titleSave Money at Resale Shops/titlepMany consumers know that you can find good deals on pre-owned items at flea markets, Ebay, Craigslist, and various classified ads. In recent years, many franchise specialty resale shops have emerged on the retail market. These stores allow shoppers to shop for specific specialized goods and also may give you cash for your unwanted items. Below are some descriptions and web sites that have a growing number of locations across the nation./ppstrongOnce Upon a Child:/strong/ppWith more than 230 stores nationwide, Once Upon a Child buys and sells gently-used childrens toys, furniture, and clothing. Most parents know that kids outgrow everything very fast. Therefore, this resale shop can save families money on items that children use for a short time. Those bags full of gently-used clothes that children wore for a few months could also earn parents some extra cash./ppstrongPlatos Closet:/strong/ppThis store has a similar concept to Once Upon a Child, except it is geared towards teens. Platos Closet, a franchise resale shop that buys and sells gently-used teen apparel, specializes in designer brands such as Express and Abercrombie Fitch. In addition to purchasing stylish clothes for a fraction of the cost, your teen can also get cash for clothes that they do not wear anymore./ppstrongPlay It Again Sports:/strong/ppParticipating in school or community sports produces positive results for your child. However, parents are sometimes burdened with bills for costly equipment and transportation fees. Play It Again Sports allows you to turn in your used sporting goods for credit towards new purchases. This store also gives cash for used fitness equipment./ppstrongHalf Price Books:/strong/ppBy the name of this store, it is easy to assume that it carries a wide variety of used books. However, they also stock pre-owned music, movies, and games. Most items are at least half off of the publishers original price. If you are an avid reader, this store may be a good alternative to the pricey bookstores that sell only new items. Half Price Books also gives you cash for your used books, CDs, movies, etc. According to this stores web site (www.halfpricebooks.com), associates will make an offer on every one of your items./ppstrongCD Warehouse:/strong/ppThis resale store buys, sells, and trades used CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, games, and vinyl records. The amount of cash you receive for CDs depends on the current inventory of the individual store. The CD Warehouse also provides a great way to unload the music that you no longer listen to or have converted to MP3 format. Music buffs can also find interesting and rare tunes for a low price. Visit www.cdwarehouse.com for more information. This franchise also operates under the names of Disc Go Round, CD Exchange, and Music Trader./ppstrongComputer Renaissance:/strong/ppKeeping up with the latest computer technology can be a costly endeavor. Computer Renaissance offers consumers refurbished name brand computers and also custom builds new computers. When it comes time to upgrade your system, you may be able to receive trade-in value for your equipment and apply it to the cost of a new computer./ppstrongReTool:/strong/ppHousehold tools can be a surprise expense because some people may only buy them when they absolutely need them while others like to tackle various home improvement projects as a hobby. ReTool offers an array of new and used tools which includes everything from table saws to nails. All used tools are inspected to ensure they are functional. This store will also buy your unwanted tools or give your credit to trade up to a different model./ppBill Loughborough is Founder and CEO of Credit Answers, a Texas based debt settlement company. Credit Answers specializes in a TARGET=_NEW href=http://www.creditanswers.comdebt management/a, credit card debt settlement, debt elimination and avoiding bankruptcy. Credit Answers is a TASC Best practices Accredited organization and serves thousands of clients across the country and settles millions of dollars each month./ppPrior to Credit Answers Mr. Loughborough had spent 20 years in the financial services industry as founder and CEO of Homeloan.com Inc., Landmark Mortgage, Factual Data, and National Mortgage Research Company. Mr. Loughboroughs Companies in the past have received the prestigious Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Private Company in America on three separate occasions. Mr. Loughborough graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a major in finance./ppFor more information please visit: a TARGET=_NEW href=http://www.creditanswers.comhttp://www.creditanswers.com/a/pbrbr

Samoa’s history is peppered with skirmishes over land and even a civil war or two. It was customary back then for those who were defeated in battle to retreat into the mountains.

This is why, after the tragic events of Samoa’s Black Saturday, the men of the Mau scattered to find refuge in villages far away from Upolu’s troubled coastline.

The women, however, didn’t.

According to Wikipedia, the resistance against New Zealand’s rule in Samoa continued in the form of a Women’s Mau, which carried on the ‘councils, parades and symbolic protests that the men now could not.’

Not much is recorded about this organization. After a two week search, we could only find a handful of references to it online.

It’s most likely that the Women’s Mau was simply an extension of our traditional village Women’s Committees.

Many of it’s members were wives of the Mau’s men. Not surprisingly, Rosebel Nelson, wife of Mau leader Taisi Olaf F. Nelson, helped to instigate this movement. Pacific journalist Michael Field found a touching letter written to her by her husband, which sheds more light on the role of the Women’s Mau in securing eventual independence for Samoa:

My contribution to the cause of our little country, Samoa, is as much as can be expected from any one man.

…said Nelson.

I am quite proud of the part you have played in the formation of the Women’s Mau and I agree with you that the Men’s Mau might have greatly weakened if not given in altogether but for the part played by the women under your guidance and leadership. . .

Anne Maxwell, author of the book Colonial Photography & Exhibitions, suggests our Women’s Mau demonstrated Samoa’s potential for democracy, especially at a time when the concept of women sharing rights and responsibilities with men was foreign to just about any culture.

Finally, as written records began to fail us, we found this photo.

Today’s independent Samoa owes much to the truly collaborative efforts of our ancestors. In their struggle for freedom, the story of our Women’s Mau – their determination to carry on the work of their men, for the benefit of their children – is a powerful reminder to us that our Fa’asamoa is indeed founded on love.

Hamo Geek Girl

1.25 million babies (one third of all births) madonna born each year in the U.S. to unmarried parents. Many people just assume these babies are born to single teen moms, when in fact 41% of these births are to unmarried cohabitating couples. People no longer get married, then have the baby. A significant portion of couples never marry, or marry years after becoming parents.

Reasons
There are lots of situations in which people choose to raise children outside of marriage. Many people who have been through news bad marriage vow to never repeat that mistake again, and find that they are happy to live together as partners without a piece of paper validating their love. Many couples conceive a child but decide they aren’t meant to be together, yet do find a way to continue to parent together even though they are no longer a couples. There quotes been a significant rise in the number of single women in their 30s and 40s choosing to have children, as well as the “gayby” boom – gay couples (who are not permitted to marry in most states) adopting or conceiving children.

Unmarried Celebs
Hollywood has set the example in this instance. Couples such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams, Nicole Ritchie and Joel Madden, Halle Berry and Gabrielle Aubry, Naomi Watts and Liev Schrieber, Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, Madonna and her bodyguard (the father of her first child), Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard, and Farah Fawcett and Ryan O’Neal share or have shared children in a partnership outside marriage. Many other famous couples become parents first and later choose to marry, such as Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, and Madonna and Guy Ritchie (the father of her second child).

Unmarried Challenges
Unmarried couples face huge challenges in our marriage-centric society. Married couples are automatically legal parents together, while an unmarried father must go through a legal procedure to become the “real” father. Putting dad’s name on the birth certificate is not enough. To become a legal father, a man who is not married to the baby’s mother must sign an acknowledgement of paternity (a legal document) or go through a paternity proceeding in family court.

Unmarried couples face other challenges, such discrimination in adoption or fertility treatments. Some clinics and doctors are unwilling to provide assistance to unmarried women or unmarried couples who are trying to become pregnant, although fortunately there are many professionals who do not have such a bias. Some adoption agencies are not willing to place children in unmarried homes and some foreign countries prohibit adoption of children from their country by single people or unmarried couples.

Unmarried families must deal with unfair income tax treatment. Even if they live together as a nuclear family, they are not eligible for the same married family tax breaks available to families where the parents have chosen to marry.

One of the greatest challenges is a general lack of understanding by doctors, teachers, and neighbors. Society, schools, and the legal system are not set up to recognize and support unmarried parents, and so many find themselves feeling ignored or misunderstood.

Creating Your Own Rules
Many unmarried parents have found that since society and systems are not set up to accommodate a family life that doesn’t fit within traditional definitions, they have to create their own rules. Some parents work out financial arrangements outside of courts. Instead of going to court and getting orders of custody and child support, they create their own schedules and share finances in a way that makes sense to them. Unmarried families also rely on health care directives, wills, and powers of attorney to define legal rights and offer protection from a system that does not understand nontraditional families.

As more and more people have become aware of the rights denied to gay families, opinion may also change about the rights and needs of unmarried heterosexuals. Some municipalities allow heterosexual couples over age 62 to register as domestic partners, recognizing that remarrying as a senior puts pension and Social Security benefits at risk, however there is yet to be a very productive movement to offer these same rights to younger couples. The more unmarried couples who are open about their arrangement, the sooner public opinion will change.

Brette Sember is a former family law attorney and author of Unmarried with Children: The Complete Guide for Unmarried Families (Adams Media, 2008). Learn more at http://www.UnmarriedWithChildren.net

The very first thing any prospective business owner should do is research their market. Is your business viable? Will it make any money? Is there a gap in the market locally? Are there specific markets that you can tap into?

Do some research, then do some more! The more research you do, the more chance you have of creating a successful B&B business that gives you a good income.

The first step in your research is to find out Who You Can Ask For Help.

1. celebrity Information Centre

Your first stop should be your local Visitor Information Centre. They will know what tourists want from a B&B in your area, what they like to do whilst they are away, how much they spend and how long they stay. They will also be able to tell you which local B&B celebrity are friendly and willing to share information and tips with you. Which brings me onto…

2. Other B&B Owners

Finding a successful, friendly B&B owner, who runs their business in the area you want to set up in, is a great boost for your research. No one will know the business and local area as well as they do. However they can be difficult to find. Unfortunately not everyone will welcome a new B&B opening up in their area. So where can you find them?

3. Local Tourism Networking Groups and Associations

Most areas have at least one local network which B&B owners can join. Being a member of a local network is a great way of sharing problems and ideas. Network members will tend to support each other through difficulties. Running a B&B can be an isolating occupation. So find out the name of your local network from your local Visitor Information Centre and contact the chairperson or secretary. They will either be able to help you themselves or suggest someone in the group to contact.

4. Businesslink

Businesslink provide free support for start up businesses across the UK. They can provide you with free training and advice. And, if you are really lucky, they may have specialist tourism business advisors who can advise you on the local area.

5. Friends, Family and Colleagues

Ask your friends, family and colleagues what they look for in a B&B. Get them to tell you about their best B&B stays and their worst and find out why they were so good/bad.

Karen Thorne runs the award winning Hopton House Bed and Breakfast in the beautiful South Shropshire countryside. http://www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk/

If you’re looking to run your own bed and breakfast in the UK, then save yourself time, effort and money by checking out our training courses and free resources at http://www.bedandbreakfastacademy.co.uk/ Everything you need to know to Set Up, Run and Market your own successful B&B business.

Festina, a Swiss watch manufacturer, was established in the year 1902. It is the certified timekeeper of the Tour de France. Being over 100 years old, it comes among the leading names in Europe and also a best seller in its home country. At the moment, the Festina brand carries on its heritage of fashionable European watches with a widespread compilation of stylish, handy and sporty watches for almost every occasion.

From the period of its establishment, Festina watches have carved out a niche brand by way of an inimitable persona. Shaped in the midst of the altering generations, these watches are elegant, vibrant as well as highly efficient. Theses are genuinely meant for people who breathe their lives strongly and love to cherish every single moment through the thick and thin of life.

These watches are composed of Japanese quartz movements and other matchless, inherent features. The Mecaquartz movement, a no-battery mechanical quartz movement, is another distinguishing feature of the brand. In addition to all theses exceptional attributes, a major chunk of Festina’s watches take account of sports chronographs comprising the globally advertised Road Warrior string of chronographs.

Festina also hogged media limelight in the year 1998 through a dubious reason. The team sponsored by the Festina in the Tour de France, was trapped in a doping scandal.

Festina offers a broad product range – digital, analog, chronograph, leather, stainless steel and titanium. It truly doesn’t matter, whichever model you pick, it will have a long, lasting effect on your personality. Some particular models have pitched Festina on the top of the market and almost turned it into a monopolistic brand in the watch market. Some models are extremely adored by sports enthusiasts and from time to time, the company has come up with innovative features to give them further boost.

The Tour De France alarm watches, when rolled in the market, fuelled the competition and forced other watch producer to match its level. The brand got some rave acclaim from the competitors as well. Its status received a further boost when it launched the modified version of the brand by presenting it as Festina Tour de France Alarm Chronograph watch.

For the past 15-20 years, Festina watches have created a sort of segment for itself by touching the pulse of the watch lovers. Now, it mainly focuses on the sports range due to the growing popularity of the sporting events. It has a strong team in the form of technical support which is primarily focused on the process of innovation. Sponsoring of some professional cycling events has given it a world wide reach as well as recognition.

In the terms of marketing strategy, Festina has surpassed even some leading watch makers and still holds a reputable place. For every country, it has adopted a different set of strategies. Its association with cycling events has created a vast market for it even outside Europe. US being a large market, the company adopted an entirely different strategy for the U.S. It allowed some U.S. distributors to make merry by selling the watches through the bike shops. It provided some discount as well to boost the process and is now reaping the rewards in the form of growing demand of Festina in the US.

Zai Zhu is a watch collector and a watch dealer. Visit http://www.discountwatchstore.com to learn more about wristwatches. You can also shop over 2400 styles of fine watches including many Pulsar watches, Casio watches, Festina watches, Mondaine watches, Seiko watches, Sector watches, Movado watches, Bulova watches, Accutron watches, Wittnauer watches, Citizen watches, Invicta watches, Luminox watches as well as other brand name watches such as Adee Kaye, Corvette, Croton, Lucien Piccard, Orient, Perigaum, TW Steel, Vanceur, and Wenger.

Why read Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter From A Birmingham Jail?” Why read a letter that was written decades ago in a cold jail cell by a man who has been dead for almost forty years? The answer is simple. Dr. King wrote this eloquent and profound letter while confined in a Birmingham city jail. In this letter responding to criticism from his fellow clergymen, Dr. King explains to the world why he has gone about his activities the way he has. His fellow clergymen called his activities “unwise and untimely” and questioned his methods and motivations.

This letter’s purpose was to explain to people why he chose to implement his direct-action, non-violent protests at that time and why he could not wait. King says, “We have waited for more that 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jet like speed toward gaining political independence, but we stiff creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter.” Dr. King believed that his people had waited long enough for justice and equality. Dr. King was never idle and did not wait for justice to be handed to him. He was assertive and impatient when it came to the freedom of his people.

Today, we can learn much from the ideals presented by Dr. King and his letter from a Birmingham jail. We too must be assertive and impatient about our wants and our needs. Achieving justice should be part of every individuals life for generations to come. Injustices are still present in today’s world and will continue to be present as long as human beings inhabit this earth. The injustices that Dr. King encountered in his life time are still present in this country today. In Dr. King’s time, the injustices of segregation and racism were definitely more obvious.

The oppressor was as clear as black and white. The injustices that we as a people face today in this country are much more nebulous and more subtle, but they do exist. Segregation and racism are, possibly, as alive today as in Dr. King’s time. It may even be present in your church, in your school, or around your community without you even realizing it. This is the reason why it is important for us to study Dr. King’s life and works. The fact that injustices are still present today should motivate each of us to transform the status quo. It is our responsibility today to carry on Dr. King’s legacy so that we can continue to progress in a way that will lead to the overall progress and betterment of our world.

Hairstyles are every bit as important for men as it is for women. We can see the latest fashions and hairstyles for men by watching the academy awards and the Oscars. We can also see the latest in these hairstyles on the reality shows like Blowout and Real World. As shown on Blowout, a great hairstyle can make a average person or even a ugly duckling a knockout. Jonathon does this on every episode of Blowout. Here are the great hairstyles for 2006 that are guaranteed to make you look better or at least make a statement.

Short, styled, messy with highlights. Ryan Seacrest started this do. It is an easy to maintain look and had its starts with alternative rock bands whom have taken it to more extremes (spikes, different colors, etc…) This is a very easy hairstyle to manage. Just use hair spray, mousse whatever and twist a little here and pull a little there. Some women are also using this for short styles. This easy, messy do is here to stay.

The short business cut. This has always been in. Everyone from George Bush and Jeff Gordon to Jay Leno sport this one. It can be parted to either side, brushed back or down. There are many variations. Sometimes it even looks like a bowl cut – popularized in the days of Leave it to Beaver, the Beverly Hill Billies, Green Acres and other shows that highlighted inbreeding in society.

The mullet. This big hair style of the 80’s is actually making a comeback. Wrestlers, country singers, even wanna-be stars like Kevin Federline have been seen wearing mullets. The mullet originated with car salesmen in the 1970’s. It was a fun, easy do that was business in the front and party in the back. They could tie it in a pony tail and keep it under wraps at work and then let it lips for partying. There are many variations even including the rat tail (hopefully this won’t come back). There isn’t much care needed for a mullet. What would George Bush, Dr. Phil, Ryan Seacrest, or even Simon Cowell look like with a mullet? I bet ratings for American Idol would double.

The medium-long cut. Basically this is where the hair is about 3-4 inches long across the top and shortened as it comes don the back to about 1-2 inches. One just puts moose or gel in it and works it in and then comes their hair back with their fingers. This is a cut primarily for those with wavy hair as it will show off and glamorize your curls. This is a star favorite – Antonio Banderas and Tom Cruise have sported this do several times throughout their careers.

Chrome dome. Going for that shiny top, bald look. It works for muscular or dominant people. Just look at Jesse Ventura, Michael Jordan, and UFC president Dana White. It used to be only worn by those going bald, but its popularity has grown to include kids, grandparents, even women looking to make a statement. There have even been people renting out ad space on their newly shaved head for quick cash. It is also a great place to try out a tattoo. If you find you don’t like the tattoo, just let your hair grow back.

There you have it. The popular mens hairstyles of this year and numerous variants.

David Maillie is a chemist with over 12 years experience in biochemical research and clynical analysis. He is an alumni of Cornell University and specializes in biochemical synthesis for public, private, and governmental interests. He holds numerous patents and specializes in products that save the consumer money. He can be reached at M.D. Wholesale: http://www.mdwholesale.com or by visiting http://www.bestskinpeel.com