Almost comically, President Obama has begun his appeal for re-election by bashing the 1% – who got him elected with their campaign donations in 2008 – and appealing to the 99% – about half of whom pay no taxes and must certainly figure “why not?” when it comes to more government spending. After all, when you’ve got no skin in the game, what harm can more spending do? A lot, actually, but that’s a story for another day. If it wasn’t certain before, Obama’s State of the Union speech made it clear that a little bit of “class warfare” was at play.
Noted Obama, “We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.” Whether Obama crony capitalists like Warren Buffett and George Soros will be made to play by those same rules – which would be a huge change of direction for Obama thus far – remains to be seen.
There is conjecture that part of Obama’s “fair share” speech was directed at Mitt Romney, who recently released his tax returns, indicating an effective tax rate of under 15% for 2010. If so, that’s probably a wise strategy, as the president can likely count on the ignorance of the masses to propel him forward in 2012, just at it did in 2008. Of course, that there is no viable alternative to Obama among the current frontrunners in the GOP primary race doesn’t make the task of picking a true leader any easier. In fact, it indicates that it is impossible. But that, also, is a story for another day.
AP – In one of her last acts in office, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords met Monday with other survivors and supporters more than a year after gunfire interrupted a spontaneous meet-and-greet with constituents outside a Tucson grocery store.
I love ranch salad dressing and it has been quite a while since I have had thousand island salad dressing, I must admit. A dear relative recently gave me a bottle of Squeezable Ken’s Steak House Thousand Island Dressing. Thousand island salad dressing was my favorite, before ranch dressing entered my life. Not one to let any food product go to waste, I promptly tried out Squeezable Ken’s Steak House Thousand Island Dressing. Here is what I discovered!
I am a big fan of many of Ken’s Steak House brand dressings. I like this brand and they are big on taste. I prepared a large salad and added Squeezable Ken’s Steak House Thousand Island Dressing to it. This salad dressing is superb, it is true. Very rich, thick and creamy. One thing that I love most about this product, is that it takes very little to coat my salad. That is a good thing, because this dressing is not diet friendly. It is delicious, though. I have to rate this product four stars out of five stars. It is worth the money. One large bottle costs around three dollars. I liked the squeeze bottle and it is easy to use and easy to enjoy this product. It is a winner, in my book!
One serving of this dressing has 140 calories in it. 120 of those calories come from fat. You can see now why this dressing is so good. Mercy! Dieters, beware! One serving has 13 grams of total fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 15 mg’s of cholesterol, 300 mg’s of sodium, 4 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 3 grams of sugars and 0 grams of protein. With ingredients like garlic, egg yolk, dried red bell peppers, onion, paprika and pickle relish, it is no wonder that this dressing is spectacular. Lots of flavor. I loved trying it and writing this review about it. Though this is not a product I would have bought, on my own, I must admit, it is wonderful. A treat to dress a salad with, anytime. Worth splurging for, every now and then, for sure! This brand has many low fat options to choose from, also. It does do a green garden salad justice.
First things first, you can download a 2012 Spring Training Schedule from the official Cactus League Website. This way you have all the information on which times and days you want to attend. If you do not have internet access, or prefer a different method, you can also contact the ballparks where the trainings are going to take place.
The best way to get tickets, after you have checked the website and the schedule, is directly through that ballpark information page. You can not only view the phone numbers, but you can see which teams are playing, where the stadium is located with address, what days and the times.
You can also click on the actual team name you want, at the top of the home page of the Cactus League Website, and you can check all the training league games for that particular team.
Another way to get Cactus League Training Camp tickets is through the Major League Baseball website. This website will show an actual map you can click on to see which teams are where. The MLB site also lets you plan a baseball trip from park to park.
Always beware of sites that claim they have discounted or really cheap tickets. You want to make sure it is a trusted and secure website before giving out any information like your credit card and address. Stick to well known websites such as StubHub or TicketLuck . The best advice, however, is to go directly to the source, the team or ball park or home website, and find the tickets there. The price will most likely not be that much more, but your peace of mind will be priceless!
Eye glasses have been considered as something more than the protector of eyes. These devices were invented to avoid the direct contact of the eyes to the outer environment. Eyes are one of the sensitive parts of the body. They require to be kept with a little extra care for a long term and healthy vision power. Generally, people select an optical glass for the sake of stylish look only. They do not show their intention to research about the quality and features of the selected glass. Youth class has been seen to be attracted towards a large variety of colored and good looking goggles. The most important fact to keep in the mind is the reliability of the eye glass. One should also know the material and type of the glass used to produce it. An ideal optical glass imparts a better look to the user as well as it performs the function of protection of the eyes from the environmental pollution.
The problems regarding eye glasses and there selection comes to an end with zenni optical. They are one of the highest suppliers of optical glasses. They have an ultimate collection of different sizes and shapes. The most important feature of these optical glasses is the oleophobic lenses. The term oleophobic refers to oil repelling property of the surface of an eye glass. Zenni’s eye glasses are provided with an oil repellent and dirt repelling coating over the glasses. These glasses possess the following features for the reason of their selection:-
- Use of high quality of manufacturing material is done in the production of these glasses to keep the eyes safe from any adverse effect.
- They are available in a wide range of shapes and size to be selected by the customers on the basis of their gender, age and facial demand.
- These optical glasses are found in various types such as rimless, half rim, full rim etc.
- Using those eye glasses are useful in order to keep the eyes secured from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.
- The optical glasses are available in various latest and attractive colors so that a person can choose the appropriate glass which suits on the face.
- Goggles of this range can catch the interest of the customers who searches style and fashion in their personality.
Zenni’s Optical glasses are provided with a free protective case and a microfiber cleaning cloth. These glasses are provided with a single vision lens or bifocal lens according to the demand and requirement of the user. The product is delivered to the customer at order without any shipping charge. The price range of this series of eye glasses starts from six dollars while goes up to fifty dollars approximately. They are available in different shapes such as round, circular, rectangular, aviator etc. A person can choose the appropriate eye glass from the series. The glasses are designed genderwise also in different patterns for males and females but, there are some patterns which can be used by both, males and females.
If you are preparing yourself for a child custody hearing (generally contested because a couple could not come to a mutual, out-of-court agreement), you are mostly aware of the impact that the outcome will have on you and your child. You are probably scared, angry, embittered, depressed or on the verge of a nervous breakdown with all the worry over the verdict a judge will give. The first important thing for you to do, before you learn about how to prepare for a child custody hearing, is to calm yourself. Nothing worthwhile can be achieved when you are in a heightened emotional state. You have held yourself together so far, hang on for a little longer and set aside your emotional outburst for a time after the custody hearing.
Once you have rid yourself of personal baggage, put your logical and rational mind to work. Think about your child with a clear and unclouded mindset. What would be in the best interest of your child? It is easy to get carried away by feelings and come to the conclusion that because your spouse failed to be a good partner, he/she would fail to be a good parent. As far as possible, look at the situation from your child’s point of view. Then, based on what you think is best for your child, prepare yourself for the child custody hearing.
Things to Know Before a Child Custody Hearing
As any experienced single parent would know, to win a custody battle is no less than winning an actual battle and just like a general has to have a strategy in place, a personalized ‘child custody strategy’ is a must. The worst thing that can happen in a child custody is overlooking a deserving parent as an unfit parent. More often than not, the reason for this lies in poor planning of the better parent. To avoid this from happening to you, here are a few things you must know.
- The judge, or any other person in the court, does not know you. They might know about you based on the case file, but not who you really are.
- Your advocate is a representative, not a projection of you. Trust him/her but don’t leave everything to him/her.
- Courts no longer grant custody to a mother automatically. They decide the custody rights based on what is in the best interest of the child.
- Study your state laws on child custody thoroughly.
- Research on previous child custody cases similar to yours.
Preparation for a Child Custody Hearing
Self-evaluation
Honesty is indeed the best policy in a child custody hearing. As it is, your opponent in court is going to put you through a microscope. Instead of waiting for an outsider to reopen your wounds or use your weak spots as ammunition, you might as well do it yourself. While doing this, don’t limit your evaluation to just the parenting skills. The judge is going to focus on your parenting skills and see you as an individual. Ask yourself these questions:
- What traits in my personality are commendable?
- Which of my personality traits leave room for change?
- What are all the parenting skills I possess?
- What wrong choices or decisions have I made in the past?
- Which parts of parenting am I weak at?
- Which of my personality traits or parenting skills did my ex claim to be wrong?
- What all can I provide my child with?
- What will my child be deprived of, if he/she lives with me?
Your ex (and his/her attorney) is going to pinpoint even the slightest failings on your part. While it is impossible to be perfect (we are humans and humans fail), it is possible (and advisable) to use our failings as steps to go higher. Dress up your closet of skeletons with what you have learned and how it has, and will, positively affect your life. Also, the accusations of your ex may not seem worth your time, but being prepared with a reasonable explanation to them will make your case stronger and at least lower the confidence of your opponent. What you must not do is defend your wrongs. Accept them and show how you have effectively dealt with them.
Know Your Enemy
Now move on to the part you will probably do with ease: evaluate your ex. The tricky twist here is that you have to be honest. Simply put, view the actions of your ex as an outsider would. Being impartial in your views will give you a better idea about the strong and weak points of your ex. Besides, if you are objective in your assessment, the arguments you base on them will be objective too. The judge, and your ex (along with his/her advocate), will not be able to charge you with vindictive behavior. You will come across as someone who is more focused on the future of his/her child and not someone who is bent on getting back at an ex. Questions that will help you do this are similar to the ones listed above, but with a slight variation.
- Which personality traits of your ex are good?
(Which of your personality traits compensate for these?) - What are the questionable personality traits of your ex?
(Does he/she have issues or traits, like anger management, that would put your child at risk?) - What past choices of your ex reflect negatively on him/her?
(It can be anything that is detrimental to the well-being of your child.) - What good parenting skills does your ex possess?
(Do you have these skills or are there any other extra skills that you possess?) - What are his/her shortcomings as a parent?
(Include instances of child abuse or neglect, if any. Do not gloat.) - What can your ex give your child?
(Are these things essential for your child? If yes, can you give them to your child?) - What will your child be deprived of, if he/she stays with your ex?
(Include lack of time because of busy schedule or extended business tours, residence that is at a considerable distance from the school, friends and other activities the child is attached to.)
Again, focus on the custody issues that are related to your child in some way. Don’t accuse your ex of wronging you if that action had no direct impact on your child. For instance, if your ex had an affair, mention that only if your child discovered it in a way he/she shouldn’t have chanced upon it. You can use the current partner of your ex only if his/her relationship with your child will have an adverse or undesirable effect. Bear in mind that this is a child custody hearing, not a divorce proceeding. So don’t compete or try to ‘measure up’ to your ex – you are to evaluate, not judge your ex or even yourself. Highlight the significant issues only, as having a few but important points is of more value than a huge list of inconsequential issues.
Document Evidence
For all the points you list on your behalf, and the ones that you wish to use against your ex, evidence is essential. Support all your arguments with evidence because no one is going to take your word as true and infallible, especially in a family court. It might seem a hypocrite kind of thing to prove that you love your kids or you might not want to do anything with your ex anymore, but you will have to do this for the simple reason that the court (or the judge) cannot see a person’s heart or know his/her entire life in a few court hearings. Things that you can use as evidence are:
- Proof of personal and financial stability which includes a secure job, a good house and if applicable, a steady partner
- Photographs or videos that show the quality time you have spent with kids
- Witnesses and official documents that prove you were involved in the educational and medical care of your child
- Police records or medical reports against your ex, if any
- Witnesses and evidence of abusive or dangerous behavior of your ex
- Written documentation of instances when your ex missed child visitation or child support
- Proof that the child’s schedule will not be disturbed, if he/she comes to live with you like details of school and extracurricular activities
One thing to know when you go for a child custody hearing for the first time is that, even if you have given the most relevant evidences in your file, present yourself in the court as though the judge presiding over your child custody case has not read a word of it. As for witnesses, they can be doctors, teachers, neighbors or friends who have seen and can vouch for your interaction with your child. In case of your friends and family, a judge is inclined to believe that they will support you at all costs, so choose wisely. For those witnesses that you are not sure will present themselves for the child custody hearing, you can request a subpoena (a court order to present a person) to be issued.
Child Custody Representative
You may choose to represent yourself per se, but it is best to choose a good, recommended and experienced advocate if you are not familiar with court proceedings. In case you want to go, study your case all the more objectively. Go for a session or two of consultation with an experienced advocate. Get your evidence and other custody related documents verified by an appropriate third person. You can take someone along as a support on the day of the child custody hearing. If you choose to hire an advocate, then you need to do include the following things:
- Choose someone referred to you than a stranger. Take the advice and opinion of those who have gone through successful custody battles before.
- Interview a prospective advocate just as you would interview a prospective employee.
- Ask him/her to give you references (a good advocate should be able to give them easily).
- Question him/her on her strategy and plan of action. An advocate is as good as his/her preparation.
- Different advocates have different communication methods. So, be sure to know when and how you will be contacted.
- Do not hesitate to question your lawyer – you are going to put yourself and your child in his/her hands.
- Give an honest appraisal of yourself, your ex, your child and the entire case at all times, in all things.
- Spend enough time in discussing the strategy and overall proceedings of your case.
- Tell your advocate to get information on the strategy of the advocate representing your ex, and the presiding judge, based on his/her previous cases.
Your advocate can sympathize or empathize with you, but in the end, he/she is there just to follow the courtroom rules on your behalf and can only do what you allow him/her to. Provide all the information, no matter how big or small, to enable your advocate in making effective defensive and offensive arguments before the judge in the family court. Being truthful and open with yourself and your advocate will help you in tackling your fears, which in turn will boost your confidence because, you will know there is nothing more for you to face or hide.
Child Custody Hearing Tips
What to Do During a Child Custody Hearing
✔ Following the courtroom etiquette goes a long way in impressing a judge.
✔ Be on your guard at all times and take any suggestion only after a thorough background search.
✔ Review all the documents relevant to the case till you know them inside out.
✔ Present witnesses from the medical, educational or law enforcement fields as far as possible.
✔ It is very beneficial if your child is involved in any social activity with you (like regular visits to friends or family).
✔ Diligently obey the orders of a court ruling.
✔ Have a mock questioning of witnesses along with your advocate, before the child custody hearing.
What Not to Do During a Child Custody Hearing
✖ Do not use your child to gain information about your ex – you will harm your child more than you will benefit your case.
✖ Do not bring your child to the custody hearing until you are ordered to do so.
✖ Do not bribe or manipulate your child for any reason, in any way.
✖ Do not get your partner or a new spouse to the court unless your advocate asks you to.
✖ Do not argue in the court – stating your point firmly is enough.
✖ Do not spring surprises at, or argue with your lawyer during the child custody hearing.
✖ Do not give any wrong emotional response to any question directed at you.
Even if you are fighting a custody battle with your ex, remember that he/she is related to the child just the way you are. Do your best for what you know is best for your child and this sometimes requires you to be a little considerate to your ex (even when you could gladly banish him/her to exile). Be aware of the child custody rights that the court grants to the mother and the father of a child. Lastly, whatever may be the outcome of the child custody hearing, be graceful even if it’s not in your favor.
Poker players around the internet can rejoice as the rumours were true and the popular original real money poker site is back up and running ready to offer players the chance to play in the online poker games. Opened for just days, there are thousands of players that can be played against at PokerRoom.com allowing players the versatility that comes with an established poker room – back after a quick two year hiatus.
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President Obama has noted that he wants to shrink the size of the U.S. military while concurrently maintaining the standard that the country’s armed services have maintained for decades as one of the world’s foremost military units. In a time when spending must be cut in order to ensure the well-being of Americans, it is a wise move, though Pentagon leaders have indicated that the move is not without risks. Notes the president, “Our military will be leaner, but the world must know the United States is going to maintain our military superiority.”
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and the top brass at the Pentagon agree with the move to downsize the military, but they do warn that it will not be an easy process. Panetta has noted that there will be “some level of additional but acceptable risk.” The president has also noted that this move is exactly what the country needs after the “long wars of the last decade are over.”
Presumably, part of the new downsizing will also include a policy to avoid overt military meddling in the affairs of other countries, though certainly the U.S. will maintain the ability to enforce its will when the situation warrants. The new strategy, entitled “Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense,” includes a preamble from the president that reads, “As we end today’s wars and reshape our armed forces, we will ensure that our military is agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies.” The move seems to be one in the right direction, though there are sure to be some political elements that make this an ongoing discussion.
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For flat-panel TVs, the choice for years has been between plasma and LCD. In the coming year, there’ll be another choice, at least for those prepared to spend big.
LG Electronics says it’s planning to sell a 55-inch set based on organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs. The South Korean company is set to show it off at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which starts Jan. 10.
Samsung Electronics Co., LG’s Korean rival, will also reveal a nearly market-ready OLED TV at the show, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. They spoke on condition of anonymity because Samsung has yet to make an announcement. Its website says CES announcements will come Jan. 9.
Tim Alessi, director of home electronics development at LG’s USA arm, said its set will likely go on sale in the fourth quarter. The company isn’t revealing the price.
Paul Gagnon, an analyst at DisplaySearch, estimates that OLED sets will start out above $ 5,000.
The screen technology is in use in high-end smartphones and provides deeply saturated colors and high contrast. However, it’s been very difficult to make larger screens with consistent results.
In late 2007, Sony Corp. started selling an 11-inch OLED TV for about $ 2,500, but it never followed it up with a bigger model.
Since then, LG and Samsung have shown prototype OLED TVs at the annual CES show, but haven’t revealed any marketing plans.
Apart from providing improved picture quality, OLED TVs can be very thin. LG’s set will be 4 millimeters thick and weight 16.5 pounds.