Foody Friday:Loose vs Bagged Tea | Turby and John

Mar
30th
2012

I am of the opinion that any tea is worth trying, but I?ve also learned over time that all teas are not created equally. ?Some brands are consistently impressive, and others cost much more than they?re worth. ?Lately I?ve been reading about the pros and cons of buying loose tea instead of bagged tea (and vice versa), and, for the most part, what I?ve read is very much in line with my own observations. Loose tea is often praised for its superior flavor, while bagged tea is a popular choice simply because of its convenience.

I definitely enjoy the convenience of bagged tea, but I can?t deny that most of the best teas I?ve had have been loose (like the Teavana Youthberry Wild Orange Blossom Blend Danielle gave me for Christmas).

So which do you prefer? Have you ever noticed a difference between the two?

In case you?re interested, here are a few of the articles/posts I came across:

?

Happy Friday!

Filed under: food and drink, foody friday
Tags: convenient, food and drink, fresh, loose tea, opinion, tea, tea bags, teavana

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Toshiba Portege Z835-P370

If you're shopping for an ultrabook, you've got to at least consider Toshiba. Four months after its introduction, the company's Portege Z830/835 remains the lightest in its class at 2.5 pounds (versus 2.9 to 3.3 pounds for most rivals), with the best collection of ports?including Ethernet, HDMI, VGA, and a memory-card reader?that some ultrabooks leave out or delegate to dongles, as does the Dell XPS 13 ($999.99 direct, 4 stars).

We've tested two versions of the Toshiba already, the thrifty but sluggish Intel Core i3-powered Portege Z835-P330 ($799.99 list, 3.5 stars) and the fast but pricey Core i7-based model Z830-S8302 ($1,429 list, 3.5 stars). Now we're looking at the middle or Core i5 model, the Toshiba Portege Z835-P370 ($1,049.99 list)?and at the risk of sounding Goldilocksian, it's our favorite of the three.

Design
The super-skinny (0.6 by 12.4 by 8.9 inches, HWD) Z835-P370 gets its light weight from a magnesium alloy chassis that makes its base surprisingly sturdy?unlike its vanishingly thin screen, which flirts with the F word (flimsy) if you grasp its corners and wiggle them. In its favor, however, our test unit's screen hinge didn't get the shakes during typing as our Toshiba Z830-S8302's did.

The 13.3-inch display has the same mediocre 1,366 by 768 resolution as every ultrabook we've seen, excepting the 1,600-by-900-pixel Asus Zenbook UX31-RSL8 ($1,049 list, 4 stars) and HP Envy 14 Spectre ($1,399.99 direct, 4 stars). It's nicely bright, with sharp text and colors despite narrowish viewing angles; between the screen and the LED-backlit keyboard, we had no trouble working through a long evening in a less-than-brightly-lit room.

Besides the backlight (which by default turns off after 15 seconds of inactivity, though you can switch it permanently on or off), the keyboard offers an admirable layout, with dedicated Home, End, PgUp, and PgDn keys instead of doubling up these functions on the cursor arrows. We didn't test Toshiba's claim of its spill resistance, but we soon grew accustomed to its firm, somewhat shallow typing feel. Speaking of dedicated, the Toshiba's touchpad has two chrome mouse buttons instead of the mere clicky corners in fashion nowadays; their slightly stiff operation is a contrast to the pad's smooth gliding and tapping.

Features
The Z835-P370 does not have the Intel Smart Connect technology that the HP Envy 14 Spectre and Dell XPS 13 can tap into to update Microsoft Outlook and other Internet applications while the system sleeps (though one of its USB 2.0 ports can charge handheld devices while the system sleeps). But it has other wireless capabilities including Wi-Fi, WiDi or Wireless Display, and Bluetooth.

While the Toshiba ultrabook has no optical drive, we've already mentioned its impressive array of ports. Microphone and headphone jacks and an SD card slot are found on the left side of the chassis, with a USB 3.0 port on the right. Two USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, an HDMI port for modern monitors, and a VGA port for older displays or projectors are at the rear.

The Portege's 128GB solid-state drive has 77GB of free space out of the box, the rest occupied by everything from a system recovery partition to a measly 30-day trial of Norton Internet Security to Google Chrome and a slew of Toshiba-brand utilities. As expected, the SSD makes the little laptop a lot perkier than a hard-drive-based system, booting in 26 seconds and resuming from sleep in 3 seconds by our stopwatch.

Performance
The Z835-P370's one-year warranty doesn't stand out from its competitors. Nor does its Intel Core i5-2467M processor, the same 1.6GHz dual-core, four-thread chip found in a handful of popular ultrabooks including the Dell XPS 13 and our Editors' Choice HP Folio 13 ($1,048.99 direct, 4 stars). Its 6GB of standard RAM tops the 4GB usually found in the $1,000-street-price segment, but didn't bring the performance boost we hoped to see in our benchmark tests.

The Z835-P370's PCMark 7 score of 3,122 was within the margin of error of the HP Folio 13's 3,146, a step behind the Dell's 3,535. It posted solid times in our Handbrake and Photoshop CS5 multimedia tests (2 minutes 30 seconds and 5 minutes 18 seconds, respectively). As with other ultrabooks, its Intel HD Graphics 3000 integrated graphics put the kibosh on any idea of serious gaming, falling short of 19 frames per second in both Lost Planet 2 and Crysis.

With a rundown time of 7 hours 21 minutes, the Z835-P370's 47Wh battery nearly tied those of the HP Folio 13 (7:33) and the Core i3 Portege Z835-P330 (7:35) and bested that of the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,299 direct, 4 stars) (5:46). The larger 58Wh battery of the HP Envy 14 Spectre, however, remains our ultrabook champion at 8 hours 4 minutes.

Its more comfortable keyboard and elegant design touches narrowly keep the HP Folio 13 as our category Editors' Choice, but we're impressed by the Toshiba Portege Z835-P370. With the same light weight and high connectivity plus the best price/performance ratio of Toshiba's ultrabook trio, it'll never be a briefcase burden.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE:
Compare the Toshiba Portege Z835-P370 with several other laptops side by side.

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More Colo. wildfire evacuees wait to return home

The ruins of a horse trailer destroyed by a wildfire is pictured near Conifer, Colo., on Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Two people died in the wildfire that started Monday afternoon. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

The ruins of a horse trailer destroyed by a wildfire is pictured near Conifer, Colo., on Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Two people died in the wildfire that started Monday afternoon. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

In this aerial photograph, smoke roils skyward from hot spots as the Lower North Fork Wildfire burns near the foothills community of Conifer, Colo., southwest of Denver on Tuesday, March 27, 2012. Firefighters are now able to actively battle the blaze on the ground that started on Monday and has already destroyed at least 16 homes in the rugged terrain. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The ruins of a home destroyed by a wildfire are pictured near Conifer, Colo., on Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Two people died in the wildfire that started Monday afternoon. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Map locates a wildfire burning west of Denver that has destroyed 15 to 25 houses and left one person dead.

CONIFER, Colo. (AP) ? Residents of about 180 homes who fled a wildfire southwest of Denver earlier this week were waiting Friday to hear when they could return while other families were welcoming the chance to go back to their neighborhood.

Coe Meyer viewed his burned home for the first time Thursday, three days after high winds apparently scattered embers from a controlled burn last week, bringing the 6-square-mile mountain wildfire to life. He criticized the state for conducting a prescribed burn after such a dry March.

"The trappings of 62 years are gone," he said.

Questions remain not only about the prescribed burn, which was meant to thin vegetation that could fuel a dangerous fire, but also about warnings authorities gave residents to evacuate.

Mary Thuente says her neighbors got an automated call warning them to flee their homes, but she never got one before she left.

Jack Ogg doesn't think he got a telephone warning either, though it's possible it may have come while he was outside rounding up his dogs and his neighbors' pets. After that, he rushed away with 15 people and animals squeezed into his Jeep after firefighters asked him to take some neighbors with him.

Authorities said Thursday that an estimated 12 percent of people in the path of the wildfire never got a call to evacuate. Jefferson County sheriff's spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said a software glitch may have been to blame, though officials were still reviewing what went wrong.

But FirstCall Network Inc., which handles the county's system that automatically calls residents, said the system worked exactly as it should. The 12 percent represents residents who had disconnected numbers or didn't answer, said Matthew Teague, president of the Baton Rouge, La., company.

"Reaching 88 percent of people in the middle of a weekday is a great percentage," he said.

Officials originally said about 900 residences received automated evacuation notices. Teague said it would take a few minutes to notify that many households.

Kelley said it appeared some calls were made to people not immediately affected by the fire.

A couple found dead in the burn area ? Sam Lamar Lucas, 77, and Linda M. Lucas, 76 ? received an evacuation call, but it was not clear when, Kelley said.

Fire zone resident Ann Appel, who remains missing, also was called, Kelley said. The Appel family issued a statement Thursday saying they were "deeply grateful" to those searching for her.

One of the Lucases' neighbors, Eddie Schneider, said he didn't get a call and he knew the couple was packed to go if they received an order to evacuate. Schneider said he left after a firefighter warned him to leave.

The fire has damaged or destroyed about 25 homes. More than 500 firefighters were at the blaze Thursday, hoping to expand their containment line in case hot and windy weather returns this weekend as predicted.

Crews cleared lines on 45 percent of the fire's 8.5-mile perimeter and made enough progress to allow some residents to return home Thursday.

While residents raised concerns about Jefferson County's phone notification system, Pueblo County emergency managers said they have used their system without major problems. Those instances, however, generally involve less than 100 calls, said Tim Nawrocki, communications manager for the county Office of Emergency Management.

"It does automatic redials for numbers that were busy or there was no pickup," he said.

Phone numbers for residents with land lines are placed into the system's database by the same company that provides the locations of people who make 911 calls, Nawrocki said. People who have only cellphones must go to a website to register their numbers.

System managers can determine what areas get the calls by mapping them on a computer screen or entering address parameters.

"But usually the simplest is to draw a radius around the incident," Nawrocki said.

El Paso County has found that there can be delays if a larger area must be called, or if the system needs to call back many people who don't answer, sheriff's Lt. Lari Sevene said. Officials educate residents about what to expect on caller ID, so they don't inadvertently ignore an alert.

Sevene said she also reminds residents near wildfires that they can leave before getting an evacuation call.

"If there's a shift in wind, that shift could happen before we have an opportunity to change our messaging," she said.

State and federal agencies usually give some public notice of prescribed burns, partly to warn residents not to be alarmed if they see smoke. The state Forest Service won't release details on what kind of warning was given to residents near this fire because that will be examined in an independent review of the blaze, spokesman Ryan Lockwood said.

On Wednesday, Gov. John Hickenlooper ordered a suspension on prescribed burns on state land and pledged a thorough review of the rules for such fires.

Asked whether the state should reimburse residents for their losses, Hickenlooper said Colorado has traditionally relied on individual homeowners to insure themselves.

Coloradans could change the rules and make the state financially liable for damages linked to the actions of state employees, but that would require tax increases, he said.

Associated Press

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The Contraception Debate in Cyberspace - Life As A Human

Recently my personal cyberspace has been inundated with blurbs about the so-called Republican ?War on Women,? mostly having to do with a conservative-led challenge to a national mandate that employers with religious objections to contraception and abortion be required to pay for insurance coverage for these services. It?s a genuine Constitutional issue. Freedom of conscience is an important safeguard against steamroller tactics propelling a society towards an enticing but ultimately disastrous trajectory. But somehow the messages that appear on bulletin boards assume that women have a right to compel others to pay for a particular form of contraception, and that this overrides the personal moral qualms of a nontrivial proportion of the population.

I?m skeptical about national grassroots movements. I?m skeptical about the seemingly spontaneous eruptions of political sentiment that occur in blogging networks and social media sites. Most of the people with whom I am connected are educated individuals with relatively high personal ethical standards, but they are not critical enough when it comes to forwarding socio-political messages whose ultimate source is unknown, and they sometimes inadvertently propagate misrepresentations that serve aims and entities far removed from the apparent goals of the campaign.

The issue in the contraceptive insurance debate is not whether women will have access to chemical birth control, but who is going to foot the bill. When chemical contraception first became available, it was generally an out of pocket expense, but in recent years more insurance plans have provided coverage and government subsidies have been available for low income women.

There remains, however, a large population for which contraception is still an out of pocket expense, and this limits what pharmaceutical companies can charge for the product. Jack the price of something up too high, and people will stop buying it ? unless there is a pressing need for it and no comparable substitute, or they are addicted to it, or it is paid for by a third party.

The first two conditions clearly do not apply. While no over the counter or behavioral method of birth control entirely matches the convenience and effectiveness of the Pill, some come close. Women do not experience withdrawal symptoms or physical craving when they stop taking hormonal birth control. Consequently, if the pharmaceutical industry is to maximize its profits on what is already a lucrative product line, they need to push the third party angle, lobbying for mandatory insurance coverage for the working population and government subsidies for those in the social welfare system.

There have been a number of instances recently where pharmaceutical companies have manipulated the FDA drug approval process to remove long-established generic drugs from the market, resulting in an order of magnitude increase in the cost of critical medications. Adding drug coverage to Medicare is at least correlated with this trend. The influence of major pharmaceutical companies in the FDA is immense; the public certainly cannot count on the Federal Government to be a neutral party when balancing the overall good against the corporate bottom line.

What is to stop the same thing happening with hormonal birth control? Not Planned Parenthood, which acts as Big Pharma?s chief salesman. Not the medical research community, which is funded by the pharmaceutical companies and the Federal Government and can easily come up with a study demonstrating that a long-established generic product is unsafe compared to a newly patented variant whose clinical history is unknown. To date, efforts through legislation to control medical costs have been woefully ineffective. There is no gatekeeper here.

Further Reading:

Birth Control Subsidies Slashed: ?Will Big Pharma Take a Hit?

The Real Cost of Birth Control?According to Planned Parenthood hormonal contraception costs between 5 and 60 dollars a month depending on the brand and type of insurance. This is the cost to consumer not the overall cost obviously. Figures in the article do not include the cost of a doctor?s visit required to obtain pills.

A Giant Pain in the Wallet?How drug companies are making crucial, common drugs up to 100 times more expensive.

Photo Credit

Progestin pills ? King County Health Services

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Fitness And Pilates ? Weekly Desi Top 5

Individuals right now are starting to understand the importance of great wellness, that is accomplished via a properly well balanced diet, slicing out smoking and drinking, and incorporating some type of health and fitness plan into day-to-day life. While you will find some exceptional opportunities just like walking, swimming, tennis, handball, or operating out inside the gym, an additional option consists of Pilates, that has taken our modern society by storm. As well as getting enjoyable, Pilates is easy around the body although creating excellent outcomes.

Pilates requires a program of movement coupled with therapeutic physical exercise. This specific fitness plan took Joseph H. Pilatu more than 60 many years to great. In addition to helping men and women appear greater by toning and firming the body, Pilates tends to make individuals feel superior. Via precision toning and bringing stability to muscle tissue in the joint area, this health system stimulates circulation by utilizing muscular flexibility, proper musculoskeletal alignment, and selection of movement.

Pilates also provides much better body consciousness even though marketing coordination and generating new neuromuscular patterns. The result of this health plan is really a reduction or complete elimination of persistent pain and/or damage or re-injury. Joseph himself grew up with arthritis and asthma, generating him feeble. His father was a prize-winning gymnast and his mother a training naturopath. Using a discarded anatomy book, Joseph studied and studied to greater fully grasp the many body components. Through the age of 14, he had learned how to create his own physique, so considerably so that he was employed as an anatomy model for other college students to study.

With Joseph?s understanding and fine-tuning of this health and fitness process, he and his wife started educating Pilates. The exciting factor about this physical fitness program is the fact that by being created about the natural motion of animals and other natural movements, millions of people are able to include the plan into their everyday lives, obtaining they appear and feel far better. The bottom line is that no matter whether using Pilates or many other kind of physical fitness, you are able to tone the muscles, improve joints, and also lessen tension on the heart and lungs, giving you a longer, more healthy life.

We now see individuals from stay-at-home mothers to famous movie stars faithfully making use of Pilates with amazing results. In fact, if you would like the most from health, we suggest you combine Pilates having a cardio type of physical exercise including biking, walking, or swimming. By doing this, you will get the ideal of each worlds. Ideal of all, conditioning could be performed by folks of all ages and highly-priced equipment just isn?t needed to be successful. As a result, in case you are drained of searching and experience negative, get concerned using a great health and fitness system for instance Pilates.

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Payton, the Saints and GM appeal NFL suspensions

FILE - In this March 27, 2012 file photo, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton leaves the NFL owners meeting in Palm Beach, Fla. A person familiar with the decision says that Saints coach Sean Payton will file an appeal of his season-long suspension with the NFL on Friday, March 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez, File)

FILE - In this March 27, 2012 file photo, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton leaves the NFL owners meeting in Palm Beach, Fla. A person familiar with the decision says that Saints coach Sean Payton will file an appeal of his season-long suspension with the NFL on Friday, March 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez, File)

New Orleans coach Sean Payton leaves the NFL owners meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday, March 27, 2012. Facing a season-long suspension for his role in the Saints' bounties program, Payton planned to meet with Bill Parcells, his former boss, on Tuesday, a conversation that will include who will coach New Orleans this coming season. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

FILE - In this Aug. 2, 2010 file photo, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks at a media conference at the New Orleans Saints training facility in Metairie, La. The NFL has suspended New Orleans head coach Sean Payton for the 2012 season, and former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is banned from the league indefinitely because of the team's bounty program that targeted opposing players. Also Wednesday, March 21, 2012, Goodell suspended Saints general manager Mickey Loomis for the first eight regular-season games of 2012, and assistant coach Joe Vitt has to sit out the first six games. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2012 file photo, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton talks to media during his post season news conference at their NFL football training facility in Metairie, La. The NFL has suspended New Orleans head coach Sean Payton for the 2012 season, and former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is banned from the league indefinitely because of the team's bounty program that targeted opposing players. Also Wednesday, March 21, 2012, Goodell suspended Saints general manager Mickey Loomis for the first eight regular-season games of 2012, and assistant coach Joe Vitt has to sit out the first six games. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

FILE - This Dec. 26, 2011 file photo shows New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons in New Orleans. The NFL has suspended Payton for the 2012 season, and former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is banned from the league indefinitely because of the team's bounty program that targeted opposing players. Also Wednesday, March 21, 2012, Goodell suspended Saints general manager Mickey Loomis for the first eight regular-season games of 2012, and assistant coach Joe Vitt has to sit out the first six games. (AP Photo/Rusty Costanza, File)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Saints coach Sean Payton is appealing his season-long suspension from the NFL for his role in New Orleans' bounty system. And he's not the only one looking for a little relief from the penalties handed down by Commissioner Roger Goodell.

General manager Mickey Loomis, assistant coach Joe Vitt and the Saints organization each decided to appeal on Friday.

Payton will also ask Goodell for guidance on the parameters of the suspension, which runs through next year's Super Bowl, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the league and the Saints did not announce Payton's plan to appeal.

Saints spokesman Greg Bensel did confirm that Loomis was appealing his eight-game suspension and, separately, the team would challenge its $500,000 fine and loss of second-round draft picks this year and in 2013.

Vitt, suspended for six games, is doing the same. David Cornwell, representing Vitt as head of the NFL Coaches Association, confirmed the decision in an email to the AP.

Goodell last week announced the suspension of Payton, starting Sunday, for his role in connection with New Orleans' bounty system, which offered improper cash bonuses for big hits that either knocked opponents out of games or left them needing help off of the field.

Former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who left the Saints after last season to join the St. Louis Rams, ran the bounty program and has been suspended indefinitely.

The commissioner has said since the unprecedented penalties were announced that the Saints' coach would likely be allowed to continue working as his appeal was resolved. However, he added that the challenge would be expedited, indicating that Payton would not likely be able to add on much work time should his appeal be upheld.

Goodell also said at the NFL owners meetings this week in Florida that Payton could have some contact with the team but did not go into detail, and Payton indicated that he was still a little unclear about that, as well.

With all the uncertainty, Payton is trying to compress as much planning for the 2012 season into whatever time he has left at Saints headquarters this weekend.

The NFL could not immediately provide details on how Payton's decision to file an appeal on Friday would affect the timeline for the process to play out.

"The decision to appeal is for Sean Payton to make and announce as he deems appropriate," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "If there are appeals, the commissioner will arrange for expedited hearings, as he stated at the league meeting."

The results of the appeal could affect whether Bill Parcells comes out of retirement to take over as interim coach while his former offensive assistant and prot?g? is suspended.

Parcells has said he would consider coaching the Saints if asked. At a spring training game in Jupiter, Fla., on Friday, Parcells declined to answer questions about the possibility.

"I know better than that," Parcells said.

Payton and Loomis played golf with Parcells this week to talk to him about the team's predicament, and Parcells has told multiple media outlets that he would consider taking the Saints interim post to help his friend.

If the suspension is reduced, however, the Saints could decide it makes more sense to promote an assistant from the current staff.

There are also three strong candidates among Saints assistants to take over as interim coach: offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer. Payton expressed confidence in the abilities of his own assistants to compensate for his absence, but also has voiced some misgivings about saddling those coaches with additional responsibilities.

Since his suspension was announced, Payton has been putting in long hours with his staff and that of Loomis as they try to lay out plans for the 2012 draft and season.

Loomis will be able to oversee the draft and handle other roster moves up until the season starts. Then, barring a successful appeal, he will serve his suspension for failing to put a stop to the bounty system in a timely way.

Payton said earlier this week that he had already laid out plans for the offseason training program and the beginning of training camp, up until the Saints play Arizona in the Hall of Fame game Aug. 5 in Canton, Ohio.

The NFL's investigation in New Orleans found that Payton initially lied to league investigators about the existence of a bounty program and instructed his defensive assistants to do the same.

Payton twice apologized for his role in the bounty program, saying he takes "full responsibility" for a system that operated for three years under his watch.

The NFL has said as many as 27 players also could be sanctioned for their role in the scandal, but it is not yet clear when that might happen, creating additional uncertainty for New Orleans and some teams that have signed former Saints defensive regulars as they tried to build their 2012 rosters.

DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, told the website Pro Player Insiders that the league hasn't turned over what the union would consider direct evidence of player involvement in a 'pay to injure' scheme.

"If there is direct evidence of a 'pay to injure' scheme implicating players or anybody involved," Smith said, "we are asking the league to turn over that information."

Associated Press

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Social media: Is it too feminine?

Social media use tilts toward women, who like its sharing aspect. But a handful of entrepreneurs are trying to retool social media for men.

Facebook may be on track to break records with its initial public offering, but there's a possible challenge lurking in its databanks: It may not be a guy thing.

Skip to next paragraph

Sure, plenty of its 850 million users are men who push a "Like" button or search for friends. But women make up 58 percent of all users. They also do most of the status updating and commenting, according to the Pew Research Center, and they're twice as likely to make multiple comments a day.

A handful of entrepreneurs are banking on that disparity as they try to create a new kind of social media for males. "Social networks are built on sharing ? and that's a feminine model," says Phil Mark, cofounder of an eight-month-old start-up called Applified. Its strategy: Ignore women and create a male-only social network.

It's a tough nut to crack: While the number of social media users in America doubled from 2008 to 2010, the number of male users during that time dropped 3 percent, according to Pew, which released a report on social media last year. But men also want to maintain their friendships, these entrepreneurs argue. If a start-up company can figure out how to cater to them, it can capture a new engaged audience for social media.

Mr. Mark's first foray into the space is Jaxx, a social networking smart-phone app. Created with a former fraternity brother and fellow MBA student at Boston University and targeted at men ages 25-50, Jaxx is designed to overcome the traditional barriers to maintaining male friendship by allowing men to stay in touch around activities rather than shared feelings.

In practice, this means that once a guy signs up, he forms a private circle with other close friends. Within the group, friends can keep in touch around activities such as sharing pro sports scores or placing friendly group bets. Currently, the product is still in early development.

If Jaxx is aimed at strengthening male friendship, other male-oriented sites are all about prurient interests and male escape. "Men can't post about their trip to Vegas or going to a sports bar," says Ken Braun, founder of one such site, which has gained 30,000 Twitter followers and 100,000 registered users through word of mouth. On his site, ManWall, men can sign up to post anonymously.

Then there's Gentlemint, pegged as "a mint of manly things," which proudly displays on its home page its endorsement by the American Moustache Institute as "one of the more manly websites on the planet."

Gentlemint looks like Pinterest, the social bookmarking phenomenon currently netting 11 million visitors per month (68 percent of whom are reported to be female), but without the wedding cakes and kitchen appliance pictures. Just a month after opening the site to the public, the founders were shocked to have a waiting list they say is in the tens of thousands. Like Pinterest, Gentlemint is by invitation, and the founders estimate time on the waiting list at 10 to 11 days right now.

"We're growing at a pretty incredible rate," says cofounder Brian McKinney of Lawrence, Kan. "We're trying to let people in as quickly as we can, while being responsible and maintaining the intimate user experience that's already there."

Mr. McKinney and cofounder Glen Stansberry describe their site as "less frat, more rat pack" and say the response they've gotten shows that men do want their own outlets online. The site is currently losing money.

"We know we could plaster up advertising right now," says Mr. Stansberry. But like Facebook and other networks that built huge followings before figuring out a business plan, the pair want to focus on the user experience first.

Can these social media start-ups survive? Some analysts are skeptical.

"Women historically are the net-workers in relationships," says Keith Hampton, a communications professor at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., and lead author of the Pew survey showing a decline in male users of social media. A different website format isn't the answer, he adds. "Larger social forces that have nothing to do with the site's interface explain better why men are less engaged on social media."

Still, there are social websites that do draw men, such as the Art of Manliness blog, which boasts 8 million page views per month and generates a six-figure income for its creator, Brett McKay, and his wife. An eclectic and thoughtful mix of male topics ? from choosing a "council of heroes" to cooking wild game and explaining the origin of WD-40 ? the site has its own online social networking community. And traffic is growing, he says. "On my site, we double every year."

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Obama raising campaign cash in Vermont, Maine

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The AJC reviews Slate Table and Tap, Roswell | Food and More ...

$$

Roswell?s Canton Street has blossomed into a bustling hot spot of restaurants and bars, and it is a rare weekend night that doesn?t find traffic at a near halt as diners hop from one place to the next.

Review by Jon Watson

The strip of historic Roswell has a warmth not often seen in the city, and on a nice spring evening few tables and bar stools are empty for long.

One of the latest spots to join the roster is Slate Table and Tap, the second from owner Brian Martin of the nearby Indigo, currently closed for repairs after a fire in October.

Like many of the neighboring Canton Street restaurants, Slate occupies a renovated historic home. It?s been made over into a cozy pub with a multi-tiered enclosed back porch and a central bar downstairs.

If crafting a friendly neighborhood watering hole was the goal, Slate is surely a success. With 18 beers on tap, live music on the weekends, ample HDTVs, and a sprawling patio so nice that you can?t help but stay for just one more drink, it is no surprise this pub has earned a following of regulars.

Slate also sports an impressive selection of beers by the bottle, though the oenophiles out there might grumble at the wines available only by the glass.

Ginger BBQ Kobe Beef Brisket Skillet with mashed potatoes & Green Beans. (BECKY STEIN/special)

Martin teamed up again with consulting chef Todd Hogan from Indigo to design the selection of upscale bar food, and chef Chris Lafferty runs the kitchen day to day. The menu is expansive, often Southern- or Southwestern-inspired, ranging from traditional bar snacks and sandwiches to more ambitious and refined entrees.

Lamb Reuben

Most newcomers asking for advice likely will be directed to the popular lamb Reuben sandwich ($12.99), and you?d do well to listen. Piled with slices of juicy cured lamb and dressed with the traditional Reuben fixings on rye bread, this sandwich leaves no room for complaints. The bite of the sauerkraut and the robust lamb beg to be washed down with a cold pint of draft.

Many of Slate?s more successful dishes don?t stray far from the bar food end of the spectrum and are best when shared, like the creative selection of wing sauces ($9.99 for 10 wings).

I may return solely for another taste of the green curry coconut wings with cilantro and chopped peanuts. This oddball wing sauce strikes just the right notes of sweetness and heat, and the peanut coating over the fried chicken skin gives each bite a satisfying crunch.

An order of the blackened grouper and corn salsa fry bread ($8.99) ? Slate?s fried pita bread take on the personal pizza ? is a great substitute for a group appetizer, and the cool avocado cr?me fraiche is a nice touch.

Plan on splitting their fried green tomatoes ($9.99), as each slice is topped with buffalo mozzarella before it is battered, deep fried and topped with artichoke pesto. The thick batter and gooey cheese makes this a super-rich, though delightfully decadent, plate of food to tackle alone.

But not all of the pub-grub staples work well here. Thankfully, I merely sampled my companion?s grossly overcooked double burger ($11.99), for had it been my order for the night it certainly would have gone back. While the dry, gray 12 ounces of Angus beef was surely the result of a misstep in execution, it was far more than just slightly overcooked.

And it was only my growling hunger, the mysterious absence of our server, and an affinity for chewy pretzel chunks that kept me snacking on the Canton Street beer queso ($7.99). The bowl of melted cheddar quickly loses its appeal after the first few bites.

I had high hopes for the ginger barbecue Kobe beef brisket skillet ($14.99), a hearty helping of beef, mashed potatoes and green beans. But nothing about the shredded chunks of meat in the gravy-like sauce looks or tastes like its Kobe namesake, and it certainly doesn?t do justice to the meat.

On another visit, I enjoyed the first bite or so of the apple bourbon-glazed barbecue meatloaf ($13.99), but the intense saltiness quickly caught up with me and overpowered the dish entirely.

Paring down the menu to focus on the things they do well and a tighter execution of some dishes would go a long way toward improving the consistency in an otherwise promising lineup of food.

But until then, Slate remains a good place to stop in for a pint and some snacks before making your dinner reservation somewhere up the street.

SLATE TABLE AND TAP 1132 Canton St., Roswell, 770-641-6641 Food: Southern- and Southwestern-inspired bar fare Service: Friendly, but still working out the kinks Best dishes: Lamb Reuben sandwich , wings Vegetarian selections: Multiple salads and a few appetizers Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Hours: 11:30 a.m-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays Children: Come early Parking: Tight, but complimentary valet offered Thursdays-Saturdays Reservations: Parties of eight or more Wheelchair access: Yes Smoking: No Noise level: Moderate to loud Patio: Yes Takeout: Yes

Source: http://blogs.ajc.com/food-and-more/2012/03/29/slate-table-and-tap-restaurant-review-roswell/?cxntfid=blogs_food_and_more

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James bulger and the video recordings

James Bulger And The Video Recordings Act 1984

An analysis of the effect moral panics have on the law through criminal cases begins with James Bulger's murder in 1993. The Sun newspaper described the case as that horrific it ?highlighted moral decay in Britain.' The BBC called it a "landmark case," it came to symbolise a moral panic about deviancy and children - ?the threat of other people's, the defencelessness of our own.' This chapter will illustrate how the case has impacted upon the law in various areas; through CCTV scheme implementation, video recording regulations and juvenile sentencing. This influence will be shown through changes in legislation, as well as using supporting evidence such as reports and journals which relate the case to the formed regulations.

On the 12th February 1993, two year old James Bulger was abducted from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle by two ten year old boys, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. Two days later James' brutally mutilated body was found on a railway line. By the 20th February, Venables and Thompson were charged with his abduction and murder. It slowly began to unfold the extent of the various injuries inflicted to James' body by the two boys, as they tortured him before finally abandoning his body on a train track. Venables and Thompson were to be the youngest defendants in history to be convicted of murder.

The case was the first one ever to be aired on the programme ?Crime Watch' the same week as it had been committed, with the Ministry of Defence offering assistance in enhancing CCTV footage of the suspects abducting James to aid enquiries, giving an indication to how high profile the case was in public agenda. The impact the case had on Britain was one of stirring paranoia and fear, parents were afraid their child would be the next one to be abducted, with child's safety reign sales increasingly rapidly after James's abduction. The case has recently been pushed back into the attention of the media due to the re-arrest of the defendant Jon Venables on allegations made concerning breaches of his release on life licence.

The trial took place at Preston Crown Court due to the amount of unrest caused towards it in Liverpool. This suspects were labelled as ?evil,? combined with the media's reaction to the case as more details came to light creating a presentation of two young children as wicked; ?no further inquiry was necessary as to the causes of criminality in the young, all that matters were that they were guilty'. Few considerations towards the fact they were children were taken throughout the trial. It was later ruled in the European Court of Human Rights that Britain was guilty of three breaches of human rights in the trial and sentencing of Thompson and Venables through the massive emotionally driven media response to the case being severely intimidating towards the defendants, impairing the possibility of a fair trial. The sentence for the two defendants had been increased to 10 years form 8 by the lord chief justice, Lord Taylor of Gosforth. This was follow by a petition of 280'000 signatures conducted by The Sun newspaper, created with the intention to increase the custody sentence of the two defendants. Home Secretary Michael Howard granted this by increasing the maximum sentence to 15 years, a direct example of how the media has played a part in sentence tariff change. There had been refinements made to the tariff policy previously in 1998 and 1991 but no application was made to child offenders in the Parliamentary statements, until July 27 1993, when Michael Howard stated ?everything..said about the practice of the Secretary of State in relation to mandatory life sentence prisoners applies equally to persons who are, or will be detained during Her Majesty's pleasure.' This statement was made between the murder of Bulger and the trial of Thompson and Venables, which implies it was intended to appease the significant public opinion indicated by The Sun's petition towards this specific case. Michael Howard made it clear that this policy would be applied to Venables and Thompson just as it would be applied to an adult murderer.

The link between the two murderers and media violence began with a remark made by the trial judge; ?I suspect that exposure to violent video films may in part be an explanation.' This remark evolved into an application of blame to a ?slasher' horror film Child's Play 3, that the boys ?may' have watched. The link to Childs Play 3 was that the father of one of the boys - Neil Venables - had rented the video some months earlier; however the police officer who directed the investigation, Albert Kirby, found that the son, Jon, was not living with his father at the time and was unlikely to have seen the film. Moreover, the boy disliked horror films - a point later confirmed by psychiatric reports. Thus the police investigation, which had specifically looked for a video link, concluded there was none. This fact received very little coverage and the lasting impression is of the newspaper campaigns in November 1993 blaming violent videos for the toddler's murder'. The panic and outrage felt by the public at the child killers was turned onto media violence; the violence depicted through mediums such as film are suggested to be the cause and inspiration for a crime, wanting to pin James Bulger's murder onto the video. The Sun staged a public burning of horror videos begging the public to ?for the sake of all our kids...burn your video nasty,' Video stores began to withdraw the film from its shelves in fear of outcry from the public, one video chain burnt its copies as part of The Sun's campaign. It was later revealed four months later by the Merseyside police that there was no evidence to suggest either boy had watched Childs Play, or any horror film like it. This ?snow ball effect' sparked by the passing remark of the judge turned into a national outrage at the film., illustrating just how strongly the British public felt about the case. There was a need to find a cause for this horrific crime, a ?scape goat' for the blame, and measures needed to be put into place to prevent it happening again.

A report written by Professor Elizabeth Newson was commissioned to be written by liberal democrat MP David Alton to support his argument for an amendment to be made to the Criminal Justice Bill for videos to be classified as ?Unsuitable for Home Consumption' (UNHC), preventing children from viewing unreasonably violent videos at their leisure. He demanded that modifications be made to the law to effectively remove all horror films from distribution in the UK. State censorship was implemented in the realms of the courts and the Obscene Publications Act before then being embodied in the Video Recordings Act of 1984. The Video Recordings Act was amended after section 4 with a new legal requirement within Section 90(1) The Criminal Justice Act 1994 for the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) to;

?Have special regard among the other relevant factors to any harm that might be caused to potential viewers or, through their behaviour, to society, by the manner in which the work deals with:

For failing to apply the criteria with a sufficient regard for the factors listed, the BBFC could now be taken to court and held accountable. The mention of ?other relative factors' gave the BBFC the ability to also consider other criteria not listed such as bad taste, offensiveness or bad language. These amendments to the existing guidelines strengthened the classification system of videos. The criteria themselves are listed in very broad terms in their descriptions and what could be deemed offensive through their portrayal in video. The terminology used of ?any harm that may be caused to potential viewer or, through their behaviour, to society' is vague in its application; possibly being applied to ?harm' caused to the viewer through disturbing and shocking them, or maybe causing more long term damage psychologically. Previously triable summarily only offences such as supplying or possessing unclassified video recordings were made triable either way under section 88(2) and 88(3) of the 1994 Act, showing an acceptance these offences are of a serious nature, warranting this change. The Home Secretary also reserved the power to enable the BBFC to review video recordings ?in relation to such determinations as the authority think fit.'This broad provision means that videos already held a classification could be reclassified as suitable for an older age group only or even refused a certification altogether.

The criteria for suitability incorporated into section 4A of the V.R.A. will have application only to video classification decisions taken by the BBFC after the 1994 Act came into force, i.e. after November 3, 1994, but the Home Secretary has reserved a power in the legislation which will enable the BBFC to review works already classified prior to the introduction of these criteria.21 If this power is taken up, it might be anticipated that some videos which currently hold a classification certificate will, after review, be refused a certificate, whilst others may be reclassified as suitable only for an older age group.

In Newson's report, claims where made that up to that point it had been underestimated just to what extent these violent films were being accessed by children, with Newson making links to violent behaviour from heavy exposure to media images, which result in a desensitisation to compassion, as displayed by the two defendants in the Bulger case ;

?We know that children can be traumatised, not only by the images they see, but also by additional images that are suggested by their imagination in response to the originals; but far more dangerous, because more lastingly damaging, would be that eventually they should no longer be troubled at all by seeing violent images, as a result of desensitisation by systematic repetition. The processes of ?desensitisation? and ?flooding? are well known methods for modification of behaviour, reducing the impact of the original accompanying emotion.'

The Newson report has been described as ?wildly misleading' for its founding of evidence being of poor quality and its emotive use of the Bulger case to support its argument. Newson uses the ?protection of children' to strengthen her argument in the paper;

?it seems impossible to allow the situation to continue, and indeed escalate, as it now is. ..it seems unlikely that those who feel responsibility for protecting children will be able to wait for such corporate self-denial.'

Children in society are used here to strengthen the argument through individuals' innate need to protect and care for them; an illegitimate use of feelings to make a case for a cause. Not long after the Newson report was released the Gulbenkian Foundation commissioned a report; Children and Violence, which was published in November 1995.

The case of Jamie Bulger not only impacted upon the publics' perception of the ?Video Nasties' moral panic, but also the possible use of video surveillance in Britain as a crime prevention measure. Leon Hempel, a social scientist at the Centre of Technology and coordinator of the Urban Eye project stated ?The intense media attention afforded to the case played on the growing paranoia present in Britain.? At the time of James Bulger's kidnapping in 1993, there were just 10 systems active in Britain, by 2005 there were 4 million cameras installed, a total higher than any other country in Europe. CCTV imaging played a significant role in the Bulger case when it was used in the trial as evidence to show images of the two defendants Jon Venables and Robert Thompson abducting James Bulger from a Liverpool shopping centre (see attached bibliography for image; appendix A). This was at first the only major lead into identifying the suspects. Hempel stated, ?The Bulger case was instrumental in the rise of video surveillance systems across Europe, the case persuaded the British public of the advantages of having video surveillance cameras in public spaces and the effectiveness of systems in preventing crime.' Professor Laycock, director of the Jill Dando Institute stated the familiar image of the two defendants leading James Bulger out of the shopping centre is one that was key to the case, ?it showed the police they were looking for two kids rather than a paedophile.? Less than a year after the Bulger case, Liverpool city centre's own large scale CCTV system went live, which can be viewed as a direct reaction to the murder of James Bulger. But research carried out on 14 systems on behalf of the Home Office actually shows CCTV does little to reduce crime or make people safer. Chief inspector Kevin Wellden of Middlesborough Town Police sees the technology of CCTV as more of an asset to the police,

In 2002, Lord Falconer unveiled one of the largest CCTV systems to cover Manchester city centre, commenting that CCTV helps give the public peace of mind that they are more secure, acting as an aid to the police in apprehending wanted individuals and in securing convictions in court. A report carried out by the National Association for Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO) concluded that the CCTV system, as well as schemes put in place in housing estates, on public transport or car parks, had no effect into reducing street crime. NACRO have claimed that although CCTV is a useful aid to the police, its effectiveness is often over stated in its use as a crime prevention method.

Another aspect of CCTV that cannot be controlled is its misuse; an advisory body called Camera Watch chaired by Gordon Ferrie, a former senior police officer, found up to 90 percent of CCTV systems present in the UK fail to comply with the Information Commissioners UK CCTV code of practice, with many operating illegally; ?we are in favour of close circuit television, it's as good as having DNA. There is nothing better than actually seeing someone commit the crime. All we're asking is that the images that are taken are compliant with the Data Protection Act.?

The issued raised by the reactions displayed to the case of James Bulger highlights many aspects of how the media can influence the public perception of a social issue, but specifically the damage that has been caused by this moral panic. Traditional British views on childhood were lost, children were being monitored far more closely than ever before, with the real and very rare incident of two child killers being represented and used as an example of moral downfall in society. The news coverage of the crime was such that it implored people to support the campaigns and if you weren't a supporter you were condoning the defendants' actions in killing James Bulger. Jenny Bargen of the Department of Juvenile Justice warns the high profile case resulted in a ?public damning', distracting the justice system and the public from helping the offenders and the family of the victim.

?It's disturbing that young people are involved in killing someone. It always has been. But it does not mean that suddenly it is not safe to walk the streets, there are programs designed to help juvenile offenders to understand what they have done and help them to grow up.?

The intense media coverage of the child killers was so extensive that it could have given the impression to the public that the actual occurrence of such crimes was increasing. Between 1979 and 1994 there were 108 children between the age of 10 and 17 convicted of murder or manslaughter in England and Wales, a very small amount compared to the perception given by the mass coverage which will be shown to have a direct impact on the public opinion. The Guardian newspapers leader comment response to the ruling for Venables' and Thompsons' case said the murder had ?unlocked all kinds of primitive fears about the aggressive urges in young children', but also lead on to caution against using James Bulger's murder as ?an excuse for reversing 10 years of criminal justice policy. A system designed to deal with five million crimes must not be steered by one.' The question of how successful the rehabilitation could be of the two defendants has been brought into the foreground of the media recently due to Venables' re-arrest after a breach of his life licence conditions, but it must be remembered this one case is not applicable to all; with reference being made to the case of Mary Bell, who was released ?on licence' after serving 12 years now lives AAA

In the appendix of her book, ?The Case of Mary Bell,' Gitta Sereny describes the backgrounds of the two defendant's Venables and Thompson. This history contains Thompson's abandonment from his father and Venables as a school child displaying seriously disturbing behaviour. The sexual element of the crime, with the manipulation of James Bulger's foreskin is considered, with Sereny noting; ?children who abuse other children have almost invariably been abused themselves.'/ Gitta Sereny observes that to enable people to gain an understanding of why these terrible deeds occur, it is the only change we have of ever perhaps stopping even some of them taking place in the future. ?Horrible things will always happen, but to understand them could prevent some.' This argues for focus to be aimed at minimising future crimes through looking at providing support where it is needed through rehabilitation, not just to achieve retribution for the crime. The law relating to diminished responsibility, a defence to manslaughter, does not account for children who sexually abuse children or acknowledge that these abused children could be suffering from an ?abnormality of the mind.' In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, the foreman of the Bulger jury, Vincent Moss stated that ?looking back, I am ashamed that I allowed myself to be coerced by the judge and prosecution to agree to a verdict of guilty of murder.' Moss says ?a proper judgement would have been that they had behaved like confused, frightened and stupid children caught up in a situation they had created but could not deal with. The judge's pronouncement that they were ?evil? was just wrong - they didn't have the moral and intellectual capacity for this to be an accurate description.'

The case coming back into debate has resurrected the emotive responses of the public, but also highlighted an important and overlooked issue; victims and their families should have more rights within the system, in particular their access to information. A spokesman for Victim Support commented on the Bulger case, ?It is a severe example of a general problem that affects a lot of victims of crime, which is not being given information about what is going on.?

The Newson report has been regarded retrospectively as being quite biased in its conclusions which are accused of being based on weak research, being a result of child behaviourists falling into line with the current fad of that time to see a link between video violence and antisocial behaviour and ignoring evidence that does not fit in with the theory. One psychologist who signed to the Newson report was quoted saying ?In the past, many of us thought there could be a link but the evidence was not terribly convincing and not enough to make us question the freedom of an individual to have access to this material. The Bulger case made us think again.' However, the Gulbenkian Foundation's report does bring to light the importance of taking into account many other factors such as particular children's' direct experiences of violence in their homes, or the ecological surroundings of the children, not just orientating towards the one issue of video violence; ?A useful debate about causes and prevention of violence involving children is hindered by the sort of misinformation about the role of particular videos which followed the Bulger trial.' This is how a misleading representation can lead to changes in the law such as those that took place under the Video Recordings Act 1994 because of the Newson report and the change in the minimum tariff for life sentences. The changes made to the Video Recordings Act 1994 to strengthen controls over video recordings intend to implement strict standards of classification, but the extent to which these standards will be tightened is reliant on the interpretation of the BBFC. Through making the video classification offences subject to a sentence of imprisonment, there is an underlying recognition that these offences merit custodial sentences, and are therefore serious offences. The power reserved by the Home Secretary to allow the BBFC to review videos already classified prior to the new standards means it anticipated some videos already holding a classification certificate will, after review by the BBFC, be refused a certificate or be reclassified within another older age classification.

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Debt management plan might be the solution for our multiple debt problems. There are also so many professional services that we can find. However, we should remember that not all services are honest and professional. There are also so many thieves in disguise that ready to drown us to deeper problem. Remember, when we are working on our debt management plan with a company, we have to share our personal information, so we have to make sure that they company is a trustworthy company. To get the trustworthy company, make sure to get some references form people who managed to have a debt free life with the help of debt management plan company.

If we cannot find people who can give us references, then the solution is by choosing a company from the American Association of Debt Management Organizations. The organization members are specializing on debt management plan, credit counseling, financial industry and many others. Of course, we don?t have to doubt on the quality of the companies. We can take some candidates and learn further about the company to find out if it suits us. A similar way is by checking the BBB membership. BBB is the sign of quality, so companies that have BBB certification are definitely credible companies we can rely on.

One thing we have to consider when we are choosing a service for debt management plan is whether we want to choose the profit or non-profit service. Well, both of the service types are good. The clearest difference between profit and non-profit service is the tax payment. Profit service needs to pay taxes while non-profit is free form taxes. Good service will analyze our financial status carefully and they serve us some logical plans and expectations. Therefore, beware of services that serve us high promises even before they check our financial status. When it comes for you to find a good debt management solution to keep you sleep soundly at night, you can find one at MyDebtManagement.org. With countless number of clients they have, this should be a good proof of how great they are in the field. Take a peek to their official website and find out more information about their services as well as the pricing offered.

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Source: http://www.prologstaffing.com/finding-the-credible-debt-management-plan-service.html

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Tail Ware ? Comprehending Your Garage Floor Coverings Options

Laminate flooring has changed into a remarkably popular flooring option for a lot of homeowners not only because stylish finish but also because low maintenance top quality. Due to both, the former some may be the most hard-wearing and effective compared to the latter. Stone solutions generally offer a complete services, from consultation to produce and finally application. Talking about installation, new technology suggests modern laminate ground can boast a strong, glueless, snap-together, pre-finished system for your tight, precision craftsmanship accomplish. This happens because engineered flooring might be real hardwood flooring that was already prepared for a person. And it also requires to first or use a Homes for sale Charleston SC pre-existing epoxy coating already set up. In fact, it is far better mull over every one of your flooring options.

Different forms of finishes on sound and engineered lumber flooring: ? Some families like marble while like limestone. Normally the biggest expansion gap you can achieve would often be around 20 mm, which you would probably then cover along with a trim or skirting. Individuals are now changing their own reviews about Hard wood flooring and laminate type of flooring. Specials might also play down typically the competitors advertisement together with promotional efforts, to prevent competitors inside the advertising and promotion campaign for loyal customers and site visitors of the fold. There are a large number of styles of non-installed rugs for many interior and outdoor purposes.

Laminate ground ? the look of hardwood to get less. This thin set is going to be a very okay gypsum underlayment you pump over your current existing floor in addition to level out utilizing a spirit level to be certain your screed membrane is evenly spread round the floor. Marbles tiles are Builders in Charleston easily obtainable in different sizes and also types. Ok, i?ll clear one factor, you have got the good quality all-natural stone Surrey for the floor but you used to be just unable to see a tiler who will place the stone within the better way then your good work not to mention good stone might be. There is without a doubt such huge choice available that your person selecting right flooring surrey get hold of confused as which to buy and which not to. So, one should follow the many cleaning requirements to see the best results. You might ?go green? through choosing reclaimed hardwood flooring crafted from demolished buildings.

Laminate floor coverings is glueless and made employing a tongue-and-groove design, so it is much easier to install when compared with hardwood flooring and can help you save the cost associated with a professional installer. Possibly the maintenance from wood floors is very simple by comparison. Generally presenting, laminate flooring is actually cheaper than some other flooring options. Will be able to look great with attic conversions also if co-ordinated while using the beams. So next time while you are typically in garage and you drop a great hammer, be carefree, as tough surfaces absorbs the impacts without damage.

Many people don?t realize that proper routine service of flooring depends greatly on the amount was used since the top coating. These carpeting / flooring are far remarkable in durability towards real wood floors. I?m your home improvement contractor that?s been in the industry since 1984 and through learning from mistakes I have learned significantly about home improvements in most cases, but you won?t need considerably of experience at present to do a number of the home improvement projects around the home. Hand scraped floors provide you with the look of floors which may have years of identity, but they are now brand new. Distinct from other flooring items that raise inquiries for design disadvantage, concrete?s benefits surpass all which might be custom-design to deliver an industrial-looking some sort of upscale format.

Guest post by Yerkes T. Nelson Bart

Source: http://tailware.com/2012/03/comprehending-your-garage-floor-coverings-options/

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Receiving Love | Tasithoughts's Weblog

March 28, 2012 ? 4:59 pm

Last night I went to a workshop conducted by one of my dear friends, Soniyah Singh, of Finding Bliss ( www. finding-bliss.com). ?She is a matchmaker for gay men. ?I actually attended more out of obligation to her as a friend and not really with the intent of getting anything out of it. I was not going with a listening heart to say the least. I went to support her with my physical presence but not with my open heart .

I am not sure if cynical is the word I want to use, but lately, I have not had the best of luck with having a steady dating relationship.??I was just not in the mood in a word. ? However, there were familiar faces so that gave me some strength.

It was the third workshop in the series and it was the only one I attended. It focused on maintaining relationships. ?Soniyah took us through exercises like recognizing our love language. ?This means recognizing how we perceive receiving love and how others do it too. Sometimes how we do it does not mean our partner uses those same things. For example, for some people they perceive love when they get a lot of ?affection and touch from others. ?Others prefer praise and verbal affirmation. ?Others need more quality time. Others prefer gifts as an indication of love.

The majority of break ups statistically happen because couples slowly stop appreciating each other and not showing that appreciation for each other regularly. ?That is when emotional distance comes in and couples drift.

There was discussion on how to handle conflict, spend time together, and other topics that were really thought provoking. Even though the topics were centered on maintaining relationships, the theme of living in your truth resonated with me.

I believe that if one is searching for a partner , boyfriend or spouse, it is integral that you stay true to who you are yourself. Sure you may have to compromise some of the little things in order for the two of you to blend into a relationship where there is a union, but you do not lose yourself in it.

There are certain things that are very important to who I am and what makes me who I am. ?I think that we have to come into a potential relationship with our eyes wide open following our already open heart, ?really making sure that the relationship simply enhances who we are or brings out the best in us. ?We also have this love for the other person and our desire is to help them in their path to happiness. ?It is a journey you go on together.

So I left the workshop, thinking I am glad Soniyah forced me to come. ?It gave me some answers I needed.

Thank goodness for my DVR, though. I was able to record my favorite TV shows and still watch them ?:-P

Oh Amore!

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Source: https://tasithoughts.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/receiving-love/

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Kris Humphries Won't Sign Off On Kim Kardashian Divorce

Kris Humphries may only have been married to Kim Kardashian for 72 days, but he apparently thinks the marriage was worth more than his ex-wife is offering him in a divorce settlement.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/kris-humphries-wont-sign-divorce-kim-kardashian/1-a-439165?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Akris-humphries-wont-sign-divorce-kim-kardashian-439165

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Understanding The Noises Your Orange Heating And Cooling ...

According to Ric Hendrickson, an air conditioning and heating repair expert in Charlotte, the noises and appears that a heating and cooling system make can tell you a whole lot about what?s heading on with them.

As a residential income manager at Patterson Heating and Air Conditioning in Charlotte, I usually listen to from homeowners hoping for a rapid diagnosis of what?s heading on with their programs based on a number of fast descriptions of the sounds that their methods are generating. In my encounter, malfunctioning elements of HVAC techniques are likely to make loud noises that are simple to distinguish to a particular person who knows what he is listening for.

No matter whether you?re acquiring problems with your compressor, your supporter motor, or your filter, each and every component of an HVAC technique has its possess distinct audio that can support decide what is malfunctioning. And even better, you do not necessarily have to be an HVAC expert to comprehend what the distinct noises mean. Below are a few of the most typical noises for a heating or cooling program to make when it is not working effectively:

Drumming Noises

Typically, a really loud drumming sound coming from an exterior HVAC unit indicates that there is a difficulty with the system?s supporter motor. If a heating fix person in Charlotte checks out the admirer motor and decides that nothing at all looks improper, then that loud drumming sound could also be a symptom of a compressor issue.

Rattling Noises

If you start off listening to a faint rattling going on within your HVAC method, then that could be an indication that your inside of supporter motor is not functioning correctly. In these circumstances, I would advocate calling a heating and cooling professional to occur out and officially diagnose the dilemma.

Drawling Noises

If you have a loud drawling sounds coming from the interior motor of your air conditioner or heater, then that can perhaps reveal that the filter in your method is backed up. When a filter gets backed up, it has to pull more difficult than common just to get any air through. So that struggle is usually what benefits in the drawling noise individuals complain about.

In Charlotte, most repairs on heating and cooling programs are the end result of admirer motor issues. There are two motors within every HVAC technique ? the inside motor and the outdoors motor.

Inside Motor: The inside of motor is the a single that is pulling air by means of the system?s return feature and then pushing it back again up into the house. Because of all that an inside of admirer motor is liable for, that is the motor that people are inclined to discover the most when it starts heading on the fritz. Since the fan motor creates the circulation in the home, individuals can usually notify rather swiftly when it?s not working proper.

Any loud drawling noises are typically coming from the filter inside the indoor fan motor. Other occasions, this type of filter backup also shows up in the kind of a loud noise, as opposed to a long drawl. Either way, these varieties of noises are indications that the filter in the method is backed up, and that it wants to be replaced by a cooling and heating repair expert.

Exterior Motor: The other kind of motor that all techniques have is an outside motor. The outdoor motor is the a single that has a condenser on it-regardless of whether you are speaking about a warmth pump or an air conditioner. It is responsible for pulling the heat off of the coil, so if the outside motor is producing a really loud noise, then that would reveal that the motor demands to be transformed out, or possibly that the whole outdoors device is commencing to wear out.

However, most people don?t understand that their out of doors motors are having difficulties or producing noises initially because they just cannot listen to them from inside of their homes. Instead, it?s the neighbors who are usually the initial to hear outside motor problems. You could not listen to it as speedily as your neighbors do. But these mature units can be kind of loud and obnoxious, so neighbors will normally permit you know if one thing is generating even much more sound than usual.

Thank you to the developed engineering, today?s units are so significantly quieter than they utilised to be. If your outside device is producing a loud sound, possibly because it is just sporting out, then I recommend adding a more recent HVAC technique appropriate absent. Even though house owners might not be thrilled with the concept of swapping their more mature models when they break, putting in a newer, quieter type is nearly always better in the extended run.

Seeking Orange Heating for any home improvement project? We deliver you a skilled professional technicians that are able to resolve all sorts of commercial and home heating issues.

Source: http://www.llibresdecompanyia.com/understanding-the-noises-your-orange-heating-and-cooling-system-helps-make/

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