5 OPTIONS FOR DEALING WITH YOUR KIDS’ STUFF AFTER THEY MOVE OUT

Empty Nesters, opportunity awaits! Your kids have all moved out and your chance to reclaim some space has arrived. You may have been secretly planning your redecorating strategy for some time. It’s OK, no need to feel guilty. You’ve waited long enough for this day, and at considerable cost – both financially and personally. So let’s consider some ways to reward yourself, and even help others.

Here’s a list of five options for dealing with your kids’ stuff after they’ve moved out:

1. Donate – Goodwill Industries or the Salvation Army are a couple of good options that can make good use of those items you don’t want to hang onto or store away. Why not put those clothes to good use and spare some other parents the expense of keeping their offspring in $100 jeans?
2. Have a Yard Sale – You can help finance that vacation you’ve been holding off, by selling those items at a yard sale. Just don’t expect to actually get 100 bucks for those jeans. Make sure and put the furniture in the sale too. Now that you have them out of the house, you could use the money from the sale to redecorate their room.
3. Consignment Stores – This option is sort of a cross between the previous two. A consignment store will put your merchandise on display and sell it for you (you can negotiate pricing beforehand). They’re an appealing alternative to retail stores for the family on a tight budget, and will save you the hassle of setting up and manning a yard sale at your house.
4. Put it in Storage – Provided you’ve got either the space of your own, or the money to pay for storage, this option allows for the kids to reclaim those items that they may not have had room for when they moved out. There are definitely going to be things that you don’t want to give away or sell. It’s ok to hold on to it for awhile. They want to pass those baseball cards and matchbook cars down to their boys someday.
5. Build a Shrine – Be honest. You miss them already. And you just know that eventually they’ll be moving back in. You’re a parent and it’s natural to have a hard time letting go. So face it, you’ll keep their rooms and closets just the way they left them. And you are very right about the moving back in part. At least once, they’ll be back for a few months or weeks. You might as well have it ready for them.

Whichever option you choose, just make sure that you and your spouse savor this time to be just a couple again. You never know when your kids’ old rooms are going to be filled with grand-kids and their toys. See? So many more memories for you to make after all.

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moversandpackers.org/blog/2011/

Sexuality.

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Finance: Credit Cards.

Lies, Lies, Lies – How They Trick You Into Amassing Credit Card Debt
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Credit Card Debt Lie #1

You Can’t Live Without Credit Cards

The reality is if you are depending on credit cards to fill the gap in your pay or take care of emergencies, you are waltzing right into the credit card debt trap. You may feel that you can’t live without credit cards but the truth is, you can. It may take a major shift in your spending and saving habits, but you can do it. Most people don’t know that credit card debt is the number one factor that leads to debt trouble. That is until their plastic money runs out and their massive debt load starts to resemble Mount Everest.

Credit Card Debt Lie #2

You Need Credit Cards For Emergencies
One of the greatest debt accumulation lies ever told is the one about credit cards being great for emergencies. Time and time again, credit card holders convince themselves to apply for a credit car for emergency purposes only. But what they don’t do is properly define what an emergency is. Is it a one in a lifetime sale on a Flat Panel TV? Is it a buy a sofa, and get the loveseat for free deal? As it happens, the majority of individuals start using their plastic money for the basic necessities of life: grocery shopping, paying bills, gasoline, ordering products online, entertainment, etc. You know the rest of the story; eventually they amass thousands of dollars in credit card debt they cannot afford. Now they are having a true emergency, how do they pay those bills before the debt collectors start calling?

Credit Card Debt Lie #3

No Money Right Now? No Problem! Just Charge It!

When the “get it today, pay tomorrow,” ads first appeared on the scene, the average consumer didn’t see this economic Tsunami rapidly heading their way. The ads touted some pretty tempting benefits. You could extend your buying power by 30 days or more, get 0% interest and receive credit card rebates with every purchase. The best one of all is the one were there’s no payment for 12 to 24 months! Like lambs to the slaughter, people bought rooms full of furniture on credit and charged thousands of dollars in purchases to zero percent credit cards. The thinking was, when tomorrow came, they’d be in much better financial shape. By the time tomorrow came, their credit card debt was totally unmanageable. There was simply not enough income to pay all of the minimum monthly payments and take care of their households. That’s when they realized what a massive mistake they made in believing that lie.

Credit Card Debt Lie #4

You Need Credit Cards To Have a Good Credit Score

Smart consumers realize that the credit and finance industries worked together to create what we now know as the credit scoring system. What they may not know is this is a perfect example of social engineering. Unbeknownst to the average consumer, this system was engineered to steer consumers into accumulating debt. Have you ever read some of the credit score printouts? Did you notice how they suggest certain actions to improve your credit score? Actions such as:

1. Request a credit line increase

2. Never close unused credit cards

3. Never leave any credit card unused for a long period of time, and

4. To increase your credit score, open one or two more accounts.

Each of these actions requires a person to take on more debt, (whether short term or long term) in order to increase/improve their credit score. The only ones who win when consumers increase their debt load are the credit card companies and those involved in the debt industry.

Credit Card Debt Lie #5

We Have Great Payment Plans

It shouldn’t take a mathematical PhD to figure out that there is no such thing as a great payment plan. In the final analysis, credit card debt is extremely costly. For example, let’s say that you ring up a balance of $5000.00 at 14% APR. If you were only making the minimum payment of 2%, it would take you approximately 22 years and $5,887.00 in interest payments to pay off this debt.

That means you would have paid more than double for the items you bought. The credit card companies love it! You literally work for them, for the next 22 years of your life. When it comes to credit cards, don’t believe the lie, there is no such thing as a great payment plan.

Credit Card Debt Lie #6

Every Time You Use Our Credit Card You’ll Earn Points!

This is another slick tactic credit card companies use to bait people into accumulating credit card debt. It starts off innocent enough. To get points, a person starts charging little bitty things such as breakfast and lunch at fast food restaurants, gasoline, trips the store and other little nick-knacks.

These are things they should be paying with cash. The next thing they know, those $4.00, $6.00, $10.00 and $20.00 charges have added up into the thousands. It happens so fast most people never realize what’s happening. Yes, they got the points, but they also accumulated more debt in the process.

If you have fallen for any of these credit card debt accumulation lies and realize what a monumental mistake you’ve made, congratulations! You are now on your way to breaking free from the all-consuming debt trap.

Joel Marks brings a degree in economics and an unwavering passion to help fellow Americans come from under the clutches of debt. He believes that with the right debt advice or debt counseling, anyone can recover from the stresses of being overwhelmed with debt and live debt free. He states, “We offer no magic formula to get out of debt, just tried and proven methods that have helped countless men and women breathe a sigh of debt relief.” 

Find debt help at http://debterasure.com

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Cases against netas seldom probed properly, says Supreme Court

Dhananjay Mahapatra, TNN | Jun 29, 2011, 01.35am IST

The SC has moved to plug loopholes in the judicial administration system that are exploited to undermine probe into criminal cases involving important political figures.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has moved to plug loopholes in the judicial administration system that are exploited to undermine probe into criminal cases involving important political figures and inordinately delay their trial.

Terming the problem a 'grave and serious' danger to justice delivery system, the apex court has sought a report from the Law Commission on the issue.

The initiative came in response to a PIL filed recently by V K Ohri which stated that criminal cases against influential persons seldom got properly investigated and tried fairly, expeditiously and in accordance with law.

"As a result, influential people/accused having committed heinous offences are not brought to book and are mostly able to escape. This results, on many occasions, into grave miscarriage of justice and erodes the credibility of the criminal justice system," Ohri's counsel Prashant Bhushan told the court.

A bench comprising Justices Aftab Alam and R M Lodha said, "The problem identified in the writ petition is indeed grave and requires serious consideration. However, the court finds it difficult to deal with the issue in a meaningful way in the absence of necessary data and all the facts and figures relevant to the issue."

It added, "In these circumstances, apart from expecting a serious assistance from the side of the Union of India, we would like the Law Commission of India to examine the matter and submit its report with a view to assist the court."

The court requested the commission to consider the issue and submit a detailed report by end of August, when Ohri's petition would be taken up for hearing afresh. The commission headed by Justice P V Reddy discussed the issue last week and kept it for further deliberation next month.

The petitioner had cited the case of Shibu Soren, alleging that despite being declared proclaimed offender in a case, he was able to avoid arrest allegedly in connivance with police, and attended Parliament, election meetings and became a minister at the Centre.

"Similar is the fate of thousands of cases against influential persons who have committed gruesome crimes against common man and have gone scot free due to delay in process manipulated by them because of their influence," the petitioner said.

The outcome of the case could affect the proceedings of the 2G scam trial in which former telecom minister A Raja, MP Kanimozhi and corporate biggies are made accused after the CBI filed a chargesheet alleging that the nation was cheated of Rs 22,000 crore because of irregular allotment of spectrum. .    dhananjay.mahapatra@timesgroup.com 

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India News: murder of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey. Killers caught on camera.

CCTV evidence in Dey case, killers caught on camera

Shoaib Ahmed , CNN-IBN
Updated Jun 29, 2011 at 07:38am IST

Click to play video

New Delhi: CNN-IBN has accessed CCTV footage that shows the alleged four of the seven accused involved in the daylight murder of senior journalist Jyotirmoy Dey.

The video shows four of them closely trailing J Dey on a bike before gunning him down. But this footage might not have much evidentiary value in the court of law, as the faces of the accused are not visible due to rain.

The Mumbai Crime Branch has cracked the J Dey murder case. CNN-IBN has accessed a video that captures the moments before the June 11 shootout in which the veteran crime reporter was killed. The video reveals how underworld don Chhota Rajan's sharpshooters tailed Dey before gunning him down.

Four of six assailants are seen on two bikes following J Dey at a traffic junction near the crime scene. These images were captured by CCTV cameras installed at a nearby building and corroborate investigators' theory that the murder was meticulously planned.

"This was very professionally done, they had a Qualis ready as well to escape in case things go wrong," said Himanshu Roy, Joint CP (Crime), Mumbai.

Mumbai police had scrutinised this footage on the day of the murder itself. But it didn't appear to be of much help because the visuals were hazy as it was raining that day. The assailants’ faces nor the colours of their clothes were visible. But investigators were able to get a fair idea of these bike-borne assailants thanks to help of the five eyewitnesses, and were able to eventually nab them.

But this footage is not likely to be of much evidentiary value. The trial court may reject it altogether as the faces of the accused are not visible.

However, the prosecution may not need the CCTV footage during the trial as it already has strong material evidence like the revolver, the three bikes and the Qualis car allegedly used in the murder as evidence.

While these visuals will be scrutinized further in the public domain, investigators are will dig deeper to zero in on the motive behind the murder. They will soon question the tour operator who arranged for the J Dey's Europe trip just over a month before the shootout.

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ibnlive.in.com/news/journalist-j-deys-killers-caught-on-camera/163438-3.html

Science and Technology. Aliens ! We are going to meet them !

JUNE 28, 2011 2:21 PM PDT

Scientist: We'll meet aliens within 20 years

by Chris Matyszczyk

Just as Bigfeet tend to emerge during the summer period, so it is with UFOs.

It is natural to be skeptical. If these strange phenomena really did exist, why haven't their captains exposed themselves on our streets? Why haven't they sat down with Katie Couric and Oprah?

And yet two events have conflated to, yet again, send a frisson of excitement through the bones of those who seek extraterrestrial contact.

First, as reported by Reuters, a top Russian astronomer, Andrei Finkelstein, director of none other than the Russian Academy of Sciences' Applied Astronomy Institute, declared that we would meet aliens within 20 years.

His rationale is lofty, but strong.

He reportedly said that of the planets that circle the many suns out there in the black beyond, 10 percent have some similarity to our own Earth. From this he extrapolates that, sooner or only slightly later, there will be a cross-cultural encounter between ourselves and selves that may or may not resemble little green elves.

"They may have different color skin, but even we have that," Finkelstein curiously offered.

Such positing has been going on since before H.G. Wells tried to scare people listening to the radio. Indeed, not so long ago, Stephen Hawking said that we should be most concerned that aliens will actually despise us and simply want to pillage our land for its, um, fast food joints. (I paraphrase slightly.)

Perhaps we'll find out sooner than 2031. For currently there is a mild frenzy occurring over on YouTube with the emergence of videos that purport to show a UFO mothership and her fleet over London, scouting, perhaps, places to stay during the 2012 Olympics.

My first reaction to these videos was "there's yet another alien summer blockbuster movie coming out?" Yours might well be the same. And yet, as more of these YouTube videos have emerged, more than 1 million people have been lured to watch them and wonder.

Those with a sanguine perspective will have considered whether aliens already exist in our midst and have been sent to examine our way of life. I know a couple of people who, for example, wonder where Keanu Reeves might originally be from.

The only definitive answers will come when we can be sure that we can believe our own eyes and our own news media providers.

But if Finkelestein happens to be correct, humans' perspective on life-- even on technology-- might change drastically well before today's youths are able to pay off their student loans.

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source:
Chris Matyszczyk

E-mail Chris Matyszczyk

Chris Matyszczyk is an award-winning creative director who advises major corporations on content creation and marketing. He brings an irreverent, sarcastic, and sometimes ironic voice to the tech world. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET.

news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20075042-71/scientist-well-meet-aliens-within-20-years/#ixzz1QdHYqmHu

India News:Tainted Punjab Police Services officers

107 tainted Punjab Police Services 
officers hold public dealing posts

Saurabh Prashar, TNN | Jun 28, 2011, 02.55pm IST

CHANDIGARH: In Punjab, as many as 107 Punjab police services (PPS) officers including 15 SP rank officials, are facing departmental probes for their alleged involvement in criminal cases, for committing procedural lapses etc, and most of them are holding public dealing postings all over the state. 


A detailed list of 107 PPS officials including 15 SP rank officials was obtained by the TOI under the RTI Act which reveals all of them are appointed at public dealing posts in the police force despite having criminal and tainted background. The Punjab and Haryana high court advocate HC Arora said, "As per rules, police personnel with criminal background couldn't be appointed on the public dealing posts and till the pendency of court trial, the accused cops should be suspended." 


Active participation of tainted and accused police officials in Punjab police would be made into an issue in upcoming assembly elections in the state, said president of People's Party of Punjab (PPP) and former Akali leader, Manpreet Badal in Chandigarh. Manpreet wondered how a common man could expect justice in a state ``where senior police officials want to contest elections on behalf of the ruling party.'' 


Among the two DSP rank Punjab police officials, DSP Bhupinder Singh, who is posted in Gidderbaha, has been convicted in a forgery case while the role of another DSP Bakhsish Singh, who is posted in Faridkot, is under scanner in connection with a double murder. Bakhsish Singh has also been booked in a corruption case. While the court trial of double murder case against him is going on in the district courts, he is appointed on a public dealing post in district Faridkot in Punjab.

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