Home Improvement Ideas From the Seattle Home Show - Clayton ...

We recently attended the Seattle Home Show to get the latest home improvement trends and ideas to inspire your home improvement projects. If creating your dream home is still a work in progress, here are some ideas we picked up from the show.

LED Lighting

While 75 percent of American consumers have opted for CFL or compact florescent bulbs, LED, which stands for light-emitting diode lighting, is becoming more popular as the price becomes more reasonable.

LED lighting is more energy efficient, lasts longer than traditional incandescent bulbs, and is even slightly more efficient than CFL lighting. A recent study by Consumer Reports recommended LED lights over CFLs because LEDs are mercury-free, brighten instantly and offer superior light quality. Even at $25 per bulb, LED lighting can save consumers about $130 over their 23-year lifespan while CFL bulbs save $60 over incandescent light bulbs.

With its increased popularity more decorative LED lighting fixtures have become available, some of which were on display at the home show. In addition to being energy efficient, some LED lights have the added benefit of being able to change color to match a room?s d?cor. With an array of fixture designs, many of which look as good as or better than incandescent, LED lighting might be a money-saving option for a home improvement lighting project.

Outdoor Living Spaces

At the home show we heard over and over how outdoor living is becoming an increasingly popular trend for homeowners. Many homeowners now see their backyard as an extension of their house.

In cities like Seattle where the rainy days often outnumber the sunny, it is more difficult to take advantage of outdoor living spaces. Many of the home show ideas for creating outdoor living spaces in the Seattle area included building covered patios in order to take advantage of outdoor space year-round. The coverings ranged from as simple as an awning to an extension off the house or independent gazebo. A personal favorite idea was to include an outdoor fireplace and heater to make the outdoor space comfortable year-round.

Updating Master Bath

For homeowners looking to remodel, but who don?t have the budget to conquer the whole house, the master bathroom is a place to start. We learned that many homeowners are forgoing large remodeling projects in favor of upgrades to key areas. The most popular room to upgrade is the master bathroom. Many homeowners are looking to bring the spa home and make their en suite bathroom into a retreat. The home show had all sorts of ideas to make you drool: fixtures and materials to turn the bathroom into a high-tech spa, including an automated toilet/bidet with touch screen. If you don?t have the budget for a major overhaul, small changes like updating tile or fixtures can help give an upgraded look without the upgraded costs.

Tagged as: bathroom, home show, improvement, led, lighting, lights, living, outdoor, patio, remodel, renovate, renovation, seattle

Source: http://www.realestate.com/advice/home-improvement-ideas-from-the-seattle-home-show-41587

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Source: http://harrington42.typepad.com/blog/2012/10/home-improvement-ideas-from-the-seattle-home-show.html

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Lull in fighting between Israel, Gaza militants

JERUSALEM (AP) ? A deadly flare-up in fighting between Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas group subsided on Thursday after Egypt helped to restore calm ahead of a major Muslim holiday.

Weeks of simmering violence had intensified on Tuesday night, when rocket fire from Gaza drew Israeli airstrikes that killed two Palestinian militants. The hostilities came to a boil Wednesday, when militants fired some 80 rockets and mortars at southern Israel, and Israeli aircraft struck Gaza four times. In all, four Palestinians, including three militants, were killed in the fighting and two foreign workers in Israel were critically wounded.

The rocket and mortar fire stopped altogether overnight, though one projectile landed in southern Israel on Thursday morning, causing no damage. The military said it last struck Gaza on Wednesday morning. The violence ebbed as Muslims began preparing for the Eid al-Adha holiday, which begins on Friday.

Both sides confirmed Egyptian involvement in ending the fighting.

Under longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, Egypt had played an important role in halting multiple outbreaks of hostilities between Israel and Gaza militants. The new government of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi who belongs to Hamas' parent movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, kept up the tradition.

Israeli defense official Amos Gilad told Army Radio on Thursday that Egyptian security forces have "a very impressive ability" to convey to the militants that it is in their "supreme interest not to attack."

Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha said Egypt conveyed Israel's desire to contain the violence.

"We said we'll abide by the calm if the occupation abides," he said. "It happened over the phone with Egyptian intelligence."

Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks, has largely avoided attacks since a devastating Israeli military offensive nearly four years ago. It remains virulently anti-Israel but has sought to keep things quiet as it consolidates control of Gaza, which it violently overran five years ago.

Still, it is under pressure from smaller groups to prove that it remains in confrontation with the Jewish state.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman suggested the visit Tuesday of Qatari's leader to Gaza ? the first by a head of state to the territory since it came under Hamas rule ? emboldened Hamas to clash this week with Israel by bolstering the group's legitimacy.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lull-fighting-between-israel-gaza-militants-064724698.html

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New tools developed to better treat ADHD patients in early stages

ScienceDaily (Oct. 26, 2012) ? Mayo Clinic researchers are presenting new findings on the early treatment of child and adolescent attention deficit hyperactivity disorder this week at the American Academy of Childhood and Adolescent Psychiatry annual meeting in San Francisco. They include a method to get better input from parents and teachers of children who are being diagnosed with ADHD for the first time -- allowing for more effective treatment upon the first consultation. Researchers also showed how a tool can help clinicians better diagnose and treat children who have both ADHD and oppositional defiance disorder.

In the first study, Mayo Clinic researchers required parents and teachers of children coming in for their first ADHD consultation, defined by some combination of problems such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior, consultations to complete extensive background forms and analysis. By offering incentives and stressing the importance of being prepared for the first consultation, clinicians were able to boost parent and teacher compliance from 25 to 90 percent at the Mayo Clinic Child and Adolescent ADHD Clinic. As a result, researchers have been able to better recommend treatment and therapy right off the bat.

"I'd compare treating a child with ADHD for the first time to consulting with someone who has type II diabetes -- we need to measure a diabetic patient's blood sugar level before we can properly treat them," says study lead author Jyoti Bhagia, M.D., a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist. "The same goes for ADHD. The more we know about children in the early stages of treatment, the more quickly we can get them the help they need."

In the second study, Mayo Clinic researchers gave 75 patients with ADHD at the Mayo Clinic Child and Adolescent ADHD Clinic a written, subjective evaluation to test for oppositional defiance disorder, a persistent pattern of tantrums, arguing, and angry or disruptive behavior toward authority figures.

They found that the test was far better able to pick up whether the child had the disorder than an anecdotal physician diagnosis. Of the 75 patients in the study, 27 percent, or less than a third, were diagnosed with oppositional defiance disorder by their providers. After taking the subjective test, 48 percent tested positive for oppositional defiance disorder. That shows the presence of oppositional defiance disorder with ADHD is underdiagnosed and children may not be receiving the behavioral treatment they need.

Children who have both ADHD and oppositional defiance disorder benefit from a combination of medication and behavioral therapy, says Dr. Bhagia.

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/child_development/~3/uZQES-mgX-A/121026100807.htm

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How Kendrick Lamar Moved Up To The Big City

'I knew this day would come where the world would be listening,' Kendrick tells MTV News of his evolution as an artist.
By Rob Markman

Kendrick Lamar
Photo: MTV news

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1696248/kendrick-lamar-maad-city-evolution.jhtml

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Boo! Ghost Exchange?

October, 2012

(Insert Deep Voice) In a world?.

Ghost Exchange, a documentary by Camilla Sullivan and Rob Lyall, is about to bring stock market structural issues front and center to Main Street. You can watch the trailer to the movie here.

Reuters? Emily Flitter caught up with Camilla yesterday, who told her that the Flash Crash caught her attention in 2010, prompting her to commence this project, in which she asks, ??Are we taking care of and nurturing our capital markets or do we have the potential to lose something very important?? You can read the Reuters article here.

Ghost Exchange is a series of interviews with varied market participants ? from Direct Edge?s William O?Brien to the Themis boys. Their views of the quality of our current market structure varies, and we do believe you understand all the issues portrayed ? being our clients and friends. However what the film does, and will do, is further bring sunlight to a complex and murky debate.

We all sometimes feel that bringing our issues to the for-profit stock exchanges has not resulted in material change and reform. The same can be said for bringing these issues to the attention of industry groups. We also all sometimes feel that the regulators know of these issues, and yet continue to place their rubber stamp of approval on Frankenstein. It has become clear to many of us that meaningful reform, will best be born from widespread public education, debate, media exposure, as well as pressure on Congress. And Congress will only act if the benefit to them of listening to concerned constituents outweighs the benefits to them from corporate and industry-group lobbying. We have no doubt that eventually this will take place; the winds of change are in motion. The only question is will it happen before a financial disaster strikes again.

On a related note, gander at the largest contributors to key players on the House Financial Committee, such as Jeb Hensarling:

Top 5 Industries, 2011-2012, Campaign Cmte and Leadership PAC

Industry	Total	Indivs	PACs
Insurance	$340,397	$64,897	$275,500
Securities & Investment	$316,050	$109,550	$206,500
Commercial Banks	$272,000	$67,000	$205,000
Finance/Credit Companies	$179,500	$34,500	$145,000
Real Estate	$154,100	$55,600	$98,500

And Spencer Bachus:

Top 5 Industries, 2011-2012, Campaign Cmte and Leadership PAC

Industry	Total	Indivs	PACs
Insurance	$376,460	$33,960	$342,500
Securities ? & Investment	$375,177	$83,677	$291,500
Commercial ? Banks	$341,900	$91,400	$250,500
Real ? Estate	$205,940	$104,450	$101,490
Finance/Credit ? Companies	$144,938	$39,938	$105,000

?

We look forward to the official release! And yes ? we have upgraded our phone system from dials to push buttons.

Source: http://blog.themistrading.com/boo-ghost-exchange/

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Modern Japanese Ecovillage House Brings Nature Inside, Literally ...

? Yuta Yamada/Fujishokai

In a concerted effort to harmonize recycling, water and energy use some years ago, citizens, community leaders and researchers collaborated on the creation of a 1,000-person ecovillage in Shiga prefecture, located near Kyoto, Japan. Earlier this year, Shiga-based architects Sumiou Mizumoto and Yoshitaka Kuga of ALTS Design Office completed the Kofunaki House, a lovely example of integrating nature with dwelling in this new eco-community.

? Yuta Yamada/Fujishokai

The house's open interior uses the natural surfaces of wood, combined with ample natural lighting and strategically-placed gravel gardens to evoke a sense of changing seasons. Small trees, succulents and shrubs poke out of the interior gardens, a conscious effort to bring nature inside, weaving it into the daily activities of the family.

It's a counterpoint to conventional housing's separation from nature, say the architects on ArchDaily:

A home is [usually] divided inside and outside completely, and [nature] is not considered, but [the in Kofunaki house] inside and outside are connected more gently, and people are beginning to make the space which [one] can always feel woods, feel nature, and enjoy the season which moves and passes away.

? Yuta Yamada/Fujishokai

The entry area is modelled after the doma of the traditional Japanese farmhouse (minka). The doma is a floor of packed earth historically used for cooking and storing water -- it is the entry area before one steps up onto the raised floor of the house. Here in Kofunaki House the doma is transformed into a transitional area blending inside and out, thanks to the suggestive gravel garden and staggered planks of wood which act as stepping stones of sorts.

? Yuta Yamada/Fujishokai

Within the 1,400 square-foot home there is a distinct sense of harmony in the overlap of spaces and viewpoints throughout the house; the open-riser stair and the bridge connecting the upstairs office and sleeping areas helps greatly in this aspect.

Spaces are gently separated with the use of translucent curtains rather than solid walls, adding to the fluid feel of the design.

? Yuta Yamada/Fujishokai

? Yuta Yamada/Fujishokai

Though there's not much said on what specific kinds of materials and methods were used, aesthetically and philosophically the Kofunaki House presents a fresh, modern take on what housing in a contemporary ecovillage might look like: open, unassuming yet full of distinctive touches. More over at ALTS Design Office and ArchDaily.

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/kofunaki-eco-village-house-alts-design-office.html

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Ugh, Verizon Plastered Its Logo on the Samsung Galaxy Note II Home Button

This is awful. Utterly, completely, corporate suit wearing, slicked back hair smelling, awful. Verizon stamped its logo on top of the new Samsung Galaxy Note II. Do you see it? Yes. That's right, the Verizon logo is on the freaking phone's home button. Covering it. Are you kidding me. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/I64FKPoTISM/ugh-verizon-plastered-its-logo-on-the-samsung-galaxy-note-ii-home-button

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Apple introduces thinnest iMac yet

22 hrs.

Joel Johnson

Mobile devices might be the biggest driver of Apple's business these days, but the Mac isn't a sales???or design???slouch. The electronics giant Tuesday announced a update to its popular iMac desktop computer. And like all of Apple's updates, this year's model is thinner than ever.

Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, took a few minutes to introduce the new model.

"The number-one desktop model in the U.S.," said Schiller. "Many think of it as the flagship of the Mac product line."

The new iMac looks very similar to the previous generation of iMacs from?the front, with a large silver "chin" beneath the screen. But from the side, the upgrade is apparent, with an edge that's just 5 millimeters thin. Do bear in mind that the middle of the back aluminum plate does bulge out a bit to give more space for its internal components, leaving the new iMac with 40 percent less internal volume than its predecessor, weighing in eight pounds lighter.

The new iMac will be available in two sizes, a 27-inch model with a 2,560 by 1,440 pixel display, and a 21.5-inch model with a 1,920 by 1,080 pixel display, available starting at $1,800 and $1,300, respectively.

Because there's not as much width on the side, the optical disc drive???for DVDs???is gone. (A USB SuperDrive is available as an option for those that still need to use DVDs.) The SD card reader has moved to the back.

Apple also put its marketing touch on the iMac's new hard drive, a hybrid flash and traditional hard drive technologies, which they've dubbed the "Fusion Drive." The Fusion Drive is formatted in such a way to keep frequently used software on the faster-performing flash drive, keeping data like photos or infrequently used software on the slower, traditional hard drive.

"It isn't amazing how something new makes the previous generation instantly look old?" asked Schiller.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/ever-more-minimalist-apples-new-imac-thinnest-yet-1C6634818

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Kisses and Huggs Blog: Relationships and Marriage Killers Part 10

It simply offers a lopsided view of the person?s full character. A lady may appear respectful and so sweet each time you see her but that is just an infinitesimal fraction of her whole personality.

You will be doing great harm to your marriage if you now begin to compare such a man or lady to your spouse. Your wife is a stakeholder in your life and you are stuck with each other 52 weeks of the year. You are together during the good, bad and ugly. You obviously don?t expect your spouse to be all smiles, sweet and angelic all through the year!

Note the following about comparison traps
1.??? Your spouse is one with you and it is your responsibility to accept, love and respect him or her
2.??? When you start comparing your spouse to another, you start welcoming feelings of dissatisfaction.
3.??? Understand that just like you admire others apart from your spouse, your spouse also goes through the same. Communication and openness is therefore important.
4.??? When you are married, you can admire but not desire
5.??? People are different and no two people on earth will behave the same way
6.??? Learn to be thankful and appreciative of your spouse. Accept your spouse
7.??? Understand that your spouse is God?s best for you
8.??? Your marriage with your spouse is a necessary journey to becoming a better person.

CONFESSION FOR THE DAY
I have the best spouse. He/she is ideal for me and good for me to fulfill my purpose.

PRAYERS FOR THE DAY
Father, help to always lovingly accept my spouse. I ask for grace to patiently stay with my spouse on our way to becoming better.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
2Co 10:12 GW
We wouldn't put ourselves in the same class with or compare ourselves to those who are bold enough to make their own recommendations. Certainly, when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves to themselves, they show how foolish they are.

ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY
Write out all the good qualities of your spouse. You will be amazed at what God has given you!

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Ps 67 - 69

Source: http://www.kissesandhuggsclub.com/2012/10/relationships-and-marriage-killers-part.html

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Brain waves reveal video game aptitude

ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2012) ? Scientists report that they can predict who will improve most on an unfamiliar video game by looking at their brain waves.

They describe their findings in a paper in the journal Psychophysiology.

The researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) to peek at electrical activity in the brains of 39 study subjects before they trained on Space Fortress, a video game developed for cognitive research. The subjects whose brain waves oscillated most powerfully in the alpha spectrum (about 10 times per second, or 10 hertz) when measured at the front of the head tended to learn at a faster rate than those whose brain waves oscillated with less power, the researchers found. None of the subjects were daily video game players.

The EEG signal was a robust predictor of improvement on the game, said University of Illinois postdoctoral researcher and Beckman Fellow Kyle Mathewson, who led the research with psychology professors and Beckman Institute faculty members Monica Fabiani and Gabriele Gratton.

"By measuring your brain waves the very first time you play the game, we can predict how fast you'll learn over the next month," Mathewson said. The EEG results predicted about half of the difference in learning speeds between study subjects, he said.

The waves of electrical activity across the brain reflect the communication status of millions or billions neurons, Mathewson said.

"These oscillations are the language of the brain, and different oscillations represent different brain functions," he said.

The researchers also found that learning to play the game improved subjects' reaction time and working memory (the ability to hold a piece of information in mind just until it is needed), skills that are important in everyday life.

"We found that the people who had more alpha waves in response to certain aspects of the game ended up having the best improvement in reaction time and the best improvement in working memory," Mathewson said.

This project is a part of a larger collaborative effort to determine whether measures of brain activity or brain structure can predict one's ability to learn a new video game. One analysis, led by Beckman Institute director Art Kramer (an author on this study as well), found that the volume of specific structures in the brain could predict how well people would perform on Space Fortress. That study used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the relative sizes of different brain structures.

But MRI is expensive and requires that subjects lie immobile inside a giant magnet, Mathewson said. With EEG, researchers can track brain activity fairly inexpensively while subjects are engaged in a task in a less constricted, less artificial environment, he said.

The new findings offer tantalizing new clues to the mental states that appear to enhance one's ability to perform complex tasks, Mathewson said. Alpha waves are associated with relaxation, but they also are believed to arise when one is actively inhibiting certain cognitive functions in favor of others, he said. It is possible that everyone could benefit from interventions to increase the strength of their alpha waves in the front of the brain, a region associated with decision-making, attention and self-control.

"You can get people to increase their alpha brain waves by giving them some positive feedback," Mathewson said. "And so you could possibly boost this kind of activity before putting them in the game."

The study team also included researchers now at the University of Texas at Dallas and Florida State University.

The U.S. Office of Naval Research, the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Beckman Institute supported this research.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Kyle E. Mathewson, Chandramallika Basak, Edward L. Maclin, Kathy A. Low, Walter R. Boot, Arthur F. Kramer, Monica Fabiani, Gabriele Gratton. Different slopes for different folks: Alpha and delta EEG power predict subsequent video game learning rate and improvements in cognitive control tasks. Psychophysiology, 2012; DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2012.01474.x

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/jjJTDv7VblI/121024133411.htm

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Disabled patients to benefit from Medicare change

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Quantum computing with recycled particles

ScienceDaily (Oct. 23, 2012) ? A research team from the University of Bristol's Centre for Quantum Photonics (CQP) have brought the reality of a quantum computer one step closer by experimentally demonstrating a technique for significantly reducing the physical resources required for quantum factoring.

The team have shown how it is possible to recycle the particles inside a quantum computer, so that quantum factoring can be achieved with only one third of the particles originally required. The research is published in the latest issue of Nature Photonics.

Using photons as the particles, the Bristol team constructed a quantum optical circuit that recycled one of the photons to set a new record for factoring 21 with a quantum algorithm -- all previous demonstrations have factored 15.

Dr Anthony Laing, who led the project, said: "Quantum computers promise to harness the counterintuitive laws of quantum mechanics to perform calculations that are forever out of reach of conventional classical computers. Realising such a device is one of the great technological challenges of the century."

While scientists and mathematicians are still trying to understand the full range of capabilities of quantum computers, the current driving application is the hard problem of factoring large numbers. The best classical computers can run for the lifetime of the universe, searching for the factors of a large number, yet still be unsuccessful.

In fact, Internet cryptographic protocols are based on this exponential overhead in computational time: if a third party wants to spy on your emails, they will need to solve a hard factoring problem first. A quantum computer, on the other hand, is capable of efficiently factoring large numbers, but the physical resources required mean that constructing such a device is highly challenging.

CQP PhD student Enrique Mart?n-L?pez, who performed the experiment, said: "While it will clearly be some time before emails can be hacked with a quantum computer, this proof of principle experiment paves the way for larger implementations of quantum algorithms by using particle recycling."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Bristol.

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Journal Reference:

1. Enrique Mart?n-L?pez, Anthony Laing, Thomas Lawson, Roberto Alvarez, Xiao-Qi Zhou, Jeremy L. O'Brien. Experimental realization of Shor's quantum factoring algorithm using qubit recycling. Nature Photonics, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.259

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/physics/~3/yzlPOH-yZt0/121023112515.htm

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Nice to meet you all :)

Hey, I'm Caer or Wolf or, in the case one one particularly bubbly person, Wolfie, a pleasure to meet yer. I like the pic however, I will beg to differ on the quotation. No matter how utterly moronic a person is, it always pays to listen, as at times, even they can spew forth something useful and obvious that you had missed. I call myself wolf because of my fascination (And in some ways obsession) with wolves as hunters. Either way, look forward to roleplaying with yer and finally... Welcome to RoleplayGateway.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/9Lnaz6yOVC0/viewtopic.php

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Iran and US can agree on one thing: There are no direct talks planned

Iran's foreign minister echoed White House denials that the two countries are scheduled to have direct bilateral negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.

By Yeganeh Torbati,?Reuters / October 21, 2012

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks to a gathering at the University of Havana, in Havana, Cuba, in January. The White House and the Iranian government say they are prepared to talk one-on-one to find a diplomatic settlement to the impasse over Tehran's reported pursuit of nuclear weapons, but there's no specific meeting date right now.

Franklin Reyes/AP/File

Enlarge

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Iran?followed the United States on Sunday in denying that the two countries had scheduled direct bilateral negotiations on?Iran's controversial nuclear program.

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The New York Times, quoting unnamed US administration officials, had said on Saturday that secret exchanges between US and Iranian officials had yielded agreement "in principle" to hold one-on-one talks.

"We don't have any discussions or negotiations with America," Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told a news conference. "The [nuclear] talks are ongoing with the P5+1 group of nations. Other than that, we have no discussions with the United States."

The P5+1 group comprises the permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, Britain, China, France, and Russia - plus Germany.

The United States has been working with the P5+1 to pressure Iran?on its nuclear program, but with few results. The United States and other Western powers allege that the program is aimed at developing nuclear weapons, but Tehran says it is purely peaceful.

White house denies

The White House also denied the newspaper report, which came two days before President Barack Obama faces Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in a televised foreign policy debate.

"It's not true that the United States and?Iran have agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American elections," US National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement.

"We continue to work with the P5+1 on a diplomatic solution and have said from the outset that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/pLYQNF7_Fzw/Iran-and-US-can-agree-on-one-thing-There-are-no-direct-talks-planned

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Ill. Catholic Charities seek new path without foster care, adoption

The Catholic Charities agencies of Illinois are trying to meet society?s needs ?in a different way? in their first year without the state contracts that supported their adoption and foster care services.

?It?s been an interesting year,? Robert Gilligan, Executive Director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois, told CNA Oct. 17. He said agencies are ?continuing to adapt very well.?

The agencies are ?smaller? but are ?continuing to try to meet the needs of the most poor and vulnerable in our midst.?

Last year Illinois Catholic Charities were forced to close their adoption and foster care programs.

In July 2011 the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services ended the contracts under the state?s new civil unions bill. The department said the agencies? practice of placing children only with married couples discriminated against unmarried and homosexual couples. Lawsuits and legislative efforts attempting to preserve the decades-old collaboration between the Catholic agencies and the government failed.

The state contracts with the Catholic agencies totaled over $30 million annually and helped care for about 2,000 foster children.

The contracts? end had major consequences.

Catholic Social Services, the Catholic Charities agency in the Diocese of Belleville, split from the diocese to become Christian Social Services. It now accepts couples in civil unions as foster parents.

Catholic Charities of Peoria, which received $14.8 million of its $24 million budget from the state, went from nearly 400 employees to fewer than 20. Most of its employees left to work for the Center for Youth and Family Solutions, which took over the foster care cases of nearly 1,000 children.

Peoria?s Catholic Charities is restructuring to operate without any funding from the state. [More]

SOURCE

CNA

?

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Source: http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2012/10/ill-catholic-charities-seek-new-path-without-foster-care-adoption/

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Default Tricks ? Home Remodeling Tips Everyone Needs To Find Out

Just about anyone will love and make use of doing a bit of home remodeling tasks. If you are a beginner, plenty of regions can be quite complicated, such as which tool is the greatest 1 for the job or do you require a permit for that project you might be planning to take on? So, exactly what can a novice do to discover more regarding this info? Tips are the most effective option, such as the versions found listed below.

It can be time for you to fresh paint the outside of the property should you be looking for a way to boost home improvements. Handful of everything has the impact and attraction of your shiny cover of external surfaces paint. Pick a new and different color, and it will surely appear to be an entirely new home!

There are several telltale signs to search for that signal improvements are needed over an outdoor patio. A few things to check for are cracks, dried out rot, protruding fingernails or anchoring screws and unevenness on the boards.

Crown molding is a simple supplement which makes a huge distinction in the look of your own home. Crown molding offers a little bit graphic fascination for an otherwise ordinary wall surface and can significantly boost the appearance of an entire area. It is far from very expensive to get in crown molding and it is easy to put in.

Among the fastest, most inexpensive ways to brighten an area is always to color your surfaces. Go to your local home improvement center and look at color french fries. Select those which suit your needs and enjoy yourself. In the event you don?t like it, you can paint above it.

Even small home remodeling assignments can increase the resale importance of your house. When you are thinking about offering your own home, take into account task several modest assignments. For instance, painting the walls inside and outside your house. Accomplishing this basic career, which only costs a few 100 $ $ $ $, may add almost $1,000 to value of your home!

Mount your television set around the wall structure. It might clear up a substantial amount of place. You can find packages accessible that make wall installation a Television set a simple and speedy career.

Look to your home if you want to acquire an idea of where to begin home improvements and updates. Appearance initial on the wall surfaces, cleaning them up from any oil or other unsightly spots with proper detergents. This can remove the fat and lots of that old fresh paint. Color your house in a suntan shade you may create the impression of having extra space.

To generate more space on the nightstand, choose flooring lighting fixtures as an alternative to kitchen table lamps. The floor lamps can be moved to distinct aspects of your room as they are free standing. Choose a lamp that has an attractive design that suits your style.

To conserve on your own some aggravation, poke openings with your painting can?s edge. This may prevent color from filling up the channels in the metal fresh paint containers, and as a result they may not spillage if you replace the cover. Utilize a nail to create a couple of slots round the channel?s bottom part so that this doesn?t happen.

Be sure you take pleasure in your home enhancement project. It is important that you are currently very seriously mindful when you find yourself operating, but you should also be having a good time. When you are not experiencing the project, you are making find yourself hurrying to complete it and hurrying can lead to mistakes simply being produced. If the represents you, take into consideration getting a skilled.

When employing installers to do any function in your house, always maintain precise and comprehensive information. Never ever rely on your contractor to do so. Keep a folder with commitments and receipts highly relevant to the venture you are carrying out. This allows the contractor to focus on finishing the work.

As you can tell presently, several men and women have trouble concluding home improvement tasks. It might be an easy task to do home improvement projects when designed with the right details. Start by following via together with the ideas out of this article.

There is more information available about check out Franchesca V. Helem?s site there?s plenty of points not covered in this article, find those details at Author?s website to locate supplementary information.

Source: http://www.defaulttricks.com/home-remodeling-tips-everyone-needs-to-find-out/

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Lebanese PM suspects assassination linked to bomb plot

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Saturday he suspected the assassination of a senior Lebanese intelligence chief was linked to his role in uncovering Syrian involvement in an earlier bomb plot.

As fear and anger gripped Lebanon over Friday's car bomb attack, Mikati also said the president had asked him to stay in his post despite his offer to resign and make way for a national unity government.

In the streets of Beirut and other cities, gunmen and demonstrators blocked roads with burning tires to protest against the killing of Brigadier-General Wissam al-Hassan in the explosion in the capital on Friday afternoon.

Lebanese politicians have accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the attack, deepening fears that Syria's sectarian-tinged civil war is spreading to its neighbor.

The opposition March 14 bloc had called for the government, which includes ministers from the Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah, which is close to Assad, to step down.

Mikati, speaking at a news conference at the presidential palace, stopped short of blaming Assad directly.

But he said he suspected the bombing was related to the indictment in August of former minister Michel Samaha, a supporter of Assad, over a plot allegedly aimed at stoking violence in Lebanon.

"A prime minister does not anticipate investigations, but quite honestly ... I cannot separate in any way the crime that took place yesterday and the discovery of the conspiracy against Lebanon in August," he said.

The slain Hassan had helped to uncover the bomb plot, which fuelled sectarian enmity in a country where the balance between religious groups is fragile. He also led an investigation that implicated Syria and Hezbollah in the assassination of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri in 2005.

Lebanon's religious communities are divided between those that support Assad in Syria's civil war and those that back the Sunni-led rebels. Lebanon is still recovering from its own 1975-1990 civil war, and the assassination threatens to bring a new bout of instability and bloodshed.

"Today, I am saying more and more that there should be a national consensus government," Mikati said. "The cabinet will eventually resign, but at the moment we must take a national stance, and I call on the Lebanese to unite together."

GUNS IN THE STREETS

Squads of armed men gathered in the northern, mostly-Sunni city of Tripoli, where pro- and anti-Assad factions have clashed repeatedly this year.

In Beirut, troops reinforced road junctions and official buildings but many roads, including the highway to the international airport, were blocked by demonstrators.

Soldiers and police guarded street corners in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh area, the mainly Christian district where the bomb exploded during rush hour, and at Martyrs' Square in the centre.

In Beirut's Sunni Muslim areas, where most people are opposed to the Alawite Assad, cars mounted with loudspeakers cruised the streets issuing calls for the government to resign.

Dozens of gunmen were in the streets and the mood was tense, witnesses said.

In the northern city of Tripoli, four people were wounded on Saturday by sniper fire on Jebel Mohsen, a neighborhood which is home to members of Assad's minority Alawite faith.

A pro-Hezbollah religious figure was killed in clashes in Tripoli on Friday night, residents said.

Lebanese soldiers opened fire on a group who took over a road in the Bekaa Valley, wounding two people, witnesses said. Rallies were also held in the southern town of Sidon.

"HUGE BLOW"

The late Hariri's son, Saad al-Hariri, also accused Syria's Assad of being behind the bombing, which killed at least eight people and wounded more than 80. Saudi Arabia, a close ally of the late Hariri and opponent of Assad, said it was an attack on Lebanon's security and stability.

The head of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, Major-General Ashraf Rifi, described Hassan's death as a "huge blow" and warned that further attacks were likely.

"We've lost a central security pillar," he told Future Television. "Without a doubt, we have more sacrifices coming in the future."

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, whose party still formally supports Mikati's government though he is bitterly critical of Assad and Hezbollah, said Hassan's death left Lebanon unsafe.

"He was our protector. This is a harsh blow but we will not be scared and we should not accuse anyone inside Lebanon so we don't give Bashar an excuse to seize the country," he said.

Lebanon's mufti, the senior Sunni religious figure, announced three days of mourning for Hassan. He will be buried with full honors on Sunday.

Hassan, who had returned to Lebanon on Thursday night from Germany, had helped to uncover many assassination attempts against anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon and had himself escaped several attempts on his life.

Two Syrian officers, including General Ali Mamlouk, the head of Syria's national security bureau, were indicted along with Samaha, Lebanon's former information minister, in August over the plot.

The indictments were an unprecedented move against Syria, a dominant player in Lebanese affairs for decades. Syria sided with different factions during the 1975-1990 civil war and deployed troops in Beirut who stayed until 2005.

As well as being the brains behind the Samaha investigation, Hassan led the investigation into Rafik al-Hariri's murder seven years ago and uncovered evidence that implicated Syria and Hezbollah, though both deny involvement. An international tribunal accused several Hezbollah members of involvement in the murder.

Despite the accusations from Lebanese politicians, both the Assad government and Hezbollah condemned the bombing. Syria's information minister called it a "terrorist act".

The bombing also heightened concern among Western powers - who have strongly criticized Assad and called on him to quit - that the Syrian war could ignite conflict across the region.

More than 30,000 people have been killed in Syria since a Sunni-led popular uprising against Assad, a member of the Shi'ite-linked Alawite sect, broke out 19 months ago.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Hassan's killing was "a dangerous sign that there are those who continue to seek to undermine Lebanon's stability".

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, whose country is a powerful backer of Assad and Hezbollah, condemned the bombing and said he planned to visit Beirut.

(Additional reporting by Oliver Holmes and Dominic Evans in Beirut; Editing by Andrew Roche)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/beirut-bomb-kills-anti-syrian-intelligence-official-002426703.html

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CDC: Death toll rises to 23 in meningitis outbreak

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Search Engine Results Enhancements Peter Konig Art

Oct21

Online Marketing SEO The web is now the most popular source people use for information and it is imperative to market your business using a wide selection of Internet tools. Social media, email, web design, and search engine optimization are just a few of the different tools we can utilize. Utilizing these tools can ensure that your business name is kept current, vibrant, and at the forefront of your clients? minds. Because all of these things are difficult to manage on your own, it?s critical to trust your internet marketing to a business who is experienced doing all of these things. Trust a marketing firm that can help by monitoring all these areas at once. When you use online marketing, you will start seeing a giant change quickly.

Source: http://peterkonigart.com/search-engine-results-enhancements-2/

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Video: Matthews vs. O?Reilly: Now with helium!

Zito shuts Cards down, keeps Giants alive

??Despite never throwing a pitch that topped 86 mph, San Francisco's Barry Zito shut down the Cardinals for 7 2/3 innings Friday night, keeping the Giants alive in the National League Championship Series, 5-0.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/49482872#49482872

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32GB Nexus 7 tablets appear at retail with $249 price tag, October 29th street date

Ahead of Google's Android event on the 29th there's additional confirmation of a storage upgrade for the Nexus 7, as 32GB units have now been spotted on shelves at US retailers. Seemingly dead-set on matching the LG E960 "Mako" Nexus G for the title of worst-kept secret, we've received this photo of a tag for the new unit at a Sam's Club (with a placeholder price). Reports on Android Central and The Verge also mention hardware spotted at Staples locations, with one person actually succeeding in buying one. All of that follows a listing on the Staples website and one Japanese buyer apparently receiving one early by accident. According to the tags and receipts, the new units are scheduled to go on sale the same day as the Android event, and at the same $249 price of the current 16GB model. Now that the alleged Sony Nexus phone has been exposed as a fake we don't know if there will be any surprises left, but if you want to buy anything from Google's brand then patience (or at least shopping around) is probably your best strategy.

[Thanks, Adam]

Filed under: Tablets, Google

32GB Nexus 7 tablets appear at retail with $249 price tag, October 29th street date originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 18:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/19/32gb-nexus-7-249-oct-29th-leak/

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Beirut bombing sparks protests aimed at Syria

Mahmoud Zayyat / AFP - Getty Images

By NBC News staff and wire services

BEIRUT -?Protesters burned tires and set up roadblocks around Lebanon on Saturday in a sign of boiling anger over the killings of a top security official and seven others, while Lebanon's prime minister said he suspected a Syrian connection in the bombing.

At a press conference, Prime Minister Najib Mikati?said he suspected the bombing was related to the indictment in August of former minister Michel Samaha, a supporter of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, over a plot allegedly aimed at stoking violence in Lebanon.

"I cannot separate in any way the crime that took place yesterday and the discovery of the conspiracy against Lebanon in August," he said.?

Other?Lebanese politicians have also accused Assad of being behind the attack, deepening fears that Syria's sectarian-tinged civil war is spreading to its neighbor.?

NBC News producer Paul Nassar reported an unusual calm had swept over Beirut.?

"The city is dead, absolutely quiet," Nassar, reporting from Beirut, said. "All the major shopping districts are closed -- this city would usually be brimming with activity, but now, nothing."

---

Nassar added that the bomb was an especially devastating blow to the city because it came on the cusp of the major Islam holiday Eid, which starts next weekend.

"Hotels that were close to capacity are now looking at 20 percent" of rooms full after tourists scrambled to cancel their reservations, Nassar reported.

In the eastern Bekaa Valley region, the Lebanese army opened fire on a group who were blocking a road to protest the bomb attack, wounding?two people.

"The Lebanese army were trying to open the road and started firing their guns," a witness from the village of Bar Elias, told The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Cabinet held an emergency meeting as the country's opposition called for Mikati to resign.?

The government declared a national day of mourning for the victims, who included Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan, head of the intelligence division of Lebanon's domestic security forces. Dozens were wounded in Friday's blast in Beirut's mainly Christian Achrafieh neighborhood.?

Many observers said the attack appeared to have links to the Syrian civil war, which has been raging for 19 months. Al-Hassan, 47, headed an investigation over the summer that led to the arrest of former Information Minister Michel Samaha, one of Syrian President Bashar Assad's most loyal allies in Lebanon.?

Samaha, who is in custody, is accused of plotting a campaign of bombings and assassinations to spread sectarian violence in Lebanon at Syria's behest. Also indicted in the August sweep was Syrian Brig. Gen. Ali Mamlouk, one of Assad's highest aides.?

Al-Hassan also played a role in the investigation of the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri with a massive truck bomb. A U.N.-backed tribunal has indicted four members of militant group Hezbollah, which along with its allies, now holds a majority in Lebanon's Cabinet. Hezbollah denies involvement in Hariri's killing and has refused to extradite the suspects.?

Al-Hassan's department also had a role in breaking up several Israeli spy rings inside Lebanon over the past few years, Lebanese officials said.?

Lebanon's fractious politics are closely entwined with Syria's. The countries share a web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries, often causing events on one side of the border to echo on the other. Lebanon's opposition is an anti-Syrian bloc, while the prime minister and much of the government are pro-Syrian.?

The civil war in Syria has laid bare Lebanon's sectarian tensions as well.?

Many of Lebanon's Sunni Muslims have backed Syria's mainly Sunni rebels, while Shiite Muslims have tended to back Assad. Al-Hassan was a Sunni whose stances were widely seen to oppose Syria and Shiite Hezbollah, the country's most powerful ally in Lebanon.?

Lebanon's top Sunni cleric, Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid Kabbani, condemned the assassination, calling it a "criminal explosion that targets Lebanon and its people." He called for self-restraint saying that "the criminal will get his punishment sooner or later."?

Police and army troops sealed off the site of Friday's blast as military intelligence agents investigated what was the deadliest bombing in Beirut in four years.?

Sharbal Abdo, a Beirut resident who lives down the block from where the car bomb detonated, on Saturday brought his six-year-old son Chris and 12-year-old daughter Jane to see what happened the day before. They were both at school when the blast ripped through the area.?

"They were very afraid yesterday, and cried a lot late into the night," Abdo said. "Today I decided to bring them here and show what happened. They need to face this situation. It may be their future."?

On Friday, protesters in mostly Sunni areas closed roads with burning tires and rocks in Beirut, the southern city of Sidon, the northern city of Tripoli and several towns in the eastern Bekaa Valley.?

The highway linking central Beirut with the city's international airport was closed, as well as the highway that links the capital with Syria, the officials said on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.?

Rafik Khoury, editor of the independent Al-Anwar daily, said the assassination was an attempt to draw Lebanon into the conflict in Syria, which has been the most serious threat to the Assad family's 40-year dynasty.?

"The side that carried the assassination knows the reactions and dangerous repercussions and is betting that it will happen. Strife is wanted in Lebanon," Khoury wrote.?

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More world stories from NBC News:

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/20/14576521-lebanon-leader-points-to-syria-in-bombing-as-protests-break-out?lite

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Why I Burned My Social Security Card - Investment U

by Mark Skousen, Investment U Research
Friday, October 19, 2012: Issue #1886

??Social Security may not be worth anything when the recipient gets it, but he is going to get his benefits paid.?

? Senator William Proxmire (1979)

Today, October 19, I reached the ?retirement? milestone of 65 years of age. Fortunately, my health is good and I still play basketball, golf and other sports, and feel young as ever. I have no plans of retiring. I hope to write Forecasts & Strategies for at least another 20 years!

As I approach my sunset years, as they call it, I?d like to think that my investment strategy has improved with age. At least that?s what the Hulbert Financial Digest seems to indicate ? My newsletter, Forecasts & Strategies, has beaten the market six out of the last seven years. And we are beating the market this year.

How? By focusing primarily on income-producing investments. Studies have shown that dividend-paying stocks beat the market with less risk. The most important lesson of investing is that Wall Street exaggerates everything. (See my book Investing in One Lesson.) You can?t eliminate risk in the stock market, but you can reduce it by emphasizing dividend-paying stocks.

The Coming Bankruptcy of Social Security

Sixty five is the age when Americans traditionally retire from work and sign up for Social Security and Medicare.

As an ardent supporter of self-reliance and limited government, I have felt for a long time reluctant to accept Social Security payments when our government is so deeply in debt. Back in the early 1980s, I burned my Social Security card at the New Orleans Investment Conference as a protest against a bad retirement system.

Mark Skousen burns his Social Security card at the New Orleans conference in the early 1980s

There are a lot of problems with Social Security. It?s a poorly developed, defined pension plan that discriminates against working wives and low-income workers. It imposed high taxes (15% payroll tax) on the middle class and the working class. It keeps them from saving. And the Social Security Trust Fund is a poor way to invest the money (in Treasury securities rather than the stock market).

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have the guts to say that Social Security and Medicare are bankrupt, with trillions of dollars in unfunded liabilities. Social Security alone faces an unfunded liability of $8.6 trillion. But so far no president has been willing to really address the massive problems these two government programs face in the near future (next 20 to 30 years).

Fundamental changes need to be made. Like private companies, the government needs to convert Social Security into a defined contribution plan like a 401(k). Businesses have done it, but government is afraid to make the change.

Otherwise, runaway inflation is the only way out. I well remember Senator William Proxmire saying in the late 1970s, that young people who reach Social Security age will be paid. ?We have the power to provide that money. And we are going to do it. It may not be worth anything when the recipient gets it, but he is going to get his benefits paid.?

I was one of those young people he was talking to. And now that I?ve reached 65, I can sign up for Social Security and get around $1,800 a month.

Taking the Social Security Pledge

Fortunately, I?ve been lucky and don?t need to take Social Security to live on. I?ve worked hard, saved, and invested to build up my net worth. I?ve paid off my home mortgage, and I have both a company pension program and an individual retirement account. Like many wise Americans, I?ve followed the golden principles of ?industry, thrift and prudence? advocated by Benjamin Franklin in The Way to Wealth.

I?ve asked a variety of friends and colleagues what they do with their monthly Social Security check. Many depend on Social Security for their livelihood. Others say they don?t do anything special with the money. It?s deposited directly into their bank accounts, and they spend it as they do any other income.

This started me to thinking: Can Social Security payments be used for a good cause?

In the early 1970s, my uncle W. Cleon Skousen, a political conservative, told me that when he turned 65, he would refuse Social Security payments because he didn?t believe in a government-imposed pension system. But in 1978, when he turned 65, he couldn?t resist the extra monthly income of $650. After all, he had earned it during his working years. It had been deducted from his paycheck and set aside for him (theoretically, at least) in the Social Security Trust Fund. It was his. So he went down to the Social Security Office in Salt Lake City and signed up.

But he didn?t just spend the money for daily living expenses. He decided to sign the monthly Treasury check over to his favorite cause, his National Center for Constitutional Studies. His personal mission was to teach Americans about the Constitution and how to preserve it. Through NCCS, he traveled the country giving Constitutional seminars to patriotic Americans.

I think he made the right decision. I?m sure his foundation made better use of the money than the federal government would have by wasting it on some boondoggle.

Put Your Social Security Check to Good Use

Following in my uncle?s footsteps, I?ve decided to sign up for Social Security. Since I don?t need the money to live on, I?ve decided to invest my monthly government check into a variety of good causes. Based on my past earnings, I should receive a check of around $1,800 a month, automatically transferred into my bank account.

Too often wealthy retirees don?t know what to do with Social Security. They sign up and deposit it into their bank accounts and don?t know what to do with the money.

I suggest they take the Social Security Pledge. If you are wealthy enough, use part or all of your Social Security proceeds to invest in a favorite cause or two. Invest 10% or 100% of your monthly Social Security check in your favorite charity, foundation, church, or synagogue, or other good cause.

To take the pledge, go to www.socialsecuritypledge.org. I?ve set up this website so you can take the pledge and identify your favorite causes with links. I hope you will do so.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have the Giving Pledge, where billionaires sign up and pledge to give away the majority of their fortune to charity. But the Social Security Pledge is better, because you can do it while you?re alive and it affects more people.

You don?t have to limit yourself to giving to non-profit organizations that are tax deductible. You can give your Social Security check to any organization, public or private, or to individuals. You can donate it to your favorite political party. You can even give the funds to a student scholarship ? for your grandchildren, for example. Or somebody who has a medical need.

Investing in Free Enterprise

Another possibility is to invest your government check in free enterprise. Buy shares in individual stocks or mutual funds through a brokerage account. If you?re a retiree, look for high dividend-paying stocks like Main Street Capital (NYSE: MAIN), which yields 6.1%; Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund (NYSE: FAX), which yields 5.3%; or Eaton Vance Floating Rate Income Fund (NYSE: EFT), which yields 6.6%.

Banking technology has made it simple and efficient to invest in good causes. Use an online banking service, such as www.everbank.com. Make a list of how much money you wish to give to each organization or cause, so that donations equal your monthly Social Security check, or whatever amount you feel comfortable giving. Then inform your online bank of the names and addresses of the organizations and how much you wish to donate to each. Your online bank will do the rest by automatically sending them a check every month. You can change the organizations and amounts whenever you want. It?s that simple.

The potential is huge for the Social Security Pledge to help charitable organizations, enterprises, and movements grow.

John Wesley, the Founder of the Methodist Church, once gave a popular talk called ?The Sermon on Wealth.? According to Wesley, the mission in life was three-fold:

Work all you can.

Save all you can.

Give all you can.

The Social Security Pledge is a great way to live up to John Wesley?s sermon.

Good Investing, AEIOU,

Mark

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Source: http://www.investmentu.com/2012/October/why-i-burned-my-social-security-card.html

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