Latest 25th Silver Wedding Anniversary Speech auctions

January 22, 2013 | By

Most popular 25th silver wedding anniversary speech eBay auctions:

1925 Imperial Silver Wedding
25th silver wedding anniversary speech

Image by Vintage Lulu
1½s. purple

This stamp commemorates the 25th wedding anniversary of Yoshihito (the future Emperor Taishō) and Sadako Kujō (the future Empress Teimei) who were married on 10 May 1900.

The Taishō Emperor (31 August 1879 – 25 December 1926) was the 123rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 30 July 1912, until his death in 1926.

His personal name was Yoshihito. Like all other Japanese emperors, since his death he has been known by a posthumous name that, according to a practice dating back to 1912, is the name of the era coinciding with his reign. Having ruled during the Taishō era (Great Righteousness), he is now known as Emperor Taishō.

Prince Yoshihito was born at the Aoyama Palace in Tokyo to the Meiji Emperor and Yanagiwara Naruko, a lady-in-waiting. As was common practice at the time, the Meiji emperor's consort, Empress Shōken, was officially regarded as his mother. He received the personal name of Yoshihito Shinno and the title Haru-no-miya from the emperor on September 6, 1879.

Prince Yoshihito contracted meningitis within three weeks of his birth, leaving him in poor health both physically and mentally. (It has also been rumored that he suffered from lead poisoning, supposedly contracted from the powder makeup his wetnurse used.) Despite this, after his four older brothers suffered early deaths, he was officially declared heir apparent on 31 August 1887, and had his formal investiture as crown prince on 3 November 1888. While crown prince, he was known as Tōgu.

As was the practice at the time, Yoshihito was entrusted to the care of Prince Nakayama Tadayasu, in whose house he lived until the age of seven. Tutors taught the prince and selected classmates at a special school, the Gogakumonsho, within the Aoyama Detached Palace. In September 1887 the prince entered the elementary department of the Gakushuin, but due to his health problems he was often unable to continue his studies. He spent much of his youth by the sea in Atami for health reasons. Although the prince showed skill in some areas, such as horse riding, he proved to be poor in areas requiring higher-level thought. He was finally withdrawn from Gakushuin before finishing the middle school course in 1894. However, he did appear to have an aptitude for languages and continued to receive extensive tutoring in French, Chinese, and history from private tutors at the Akasaka Palace; the Meiji emperor gave Prince Takehito responsibility for taking care of Prince Yoshihito, and the two princes became friends.

On 10 May 1900, Crown Prince Yoshihito married the then 15-year-old Sadako Kujō (the future Empress Teimei), the daughter of Prince Kujō Michitaka, the head of the five senior branches of the Fujiwara clan, and had issue including the future Emperor Hirohito.

On 30 July 1912, upon the death of his father, the Meiji Emperor, Prince Yoshihito succeeded him on the throne. The Meiji era ended at once and a new era was proclaimed: the Taishō era. According to Japanese customs, the emperor has no name during his reign and is only called the (present) Emperor. Like his father, the name of the era coinciding with his reign would later become his posthumous name.

The new emperor was kept out of view of the public as much as possible. He suffered from various neurological problems throughout his life and by the late 1910s, these maladies made it all but impossible for him to carry out public functions. On one of the rare occasions he was seen in public, the 1913 opening of the Diet, he is famously reported to have rolled his prepared speech into a telescope and stared at the assembly through it. Although this is often cited as an example of his poor mental condition, others believe he may have been checking to make sure the speech was rolled up properly, as his manual dexterity was also handicapped.

As a result of his disabilities and eccentricities, the Taishō emperor became known as Baka tenno (The Mad Emperor)

World War I occurred during the reign of the Taishō emperor, and as a result of the war, the Japanese empire expanded to include Germany's former colonies in the central Pacific Ocean (the Caroline Islands, Mariana Islands and Palau), as well as the German military port of Qingdao on Shandong peninsula on the Chinese mainland. Japan was recognized as one of the great powers in the new post-war world order, and became a founding member of the League of Nations.

After 1919, he undertook no official duties, and Crown Prince Hirohito (who would succeed him as the Shōwa emperor) was named sesshō (prince regent) on 25 November 1921.

Taishō's reclusive life was unaffected by the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923. Fortuitously, he had moved by royal train to his summer palace at Nikko the week before the disaster; but his son, the Prince Regent, remained at the Imperial Palace where he was at the heart of the event.Carrier pigeons kept the emperor informed as information about the extent of the devastation became known.

In early December 1926, it was announced that the emperor had pneumonia. Taishō died of a heart attack at 1:25 a.m. in the early morning of 25 December 1926, at the imperial palace at Hayama, on Sagami Bay south of Tokyo (in Kanagawa Prefecture).

Taishō has been called the first Tokyo emperor because he was the first to live his entire life in or near the eastern capital. Taishō's father was born and reared in Kyoto; and although he later lived and died in Tokyo, Meiji's mausoleum is located on the outskirts of Kyoto. Meiji's final resting place is near the tombs of his Imperial forebears; but Taishō's grave site is to be found in Tokyo Prefecture.

Comments are closed.


REDBOOK Hair How-To: The Fishtail Chignon

"I love this look because it's truly appropriate for everything," says Gregory Patterson, lead stylist for blow. "And it appears much more difficult to create than it really is." Wear it high, low, to the side, or embellished with an accessory—no salon trip required.

Step two

Pull hair over one shoulder and create a fishtail braid by separating hair into two sections. Take a half-inch section from the left side, cross it over to the right, then pull it back to the left. Repeat with a half-inch section of hair from the right side and continue to the ends, securing your braid with an elastic.


<![CDATA[Tampa Bankruptcy Law Blog]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2013-03-21:/blog/14006 2014-07-15T19:11:32Z Movable Type Enterprise <![CDATA[July Means Changes to Federal Student Loans]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1156364 2014-07-24T15:03:09Z 2014-07-15T19:11:32Z Summer has arrived, which has brought about new changes to Federal Student loans that took affect July 1st. Here are some important changes that borrowers should be aware of regarding student loans:

1. Interest Rates are changing. Interest on all loans taken out on or after the first of this month will have a fixed interest rate throughout the life of the loan. The maximum rate for future student loans will not exceed 11 percent. This applies to Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford loans for undergraduates, Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans for graduate students, and Direct Graduate and Parent PLUS loans.

]]> 2. Closed School Discharges. Schools shutting down can be consequential for its students. There are previous protections for these students who are in a situation where their school closes while they are attending. However, with the new rules implemented at the start of the month, time has been extended from a student having to be enrolled within 90 days of the date of the school's closing, and they are unable to complete their requirement for their degree to have their Federal Student loans discharged, to 120 days.

3. New Income-Based Payment Options. New borrowers who take out their first loan on or after the 1st of July 2014 will qualify for Income-Based Repayment (IBR) that has a maximum payment of 10 percent of a borrower's disposable income, compared to the 15 percent in the old Income-Based Repayment plan. Also forgiveness of any remaining balance will be effective after 20 years, not 25.

4. Relief on Defaulted Loans. The options for borrowers who default on their student loans are: rehabilitation and consolidation. The process of rehabilitation is ambiguous in deciding and settling on a calculated repayment amount. However, now as of July 2014 the process will become more standardized for all borrowers. A borrower who starts the process of rehabilitation on or after July 1st will have their payment calculated based of 15 percent of their disposable income. If that amount is too high for their financial situation, they can submit a financial hardship form to apply to have their payment re-calculated with their whole financial situation taken into account, not just their income.

Knowing what new changes have been made to Federal Student Loans can be helpful to those who have taken student loans out or are planning on doing so in the future. Student loans can be an overwhelming responsibility, and if one should find themselves in debt due to student loans, they should contact an attorney who is knowledgeable about such debt, to help guide and assist a debtor to a financially stable life.

Work Cited:

<![CDATA[Protection from Debt Collector Harassment]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1156363 2014-07-23T17:00:55Z 2014-07-15T18:52:43Z Many people who are in debt or once were are well familiar with the constant attention from debt collectors. Debt collectors can be persistent and cause a lot of stress for those who are in debt, by hassling them at inappropriate times or trying to contact others personally to get more information about the debtor in question. Luckily, the federal Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) makes certain collection procedures illegal for debt collectors to implement. Knowing what debt collectors can and cannot do is important as an individual to understand that you have rights that protect you from collection harassment.

]]> The FDCPA (15 U.S.C. §§ 1692 to 1692p) applies to debt collectors and lawyers who are assigned to collect a debt. They need to have been assigned to a debt collection after default, ownership of the debt is irrelevant, and all debt collectors are subject to the FDCPA. Under FDCPA prohibited communications of debt collectors include:

· Contact with third parties that is unauthorized; third parties include: neighbors, friends, family, and the work place, boss, secretary, or HR department

· If a debt collector was previously told not to contact the client specifically at work, then they are not permitted to make calls to the work place

· Contact with a client after a cease and desist letter has been sent

· Contact after an attorney has been brought on to represent a client

FDCPA also gives protection from harassment and abuse of collectors in the case of:

· Violent threats

· Obscene language

· An excessive amount of phone calls

Clients are also protected from false or misleading representations by creditors:

· Cannot misrepresent amount or status of debt

· Cannot lie about if they are an attorney or not

· Cannot threaten: arrest for failure to pay debt, illegal activity, or a lawsuit when not intended to pursue a lawsuit

· Cannot misrepresent credit information

· Misrepresentation of business name is not allowed

· Cannot have a legal process represented as a NOT legal process and vice versa

Unfair practices that are prohibited under FDCPA are:

· Cannot collect amount unless authorized by law or documentation

· Checks made more than 5 days out

· Threatening repossession with the legal right to do so

· Sending out a postcard with the debt posted

Being aware of your rights as an individual in cases such as debt collector harassment is important. If you are experiencing any form of harassment from debt collectors, consider contacting an attorney who is well knowledgeable on protection against debt collectors, and will help you get out of debt as quick as possible.

Works Cited

Cohen, Joshua R.I. Student Loan Law Workshop. Law Office of Joshua R.I. Cohen, LLC, 20 Apr. 2013.

Leonard, R., & Reiter, M. (2013). Solve your money troubles: debt, credit & bankruptcy (14th ed.). Berkeley, CA: Nolo Press.

<![CDATA[Are Americans learning to be responsible with credit cards?]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1167111 2014-07-23T09:04:48Z 2014-07-23T09:03:49Z Although just about everyone in the Tampa area, and elsewhere, understands the dangers of having too much debt, that doesn’t stop most Americans from carrying their fair share of unpaid credit card debt. Credit card debt can lead to a lot of financial problems both in the present and in the future. However, there may be some good news for the overall credit card debt picture in the country.

According to reports from the American Bankers Association, the percentage of cardholders who completely paid their balances off in the fourth quarter of last year rose to 29 percent from 28.6 percent. Although the jump is not a major increase it is a positive step in the right direction. Meantime, recent statistics also show that there has been a decline in the number of credit card delinquencies as well. Both of these numbers indicate that Americans may be learning how to better use their credit cards.

]]> In fact, at just 2.44 percent, the number of delinquent credit card accounts in the first quarter of this year was far below the 15-year average of 3.82 percent. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve Bank recently noted that only 8.5 percent of all credit card accounts were seriously delinquent in the first quarter this year. That represents the lowest total since 2003 when the Federal Reserve first began tracking those numbers.

Although these numbers represent positive signs that American’s are learning to better use their credit cards, there are still many people who need help getting out of credit card debt. If you are one of those people who are facing serious credit card problems, then you might want to speak with a bankruptcy attorney as soon as you can.

Source: The Washington Post, “Credit car debt is on the rise. Here's why that's not a bad thing,” Danielle Douglas, July 10, 2014.

<![CDATA[Extensions on Paying Back Student Loans: Forbearances]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1154112 2014-07-17T12:00:42Z 2014-07-14T19:42:06Z In last week's blog we discussed ways to get extensions on paying off student loans, one way being deferments. This week we will discuss another solution to extending payments: forbearance. Forbearance, just like a deferment allows a borrower to temporally postpone payments on student loans and/or reduce the amount one pays monthly on those loans.

]]> Forbearance is a solution to look into if you do not qualify for a deferment. With Direct Loans and Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) forbearance can be requested and qualified for over the phone, where a deferment requires a borrower to send in an application to qualify. Forbearance with a FFEL requires a written notice to the borrower from the loan holder within 30 days of the request, confirming the forbearance. Forbearance may allow for up to a year without making payments or reduce payments on loans; however, interest still accrues on loans throughout the duration of forbearance.

There are two types of forbearances: discretionary and mandatory. Regulations on FFEL make a distinction between the two, but the Direct Loan Program does not. To qualify for a discretionary forbearance it has to be prior to filing for bankruptcy, because if a request for forbearance is placed after bankruptcy a borrower is technically defaulting on their forbearance. However, this does not mean that forbearance is not possible after filing for bankruptcy; it is just more complicated to be granted. A discretionary forbearance is permitted if the guaranty agency is able to determine if a borrower is eligible for discharge of the loan because of an unpaid refund, they attended a closed school, or if applicable the endorser of the loan went bankrupt. A forbearance is granted also during the period after reliable information is received indicating a borrower (or student, in the case of a Direct PLUS loan) has died or become permanently disabled, therefore the parent who took out the loan would be granted forbearance. Forbearance for poor health or other personal problems, under Stafford Loans have no maximum time, but on a Perkins Loan there is a maximum of three years the discretionary forbearance is active.

A mandatory forbearance requires the borrower to request directly from the loan holder and provide documents to qualify. To qualify for a mandatory forbearance on a FFEL, a borrower must not be able to pay off the loan within 10 years of taking it out. Mandatory forbearance is granted if monthly payments on student loans are more than 20% of total monthly income; however, documentation of income and other necessary information is required. Mandatory forbearance also applies if you are a teacher who is performing teaching services that would qualify you for teacher loan forgiveness. Also borrowers who are on active military duty qualify for forbearance, and those who have a medical or dental internship, or in a residency program. Exceptional circumstances that apply to this type of forbearance include: a national emergency or if national area is declared a disaster area by government.

Student loan debt is a very serious issue in today's economy with thousands of borrowers facing debt, and potentially bankruptcy. Knowing that there are temporary solutions to paying off debt, can give a borrower time to get back on their feet financially, thus being able to make regular monthly payments on their loans. If you should find yourself over your head in debt, and not sure how to handle your financial situation, look for an attorney who is experienced in dealing with debt from student loans.

Works Cited

National Consumer Law Center, Student Loan Law (4th ed. 2010).

<![CDATA[Inherited IRAs are Not Considered "Retirement" Accounts]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1154100 2014-07-16T15:27:36Z 2014-07-14T19:31:16Z When a person sets up an Individual retirement account for themselves they usually are thinking that if something should happen to them, then their account is under the possession of the beneficiary of their choice. Which is true, however, when a person sets up an IRA with a chosen beneficiary do they think about if this account can be affected financially, such as through a bankruptcy. No, most IRA owners do not. This is because too many people who do have IRAs or have inherited those from an original owner never realize that if faced with bankruptcy their inherited IRA is at risk.

]]> Individual Retirement Accounts are protected under the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) of 2005. However, recently a lot of controversy has been up for debate about whether this act applies to IRAs that are inherited.

The decision that an IRA that is inherited from its original owner loses its protection from bankruptcy has been made recently by the Supreme Court for many reasons; one of which is that they feel that inherited IRAs do not have the same characteristics of a "retirement" account. Such characteristics of inherited IRAs are:

· Beneficiaries cannot add money to inherited IRAs, where original owners of an IRA are free to do so as they please.

· Inherited IRAs require minimum distributions to start within a year of the inheritance, no matter how many years that beneficiary is from retirement.

· Inheritors of the account can take out as many distributions whenever they want, where IRA owners usually need to wait until they are 59 ½ before beginning to take out a distribution from the account without penalty.

It is important to keep in mind that this Supreme Court decision applies to inherited IRAs that have beneficiaries other than the original owner's spouse.

Florida debtors need to be aware that inherited IRA's may be claimed as exempt under Florida Statute 222.21(2)(c) as that statute has been recently amended to clarify existing law regarding the exemption of inherited IRA'S. However, the legislature then left the requirement that the inherited IRA still be maintained in accordance with a plan or governing instrument that has been determined by the Internal Revenue Service to be exempt from taxation under s. 401(a), s. 403(a), s. 403(b), s. 408, s. 408A, s. 409, s. 414, s. 457(b), or s. 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. There are no reported decisions regarding the amended statute. Therefore, the creditors may not let this one pass without a challenge.

From this recent debate many beneficiaries of inherited IRAs who are at risk of facing a bankruptcy can be largely affected. To protect your own retirement account from bankruptcy, one should consider naming a trust as their IRA beneficiary. In doing this it gives your heirs better protection of savings against bankruptcy. However, you need to consider many factors before moving forward and finding a trust. The size of your IRA and how likely it is that your beneficiaries will run into problems with creditors or face a bankruptcy, are issues to think about before making a decision.

To help make your decision, if need be, a less stressful one you should contact an attorney experienced with handling Individual Retirement Accounts and who has knowledge of bankruptcies. In taking these steps and precautions you can protect your wealth and know that your loved ones will be taken care of, if something should happen.

Work Cited:

Ed Slott and Company - IRA, Tax, Retirement Planning Articles, Insight (Supreme Court: Inherited IRAs are NOT Retirement Accounts ... and What This Means For You ~)

<![CDATA[Medical debt on a credit report can be like a lingering illness]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1153089 2014-07-14T08:45:14Z 2014-07-14T08:44:14Z Just about everyone in the Tampa area, or anywhere else in the United States, carries some kind of debt. Debt is typically not a good thing to have and in some cases it can lead to greater financial problems, like foreclosures and bankruptcies. There are many kinds of debt that affect people from all walks of life, but one of the most common forms that people are dealing with these days is medical debt.

Not only is having medical debt damaging to a person’s financial status, but medical debt can also be damaging to a person’s credit score. In fact, according to reports once a person has been hit with unpaid medical debt on his or her credit report, it can be very difficult to remove it from a credit report. One of the biggest problems with medical debt is that many people aren’t even aware that have it, until it gets sent to a collection agency.

]]> When people get a negative mark on their credit scores then their scores could go down. Whenever someone’s score goes down, then his or her ability to receive credit can be hindered. In addition, even after a person does pay the debt the negative mark on the credit score is usually there to stay. Essentially the only way one can get it removed is if the report was not correct.

Any kind of debt is bad, including medical debt. If you find that you’re in financial hot water that you just can’t seem to overcome by your own means, then you might want to consider seeking the help of an experienced bankruptcy attorney.

Source: The Roanoke Times, “Medical debt on credit reports often difficult to remove,” June 29, 2014.

<![CDATA[Could the private sector ease the burden of student loan debt?]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1144091 2014-07-07T06:39:17Z 2014-07-07T06:38:17Z Many people want to live the “American dream,” which often includes time spent earning a degree at a college or university. Having a degree can be very beneficial for those who want to carve out a path of financial prosperity. However, paying for a college education is often very expensive and many students in the Tampa area, and elsewhere, graduate in serious debt. So what if the private sector helped students overcome this debt?

According to reports, the amount of student loan debt in America is in the neighborhood of $1.3 trillion. For many students getting out of debt is nearly impossible, which means long-term financial troubles are almost inevitable. However, what would happen if the private sector started an Adopt-a-Student Loan program to help ease the burden of student loan debt?

]]> According to reports, coffee chain Starbucks recently introduced a program that will allow any and all of its 135,000 employees go to college for free. Starbuck’s new policy is evidence that the private sector is indeed interested in helping ease the burden of student loan debt. By implementing a sector-wide program, businesses could help the country pay off the 1.3 trillion in debt as well as give the economy a much-needed boost.

Being in any kind of debt can be hard and getting out of debt can be almost impossible for some people. Making important financial decisions now can affect your future for years to come. That’s why if you have unmanageable debt then you might need to speak with an experienced bankruptcy attorney as soon as you can.

Source: ABC News, “Could an adopt-a-loan program take a bite out of student debt?,” Adam Levin, June 22, 2014.

<![CDATA[Paying for College Does Not Mean Taking out Student Loans]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1135564 2014-07-03T11:23:03Z 2014-07-02T19:36:45Z Today many students when thinking of applying to college they ask themselves, "How can I afford tuition?" From there they see taking out Student Loans as the only solution to achieve their dreams of gaining a college degree. Taking out loans could lead to borrowers being overwhelmed by debt; therefore they become unable to repay their loans in time, and are forced to deal with default. For debtors who feel like they have no way out they seek to file for bankruptcy. However, student loans are not the only way affording college is possible.

]]> There is a solution to pay for college and avoid mountains of debt, save. Saving is achievable for families of all socio-economic classes.

Families in the lower-income bracket are familiar with saving, and not to say that other higher-income families do not save, they do. However, families with lower-incomes are more aware with where their money is being spent. Some families who do not have money put away for their children's' college education may not be educated themselves on the time and amount of savings one should put towards college tuition. This may be because they never went to college; regardless they want their children to have more opportunities they were not able to have.

Education on how to afford college is important for families to learn. Through research and programs families will see that student loans aren't the only option. They learn how important it is to set aside money for their children's future and all the other expenses that come along with a college education. Other factors that parents, families and students should take into account along with saving is Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), scholarships, standardized tests and their child's GPA.

Although the cost of a college education will never be completely covered by savings alone, however saving is important. When families set aside money for college they will see that there are colleges out there with a tuition that they can afford with their savings. Student's personal savings and wages are also a big part of affording college.

Through saving, one realizes on a stronger level the time and resources they utilize to prepare for college. Saving sparks a commitment from families to seek out other sources of funding college, such as scholarships and grants, etc.

To help families save, in some states the government is setting up College Saving Accounts (CSAs), where parents are able to open these accounts as soon as their child is born or when they are in Kindergarten. Accounts such as these come with incentives and awards. To change the mindset and hardship of taking out student loans as a means to afford college the government needs to promote savings among Americans and help them realize the benefits of receiving a college education.

Work Cited:

Student Loans Aren't The Only Way To Pay For College (Cognoscenti)

<![CDATA[What happens when a loved one leaves you with credit card debt?]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1132015 2014-07-01T09:23:41Z 2014-07-01T09:22:42Z Although having a large credit card bill is common among most Americans, sometimes people get stuck with credit card debt that is not even their own. So how does that happen? Because just about everyone has unpaid credit card bills, those bills are still around after a person dies. Just because a person in the Tampa area dies, that doesn’t mean his or her credit card debt gets buried with him or her.

One of the reasons some people get stuck with paying off their loved one’s credit card debts is that many wills include language that in effect directs the executor to pay off the person’s debts before paying his or her beneficiaries. However, there are some measures one can take if he or she has been left in this position. Although most banks wouldn’t publicize it, according to several attorneys their clients have found banks to be more willing to settle when a person has died.

]]> One of the reasons for this is that banks and credit card companies realize that a bad credit score is no longer a threat to a deceased person. Therefore, they typically are more willing to take a smaller settlement if they can get it, especially if they get it all in one payment. Another reason is that credit card companies would rather not get collection agencies involved. They can avoid this by taking a lump sum payment that is two-thirds or even half of the total debt.

If you have been stuck with a deceased loved one’s credit card debt, then you might want to speak with an experienced bankruptcy attorney who can help you with the many different aspects that kind of situation involves.

Source: Forbes, “How to cope with credit card bills after a family member dies,” Deborah L. Jacobs, June 18, 2014.

<![CDATA[Student Loan Payment Options]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1124793 2014-06-26T11:00:02Z 2014-06-25T18:06:43Z Student loans can be overwhelming, especially in today's economy where there are over $1 trillion of student loan debt in America. Borrowers who are just out of school and need to begin to think about paying off their loans should keep in mind that there are multiple payment options out there. Many people are in different financial situations and along with the right payment plan one can find loan payments less stressful.

With a Direct Loan a borrower can qualify for Income Contingent Repayment (ICR). This option considers payments based off of income and balance of loan. Parent PLUS loans cannot use the ICR repayment plan; however a consolidated loan that contains Parent PLUS is eligible for ICR.

]]> Another payment option for student loans is Income Based Repayment (IBR). IBR became effective in 2009. It is useful for those who qualify if the IBR payment is less than the 10-year standard student loan repayment. A restriction to qualify for IBR is if the loan is a Perkin's loan. However, if the Perkin's loan is consolidated than it can be considered for the IBR option. Parent PLUS loans do not qualify, even if they are consolidated.

When it comes to filing for Income Based Repayment, declaring family size includes all dependents supported at least half-time, regardless of tax status or physical custody. If a married couple wants to file for IBR together, both incomes will be used in calculating monthly payments. If married and a couple wants to file separately, only the borrower's income will be used in decided on payments.

Anew payment plan, which became effective in 2012, is Pay As You Earn (PAYE) is. PAYE takes 10% of a borrower's disposable income and puts it toward paying off the student loans. This option decreases forgiveness time from the standard 25 years, to 20 years. To be able to qualify, a loan cannot be taken prior to October of 2008 and new loans need to have originated after Fall 2011. Similar to IBR, PAYE cannot be used with Parent PLUS loans.

Knowing which payment plan is best for you to pay off loans realistically and quickly as possible is important in order to avoid going into default due to late payments and overwhelming interest rates. One might consider contacting an attorney who specializes in student loans debt if they find themselves facing problems such as default, which can sometimes lead to bankruptcy. A qualified attorney can help one get out of debt and back on track to a financially stable life.

Works Cited:

<![CDATA[Rebuilding Credit after Bankruptcy: Thinking about Refinancing]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1124524 2014-06-25T14:13:04Z 2014-06-25T14:18:05Z The longer someone recovering from a recent bankrupcty waits to refinance a mortgage, the easier the process of refinancing becomes. This is because it is important to rebuild a credit score before applying to refinance a home. If one tries to do so before a year has passed since they declared bankruptcy they could potentially see themselves facing high interest charges. Giving yourself time to recoup from a recent bankruptcy will be more beneficial in the long run. Usually one to two years after a bankruptcy is a decent amount of time to rebuild one's credit score. Having a better credit score when looking to refinance, will make interest rates much more affordable.

Mortgage refinance companies do not only look at how much time has passed since a borrower's bankruptcy, they also need to see proof of re-established credit. This can be represented through a safe and secure credit card, and a loan taken out on a car. Safely rebuilding your credit before opting to refinance puts you in a good position, that when you meet with refinance companies they see you as a good credit risk for them. To keep a clean and responsible credit report, use a credit card for small purchases; when you do so the payments each month on the card won't be overwhelming.

]]> Maintaining low credit card bills is a big step in recovering from bankruptcy, and also when looking to refinance. If someone runs up high credit bills or does not have a zero balance on their cards at the end of each month, a mortgage lender who is looking at you as a possible client will see you as nothing more than an unreliable financial risk. To them you will be seen as falling back into a cycle of adding up debt and regressing back to a financial state before bankruptcy. Do not fall back into old habits. Show mortgage companies that you have changed and that you are reliable candidate to refinance.

Following good money saving and credit building tips as mention throughout our Bounce Back from Bankruptcy blog series, will get you on the right track to refinancing. Not only will it allow you to refinance but you can confidently continue moving forward to maintaining a financially stable lifestyle.

Works Cited

Ryan, Paula Langguth. Bounce Back from Bankruptcy: A Step-by-step Guide to Getting Back on Your Financial Feet. Tracys Landing, MD: Pellingham Casper Communications, 1998. Print.

<![CDATA[Obama announces efforts to create more student loan relief]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1123113 2014-06-24T10:52:14Z 2014-06-24T10:51:14Z There are many people in the Tampa area and elsewhere who use student loans in order to get through college. Although getting a degree can be very useful in life, the cost of studying at a university can be very high. Unfortunately, finding a good-paying job after graduation can also be difficult. That means that many people who earn their degrees have a very difficult time paying off their student loans on time and this can lead to long-term financial problems.

<![CDATA[Student Loan Law Series: The Trouble with Joint Consolidation Loans]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1116496 2014-06-19T10:30:33Z 2014-06-19T14:15:38Z Student loans can get overwhelming to handle on your own, and many couples who get married think it is a good idea to consolidate their student loans to make paying off the loans less of a burden. It's not.

Married couples have the potential to get divorced due to financial hardships, however once they are divorced from each other it doesn't mean their financial ties disappear, such as Federal Joint Consolidation loans. A Federal Joint Consolidation loan that was made while married cannot be reversed.

]]> To fix the problem many divorced couples try to allocate the percentage of liability to each side. Some try to split the loans 50/50; others, by how much each party initially contributed to the loan.

However, allocation does not work due to several reasons. One being that, attorneys cannot possibly know that each party will make regular payments, on time for the remainder of the loan. The payments could take over 30 years with monthly payment plans.

Another issue to take into account is how willing the parties are to corporate with each other. This could mean that they might have to submit income information in order for one side to qualify for Income Based Repayment (IBR). If one or both of the divorcees have gotten remarried, it is highly unlikely that the spouses of either party are willing to disclose personal financial information so one side can benefit. Liability of loan payments remain with the couple regardless if they are now divorced. This means that if one party fails to make a payment the other faces the repercussions also.

Many divorced couples do not want to communicate with each other after the divorce is final. Having Joint Consolidated student loans with your ex causes a lot of problems with cooperating in paying the previously consolidated loans.

It is important if one does find themselves in a situation such as dealing with paying off joined student loans with an ex-spouse, to contact the right legal help to mediate and guide you to a debt free life.

Work Cited:

Beware the Nightmare Loan - Federal Joint Consolidation Loans (The Student Loan Lawyer CT Attorney Joshua Cohen)

<![CDATA[Is Your Job at Risk because You've Gone Through Bankruptcy?]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1115306 2014-06-18T16:05:40Z 2014-06-17T18:57:57Z Many people who have filed for and gone through the process of declaring bankruptcy fear they jobs might be at stake. However, it is unlikely that if you have gone through bankruptcy that your boss will even find out about it.

The only time they would know that you have experienced bankruptcy is if you needed a security clearance or your employer ran a credit check on you. Even so, in most cases when an employer does find out about an employee's bankruptcy they will support them in the decision to declare bankruptcy.

]]> Declaring bankruptcy can be a relief in many ways. You won't be constantly worrying about finances and you can redirect your focus back toward your job. Also creditors will cease calls to the office, ending them hassling you for collection fees. Finally your boss won't have to go through the trouble of setting up wage garnishments, making them see your finances less of a burden to them personally.

Even with the small inconveniences that going through a bankruptcy has on your job: time off work due to court hearings, paycheck deductions, etc., an employer cannot punish you for those reasons. Due to section 525 of the bankruptcy code, it would be considered discriminatory if an employer were to fire someone solely because they were going through bankruptcy.

Employers want their employees to be productive and hardworking when on the job; in some cases when an employee is facing bankruptcy, employers are willing to cover the attorney fees so that they can help their employees get back to focusing on work, and not worrying about affording attorney bills and paying off accumulated debt.

In order to get back to work in a timely manner when going through a bankruptcy, it is important to seek out a bankruptcy attorney that is experienced in your case. You want an attorney that cares about your situation and is willing to work with you, helping you to get on track to maintaining a debt fee life.

Works Cited

<![CDATA[Medical debt leading to damaged credit reports across the country]]> tag:www.timsierra.com,2014:/blog//14006.1112827 2014-06-16T09:11:30Z 2014-06-16T09:10:30Z It seems that just about everyone is living in debt these days. There are constant reports of people struggling with their finances and all the problems that come because of those financial issues. One of the many issues that people in debt in the Tampa area face, as well as anywhere else, is the negative effect debt has on their credit report.

Although other types of debt may come to mind first, the fact is, millions of people in the United States are behind the eight ball when it comes to their unpaid medical care. The reasons for that debt are many, but the rising cost of healthcare and some questionable decisions and policies by healthcare providers are two of the most notable. Because of these issues many patients’ bills can quickly jump to tens of thousands of dollars.

]]> Meantime, according to a new study by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, those large bills are leading to excessive medical debt. In turn, that debt is having a harsh effect on the nation’s credit scores. When a person has a bad credit score it can affect him or her in many ways, including the ability to get a loan. Medical debt was also the leading cause of bankruptcies in 2013.

Whether it’s medical debt, credit card debt or any other kind of debt, when a person in Tampa can’t get out of the red on his or her own, then he or she might have to consider filing for bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is a very serious matter and should not be entered into lightly. If you’re having trouble paying off your medical debt and have considered bankruptcy, then you might want to speak with an experienced bankruptcy attorney first.

Source: PFhub, “Study finds medical debt ruining American credit reports,” Andrew Moran, June 1, 2014.


Meuble à fards, a 1924 prototype in red lacquer From the book 'Ruhlmann' by Florence Camard/Rizzoli

Jacques Émile Ruhlmann in 1925 From the book 'Ruhlmann' by Florence Camard/Rizzoli

Nicolle liquor cabinet, a version of which sold recently at Christie's for $2,127,854 From the book 'Ruhlmann' by Florence Camard/Rizzoli

Liquor cabinet on skis in macassar ebony From the book 'Ruhlmann' by Florence Camard/Rizzoli

'Ruhlmann' by Florence Camard (Rizzoli) F. Martin Ramin for The Wall Street Journal

Reuter table with shagreen and ivory marquetry From the book 'Ruhlmann' by Florence Camard/Rizzoli

Collectionneur chest in black lacquer From the book 'Ruhlmann' by Florence Camard/Rizzoli

No designer has come to stand for the glamorous 1920s and '30s more definitively than Jacques Émile Ruhlmann, with his exquisite marquetry of ivory and rare woods, sumptuous textiles and gleaming metal accents. But to understand Ruhlmann instead of merely admire him, we have to understand how this tastemaking Parisian decorator and furniture designer was seen in his time. This was an era in which a decorator—not a soldier, not an athlete, but a designer—could be celebrated as a national hero for what he had done for France. "Ruhlmann," decorative arts scholar Florence Camard's definitive new book on the designer, helps us grasp this.

Ruhlmann was known in his day as "The Riesener of the 20th century." That may not mean much to us, but it was high praise indeed. Jean-Henri Riesener was ebeniste (cabinetmaker) to Louis XVI, pupil of the great Oeben (maker of Louis XV's desk), and the man considered the greatest of his trade, among not inconsiderable competition, in the last quarter of the 18th century. In this period, furniture-making was king of the decorative arts, a field then viewed as the equal to painting or architecture. Signed pieces, seen as objects capable of the highest expression of national culture—and among the most expensive—were frequently given as gifts of state between monarchs. Great ebenistes went broke trying to outdo each other's creations. Or, consumed with passion for the work of a competitor and powerless to resist its poetry, they bought for themselves furniture that would have burdened the treasury as a gift for Catherine the Great. It was not rational, but that is what is so compelling. Think of it as a French thing. The decorative arts were seen as a kind of physical opera, every bit as drama-filled and with equivalent power to express. The sums lavished on the furniture made for Versailles were greater than the money spent for architecture and landscape gardening combined. Only the wars cost more.

So, by invoking this glorious past at the birth of Art Deco—a time when modes of artistic expression were discussed on street corners—the designs of Jacques Émile Ruhlmann were seen not just as beautiful, but as the second coming of a golden age of French decorative arts. Ruhlmann's mission was one of reviving that country's preeminence in a field it had not dominated for 150 years, and in an entirely new avant-garde vocabulary: modernism. That Ruhlmann's magnificent furniture and interiors succeeded in doing this has never been in much doubt. Christie's recent sale of the contents of the Château de Gourdon has reaffirmed Ruhlmann's continuous ascent in value to collectors (Lot 14, a black lacquer Tardieu desk and chair, sold for $3,272,857. Lot 18, a chaise longue, sold for $4,067,997). But what this book shows beautifully is the mechanics and process by which it was accomplished, and how it revived levels of craft not seen since the 18th century. Consider this, on the subject of fabricating a trademark detail: "Just as an example, the average amount of time it took to create a spindle leg for an article of furniture was more than a week's work—52 to 54 hours." We can all admire pieces by Ruhlmann as exquisite objects, but equally astonishing is the fact that a successful business was built around this sort of perfectionism. Ms. Camard's book takes us inside the workshop, a place in many ways more fascinating than the showroom.

Jacques Émile Ruhlmann began his career as a painter and textile designer, with, amazingly, no formal training in cabinetmaking. In addition to being a master craftsman, he was an eminently likeable fellow. He was a good husband and a supportive uncle to his nephew whose career he helped launch. Ruhlmann was also a courageous and successful businessman until confronted by the Great Depression, an abyss no one could decorate their way out of. In doubtful taste I must credit him with having had the good instinct to die in 1933, before economic circumstances probably would have forced him to close up shop. Unlike his equally talented colleague Jean-Michel Frank, who jumped out the window a few years later, Ruhlmann played by the rules and didn't let anybody down. It's hard to form a "cult of the artist" around a personality so hardworking and dependable, and the biographical details of Ms. Camard's book are consequently not the most exciting part. What is exciting is her portrait of a man totally in love with his craft, and of a time when such collective attention was focused on the power of the arts to narrate a nation's progress. Much the opposite is the case now.

Ms. Camard's account of her subject's life is exhaustive, and it is difficult to imagine there will be any further books on Ruhlmann after this one. But in such extensive documentation are the nuggets that don't make it into a coffee table book, and tell the real story. My favorite and one of the most expressive is buried on page 61. If you seek evidence that Jacques Émile Ruhlmann was truly an artist—not just a purveyor of luxury but a singular talent who would have found expression in any era, in any medium and in any economic context—look at the red chalk drawing of his father on that page. Since we all know what this means, I'll say it: Riesener himself could not have done better.

—David Netto is a Los Angeles–based writer, designer and creative director of the Maclaren Nursery furniture line.


Last Updated: Friday, 25 July 2014, 10:23 GMT

2012 Trafficking in Persons Report - Canada

Publisher United States Department of State
Publication Date 19 June 2012
Cite as United States Department of State, 2012 Trafficking in Persons Report - Canada, 19 June 2012, available at: [accessed 25 July 2014]

CANADA (Tier 1)

Canada is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking, and a destination country for adults subjected to forced labor. Canadian women and girls are exploited in sex trafficking across the country, and women and girls from aboriginal communities are especially vulnerable. Foreign women, primarily from Asia and Eastern Europe, are subjected to sex trafficking as well, often in brothels and massage parlors. Law enforcement officials continue to report the involvement of organized crime in sex trafficking, including domestic street gangs known for their involvement in prostitution activities, as well as transnational criminal organizations. Labor trafficking victims include foreign workers from Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa who enter Canada legally, but then are subsequently subjected to forced labor in agriculture, construction, sweatshops and processing plants, the hospitality sector, or as domestic servants. During the year, officials identified an increased number of forced labor cases involving foreign victims, including several cases of domestic servitude. Reports of forced labor continue to be more prevalent in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Service providers in Ontario and Manitoba reported that traffickers coerced foreign victims to commit petty criminal activities, making victims more vulnerable to being threatened with criminal charges or deportation. Canada is also a significant source country for child sex tourists, who travel abroad to engage in sex acts with children.

The Government of Canada fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. During the past year, the Canadian government maintained law enforcement efforts and achieved its first labor trafficking convictions, as well as sustaining victim protection and prevention efforts. However, limited coordination between the federal and provincial governments on anti-trafficking efforts continued to hamper more effective collaboration and there were few specialized services for trafficking victims.

Recommendations for Canada: Intensify efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses, and convict and sentence trafficking offenders using anti-trafficking laws; increase use of proactive law enforcement techniques to investigate trafficking cases, including all allegations of forced labor among migrant workers; enhance specialized care services available to trafficking victims, in partnership with civil society; increase efforts to educate police, prosecutors, and judges about trafficking and how to effectively use Canadian anti-trafficking laws; establish formal mechanisms for officials to identify trafficking victims and refer them to protection services; increase investigations and prosecutions of Canadian child sex tourists abroad; continue efforts to improve trafficking data collection; and strengthen coordination among national and provincial governments on law enforcement and victim services.

The Government of Canada increased law enforcement actions against trafficking offenders over the last year, and achieved its first conviction for forced labor, which was also the first conviction in a case involving foreign victims. Section 279.01 of the Canadian Criminal Code prohibits all forms of human trafficking, prescribing a penalty of up to 14 years' imprisonment, and related statutes prohibit receiving benefits from trafficking, and withholding or destroying a victim's identity documents to facilitate trafficking. Section 279.011 specifically prohibits trafficking of children under the age of 18 and establishes a five-year mandatory minimum sentence. Such penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those for other serious crimes, such as sexual assault. Section 279.04(a) defines "exploitation" for purposes of the trafficking offenses as engaging in conduct which causes a victim to provide labor or a service because they reasonably believe their safety, or the safety of a person known to them, is threatened. Some NGOs and law enforcement officers believe that this definition is restrictively narrow. Section 118 of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, enacted in 2002, prohibits transnational human trafficking, prescribing a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and the equivalent of a $1 million fine. In March 2012, the Ontario Court of Appeals ruled unconstitutional federal statutes prohibiting living on the avails of prostitution and operating bawdy houses; these statutes are frequently used in human trafficking prosecutions.

In addition to ongoing investigations, there were at least 57 ongoing human trafficking prosecutions as of February 2012: these cases involved at least 94 accused trafficking offenders and 158 victims, though it is unclear how many prosecutions were initiated during the reporting period. This compares with 46 ongoing trafficking prosecutions in the previous reporting period, involving 68 defendants and 80 victims. Authorities reported that all but four of these cases involved domestic sex trafficking. The government reported three sex trafficking convictions under trafficking-specific laws that occurred during the reporting period, in contrast to two convictions under trafficking-specific laws obtained during the preceding reporting period. One convicted trafficking offender had not yet been sentenced at the end of the reporting period; of the two remaining offenders, one received a sentence of 30 months' imprisonment, including credit for pre-trial custody, and the other a sentence of time served after 374 days in custody. Prosecutors convicted at least six trafficking offenders under other sections of the criminal code, including provisions against living on the proceeds of prostitution, and sexual assault; this compares with six such convictions obtained during the preceding reporting period. The six convicted received sentences ranging from two years' suspended to nine years' imprisonment.

In addition, in January and February 2012, officials achieved the first convictions for labor trafficking in an ongoing case involving Hungarian men exploited in Ontario. Three defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit human trafficking, and were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 24 months' to six years' imprisonment, including pre-trial custody. In August 2011, the Attorney General of British Columbia filed a civil forfeiture claim to seize the home of a woman charged with human trafficking, alleging that the home was an instrument of crime, as the victim had been subjected to domestic servitude; the case is currently before the courts. Not all cases of human trafficking are identified as such, and some judges and prosecutors were reportedly reluctant or unwilling to pursue human trafficking charges.

Limited coordination between the federal and provincial governments on anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts continued to be a challenge. Last year, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) continued extensive anti-trafficking training efforts for law enforcement officers, border service officers, and prosecutors; these efforts included launching an online anti-trafficking course for Canadian law enforcement, conducting awareness sessions for labor inspectors in Ontario and Quebec, and conducting workshops for over 700 law enforcement officials. Labor inspectors in Quebec received training on how to identify trafficking victims. The Canadian government reported collaborating with foreign governments on several trafficking investigations and did not report investigating, prosecuting, convicting, or sentencing any public officials for complicity in human trafficking.

The government maintained protections for trafficking victims during the reporting period, though most victim services offered by the government are general services offered to victims of crimes. Immigration officials continued implementing guidelines to assess whether foreign nationals are potential victims of trafficking. There were no nationwide procedures, however, for other government officials to proactively identify and assist trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, such as women in prostitution or migrant workers. Officials did not collect comprehensive statistics on the total number of trafficking victims identified and assisted during the year. Provincial and territorial governments had primary responsibilities for general crime victim services, which are available to trafficking victims, and the range and quality of these services varied. However, most jurisdictions provided trafficking victims with access to shelter services, short-term counseling, court assistance, and other services, often through funding NGOs to provide these services. One NGO ran a dedicated shelter for trafficking victims in Vancouver and received government funding: it assisted 12 victims during the year. The government did not report funding or operating other dedicated facilities for trafficking victims. Female trafficking victims could receive services at 82 shelters designed for victims of violence, and in some cases, shelters for homeless persons provided basic services to male trafficking victims. The demand for some services, such as longer-term assisted housing, generally exceeded resources. Some law enforcement officials and NGOs indicated that the lack of specialized services was problematic, and noted that increased protection of victims could result in greater cooperation with law enforcement.

NGOs noted that provincial referral mechanisms, often involving a local anti-trafficking network or coalition, worked well in practice; however, some NGOs reported that communication between different actors, such as law enforcement officials and service providers, was uneven. Provinces and territories had primary responsibility for enforcing labor standards. Civil society organizations, however, reported that the provincial and territorial governments often lacked adequate resources and personnel to effectively monitor the labor conditions of increasing numbers of temporary foreign workers or to proactively identify human trafficking victims among such groups.

Undocumented foreign trafficking victims in Canada applied for a temporary resident permit (TRP) to remain in the country. Fifty three TRPs were issued to 48 foreign trafficking victims in 2011, five of which were first-term permits and 48 of which were renewals. In comparison, authorities reported granting 55 TRPs to 47 foreign victims in 2010. Some foreign trafficking victims might have received different forms of immigration relief, such as refugee protection. During a 180-day reflection period, immigration officials determined whether to grant TRP holders a longer residency period of up to three years, and victims had access to essential and emergency medical care, dental care, and trauma counseling. TRP holders could apply for fee-exempt work permits, and 47 foreign victims received these permits during the reporting period. Some officials and NGOs reported difficulties in getting TRPs for foreign victims due to lack of coordination or understanding among service providers, law enforcement officers, and immigration officials about whether or not an individual qualified as a trafficking victim. Identified victims were not penalized for crimes committed as a direct result of being trafficked. Canadian authorities encourage, but do not require, trafficking victims to participate in investigations and prosecutions of trafficking offenders. The government provides protections to victims who choose to testify, such as witness protection programs and the use of closed circuit television testimony, although it did not report how many victims, if any, chose to participate in investigations and prosecutions.

The Government of Canada maintained strong anti-trafficking prevention efforts during the reporting period. Federal level anti-trafficking efforts were coordinated by the Interdepartmental Working Group on Trafficking in Persons (IWGTIP), which met three times during the reporting period; smaller ad-hoc sub-groups met more frequently. NGOs and some government officials continued to call for the IWGTIP to develop a national strategy to combat trafficking, as mandated in 2004. In May 2011, the government committed in its election policy platform to enact a national anti-trafficking action plan. The RCMP continued to conduct widespread awareness-raising activities and maintained six regional human trafficking awareness coordinators across the country to facilitate anti-trafficking initiatives and assist in developing local strategies. The government demonstrated transparency in its anti-trafficking efforts by publishing an overview of federal anti-trafficking efforts in 2010-2011, as well as providing information about these efforts on government websites. The federal government funded several anti-trafficking initiatives abroad, with a focus on Latin America, through the Canadian International Development Agency and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT).

Provincial and local governments also undertook a variety of anti-trafficking events and initiatives during the year; these efforts varied in effectiveness, and coordination between the federal government and the provinces remained fragmented. Alberta continued to fund an NGO coalition to coordinate the province's actions to combat trafficking. British Columbia had the only provincial anti-trafficking office in the country, and the office conducted a variety of prevention, training, and awareness activities, including launching a standardized online training program for service providers on how to identify and assist trafficking victims. Quebec reported funding NGOs that provided services to trafficking victims.

The federal Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) continued to provide information to temporary foreign workers, including live-in caregivers, to let them know where to seek assistance in case of exploitation or abuse, as well to inform them of their rights. In April 2011, amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations came into effect establishing an enhanced compliance framework for the federal temporary foreign worker program. Some of these reforms included additional criteria for the live-in-caregiver program, a more rigorous assessment of the genuineness of job offers, guidelines for compensation to temporary foreign workers in cases of employer fault, and strengthened consequences for non-compliant employers. Some NGOs asserted that these reforms did not address the root issues that make temporary foreign workers vulnerable to forced labor, and called for a national policy framework to regulate labor brokers and recruiters. Some provinces also strengthened efforts to protect temporary foreign workers and improve employer accountability.

Canada is a source country for child sex tourists, and the country prohibits its nationals from engaging in child sex tourism through Section 7(4.1) of its Criminal Code. This law has extraterritorial application, and carries penalties of up to 14 years' imprisonment. DFAIT continued to distribute a publication warning Canadians traveling abroad about penalties under Canada's child sex tourism law, and every new Canadian passport issued continued to be accompanied by a copy of the booklet. However, authorities reported no investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of child sex tourists during the year. Canadian authorities provided anti-trafficking information to Canadian military forces prior to their deployment on international peacekeeping missions. Canadian authorities continued to prosecute individuals who solicited commercial sex, and there were no known efforts to address demand for forced labor.

Search Refworld


Web Site Accessibility

Accessible Forms

Creating Accessible Forms (Webbaim)
Many users must use their keyboard to navigate and use the web. Create forms that can be completed using only the keyboard.
Accessible Forms (jimthatcher.com)
The accessibility issue for forms is whether or not users with disabilities, especially those who are blind or visually impaired, can determine the purpose of a specific form control and interact with it.


The driving time from New Hampshire (NH) to Ohio (OH) is:

13 hours, 5 minutes

Rooms:     Travelers:
From: reverse locations

Calculate the driving time between you and your friends:

Map of driving directions from New Hampshire to Ohio

Driving time from New Hampshire to Ohio

How long is the drive from New Hampshire to Ohio? The total driving time is 13 hours, 5 minutes.

Your trip begins in the state of New Hampshire.
It ends in the state of Ohio.

If you're planning a road trip, you might be interested in seeing the total driving distance from New Hampshire to Ohio.

You can also calculate the cost to drive from New Hampshire to Ohio based on current local gas prices and an estimate of your car's best gas mileage.

Since this is a long drive, you might want to stop halfway and stay overnight in a hotel. You can find the city that is halfway between New Hampshire and Ohio.

Planning to fly a plane instead? You might be more interested in calculating the flight time from New Hampshire to Ohio.

vacation deals to Ohio

New Hampshire (NH)

State: New Hampshire
Country: United States
Category: states

Ohio (OH)

State: Ohio
Country: United States
Category: states

Find the duration of your next road trip

Driving Time from to

Driving time calculator

This page was loaded in 0.0059 seconds.


Other Products

WLDFERM Fermaid K by Lallemand

Fermaid K is a blended complex yeast nutrient that supplies ammonia salts (DAP), alpha amino nitrogen (derived from yeast extract), sterols, unsaturated fatty acids, key nutrients (magnesium sulfate, thiamin, folic acid, niacin, biotin, calcium...

WLDFERMO Fermaid O by Lallemand

Fermaid O is popular with distillers and winemakers who are seeking to use an organic yeast nutrient. Fermaid O is a blend of inactivated yeast fractions rich in organic nitrogen. Fermaid O does not contain added ammonia salts (DAP) or...

WLDGO-FERM Go-Ferm by Lallemand

Go-Ferm provides bio-available micro-nutrients in the non-stressful environment of the yeast rehydration water. By making key minerals and vitamins available to the selected yeast at the critical beginning of its stressful task, the yeast’s...

WLN1000 White Labs Yeast Nutrient

Used to increase the health of yeast. Improves fermentation and re-pitching performance. Contains diammonium phosphate, essential vitamins and co-factors, nitrogen (amino acids, proteins, and peptides) and minerals. Effective boost for first and/or...

WLN4000 Clarity Ferm

CLARITY-FERM is a product containing a highly specific endo-protease which only cleaves polypeptides at the carboxyl end of the amino acid proline.  Protease is derived from Aspergillus niger. APPLICATIONS: 1) To increase the collodial...

WLN4100 Ultra-Ferm

ULTRA-FERM is a liquid amyloglucosidase (highly concentrated) from selected classical strain of Aspergillus niger. APPLICATIONS: 1) To reduce saccharification times. 2) To saccharify unmalted cereal brews. 3) To increase attenuation. Function...

WLN4200 Amino-Quik

AMINO-QUIK is a liquid vegetal papain extracted from Carica papaya. AMINO-QUIK reduces chill haze and increasing colloidal stability. FUNCTION:  Haze is composed of proteins, polyphenols, carbohydrates and inorganic compounds such as iron or...

WLN4300 Opti-Mash

APPLICATIONS: Opti-Mash is a liquid thermostable alpha-amylase from a classical strain of Bacillus licheniformis. FUNCTION: Different adjuncts such as maize, rice, wheat, and sorghum are used in brewing. The starch of these grains can have ...

WLN4400 Visco-Buster

APPLICATION: Beer, Spirits Visco-Buster is a liquid product obtained from Trichoderma reesei. This is an enzyme complex containing predominantly 1,3-1,4-glucanase activity, but also endo-xylanase and other hemicellulases. FUNCTION: ...

WLN4500 Pro-Max

PRO-MAX is liquid neutral protease from self-cloned strain of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens standardized at minimum 180 000 PCU per gram (double strength). APPLICATIONS: 1) Increases FAN. Hydrolyses protein matrix surrounding starch granule so...

WL News:

Friend / Follow:


Use of social networks during natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy and the Oklahoma tornadoes has become so mainstream that even hospital staffers and the Red Cross are logging in, according to this infographic developed by the University of San Francisco’s Masters of Public Administration department. The networks are a convenient way to reach a lot of people at once (sometimes more than you think), but what happens if the power goes out?

twitter, facebook, instagram, natural disasters, hurricane sandy, tsunami, tornadoes, red cross


Low Efficiency Insulation Wastes Space, Loses Heat

Many ovens use inexpensive castable insulation (clay or vermiculite mixed with Portland cement) that is 50% less efficient than ceramic insulation. That means the oven does not retain heat as well for baking—even if the insulation is 4" thick. Plus, the escaping heat can make the kitchen uncomfortably hot.


Jerusalem, soul of Israel ♥

Sometimes little known and unnamed Christians have advanced the Gospel through their sacrificial love for our Savior. And some of the hardest criminals have been transformed because of it. Double click image to read 1-minute devotion.

Her daddy dressed up as Prince Charming for her Cinderella birthday party. #ohmycute

clean your oven with 5 T baking soda 5 drops dawn dish soap and 4 T vinegar, mix into a paste and spread all over let it sit for 15 minutes then wipe off.


Grab all of these as a Readlist.

On the posthuman

Sally Davies talks to Neil Harbisson, Stelarc, the Grindhouse Wetwares crew, and other humans blurring the boundaries between human and machine.

Nautilus: Sally Davies - Encounters with the Posthuman

On the Bitcoin Convention

We visited the Bitcoin Convention last month, and Maria Bustillos offers another take on the San Jose event.

The Awl: Maria Bustillos - The Great VC Coin Rush: At The Bitcoin Convention

Then there is a group of seasteading types who are founding a business sea-cubator on a boat twelve miles from Silicon Valley ("outside the jurisdiction of the United States") where they can hire all the cheap, H-1B-visa-less Chinese and Indian engineers they please. (Freedom!) For this purpose, they have already chartered the MS Island Escape.

On peppers

Mary Roach visits Northeast India to observe the Naga King Chili-Eating Competition where contestants endure some of the world's hottest peppers, the Bhut Jolokia.

Smithsonian Magazine: Mary Roach - The Gut-Wrenching Science Behind the World’s Hottest Peppers

On floating countries

Atossa Abrahamian took a boat out to Ephemerisle, a temporary artificial floating island off the coast of California.

n+1: Atossa Abrahamian - Seasteading

On Dmitry Itskov

David Segal interviews Russian media magnate Dmitry Itskov about his 2045 initiative and its mission to create avatars that humans can upload their brains to.

The New York Times: David Segal - This Man Is Not a Cyborg. Yet.

What Mr. Itskov is striving for makes wearable computers, like Google Glass, seem as about as futuristic as Lincoln Logs. This would be a digital copy of your mind in a nonbiological carrier, a version of a fully sentient person that could live for hundreds or thousands of years. Or longer. Mr. Itskov unabashedly drops the word "immortality" into conversation.


Shortcut Navigation:

Electromagnetic radiation emitted by a gamma-ray burst after the initial explosion. Afterglows can last for hours or days.

The scientific study of the Universe.

black hole

Of or relating to the Universe as a whole.

The Universe regarded as a whole, including all matter, energy, and space.

The arrangement of objects in space.

electromagnetic spectrum

The capacity of a physical system to do work. Energy can be converted among its various forms (motion, light, mass, etc.) but the total amount of energy remains constant.galaxyA relatively massive assembly of stars, interstellar clouds, and dark matter bound together by gravity.

gamma-ray burst

A brief cosmic explosion of gamma-rays. Gamma-ray bursts are thought to arise when a star collapses into a black hole or from the merger of two neutron stars.

Invisible electromagnetic radiation (light) with wavelengths shorter than X-rays, or less than 1 picometer (one millionth-millionth of a meter). Gamma-rays are the highest-energy radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum.

infrared (IR)

A measure of the total amount of matter on a body. It can be defined either by the body's inertia (resistance to altering its motion) or by its gravitational influence on other bodies.modelA theoretical system that represents scientific processes using a set of variables and the quantitative relationships between them.

neutron star

An extremely dense collapsed star consisting mainly of neutrons. A neutron star is what often remains after the supernova explosion of a massive star.

The emission of energy.

radio waves

Low energy electromagnetic radiation, with long wavelengths and low frequencies.satelliteA body that orbits around a larger body.

Where matter is not.

spectrum (pl. spectra)

theorist (or theoretician)

ultraviolet (UV)

visible light

American Museum of Natural History

Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, NY 10024-5192
Phone: 212-769-5100

Open daily from 10 am - 5:45 pm
except on Thanksgiving and Christmas
Maps and Directions


The first three months of 2014 were heady ones for Silicon Valley companies raising venture capital, says the latest survey from law firm Fenwick & West LLP.

Just 8% of financings were down rounds in which a company’s valuation fell, while 76% were up rounds. In the rest, the valuation stayed the same. The difference between the rate of up rounds and down rounds was the greatest since the second quarter of 2007, when the difference was 70 percentage points. Read More »


News from your classmates

Lei Liang '96, '98 MM, Composition (Photo by: Howard Lipin) In partnership with TenFourteen LLC, an arm of the Jebediah Foundation, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. will launch the TenFourteen project, which will finance the composition of ten chamber works for the 2014–2015 season.  Lei Liang '96, '98 M.M. and Koji Nakano '97, '99 M.M.have been named as two of the ten composers of which all have distinguished international reputations, whose work covers both the twentieth and current centuries.  Five concerts are planned for the 2014–2015 season, over the course of which all ten new works will be performed.  Each will be between 18 and 25 minutes in duration.  In keeping with SFCMP resources, each will be composed for an ensemble of between five and nine players. Lei Liang was been named winner of the 2011 Elliott Carter Rome Prize. The Rome Prize awards, given by the American Academy in Rome, recognize 30 individuals annually “who represent the highest standard of excellence in the arts and humanities.” Mr. Liang won the Rome Prize in musical composition for his Sextet and Chamber Concerto. The prize carries with it a Rome residency where recipients are invited to Rome to work in “an atmosphere conducive to intellectual and artistic freedom, interdisciplinary exchange, and innovation.”  Liang, born in Tianjin, China, started composing at the age of six. He left China in 1990 and soon began studies at NEC and then Harvard University. Liang studied with Robert Cogan at NEC. In addition to the Rome Prize, Liang is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and an Aaron Copland Award. He was recently commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and Alan Gilbert for the inaugural concert of the CONTACT! new music series, and has also been commissioned by ensembles like the Taipei Chinese Orchestra, the Heidelberger Philharmonisches Orchester, pipa virtuoso Wu Man, the Arditti, Ying and Shanghai Quartets, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, New York New Music Ensemble and Boston Musica Viva.  As a scholar, he is active in the research and preservation of traditional Asian music. 2012-01-24

Christopher Rozmarin '96 M.M., Tombone PerformanceIn August, 2010, Christopher Rozmarin ’96 M.M. will compete in his first-ever 100 mile foot race, the Leadville 100 Mile Trail Run, in Leadville, Colo., and is given only 30 hours to complete the course. Christopher is a Sergeant First Class with the U.S. Army, and performs regularly with the Army Ground Forces Band. He recently performed with the band at their Sousa, Stars, and Stripes Forever! concert at the Georgia Tech Ferst Center for the Arts. Christopher played the lively and challenging Bluebells of Scotland, arranged for trombone by Arthur Pryor of John Phillip Sousa’s band. In addition to performing with the Army Ground Forces Band, Christopher serves as the band’s equal opportunity representative and its chief of re-enlistment and retention. He occasionally performs as a substitute trombonist with the Atlanta and Alabama symphony orchestras. 2010-04-06

Help find your lost classmates

Ji-Hoon Ahn, Johanna Marie Brayne, Jung-Eun Byun, Nora-Ath Chanklum, Li-Fen Chen, Yu-Li Chen, Catherine Kai-Ling Chi, Anna Cho, Hyun Jung Cho, Duncan Alwyn Fikkers, Catherine Martha Fitzpatrick, Michal Anne Friedlander, Wei Ting Fu, Josh David Goldman, Sally M. Honda, I-Fang Hsieh, Ginger Meredith Inabinet, Atsuko Ishii, Hee-Sung Joo, Sung-Eun Jun, Shin Kim, Won-Jung Kim, Seikyo SooHak Kim, Yukiko Sato Kirito, Betty Kuark, Sachiko Kunori, York Yu Kwong, Dong-Youn Lee, Ji-Yeon Lee, Jeeyoon Lee, In-Kyu Lee, Joo-Hee Lee, Rachel Elizabeth Lemisch, Kyung Mee Lim, Chao-Ching Lin, Mia Linde, Kuo-Chou Ling, Simon Robert Burwell MacDonald, Shinobu Miki, Patrick Joseph Mitten, Jung-Hwa Moon, Junko Mori, Yoon-Jung Park, Sang Young Park, Kyung-Hee Park, Ji-Hee Park, Jose Luis Perez, Rui Pedro Pintao, Merav Reuel, Noriko Sakamaki, Yukiko Sato, Haruka Hiruta Satow, Dylan Wolfe Savage, Kathleen Marie Savoldy, Heinz Karl Novaes Schwebel, Chien-Ji Shaie, Meng-Wen Shih, Daniel Harold Shore, Paolo Pietro Susanni, Shinobu Suzuki, Nicola Tommaso Tescari, Quentin Tolimieri, Nang-Wha Tsang, Hsiu-Ting Wang, Mia Whang, Suk Yee Wong, George David Wright, Chao-Wen Yu, Ya-Che Yu, Esther Yune.


LIFE at the bottom is nasty, brutish and short. For this reason, heartless folk might assume that people in the lower social classes will be more self-interested and less inclined to consider the welfare of others than upper-class individuals, who can afford a certain noblesse oblige. A recent study, however, challenges this idea. Experiments by Paul Piff and his colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, reported this week in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, suggest precisely the opposite. It is the poor, not the rich, who are inclined to charity.

In their first experiment, Dr Piff and his team recruited 115 people. To start with, these volunteers were asked to engage in a series of bogus activities, in order to create a misleading impression of the purpose of the research. Eventually, each was told he had been paired with an anonymous partner seated in a different room. Participants were given ten credits and advised that their task was to decide how many of these credits they wanted to keep for themselves and how many (if any) they wished to transfer to their partner. They were also told that the credits they had at the end of the game would be worth real money and that their partners would have no ability to interfere with the outcome.

A week before the game was run, participants were asked their ethnic backgrounds, sex, age, frequency of attendance at religious services and socioeconomic status. During this part of the study, they were presented with a drawing of a ladder with ten rungs on it. Each rung represented people of different levels of education, income and occupational status. They were asked to place an “X” on the rung they felt corresponded to where they stood relative to others in their own community.

The average number of credits people gave away was 4.1. However, an analysis of the results showed that generosity increased as participants' assessment of their own social status fell. Those who rated themselves at the bottom of the ladder gave away 44% more of their credits than those who put their crosses at the top, even when the effects of age, sex, ethnicity and religiousness had been accounted for.

The prince and the pauper

In this case the change intended was to that of a higher or lower social class than the individual perceived he normally belonged to. The researchers then asked participants to indicate what percentage of a person's income should be spent on charitable donations. They found that both real lower-class participants and those temporarily induced to rank themselves as lower class felt that a greater share of a person's salary should be used to support charity.

A final experiment attempted to test how helpful people of different classes are when actually exposed to a person in need. This time participants were “primed” with video clips, rather than by storytelling, into more or less compassionate states. The researchers then measured their reaction to another participant (actually a research associate) who turned up late and thus needed help with the experimental procedure.

One interpretation of all this might be that selfish people find it easier to become rich. Some of the experiments Dr Piff conducted, however, sorted people by the income of the family in which the participant grew up. This revealed that whether high status was inherited or earned made no difference—so the idea that it is the self-made who are especially selfish does not work. Dr Piff himself suggests that the increased compassion which seems to exist among the poor increases generosity and helpfulness, and promotes a level of trust and co-operation that can prove essential for survival during hard times.


East Asian Languages & Cultures | Fourth-Year Chinese II, undergraduates
C402 | 1560 | Tba

P: grade of C or better in C401 or equivalent proficiency

This course is designed for advanced students of Chinese to 1) improve
their overall language proficiency through extensive reading of texts in
various styles and genres; 2) acquire a deeper understanding of major
issues concerning modern Chinese intellectuals as well as a fuller picture
of contemporary Chinese life and society; 3) obtain skills to be
independent and confident learners of Chinese.

Texts include 1) a course packet of selected readings ranging from prose,
short stories to plays; 2) a novel; 3) audiovisual materials including
films, TV plays, and comedic dialogues that enrich the understanding of the
texts in focus.  The class meets three hours a week, centering on
discussion of the text from the packet.

Active participation in class is expected.  The grade will be based on
class performance, two oral reports (twice), writing portfolio (three
essays and a notebook with daily entry of sentences or passages
incorporating five new words of choice), and three tests.


Welcome Guest
Log In | Register )
The time is now 7:18 am
You last visited July 25, 2014, 7:17 am
All times shown are
Eastern Time (GMT-5:00)

Join the numbers and get to the 2048 tile!

How to play: Use your arrow keys to move the tiles. When two tiles with the same number touch, they merge into one. For example, merge two 2 tiles to make a 4 tile; two 4 tiles merge into an 8 tile. The object of the game is to keep merging tiles until you can create a 2048 tile. If you fill up the board before making a 2048 tile, you need to start over.

Score: Even if you aren't able to create a 2048 tile, you can still try to beat your best score. Every time you create a merged tile, you earn the number of points on the face of the new tile.

Hint button: Press the Hint button to have the computer suggest a direction that you should move the tiles.

Auto-run button: Watch a "pro" play — the computer will use Artificial Intelligence to play the game in front of your eyes. It wins about 90% of the time.

Expand »


10 Skinniest Holiday Treats

Deviled eggs

Those savory little finger foods are actually a smart choice, despite their mayonnaise-whipped centers. "You can have two halves for about 130 calories while getting all the nutrients of an egg — including 7 grams of protein," says Gans.


Extraterrestrials And The Founding Fathers of America

How are they connected? In many, many more ways than I could have ever imagined. Read more of this post

Why You Should Believe that Aliens Exist

Everyone has a right to their own opinion regarding the existence of another life form in the universe. I personally believe that it is very foolish of people to not believe in aliens. All that you have to do is look up into the sky. Realize how tiny and irrelevant we really are compared to the rest of the universe.  Read more of this post

Imagine being in space and looking down at Earth.

Looking at the Richat Structure from space

Its perfectly circular shape is still a mystery today.

Advocates of the EU model claim that:

The Richat Structure resembles an eye

Sounds like a pretty nice target to me.

Click here to see our STRANGE PLACE collection!


How To Assemble Jigsaw Puzzles

27 Aug 2018 02:29

Back to list of posts

is?cCJZeGtkZBi3HpMgQiggx9LjGyuSlMalfepznEuRuRU&height=204 These ciphers are super frequent in escape games since they connect two distinct objects for one particular goal, and are unsolvable without having players making the connection. One particular major point I learned is to make positive the player has a quite very clear aim. For instance our game was 3rd particular person and the player had to manipulate the environment to get to the exit of the level.But wait! If you loved this post and you would like to obtain far more information with regards to visit the following Internet site ( kindly check out our website. In spite of their collective reticence to give a bullet-pointed recipe for the excellent puzzle, specific topics of conversation visit the following internet site return once more and once more in every single interview - ideas like a great puzzle knows what it's about", discussions of minimalism and how that relates to elegance, and how ambition separates a really excellent puzzle game from the sort you poke at on your telephone even though taking a dump. What follows, then, is not a recipe so significantly as my extrapolated list of attainable cooking utensils: approaches to take into account which will radically alter the flavour and texture of the resultant concoction.Light can be utilized as a tool to reveal or hide clues. It can also be employed to create atmosphere, supporting your theme and assisting immerse your players in visit the following internet site environment you've produced. Please leave a detailed description about the situation you are seeing. Include factors like game name, how frequently you can reproduce it, the flash player you are employing, and uploading a screenshot to help us resolve your situation faster.When 1st time i read this post i was thinking it is maybe a helpful ideas like how to make your own horror game and when i arrived at initial paragraphs in puzzles section, i got an new impression about how not to make one more RE centric game for the new developers.This content was personally chosen for you by Arkadium, the leading provider of exciting, engaging, and brand secure digital content such as quizzes, games, videos, puzzles, and more! Some feel that escape game players expect challenges they may not be ready for and comprehend that they can request hints if they get stumped. Other people think that all the information required to solve the puzzles in a space must be either very basic or specifically supplied in a prop or another puzzle.WEINTRAUB: Which brings us to an additional important point: Crossword editors alter clues. They adjust a lot of them. Sometimes they edit them to streamline the difficulty level across the entire puzzle, as Brad describes above. Or clues get changed since the editorial group came up with something greater. For instance, in 1 of my earlier puzzles, the clue I submitted for MEN'S Wear was fairly simple: Some runway sights. The clue that ended up in the published puzzle was It's tailored to guys. The exciting wordplay makes that a far better clue.Scalak is one particular of the purest and least hand-holdy puzzlers around. It throws you into a bunch of abstract puzzles, and challenges you to figure things out for your self. Idea 51: Transmit clues or messages over a radio require players to uncover the batteries and the right frequency.With Actual Area Escape, participants are allowed to ask for up to five clues to support the game along. Use them. If you uncover yourself going for a lot more than 10 minutes and not acquiring anyplace, bear in mind that the clock is ticking, and it is greater to get out with the support of the game master (I feel that's what a single need to call him) then to not get out at all. is?hoBovDl7vFZhO3_YFgVCc9fP505johweGSYjc7wwEJY&height=224 Puzzles games are just a single of the a lot of eLearning games that you can add to your eLearning experiences. Study this write-up Gamification vs Game-Based eLearning: Can You Tell The Difference? to discover how to compare and contrast gamification vs game-based eLearning and uncover valuable suggestions on how to design and style an effective eLearning strategy for every single.Tip: A question mark at the finish of a clue signifies that it should not be taken at face worth. The answer is most likely to be a pun, a misdirection, or some other kind of wordplay. Ask your self if the words in the clues may well have different meanings from the ones you feel they do.Now the game seems to be functioning its way about the globe. I very first noticed men and women playing it on the London Underground and was really introduced to it by a friend in Ireland. But none of my colleagues in the US look to have encountered it however.To solve a puzzle, one particular wants to determine which cells will be boxes and which will be empty. Solvers usually use a dot or a cross to mark cells they are specific are spaces. Cells that can be determined by logic ought to be filled. If guessing is utilized, a single error can spread more than the complete field and fully ruin the remedy. An error often comes to the surface only soon after a while, when it is really difficult to correct the puzzle. The hidden picture plays small or no portion in the solving procedure, as it may mislead. The picture may possibly support locate and eliminate an error.

Comments: 0

Add a New Comment


Crystal Pendulums, Dowsing

Crystal Pendulums and Dowsing

Crystal pendulums are a tool of divination consisting of a string attached to a heavy object, such as a Quartz Crystal, root, or ring. Crystal pendulums are often used in scrying and are believed to work with Earth's natural radiation. Pendulums have been used by ancient civilizations to locate mineral deposits and water dowsing. Your inner self has the answer you seek, and the pendulum gives motion to what you already know. It can serve as an outlet for your intuition. Some people consider this intuition as coming from a spirit guide or the higher self. The pendulum translates the language into consciousness. Use the pendulum to answer yes or no questions. Some people like to use Tarot cards, pictures, or other symbols and hold the crystal pendulum over them while focusing on a question to see if the crystal points to a particular object. Try to leave emotions out of the way. Be open and neutral.

A crystal pendulum on a chain or cord is the most portable and valuable of psychic tools. Indeed pendulums can help us to tune into what has not yet happened by allowing us to sense and see or hear knowledge not yet accessible to the logical mind, and by amplifying our innate but often unrecognized gift to see what is just over the horizon. But the crystal pendulum has many practical uses in the every day world to alert you to the unconscious signals that your inner radar has picked up. Use your crystal pendulum to trace an electrical fault, a blockage in a pipe from above ground, the presence of a ghost, the right direction back to the car if you're lost on a walk, or by holding the crystal pendulum over a map to discover the best location for a holiday or a new home or where a lost pet might be. The crystal pendulum is itself seen as an all-purpose healing tool.

Crystal Pendulums:

Crystal Pendulums


Hip and Knee Arthritis

Arthritis is a term which describes pain and inflammation of the joints.

Inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, cause erosion and destruction of the joint and can affect all the joints in the body.  This can now often be very successfully treated with modern drugs, but can sometimes lead to the need for joint replacement.

Osteoarthritis involves wearing down of the shock absorbing cartilage which lines the joint and very commonly involves the hip and knee.  The weight-bearing joints are the most susceptible to developing osteoarthritis, with the knee joint affected in 18% and the hip in 11%.

Osteoarthritis becomes more and more common as we get older, affecting 42% of men and almost half of women aged over 75.  It is estimated that nearly 9 million people in the UK have sought treatment for osteoarthritis.

Interestingly, our active lifestyle has led to osteoarthritis becoming more common in younger age groups, leading to pain and disability at a time in life when we want to remain active. Thirty-three per cent of people over 45 are now affected by osteoarthritis, leading to them seeking treatment to maintain their activities.

Get in Touch

Hip & Knee Arthritis: Frequently Asked Questions

What is osteoarthritis?

The ends of our bones, where they form the joints, is covered in a substance called articular cartilage. This is a spongy material, which acts as a shock absorber.  It is very smooth and lubricated by joint fluid, which means our bones slide smoothly against each other.  Over time it degenerates and dries out, becoming less effective, eventually becoming worn down.

As cartilage thins, bone becomes exposed. In addition, bone spurs called osteophytes form around the joint. This combination causes pain, stiffness and swelling of the joint. When weight-bearing joints are involved this is often very painful and disabling.

What causes osteoarthritis?

Articular cartilage’s unique structure means that has an extremely low friction rate, ideal for its purpose. However, because it has no blood supply and relies on nutrients to diffuse through its matrix, it is unable to regenerate once damaged, so gradually wears away with time.

Osteoarthritis can occur due to a number of reasons. There can certainly be a genetic predisposition and it does tend to run in families.  In younger patients, we often find that the joint has been damaged, deformed or mal-aligned. This can occur as a result of problems in childhood, infection or injury.  However, for most it is due to wear and tear over time.

What are the treatment options for osteoarthritis?

Maintaining mobility and exercise is important in the early stages of osteoarthritis, as it has a number of benefits, including nourishing the joint, keeping weight down and strengthening the supporting muscles. We will often recommend physiotherapy when you begin to experience discomfort and stiffness in the joint. Low impact exercise such as cycling, swimming and Pilates is very important in remaining active and managing the pain before patients are ready for joint replacement. Pain-relieving medications, anti-inflammatories and injections can all help control pain to keep you fit and active.

As osteoarthritis progresses patients find their ability to perform even normal activities becomes more and more impaired. As well as pain limiting activity, it starts to be felt at night or at rest, which can greatly impact on sleeping patterns.

At this point, surgery may need to be considered. Mr Simon Bridle will order the necessary investigative scans and tests to assess the degree of deterioration. He will then help you decide whether you are ready for joint replacement surgery and explain the options available.  The likely benefits and potential risks and complications will also be dealt with to guide your decision.