24 weeks pregnant | More Than Toast

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This is the sort of outfit that gets worn on my days off, when I?m bumming round the house doing nothing more exciting than playing with Duplo, a bit of work and a cup of tea with my mum. It?s the sort of outfit that feels like a big all-over body kiss after wearing actual outfits: Uggs! Jersey! Tights under jeans! Yum. It?s been minus effing 2 down our way today and I?ve needed the warmth and comfort.

The more eagle-eyed readers out there (HI MUM!) may have noticed that I have missed a couple of my fortnightly updates, for no other reason than everything in this pregnancy seems to be going?blissfully well. I?m a bit tired these days, a bit hormonal (crying at Location Location Location is not normal, I realise that) but aside from the tears all seems to be well. The vile cold of 2012 has now left the building and seems to have taken with it most of my sinusitis, but to be honest this winter?s mild weather has really helped by not aggravating it. Plus, today I had a bit of a migraine but as I?ve got a couple of chin spots I?m going to put this down to the hormones, too.

I have a small case of SPD (it feels sometimes like I?ve been hit in the vagina with a baseball bat: achey and sore) that flares up mostly in the evenings and much to Will?s hilarity on?occasion?I have staggered off the sofa clutching at my crotch. His offers to ?rub it better? do not help, FYI husbands out there.

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First time round: March 2010 and?23 weeks pregnant with Elfie

Baby Harold number two has had lots of attention from the medical profession this week with both a midwife and a consultants appointment. Everything is on track (although I?m still not putting on much weight? last check 9st 5lb) though I was a bit disappointed to find out I wouldn?t be allowed to try for a water birth as I?m attempting a VBAC. They did promise however that I?d be allowed to have as much as an active birth as possible which I suppose is the next best thing, though I?ll be monitored and cannulated from the word go. I suppose I will just have to stay at home in the bath for as long as I can stand. I?m also repeating the 80-90% VBAC success rate in my head like a mantra and staying as far away from the 0.5% uterine rupture rate as possible. Split womb, do not want.

This whole moving house business is a big thorn in my side at the moment. Not wanting to prolong the misery I hadn?t done anything about it until today (10 days to go?) but finally got off my bum and did the most important job, which was to call BT and arrange for our broadband and TV services to be moved. I have halfheartedly chucked some of our belongings to the way of the charity shop but we have a long way to go? although I can?t wait to live in our beautiful new pad I am feeling very sorry for the Alice of four months ago who vowed not to move house for another three years at least. Poor naive Alice. Packing proper will commence on Friday, I promise.

I can?t quite get my head around the fact that my next pregnancy update will be coming from a completely different family home. I can?t wait; the house is so much more of a blank canvas than this one and we will be able to personalise it so much more. When we originally moved in to our current house we agreed with the landlords to do some painting and a bit of gentle DIY (i.e. getting rid of the wall lights you can see in the above photograph that just aren?t our style) but ever since they told us they were selling up there?s been no point in going ahead with it. So I?m looking forward to putting our stamp on the house, to not having a blood red-painted study and to really enjoy settling into the home and area. And the SPACE! Hello, built in wardrobes, I have been waiting for you?

Week 20
Week 16
Week 14
Week 12
Week 6/8

Source: http://morethantoast.org/2012/02/24-weeks-pregnant/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=24-weeks-pregnant

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Why are fans paying medical bills for skier Burke?

Competitors at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo. adorned themselves with items in rememberance of Canadian skier Sarah Burke who died from injuries she sustained in a training accident in Park City, Utah in January.

By Kari Huus, msnbc.com

Updated at 6:20 p.m. ET:

A spokesman for Monster Beverage Co.?said Sarah Burke, one of the athletes it sponsors, did not receive insurance coverage from the company.

"Sponsors in general do not provide insurance for the athletes, who are independent contractors. In many contracts if not most, the athletes sign an agreement saying they understand that it is a dangerous sport and that they are responsible for their own well-being," said Roger Pondel, from the public relations company PondelWilkinson in Los Angeles. "That is fairly standard throughout the industry."

"The company is continuing to support (Burke's) family," Pondell said, but he declined to give details,?"in deference to the privacy of the family."

Original post:

On Monday, msnbc.com published a story on a fund drive that had raised more than $300,000 to cover the medical costs for Sarah Burke, a 29-year-old professional skier from Canada who died after a training accident in Park City, Utah.

The story pointed out that Burke?s family was facing a disaster familiar to uninsured Americans ? a mountain of medical expenses on top of personal tragedy. As a number of readers pointed out, the story raises a question:?Why was a professional skier with corporate sponsors not covered by insurance?

Because?Burke was Canadian, wouldn?t she have been covered by Canada?s universal health care system? The answer is yes ? and no.

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Had the accident occurred in Canada, Burke, who lived near the western Canadian ski mecca of Whistler, British Columbia, would have been covered for 100 percent of her medical care through public health insurance, according to Ryan Jabs, manager of media relations for the Ministry of Health in British Columbia.

That national health insurance policy applies outside the country too, he said, but only pays for what the services would have cost in Canada ? typically only a fraction of what the services cost in the United States.

?If someone is traveling?outside Canada, we encourage them to get third-party insurance? to cover the difference, said Jabs.

Burke?s?husband?has not pursued insurance claims from the government so far, Jabs said, adding that he still has the option to do so.?He said the University of Utah hospital where Burke was cared for had been in contact with the?health ministry but he could not disclose details.

Daniel Dal Zennaro / EPA

Canada's Sarah Burke celebrating on the podium after winning the women's halfpipe freestyle FIS World Cup Grand Finals in Chiesa Valmalenc, Italy in 2008.

Burke also had $5 million in medical coverage through the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association, a largely government-funded body that fields Olympic competitors in the sport.

"It?s a really good policy ? one used by most athletic associations in Canada," said Kelley Korbin, media relations manager for the association. But she said that the policy covers only sanctioned events and training where association coaches are present. ?This was a private sponsored event, so none of our certified trained coaches were there."

Burke?s event ? half-pipe skiing ? was?added as an Olympic event just?last spring, said Korbin, so top half-pipe athletes like Burke had a history of performing in commercially sponsored events. Half-pipe skiers compete in a half-cylinder-shaped course dug deep into the hill. With speed gained on the slope, skiers come up over the rim of the pipe and perform acrobatic aerial tricks, winning by executing the most difficult tricks with the best form. Burke was defending champion for the women's halfpipe in the annual Winter X Games.

The Jan. 10 accident that took Burke?s life occurred during training at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah, as part of?a freeskiing team sponsored by the U.S.-based Monster Energy drink company. She was rushed to the University of Utah Hospital and treated for a ruptured vertebral artery ? one of four that supply blood to the brain. Surgery and subsequent care ultimately failed to save her. She died?Jan. 19 because of a lack of oxygen to the brain.

Why no insurance?
The biggest unanswered question is why Monster or Burke?s agent, Michael Spencer,?apparently had?not arranged for insurance coverage for Burke.

"It?s hard to believe Park City would allow someone to come and do an event without proving that you have liability insurance,? said Korbin, of the Canada?s freestyle association. "For sure at Whistler (ski resort in Canada), we have to prove that each competitor there has Canadian freestyle insurance. Otherwise they don?t want to take on their liability on their hill."

California-based Monster Beverage company?did not respond to phone calls about insurance coverage for Burke, who the company was sponsoring for the Winter X Games. Michael Spencer, Burke?s agent, who set up the donations page to help the family with medical costs, also did not respond to queries from msnbc.com?by phone and email. ?

Park City Mountain Resort had not yet responded to queries from msnbc.com about its policy on insurance coverage for events as of the writing of this article.

Patterson notes that it?s difficult to get policy underwriting for medical coverage on some sports, like mixed martial arts, for instance, where injury is virtually certain.

"To me it?s unfathomable that she wouldn?t have had someone covering this, especially competing at that level," said Derek Patterson, owner of eGlobalHealth Insurances Agency, in Springfield, Missouri, which provides specialized coverage for athletes, war-zone contractors and other clients in hazardous conditions. ?Sometimes people have the assumption that they are covered, but then find out it is not the case."

"Someone didn?t put (coverage) in place," said Greg Sutton of Sutton Special Risk, a specialized insurance broker in Toronto.?"The broker or the agent ? someone should have recognized that there would have been a gap because the event was unsanctioned."

Addendum: In our previous story, we noted that uninsured Americans are frequently pushed to bankruptcy by the cost of medical care for catastrophic illness or accident. An email from GiveForward, a donation appeals site mentioned in the story, said that the site currently has about 1,500 pages posted by people who were struggling to raise money for health care costs.

Press reports initially estimated the cost of Burke's intensive medical care at?about $500,000, though later it was revised downward, to about $200,000. A fundraising page on GiveForward.com?shows that donors have contributed $305,483 to help the family cover the costs.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

Follow Kari Huus on Facebook.

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/01/10291483-why-are-fans-paying-medical-bills-for-world-class-skier-sarah-burke

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Pointers You Can Use to Ensure Your Product Launch Success ...

If you expend the proper amount of effort, you may find that one of the most rewarding experiences you can have is creating a new product and launching it on the Internet to great acclaim and success. You can have the best product in the world, but that will mean nothing if you mess up the execution. If you use a well crafted system for your launch there is no reason that you should not have great success. However, if you run a flawed and directionless program you may end up seeing your launch be a failure. The chief factor that makes the difference between the great product launches that generate millions and the ones that lose money is the amount of preparation that has been done. What you do at this time will decided where your product will end up. This article explains the things you need to think about when launching your own product, as well as the steps you should never skip out on. You must be able to execute well and with skill when you decide to use any of the many approaches in your web business.

You can choose any technique to illustrate this, like SEO Link Monster, and that is just a, for instance. We will also contend that just about any person can rise far above where they are today if they just get good feedback and then work hard to improve.

Perhaps so many get too concerned with the competition and others, and that causes them to lose focus and forget they have to tend to matters at home in their own business. We have often felt that there are a hundred little things that all work in unison to do something amazing like cause people to pay you money for something.

Your ability and willingness to test all you do in business is one thing that will give you leverage.

It?s no secret that you need a great quality product to offer your audience. It won?t matter if you have done everything possible to get the word out and plan a perfect product launch if your product isn?t wonderful. Your product has to be the center of your marketing campaign. You have to know what your target market is looking for so that you know you are offering the right thing. You must ensure that the requirements of your potential customers are satisfied in your product, and that your product does not fall short on any account. You want your customer to trust you, but you can do even better than this if you end up giving the customers even more than you promised: you can turn them into repeat customers. You want to turn your customers into lifelong followers. It is true what they say about the first impression being the last, so you really need to build your product around this frame of mind. It is best to overachieve with your product than to fall short, and this will be the deciding factor in your business? longevity. Actually having never done business offline can be helpful to you since your only exposure will be doing it online. What is also interesting and curious is that one change with a large business can set off a cascading effect with other related businesses.

There can be a lot of reasons for this type of dynamic nature, and it is really easy to understand if you are familiar with what can go on. Hopefully you will find our discussion on the merits of SEO Link Monster as something that can be easily integrated with your present methods. But ask your self the tough questions about longevity and any possibilities for future problems. Measure and calculated risk is what we all do in our business, and it is the careless risk-taking that we urge you to avoid.

Something that can be overlooked in product design is the packaging. What?s in the packaging? Looks really are everything! If you don?t package your product the right way, it will most definitely fail to make that lasting impression. You want your package to be unique and perfect for the product without looking tacky.

If the new product you were introducing was an ebook that covered dog training, you would have to have a good graphical feature set on the set, a sales letter that explains the benefits, and an ecover that will introduce people to the product. Everyone wants their business dealings to be with a professional, so you want to look like you are one. Make sure that they have a good feeling regarding your product, before you expect anyone to purchase it. Very many people in business have used ultra spinnable articles to generate a variety of excellent results, and we have just touched on a few elements.

The results you get with these and other marketing strategies will rest more on the strength of your knowledge. There seems to be a general form of confusion with online businesses and it has to do with the difference between marketing and advertising; they are not the same thing. If you want to be cautious with your business, and not all people are, but if so then pause before throwing your entire business into something new. Stop and think about doing a campaign that is more along the lines of a test ad. We would never encourage you to put more on the line than is necessary. We obviously cannot force you to use sound business practices, and so you need to recognize their value and use them.

Do not fail to realize that the after launch time frame proves to be as essential as the before launch period. Once you have launched your product as well as possible, you are going to be able to sit back and enjoy the benefits for a long time to come. There will come a time when your product reaches a stage of maturity. This is when you should plan to revamp it by adding value; repackaging it and distributing it further using new avenues to keep on generating revenue from it.

There are lots of product launches that happen on the internet. Some of them are successful and some of them simply fail; if you want to be on the profitable side of the fence, then start planning your launch weeks ahead so that your launch day becomes your biggest pay day.

Source: http://www.hetbinnenhuysaruba.com/pointers-you-can-use-to-ensure-your-product-launch-success/

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Sunny California automotive rental | Growing Sound

California has been in a position to wine coolers generate quite a variety of tourists 12 months after 12 months, with its sunny skies, favorable weather and good seashores, a lot of people have really been flocking to this golden paradise to get pleasure from and live their life to the fullest. In contrast to other states, like New York for instance, wherein it?s pretty to get around Manhattan even without the help of a automotive, California however, with its wide and long streets, actually requires you to lease a automotive in your own vacation pleasure, independence and best of all, convenience. Listed here are some fast ideas and reminders in relation to California automotive rental.

For first time California tourists, its kitchenaid mixer finest when you?ve got a buddy or relative who can actually show you around the place but if not, a good California automotive rental service is what?ll assist you make your vacation be an unforgettable one. Arm your self with the proper supplies and data in relation to selecting which California automotive rental that you just want to avail the providers of.

To assist get your self started radar detector reviews onwards your quest to discovering the proper California automotive rental agency that?ll finest suit your wants, wants and most importantly, finances, it?s finest to consult your journey agent on which California automotive rental agency that he/she would actually suggest to you. The variety of obtainable California automotive rental agencies may are inclined to overwhelm you at the beginning, making you unsure whether or not or not you?re getting the providers of a good agency. Properly do try to heed my advice and ask around, it really won?t hurt you in the event you do. Other than realizing what California automotive rental agencies are actually on the market, you even get broaden your knowledge about journey stipulations corresponding to this one.

Try to map out the locations, seashores, amusement parks or wherever it?s that you just want to go to, approach earlier than you actually embark in your trip. It really is far wiser in the event you plan issues fastidiously and thoroughly approach forward of schedule as a result of this fashion you get to free yourself from possible complications and hassles that can be normally caused by not planning ahead. Try to see if the providers of a California automotive rental is admittedly what you need, if it?s actually a less expensive approach so that you can get around the metropolis as compared to taking mass transport. Evidently, opting to take the California care rental will make your vacation loads convenient, think about it thoroughly and assess what actually are your priorities in relation to taking this trip.

There is really loads that you are able to do to make your vacations worthwhile and enjoyable, just always bear in mind to plan, plan, plan ahead. Weigh out all the options that you will discover and try to be practical in selecting out the very best one. California automotive rental, to be sincere isn?t really that bad, you?re sure to get a very good deal somewhere, somehow. It?s only a matter of realizing where to look and having the persistence to canvass and compare prices for California automotive rental services. In addition to asking your native journey agent on which California automotive rental agency that he/she want to suggest, you may as well strive asking for you kin? and friends? advice. Ask them if they?ve actually availed the providers of a automotive rental agency, more so, a California automotive rental agency, ask them the way it went and which specific California automotive rental service agency would they suggest to you. Lastly, go to your ever-dependable PC and look-up California automotive rental within the internet. You?re sure to get an extended, long list of service corporations who?re greater than keen to give you a very good and fair deal.

Source: http://growingsound.org/cars-and-trucks/classics/sunny-california-automotive-rental

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GOP Highway Bill Does What Stimulus Failed to Accomplish (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | It met with a resounding failure last year in a bipartisan attempt to reduce the federal debt, but House Republicans plan to unveil a trimmed-down, $260 billion transportation bill today. It's about time some thought was given to repairing roads, bridges and highways by Congress.

The massive five-year spending bill is likely to sail through the GOP-led House, Reuters reported. But opposition in the Senate will be the stumbling block. Senators are touting a two-year, bipartisan deal that might be workable in both chambers. Regardless of which plan advances, construction jobs are a sure bet.

While I opposed the federal bailouts, this type of bill should have been the main focus when it was done, as it would have made essential infrastructure repairs and provided thousands of jobs. Construction jobs have a snowballing effect on the economy and should have been the starting point in stimulating the job market.

But, that was the past.

President Barack Obama even agreed with the need to address transportation issues. "So much of America needs to be rebuilt," the president said during his State of the Union Address. "We've got crumbling roads and bridges." If Congress can gather the wherewithal to actually pass this bill in the discombobulated environment of election year politics, then there might be some good to come from it.

Funding the project will draw from the Federal Highway Trust Fund, so no new taxes are anticipated on a subject that typically draws bipartisan appeal, the Washington Post reported.

But the game changer will come if Republican leaders decide to tack the Keystone XL pipeline project inside the bill. Obama needs political cover from his environmentalist supporters this year, so he's probably not going to give on that issue.

End result: Probably little chance of passing this bill (or any other major legislation) through Congress this year. With the public's expectations so low, maybe Congress will impress us and actually accomplish something of significance. But I'm not holding my breath.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120131/pl_ac/10908171_gop_highway_bill_does_what_stimulus_failed_to_accomplish

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China says 29 abducted in Sudan still being held

BEIJING (AP) ? None of the 29 Chinese workers abducted after an attack in a volatile region of Sudan have been freed, Chinese state media said Tuesday, dismissing reports that some of the workers had been released.

The workers were abducted Saturday by militants in a remote region in the country's south. Sudanese state media reported Monday that 14 of them had been freed, but the official Xinhua News Agency and China Daily newspaper said all 29 were still being held.

China has close political and economic relations with Sudan, especially in the energy sector.

The Chinese ambassador to Sudan, Luo Xiaoguang, told China Central Television in an interview in Khartoum that anti-government rebels attacked the road project the Chinese were working on.

"There are still Chinese workers missing. Some others are still being held by the anti-government armed forces," Luo said.

Xinhua said 47 Chinese workers were caught in the attack in the South Kordofan region of Sudan. It said 29 were captured and the other 18 fled, and that one of those who fled remains missing.

The Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that a working group had been sent to Sudan to assist in the rescue work.

"China calls upon relevant parties to maintain calm and exercise restraint, to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, and from a humanitarian point of view, to the release of Chinese personnel as soon as possible," the statement said.

A statement from the workers' company, Sinohydro Corp., said that it and the Chinese Embassy would "spare no effort in ensuring the personal safety of those abducted and rescuing them."

On Monday, Sudan's state-run SUNA news agency quoted South Kordofan provincial governor Ahmed Haroun as saying that 14 workers had been released.

SUNA said the attack took place near Abbasiya town, 390 miles (630 kilometers) south of Khartoum.

Sudanese officials have blamed the attack on the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, a branch of a guerrilla movement that has fought various regimes in Khartoum for decades. Its members hail from a minority ethnic group now in control of much of South Sudan, which became the world's newest country only six months ago in a breakaway from Sudan.

Sudan has accused South Sudan of arming pro-South Sudan groups in South Kordofan. The government of South Sudan says the accusations are a smoke screen intended to justify a future invasion of the South.

China has sent large numbers of workers to potentially unstable regions such as Sudan. Last year it was forced to send ships and planes to help with the emergency evacuation of 30,000 of its citizens from the fighting in Libya.

China has used its diplomatic clout to defend Sudan and its longtime leader, Omar al-Bashir. Recently, it has also sought to build good relations with leaders from the south.

South Sudan and Sudan are in bitter dispute over oil, which is produced primarily in South Sudan but runs through Sudanese pipelines for export.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-31-AS-China-Sudan/id-db229069fb774b1483935d06e62eb50b

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Authorities probe use of seclusion rooms for disabled (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Federal and state investigators are probing reports that disabled children at a public elementary school in Connecticut were locked in a room to control their behavior or as a punishment, officials said on Tuesday.

Farm Hill School, an elementary school in the city of Middletown, was accused of improper use of seclusion, according to officials from the U.S. Department of Education and state advocates for children and disabled people.

Jim McGaughey, executive director of state Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, said his investigators were looking into the reports that children with disabilities were inappropriately held in a seclusion room.

Seclusion is not considered an effective teaching strategy, he said, and it would only be used as a last resort if there was a very specific written behavior support plan for a certain child.

The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights was also investigating, a federal spokesman said, and was trying to determine if the district's use of seclusion rooms discriminated against students with disabilities by treating them differently than other children or denying them an appropriate education.

Connecticut Child Advocate Jeanne Milstein, whose office was also investigating, said questions to be answered include whether such a room exists, what goes on inside, how children were selected for the time-out, and whether the school system was aware of what was happening.

"We are very concerned based on what we've heard to date," she said, adding that the investigation was launched after "various sources" brought the seclusion rooms to the attention of officials.

Messages left for the superintendent of Middletown Public Schools and the principal of the elementary school were not immediately returned.

(Reporting By Lauren Keiper; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/us_nm/us_school_punishment_connecticut

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