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Toni Braxton's Financial Struggles In Behind The Music Full Video
Toni Braxton, one of the most iconic female singers, talks in and episode of Vh1's "Behind the Music" about her global success in the 1990's, before financial issues almost grounded her.
Going over numerous struggles that occurred throughout her career in the episode, including health problems, coping with an autistic son, and the end of her marriage, Braxton opens up about her rise to fame and the financial issues that continue to be a problem for her until today.
Its because of money problems that lead her to take aim at Oprah Winfrey, alleging the TV titan was mean to her during a 1998 interview.
She insisted the TV chat severely damaged her reputation after the host made some choice remarks about her over-spending that led her to the bankruptcy.
Since then, the struggling star was always portrayed as a lavish and irresponsible spender who deserved no sympathy for her despair.
Toni filed for bankruptcy again in 2010, claiming she owed between $10 million and $50 million in debts.
Targeted by critics and even criticized by the public, people continue to accuse her of irresponsible spending, and create negative propoganda.
One example was a recent posting claiming that according to new documents filed in Toni's ongoing bankruptcy case, she has fraudulently transferred $53,490 to her estranged husband in order to avoid paying back creditors.
Toni describes a different side to the story, providing a candid view into her life and the reality of what happened.
Watch her full episode of 'Behind the Music' below:


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Letters to the Editor
MARK JENNER: Are 'extensive' background checks an option for refugees?
Conducting an "extensive background check" for any and all refugees entering this country is more difficult than you'd think.
As someone who was born in the U.S., grew up in a military family, joined the United States Air Force and then gained and maintained a security clearance for more than 30 years, let me explain:
My initial investigation took between six months and a year to complete. I had to submit a 19-page history of my life, including all addresses lived; inclusive dates; names of siblings, their Social Security numbers and birth dates; parents' names, their Social Security numbers and birth dates; and grandparents' names and birth dates. After that, you have to include a list of schools, teachers, friends, jobs, supervisors and three close friends who would vouch for your character before the process began. Then, government investigators selectively traveled to hometowns to interview neighbors, teachers and friends to make a determination if you were trustworthy. Because of my clearance level, I re-accomplished and updated this process every five years. The follow-up investigations even required six months or more to complete.
So I must ask these questions: Where does an investigator start? How do you corroborate and verify times, dates, friends and relatives in war-torn Syria?
If that process takes up to a year for a U.S. citizen, how do you accomplish the same level of rigor in 18 months for a complete unknown from Syria?
Pass Christian

subset: commoncrawl


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Meet the ACRL Presidents: Joseph Henry Reason
Over the course of ACRL's 75th anniversary celebration, we'll highlight the association's history by profiling our past presidents.
Joseph Henry Reason (1905-1997) was the 34th president of ACRL serving from 1971-1972. He the first African-American to serve as president of ACRL. During the same time, he was the director of Howard University library system, a position he retained for a period of 25 years. Prior to this, he worked as a director of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee and as a language teacher at the Gilbert Academy in New Orleans. In 1999, American Libraries named him one of the "100 Most Important Leaders we had in the 20th Century" and he was nominated for ALA president. He received his BA degrees (history and French) and a BS in Library Service from Columbia University. He received an MA in French from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in Romance Languages from Catholic University of America. He was also instrumental in the genesis of Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum. During his career, he served as the Chief Executive Secretary of ACRL and was a visiting professor of library science at Florida State University in Tallahassee, and a trustee of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. He contributed many articles to The Negro College Quarterly.


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Author: Alex K.
As a recovered anorexic, I think it's important for people to know how difficult it is for someone with an eating disorder or a history of an eating disorder to recover with a society like ours. I myself – as I'm sure with many others – had to recover with friends or families dieting around me. I know, personally, that being around friends in college that were so diet- and fitness- obsessed and worried about their weight definitely affected my ability to get back into eating normally.
Our culture puts ideas of "perfect bodies" and "perfect diets" into our minds so much so that even those without an eating disorder fall pray to one. I was in a program for recovery for so long, learning how to eat normally and intuitively, that when exposed to people who restricted food to try and shed a few pounds, I almost forget what I worked so hard towards becoming: recovered and healthy and happy. When someone ordered a salad over a pizza, for example, it made me think it wasn't okay to eat that pizza because it would make me "gain weight" or stall my weight loss – if these things applied to me; however, these thoughts that filled my mind for so long, influenced solely by the culture around me, were absolutely incorrect. Even after years of recovery, anorexics' and bulimics' bodies are affected by food completely differently than a normally-functioning person's body does. This is because it takes many years for a recovering person's metabolism to start working properly again and for all of his or her organs and hormones to restabilize to their normal states. With the opportunity, under unfortunate circumstances, I was able to learn these aforementioned facts about eating and recovery that people who didn't go through a recovery program did not often know; however, despite my knowledge, it was very hard to believe those facts, especially as I left my program and treatment and came into the real world, where incessant dieting and body obsession were ubiquitous.
I don't feel it necessary to go into details, but I've had friends and even those who I am not close with think that 1000 calories or less a day is okay and normal. As someone who went from 300 calories a day to over 3000, I was immensely triggered to eat around these people because I knew that 1000 calories or less was an infinitesimal amount and extremely inappropriate for anyone who wished to live a healthy life or improve their diet. It wasn't easy being able to eat a meal with someone else thinking it was okay to eat barely anything in order to lose weight. I learned the hard way that eating an amount that was little to nothing ruined a metabolism. But, even still, being around someone who ate minimally a day made recovery very difficult for me.
Anyone in my shoes, who either is currently recovering from an eating disorder or who has had a past with one, unfairly struggles in the diet-crazed culture that we are immersed in. Seeing shows such as Revenge Body and hearing people desire to lose weight in order to please or impress others makes it so hard for someone with body dismorphia or an eating disorder to be okay with themselves and to love themselves unconditionally: it makes them falsely believe that they have to change how they look for others to find them attractive or for others to like them or for society to accept them.
Hearing people call themselves fat is another problem that halts one's recovery. For example, while I was recovering, hearing someone make such a comment about him or her self made me consider them smaller or thinner than me, regardless of whether they truly were. As I was recovering from anorexia, that is how my mind worked: comparison after comparison after comparison. Having to gain weight while someone "smaller"'than me was trying to lose weight made each meal that much harder. In the middle of trying to learn how to live life to the fullest and not pass up that cake or bottle of wine, I had people all around me thinking that one glass of wine or slice of cake would plummet them to the heaviest weight on earth. Obviously, it doesn't work that way. But, even after gaining the knowledge that I did through treatment, accepting this obvious fact was difficult. For anyone recovering, accepting this obvious fact is difficult and almost impossible when the majority of society is so uninformed and unaware of what health and happiness truly amount to and mean.
Another thing that makes it so hard to recover and eat normally is restaurants that put the calories all over the menu. I understand that some people have to be cautious of nutrition, but those people should be able to have the option to ask for the nutritional facts if they want them. Calories should not be plastered all over the menus when someone with an eating disorder has to stare at that menu – the scariest thing ever. I have studied calories for so long that I knew how many of them almost any food contained, and trying to cut that habit was one of the hardest things to do in recovery. Even worse, however, was having those calories surround me everywhere as I was trying to forge them out of my mind.
Through recovery, I learned that life is too short to pass up something you really want. I've said this before, but I spent way too much time saying No when I should have been giving myself what I wanted. My mom always taught me that when we're older, weight and image will still bring us down sometimes, but it won't matter. The people we marry will love us at our lowest and our heaviest weights and at our best and our worst moments. It's inevitable, for the people we love spend years around us voluntarily – because they want to. These people grow with us, develop with us, and build lives with us because they love us – not because they think we look a certain way.
As someone currently trying to manage my weight without completely being immersed in an eating disorder, I have begun trying to lose weight for the first time since I was very ill. This time, however, I am doing it in a healthy and balanced way. What has reduced my stress and hardship around this is having the unconditional love and support from my family and friends, who want to see my happy and successful. They have taught me that every body is different and that we shouldn't compare our diets and workout schedules to each others. There's no such thing as a "revenge body" because if a someone didn't love another at their "worst", they surely won't love them at their "best" – they won't deserve to anyways.
I still struggle immensely in accepting the body I'm in; however, it takes time, and I know that accepting oneself is 100% possible. Regardless of whether I chose to work on my body or not, it won't matter in the end because the way I look amounts to nothing in comparison to everything else I have going for myself. Worrying so much about something so unimportant as body structure can stall us from living the lives we want to live. We should workout when we want to, relax when we want to, eat everything that we want to, but do all of these things because we genuinely want to. We are the only people in charge of our own lives. No society can dictate how we should live or what we should do. We have to enjoy our bodies and enjoy our lives. At the very least, accepting who we are will make it easier for someone recovering or struggling with an eating disorder to achieve complete recovery. Life is beautiful. Every body is beautiful!
-Alex K.


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We understand that IVF costs can quickly add up and prices can vary depending on specific treatments and technologies needed.
Considering that some couples may need up to three IVF cycles to get pregnant, plus the unfortunate fact that even high-tech IVF is no guarantee of conception – the whole process can be worrying and confusing for some people.
But before giving up entirely on IVF, why not consider these tips to make the costs slightly more affordable and help manage your finances:
1. Firstly did you know that there are some tests that you can have done free of charge with your GP before you visit any fertility clinic? It is always worth checking in with your GP for advice on fertility and what pre-scans you can get free of charge.
2. Most clinics will offer an egg sharing programme, where people are able to donate their eggs for others to use in the IVF process. Although some consider this quite a daunting prospect, the clinic will provide you with full support and it comes with significant financial benefits to your own treatment.
3. No one likes to ask for cash, but there are people out there who can help. If you prefer to keep things non-personal, you can try applying for fertility grants. They will rarely cover all the costs, and the application fees can be expensive, but it's another option to consider
4. Budget your money sensibly and borrow the cash from other areas of your finances if you need to. Borrowing options now go far beyond credit cards. People can think about dipping into retirement funds, taking out a medical loan or a home equity loan. But be careful with this option and make sure you are confident that you will be able to make the repayments on time after the treatment.
5. Check your insurance plan carefully! Some people might be eligible for partial coverage of the cost of infertility treatments. Even if IVF isn't covered, certain aspects of the treatment might be.
6. If your personal insurance doesn't cover it – see if you have a flexible-spending account. FSAs are an employee benefit, offered by some companies, which allow you to set aside part of your pre-taxed income for special designated uses. (Often, medical expenses that are not covered by insurance.)
7. Finally, it sounds obvious, but price shop and negotiate. When comparing prices, be sure to ask clinics what is included and what's not. One clinic may seem to have a higher fee for IVF, but if they are including the cost of ultrasounds and blood work, and the other isn't, then you could be misled.
We would love to hear your stories of how you saved money going through the IVF treatment. Get in touch with us @HSFC_UK or drop us a message on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HarleyStreetFertilityClinic


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You Must be a Registered Member to Comment or Rank on a Submission.
Reply: I confess to not knowing what BOFFO stands for...I'm so out of touch it seems. But, I so appreciate you Suzanne...Jerry
Reply: Yes, I saw you and tried to get your attention...but you were concentrating on something else...Ha! Thank you for your sweet comment Dee! Jerry
Reply: Hi Peter...thanks for coming by and with such a supportive comment!! Jerry
Reply: Thanks so much for your comment...sounds like you really well connected too! Jerry
Jerry performs The Girl Next Door Went Walking on Karaoke Showcase of Karaoke Scene Magazine Online: Jerry performs The Girl Next Door Went Walking on Karaoke Showcase - The Girl Next Door Went Walking, Jerry, Singer, singers, Karaoke Showcase, Karaoke Showcase, karaoke, Karaoke Scene, singing, songs, submissions, member, members, song, title


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Aiden Pearce is the most influential character of Watch Dogs. Players can take hold of this character and control it the way they like. Aiden Pearce is the talented hacker and is expert in computer technology. He is formally involved in crime and is currently using his skills for noble causes. Aiden Pearce inspired costumes are currently in vogue and people of all ages wear these costumes.
This costume coat has been inspired by the inspirational character of Aiden Pearce of the video game 'Watch Dogs'. The material being used for this stylish coat is faux leather. It is available in red color. It has inner viscose lining, full-length sleeves, two side pockets and inner pocket. This designer coat has V cut belted cuffs at sleeves. It has open closure and you can wear it with a variety of jerseys and shirts. This coat is available in all sizes.


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Studio Calico: Inspired & A Giveaway
Nothing really inspires me quite like the season of fall. If you follow me here on my blog or over on Instagram, you probably are well aware of this fact!
I love the leaves and acorns on the ground; the jeans and boots I get to wear; and of course, everything pumpkin! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin scones...you get the point!! :)
I'm pretty sure this month's Project Life kit at Studio Calico was made just for me (and fall lovers everywhere!!). The cards this month are some of my favorite ever and I am trying so hard not to hoard them!! After I did my happy mail dance upon receiving my kit, I started flipping through the cards and the ideas just starting floating around in my head! I can totally see these cards clustered together on a traditional scrapbook page with fall photos. Or maybe all on one page in a Project Life album with an enlarged 12x12 fall photo on the other side of the spread! Oh...and let's not forget about the ever awesome mini album!! Sometimes I like to trim down my cards and use them as inserts in smaller mini books!! That "sweater weather is better weather" card is begging to be placed in a book!
I also love the eclectic mix of journaling cards and how the kits have taken a little more graphic feel over the past few months. It keeps the cards fun and fresh and just inspires so many new ideas!
(See what I mean about a grid of cards on a 12x12 scrapbook layout???. Just mix in a few fall photos and you are ready to add this baby into an album!)
And let's not forget about this awesome stamp designed by my favorite designer Peppermint Granberg! Amazing, right??? The possibilities are endless!!
So what about you?? Does fall spark that feeling for you? Does the cool weather and falling leaves give you inspiration upon inspiration?? And what about this awesome Studio Calico Project Life kit?? Does it give you the warm fuzzies too?? (I sure hope so because you can win it below!!!) I bet it does!!
Studio Calico is getting you inspired this month and wants to hear WHAT inspires YOU!! They are offering up this awesome FREE fall printable, as well as over $1,400 in prizes!! All you have to do to be entered to win is download the free printable from the Studio Calico shop! The prizes get bigger and bigger the more uses of the #scinspires hashtag. So the key is for everyone to share this hashtag and talk about what inspires them!
Studio Calico will add up all the uses and update everyone their blog every Friday to how we're progressing. Here's a short list. But it will grow as the shares grows:
100 shares of #scinspires = 1 Month Free Sub
200 shares = 2 Months Free Sub (additional month continues every 100 shares)
1,200 shares = 12 Month Free Sub
1,300 shares = Entrance into Cameo Basics
1,500 shares = $100 Free Digital Downloads
2,000 shares = Silhouette Portrait
2,500 #scinspires shares = 25 lucky winners will receive a free month WITH a Gold WRMK album!
Here is the blog hop if you want to hop along!!
Here is the blog hop if you want to hop along!!
Natalie Elphinstone: http://onescrappydoctor.blogspot.com/2014/10/studio-calico-inspires-blog-hop.html
Celine Navarro: http://www.celinenavarro.com/blog-english/2014/10/12/studio-calico-blog-hop-scinspires
Kerri Bradford: http://www.kerribradford.com/2014/10/13/studio-calico-inspires/
Liz Tamanha: http://wp.me/p1B7Tl-iPX
Suzy Plantamura: http://suzyplantamura.typepad.com/living_my_dream/2014/10/scinspires-contest-blog-hop.html
I am so excited to be giving away my favorite kit ever to one of you lucky readers of mine!! To be entered to win The Underground Project Life kit from Studio Calico, just leave me a comment below telling me what inspires you! Easy peasy! Winner will be selected and notified on October 31, 2014! Good luck!!


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To purchase these products visit Color & Style Home in Newtown Square, PA.
To purchase Chalk Paint® and other Annie Sloan products ONLINE by ordering THROUGH our sister store Consign-it Furniture.
Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan
Chalk Paint®, decorative paint by Annie Sloan was developed 25 years ago. This time-tested, versatile and easy-to-use paint has truly transformed home decor and revolutionized painting. No prep-work is required, that means no sanding and no priming are necessary. Annie Sloan's signature paint is a simple as painting it on, it sticks to almost any surface indoors and outdoors as well.
Chalk Paint® is a decorative paint perfect for the DIY enthusiast, the expert faux-finisher and YOU!
Chalk Paint® is available in 35 colors in quart tins and sample pots.
Annie Sloan also offers Waxes, Brushes and Other Products


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Hotel Na Kazachyem provides 9 Standard and 1 standart-mini rooms, which can be both single and double. The area of 25 square meters in size features spacious bedroom and light bathroom with shower cabin.
The first Standard room is located on the third floor of Hotel na Kazachyem, with the center of Moscow excellent view. The other rooms is located on the fourth floor and windows face the hotel atrium. The interior is designed in modern European style and complemented by exquisite details. There are several light sources, including chandelier and wall lights at the head of the bed for a comfortable stay. The room also features coffee table, two comfortable chairs and wardrobe with mirrors. Standard single room is fitted with all the necessary modern equipment and features a comfortable double king size bed.
Standard room in Hotel na Kazachyem features:
- individual safe for documents and private valuables;
- cable television with variety of Russian-language channels;
- international direct connection;
- free Wi Fi;
- air conditioning for a comfortable stay;
- minibar with wide selection of beverages.


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UPDATE: 7 People Hurt in Crash Near Clear Lake
CLEAR LAKE - Seven people were hurt in a two vehicle crash in Sherburne County. The State Patrol says it happened just before 4:00 p.m. yesterday (Thursday) on Highway 25, at the intersection with County Road 16, just east of Clear Lake.
A van being driven by 30-year-old Amber Hagen of Becker was going north on Highway 25 when a pick-up driven by 30-year-old Jolene Frisbie of St. Cloud pulled into the lane from County Road 16.
There were five passengers in Hagen's van.
All seven people were taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
The State Patrol says alcohol was detected in Frisbie's system. She has been booked into the Sherburne County Jail.


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Payment methods or Payment processors are the options and alternatives you provide to your customers for payment for your products. Normally this implies using a third party (the "payment processor" or sometimes also called the "payment gateway") which will accept the payment (credit card or other) from your customer and, later on, transfer the funds to you (minus a small commission or fee).
Setting up available payment methods
1) To set up a payment method, select Settings >> Payments from the sidebar menu.
2) Select which payment processor you want to provide to your customers.
You will need to have an account setup with one of these third-party payment processors. CloudCart does not execute the payment directly or even intervene directly on your payment workflow, providing instead just a communication point between your shop, payment processor and customer.
- Current available, accepted payment methods without a third party:
COD (Cash on Delivery) and Bank Wire Transfer
- Current available, accepted payment methods without a third party payment processor: Stripe, PayPal, ePay, Skrill, Authorize.net
More information about payment processors
To read more about each specific payment processor, please consult:
- Authorize.net
- PayPal
- COD (Cash On Delivery)
- Bank Wire Transfer
- Stripe
- ePay
- Borica
More information about specific payment methods' configuration can be found on the Payment Processors documentation.


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This is an inspired joke.
Oh, wait. That's real?
Since September 11, 2001, Lewis "Scooter" Libby has been one of the unsung heroes in fighting the war on terror, working diligently and making countless contributions on some of the most critical life and death issues that our country has faced. For the past five years, Scooter Libby served selflessly as an Assistant to President Bush and as the Chief of Staff and National Security Adviser to Vice President Cheney.
Yeah, he's definitely a hero. Like those soliders getting killed because of the lies his boss told. Like CIA agents whose missions and credibility have been jeopardized by his actions.
Doesn't anyone have any shame any more?