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There are significant communication risks inherent to multinational corporations' business operations, some of which include data security, logistical, legal and political issues, and the digital divide/21stCentury skills. These risks can threaten the success of the business relationships in the global business world (Wei, O'Connell, Loho-Noya, 2010).
Digital risk, "a term describing the risks arising from increased dependency on information technology (IT) systems and digital processes," (Digitally challenged, 2005) is today a major concern for multinational corporations. IT risk is one of the most significant threats posed to international corporations' operations, with 48% of senior risk managers reporting it represents a high or very high threat to their businesses (digitally challenged, 2005). Many firms have reported significant financial damage due to security breaches such as hacking. Almost 60% have suffered financial losses as a result of major system failure, with many experiencing three or more outages within a year. 55% reported that the sophistication of hackers and other cyber criminals as a major difficulty in managing digital risk. The emergence of new, organized attacks on corporations combined with increasingly professionalized hackers means the cost of security breaches will continue to grow (Digitally challenged, 2005).
In addition, mobile workforces are expanding the risks. Remote working, wireless networking, is adding significantly to their exposure to electronic threats. Traditional security solutions, such as firewalls, are becoming less effective as more employees communicate using open networks and carry sensitive data on portable devices. Outsourcing is adding to the burden as well. The risk is significant enough that 69% of chief risk officers are now involved in the selection of an outsourcing provider (Digitally challenged, 2005).
In emerging countries, the rapid adoption of communication technology such as the internet is creating opportunities for these countries. A good example of this is India. India is now a major player in software development. The internet played a key role in enabling this transformation by "collapsing geographic distances, allowing India's talent to compete on the same footing as programmers in the established economies" (Fonseca, 2010). This" flattening of the world" has allowed everyone to compete globally. Many countries are making strides to address the "21st Century skills" challenge. The Economist clearly defined the problem: ". . . as the price of telecommunications and computers go down, the real reason why the poor will not have access will be evident: They lack the skills to exploit it effectively" (as cited in Fonseca, 2010). Another example is Uruguay. They have provided each student with a laptop to support learning skills. Costa Rica has used technology-enhanced learning for over two decades. The impact is evident: Costa Rica has been able to attract important technology-related foreign direct investment. In fact, today it is one of the leaders in the export of high-tech products in Latin America. This country's leaders were convinced that the digital divide must be bridged. Even though some countries are tackling the problem, this "digital gap" still stands as an important risk for multinational companies (Fonseca, 2010).
Of course, new opportunities offered by the use of this technology also generate new risks and vulnerabilities caused by a lack of cyber security. For example, 95% of email traffic in developing countries is spam. This level of spam discourages people from using email and reduces user confidence in any online activity. Multinational corporations that are seeking to do business in such countries, either by outsourcing or investing, have to be certain that the information and communication technology-based capabilities they require are going to be available and secure (Brechbuhl, Bruce, Dynes and Johnson, 2010).
Intellectual property (IP), patents, trademarks, copy-rights, and trade secrets, is another risk associated with multinational corporations. Some countries have limited IP regulations and some countries have regulations in place but court enforcement is poor. Plagiarism or copyright infringement in the US is viewed as "borrowing from the best" or "copying with pride" in some countries. Peter Richardson, Pfizer's general patent counsel, reported "China doesn't have a history of patent enforcement. They've enacted laws that provide for patent protection, but not many cases have been litigated." (Cherkis, Meyer, 2003). Argentina's courts favor their own companies. Japan's patent law required that companies provide "appropriate compensation" for discoveries made by employees and there have been several high-profile lawsuits involving this requirement.
Mitigating the risks includes focusing on the contract between the client and host country and developing an effective relationship. Being aware of issues before negotiating a contract is a key issue. Country-analysis, "the study of conditions, situations and events that might impact favorably or unfavorably on conducting business or investing in a country," (Calhoun, 2005) has become a common analytical process to identify risks associated with the host country. Factors that are considered include but not limited to trade, monetary policy, property rights, regulation, black market, inflation, socioeconomic conditions, bureaucratic quality, political risk, economic performance, credit rating, access to bank finance, access to short-term finance, access to capital markets, discount on forfeiting, wage and price policies, corruption, law and order and ethnic tensions (Calhoun, 2005). It is clear that the due diligence process becomes a critical factor. Vigorous enforcement of the IP by both countries is extremely important. Attempts to educate a local culture can be difficult but it has to be accomplished. Patience is required as change will be a long process. Cooperation between security and business groups moving to emerging countries helps the corporation to be proactive in managing risks and threats. Effective staff loyalty-building is one way to protect intellectual property. One study showed that 97% of the businesses surveyed took measures to improve personnel loyalty. The most popular method, 84% of the companies, was the use of financial incentives. About 80% of the businesses offered their employees training opportunities or other job development related incentive. Other methods use technical protection. Some common methods include coding or scrambling the information so that it can only be decoded and read by someone who has the correct decoding key (encryption), security keys (dongles), or making program more difficult to reverse engineer (obfuscation). Technical protection can also mean incorporation of specific ID codes into software programs or other documents. Such codes can be used to prove the copyright (Paallysaho, Kuusisto, 2011). The old adage "what gets checked gets done" should not be forgotten. Compliance checks are an integral component to risk management. Repeated third party security audits are recommended (Wei et al., 2010). Common controls to minimize risk include defining policies, responsibilities, and punishments or penalties in the contract. Consequences of non-compliance can include corporation fines up to $1,000,000, individual fines up to $250,000. Other violations can include denied export privileges, excluded from trade and fines (Martinez, 2007). Out of necessity, corporations have adopted a wide variety of mechanisms to minimize the loss of their IP.
Another risk involves societal cultural differences. Problems that occur when firms from different countries join forces can cause alliance instability. This is evident in the way high-context and low-context cultures communicate. When communicating between cultures, it is important to understand what type of culture you are as well as what culture you are communicating with. High-context cultures use more than just words to send a message. Anthropologist Edward T. Hall described high-context cultures as relational, intuitive, collectivist, and contemplative. The Middle East, Asia, Africa, and South America are considered High-Context. Low-Context regions are North America and Western Europe, where logic, individual, linear, and action-oriented communication is valued.
A leader with a global mindset will understand that high-context cultures put great importance on harmony and trust. According to Robbins (2007) "What may appear, to an outsider, as casual and insignificant conversation is important because it reflects the desire to build a relationship and create trust" (p. 390). When relationships are built they are built around these concepts. Low-context cultures rely less on trust and more on contracts and the legal meaning of words. Low-context cultures view contracts as the logical end of a negotiation while high-context cultures may view them as a lack of trust.
Other cultural barriers include semantics, and connotations. When communicating, a corporation must be aware of the meanings or implied meaning of words being used. An example of not knowing how to translate the meaning and just translating the words was the "Got Milk?" advertisements. When the advertising billboards were put up in Mexico, "Got Milk?' translated into "Lactating?" The same can be said about hand signals. What Americans would use as an "OK" sign is equivalent to giving someone the middle finger in many Islamic countries (Robbins, 2007, p. 389).
Coordination and cooperation depend on communication, but communication is ineffective unless participants "share a system of meaning so that the actions each undertakes in response to discussions with others closely resembles the expectations of all the discussants" (Murray, 2000). Without this shared understanding, coordination and cooperation become impossible. When understanding is widely shared, it is called "strong culture." This corporate culture can be passed across ethnic and national cultures and can be developed throughout a multinational firm. This strong culture can be achieved by participants "shared into the culture; they must be transformed from participants into colleagues" (Murray, 2000). The following are the necessary steps to develop colleagues: Interrogation – intensive interview process prior to hiring that identifies the cultural-fit of the potential participant; instruction – business cannot select for technical skills with the same determination that they used in the cultural fit, thus, training recruits will be necessary; information – feedback. This feedback provided to participants needs to be fast and unambiguous so that the participant can understand the implications for subsequent behavior; inspection – participants must be inspected to ensure they are using the information to further enhance performance. Rewards for the participant can be tied to this element; involvement and inclusion – as the participant accrues experience and becomes effective, capitalize on that by involving him or her in increasingly important decisions that have payoffs that are broader in their organizational scope. Alan Murray forecasted in his book, "If each of these steps is completed successfully, the business will comprise a group of colleagues rather than an atomized assembly of individual contributors" (Murray, 2000).
Increasingly, the design of business organizations reflects the balance needed between the social and legal context in which the business must operate, the overcoming of technological constraints that constitutes a key competitive advantage of the business. Social and legal constraints compel the business to be locally responsive, while overcoming technological constraints promotes the pursuit of global success. Achieving a global presence requires sophisticated organizational and cultural knowledge. It is important to balance different aspects of risk management to capture the holistic character of managing an international corporation.
Brechbuhl, H., Bruce, R., Dynes, S., & Johnson, M. (2010). View From Practice Protecting Critical Information Infrastructure: Developing Cybersecurity Policy. Information Technology for Development . Retrieved from EBSCO.
Calhoun, M. (2005). Challenging Distinctions: Illusions of Precision Assessing risks of Doing business in Host Countries. Retrieved from EBSCO.
Cherkis, C., & Meyer, P. (2003). Sharing IP Sharing Risk. Pharmaceutical Executive .
Digitally challenged. (2005). Economist Intelligence unit business Europe .Retrieved from Business Source Premier.
Fonseca, C. (2010). The Digital Divide and the Cognitive Divide: Reflections on the Challenge of Human Development in the digital Age. Information Technologies and International Development .Retrieved from EBSCO.
Martinez, M. (2007). Risk Management in restricted Countries. Intel Technology Journal .
Murray, A. (2000). Strategic choice under Knowledge Competition. In Thunderbird on Global Business Strategy (p. Chapter 3). Retrieved from Phoenix University ebook library.
Paallysaho, S., & Kuusisto, J. (2011). Informal Ways to Protect Intellectual Property IIP) in KIBS Business. Innovation: Management, Policy and Practice .Retrieved from EBSCO.
Robbins, S., & Judge, T. (2007). Organizatinal Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Wei, J., O'Connell, J., & Loho-Noya, M. (2010). Information Technology Offshore Outsource Security Risks and Safeguards. Journal of Information, Privacy and Security .Retrieved from EBSCO.


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it's 11.16pm and i have to get up at 4.30am tomorrow morning to catch a plane with misses 12 and 13 to see my bestie who went back to oz to live earlier this year (pictured here with the triangular tongue)
everyone here is very excited and i doubt the girls will get much sleep, but thems the breaks
we're very much looking forward to some warmer weather, and night after night of yackety yackety yack - and after 8 days, we'll STILL have plenty to say and not enough time.
my only concern is that i will make a total eejit of myself at the airport, because i KNOW that as soon as i lay eyes on her, i'm going to burst into the ugly cry.
...but it'll be totally worth it.
NB: oz = australia
spotya back here in a week or so

subset: commoncrawl


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Advertiser Disclosure
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As you know if you have been reading this blog for long – Chase Ultimate Reward points are some of the most valuable out there. These current 60,000 Ultimate Reward point bonus offers make these cards the best card applications out there right now for Ultimate Reward points. For example, 60,000 UR points can be transferred 1:1 to United for a ticket to Europe from anywhere in the US! Also, 60,000 UR points can be transferred to Hyatt and give you almost 3 free nights in the top category hotel! These are some good cards that you should consider applying for before the deal runs out at the end of the week.
Chase Ink Bold – 60,000 Ultimate Reward Points after $5,000 in 3 months – application link (I do not receive a commission for this card)
Chase Ink Plus – 60,000 Ultimate Reward Points after $5,000 in 3 months – application link (I do not receive a commission for this card)
Editorial Note - Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Some of the links on this site are affiliate links that will support this site. Thank you for your support.


text: Using their 20 years plus experience in restaurant, hotel and retail interior design, Wallner & Soar is a refreshing addition to the local business community here in Ticino. A creative and dynamic couple previously based in England but with Swiss roots, is serving up plenty of ideas and bringing exciting opportunities to the hospitality and retail sectors. Perfectly placed between Ascona, Losone and Locarno, they offer no obligation consultations and a great track record. Check out their website here.


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New Fickle Sense Bags!
You can find these bags in the Fickle Sense Shop
I am a firm believer in making environmentally friendly and ethically produced items... and here they are! Each unique bag is definitely made with love and care.
Look out for a behind the scenes post which details the Fickle Sense bag making process!
Photos: Michael Dooney


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Archive for October, 2008
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
We haven't updated in a while, but hopefully you're as excited as we are about Jennifer's upcoming movie. Ghosts of Girlfriends past is directed by Mark Waters (Mean Girls, Freaky Friday) and is set to be released in 2009. Filming wrapped up at the beginning of summer and the film is now in the post-production stage. Of course, as you probably know, Matthew McConaughey and Emma Stone also star in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. It is great to see Jennifer Garner making time to make more movies even as she is so busy cashing Violet Affleck around.In the movie, McConaughey plays a womanizer who attends the wedding of his younger brother, where he is haunted by sevel of his ex-girlfriends including Jennife Garner. The film is similar to Dicken's "A Christmas Carol."


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Hey everyone.I'm looking to upgrade my current setup. I'm currently going XLR > Roland UA-5 w/Oade warm mod > MiniDisc (via Optical). I am really interested in getting a preamp/ad/recorder all-in-one. The Zoom H4, 5, and 6 are all models that look interesting and pretty affordable. Has anyone used these and can offer any insight? Also, I'd be open to any other suggestions for preamp/ad/recorder all-in-one's under $500. It has to have at least 2 XLR input. Thanks guys!-a
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The New Cook's Almanac Is A Prize Winning Short
June 18th, 2008 by Clint Posted in film | 1 Comment »
The Filmmaking Frenzy folks sent a newsletter on March 24th which mentioned Dell Lounge was hosting the Frame Of Reference themed contest, submissions due April 4th. Entrants mix-and-match style, theme, and song into a short up to five minutes long. Writing and planning for The New Cook's Almanac was done by the weekend, when Matt and I went to Nick's house to film in his kitchen. The entire project was finished in about 9 days.
Read more about The New Cook's Almanac
After three rounds of voting and judging, we became one of three finalist groups eligible for the grand prize, which will be awarded for the best micro-budget twenty minute short produced before the August deadline. We've won money, a computer, and a trip to the Telluride Film Festival. Each team will also track its progress somewhere on the Dell Lounge website.
Marisa's cooking show concept came from her deep appreciation for food and cooking shows like Good Eats and No Reservations. I had the script by Thursday, and spent evenings shopping for props. On Saturday Matt hot-glued fishing line to mini-squash while Nick and I injected food coloring into eggs. Finally, we had to negotiate with the Union of Flying Saucer Operators to get the heat ray to show up on schedule.
Editing took all the way to the deadline. The music was my piano version of the competition song. I can't play piano, so it's really a franken-recording of a few notes at a time, all glued together. Since it was so close to the deadline, the drum pad accompaniment was recorded in a single ad-lib take.
Enormous thanks to everyone involved, but you're not off the hook yet. Our next short film is due August 20th!


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Product Description
Proud to have the "Nightmare Skull" tee available now! This character was on our very first run of limited skateboard decks. Now for the first time we have this original art on our shirts. Get one while they last! Available in (M, L, XL, 2XL).
Skater Made skateboards 2016.


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PORTSMOUTH — Take a look at this month's school menus for city schools and you will find such diverse items as chicken rice burritos, chef salads, rotini with sauce and crunchy turkey tacos.
PORTSMOUTH — Take a look at this month's school menus for city schools and you will find such diverse items as chicken rice burritos, chef salads, rotini with sauce and crunchy turkey tacos.
The menus contain a lot of home-made foods made practically from scratch. It's a big change from even a year ago, when a grade school student's lunch diet might look something like: pizza, pizza and more pizza.
Superintendent Ed McDonough said it is the result of the hard work of Deb Riso, the new school nutrition director hired at the start of the year. He said there is always an adjustment period for new employees, but Riso hit the ground running and has gradually introduced new lunch menus at all grade levels.
"She's just got a can-do attitude," he said. "She is firm in her beliefs that school lunch needs to be healthy and nutritious."
She is not alone. There is a growing awareness around the country as childhood obesity continues to be a national epidemic that children must be encouraged to make healthier decisions about the foods they eat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. In 2008, more than one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese, a result of a "caloric imbalance" between the number of calories expended and the number consumed.
"Years ago it really didn't matter," Riso said, adding that children were more apt to play outside all day long before the rise of television, computers and video games. "You went home and had a really good dinner with the family, and that doesn't happen anymore either."
Riso came to the district after 15 years as the dining service manager at Phillips Exeter Academy. She said the first thing she wanted to do was remove many of the processed foods from the menu, like chicken nuggets and daily pizza, and replace them with homemade foods made "from scratch."
That means there is a lot more chicken pot pie and a lot less "chicken O's." But Riso said she knows some things are off limits. "I can't take away pizza day. The kids love pizza," she said.
The key is to encourage students to try new things, Riso said. That is why she sometimes will put out samples of new menu items. Children can be finicky eaters, but "the third time they know what it is and they like it," she said.
Introducing more fruits, vegetables and whole grains has been equally important, Riso said. Little Harbour School has its own garden providing produce straight to the cafeteria. New Franklin School receives federal funding for a fresh fruit and vegetable program that gives students the chance to try more exotic items like kumquats and star fruit, Riso said.
In the kitchen, she tries to find recipes that are not too labor intensive and likes to strike a balance between foods being nutritious and easy to prepare. It is a process her staff had to get used to, but she said they have all taken on the changes admirably.
"They have been great at adapting to all the changes that have taken place since August," she said. "They are a very dedicated staff. They work really hard preparing all the new recipes and they love what they do."
But all the work would be for naught if the kids were not buying into the changes. Middle School Principal John Stokel said they are, adding that he's surprised to see the growing popularity of salads among his students.
"She's come out with a pre-made salad," she said. "They make them fresh right in the cafeteria and the kids are loving them. It's really great to see kids going for the healthy food."
Stokel said he regularly checks in at lunch time to see the eating habits of students. He recalls the days when some were eating pizza five days a week, simply because it was available.
"You're kind of forced to try some different things because it's not the same thing there every day," he said. "I'm really impressed with what she's done."
McDonough said that when Pat Laska retired "after many great years of service" last year, the district considered a number of options for her replacement. The district could have hired a third party to run the food service. Officials visited a Vermont school that had hired two chefs to lead the kitchen. But Riso, he said, proved to bring the right combination of traits to the job.
"She's very skilled and industrious. She's got a lot of wonderful ideas," McDonough said. "I think more change is coming."


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If you're a Percy Jackson fan you would have regonized...
Song Lyrics
- by Sierra Collins
- Rating:
- Published: 18 Dec 2013
- Updated: 18 Dec 2013
- Status: In Progress
Lyrics to all of the songs I can find.
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Many thanks to the help of several Toastmasters friends and to the encouragement of Nimble folks, I'm back from four chemo treatments for breast cancer. Radiology will be next. I will always be grateful to my Toastmasters friends who took me to and from the chemo treatments which made me quite sleepy and unable to drive.
Back in November, I swore I would not wear a pink ribbon. I swore that I would not wear a skull cap, a baggy beanie, a turban or a do-rag to hide what I knew would soon be my completely bald head. I did indulge my love for hats. As you see in my picture, I also got a pixie cut, so that I had a little more control over how much hair would fall out and when. But I did cheat on the pink thing. My hand-made Christmas cards featured a pair of pink boots. However, I'm still not wearing a skull cap, a baggie beanie, a turban or a do-rag. Those are just not me.
In the meantime, Nimble—our Social CRM—has blossomed into Nimble Personal and Nimble Business. Pricing for both Nimble Personal and for Nimble Business were announced. Orders for Nimble are rolling in from people like you who know that their customers—and future customers—are already on FaceBook, LinkedIn and Twitter. And they want to see them all—and connect with them all—in one place. So they are signing up for Nimble. It's your turn. Nimble Personal—which will always be free—is available here. Nimble Business—at an extremely competitive price for small to medium businesses is here. What's more, What's New with Nimble is right here.
P.S. Want to comment? Click on the title.


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Here at Watch Deals Online we offer our shoppers an incredible variety of wristwatches such as Michael Kors Womens MK5160 - Sport which you are looking at at the moment. Order this perfect timepiece now and enjoy your brand new timepiece!
Watch Deals Online is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Endless.com, MYHABIT.com, SmallParts.com, or AmazonWireless.com. Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.


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|The Yak 1
The Yak 1 - Russia
By Salem
The Yak 1 was one of the aircraft that turned the tide of the German Invasion of Russia.
It was a single seated mono-plane and was extremely manouverable and fast.
It's fuselage was made of welded steel tubes and fabric- faced plywood, it was light and sturdy.
The Yak 1 was produced from early 1940 and was very well armed.


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White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys(Forster)
Status Uncommon transient, rare in winter. It is very uncommon but regular in spring, generally first appearing in late April or early May (average 6 May, earliest 22 April) and last seen in early June (average 31 May, latest 15 June). Although it is not known to nest, there are two intriguing reports of birds on 22 July 1977 at Wine Harbour, Guysborough County (G. and O. MacLeod), and in early July 1983 near Boularderie, Victoria County (R. Fraser); parts of Guysborough County and Cape Breton Island do have terrain resembling its breeding grounds further north.
Fall migrants normally first appear in late September (average 28 September, earliest 10 September); most are seen in October when, after a strong northwesterly atmospheric flow, large numbers may occur in southern parts of the province—over 400 were present on Seal Island on 23 October 1980. They are generally last seen in November (average 3 November, latest 25 November). However, in recent years they have begun to winter in small numbers. The first to do so stayed at feeders on Sable Island and at Glencoe, Pictou County, in 1968-69. At least 10 have been recorded since on Christmas Bird Counts and another dozen or so have survived the winter at feeders in the southwestern half of the province. "
Description Length: 17-19 cm. Adults: White stripe through centre of crown, bordered by wide black stripes; white stripe on side of head, bordered by black stripe from eye or in front of it; back gray with dark brown stripes; wing with two narrow, white wing bars; underparts gray, belly and throat whiter. Young birds: Similar but with chestnut and buff replacing the black and white on the head.
Range Breeds from northwestern Alaska to central Keewatin and northern Quebec, south to northern Saskatchewan, south-central Quebec and northern Newfoundland, and south in the west to southern California and New Mexico. Winters from British Columbia in the west and Virginia in the east (casually further north) to the Caribbean islands and Mexico.
Remarks This bird is a close relative of the White-throated Sparrow, which it resembles in size and plumage markings. However, the white crown on this bird is larger and more conspicuous than that of the White-throated Sparrow, which has a yellow spot before the eye and a conspicuous white throat, both lacking in the White-crowned Sparrow. Immatures in autumn with their chestnut caps superficially resemble large American Tree Sparrows.
The main migration of this aristocrat of sparrows lies to the west of Nova Scotia, but the bird is regularly reported here, especially when westerlies prevail in fall.
Almost all our birds are of the eastern subspecies, Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophrys. However, a number of individuals of Z. 1. gambelii, which breeds from Hudson Bay to Alaska, have been recorded. Adults of this subspecies can easily be recognized by their yellow, rather than pink, bills and by their black eye stripes which start from the eye, rather than from the base of the bill; the first, on Sable Island from 25 May to early June 1969, was photographically documented by David Higgins. Another spring bird was seen in Dartmouth in late May 1975 and at least eight birds (two confirmed by photographs) have been recorded on Seal Island during autumn since 1972.


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We have names!
Monday, September 28, 2009
"Ti-ti" and Uncle "Dosh" finally have names! I thought I would just give it a whirl and see if Andrew would copy me and say our names and he did. The amazing thing about this is that he doesn't only know our names, but he knows us. My sister handed Andrew a picture of us four (Me, Josh, Ann-Marie, and Andrew), and he pointed to everyone of us saying our names. I know, he is 19 months, so he should be able to do this stuff at this point, but now that he is actually doing it, it's impressive. I can remember his actual birth day like it was yesterday, now to look at who he has become warms my heart. It's amazing to see the way God has given this child habits, a personality, and an attitude . . . he's uniquely Andrew and I love it. It's really cool to see the changes that occur and how easy it is to teach him new things.
Posted byAshley C. at 6:24 PM 0 Love Notes
Labels: Andrew, family, Josh, love
Yes, it's true. I have . . .
Friday, September 25, 2009
Okay, I'm not going to lie, I have "cankles." Go ahead, laugh. :-] I hate my ankles, or lack thereof. When I logged onto the computer today, MSN had an article about cankles and ways to get rid of them (yeah, right!). It had a bunch of links and pictures. Talk about an ego booster! I don't have cankles as bad as most of these people do, but I must admit, I do have them. It's something that I've struggled with accepting and I hate wearing shorts because of them. But hey, I'm working on the calves, so maybe they'll begin to "disappear." Haha! I feel so weird for talking about this, but it's me . . . I don't want to portray something I'm not, so you're going to get the Ashley that I am, cankles and all!
I have noticed that my last like 40 blogs I have not posted any pictures. I am sorry about that. Most of the time, I am writing blogs from work or trying to write them quickly from home, so I have not had the chance to post pictures. I promise I will have pictures up soon, though.
Posted byAshley C. at 1:37 PM 0 Love Notes
Labels: beauty, random, silliness, struggles
The scale broke
Thursday, September 24, 2009
So, as you all know, I have been doing P90X . . . very faithfully. I don't know if I mentioned it previously, but I am no longer doing the meal plan. It is too inconvenient with me being at work and school and having no time to actually cook something or pack a lunch or dinner for every place I go. For those that aren't familiar with P90X, it is a 90 day (very intense) workout plan. I am now on day 31! You are supposed to weigh yourself and take pictures every 30 days and it guarantees results. It's no lie. But . . .
I made the mistake with starting the plan during my heaviest time of the month, if you know what I mean. So, when I weighed myself yesterday, day 30, I actually weighed more. How does that happen?! I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, but sheesh! I am definitely bloated and heavier right now, but I look and feel better. But, my body fat percentage is up, too. Maybe from water weight? Who knows. My argument is that the scale is broken. What I do know though is that my stomach, legs, arms, everything is tightening up (and shrinking); there is a big difference and it's only day 30! I love this workout!
I have done very well. I would say that the hardest part for me is actually waking up extra early for school and getting the workout in. I want to just lay in bed and get that extra hour and a half of sleep. Sometimes I do and I'm forced to do the workout at night after work (which stinks!).
I would definitely recommend this workout to anyone that is looking for some high-intensity work out plan that promises results.
Posted byAshley C. at 5:07 PM 0 Love Notes
Labels: beauty, Busy, Health, random
Any Car I Want!
Monday, September 21, 2009
My car is officially paid off! After a long 5 years, I no longer have a car payment. I am so grateful for that. But, the only problem is that my car is a '99 . . . completely depreciated in value.
One of my New Year's resolutions was to get a new car. My goal was to bust my butt, work hard, and be able to get my new car by September. Definitely not happening. I saved up enough money for a decent down payment, plus had an amount that I was going to sell my car for; of course, things come up. Me and Josh pretty much share all of our money at this point. It actually works very well because when I don't have money, he does, and vice-versa. We are always there to catch each other, so to speak. Well, Josh's car has decided it was going to start finding every little thing that can go wrong and act upon it. I'm not going to be some inconsiderate girlfriend that buys a new car while her boyfriend is driving a clunker . . . so I won't.
I know that Josh appreciates it and sees that he has a smart, considerate girlfriend and that makes me feel good. I told Josh that I will not get a new car until we are financially ready for something like that. Neither of us have run out of options . . . we both have a running vehicle that God has blessed us with and we need to acknowledge that. I'm not going to lie, I have felt impatient and spontaneous at times, but he's there to tell me the reality of our situation! :-] He told me that if I patiently wait, after we get married and are ready for big purchases, he will buy me any car off the lot that I want. He doesn't lie! You better believe I am going to patiently wait! Josh knows best when it comes to this kind of stuff and I feel security in knowing that.
So, until my car breaks down and decides to never start again (or until after we're married) I will be driving around what God has blessed me with. For the time being, I have one less bill after all. Can't argue with that!
Posted byAshley C. at 5:23 PM 0 Love Notes
Labels: Josh, lesson learned, random
Gospel, dates, and THAT day
Friday, September 18, 2009
I am so excited! A couple of days ago, I bought me and Josh tickets to "How Sweet The Sound." It is a gospel choir competition in Chicago. I remember seeing the commercials last year and wanted to go, but it just never happened, so we are going for sure in two weeks! I am a fan of the majority of gospel music, but not all of it . . . hopefully this will be as enjoyable as we are anticipating. Plus, the tickets were only $5 each . . . the most expensive part was parking . . . $31; does that make any sense to you? Yeah, us neither. But hey, new experiences, right?
We have a mini date tonight . . . dinner and a movie. Okay, maybe that's something we do all of the time, but when you label it "date," the atmosphere is a little different. So, dinner and a chick flick (which he actually wants to see!).
I love hanging out with my Lover . . . he's the only one that opens me up and completely understands me. The funny thing about that is that I wouldn't even call that aspect "love;" there is so much more of that word that we have . . . but when you have several aspects of love and the complicated aspects of friendship . . . that's something unique and special.
P.S. I told Josh today that I needed my (promise) ring cleaned and threw in, " . . . but maybe I don't even need it cleaned because I'll have a replacement soon . . . " and he agreed. Maybe he was just throwing me a bone, but I just have to keep reminding myself that everyday is closer to THAT day. :-]
Posted byAshley C. at 1:31 PM 0 Love Notes
Fall is my absolute favorite!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
It's almost Fall! I have to admit, I love Fall way more than any other season. Summer's too hot. Spring's too unpredictable. Winter is too cold. Fall is just perfect. There is something comforting about Fall more than anything else. I cannot point out only one thing I love about fall, so I'm going to blabber on about what I love about it!
-Coming home from church, throwing on sweatpants and cuddling on the couch to watch football.
-Time for hoodies.
-The beautiful colors of leaves.
-Raking the leaves that never stop falling.
-Lighting Yankee Candle's pumpkin spice or macintosh.
-Baking pumpkin pies and pumpkin rolls . . . or any Fall dessert for that matter.
-Staying in on weekends, renting movies, and ordering pizza.
-Believe it or not, the heavy course load (for school).
-Going for walks until our cheeks get too cold.
-Carving pumpkins and baking the seeds.
-Making warm, comforting soups.
-Putting cute little pumpkins on the front porch and hanging our scarecrow on the front door.
-The way it starts getting dark so early.
-Thanksgiving dinners . . .
- . . . and the Day-After-Thanksgiving sales!
-Going through huge corn mazes with friends.
-Eating "Affy Tapples."
-Sleeping with my window open and space heater on (shh!).
-Bonfires and s'mores.
-Costume parties
I could keep going! Is anyone else with me on this, or am I the only "crazy" one that isn't absolutely in love with Summer? Fall officially begins on September 22nd . . . bring it! I promised myself that I will not light any Fall candles, put my (pumpkin) Yankee Candle car freshener in my car, or order any pumpkin desserts until then; everyone else's eagerness is making it hard haha!
Josh and I decided that as soon as the leaves in Northern Wisconsin begin to change, we will take the 5-hour drive up and enjoy the scenery for the weekend. I keep asking him every day, "How will we know?" but he said not to worry, so I wont! ;-]
Posted byAshley C. at 3:33 PM Post a comment (1) Love Notes
Hello, Monday!
Monday, September 14, 2009
I don't think I could have asked for a better Monday. I should have known it was going to be a great day . . .
Yesterday, me and Josh were taking a cat nap and I woke up to him holding me, whispering. I jumped up and said, "huh?" and he gently grabbed my head and laid it back down. The closer I listened, I realized he was praying. It really was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard or seen. He was praying for us, praying for me . . . praying. It was so amazing because he was praying aloud, while I was sleeping. I could not ask for a more devoted, loving boyfriend.
I was able to sleep in this morning because with my P90X, it is either a stretch or relax day . . . I took advantage of the extra sleep. As I was getting ready, I decided to check my Facebook. I got a message from Melissa who was thanking me for a package I sent to her and her group in Africa. I have a friend that I used to work with a couple years ago; he is on a long/short-term missions trip in Kenya with 7 others. Last month, me and Josh thought it would be a blessing if we sent them a big box and just spoiled them a little. A few dollars later, we realized that we would not be able to afford sending the package express . . . so, it could take up to 8 months to get there. Well, Melissa sent me a message this morning thanking us for the gifts we sent! It only took a month to get there!
On top of that, right when I pulled in the school parking lot, there was a close spot open! I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but I leave for school an hour and a half early because 45 minutes of it is spent driving around in circles, looking for a spot. I just pulled right in! The school day went by so smoothly and during my break, I went down to Student Records. It is official. Etched in stone. I am graduating December 20th! All of my classes are cleared, all of the paperwork and academic appeals are taken care of!
To make my Monday even better, I had coffee with a friend that I haven't talked to in a while. What I love about Nina is that she is open-minded. She is open and willing to listen to what a Christian has to say and is not talking badly about it 10 minutes later. Last week, me and Josh ordered her a really cute pink Bible that she loves and appreciates . . . and actually understands (thank goodness for The Message!). We talked about God, praying, and boys of course! It was refreshing to be able to sit down and talk with someone that you feel is a good investment of time and energy and is listening and interested in what you have to say.
After I get off work, I don't mind what me and Josh do . . . he is the ultimate "Best-Monday-Topper-Offer!"
Posted byAshley C. at 4:52 PM 0 Love Notes
Where were you?
Friday, September 11, 2009
This might be a little cliche' to write a blog about 9/11 . . . and that's not good. I think that as Americans, it is important to remember those that were lost on 9/11. It is so easy for us to just live life and act as though nothing happened because we aren't living in the shoes of those that have lost a loved one in this attack. Many people were killed (2,993 to be exact) and although we cannot personally recall every name, maybe not even one, but we need to remember the effect that this had on our country and even now, our troops.
I was in eigth grade, first period, art class. Our teacher just took attendance and I offered to take it down to the attendance office. When I walked in, the women behind the counter were talking to each other about a plane that just crashed into the Pentagon and were expecting more activity elsewhere. When I got back to class, I told my teacher and she turned the news on in class. For the rest of the day, we continued to watch the updates, clips from around the world of people celebrating, people running for their lives down New York streets, people mourning for loved ones, flags being burned . . . the list goes on and on. I remember sitting there at my desk, all teacher's lessons halted. I just kept my eyes glued to the TV in disbelief at what I was witnessing. While sitting in my History class, I remember our teacher telling us to "remember this day because it is going to be a big part of history." Although I do not know anyone that knew someone that was lost that day, I feel that I can empathize with part of what was experienced.
I heard a few times today, "Oh, but nobody cares to remember Pearl Harbor anymore," or "What about the casualities of World War II?" I think that as time passes, different priorities are placed and sad to say, but we tend to forget about big events such as these. It's nice to see that a lot people are still remembering what took place eight years ago.
Posted byAshley C. at 2:14 PM 0 Love Notes
Labels: random
A jumbled mess and confusion
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
I cannot count how many times things have happened and cannot be given an explanation. What's great about knowing God is that you do not always need to know why . . . He has His hand in it all and will eventually provide answers. What's even harder is that when these things happen, they often leave you scatterbrained, unorganized, and feeling helpless. What could God have planned in this? What could have happened if God's will was followed all of the way? Knowing God will open your eyes and when you are really seeking Him, you will see a million and a half reasons to stay faithful. For those that have no concept of who God is or what He can do for us . . . it is our duty, as soldiers for Christ, to pray and be a model to them.
As soldiers for Christ, it is also our duty to let God have His way wholeheartedly. Too often, we pray for others and don't see that we are really praying for ourselves; and what's ironic about that is that after we see that we were really praying for ourselves, we are in denial about our need. When God moves your heart to pray, pray.
I pray that God would help me to organize my thoughts and feelings about this . . . especially wash away the judgmental tendencies and hateful feelings. I suppose sometimes it helps to be a stranger to what we don't know . . . it's God's way of helping us to move past things.
Writing this blog feels completely useless because I have no way to organize the feelings or thoughts that I am experiencing. I thought that writing this would give me some organization or an outlet, but it has not helped at all (just mixed me up even more!).
The lesson that I have learned more than anything in this is that I need to be steadfast in prayer and ask God to use me beyond comprehension in my family. I cannot sit back and expect change, I need to pray and get God's help!
Posted byAshley C. at 5:35 PM Post a comment (1) Love Notes
Labels: family, lesson learned, prayer, struggles
simplistic entertainment
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Half a week of school can be exhausting! This is my seventh semester of college and I have never had to go every single day . . . until now. It really stinks. I have always had the convenience of going to class every other day. Because I am packing my schedule full, I will never have to drive to Parkside again after December. Woo Hoo!!
Because it has been such a hectic, stressful week, I think I just want to relax today. Unfortunately I had to work this morning, but when I get home, I am going to go rent some movies, clean, work out, shower, cook dinner, and just relax . . . all day. I feel like busy-ness was my life story all summer, but when you can't slow down and relax whenever you want, you tend to appreciate it more when you finally get the chance.
. . . random . . . but as I'm writing this, I watched a kid across the street run his car into his fence, crack his side-view mirror, pull forward, reverse, and then take the whole thing off; maybe he should be relearning some basic driving concepts. He doesn't think anyone saw him, but I did . . .
Anyway, me and my lover haven't gotten a chance to simply hang out. During the summer, we are always going here, stopping there, walking to this place, rollerblading to that place; we never just sit around and be bored anymore. I think that renting movies, eating a home-cooked meal, and baking cupcakes together would be fun and relaxing for us both. I miss him. I mean, we are always together but not always together if you know what I mean. People can be in each other's presence, but not enjoying each other's presence for the simplicity that it holds. I want to be able to do that more often . . . just enjoy simple company and not have to be doing entertaining things all the time.
Enjoy your Saturday whether action-packed or slow!
Posted byAshley C. at 10:14 AM 0 Love Notes
Labels: Josh, love, random, relaxing, school
The boldness is something to admire
Friday, September 4, 2009
Yesterday at school, there was a group table out in one of the hallways with a big banner, "InterVarsity." During the first week or so of school, every organization and group at the school is trying to get people involved in what they're promoting.
Over the summer, I really thought about joining a Christian organization through the school so that I can get myself involved, make some Christian friends, and fill in the gap during my days. Well, I was walking to the bookstore and was walking past the InterVarsity table and the one guy there stopped me and asked how I was doing. We introduced ourselves, talked about church, Urbana09, and of course, how to get involved. I gave him my e-mail and he told me he will be contacting me soon.
After I walked away, I thought about something that God has blessed him with. Boldness. I know that as Christians, we are called to evangelize and witness to the people around us. I was sitting in a lounging area in the hallway and was impressed with what I saw. So many people walking by with InterVarsity's paper. It wasn't like the guy was just throwing them at people, he was actually introducing himself, explaining what his organization was, and then giving them a paper. I deeply admired that. I don't think that I could ever be as bold as him. Not only was he witnessing, but was witnessing to a multitude of people: the "preps," jocks, rockers, and emos. When God called us to serve and evangelize, He didn't say to only witness to the people we found easy or convenient to witness to , but to be bold and simply do what He has called us to.
Unfortunately, InterVarsity meets on Thursday nights and I have work, so I won't be able to connect and fellowship during that time. However, on Mondays at 12, they have a big prayer meeting for the school and that's when I have my break! I figure that this is something that God has placed in my life for a reason, so I better heed to it . . . but, I get anxious when meeting new people . . . it's silly, but it really does cause an anxiety that I have been trying to fight. So, I am debating if I want to do this. I know, "just do it," but it's a big deal!
I'll let you all know if I end up just plunging into this or not!
Posted byAshley C. at 1:06 PM 2 Love Notes
Labels: Christianity, God, random
A very big struggle
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
I have thought long and hard about actually posting this blog . . . and, well, I've obviously decided to.
Over the past year, I have really gotten to get to know a certain someone very well. I seen this person change from a cold-hearted individual to a person that loves the Lord and seeks His will for every aspect of their life. We were able to share things with each other, laugh, invest time in each other, and help motivate each other to move forward in life regardless of negative circumstances . . .
. . . I didn't know this person at all. From what it seems, they have strayed from the Lord and made choices for their life and are obviously not wise decisions. They have altered the direction of their life and are making not-so-smart decisions that I see no potential positive outcome. We are no longer friends . . . a mutual decision I suppose. I think there is a lesson to be learned in this. For some reason, I have the coldest, most judgmental feelings towards this person and hope they get what's coming for them. But . . . this isn't my problem. I have to keep reminding myself that people are going to make their own decisions and regardless of what people tell them or how much people spend time helping to guide them, they are their own person. I have to remember that if this person really knew the Lord, He has his ways of convicting, forgiving, and loving. I am really going to be praying for these cold feelings to disappear . . . we know that something like that takes Him and we cannot do it in our own power.
Posted byAshley C. at 4:15 PM 0 Love Notes
Labels: friends, lesson learned, struggles
Five stitches, oh boy!
He's such a workhorse, but man does Josh get his work done! Today he called me when he got off work to tell me that he got 5 stitches put on his hand today. I guess he was throwing some bricks into the dumpster (he works construction) and wasn't able to get his hand out of the way fast enough . . . and now he's got an injured right hand. The sad thing about it is that he starts class tomorrow and he's right-handed. Poor guy. I love when I get chances to baby him, though. Hopefully he heals fast and that the pain goes away even faster.
Posted byAshley C. at 3:19 PM 0 Love Notes
Labels: Josh
Too good to be true
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Remember that oh-so-good tanning lotion I mentioned in a previous blog? Well, that lotion worked so well, went on smoothly, no streaks, no orange color . . . just tan! The only problem now is that it is making my skin break out in hives. I'm not talking a lot of little ones, just a few bigger ones. None of them are on my arms or face (thank goodness), just on my legs and chest . . . it's really weird. As much as I am in denial about blaming the lotion, I think I have to own up and admit that it's definitely that "perfect" lotion. I have always had sensitive skin. I cannot even use Tide laundry detergent (not even the hypoallergenic kind); it's my favorite detergent and I can't use it. This is my favorite tanning alternative and now I can't use it. Bummer!
Now . . . I can either walk around as white as snow or risk another hive break out in an attempt to find new lotion . . .
Posted byAshley C. at 4:31 PM 2 Love Notes
Labels: beauty


text:
IRS Tax Debt Relief Testimonials
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I told them you can t get blood from a turnip. But you know, the IRS, they don t play around.
Initially, I didn t mind having to deal with the IRS. I have done it before. I ve worked hard all my life, and had disputes with them in the past, so they didn t scare me. But I tried the things I had done in past disputes, but this time they were rejected. They wouldn t even accept my paperwork. I read several books and did a lot of search on how to file and properly resolve my situation, but I got nowhere. Things were getting so stressful and complicated. Even more so when I decided to file for divorce. (I d had been separated for a while, but following the divorce my tax status change in ways I wasn t aware of.)
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text:
So I saw the new Bond movie last weekend, and it was really good! :D I can say it was the greatest Bond movie I've seen, in my opinion at least. My favorites were the villain and then Q, they were the best!
So today's song will be 'Skyfall' by Adele.
So I guess that's it...
Byeee!! <333 *blows kisses*


text:
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text:
And now this:
Despite the efforts of MDAS, Audubon Ca, and many wildlife advocates Rossmoor has decided to go ahead with the killing of Acorn Woodpeckers. Here are some links to the most recent news:
Worth a Dam, MercuryNews, SF Gate, and Audubon Ca. has started a new petition; you can find it here.
There is a boat-load of information at this blog, including names, phone numbers, petitions, addresses and places to offer help for these birds. There is just no excuse for this!
Here is a really lovely video on the Hastings Reservation in Monterey, California where they do some really interesting work...including that with Acorn Woodpeckers.
Hastings Reservation is a 2,500 acre UC Biological Field Station in Monterey County. U.C. biologist Walter Koenig has monitored birds there for over 30 years and has a great section in this video on his work with Acorn Woodpeckers. It should give you a better understanding of the social structure of these remarkable birds...including why killing 50 is just NOT GOING TO WORK!
And if you can't get enough information about these neat little birds...I've started a series on Woodpeckers, the first of which was on Acorn Woodpeckers.


text: OK, gang, I just want suggestions for future reference. Last Saturday night found us in Emeryville (at the big theatre complex -- AMC? on Bay st.) at 11:00 pm and hungry. About the only place we could find open was Denny's (no thanks). I know I'm spoiled by living in 24 hour Reno, but there has to be SOME place in the East Bay with decent food and open late (On a Saturday night, no less....). As I write this, I'm kicking myself for not thinking of Top Dog (we ended up going back to our motel and not eating.....)...but do you have any other suggestions the next time we're visiting and the late night munchies hit?


text:
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Welcome to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department website. In addition to helpful information about safety and health, emergency preparedness and fire safety, this site offers details about JFRD's divisions and their chiefs.
Visitors to these pages will find a brief history of the department, information on previous JFRD fire chiefs and a tribute to firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Anyone who has been a victim of fire knows how difficult recovery can be. This site offers some help after a fire with immediate tips on necessary actions to take as well as information on replacing lost documents. There's even a page with information about what to do after calling 911 and waiting for the ambulance.
The director/fire chief of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department oversees a department with approximately 1,400 personnel. JFRD provides service to about 900,000 people living in Jacksonville, which covers about 840 square miles.
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text:
Has it been at least a year & 5 months since my last post? Life got quite hectic for me.
Things have started to take off for me, as I'm finally settled into a routine day schedule. You may have guessed it – I'm finally employed in Qatar Airways. I know I struggled for quite a while looking for a job, and not even following the indoctrinated old fashion method of CV/resume by the word.
In the Middle east region, they are used to using both words for the same thing. Whereas CVs have a more academic focus area with publications and other scholarly accomplishments, resumes are geared towards more professional/corporate environments. You would use the former if you're looking to apply to a college/university for a job.
Anyways, it seems that I'm back in my groove and looking to restart proper journal blogging. Let's see what else props up for me to share…
Oh, I've been putting out quirky things on my Tumblr blog – do check it out.


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The ban on old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 by Narendra Modi government has brought most of the opposition together as they plan to launch country wide protest on Monday.
However, they appear to be divided over the way of protest with the left parties asking for a bandh to scrap demonetisation while the Congress, Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party going for protests rather than strike across the country.
The Congress has called it a "Jan Aakrosh Diwas". "There will be protest rallies; we have not called for a 'Bharat bandh' (shutdown). Misinformation has been spread by the BJP which is ill-informed," said senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
The JD(U) decided not to participate in the protests on Monday or the West Bengal CM's proposed dharna in Patna on November 30 because its leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has welcomed the demonetisation decision.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who had started the call for a unified protest against the currency ban, will hold a march in Kolkata at 1 pm.
Vowing to foil left's call for strike, Banerjee said, "We oppose bandhs. We will take out a protest march (against demonetisation) on Monday."
Over 3,000 police personnel would be deployed in the metropolis on Monday to tackle any untoward incident, said Supratim Sarkar, Kolkata police additional commissioner of police (III).
Justifying the shutdown, Left Front chairman Biman Bose has said the strike call was necessary to register protest against demonetisation, which has caused sufferings to the people.
The Aam Aadmi Party will hold a protest at Central Park, the heart of Delhi.
In Tamil Nadu, protests will largely be conducted by the DMK, as well as the CPI, CPI (M) and the Congress. DMK leader M Karunanidhi issued a statement saying that the Dravidian major plans to protest "outside central government offices in all districts of Tamil Nadu".
The opposition parties agree on the principle of the currency ban, meant to flush out black money, but say the government has taken the step without adequate preparations, which has caused huge inconvenience to the masses.


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He can't touch Google and Starbucks, but the taxman's gone to war with pensioners
An investigation by Money Mail has exposed how a ruthless crackdown by the taxman is stripping thousands of pounds from struggling pensioners.
Honest elderly taxpayers are receiving intimidating letters and huge bills after falling victim to a catalogue of errors by HM Revenue & Customs.
Those who challenge the demands find their complaints are fobbed off because of a sneaky tweak tax officials made to their rules earlier this year. Our probe has discovered how pensioners are:
- BOMBARDED with up to seven tax codes for their pension.
- COMPLAINING four times before their problem is properly investigated by HMRC.
- FACED with losing £150 a month from their income.
- BEING punished for failing to spot HMRC's mistakes.
- TOLD to pay up without being given a proper explanation.
The Treasury is desperate to haul in as much tax as possible as the Government tries to get the economy back on track.
Big businesses such as Google, Amazon and Starbucks have faced questions from MPs about the small amount of tax they pay in the UK.
But while some large corporations and wealthy businessmen use complicated schemes to lower their bills, innocent elderly taxpayers have suffered after the HMRC has adopted a tough new stance.
Over the past few weeks, Money Mail has been bombarded with complaints from distressed pensioners who have been hit with demands for around £1,500.
Many feel they are being treated like criminals or serial tax avoiders, when all they have done is failed to spot an error made by the Revenue. They have been told they must repay these bills in one lump sum or have it docked monthly from their pension on top of the tax they already pay.
To make matters worse, when these pensioners complain about the demands, they have to endure months of misery trying to get someone to investigate their case. At the end, the taxman simply demands payment — often without explanation.
Carol Pavely, director of the charity Tax Help For Older People, says: 'Too often HMRC is sending standard letters to fob people off. We find it usually takes at least four letters from the pensioner before officials will even do a proper investigation into what happened.
'We're also still seeing plenty of people getting caught out because there has been a breakdown in communication between employers, pensions and HMRC. People feel they're stuck in a terrible loop they can't escape.'
Tell the taxman if you change jobs,
retire or have any changes to your income. It pays to know your
allowances — you can earn a fixed amount of income every year without
paying any tax.
this financial year, ending April 5, 2013, under-65s can take home
£8,105 tax-free if they earn up to £100,000. If you're aged 65 to 74
with an annual income of £25,400, you can have £10,500 tax-free.
However, above this, your personal allowance is reduced by £1 for every
£2 of extra income.
So, if you're a pensioner who earns above £30,190, you have the same allowance as under-65s.
For the over-75s, the extra allowance is £10,660 up to earnings of £25,400, where it is removed again. Never ignore demands, and contact HMRC the moment you spot a problem.
For income tax, call 0845 3000 627 (or 01355 359022). Or write to: HM Revenue & Customs, Pay As You Earn, PO Box 1970, Liverpool, L75 1WX.
Part of the problem is that pensioners can have particularly complicated tax. Many have spent their working lives with very simple affairs.
For decades they have had one income and had all their tax deducted by their employer. Most have never spoken to HMRC before. However, once they retire, pensioners are suddenly expected to understand dozens of baffling allowances and credits.
Many have several sources of income, such as the basic state pension, a separate company pension, investments, savings, a part-time job, share dividends or rent from a second property. All of these are taxable — some at different rates to others.
This means pensioners often have a number of different tax codes — these are the combination of letters and numbers sent out every year to tell employers or pension companies how much to deduct in tax. But if HMRC fails to take into account all of a person's sources of income it means that they are left under-paying.
In May, 1.6 million people were hit with an unexpected bill of an average £537. HMRC will not reveal how many of these were pensioners.
Most who received these demands would never have realised they were paying too little tax each month.
But proving your innocence can be exasperating. A critical problem is the way the taxman deals with complaints. The department has an appalling track record.
While the banks and insurers have to resolve complaints from their customers in eight weeks, the taxman is under no such obligation. Anyone unhappy with the way their case has been dealt with by a bank can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which will assess their case for free and impartially. Disagree with the Revenue and you can take your case to the tax adjudicator.
However, it can only judge whether a case has been properly looked at — not whether the bill is fair.
The widespread closure of local tax offices has made it almost impossible for people to see an adviser face to face.
Until recently anyone landed with a shock bill was able to fight back using an obscure rule called an Extra-Statutory Concession A19.
Bills could be written off if you could prove you had no reason to believe your tax was wrong.
A record 41,766 people managed to get £54 million of tax debt cancelled by using this rule last year. But in a sneaky change in July, HMRC tweaked the rules.
It has effectively stopped anyone from getting a concession on their bill — even if it is the Revenue who has made a mistake. You have no grounds for a complaint if you have not checked your tax codes or failed to query them if you don't understand.
On top of this you must ensure HMRC is aware of any change in your circumstances — starting a new job, retiring, going on maternity leave or taking a new pension. If you fail to do this, then you will be accountable for any mistakes.
In short, the rule change makes taxpayers totally responsible for any errors made by the Revenue. Worse, even if you fail to spot a mistake by the taxman, you could be blamed for not doing more.
Unwitting victims could even be hit with a £100 penalty fine, for example, if the taxman didn't tell you that you needed to file a self-assessment return and you failed to send one in.
Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of tax at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, says: 'Too many pensioners are being caught unawares by these demands.
'The letters simply aren't clear enough about what's happened and why, and many should have simple recourse to a concession to get their money back. It's time the Government stepped in to do more about the pressure many people are feeling at these so-called pinch points on people's finances.'
A spokesman for HMRC says: 'We have made a lot of changes to make the system better and easier to use, but understand there will still be a lot of cases where individuals are unhappy at the decisions.
'If you disagree with a decision, you must write and ask for your complaint to be dealt with as quickly as possible.'
HMRC says it will pay back the money owed to all of the people featured in this article.
'We very much regret the standard of service we provided was not acceptable,' it says. 'We are contacting Mr Chatfield, Mrs Jarvis and Mr Harvey to apologise and to confirm we've put matters right.'
I received a £1,269 bill
Dorothy Jarvis is having £100 a month taken from her pension because of a mistake the taxman made — twice.
Objection: Dorothy Jarvis
In 2010, the 80-year-old, from Ilminster, Somerset, received a demand for £1,269 in unpaid tax for the 2008/2009 financial year.
She objected, but wrote a cheque and paid the bill.
'I was told this was because the wrong tax code had been applied to the personal pension — in other words, my original personal allowance had mistakenly been applied twice,' says Mrs Jarvis.
'Though I was unhappy, I repaid the amount they said I had underpaid, even though it had nothing to do with me.
'I was disgruntled, but felt at least I had managed to draw a line under it.'
However, a year later, HMRC made the same mistake again.
This time Mrs Jarvis is having the debt taken every month.
'I couldn't believe it,' she says. 'Why am I being penalised when the error is down to the taxman?'
Our complaint was ignored
Former magistrate Colin Harvey was hit with an £800 demand for the 2009 / 2010 tax year.
Complaint: Colin and Winifred Harvey
The 76-year-old retired on a full pension in 1992 after a heart attack, and had never before had any problems with his tax.
He complained to HMRC, but was told he owed £1,100.
'I know nothing about tax codes,' says Mr Harvey, who lives with his wife Winifred in Bradford.
'Staff seem to know nothing. I'm resigned to believing it's pointless to try to take on HMRC.
Reluctantly, I'm repaying this alleged underpayment by an adjusted tax code.'
The same mistake was made twice
John Chatfield is livid at the way he's been treated by HMRC. The former sales manager, pictured with his wife Heather, retired in 2008.
Demand: John and Heather Chatfield
Earlier this year he received a demand for £1,290.57 owed on pension payments for 2008/09.
But Mr Chatfield, from Crowborough, East Sussex, double-checked his two pensions, one with Scottish Equitable, the other with Scottish Life.
He discovered HMRC had sent the tax coding to the wrong pension provider - causing an incorrect payment demand. HMRC admitted its mistake, but insisted Mr Chatfield must repay.
'It took countless calls and letters to find out what went wrong,' he says.
'And it was up to me to prove the coding had been sent to the wrong provider. I appealed using the concession, but have been told that I must pay the outstanding tax — £90 a month.'
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text:
Writing, watching films (with friends), playing those PC games from the 90s, music, making art that people will someday interpret as 'edgy' and 'meaningful' even though it isn't, riffing on bad films, making cats chase those laser-pointer-thingumabobs.
Music taste:
Whatever isn't 'hip' with the youngsters these days.
Anything else?:
I'm trying to grow a beard in my free time.


text:
The identity of the remains found in a burnt out car in Trail on Sunday, Jan. 14 has been confirmed by the Southeast District Major Crime Unit.
A forensic investigation of the 1999 Honda Civic four-door, found ablaze and abandoned on Highway 22, revealed that the body located in the trunk was that of 38-year-old Jordan Workman from Castlegar, B.C.
B.C. RCMP investigators working with the Coroners Service of British Columbia determined Workman's death to be a homicide.
"The current findings indicate that this incident involves a targeted victim and does not reflect any increased safety risks to the public," said Cpl. Dan Moskaluk.
Police ask any member of the public with information to call the Trail and Greater District RCMP Detachment at 250-364-2566 or report anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.


text:
I started off my race year and my Superbowl Sunday with a last minute decision to run the Super 5k in Novi, Michigan! I had been reading about this race for the past year and wasn't too sure if I should run it or not, but as the date crawled closer, I realized that I probably should give this race a shot!
I registered online for this 5k the week before the race. That is probably the shortest amount of time I've given myself between registration and race day! But I knew I could pull out a 5k fairly easy and registered for it one morning. I didn't check the forecast, however, before I registered, but luckily it looked to be in the high teens or low 20's. As the date came closer, the forecast called for a few inches of snow the day before. Still not a big deal, there was time to get it cleaned up!
Early Sunday morning we got up and got moving. Because of the snow we gave it a bit more time to do the usual 35-40 minute drive, but didn't end up needing all the extra time because the roads weren't awful. We got to the Novi Civic center very easily and pulled right into the lot. It seemed as though we were some of the first people there!
Inside, the civic center was hopping, but I was able to walk right up to the bib pickup and get mine (although I didn't see my name on the bib lists they had out… I had it written in my phone from an email they sent the day before). I got my Bib, a pin, and my fancy tech hat handed to me then and there. We decided to mill around inside before the race started to keep warm! It was nice to see so many people meeting old friends and running buddies left and right and though it was cold and early, people were in good spirits. They made announcements over the loud speaker to keep people informed and had some old superbowl footage rolling on a TV.
Part of the reason I was excited to do this race was the fact that a lot of people from the South East Michigan Runner's group on Facebook (SEMR) were also doing it! At 8:30 they announced where everyone should meet and we all got our picture together!
It was fun to see some familiar faces, though I didn't really talk to anyone… maybe next time?
After this, everyone started to make the journey over to the starting line, which was a 5-10 minute walk away from the civic center. This wasn't so bad, but they didn't plow this route at all, so it was kind of slow going.
We started the race in the school parking lot nearby. There wasn't too much of an issue with the start area, except for the fact that it felt pretty cramped. But par for the course! I did feel bad for some of the dogs that were being brought along as running partners…Most didn't have any kind of foot protection, and being a dog owner, myself, I didn't agree with keeping them out in the cold and snow and slush for that long! That being said, there were a lot of cute furry running partners at this race!
I had my headphones in and two hats covering my ears so I didn't catch the official start, but people slowly started to move forward.
We started out heading down Taft Rd., which is a main st. and was only a little bit slushy. So that was a bit of a relief. Right before the 1 mile mark, the course turned into a subdivision. That's when it got rough. It hadn't been plowed from the storm the day before, and the snow was mostly the kind that feels like sand. Slipping underneath your feet as you move across it! Some sections were better than others, but it really just depended upon how each house dealt with their snow removal. The packed snow was easy to run on, but then you'd come across an intersection where there were 6 inches of snow piled up in the middle that you'd suddenly have to jump over or run through. Lots of people had grips on their shoes or wore trail shoes that had more grip than the regular, but as I don't ever run in the snow, I only had my normal sneakers. I'm not sure if the grips would have helped much in this case, but it might have been better if I had them.
These kind of conditions went on for the majority of the race. There was one aid station at the halfway mark, and while I usually ignore these in 5ks, I had to stop and get some water because a lot more effort was going into this than usual! I walked for a very short amount of time while I chugged some water and then I took off once again. There were a few hills in this section, one of which was fairly steep and long. That plus the "sandy" snow, I decided it'd be better to walk it.
This was a really nice little subdivision, but the fact that it wasn't plowed and the roads were kind of narrow, made it a tough run. I'm pretty sure, most of the time, I was looking at the ground ahead of me, or my feet. Usually when I run, I watch the people around me or look at the surrounding area. This didn't make for an entertaining race.
As we left the neighborhood and went back out onto Taft Rd. it got a lot easier, but somehow it felt a lot more slippery. Luckily it wasn't as far this time and we came up on the finish pretty quickly after hitting Taft. It was really nice having so many people cheering and the finish line too! Lots of dedicated supporters and volunteers willing to stand out in the cold! I managed to finish in 36:35, which is in no way a PR…but knowing the roads might be bad, and the fact that I hadn't run outside since November, my goal was to get in before 40:00. So…I WIN! 🙂
At the finish line, they had the volunteers handing out some very cool Medals, bottles of water, and pint glasses! Out of all the races I've done, I think this one takes the cake for the coolest swag!
After the race, Everyone made a beeline back to the civic center to grab some grub. There were Hotdogs, Meatballs, Brownies, cookies, and Bananas. I was able to get in and out in under 3 minutes. Pretty awesome. Scarfed down my food and made for the car! Getting out of the lot was pretty simple as well because we were right off of 10 mile!
I'd say, with the exception of all the snow, that this was a really great, really well organized race that I would do again. I know a lot of people had a tough time with the snow, but I think it added a bit of a challenge to those who have run a decent amount of 5ks/races. It was tough, and yes, I did have to walk at some points (which I don't think I've ever done in a 5k) it was a good challenge and a nice way to start off the year!


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PORTLAND — The Greater Portland Transit District has announced a series of public hearings to discuss proposed METRO bus fare increases scheduled to go into effect April 1, 2010:
• Tuesday, Feb. 9, 6-7 p.m., at the Westbrook Public Safety Building, first-floor large meeting room, 570 Main St., Westbrook.
• Wednesday, Feb. 10, 6-7 p.m., Falmouth Central Fire Station, 8 Bucknam Road, Falmouth.
• Thursday, Feb. 11, 7-8 p.m., Portland City Hall, State of Maine Room, second floor west wing.
METRO is Maine's largest public transportation carrier, providing bus service to Portland, Westbrook, Falmouth and the Maine Mall area of South Portland.


text:
Country Turkey Casserole
Time needed
10 min preparation + 25 min cooking
Serving Size / Yield
5 servings
- 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Celery Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
- 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Potato Soup
- 1 C. milk
- 1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
- 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
- 4 C. cooked cut-up vegetables *
- 2 C. cubed cooked turkey or chicken
- 4 C. prepared Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing
Our Readers Also Loved
Stir the soups, milk, thyme, black pepper, vegetables and turkey in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Spoon the stuffing over the turkey mixture. Bake at 400°F. for 25 minutes or until the stuffing is golden brown. *Use a combination of cut green beans and sliced carrots. Serving Suggestion: Serve with a Caesar salad with Pepperidge Farm® croutons and prepared cranberry sauce. For dessert serve ice cream.
This recipe is brought to you by Campbell's®. Make Great Meals. Get Great Smiles. It's Amazing What Soup Can Do.
Around The Web


text:
Vw mk4 golf 1.9tdi
Timung belt and water pump changed at 90k loads of receipts new exhaust system and battery. Deposit required within 24 hrs and collection with in 3 days. The item "Vw mk4 golf 1.9tdi" is in sale since Wednesday, March 28, 2018. This item is in the category "Cars, Motorcycles & Vehicles\Cars\Volkswagen". The seller is "bigdavewales" and is located in Ammanford. This item can be shipped to United Kingdom, United States, Australia.
- Year: 2003
- Manufacturer: Volkswagen
- Model: Golf
- Body Type: Hatchback
- Doors: 5
- Colour: Grey
- Transmission: Manual
- Fuel: Diesel