-Taliban-claim-captured-U-S-solider-teaching-fighters-bomb-making-skills.html

San Marcos pay day loans for Texas

Needing short term financial help in San Marcos cal lead you to a bad credit loan. Sometimes you just need money fast. A payday advance in Texas could be the fastest way to get it. You are able to spend the money on whatever you have to get paid. Sometimes that means paying bills, vehicle repairs or medical bills. Your cash loan will be paid back whenever you want to repay it. You pick the time frame. Source of article – San Marcos payday cash advances for Texas by Money Blog Newz.

San Marcos giving you poor credit loan

Are you in San Marcos and need some short-term financial help? A bad credit loan might be what you need. Occasionally you just need money fast. A payday loan in Texas can be the fastest way to get it. You are able to spend the money on no matter what you need to get paid. From time to time that means paying bills, vehicle repairs or medical bills. You pay back your cash until payday in the time frame that you agree to.

How to get your cash loan when you’re in San Marcos

You only need a few things to get a San Marcos cash til payday loan. A steady income or job of some sort is required. Your application for pay day loans also demands a state or federally-issued identification. As long as you’ve these, a working bank account, and are 18 years old or older, you could qualify for online payday loans. It doesn't matter for those who have a bankruptcy on your credit, bad credit or even no credit. Getting approved for a poor credit loan is still possible. You can get one.

San Marcos payday loans work

There are times that everyone needs a short-term financial boost. In San Marcos, you can apply for a traditional bank loan. That bank loan could very well take various weeks, reams of paperwork, and often demands a good credit rating. Payday loans and bad credit loans get deposited into your banking account really fast. Also, you can pay them back quite quickly. It gets to you just whenever you need it. You will need it too.

Knowing the information of your payday loans online

The online payday loan application is what you have to fill out. After that, San Macros loan offers get to you fairly soon. You get to choose the loan offer you need after reviewing them. You will get to do this following the no-obligation application is filled out. If you find an offer for San Marcos loan that you like, you are able to take it. You don't have to take the payday loan if it isn't what you need. Applying for a San Marcos cash till payday is easy. There's no reason not to. Your needs may be perfectly fit with your poor credit loan.

Get a bad credit loan in San Marcos

Getting a bad credit loan in San Marcos can be the solution if you need short-term financial help. Payday loans in Texas get you money within a day, or even just hours. You get to spend the money as you need — on vehicle repairs, medical bills, or paying the bills that are due before your next payday. Your cash advance will be paid back when you want to pay it back. You pick the time frame.

How to get your San Marcos cash advance

If you are in San Marcos, getting a cash advance takes just a few pieces of information. You will just need a job or some kind of steady income. A payday loan application required identification too. It has to be state or federally-issued. You can get online payday loans if you have those, a bank account and are 18 years or older. If you have bad credit, no credit, or even a bankruptcy on your record, it won’t matter. Getting approved for a bad credit loan is still possible. You can get one.

The reason why San Marcos has payday loans

There are times that everyone needs a short-term financial boost. While in San Macros you can apply for a loan. Traditional bank loans are available. That bank loan could very well take several weeks, reams of paperwork, and often requires a good credit rating. Bad credit loans and payday advance loans, on the other hand, take just hours to be deposited into your bank account, and get paid back quickly. It gets to you just when you need it. You will need it too.

Knowing the details of your payday loans online

The application form you fill out for your payday loans online gets you your San Marcos loan offers quickly. You get to look at all the loan offers after filling out the no obligation application before choosing. You can take any offer you like from San Marcos after seeing them. If you don’t see a pay day loan that you think fits your needs, you don’t have to take it. Applying for a San Marcos cash advance is easy. There's no reason not to. You might get the perfect bad credit loan. It might be perfect for you.

Omaha Steaks are great, however dry maturing in your own home is much better

Omaha Steaks are starting to appear on many doorsteps. A popular holiday gift, these steaks are mailed with dried up ice. These mail order steaks are incredibly well-liked — and incredibly costly. You can get the dry-aged high quality of Omaha Steaks in your own home, with only a day or two’s wait.

Omaha Steaks on order for the holiday seasons

Omaha Steaks typically are shipped in dry-ice packed coolers. They’re shipped right to consumers too. In its 93 years of existence, the company has expanded their offerings to seafood, cheeses and gift packs — in other words, just a little bit of everything. The most popular merchandise tends to be the custom-cut beef and steaks though. The Omaha Steaks are very well-liked throughout the holidays. They’re ordered for gifts or special Christmas meals.

The trick of dry aging on Omaha Steaks

Everybody knows that Omaha steaks are really great. That is due to the secret. Omaha Steaks are actually dry-aged meat like other steakhouse meats. Moisture is taken from the meat with dried out maturing. Dry aging pulls additional flavor out of the meat, and dries it out just enough to make the Maillard reaction stronger. The meat is browned and caramelized by the Maillard reaction. That makes it even better.

Dry-aging your own steaks

You can get the flavor and quality of an Omaha Steak cut of meat for half the prices. Just do it at home. Get a steak at your local butcher. You have to get it three days before cooking it though. After you get home, you can get it ready. Unwrap it. Place the steak on a rack placed over a plate, bowl, or sheet pan. Place the meat on the bottom rack of your fridge. Make sure you cover it with paper towels. Pour out all moisture with your pan and replace the towels every day. You will need to wait three days. Your steak is dry-aged after that though. Do not wait longer than six days. You might want to wait as long as five though. You are likely to love the flavor of Omaha Steaks in your own home, even if it seems like lots of waiting.

Rural United States needs Kansas Free Land

According to the Department of Agriculture, you will find 386 U.S. counties where residents consistently reside in lower income. Of those, 340 are of the rural variety. Out of necessity, many of these economically deprived counties have developed free land programs to stimulate development. Web online websites like Kansas Free Land are a not-so-subtle call for the homestead-curious to take the dive by getting free building lots. Then their tax dollars and development may bring profit to the suffering communities. Resource for this article – Kansas Free Land – Get a piece of the Heartland by Money Blog Newz.

Giving a little push to rura lUnited States with Kansas Free Land

Kansas Free Land can easily be used for agriculture and ranching. Not only that, purchase homesteaders are also given the chance to get out of the city and start over. Many cities in Kansas are offering Free Kansas Land plots which tend to be pretty close to interstate highways anywhere from Osborne and Plainville to Chetopa. Websites to individual real estate companies are easily found. KansasFreeLand.com has them available. Residential and commercial choices are available.

The site eHow suggests what those wanting to get some Kansas Free land should do. It suggests:

• Decide on how much you can afford for a house. Choose how much to spend as well
• Get pre-qualified for a mortgage once you are certain
• Paperwork and credit checks are coming your way

The best way to take advantage of Kansas Free Land

eHow advises those who are serious about the opportunities accessible to start by researching the various communities where Kansas Free Land is accessible. Talk to locals, visit the towns and get the lowdown from law enforcement on safety. Each small town has unique local color and history, so research and interviews can prove useful in sorting things out. Wilson, for example, is known as the Czech Capital of Kansas, when Marquette is only a few minutes away from Lindsborg, aka Little Sweden. During the 19th century, Ellsworth, Kansas, had been known as a wild cow town.

Benefits that come with Kansas Free Land

Other things are included within the Kansas Free Land opportunity depending on where you choose. One example is to be allowed to move a modular home onto your Kansas Free Land. Other examples include tax abatements, down payment assistance or even waived loan fees.

Articles cited

ehow

ehow.com/how_2171118_free-land-kansas.html

Kansas Free Land

kansasfreeland.com/index.html

USDA

ers.usda.gov/publications/rdrr100/rdrr100.pdf

Profile of a Kansas ranching family

youtube.com/watch?v=ZI1_u4HRQkg

Football bowl plan for 2010 involves big cash

The college football bowl schedule is a large deal. There is much more involved in the college football bowl schedule. Some say college football badly needs change. The amount of cash involved, though, makes it tough.

Bowl matchup plan out for 2010

We ultimately will get to see the full list of the 2010 bowl matchups. From December 18 to January 10, 2011, the 2010 college football bowl plan will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern time. These bowl matchups pit various college football teams from dozens of conferences against one another. The NCAA Division I Football season winner could be decided in the BCS National Championship Game.

Money from the 2010 and 2011 college football bowl schedule

College football tends to be about cash. This is the biggest thing. Television networks and advertisers are involved with the colleges. You are able to look at the 2010 college football bowl names. It will give you an idea of the advertising. The “Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl,” the “Tostitos Bowl,” the “Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi,” even the “Little Caesars Pizza” bowl. If you wanted to be a sponsor of a game, you'd have to pay a ton. Millions are spent on it. The payout, per-team, for the football bowl games run from $750,000 to $17 million.

Schedule for college football bowl asked to change

With so much cash on the line, there are lots of players beyond the football teams within the football bowl game system. A standard system matching winners against winners is not how this NCAA sport works. The win-loss ratio of teams is taken into account along with computer rankings and conference championships. This is how the college bowl system works. Many individuals are calling for a change to make it fair for smaller teams to have the chance of winning the college bowl. With all the cash and players involved though, a change in unlikely.

Articles cited

Wikipedia

wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowl_Championship_Series

ESPN

espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/22110/2010-11-bowl-schedule

WoW to release Cataclysm update

The newest update to "World of Warcraft", "Cataclysm," has a launch day of December 7. Blizzard entertainment has already opened "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" for download pre-order. There are some features of "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" that are only available if you purchase a physical retail copy.

Releasing ‘world of Warcraft: Cataclysm’ shortly

We will see a new release on Tues. This will be the newest "World of Warcraft" expansion pack. At 12:01 a.m. on December 7, the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" expansion can be released. The moment that the "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" is launched, everyone who has pre-purchased the digital download can have it start. On Dec. 7, a physical copy of "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" could be accessible for purchase.

What’s in wow: Cataclysm’

The “World of Warcraft: Cataclysm” up-date contains multiple updates to “WoW.”. Goblin and Worgen are the 2 new races of characters that you can choose. This is the first time the 2 races can be played although they have been within the game already. There is a huge disaster in "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" that is within the story. The Goblin race is affected by it. Then there is the Alliance race of the Worgen. They’re found within the Horde often though. These 2 races are just the tip of the iceberg for “World of Warcraft: Cataclysm” however. Two of the places in "World of Warcraft" are being redone while the level cap is changed to 85; not only that, but there’s even brand new content and backgrounds.

‘world of Warcraft: Cataclysm’ pets you can get

Though you can pre-order “World of Warcraft: Cataclysm” and be able to play it at the exact moment of release, there’s a benefit to purchasing the boxed set. You are able to get "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" as the collector's edition. An exclusive pet family is added into it with this edition. You are able to then "tame" these animals. The Shale Spiders in “Cataclysm” have dozens of available looks, but all come with their advantages.

Details from

World of Warcraft

worldofWarcraft.com/cataclysm/

Operation Broken Trust nails 500 con artists for investment fraud

A federal investigation called Operation Broken Trust probed an epidemic of investment fraud in the wake of the financial crisis. More than five-hundred people have been arrested in Operation Broken Trust stings, the Justice Department said Monday. Operation Broken Trust nailed schemers who stole up to $10.5 billion from thousands of ordinary residents.

Operation Broken Trust: countrywide fraudulence sweep

Obama's administration was behind the Operation Broken Trust. The Financial Fraudulence Enforcement Task Force did it. Monday, Attorney General Eric Holder spoke at a news conference. He said that there could be a three and a half month investigation that will defend the general public against investment fraudulence schemes. Criminal charges are being given to 343 people. Civil suits are filed for another 189 people. Eighty-seven people have already received prison sentences. A few defendants got long sentences. They were 20 years. Eighty five years was given to one person. That was the longest.

Citizens tricked into fraud

The investigation by Operation Broken Trust involved 120,000 cases. Market-manipulation, investment scams, foreign currency fraudulence and Ponzi schemes were all investigated by them. Holder said the criminals targeted communities, churches, immigrants, the elderly and the disabled. According to the Justice Department, several victims were set up by neighbors or fellow church members. A man in Texas ripped off others in his church by telling them his lucrative foreign exchange trades were a “blessing from God.”. There was a Ponzi scheme that involved one police officer stealing from other cops too. Victims included a bereaved family. Even a blind man was victimized.

Operation Broken Trust instruction learned

It wasn't just one business that wanted the Operation Broken Trust to take place. The Exchange Commission, the Justice Department, the Commodity Futures trading Commission and the United States of America Postal service all wanted it. Robert Khuzami of the SEC said that while Wall Street banks have gotten the biggest fraud headlines, hundreds of other scams devastate working families and retirees. There’s a lesson that Holder claims could be learned by Operation Broken Trust. He said that “Cheating investors out of their earnings and savings is no longer a safe business plan.” He also warned the public to be alert for scams, take measures to protect themselves and report to authorities when they think something fishy is going on.

Citations

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704156304576003392063619546.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Los Angeles Times

latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2010/12/investment-fraud-financial-crimes-operation-broken-trust-justice-department-fbi-.html

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/06/AR2010120603152.html?hpid=topnews

Holiday recipes for gifts

Much of the time, if you’re looking for Christmas recipes for giving, you are stuck with either cookies or candy. If you’re pushed for time or money, a brand new Holiday recipe for giving can come to your rescue. A single day of work is all you may need to get a gift for everyone on your list.

Give the gift of hot cocoa remixed this Christmas

There are a number of “classic” Christmas recipes for gifts that are easy and quick to put together and even easier to remix. For those who have 1 cup cocoa powder, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar and 5 cups powdered milk, you are able to make an awesome hot cocoa mix. All you need to do is crush 20 peppermint candies and mix it all together. If you need to, you are able to replace the peppermint candies with 1 cup instant coffee granules for a mocha mix or a package of cherry Kool-Aid for cherry hot cocoa. On the instructions, you should tell the person you're giving it to, to mix 3 tablespoons with hot water or milk.

Give the gift this Christmas of homemade soda

Homemade soda is one more holiday recipe that is great as a gift. It is possible to "naturally" or "artificially" carbonate the soda. Those are your options. Do you have a keg system? Then you'll be better off with an artificially carbonated drink. It could be hard to get the same results each and every time, although it can be done safely, with naturally carbonated sodas as yeast is used. Start by collecting used plastic soda bottles with caps — 20-ounce or two-liter work great. Get those, a five-gallon bucket and a funnel in order to sanitize. Most stores should be able to give you what you need. You need 1 gallon of hot water, 2 cups of sugar and 2 tablespoons of some kind of soda or flavoring extract for it. Put the mixture inside your keg system and get carbonating when artificially carbonating. If naturally carbonating, add 1/4 teaspoon champagne yeast (available at any home-brew supply shop), pour into bottles and store in a room temperature spac! e for three days. You have a fantastic Christmas gift ready after you have them bottled and labeled. Of course, you may want to refrigerate them first.

Give the gift of flavored vinegars for Christmas

If you have a salad fiend on your holiday list, a flavored vinegar can give an extra kick to their dressings, and it is easy to make. Fill a sterilized jar with boiling vinegar. This will be after you’ve filled it 1/3 the way with bruised herbs. It could be ready to give after you have sealed it. Make sure it sits in the fridge for two weeks at least.

Pajamagram proves costly but popular

You will find very unique mail-order gift possibilities available this season. Pajamagrams are definitely gaining in popularity. Pajamagram has not too long ago rolled pajama jeans into its offerings. Reviews of the Pajamagram business say that they’re wonderful to work with. This doesn’t, however, mean that you are not paying a high price.

The reason why many like the Pajamagram

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company which owns Calyx Flowers is a sister business with the Pajamagram business. You will find personalized cards that go on all the company shipments. Also, soft and comfortable pajamas or bath and body products are sold. The Pajamagram pajamas are soft. They’re comfortable too based on reviews.

Purchasing PajamaJeans

PajamaJeans were initially a product sold via television commercials. The jeans are pajama style. It’s pretty popular to get PajamaJeans now. There is no zipper or any buttons like regular jeans have although a cotton/spandex blend makes them look like pajama pants. The rivets are placed well in order to make them comfortable. They are fashionable too supposedly. Reviews say the jeans don’t look exactly like their more denim-y counterparts, but they are passable as something more than pajamas. The rivets have a tendency to fall off very quickly. The PajamaJeans are more costly than some jeans as they will cost you $60.

Your own personal Pajamagram

The Pajamagram is quite popular. This is because it only takes a few clicks of a button to get somebody a gift. Unless you are specifically looking for PajamaJeans, though, you are able to get the exact same, thoughtful, soft gift sent for less cash and just a bit more work. Pajamas don't cost that much. You'll spend between $20 and $30 for a really comfortable set. At your local craft store you can find a customized box and card for about $5. Your gift can have saved you $10 to $100. This is just by doing it yourself. You may really enjoy your personalized Pajamagram. Chances are the person you're giving it to will too.

Information from

NY Daily News

nydailynews.com/lifestyle/fashion/2010/02/06/2010-02-06_pajamas_in_her_jeans.html

Pajamagram

pajamagram.com/category/customerfavorites.aspx

Child nutrition bill aspires to feed children healthful school lunches

The child nutrition bill made it through Congress Thursday and Obama is expected to promptly sign it. The $4.5 billion child nutrition bill will give food to more poor children with free of charge school lunches and dinners, enhance the nutritional quality of school cafeteria meals and get junk food out of school vending machines. House Republicans predictably opposed the bill as big govt in action, however Democrats cut financing from anti-hunger programs for needy households to mitigate the cost of the child nutrition bill.

The contents of the child nutrition bill

The child nutrition bill was passed by the House on a 264-157 vote. It was approved within the Senate last summer by unanimous consent. $4.5 billion could be added to the government spending on child nutrition over the next decade. Increasing more than inflation for the first time since 1973, could be the federal reimbursements to families for school lunches. Language in the child nutrition bill gives the secretary of agriculture authority to set standards for meals consumed by school kids, including food sold in vending machines. New standards will require schools to serve more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy.

Child nutrition bill supported by who?

The food nutrition bill had been written with guidance from studies conducted by the National Academy of Sciences and input from children’s advocates as well as the food industry. United in support of the bill were health care, educational and religious groups, along with labor unions and the food, beverage, dairy and supermarket industries. The nation's health has been shown in many studies to be substantially impacted by school lunch programs. Reducing health care costs, enhancing learning, reducing childhood hunger and obesity, are just a couple of the benefits of having a good lunch program in place.

Political debate about child nutrition

Republicans tried to derail the child nutrition bill with a procedural maneuver that would have sent it back to the Senate rather than to the president for a signature. Republicans take over the house in January, and if they could have just gotten it delayed that long they would have killed the whole bill then. The Republican party line was that the bill increased federal spending and also the government had no business telling families what they should eat. To offset the $4.5 billion cost of the bill, Democrats diverted $2.2 billion from food stamp programs for low-income families. In the end, 15 Republicans crossed the isle to vote for the bill.

Citations

New York Times

nytimes.com/2010/12/03/us/politics/03child.html?_r=1

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/02/AR2010120202737.html?hpid=topnews

NPR

npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131206956

The contents of the child nutrition bill

The house passed the child nutrition bill with a 264-157 vote. It was approved in the Senate last summer by unanimous consent. In the span of 10-years, government spending on child nutrition will increase by $4.5 billion. Federal reimbursements to families for school lunches will increase more than the inflation rate for the first time since 1973. Not only will the secretary of agriculture have the power to set the standards in school lunches, it will also have the power to control what is sold in vending machines. These new implementations are going to bring more grains, less fat, and more fruits and veggies to school children's food.

The supporters of the child nutrition bill

The food nutrition bill was written with guidance from studies conducted by the National Academy of Sciences and input from children’s advocates as well as the food industry. Labor unions, health care industries, educational groups, religious groups, beverage groups, and many more all support this bill being implemented. There have been many studies conducted that show school lunch programs alone impact the whole nation's health. The bill’s supporters said it could enhance learning, reduce health care costs and help reduce both childhood hunger and obesity.

Child nutrition turned into politics

Republicans attempted to keep this off of the president's desk and sent back to the Senate. They were pushing for simply a delay until January when they take over the house so they could kill the bill then. Republicans said this bill will just increase government spending, and that it was not the governments job to tell people how to eat. The $4.5 billion this program will cost is going to come in part from a cut in food stamps by $2.2 billion. 15 republicans did agree on the bill anyway.

Information from

New York Times

nytimes.com/2010/12/03/us/politics/03child.html?_r=1

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/02/AR2010120202737.html?hpid=topnews

NPR

npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131206956

State Department connections subject of latest WikiLeaks release

WikiLeaks unveiled a bundle of top secret State Department documents Sunday. The latest WikiLeaks release involves cables sent by the State Department that uncover sensitive diplomatic data. The paperwork offers a behind-the-scenes look at how United States of America diplomacy is carried out around the globe. The White House and foreign leaders released their official rebukes of the most recent WikiLeaks provocation, which was delayed by a hack that temporarily disabled the site.

Publishing the State Department connections on WikiLeaks

The State Department connections was released by WikiLeaks showing the world what international diplomacy looks like within the U.S. Key issues covered within the leaked State Department documents consist of the viewpoint of western and Middle Eastern governments on how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program and the way the U.S. arranged economic sanctions against Iran. Other insights contain how North Korea has been aiding Iran’s nuclear program and an apparent order from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for diplomats to spy on foreign governments.

Viewing gossip in the cables

An attack by the United States of America on Iran's nuclear facilities is what King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia suggests the United States of America do, according to the WikiLeaks. Also, because of the organized crime associated with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, he was called an "alpha-dog" in the report. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is likened to Adolf Hitler and Afghan President Karzai is said to be “driven by paranoia.”. It seems like the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi always has a "voluptuous blonde" Ukranian nurse near him. She is always there. The last WikiLeaks release made governments around the world really angry. They said that intelligence operatives, informants and diplomats are put in danger with the data out.

Hacker doesn’t end WikiLeaks

Between 1966 and early 2010, the State Department issued cables that WikiLeaks states to hold 251,288 of. A few hrs ahead of the document release, WikiLeaks tweeted that it was being hacked with a “mass dispersed denial of service attack.”. A WikiLeaks spokesperson said the paperwork deal with “strained relations and embarrassment” and do not endanger United States of America national security. The business has a plan to release more paperwork. In the next few weeks and months this will be happening.

Articles cited

CNN

cnn.com/2010/US/11/29/wikileaks/index.html?npt=NP1

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/28/AR2010112802395_2.html?wpisrc=nl_headline&sid=ST2010112802494

Washington Post

voanews.com/english/news/World-Leaders-Officials-Watch-WikiLeaks-with-Curiosity-Concern-110966864.html

Google algorithm takes away unfavorable SEO method

Google has taken a step to prevent you from finding negative online retailers with a new algorithm. A website selling eye wear drew media attention by becoming known for deliberate bullying customers. Google decided to do something over it with a search algorithm. It turns out the negative online merchant found a large number of unfavorable remarks were improving its Google search rankings.

The negative internet merchant strategy

Getting rid of bad online retailers is a goal that Google has at present. This was as the DecorMyEyes.com site had a NY Times article written about it. Web watchdog has been seeing DecorMyEyes for years. It has been one website for a lot of consumer complaints. The Times article reported that DecorMyEyes was bullying, threatening and ripping off customers for a reason. Customers will leave comments. The more unsatisfied they are, the more comments you get. The unfavorable comments are used to boost the site. Google Search outcomes make it higher with more comments. The more hits it collected, the more sales it made and the more consumers it abused. The cycle built on itself until DecorMyEyes was at the top of page one of searches for certain brands of eye wear.

DecorMyEyes making Google mad

Soon after the Times article about DecorMyEyes was published, Google went to work on an algorithmic solution that would end the search engine reward for bad online retailers. Google’s Amit Singhal told reporters Thursday that his team developed an algorithmic solution that immediately went live. Singhal did not reveal details about how Google detects negative online retailers, but on Thurs DecorMyEyes was buried deep within the Google search outcomes on page seven. Singhal did make it clear that the bad remarks didn't play a part in the algorithmic solution. That was so people could nevertheless search people like politicians.

Google having other items modify too

The negative online retailers algorithm made some angry. Not everybody was happy with Google. Rob Spiegel at E-Commerce Times said Google’s algorithm modify could make it possible for bad retailers to attack rivals with unfavorable comments that weaken their rankings. Plus, Google has now gone beyond the search realm into policing the web — a fact that concerns individuals who are nervous about Google’s growing economic power.

Details from

New York Times

nytimes.com/index.html?partner=msnbcpolitics

PC World

pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2373743,00.asp

E Commerce Times

ecommercetimes.com/story/Googles-Algorithmic-Fix-Sends-Bad-Merchants-to-the-Boonies-71361.html?wlc=1291320036

Spending budget your Christmas gift ideas utilizing these simple suggestions

Christmas 2010 is just around the corner, and if you’re like a lot of people struggling for making ends meet these days, you need to find creative solutions to finance your Christmas gifts on a spending budget. Using these easy tips, you are able to plan the perfect Christmas on a budget and get the most out of the holiday festivities this year. Article source – Funding Christmas gift ideas on a budget 2010 by Money Blog Newz.

Christmas presents 2010 with a budget

You really should spending budget your Christmas presents. It is fairly easy to do. You have to know how much Christmas cash you have to invest for the year first though. Your recurring monthly expenses such as automobile payments, food, utilities and rent will help you determine how much you are able to spend on present’s total.

With unpredicted expenditures, you might want to have money set aside. About $50 ought to do.

The way to spending budget for Christmas gifts

You will find fun Christmas gifts out there. They do not have to be expensive. Do not make an effort to get too several ideas ready all at once. Start by creating a simple checklist of everybody that you need to get presents for this year. Then, next to each name, write down the items you plan on getting for each person on that checklist. Remember, you do not have to purchase individual gifts for every person; you can purchase one gift for an entire family or group. Go get holiday savings deals after your list is done. The key is to plan ahead of time and stick as close to your checklist as possible.

Searching for the holidays

So now that you’ve your checklist readily available at hand, it is time to go searching for the hottest holiday deals this season. One of probably the most convenient ways of doing this is to go window-shopping online. Use your list to make note of all items you plan to purchase. See what the prices are. Prepare yourself for buying in stores. Make note of good deals. Just taking time when shopping can conserve you a ton of money.

Be grateful

You just have to be creative when preparing Christmas gifts making it easier to spending budget. Christmas is more essential than these things. Presents, cookies and mistletoes are not the only things to consider. Christmas is great due to friends and family. It wouldn't be the very same without them. Remember, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to share fun, quality time with the ones you love most.

NASA declares December 2 press conference on extraterrestrial life

A large discovery about extraterrestrial existence will be announced Thursday at a National Aeronautics and Space Administration press conference. Taking a page out of Apple’s playbook, National Aeronautics and Space Administration has declared an event on the web that is creating a storm of speculation. The documented work of researchers presenting their findings at the press conference lead some to conclude that evidence of life on other worlds has been confirmed. Article resource – NASA announces Dec. 2 press conference on extraterrestrial life by Money Blog Newz.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration finds some astrobiology

NASA said that an astrobiology discovery that will "impact the search for extraterrestrial life," could be talked about in the NASA press conference. There wasn't much more data that was released. A list of scientists attending the press conference was all. A geologist, an oceanographer, a biologist and an ecologist — scientists who are working on National Aeronautics and Space Administration astrobiology programs — will conduct a panel discussion. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration press conference will start at 2 p.m. EST at the agency’s headquarters in WA, D.C.

Many wanting to know about life on Titan

Many think that NASA found Saturn's largest moon, Titan, to have existence on it because of the NASA press conference. An expert on geology for existence on Mars is Pamela Conrad who is part of the group of scientists attending. Felisa Wolfe-Simon is an oceanographer who has written about photosynthesis and arsenic, an element known to exist on Titan. Stephen Benner is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration Biologist. He has written about Earth and Titan having the same environment. National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s astrobiology program has James Elser as an ecologist. He knows all about environments and the chemistry that existence needs to be sustained.

Looking for extraterrestrial existence is NASA

NASA’s press conference statement comes shortly after several other groundbreaking discoveries within the hunt for extraterrestrial life. The planet Gliese 581g was found to be one that can be able to hold liquid water. It was found in Sept in the Goldilocks Zone. National Aeronautics and Space Administration declared the finding of a planet on Nov 20th. Besides the stars in our solar system, the 500th planet orbiting other stars was discovered. There is a small section of space that has about 156,000 stars in it that might have 700 feasible alien worlds which was found by the Kepler Mission.

Details from

Space.com

space.com/news/nasa-astrobiology-discovery-announcement-101130.html

Kottke.org

kottke.org/10/11/has-nasa-discovered-extraterrestrial-life

CBS News

cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20024158-501465.html

Swastika-branding event 1st to try brand new hate crimes legislations

Race relations between Anglos and the Navajo in Farmington, N.M., is in a rugged place again, and a horrific swastika-branding event is to blame. Three white males unleashed a savage attack against a mentally impaired 22-year-old Navajo man, writes the Associated Press. Specifically, the attack involved branding the image of a swastika into the Navajo man’s arm with a warmed coat hanger. This might give authorities the first chance to test the nation’s expanded hate crime legislations.

Additional harm besides Swastika-branding

According to Farmington authorities, the horrifying swastika-branding wasn’t all the 3 men did to their victim. They also used markers to write various messages on the Navajo man’s body, including "KKK," "White Power," a pentagram and a graphic depiction of a penis. Evidently the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act didn't stop the 3 males from offending. If convicted, the offenders could go to prison for 10 years. If kidnapping could be proved to have been involved in the swastika-branding event by the government then the sentence might be life.

All because hate crime law changes took place

Initially, one would have to have been in a federally protected activity like voting or attending school in order for the U.S. law on hate crimes to apply to the victim. Recent adjustments, thanks to the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (Matthew Shepard Act for short), have eliminated that requirement, and the Farmington swastika-branding event is the 1st case to be heard after the adjustments. Violence due to gender, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity are now not lawful to do. The civil rights of individuals are protected.

Starting a relationships pact

Starting a relationship between the Farmington leaders and the Navajo Nation was a pledge which was signed. It was signed at Farmington City Hall just this month. The predominantly white city of Farmington has a decades-old history of conflict with the Navajo.

Duane "Chili" Yazzie spoke as the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission Chairman. He said that education is the only way to stop the violence. Based on Farmington Mayor Tommy Roberts, the climate of race relationships could be altered with a lot of time even though "there will always people who just don't get it.".

Citations

Star Tribune

startribune.com/nation/110996299.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiacyKUzyaP37D_ncyD_2yckUr

Media coverage when the swastika-branding first occurred

youtube.com/watch?v=MSrML53oY9w

George Soros gives China the economic thumbs up

Financier extraordinaire Soros is no unfamiliar person to controversy, whether real or imagined by his scores of conservative critics. According to Foreign Policy, Soros’ latest bombshell concerning the superiority of China’s economy and govt to that of the United States is sure to raise the hairs on the back of Glenn Beck’s neck. Source of article – George Soros says China has upper hand on U.S. by Money Blog Newz.

Soros suggests the world is in China's care now

Soros suggests that China focuses on its own economic interest too much rather than spreading the wealth. During this, China has gotten more economic power than the U.S. The U.S. financial decline is compared to the United Kingdom after World War II. This is what Soros does.

Now the balance of economic power has swayed toward China, Soros says that China needs to now look outward. The world economic order is its responsibility. This is what Soros says. The problems with currency are a fantastic place to start. This is what China should consider.

Seeing Congressional difficulties with Gridlock

Soros says in the Globe and Mail that China has a "better functioning government" and "more vigorous economy" since the U.S. economy can't move forward with Congress being so bad at making decisions. The government is quite bad about making things like national security important within the U.S. with distractions like the filibuster. This is what Kay King of the Council on Foreign Relations said. Soros' statements are nearly the same as King's:

When Congress fails to perform, national security suffers thanks to ill-considered policies, delayed or inadequate resources, and insufficient personnel. Without congressional guidance, allies and adversaries alike devalue U.S. policies because they lack the support of the American people that is provided through their representatives in Congress.

Info from

CFR

cfr.org/content/publications/attachments/Congress_CSR58.pdf

Foreign Policy

blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/11/16/soros_china_has_better_functioning_government_than_us

The Globe and Mail

theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economic-power-shifting-from-us-to-china-soros-says/article1800333/

Soros on a lack of confidence in currency

youtube.com/watch?v=3iNkJ2HQbvs

TSA should use racial profiling, says Muslim activist

Georgetown University journalism teacher Asra Nomani is a feminist involved in Muslim reform leads to. She believes that United States air terminals must stop stressing about political correctness and take a more pragmatic approach to security. Racial and religious profiling would deal with airport security concerns in a more practical fashion, she argues in a recent Daily Beast op-ed. Nomani’s criticism of the Transportation Security Administration’s present means of handling homeland security is very apparent.

Racial profiling as a reaction to spiritual ideology

Evidently in order to address an explosion of religious philosophy that leads to terrorists to do heinous acts, racial profiling has to be done in the United States, accounts Nomani. Asra Nomani explains that Muslims have been most of those causing terrorist attacks since 9/11 and onward with other U.S. incidents such as the Portland, Ore., potential vehicle bomb. Racial and spiritual profiling is what the proper response by airport security ought to be, states Nomani. Logical profiling would be what would happen. This is what Nomani points out.

"Profiling doesn't have to be about discrimination, persecution or harassment. We are not arguing that the TSA should send anyone named Mohammad to be water-boarded somewhere between the first-class lounge and the Pizza Hut," writes Nomani.

Racial profiling is all about danger assessment, claims Nomani

If somebody has nothing to hide, then they shouldn't be concerned. This is what Nomani explains. Recently, she was in a debate on racial profiling. She said "Profile me. Profile my family," while within the debate. She said she is willing to be subjected to profiling because "we within the Muslim community have failed to police ourselves." The security should be able to see "trouble signs" of terrorism. Nomani says this would fix the problem.

At the beginning of the debate, 37 percent of the audience supported religious and racial profiling, with 33 percent against and 30 percent undecided. The debate led to 49 percent being in favor of racial profiling, 40 against it and the rest hadn't picked a side. The debate seemed academic. That was good. It is not known whether racial profiling is something that might end up really happening or not.

Articles cited

BYU

law2.byu.edu/jpl/Vol%2017.1/Macdonald%20pdf.pdf

The Daily Beast

thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-11-29/airport-security-lets-profile-muslims/?cid=hp:mainpromo5

Do the benefits outweigh the costs?

youtube.com/watch?v=Hmqok62n1Wo

Transportation Security Administration takes finger nail clippers from armed U.S. soldier

Red State accounts the story of a business of gun-toting soldiers who lately returned to the United States after a tour of Afghanistan. The gear the soldiers brought had already been inspected and approved by United States of America Customs, but Transportation Security Administration felt the need to entirely empty the flight and thoroughly inspect the gun-toting soldiers (minus ammo). They found nail clippers within the bag of one soldier – mission accomplished, TSA. Post resource – TSA confiscates nail clippers from gun-toting soldier by Personal Money Store.

The threat of nail clippers versus an M4 carbine rifle

Rules were being followed when the TSA confiscated the tiny nail clippers. Compared to the M4 rifle, they were nothing though. There might not are any ammo in the gun but a highly trained soldier would not need any ammo to do harm. Tiny nail clippers would be hard to maneuver. Such as it is, this event is yet another opportunity for the media to have a field day with TSA, an organization that has been in the news quite a bit lately for full body scanners, groping pat downs and the people who are fed up with it all. Now there’s even a Twitter-based contest called #touchedbytsa, where the prize is an iPod Touch.

More of the TSA nail clippers story

According to Red State, when the plane landed in Indianapolis, all 330 people on board were evacuated by airport security and taken to a holding area. All the soldiers on the flight – at least 100 – were carrying firearms, from M4 carbines and M9 pistols to M-240B machine guns. The weapons weren’t loaded, and all ammo was cleared and secured by U.S. Customs. TSA reportedly considered making all the soldiers unpack their baggage for piece-by-piece re-inspection, despite the fact that Customs had already screened it.

According to Red State, it took an hour for bomb-sniffing dogs to go over the soldiers’ luggage. The nail clippers were found following the TSA inspected them again after the soldiers sat for a few hours. Before this nobody knew about the clippers. TSA had no knowledge of it. The TSA seemed to be on a power trip according to the Red State and other media sources. Some say finding the clippers just had been a bonus on top of everything.

Articles cited

Red State

redstate.com/erick/2010/11/18/another-tsa-outrage/

The true danger of nail clippers

youtube.com/watch?v=aZw3qpnaK3o

Alpharetta, GA, cash loans in minutes

It can be easy to get financial help. If you need short-term assistance in Alpharetta, it’s quick. It is a fast application process to get money directly into your bank account. Money is deposited directly into your Alphretta bank account in just a couple hours. A Georgia payday advance most often doesn’t require a credit check or faxing. That means that the money is yours, fast and simple. Article resource – Getting easy Alpharetta, Georgia, payday loans by Personal Money Store.

Alpharetta payday advances

Maybe you are in Alpharetta. You might need a payday advance sometime. Sometimes, you just need a few additional dollars to get out of town on short notice. You may just have to go to the doctor or get your car repaired. No matter what reason you may have for needing a payday loan, an Alpharetta payday advance could be the help that you need.

The way online payday loans are

It is fairly scary the first time you apply for Alpharetta, Georgia cash loans online. There is one really good thing about online payday loans. They’re, in comparison to storefront loans, easier, safer and faster. Only five or six minutes are needed to fill out the full application. The secure, no-obligation application form only needs a few basic pieces of details. We take that information and match you to the best Alpharetta lender for your situation.

In Alpharetta you get a cash payday loan choice

You get to choose the safe Alpharetta, Georgia payday loan online you need. Your account will automatically have the amount debited from your account after you've been matched to a lender and have chosen whether you want installment payments or a single payment, what the repayment amount including fees are and what the date and time of repayment are. You won't have to do anything with the loan until you’ve looked over it. Additionally you have to virtually sign your Alpharetta payday loan online before becoming responsible for it. After that, you may have money debited right into your bank account after that. You can spend it whenever it is needed. When the time comes to pay back your payday advance, the payment you have agreed to is debited directly from your account. It is quite easy to do!

The best green bean casserole formula

There are numerous “classic” Thankgiving dishes. In only the last few generations, a green bean casserole recipe has become added to that list. The Campbell’s Soup business developed the first standard green bean casserole recipe. It hasn’t changed much since then. If you want a green bean casserole formula with more flavor this year, it can be done effortlessly.

Green bean casserole recipe facts

Richness into food was the intention of the traditional green bean casserole. Green beans are often left with hardly any flavor when cooking them traditionally. Cream of mushroom soup and French fried onions are added for a crunchy yet creamy flavor within the green bean casserole recipe. This classic recipe, nevertheless, has loss luster. So what should I do to make my green bean casserole recipe better? Easy — go back to the basics.

Everyone will love a new recipe for green bean casserole

You can make the dish from scratch instead of getting canned soup. This can be made a day ahead of time, with minimal assembly; just re-heat it the next day. It’s the perfect match for a savory meal.

What to buy

• Get ¼ cup of butter
• 1 large yellow onion, half diced and half sliced
• Dice one bell pepper
• Get one clove of garlic. Dice it up
• Get one pound of cremini mushrooms. Slice them up
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Get some pepper. Put in 1 teaspoon of it
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• You'll need 1-1 ½ lb French cut beans
• You'll need parmesan cheese. Get 1 cup of it
• You can choose your oil between canola, corn or vegetable. Get ½ cup of that

Instructions

1. Over medium heat you will have to melt butter in a heavy-bottom skillet or dutch oven.
2. Saute diced onions, bell peppers and garlic until fragrant and soft.
3. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until liquid is evaporated.
4. Mix in three tablespoons of flour. Mix it until the vegetables seem fairly coated.
5. Put the milk in real slow. Stir once in a while during this. Cook it until thick. You will want to turn up the heat for this.
6. Remove mixture from heat and stir in sour cream. Put to the side. You'll leave it there for now.
7. Bring a large pot of water to boil. While water is heating, fill a large bowl with ice water.
8. Until green beans are bright green, cook them in boiling water. Put them in cold water right away.
9. Mix green beans with Parmesan cheese and sauce.
10. Toss remaining tablespoon flour with sliced onion. Put oil in a heavy skillet. Heat it until it is quite hot.
11. The oil can have the floured onions fried in it. The green beans will have fried onions on them. Top it in this way.
12. For 30 to 45 minutes, you'll heat the green bean casserole in a 350 degree oven. You are able to microwave the mixtures on medium-high if the oven is full of stuff.

Unemployed claims lower somewhat, unlike unemployment rate

Finding good news when it comes to the United States unemployment level requires extremely low expectations. Last week jobless claims showed an increase, but economists expect the numbers to be higher. Employment has been growing steadily as the number of people filing for joblessness insurance has held steady, however insufficient to budge the 9.6 percent United States joblessness rate.

The unchanging joblessness level

Just last week, there was a huge change in jobless claims, reports the Labor Department. It went up 2,000 to 439,000. The lowest figures within the last 2 years were shown within the past four weeks since there have been less than 440,000 people a week filing for joblessness insurance, report the Association Press. There was an average 4.2 percent decrease in the last month as the average number of jobless claims went lower 16,000 to a 443,000 a week average. According to AP, the trends are a signal that more people are getting employed than fired. Economists explain that the unemployment rate will stay the same unless jobless claims go below 425,000 a week.

The plight of the jobless

In the week that ended November 6, 48,000 individuals stopped claiming joblessness although hundreds of individuals each week keep filing jobless claims. They did not have to get employed exactly. Joblessness benefits expired for concerning 121,000 individuals at the end of October. They all moved to the federal joblessness extension program. Advantages from the emergency extension program will expire when Nov is over. This means 2 million people will lose them. Within the next few months, another 2 million will supposedly lose advantages. Congress probably will not pass another federal joblessness extension. Those individuals can be out of luck.

Insufficient clarifications given through statistics

Economists keep close track of weekly firings within the form of Jobless claims as the numbers used to be a consistent indicator of economic recovery when they drop. There is no longer a relationship during this economic recovery though, Bloomberg accounts. Companies added 159,000 jobs in October, the fourth straight month more than 100,000 jobs were created. Yet some businesses continue to lay off workers while others are hiring. There were 11 states that reported a decline in jobless claims while 42 reported otherwise. There is nevertheless a 9.6 unemployment rate that won't change though and that is the fact that could be continually remembered.

Articles cited

Associated Press

google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hog5HM6YtSPvQ1KRg8oIM4BznnEA?docId=4c61b3bcd52d492c8347b0c63629c446

Bloomberg

bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-18/jobless-claims-in-u-s-increased-less-than-estimated-to-439-000-last-week.html

Forbes

forbes.com/2010/11/18/jobless-data-retail-markets-equities-spending.html?boxes=marketschannelnews

#touchedbyTSA twitter update could win totally free iPod Touch after pat down

Flying Thanksgiving eve gives vacationers the possibility to win a totally free iPad Touch when they participate in "#touchedbyTSA . To win, people traveling on November 23rd who are searched by Transportation Security Administration employees must share their experience on Twitter using the hashtag #touchedbyTSA. The TSA’s priority for airline safety means that protests such as #touchedbyTSA can have little impact on pre-flight screening practices.

Might be #touchedbyTSA or get a full body scan

Everyone is really mad about the full body scanners that show a naked body of a person as they go via them which is what the #touchedbyTSA promotion is playing on. People who refuse to walk via the scanners have to submit to a manual body search or leave the airport. One of the busiest days of the year when it comes to flying is November 23 because of the Thanksgiving holiday. On this day, everyone can qualify for a free iPod Touch through #touchedbyTSA if they just opt out of the full body scan and instead get the manual body search.

The problem with #touchedbyTSA

The TSA is likely angry. The #touchedbyTSA plan will probably make that worse. Full body scanners are extremely helpful. They find hidden weapons and devices under clothing the best. Yet because all a person has to do is stand in them for a few seconds, they accelerate the screening process and make passenger flow through airports more efficient. One of the busiest travel days of the year is likely going to have a ton of delays involved with it as a result of the #touchedbyTSA promotion and also the National Opt-Out of Airport Scanners day on November 23. National Opt-Out of Airport Scanners Day is a protest by the grass roots group 'We Won’t Fly' against the use of full body scanners.

Protests make TSA frustrated

TSA head John Pistole isn't going to change anything even though everyone has been really mad at the TSA recently. The TSA is sincerely working on a balance between passengers' rights and guarding them too he told Senate in a hearing this week about staying ahead of the airline terrorism threat. His biggest priority is the safety of passengers. Each and every passenger needs to feel safe on their flights. He wants the TSA goals to be accomplished with the help of air travelers willing to "work together" rather than fighting it.

Details from

CNN

npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/11/16/131364772/tsa-head-defends-enhanced-pat-downs-and-safety-of-scanners

NPR

npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/11/16/131364772/tsa-head-defends-enhanced-pat-downs-and-safety-of-scanners

ABC News

abcnews.go.com/Travel/tsa-john-pistole-chief-defends-patdown-procedure-congress/story?id=12162454