text:
Several users have found their iOS device bricked after applying a firmware update. The update goes through well, but after the update it should call back home to get activated, and this is where the problems begin.
Apple's Activation Servers are currently offline. After the update the device can't be activated, thus resulting in a bricked device. This is also a problem with new devices, since they also need to be activated before a user can actually use them.
The error message shown in iTunes:
There is a problem with your device.
We're sorry, the device you connected may be damaged and cannot be activated for service. We recommend you visit your nearest Apple Store for more information. To find your nearest Apple Store, click here.
At the time of writing this post, Apple hasn't given a schedule on when the problem should be fixed. DO NOT upgrade your device's firmware before Apple gets this sorted!!Read more: via
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text:
Liberal bloggers sure are vile. Contrast their rantings to the civil debate hosted on the front page of RedState here Hilariously, that post actually comes with a specific request to "keep it clean" even though the poster already started it on a non-clean theme. One commenter is outraged about the dirty, dirty liberal bloggers. Then comes this paragon of civility which the proprietor, absurdly, endorses as "clean."
Ah, Civility
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Categories > TV > Smallville
Care for a Game?1 Reviews
Clark lies and Lex gets a little pay back with a very familiar game. Takes place after the events of Heat.
Notes: Written for scribblinlenore's Smallville Drabble-a-Thon.
Sweat beaded on his forehead and ran down his neck to soak into the lapels of his fine silk shirt. It was too damn hot in this little farm town for nice clothes, but he wouldn't let that little fact stop him from wearing them anyways. He liked the thought of challenging nature in some small way. She could make the day hotter than hell but Lex Luthor would still wear Armani.
He tented his sweaty shirt away from his skin and attempted to fan himself with a sheaf of papers. It didn't help much, maybe nature was winning?
Apparently he was meant to suffer the trials of being attractive.
He hadn't noticed the heat as much when Desire was around. The woman was mad, but he had to admit that it was rather fun to forget with her, the heat of the day for a while in the cool confines of the wine cellar. She had a mouth that could work miracles.
He could think of another mouth that had the potential to surpass hers with just a little training. He smiled to himself, his eyes half closed as he imagined the possibilities. The papers waved a little faster, he could almost feel a breeze.
He started, his eyes opening fully and the papers for a moment losing their waving rhythm before he was able to recover.
"Clark, just the man I was thinking of," Lex said smoothly with only a small smirk. If only he knew.
"Oh... really...?" Clark asked, his hands inching into his jean pockets. He obviously didn't have a clue.
Lex knew it probably said many unhealthy things about him that he found the thought of that rather exciting. Clark was so innocent! What fun it would be to educate him. And why the hell was he wearing jeans in this weather? It seemed a crime that he wasn't nude and sweaty for Lex's benefit.
"Umm... about the other day..." Clark began, breaking Lex out his reverie. Clark's eyes darted around the room. He looked anywhere but at Lex.
So now comes the lie, and of course he wouldn't look at Lex while he was doing it. Lex was sure that would change at some point.
"Yes, thank you, Clark," he said sincerely, "You were right about Desire," kill them with kindness, all smiles and congeniality. It was one of his father's tricks.
"Yeah...umm...well," Clark muttered distractedly as if he hadn't heard Lex. It took him a moment before he caught up with the conversation. He had been let off the hook.
Clark looked Lex right in the eye and smiled radiantly, "Well it wasn't really anyone's fault, she was...not normal." He answered, trailing off at the end. "So...umm...how is your back?" He recovered quickly.
Too quickly.
How could he think Lex wouldn't know? It would be insulting if Lex was not already aware of Clark's complete naivety.
"Fine Clark, it was not too damaged so it's almost completely healed." Lex placed his makeshift paper fan back on his desk and made his way to the mini-refrigerator. "Water?" He asked, pulling two bottles out and offering one to Clark.
"Thanks," Clark said, his nervousness apparently gone as he graced Lex with another smile. The awkwardness of his tone dissipated in the familiar routine of their conversation.
Lex smiled back, the bottle in his hand was so cold that condensation from the humid air collected on the glass and ran over his fingers. He thought it time for one of his own games. A little payback for the lie he had kept Clark from telling. Another familiar routine but one he thought Clark was a little less comfortable with.
He looked directly at Clark and caressed the bottle for a moment, collecting drops of water on the tips of his fingers before raising them to slowly trail down the side of his neck.
Clark swallowed thickly, his eyes tracking every movement.
"This weather is unusual," Lex remarked. He brought the bottle to his lips and drank deeply.
Clark said nothing. His eyes seemed to be in a full pitched battle with his brain. They flickered up and down, indecisive, trying to watch Lex's mouth and his throat at the same time. And didn't Lex know exactly what that was like from the other side? Clark: so much to look at and only two eyes to take it all in with.
Lex lowered the bottle again, and proceeded to toy with it suggestively, but apparently for his own amusement as Clark was still focused intently on Lex's mouth. His feet shuffled absently in place and his lips parted. His hands were bunched into fists at his side.
Was he panting slightly? How rich.
Clark started, his eyes suddenly moving from their focus on Lex's mouth to settle on the floor. Lex realized that his internal smirk must have made it to his face. He couldn't really be sorry. The guilty look on Clark's face was half the fun. It was nice to see him looking guilty for something other than lying to Lex.
Lex stepped forward, suddenly infringing into Clark's personal space, "Well Clark," he purred, leaning in further to speak in his ear.
Clark didn't look up.
"Care for a game of pool?" Lex said, brushing past Clark, and already moving towards the pool table.
Clark looked up instantly, his eyes wide and surprised. The expression on his face was like a man given a reprieve on the hour before his execution, but one that was wondering if maybe he really did want to die.
Lex would have laughed but he knew it would hurt Clark and put a premature end to his game.
"Sure Lex," Clark sighed thankfully. "It sure is hot out," he said reaching for a pool cue.
"Yes, it is," Lex replied as he chalked the tip of his own.
Clark stared and Lex smiled suggestively. He didn't mind the heat so much anymore. He had something to do, and it was much more interesting than Desire.


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Dakota Pet Hospital - Veterinary Clinic in Lakeville, MN more
Animal Angel is an in-home pet sitting and dog walking service specializing in daily visits to keep your ... more
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Good morning to you all:
First of all, I would like to inform you that Sheila Bair gave employees the long weekend off as there were no casualities that entered the banking morgue.
Gold rose yesterday up by $10,30 to close the comex session at $1344.10. Silver was the big percentage winner as it rose by 52 cents to $23.09.
In the access market, gold finished trading at $1347.00 and silver at$23.22.
As I told you on Wednesday, for the past 8 years or so, the bankers always seem to raid gold on the eve of the jobs report. Even though many know the numbers are fudged,
the media hype this number and the world seems to fixate on the USA jobs number.
On Thursday afternoon we got the Wednesday open interest number for gold and it showed total OI at 621,000 with a high 444,000 OI for the front month of December.
The silver comex OI was 154000 with the front month at a high of 105,000.
That was our clue that the bankers needed to raid and try and shake the "leaves" ie. the open interest on the front month of December to fall.
December is the only month of the year that both gold and silver are delivery months.
I will discuss the jobs number in the regular part of my economic report but suffice it to say, the number of jobs lost was lousy with 93,000 losing their jobs and there is going to be
a revision of another 366,000 job loss adjustment. The USA lost 2.1 million jobs ending March 2010 instead of 1.7 million jobs. Gold and silver just took off and never looked back.
I would like to go into detail on some of the comex numbers.
In gold: the total open interest fell slightly by 1,425 contracts to settle at 620,516. The banking cartel were shaking in their boots when they got this number
Thursday night. We got this number last night. The front month of December saw its open interest decline ever so slightly to 441,487 from 444,000.
The Oct delivery month of gold saw its OI remain very high at 746 ie. 74,600 oz of gold remain to be served.
In silver:
the total OI rose slightly by a few contracts (70) to 152,725. Again our banker friends did not like that no leaves left the tree.
The front month of December saw its OI fall a bit to 103,244 contracts which is still extremely high after a raid.
The October silver open interest remains at 8 contracts or 40,000 oz to be delivered upon.
Let us now go straight to the silver and gold deliveries and inventory changes.
For comparison, here is Thursday's chart:
October 7.2010
|Withdrawals from Dealers Inventory
|nil oz
|Withdrawals from customer Inventory
|n/a oz
|Deposits to the dealer Inventory
|n/a oz
|Deposits to the customer Inventory
|626,245 oz
|No of oz served (contracts 02 only
|10,000 oz
|No of oz to be served 10
|50,000 oz
|Withdrawals from Dealers Inventory
zero oz
|Withdrawals from customer Inventory
|Deposits to the dealer Inventory
|Deposits to the customer Inventory
|32 oz
|No of oz served (contracts 24
|2400 oz
|No of oz to be served 742
|74200 0z oz
and now for last nights data:


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On DVD » Shrek the Third » Reviews » Comments
From its humble, elegant origins as a slim children's book by William Steig, Shrek has metastasized into a symptom of and metaphor for the entertainment industry and modern culture in general.
There are no comments to display on this page. Some comments may have been removed due to spam filtering.


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Some ladies prefer to lift their man. Even some lift and carry during or before sex. lifting during sex is most horny thing in any man`s life as a result of it comes commonly from his partner according to her need however generally there's few ladies love lift and carry men.
Women have typically been thought of as the weaker sex and fewer capable of physical displays of prowess than their male counterparts. This can be not the case in present days. because the male/ female gender role barriers became more and more obscure and blurred the separation into what a male ought to or will do and what a feminine should might do have begun to create into what individuals can or should do.
The ability of ladies to lift and carrying a person over her head and hold him therein position depends on several factors. Such factors embrace the overall system of the girl or the burden of the person. The natural strength of the girl comes in to play as well, along with her ability to properly lift the weight without injury.
The folks that have lift and carry fetish are sometimes inquisitive about the peak and weight variations between the person carrying and therefore the person being carried, and sometimes favor to see a little person carry an enormous person, however there also are some preferring the other scenario.
There are many websites catering to most tastes of female lift and Carry, and additionally creation pay sites serving customers who have this fetish.
The best way to lift and carrying a lady is to place one arm beneath hers and one arm beneath her legs and elevate her victimization your back. You'll be able to truly hurt yourself doing this therefore take care. It's useful if she helps you after you strive however generally she is going to be dead weight. Ensure she is aware of that you just are choosing her up therefore you do not place any strain on your back. Never try to choose somebody up unless you recognize you'll be able to carry them.


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Washington even would host tiebreaker with Atlanta if necessary
The party will have to wait. The champagne will remain on ice. But maybe it is better this way for the Nationals.
After Sunday's disappointing 10-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals and the second-place Atlanta Braves' 6-2 win over the New York Mets, Washington's lead in the National League East race dropped to three games with three to play.
|Up next
|Phillies at Nationals
|Kyle Kendrick (10-12, 4.08 ERA) vs. John Lannan (4-0, 4.23 ERA)
|When »
|Monday, 7:05 p.m.
|Where »
|Nationals Park
|Radio »
|106.7 the Fan,
|The Nationals return home with three more opportunities to clinch the National League East title. Left-hander John Lannan, who spent most of the season in the minor leagues at Triple-A Syracuse, gets a chance to play the hero. He already conquered some demons Wednesday after securing his first career win in Philadelphia in an eventual 8-4 Washington victory. Lannan is opposed again by Phillies right-hander Kyle Kendrick, who lasted just two innings in that game and gave up three home runs. Lannan tossed 51Ú3 innings of two-run ball and gave up just five hits and a walk.
But the Nats return home for three more games this week in front of their own fans needing just a single win to clinch the division on what would be the most memorable night of baseball in the District since 1933. Even if the worst happens and they go 0-3 against the Philadelphia Phillies and the Braves win all three of their games in Pittsburgh against the Pirates, there still would be a one-game playoff between the two teams to decide the division title in Washington on Thursday.
John Lannan will start Monday's game against Philadelphia with 21-game winner Gio Gonzalez set for Tuesday against rookie Tyler Cloyd, if needed. Pushing their luck to Wednesday could be trouble with two-time Cy Young winner Cliff Lee on the mound for the Phillies.
But while the division title looks like a foregone conclusion at this point, Washington is still in a dead heat with the Cincinnati Reds for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The difference between the top seed and the No. 2 seed is big. Because Major League Baseball added a second wild card berth in each league just weeks before the 2012 season started, it had a limited window to cram in the extra two games. So the higher seeds will open with the first two games of the Division Championship Series on the road. That means the No. 2 seed gets a trip to NL West champ San Francisco, which will throw two of the league's best pitchers (Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner).
The No. 1 seed, meanwhile, opens the NLDS against the wild-card winner, which already will have thrown its best pitcher Friday and must turn to its No. 2 starter. The Nats own the tiebreaker with Cincinnati for the top seed because they won the season series with the Reds.


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Welcome to the most chic and stylish award event of the year! The glittering Pukka Awards!. Voice of kevin by cheechyTune: autumn leaves - ray coniff, brazil - rosemary clooneyCredits: weebl, skoo
Manny and Poofbird take the reins just as everything falls apart! Cut to the commercials, quick!Tune: fly me to the moon instrumental for test card and mr scruff - happy band for advertCredits: Animation:...
Murder most horrid and its all down to Chris the Ninja Pirate!
Weebl and Bob head into town for a nice bit of window shopping.Tune: lick my parts you hatcase - weeblCredits: weebl and skoo
There's a coal thief on the loose, but who on earth is that masked man?Tune: wibbly wobbly spraarg : poopers orchestraCredits: weebl, skoo
Pie scented cleaner! Buy some now! You'll LOVE the free gift!Tune: Credits: j.picking
Weebl has an envious eye on Bobs new collectable.
Inside the shop, and its confusion abound. How hard can it be to buy a pie?Tune: hats for clowns - dapper clown posseCredits: skoo weebl
Weebl and bob catch up on their music tv.
The final part of the series and its time for some opium soaked banana soaked. Based on old sherlock holmes radio showsTune: who knows?Credits: weebl and skoo
Prepare yourselves to witness the most beautiful thing you have ever seen. Bob's arse. Based on American BeautyTune: big amoeba sound - max and harveyCredits: weebl and skoo
Skoos latest animation reveals why theres no Weebl and Bob animation this week.Tune: 3000 - bustedCredits: Skoo, Weebl
Bob is back with a handy guide for cat owners. written by: Bob Bobertson music: Laura - Ray Coniff
Weebl and Bob celebrate the true meaning of Christmas...merchandising! Skoo is the guest voiceTune: at night - shakedown (kid creme mix)Credits: weebl and skoo
Birthday Wishes - Happy birthday mister Picking! Tune: Spanish FleaCredits: Blue Hippo, poofbird, and skoo
The newest song from Savlonic from their new album, Red. You...
Cat Face detects some ham in the area.
What on earth is that boy up to?
Once upon a perfect peril...
So here it is! I'm starting Uni this September, and as...
A young boy faces the horrors of crack use through the smooth...
Yo oliphant. You about today fancy a drink? @OliverAge242014-09-11
Back in London for a night. Feels a little odd already. Go figure.2014-09-11


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Please click the image. The size above doesn't do it justice.
Even with all the light pollution I noticed you can actually see a decent amount of stars out tonight so I grabbed my camera and went to my roof and this is what I ended up doing. It was extremely windy so it was a challenge to stand still for the long exposure.


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The Cape of Good Hope
- Wednesday, January 19, 2011
In the second episode, we meet a French chef named Cain whose food will literally send you out of this world. The Cape must stop the father of all murderers' namesake from offing the lone councilman opposed to Fleming. Episode 3 brings us Kozmo, Max's former pupil and spiritual black sheep sibling to Vince.
Naturally, a fellow can't face such a formidable rogue's gallery alone. These days, a super-hero doesn't just need a sidekick, but a computer whiz. Fortunately, The Cape has "Orwell," (Summer Glau, seemingly born to play the outré) who fits the bill nicely. Thankfully, he makes a friend of Rollo, the little person who used to beat him up.
Max Malini, Vince's criminal mentor, is played with panache by Keith David, whose Emmy-winning voice has narrated numerous Ken Burns films. More father than friend, Max undergirds a powerful theme of The Cape: the passing of a legacy. What Max has passed on to Vince in the form of power, Vince wants to pass on to his son in the form of hope.
Once, when preaching about Elijah throwing his cloak upon Elisha (1 Kings 19), I called it a cape. I remember a boy in the congregation leaning forward. This young Superman fan was captured by the idea of one hero passing his cape on to another. I think of his bright-eyes locked on mine that Sunday, and it makes me think of the bond between fathers-and-sons, masters and disciples, the rock of mature wisdom from which a spring of hope flows in the form of youthful obedience.
As creator Tom Wheeler has said of this series, "It's about hope." There's always someone looking up to us--a son, a student, a younger friend. They may be looking for training. They may be simply looking to see whether somebody can live straight in a crooked world. That is their hope.
Mine is that I don't destroy theirs.
Gary D. Robinson is a preacher, writer, father, and despite himself, hero, living in Xenia, OH. He blogs at http://www.garydrobinson.com/
This Review First Published 1/19/2011
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Posts filtered on Tag
Old school sailing in New England
A love of sailing is not required. You don't even have to be a foaming-at-the-mouth history buff. All it takes to enjoy yourself on a three-masted 1882 schooner on Penobscot Bay in Maine is a big appetite, a little flexibility with your idea of comfort (and pump-flush toilets), and an appreciation that this is one […] [Read More]
Carnival Dreamliner? Ship adrift, part III
It makes you wonder if Boeing isn't building cruise ships now. And using lithium battery systems. Not that we really needed the reminder, but Sunday's engine fire aboard Carnival Triumph that stranded the mammoth cruise ship without power off the coast of Mexico serves to jog the memory that, in travel, things go wrong. The scary […] [Read More]


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Retief Goosen
Newlywed Adam Scott keeps his chase for world No.1 alive
Ben Everill Adam Scott produced a 10-shot turnaround to make the cut on the number and keep his chase for world No.1 alive and then dropped a wedding bombshell at the US PGA Players Championship.
Kuchar, English lead Florida Shootout
Matt Kuchar and Harris English combined on Saturday to fire a 12-under-par 60 and move in front by four strokes entering the final round of the Franklin Templeton Shootout.
Kuchar and English romp to Shootout win
Matt Kuchar and Harris English combined to shoot 14-under-par 58 on Sunday for a record-setting victory in the Franklin Templeton Shootout.
Tiger is top, but challengers abound
Allan Kelly Tiger Woods regained the world No.1 ranking after an absence of two-and-a-half years in 2013, but the debate over who is currently the best golfer in the world rages on.
Adam Scott slips down leaderboard in Hawaii
Adam Scott will start the final round of the US PGA's Sony Open in Hawaii six shots from the lead after carding a 71 on Saturday.
John Senden soars into PGA contention
John Senden soars into contention at the PGA tour event in Florida on the back of a brilliant seven-under 64 which drew him to within two strokes of leader Robert Garrigus.
Charl Schwartzel leads by one in South African Open
Charl Schwartzel shot a 3-under 69 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the South African Open, the season-opening event on the European Tour.
Rose wins US Open as Day fades in dramatic final round
Englishman Justin Rose has claimed his maiden major championship, winning the US Open by two shots at Merion Golf Club after Australian Jason Day faded late to finish joint runner-up.
Rose in full bloom after a little inspiration from Scott
Ben Everill Justin Rose thanked Masters champion Adam Scott for an extra dose of belief after he became the first Englishman in 43 years to win the US Open.
Can't beat 'em, so Green joins 'em
"My putting has been filthy. So I am going to cheat this week and put in the belly putter," Green says
Can Mickelson do it this time?
Rebecca Bryan Phil Mickelson couldn't be happier that his bid for an elusive US Open title - after five runner-up finishes - will start with a first-round pairing with long-time rival Tiger Woods.
Hansen wins Jo'burg Open at 15-under
Mike Green Anders Hansen birdied the final hole on Sunday to finish at 15-under 269 and beat Andrew McLardy by one stroke at the Jo'burg Open.
Schwartzel lights up damp Joburg Open
James Whitmore South Africa's Charl Schwartzel has lit up the third round of the Joburg Open at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club for a share of the lead.
Drysdale into the lead at Joburg Open
James Whitmore Scotland's David Drysdale shot a 66 to move into a one-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the Joburg Open at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club.
Tough day at the office for Sterne
James Whitmore Richard Sterne shot an even par 71 here on Thursday to find himself in the middle of the field after the first round of the Joburg Open.
Sterne wins play-off to capture SA Open
James Whitmore South Africa's Richard Sterne has moved into the world top 50 after capturing the South African Open title at Pearl Valley Golf Estates in the western Cape.
Westwood closes on S African golf title
James Whitmore England's Lee Westwood shot a third-round 68 Saturday to go 14 under par for the South African Open and lead by two strokes after three rounds.
Goosen triumphs in Iskandar Johor Open
South African star Retief Goosen ended a frustrating 21-month title drought with a magnificent two-stroke victory at the Iskandar Johor Open.
Fasth, Brown share the lead in Johor
Sweden's Niclas Fasth lived up to his star billing by taking a share of the clubhouse lead with Australia's Mitchell Brown at the Iskandar Johor Open.
Furyk wins PGA Grand Slam title
American Jim Furyk eagled the first playoff hole on Wednesday to defeat Ireland's Padraig Harrington and win the 26th PGA Grand Slam of Golf.


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FEAR RPG is a free and complete pencil-and-paper fantasy roleplaying game.
Last updated on 5 January 2013.
Download the rulebook (6th edition) for free here!
Rulebook (5th edition) available in print on www.lulu.com
Check out the review of FEAR at thefreerpgblog.blogspot.com
Some roleplaying games are so simplistic that any realism is lost. Ever played a game where:
Other roleplaying games are so complex that they become unplayable. Ever played a game where:
FEAR RPG was born out of frustration with these types of roleplaying games, and has been designed from scratch to be realistic yet flexible. The rules can be adapted to any fantasy world you care to use. Hopefully there's enough depth to satisfy experienced roleplayers, and enough explanation to get novices started too. Sadly, I'm not an artist so there are no pretty pictures to break up the text and tables. If anyone has fantasy artwork they don't mind me using, please contact me!
What do you get?
FEAR RPG provides:
FEAR RPG can be adapted to virtually any fantasy world invented. Just add dice (1d20s) and imagination…
Authorship and Contact Information
FEAR RPG was created by Paul Jeffcoat, with suggestions from Dale Broadbent, James Lowe and Chris Murtagh.
It has been published on the internet to get feedback from other roleplayers. If you have any comments or suggestions, please email them to:
Last Rule Update
5 January 2013 – Sixth Edition!
Big changes, chiefly the scrapping of Power Points and the Magic stat.
Changes by chapter:
Previous updates are listed on the Rules page.


text:
Disney's Donald Duck Goin' Quackers
Unlockable How to Unlock Alternate Costumes Every 10 Golden Threads collected will unlock a new costume Bonus Picture Finish 100% of the game Special Move Collect 5 cogs to earn a letter in the word SPECIAL. Finish the word, then the level.
Contributed By: Starky27.
Know Something We Don't?
You can submit new cheat codes for this game using our Cheat Submission Form.
Have We Been Fooled?
If you see a non-working or fake code in the list above, let us know by using our Problem Submission Form.


text:
About Us
Family Survival Solutions
Prepare, Plan, Inform
We believe in FAMILY! Where would any of us be without our family? Born families, adopted families, friend families, they're all family! Family Survival Solutions is here to help YOU find survival solutions for YOUR family. This can be survival from anything! What does your family need help surviving from?
Family Survival Catagories
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Drug Addiction
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Visual Impairment or Blindness
General Health
We also have compiled some useful
service links
to real-time weather via NASA's Earth Science Office, as well as real-time alerts about natural disasters that migh have a human impact via the Global Disaster Alert & Coordination System. Make sure your family is PREPARED to survive, where ever you may go! PLAN ahead for random events! INFORM and teach your family, friends, and neighbors!
Family Survival Solutions is owned and operated by the Wilder family, and always wants the best products for our customers and their families. Family safety and survival depends on reliable gear, we believe in QUALITY products with great sales records and proven benefits, which we provide with,
Gentleman's Brand
, and
Allegro Medical
. Each with different products to survive various conditions or disasters.
No matter what your doomsday prediction, you will ALWAYS desire and need to survive to maintain your family safety, ALWAYS! It's a primal urge to survive, and what has motivated us to evolve. So make sure you have considered survival for yourself, as well as the family you love and care for so much! Families are the fabric of society, and family safety protects and strengthens us all! Making sure family safety is protected ensures they will be around to add to the fabric for future generations. Survival of the safest!
Search Engine BackLinks
Active Search Results
- Internet search engine with active ranking technology.
Web Directories
- One Way Text Link, a free SEO tool.
About Us
Family Survival Solutions established March 2011 by the Wilder family.


text:
Radical Feminism (Definition)
Radical feminism is a philosophy emphasizing the patriarchal roots of inequality between men and women, or, more specifically, social dominance of women by men. Radical feminism views patriarchy as dividing rights, privileges and power primarily by gender, and as a result oppressing women and privileging men.
Radical feminists tend to be more militant in their approach (radical as "getting to the root"). Radical feminism opposes existing political and social organization in general because it is inherently tied to patriarchy. Thus, radical feminists tend to be skeptical of political action within the current system, and instead support cultural change that undermines patriarchy and associated hierarchical structures.
Radical feminism opposes patriarchy, not men. To equate radical feminism to man-hating is to assume that patriarchy and men are inseparable, philosophically and politically.
Feminists tend to work within the existing system while radical feminists question the foundation of society itself.
*Always knew I was a feminist, but a women's studies class in college helped me realize that I'm a radical feminist. Never thought of myself as "radical," but how radical are these beliefs, really?*


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Main Street
Fire Damages Row Of Businesses In Smithtown
An overnight blaze has seriously damaged three businesses on Main Street in Smithtown, Long Island.
Changes Coming To Dangerous Main Street in Smithtown
Three pedestrian have been killed there since November 2009 and drivers are seen speeding through the busy area.
Westchester And Rockland Counties Still Cleaning Up After Irene
Days after Hurricane Irene made her way north, things in New York City's northern suburbs are still not back to normal.
Some Streets Flooded In Connecticut By Tropical Storm Irene
Tropical Storm Irene is sending water into the streets of several shoreline neighborhoods as it surges across Connecticut.
Nyack Area Ordered To Boil Water After High Levels Of Coliform Bacteria Found
About 15,000 customers in several suburban New York communities are being advised to boil their water due to the presence of high levels of coliform bacteria.
Underground Flushing Street Fire Forces Evacuation Of 7 Buildings
Firefighters went to each of the 7 evacuated buildings to make sure things were safe. Everyone has since been allowed to return to their homes.
Smithtown Plans To Narrow Main Street Following Three Traffic Fatalities
There is a plan to turn the four-lane Main Street in downtown Smithtown into a two-lane road. Three people have been killed in the area in the last 18 months.
Farmingdale Tries To Woo Visitors With Fewer Parking Tickets
One Long Island village is trying to get you to shop and dine there by easing up on the law.
Two Young Sisters Struck On Main Street In Smithtown; Businesses Want Changes
The accident occurred in Smithtown on a stretch of roadway that has been the site of several recent pedestrian accidents.
Smithtown Pedestrian Killed While Crossing Street
Police on Long Island are investigating the death of a 33-year-old man who was struck and killed while crossing a street in Smithtown.
Hackensack Seeking Renaissance Of Main Street
Years ago, Main Street was a shopping destination. Today, it is a shadow of its former self, with many stores having fled to the malls.
N.J. Fire Rips Through 4 Row Houses, Displaces 35
An early morning fire that burned through four row houses in Paterson on Wednesday has left 26 people displaced.
Obama: Main Street Feels Beat Up By Wall Street
At a town-hall meeting in PA on Monday, President Obama said there are people in the country that feel he's been too soft on Wall Street.
Flushing Caught In The Middle Of A Food Fight
Flushing has become the city's largest hub of Asian commerce dwarfing Manhattan's Chinatown leaving many of its longtime residents feeling a bit isolated.


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What it is
Help Scooby-Doo solve the mystery of the missing kitten in this fourth book in the interactive Story Buddy® series. Kids will love putting the included hat on Scooby and hearing him respond in new ways as you read key phrases from the story. Learn more about the Scooby-Doo interactive story buddy.
- About the story: Scooby-Doo and the gang are at Coolsville's Natural History Museum and they have a mystery to solve! A little girl's pink polka dotted kitten has gone missing. Will the gang ever find it? Read the book aloud to Scooby-Doo and hear what he has to say about this mystery!
- Includes deerstalker hat.
- 4th book in the series.
- Hardcover; 32 pages.
- 8.25" W x 8.25" H x .375" D
- Scooby-Doo interactive Story Buddy® sold separately.
TM & © Hanna-Barbera.
Our service and delivery
- We'll send you an email letting you know your order has been shipped by FedEx Ground. Your email will include tracking information.
- If you need your order delivered quickly, Hallmark can send it via FedEx 2-Day Air or FedEx Standard Overnight for an additional charge.
- FedEx does not deliver to post office (PO) boxes, U.S. territories or Overseas Military Mail (APO/FPO) addresses.
- Saturday delivery and Priority Overnight options are not available from FedEx.
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2006 Pontiac G6 User Reviews
2006 Pontiac G6 Review Ratings
Average Ratings from 69 reviews
- Performance:
- Appearance:
- Build Quality:
- Overall:
Review Highlights Click to filter reviews below
User Reviews
Displaying 41 - 50 of 69 2006 Pontiac G6 reviews.
Tim writes:
2006 Pontiac G6 GT Review
the fuel concumption is stupidly low
parts are expensive
Looking for a Used G6 in your area?CarGurus has 8,313 nationwide G6 listings starting at $1,990.
Randie writes:
2006 Pontiac G6 Base V6 Review
its kinda big...compared to what im used to
Jason writes:
2006 Pontiac G6 GT Review
Aside from tires and oil, it's all there.
I burn tires >.>
Josh writes:
2006 Pontiac G6 Base V6 Review
economical and a little sporty
small trunk
David writes:
2006 Pontiac G6 Base V6 Review
Remote Start, Speakers, Newer, Cruise Control.
No sunroof, but that only lets rain in.
Catherine writes:
2006 Pontiac G6 Base V6 Review
Divas don't have any, hehe!
Chris writes:
2006 Pontiac G6 GTP Coupe Review
smooth acceleration, plenty of power, nice car overall
water leaks through roof, low traction
Pontiac G6 Gtp — it is a very solid car with good performance. It handles nicely without compromising a good ride. On the streets it accelerates quickly and smoothly. It is a joy to drive with a 6-speed manual and a 3.9L V6. I would recommend this car to anybody who might show interest.
Samantha writes:
2006 Pontiac G6 Base Review
Pretty much everything
Honestly, I can't think of anything
Jason writes:
2006 Pontiac G6 Base Review
Gas mileage
Haven't found any yet
Pontiac G6 Power — The car not only looks good but it also performs well and gets great gas mileage. 23 in town and 32 highway I found this car to really roomy inside great for smaller and preteen children. The 4 cylinder engine really puts out plenty of power for getting down the road in a hurry.
Jonathan writes:
2006 Pontiac G6 GTP Review
best manual performance in the ice and snow
expensive on gas
I Simply Love This Car — the best car i have ever driven... simply the best maual conditions in the ice and snow... i would recomend this car to every one... great trunk space and overall capability in all weather conditions... i have not needed to take it to the garage since my parents bought it 4 me...
Displaying 41 - 50 of 69 2006 Pontiac G6 reviews.
Reviews From Other Years
2010 Pontiac G6 Reviews
Sporty Family Car
Great commuter or family vehicle. Has great amount of cargo space for traveling. I love the seats being so adjustable, making it comfortable for trips 5+ hours long without stopping. Have not had any ... Read More
Good Daily Driver
Good car i have had zero maintance problem since i bought the car in 2009, and i have put 72,000 miles on it. good gas mileage i normaly get around 30 mpg. thats just on regular driving around town.... Read More
2009 Pontiac G6 Reviews
Great Vehicle For A Great Price
Nothing. This car was very good to me! The heated seats were very useful in the winter, and the power sunroof was even more useful in the summer. Premium music listening quality including the speakers... Read More
i like the stereo goes up with car speed and turns has nice computer and telles you details either miles or kilometer the car has one star security system and GPS in case the car stolen so you can log... Read More
2008 Pontiac G6 Reviews
Teenagers Car
I liked it because it was cheap on gas and it did not break down, tires wear good, stereo has its flaws,slow on big hills, but always gets you there.if you need a cheap economy car this is hard to bea... Read More
Classy Look And Fun To Drive!
I really like all the options the car came with and the comfort of the car. I really don't like the gas mileage in town. However, I would highly recommend this car to people. It is a well built car wi... Read More
2007 Pontiac G6 Reviews
A Great Car!
I love how it looks. Even though it is a 2007 it looks like a newer car! It has great acceleration, you can get to speed quickly. I feel very safe driving this car even though it is a convertible be... Read More
It Was A Very Good Car Overall.
I liked how the gas and brake pedals could be adjusted forward or backward, and for a small engine it beat most cars off the stoplight when needed. It held its color well and never needed much mainte... Read More
2005 Pontiac G6 Reviews
Worth It
the perfect combination of power and style. Awesome speakers, smooth steering, great acceleration, good economy, road grip is fab, sun roof is great ...I love the car. Have driven it single handedly s... Read More
Have Some Fun!!
This car is a great investment if you're looking for something fun. It handles great and rides like a dream. The 6 disc cd changer is great to have, it helps give you more of a hands free variety in m... Read More


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Float into space with San Francisco psych-rockers on Thrill Jockey Records
Wooden Shjips at The ChapelThe Chapel (777 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA) Map it $14
If Suicide ever covered "Sister Ray," you'd end up with something that would fit neatly into Wooden Shjips' set list. The San Francisco psych-rock quartet has perfected the hypnotic potential of droney keyboards overlaid with fuzzy guitar like few of their peers, signing first to Holy Mountain and then to Thrill Jockey for their third and fourth LPs. Make sure you're securely tethered to something heavy while listening to Wooden Shjips, or you may just find yourself staring down at the crowd from space.


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In Caguas, Puerto Rico, you can find 2 community colleges serving 4,089 students.
Minority enrollment is 100% of the student body (majority Hispanic).
The student:teacher ratio of 26:1 is equal to the 26:1 state average.
Caguas, PR Community Colleges:
- College Location Students
CaguasEDIC College
Calle Genova Num 5 Urb Caguas Norte
Caguas, PR, 00725
1,000 students
CaguasMech-Tech College LLC
Num 39-40 B St W Industrial Pk
Caguas, PR, 00725
3,089 students
Recent Articles
Updated September 12, 2014
Nearly 52 percent of community college students in the United States begin their freshman year in at least one remedial class. These courses, which help students acquire knowledge and skills they should have acquired in high school, do not count toward their degree requirements. As a result, students are taking longer than ever to obtain their degree, if they obtain one at all.
Although a community college education is inexpensive when compared to tuition and fees at a four-year institution, some students still need financial assistance to pay their education bills. Yet, some community colleges don't participate in the federal student loan program, putting some students in a financial bind.
While many factors have contributed to the current decline in community college enrollment, the recovering economy is chief among them. As more and more people return to the workforce, fewer students enroll in courses at community colleges. Many institutions must now deal with budget shortfalls in the face of double-digit declines in enrollment.


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Sign up for Yardbarker's daily Top 10 newsletter, the Morning Bark! Customize to get news on your favorite sports and teams.
Found December 24, 2012 on thepigskinreport.com:
When the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins battle it out for the NFC Championship in Week 17, they will be doing so in prime time, as the NFL chose that game to flex to the Sunday Night Football contest. The winner will be this season's NFC East Champion and clinch the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. If the 9-6 Redskins defeat the 8-7 Cowboys to claim the division, they will also eliminate Dallas from postseason contention. If Dallas emerges victorious, Washington will still have some hope to earn a wild card berth, although a lot would have to happen in order for that to take place. Therefore, the likely scenario is that the winner advances to host a wild card round game the following week, while the loser heads home for the new year. With the Cowboys and Redskins playing the final regular season game, both will know just how much this game will mean. As I said, for Dallas, it is win or go home. Washington may still qualify for the playoffs even if they lose, depending what happen...
Original Story: http://www.thepigskinreport.com/2012/...
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Fletcher vomits on the sideline during game
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Whitten sets tight end receptions mark
Home finale 2012...Livefyre tailgate party...Redskins at Eagles...Iggy's big shot...
Redskins top Eagles, take NFC East lead
Cowboys still control fate
North, Allen Secure Texas 5A Title
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Enjoy the color while you can!
Scenes of the SeasonNovember 10th, 2012
Join the conversation:
your photos are stunning! Thanks for sharing them.
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Deerinda Lowe Gets A Second Chance
An 18-wheeler truck ran into her, and Deerinda went from being trapped in her car to being on the...
94 results for 'trucks'. Showing results 73 - 90
An 18-wheeler truck ran into her, and Deerinda went from being trapped in her car to being on the...
Thomas Burgess was playing out of sight in front of his dad's truck when he was accidentally run over...
Thomas Burgess was playing with his brother in front of his dad's 4-ton truck. His dad never saw him...
Death Toll Rises in Somalia Truck Bombing
Aid Group, U.S. Army Bring Haiti Medical Help
Bacon Truck Sizzles with San Francisco Patrons
Authorities Investigating Deadly Amtrak-Truck Crash
Christians Step Up to Help Joplin Residents Recover
U.S., Mexico Reach Deal on Trade Dispute
Fort Worth Transit Bans Atheist, Religious Ads
'God's Message' Follows Ft. Worth Atheist Bus Ads
More NATO Supply Trucks Attacked in Pakistan
Church Youth Group Injured in Ky. Van Crash
Immigration Key in Obama-Calderon Meetings
U.S. Troops Look to the Sky to Re-Supply
New Gas Mileage Standards Set for Automakers
Cash for Clunkers Hurting Charity Donations
High Fatalities in Baghdad Bombings


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News & Project Updates
Andrew to score 'A Dozen Summers' - 19 April 2014
Andrew will be writing the score for the upcoming children's comedy feature, 'A Dozen Summers'. The UK based film, directed by Kenton Hall, tells the story of 12 year old twins Maisy and Daisy trying to find their way through life in the 21st century. Watch this space for more information on this project...
Completed score for feature film, 'Moo Moo and the Three Witches' - 22 November 2013
Andrew recently completed the score for the feature film, 'Moo Moo and the Three Witches' for Magic Elevator Productions in Los Angeles. The film, about an unpleasant girl who gets turned into a cat by a group of young witches in order to teach her a lesson, is aimed at children aged 9 - 12 and will be released on DVD in 2014. The film will have its premiere at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles in December.
Completed score for short film, 'Malicious' - 10 October 2013
Andrew recently completed the score for the short film, 'Malicious', a collaborative project between Stockport College and the Manchester Police, FIre and HMS Prisons. This film will be used in schools across the UK to teach children the dangers of misusing the emergency services. Andrew had only 10 days to write the 29 minute score, finishing it in time for the gala premier on 10 October.
Recently completed television spot for Bright Smile Studio
A short video/television spot for a dentist office in London. Click the link above to view the video.
Recently completed short corporate video for Studio Arte Appia
Andrew recently completed the score for a corporate video for Studio Arte Appia, a small art studio in Perugia, Italy. Click on the image above to view the video.
Score for feature-length documentary 'Inside the Ropes' - 1 July 2013
Andrew will be writing the score for Inside the Ropes - From the Streets to the Ring, a feature-length documentary exploring the effect the sport of boxing has on the lives of young people in and outside of the ring. This documentary will be filmed in the UK throughout the summer and autumn of 2013 is set for release in December.
Score for 'Through the Glass Darkly' short film - 22 June 2013
Andrew has been selected to write the score for the upcoming short horror film, Through the Glass Darkly. Set in a world where Vampires and Humans walk uneasily together, the film follows the story of a young man kidnapped by two vigilantes who believe him to be a vampire. Work will begin on the score in July and the film is set to be released in October. Mournful Whale Productions, the company producing the film, has issued a press release.
Score for 'Lantern' short film - 6 June 2013
Andrew has been selected to write the score for the upcoming animated short film, Lantern. The brain child of artist and director Chris Fennell, Lantern is the delightful tale of a young Inuit boy's quest for light as he chases the moon while fighting off a terrifying shadow that is always pursuing him. The film is due to be released at the end of August.
Score for 'Brother Husband' novel - 13 May 2013
Andrew has been commissioned to write an accompanying score for the novel Brother Husband by D. Christian Harrison. The novel is due to be released worldwide in autumn of 2013. Brother Husband is a post-apocalyptic tale of love and survival in a world plunged into darkness when the oil ran out. Andrew's score will be a dramatic retelling of the story through music. The release date for the soundtrack album has not yet been announced, but watch this space for news and updates!


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Thanks for visiting! You'll find my new creative projects, MFA thesis work, and an archive of my commercial graphic design portfolio.
My current body of work encourages its participants to reconsider perception as an entirely unique phenomenon. Understanding that the simplest noise means different things to someone else is key for a peaceful, equal community. Often inspired by studying and experiencing synesthesia (the involuntary union of the senses), my projects begin with a vision that I press toward unrelentingly.
Features and News:
Synesthesia fans, don't worry: my most recent works about visualizing chronic pain and expressing its side effects on my life doesn't mean I'm changing course! See you at upcoming conferences.
Colleague Maureen Seaberg wrote a beautiful post about some of my work at Psycology Today!
Click here to get a free desktop image from my That Which Cannot Be Said With Words series! It's my way of saying thanks for the support of my work!
Check my CV for my current location and work!


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Join Director Jacob Krupnick and Producer Youngna Park at the Denver Film Center on Thursday, December 22nd for a four-projector screening of Girl Walk // All Day.
Thursday, December 22nd at the Denver Film Center / Colfax
2510 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO
9:30 P.M. Doors + Drink Specials
10:00 P.M. Film screening
DANCE PARTY + Mingling to follow
Dance Contest hosted by Team Firefox!
Filmmakers in person!
$5 for Denver Film Society + Reel Social Club Members/ $7 General Admission
Buy tickets here.


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Trial by media of Oscar Pistorius: facts, guesses and spin surround Reeva death
With no contempt laws to speak of in South Africa, rumours and half-truths have been allowed to swirl around the murder case. Daniel Howden and Ian Burrell report on an unsavoury PR battle
Daniel Howden
Daniel Howden was formerly Africa Correspondent for The Independent.
Tuesday 19 February 2013
Today, Reeva Steenkamp's family will gather for her funeral in Port Elizabeth. The media is barred; only those who knew her best will attend the private ceremony. It is also a significant moment for Oscar Pistorius, who will appear in court for his bail hearing 600 miles away in Pretoria. The sprinter has no control over the media – and nor does anyone in his team. The reporters will gather outside in huge numbers as they have ever since his arrest. Soon he will be in the dock again to face a murder charge, but in many ways his trial began as soon as news of his lover's death reached the media. The only difference here is that the facts of the case carry a much lower burden of proof.
The slow grind of South Africa's justice system, which barely recognises contempt of court, has been unable to keep pace in the era of social media and rolling TV news. As a consequence, the first disabled global sports superstar has found himself deluged with accusations and insinuations masquerading as facts. "I don't know where people got these stories," complained police spokesperson Katlego Mogale. "We haven't issued a statement [about the case] or spoken to anyone."
Observers have been shocked by the level of speculation – including allegations of bloodied cricket bats and love triangles – that would fall foul of contempt laws in most Western jurisdictions. These lurid allegations have been repeated so many times that they have become as real as the facts confirmed by police on the day Mr Pistorius was taken into custody – that there was a shooting incident involving the athlete and his lover, that she was dead, and that a 26-year-old man had been charged with murder. The police spokesman was bombarded with questions by journalists, but refused to divulge any further details. It would be "premature and irresponsible", she said.
"The prosecution could change [the speculation] by just stating some of the key facts of their case," said Toby Shapshak, a commentator on South African affairs and former crime reporter. But prosecutors are unlikely to do so until after today's hearing and confirmation of the charge of premeditated murder, which Mr Pistorius's team will challenge.
As part of the attempt to hold back the avalanche of negative coverage, the 26-year-old athlete has called up Stuart Higgins, the London-based public relations expert, who represented him during the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Higgins, who worked for years in the macho newsroom of Kelvin MacKenzie's Sun before succeeding to the editor's chair himself, has a tough task on his hands. "Some people are absolutely appalled at the coverage," he said. Last night Mr Pistorius's PR team were relaunching the athlete's website to publish sympathetic comments he has received. "Our job is to capture some of the support that Oscar is receiving from all over the world, lots of positive messages from people who still believe in him," said Higgins. "People have emailed saying he has been an inspiration to their disabled child – they are expressing their disbelief, and also their support."
But he admits there is only so much he can do. The athlete's lawyers have taken the position that they will not fight the case in the media. "PR spin isn't going to keep Oscar Pistorius out of prison but the truth might," said Higgins. "It's frustrating but at the moment I'm under strict instructions that I cannot influence coverage in any way directly or indirectly. The legal team believe the case will be proven in the court room and not through the media."
Into this official void has stepped a quasi-accepted version of events in which Mr Pistorius's girlfriend received a text message from a love rival last Wednesday evening. Reports further stated that an argument ensued which ended with Mr Pistorius allegedly shooting his girlfriend some time after 3am on Thursday morning in the bedroom of his Pretoria home.
According to this version of events, he shot her once in the bedroom and then pursued her into the bathroom where she attempted to hide in a toilet cubicle, only to be shot several more times in the hand and head. At some point, South Africa's City Press newspaper reported a cricket bat was used either in self-defence by Ms Steenkamp or on the attack by Mr Pistorius. None of these reports have been confirmed or denied by South African police or the prosecuting authority.
In this charged environment and with much of the world's news media watching, the extent and detail of reporting and the response it has drawn from social media has sparked fears that the athlete will not get a fair trial.
Ferial Haffajee, the editor of City Press defended her paper's coverage of the story saying that the sub judice rule had not been violated. She went further to state that: "We are ethically and legally clear... There is nothing in our coverage that will harm the court process."
She is able to say this because South African courts differ from their British and US counterparts in that the jury system was scrapped back in 1969. Mr Pistorius's case will be heard by a single magistrate. Previous high-profile cases in South Africa have established that a judge should be above being influenced by reports in the media, let alone speculation on the internet.
"The publication of these allegations illustrates that the so called sub judice rule is no longer in existence in its original guise in South Africa," said Pierre De Vos, a constitutional law expert at the University of Cape Town. "It also illustrates that in the court of public opinion the notion of 'innocent until proven guilty' is often used by those blindly and loyally supporting a criminal accused to try to avoid admitting that their guy might very well be a criminal."
The lead prosecutor in the Pistorius case is the notoriously tough Gerrie Nel, who bounced back from being arrested in 2010 on the orders of former police commissioner Jackie Selebi to have him convicted on corruption charges. The fact that he has chosen to go for the stronger "premeditated murder" charge – a schedule 6 offence under South Africa's Criminal Procedures Act – suggests the forensic evidence is compelling. There is no equivalent to the "crime of passion" under the country's law and premeditation in this case means prosecutors believe that the accused shot his girlfriend more than once and with enough time to decide that he meant to kill her.
The cricket bat and the love triangle allegedly involving another South African sports star – who has denied any involvement – may turn out to be red herrings. Well-placed police sources have said the bat is irrelevant to the state's case. But privately, even the Pistorius family accepts that the case is nonetheless very strong.
Higgins might not be in South Africa for too much longer. He agreed to offer "crisis communications support in the short term" and is helping to put in place a South Africa-based team that can continue the work in the weeks to come.
The former Sun editor said he was confident that "the facts and the truth will come out in the court case" and said he had no regrets over taking Pistorius's PR brief. "On a personal level I felt that we had done a really good job for him [at London 2012] and that because someone is suddenly in trouble I don't think you necessarily turn your back on them," he said.
The Paralympian's prospects of receiving bail are likely to be decided by whether the state argues that he is a suicide risk rather than a flight risk. The gold medallist has been on suicide watch at the Pretoria police station where he is being held. His best chance of not going to prison while he awaits trial lies in the parlous state of South Africa's jails. Massive overcrowding has meant that even in the most open and shut murder cases, the accused have been bailed to relieve massive overcrowding.
PR gurus: the kings of a crisis
Stuart Higgins's deployment to Pretoria is a sign of the growing demand and international nature of London's crisis communications industry. His involvement in a South African-based story follows Max Clifford's representation of Shrien Dewani, from Bristol, who is accused of killing his wife Anni during a honeymoon in Cape Town in 2010. Clifford also represented OJ Simpson during his trial in America in the 1990s.
Other PRs who specialise in coming to the aid of high-profile clients include the former News of the World editor Phil Hall, who represented the England footballer John Terry and the wife of Sir Paul McCartney, Heather Mills. Matthew Freud came to the rescue of Gordon Ramsay when his career was facing a meltdown, while Gary Farrow protected Jonathan Ross after the Andrew Sachs voicemail scandal.
The involvement of Mr Higgins in the Pistorius case can be read as an indication of the power of the British news media in influencing a global story. He understands the international reach of the Daily Mail's website and the special place held by The Sun in the ecology of the News Corp empire.
Other London PRs work on a different level. Lord Bell has promoted the image of the likes of Thai politician Thaksin Shinawatra.
All of these British reputation managers are challenging the American pairing of Mark Fabiani and Chris Lehane, whose work for Lance Armstrong has helped them to the title, "Masters of Disaster".
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- 2 Kim Kardashian 'nude photos' leaked on 4chan weeks after Jennifer Lawrence scandal
- 3 'F*ck it, I quit': TV reporter Charlo Greene quits live on air in spectacular fashion
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Rihanna 'nude photos' claims emerge on 4Chan as hacking scandal continues
Kim Kardashian 'nude photos' leaked on 4chan weeks after Jennifer Lawrence scandal
'F*ck it, I quit': TV reporter Charlo Greene quits live on air in spectacular fashion
Scotland could still declare independence – even without referendum, says Alex Salmond
Jennifer Lawrence leaked 4Chan sex video branded 'fake' by forum users
Scotland could still declare independence – even without referendum, says Alex Salmond
Scottish independence referendum: A nation divided against itself
Scottish referendum results: Cross-party consensus collapses amid Tory-Labour spat on the 'English question'
Hilary Mantel 'should be investigated by police' over Margaret Thatcher assassination story, says Lord Bell
Scottish independence: David Cameron is becoming the 'George Bush of Britain'
Plebgate MP Andrew Mitchell called officer a 'little s**t', claim court documents 'exposing ex-Chief Whip's 'record of abusing police'
i100: A single mother on benefits who became one of the world's most successful authors
11 rags-to-riches underdog success stories
A wealth of new discoveries are waiting
When was the last time you had a first time – a weekend full of new encounters and fresh memories? This autumn, why not make York your big discovery?
Forget top summer reads
here are our top five summer listens
A Brave New Season
Brogues vs trainers. The great winter coat debate. Shape-shifting silhouette PLUS win the edit
Get Reddy
For a hint of autumnal elegance opt for boozy hues of tomato, rouge and claret. Get reddy says Melanie Wilkinson
Get the look. See the trends.
Westfield and Snapfashion team up to create a new digital styling tool. Create a style board or browse this season's trends. #editme.
Jake Bugg: "I'm the one I have to answer to…"
Fresh out of his teenage years, singer-songwriter Jake Bugg has achieved the kind of success that most aspiring musicians can merely dream of.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
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Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
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We all know that the music industry isn't the same anymore for all of these artists and record labels. And in hip-hop, artists have capitalized on being able to put out free mixtapes to promote their upcoming store-bound projects. As such, Rick Ross has been preparing his Memorial Day Weeken ... More >>
Yep, that's Miami.
The battle continues
Tales of illicit affairs, heavy drug use, prostitutes, a strained marriage -- no wonder police are suspicious
Rundle, Milian, or Pizzi as state attorney in '04?
From the issue of December 21, 2000
Clubland king Chris Paciello ain't exactly a Mafia don. But it sure seemed he was headed that way.
Attorney Russell Carbone played dirty. How dirty? Try conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury.
Jimmy Sabatino, self-described child of the Mafia, displayed a prodigious talent for confidence games even as a teenager. If he hadn't threatened to kill President Clinton, he'd probably be scamming today.
Jerry Sullivan's descent into gambling, alcoholism, and crime began and ended with the FBI.
How a Bensonhurst boy rose to the summit of South Beach's promotion biz


text: Product Details Return to Top Overview The hottest mug to hit the coffee scene in years has no handle. Instead, double walls insulate your hot or cold beverage and make it look like it's floating in air. The tumblers are mouth-blown of borosilicate glass, making them strong, lightweight and heat-resistant. It's no wonder these beauties won the prestigious European iF Design Award. Set of 2 8-oz. capacity Microwave and dishwasher safe Please use care when placing ice into the glass to avoid fracturing the inner layer. 4 5/8" H x 3 1/2" Dia.


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The New Orleans Saints dismantled the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. For Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, it was a chance to get some revenge on a team that fired him and made him the scapegoat following a mediocre 8-8 season. Ryan's defense held the Cowboys offense to under 200 yards of offense en route to a blow out win.
After the game, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones expressed some regret in firing Ryan.
"We thought that it was best for us to go in the direction that we are, and that doesn't look good right now," Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News. "Hopefully we can make it look good, but I have all the feelings that you have anytime you want to look back at a decision, and I realize when some of them work you have to have a few things go along with it, and candidly we're having some of the same things that Rob had last year. He had a lot of people, frankly, to be fair to Rob, he lost a lot of guys on defense."
Ryan on the other hand spent the night after the game drinking beer and partying with fans.
#RobRyan just bought me a drink at #MsMaes! #WhoDat #GeauxSaints #Saints pic.twitter.com/GAY3PSo2Es
— Mary B. Sonnier (@ChefMarySonnier) November 11, 2013
ROB RYAN. I said ROB RYAN. pic.twitter.com/McFoHaq2bb
— SeventhWard (@SeventhWard) November 11, 2013
Tags: New Orleans Saints Rob Ryan


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Buy A House With Cash
July 11, 2012
My wife and I are buying a house in Austin, Texas ( Steiner Ranch ). We are trying to figure out how we want to finance it. We have the means to pay for the house with cash. We are being offered a mortgage at 3.6%. The cost of the house would represent about 50% of our net worth. The other 50% is fairly liquid, with an even spread between 401k, index funds, 529's, and cash. Should we do it?
We are both in our late 30's with two kids ( 2 and 4 ). I am a project manager, my wife is an accountant. The only debt we are carrying is our SUV that is 0% financed. Over the next 5 years the only major expenses we see are home improvements, e.g. landscaping, pool, etc. In the long term, the major expenses we see are college, vacations, retirement and health care.
I suppose this question is about alternative investments and whether or not we could beat 3.6% without taking on too much risk. It is also about the Austin real estate market and whether or not we would kill our leverage if we paid cash. Furthermore it has to do with any tax write offs we may be missing out on. Most importantly it is about your personal viewpoint on home ownership, finance, banking, risk, European default, market trends, etc. With the facts at hand, what would you do?
Answering this question by telling me "It all depends on what you want to do" is not a good answer. I want to put my kids through college, take a few good trips, and retire at a reasonable age. We live frugally, don't buy fancy cars, and could care less about using our money for status. You won't find me taking wild financial bets in the stock market or any other market for that matter. We just want to make a sound financial decision. What's your take?
posted by
Work & Money
(25 answers total)
3 users marked this as a favorite
Getting a mortgage is a basically a government entitlement in the form of a tax break. Unless you are a die hard Republican and do not believe that there should be any government subsidies, it is a no brainer to take the mortgage, imo.
posted by
on July 11, 2012 [
3 favorites
Personally I would pay in cash but a couple of things to keep in mind...
- You will need cash in the next few years for repairs, furniture etc. ...that boiler will break, i know its new, but it will break!
- As for tax breaks keep in mind that the money you get back back for mortgage interest is just a portion of the amount you actually paid for interest. People always seem to think they are missing out on free money but that is not the case.
- If you pay in cash you can make up a 'mortgage' payment and put that aside to save each month. Although judging by the fact that you are in this position it seems like you have your financial head on straight.
- Sure you can invest elsewhere and make more money maybe. But even at 3.6% there is no where else you can get that return guaranteed.
In conclusion I would pay cash but only if you have some cash at the ready for emergencies and necessary purchases.
posted by
on July 11, 2012 [
2 favorites
I would take whatever option allowed me to be mortgage free. It gives you a freedom very few get to experience. The extra cash flow you realize can allow you choices most don't enjoy. Make the house your own with improvements, invest, develop really robust college funds...go for it!
posted by
on July 11, 2012
I suppose this question is about alternative investments and whether or not we could beat 3.6% without taking on too much risk.
More realistically it's about whether you can beat 3.6 percent times (1-your marginal tax rate).
posted by
on July 11, 2012
How much cash will you have left if you pay cash? I don't like the idea of cashing out your 401k etc., but more than that, I don't like the idea of getting rid of your safety cushion. I can't tell what you're thinking as far as the mortgage goes, but it's worth considering a middle ground where you make a sizable down payment and cover the rest with a mortgage.
I don't think debt is inherently a bad thing -- if it's an amount you can afford and the interest rate is low -- and I get the sense that you seem to think it is. If you really hate debt, fine, don't take on debt because peace of mind has value too, but I don't get why you would pay all the money now when you don't have to (and as far as I can tell, can't easily afford to).
posted by
J. Wilson
on July 11, 2012 [
1 favorite
An an alternative, you could run the numbers on putting 50% down and financing the balance over 15 years. That will get you an even lower interest rate, and depending on the cost of the house, a mortgage payment that is less than your SUV payment! . If you financial situation stays stable I assume you would be in a position to pay it off whenever you wanted to.
But probably, you should find a fee based financial planner, buy a couple hours of his time, and run the numbers in a variety of scenarios to see. There is certainly a lot of financial security in being debt free, but it sounds like you are also in the position to think long term about what you might earn with 30 years of compounding investments if you don't pay cash for the mortgage.
posted by
on July 11, 2012 [
5 favorites
I think this is a personal preference at this point. I chose to pay off my mortgage 4 years ago. While it initially stung seeing my account balance depleted so heavily, from the date the next payment would have been due, I have never regretted it. This assumes you have a cushion, which with 2 incomes and no mortgage payment, is easier to have.
It is really nice to have no mortgage, but remember that property taxes and insurance are really high in Texas (I am in Austin too) so you are still going to have to cough up a chunk of money every year, which stinks.
posted by
on July 11, 2012
I think COD's idea is a good one. You split the difference and see what happens.
Also, you can always pay off a mortgage early.
posted by
on July 11, 2012 [
1 favorite
ROU_Xenophobe gets to the heart of the question. Paying off your mortgage means you are not paying interest, but you are not earning potential returns. The stock market has significantly higher expected yields, but of course higher risk.
Two other related issues to consider:
1) Having a mortgage gives you flexibility. This can be a good thing. If you take out a $50,000 mortgage, that means you have $50,000 more in liquid assets if an emergency comes up. If you had paid off the mortgage, it would be locked away and harder to access.
2) Paying cash constrains you. This can be a good thing. If you had taken out a $50,000 mortgage, you might be tempted to spend it. Paying off the mortgage is a way of locking the money away, making it harder to access. (It sounds like that would be less of an issue for you than for most people.)
For a free trial financial checkup, check out
posted by
on July 11, 2012
Not sure if you've looked into it, but you can also get things like a
5-year fixed rate mortgage from ING Direct
for about 2.7%. Easier to beat 2.7% in returns than 3.6%! Just something to think about.
posted by
on July 11, 2012
I'd take the mortgage as a 30 year fixed. 3.6% is a crazy cheap loan. After the mortgage tax deduction the real rate to you is more like 2.4% (assuming 35% tax bracket). Historically diversified investment returns in the US have been roughly 6% (for instance,
Vanguard's stock/bond mix fund
). Of course returns aren't guaranteed, and in the past few years getting any sort of positive return has been difficult. But on a 30 year horizon I still expect my investments to do better than 3%.
The other advantage of the mortgage is flexibility. Put the money you would have spent on the house in a nice, long term investment. Don't spend it on something else. But if something changes and you need liquid assets, it's sitting there for you to access. For me that's peace of mind. The negative side is you might be tempted to spend that money on something frivolous instead. Don't do that.
BTW your 50% of liquid assets includes 401k and 529 plans. While those are technically liquid in an emergency, there are significant tax penalties for spending them on anything other than their earmarked purposes of retirement and education. I don't look at that kind of money as truly liquid, myself. That argues even more for taking the mortgage, since you have less liquidity.
posted by
on July 11, 2012 [
1 favorite
It is all about leverage. If you can put just 20% down at the interest rate you mention you will have a whopping 80% of the cost of the house to invest at a hopefully higher rate. So let's do the maths... 20% down, and a tax deduction that in many cases = 20% of your mortgage, at least during the early years, a house that is earning equity on 100% of the value, but only a 20% investment, and a whole lot of money left over to invest elsewhere.
posted by
on July 11, 2012
The issue I have right now is that most of my CFA / Hedge Fund friends are telling me that there is huge volatility and uncertainty in the market right now. If Italy decides to default, I am thinking a 3.6% return looks pretty good right now. I am a Vanguard customer myself and I am not sure I could bank of a 6% return for any index fund over the next 10 years.
posted by
on July 11, 2012
I also vote for taking the mortgage.
Again, your real "return" on buying the house is less than 3.6%, since the interest is tax-deductible. Even if you have concerns around poor returns in the markets more generally, there are other very low risk investments out there (i-bonds, long-term CDs with small withdrawal penalties) that offer comparable after-tax returns without tying up your principal. If interest rates go down, you could refi at an even lower rate (so if you pay cash, you eliminate that option). And if you expect interest rates to rise over the coming years, then having a fixed mortgage at 3.6% with tax-deductible interest might look pretty good if savings accounts, CDs etc are paying at higher rates.
I've found the
Bogleheads forum
to be a good place to hear all sides of issues like these...there are a number of threads on this issue. Their wiki also has
this article
posted by
on July 11, 2012
A couple of things:
The mortgage deduction isn't always a big deal, depending in the size of the mortgage, your overall tax situation, etc. Do the math, but in my case the benefit is so trivial as to become negligible.
An advantage of a paid off mortgage is cashflow. Regardless of interest rates and financial projections, owning the house means you have control over a sizeable portion of your monthly budget that you can invest, spend, or whatever.
My mortgage interest rate is under what you are looking at, and even so if I had the cash in hand I would pay it off today simply because of the flexibility it would give me. One question you might want to look into, though, is what impact this decision would have on college student financial aid calculations. There might be significant advantages or disadvantages at that point of being more or less leveraged, for example.
posted by
on July 11, 2012
You need to do a cost-benefit analysis with the opportunity cost of taking a mortgage. If you are not able to do this, then you should not be making this decision by yourself (especially with only going for the advice of your financial friends) and should be looking for independent third party assistance - ie, a fee-based financial advisor. This is not a bad thing and says nothing about you beyond that financial decisions that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars should be made very carefully.
You are focusing too closely on the potential 3.6% return of paying off your mortgage. Here are the costs associated with taking that:
If you think the financial market is heading towards volatility and uncertainty, there is also a likelihood (although certainly not guarantee, as we've seen) that the housing market will similarly be volatile and uncertain. Note that many Americans have a habit of keeping retirement assets in their house, so when they retire, they have to liquidate their house if their other retirement assets are not valuable (ie, if the market crashes). Hence, there is a downward pressure in prices as people retire. If you have a mortgage, you can simply walk away from your home as a financial decision if this happens. You might not like that as a person, but you should not be looking at this as a morality question.
There is value in having liquid cash or easily liquidized assets in your residual 50% savings. If you believe in market volatility, cash is what you want. In particular, if you think you will lose your job, you want cash. However, if the liquidized portion of your residual 50% savings is much greater than the cost of losing your job, this is not that important. That said, there is a (small, but non-zero) monetary advantage in having cash around
You should not be comparing the 3.6% return vs a 6% return on an index fund. The real return of an investment is the actual return reduced by your marginal tax rate multiplied by the portion of the investment that is taxed. The real return of paying your mortgage is reduced by the amount the mortgage would reduce your taxes if you had it. I am deliberately not filling in these numbers to bias you because depending on your tax scenario, we could end up with wildly differing numbers. If you want to make this decision, you should be able to fill in those numbers by yourself without my help.
There is monetary value in not making mortgage payments. People like you (and me) tend to hate making payments. How much do you value that? You can account for some of the monetary losses in paying off the mortgage by the monetary value of not making payments. It sounds odd to put a monetary value on something you
, but that's how you should be approaching this.
I think that anyone here that says "take the mortgage" or "pay the mortgage" unconditionally is making a decision with too little information. As I've noted, there is tremendous variation in how this works out depending on your perception of the market and your current tax situation. Only you can figure this out. If you can't figure it out, don't do it.
posted by
on July 11, 2012 [
5 favorites
The other 50% is fairly liquid, with an even spread between 401k
Just to be clear, none of the cash for the house would come out of a retirement account, right?
posted by
on July 11, 2012 [
2 favorites
Take the mortgage.* This is about liquidity and diversification of your investments.
First, if things go awfully for you and you lose your job and really, really need the equity in your home, you will have a hell of a time getting a home equity loan without a job. So your options for tapping that equity will be to sell the house or to accept some kind of a loan with horribly unfavorable terms. If you take out a mortgage, then presumbably you'll put the money you would have invested in your house into something much more liquid.
Second, taking the mortgage allows you to better diversify your investments so that half of your investments are not tied up in a single asset, your house.
Third, the benefit of not taking the mortgage is that each month you have money that you don't need to spend on a mortgage payment but can spend on something else, instead. You should consider whether you have the self discipline to invest all of this money or if it's going to be spent on other stuff that's really not that critical. Compare the two situations: If you take a 30 year mortgage, in 30 years you'll own your house debt free, same as if you paid cash for it now. You'll also have the value of the money you
use to purchase the house outright, compounded with 30 years of growth. If you buy the house outright now, you forego the opportunity of having that chunk of money to start with, so it won't be growing for 30 years. To make up for that, not only are you going to have to "beat" the 3.6% rate on your loan, but you'll have to faithfully sock away money every month that would have been going to your mortgage payment. If you fritter that money away on this and that, then after thirty years you'll be substantially less well off and it won't have mattered whether you could have gotten a better return than 3.6% because you didn't stay disciplined enough.
Oh, also, if you are worried about trying to "outperform" your mortgage rate, one option for you could be to take the mortgage and just pay more each month on it.
*Your earning power relative to the size of your mortgage and the likely stability of your earning power matter a lot, too. If, for example, you're talking about taking out a $125,000 mortgage and you and your spouse can predict with reasonable certainty that you will continue to earn a combined $200,000 annually, than this matters much, much less. If your income fluctuates quite a bit, like in sales or independent contracting and the mortgage is much bigger than your combined annual income, than I think it makes more sense to prioritize liquidity and diversification.
posted by
on July 11, 2012 [
1 favorite
If I were you, I'd put 50% down and invest the rest.
This assumes that you're frugal enough that you save a big chunk of your monthly income (and the fact that you're able to pay for a house in cash suggests that you are) and that your income is stable and will likely be stable for the foreseeable future.
The nice thing about taking out the mortgage now is that you can put some of that money into more conservative investments until things sort themselves out and then either invest in something for the longer term or pay off the mortgage. There might be some kind of early payment penalty so you will want to ask your mortgage professional about it. If you think that you'll probably have to pay off the mortgage sooner, you might shop around a bit and try to get lower closing costs even if you end up with a slightly higher rate.
You can always do a cash-out refi later but it is much more difficult (many lenders simply won't do it) and you might not be able to get a rate this low ever again.
For the funds that will either be invest in the house or put into other investments via the mortgage I would assume that you'll need to access that money when your kids go to college (it might be true but it seems like the most likely worst-case-scenario) and work with that as you time-horizon rather than the length of the mortgage. With that in mind, you have a long enough time-horizon that you can tolerate a fair amount of risk.
posted by
on July 11, 2012
One other thing worth considering is that a all-cash offer is a good opportunity to exert some negotiatingp ower. Since you don't go have to go through the bank hurdles, and don't need contingencies on your offer, it's less work for the seller's realtor. They should be more inclined to push the offer, perhaps even to the point of cutting their commission.
All-cash offers, essentially, give you the power to buy the house at a discount, and (obviously) to save on the costs of originating a mortgage. That's something like a 5%-8% discount,
Cheap debt and leverage are valuable, but so is locking in a savings like that -- particularly if you expect interest rates and investment returns to stay low. In a soft market I personally wouldn't want to overleverage. (Obviously, no one knows the future.)
posted by
on July 11, 2012 [
3 favorites
We bought earlier this year with cash. It represented about 1/3 of our reserves not 50%. And echoing zvs, we easilty negotiated a deal 15% off of the asking price (which was actually a good price to begin with). And our closing costs, in entirety, were $710 dollars. We don't regret our decision at all.
posted by
on July 11, 2012
I'm thinking that the way to frame the math problem here is:
What do I pay in interest by taking the loan?
What would the tax break be by taking the loan?
If the tax break is higher than the interest. Finance.
If the interest is higher than the tax break. Pay cash.
Did I miss anything here?
posted by
Ruthless Bunny
on July 11, 2012
I have a very large mortgage at a very low interest rate and find that it still makes sense to take the
standard deduction
rather than to itemise to claim mortgage interest deduction. As has been noted elsewhere above, the deduction is nice but it's not a like-for-like replacement for the money paid in interest, and you're not necessarily better off by taking the mortgage interest deduction. From the link above, MFJ couples get $11900 standard. You can have that for free, never mind the savings from the mortgage interest deduction. This is something to bear in mind if you went the 50% route especially. If you're not paying $1000 a month in interest, it may not be worth itemising. If it's not worth itemising for the deduction, it might not be worth taking out the mortgage.
posted by
on July 11, 2012
I'd take the mortgage as a 30 year fixed. 3.6% is a crazy cheap loan. After the mortgage tax deduction the real rate to you is more like 2.4% (assuming 35% tax bracket).
Those are some hefty assumptions. First, to be in the 35% tax bracket, the OP, filing jointly, would have an adjusted gross income above $390,000, with no state income tax (OP is in Texas).
Second, the standard deduction is $11,900 for a couple which means that they wouldn't even start getting a mortgage deduction until their total deductions exceed that amount. Austin has property taxes in the neighborhood of 2% so the mortgage deduction only applies, roughly, to the portion of the mortgage greater than about $200,000, unless they have other large deductions. So, it is quite possible that they get little or no mortgage deduction at all. You have to run the real numbers, but they are likely not anything near to your off-the-cuff estimate.
There is a tendency to oversell the mortgage deduction for middle income people, neglecting the fact that the standard deduction has increased dramatically in recent decades.
posted by
on July 11, 2012
Did I miss anything here?
1- Yes. The tax break is always less than the interest you pay because the tax break is a percentage of the interest you pay.
2- The question is whether to take the money they were going to spend on the house and invest it in something else that would make more interest than they would pay on the mortgage. Very simply, if you have a mortgage at 3.6%, and you can somehow find an investment that pays 4% a year, then it allegedly makes sense to do that instead of just paying cash for the house.
However, it usually doesn't end up working out. Money, investments and risk, like water, have a funny way of finding their own level. If that other investment that's making the 4% was really as low-risk as a mortgage, the people lending you the money for the mortgage would be investing in that instead. They would be stupid to take your 3.6% when they can take that other person's 4%. But they aren't, so it must be higher risk than you think.
I figured it out once. Start with $100,000 and no house. Choice one is to buy the house for cash, and then put $1000 a month into a bank account. Choice two is to get a mortgage, pay the bank $1000 a month, and invest the $100,000. There were a couple of narrow scenarios where choice two won out (specific time horizons, I think), but in general, choice one always won. Because over time, you got to "keep" the interest you would send the bank, but you then also could invest the money you were saving each month into your get rich quick scheme.
posted by
on July 12, 2012
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Lescott Fee Agreed
Everton has agreed an undisclosed fee with Manchester City for the transfer of defender Joleon Lescott.
The Club had previously rejected two offers for the England centre back, with David Moyes repeatedly stating his desire to keep his best players at Goodison Park.
However, Lescott informed the Club he wanted to leave 12 days ago, submitting a formal transfer request.
That request was quickly rejected, with the Blues boss again reiterating he was unwilling to sell the player.
But since then Moyes has revealed there was a noticeable change in the player's attitude and as a result decided that it is in the best interests of the Club if he allowed Lescott to leave.
Chairman Bill Kenwright has worked tirelessly to get the best deal for Everton, achieving a substantial increase on Manchester City's initial offer.
Lescott will now meet with Manchester City and will sign subject to him successfully negotiating personal terms and passing a medical.
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Harvard University
Harvard hosts a staggering number of lectures, symposia, meetings and tours, many of which are free and open to the public. Topics are as diverse as the university itself and are impossible to encapsulate in a review such as this. Representative events are gallery talks on green architecture, Islamic Jihadism or mapping the human genome.


text:
Welcome to the official Tumblr of The Week Magazine.
Twitter |
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How to tell kids Santa isn't real
It's the question every parent dreads: Is Santa Claus real? The bombshell can drop at age 6, or 7, or 8, even older, but no matter what the child's age, it can "mark the end of a certain kind of innocence for the child," says Marie Hartwell-Walker in Psych Central, "and an end of a fun chapter of parenting for the adults." How parents respond can determine whether the moment results in tears, anger, or a "sweet transition" to "a new kind of magic." When the question comes, what's the best way to answer it?
Lie through your teeth: "I tell them how Santa can fold his body up, like a magical yogi, to wiggle down our chimney," says Margot Magowan in The San Francisco Chronicle. The little ones "look adorable sucking it all up, mouths open, eyes wide." When "these childhood myths" fade away, it will be "a gentle way for kids to learn [that] well-intended parents are not always reliable sources of truth."
Not a fan of lying to children? Fess up. Teach them about the real Christmas: We tell our kids the truth, says Pastor Marc Driscoll in The Washington Post. We don't "demonize" Santa, but we don't lie to convince our children he's real. "Our kids thank us for being both honest and fun, which we think is what Jesus wants."
Here, some other options.
Photo credit CC BY: Per Ola Wiberg
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