Lauri Ann's New Life

Foreclosure can happen to anybody, so don't think badly of yourself if you are now at risk. I know it's terribly embarrassing to find yourself in this position. Since notices of default are usually published, you really hope your neighbors and relatives aren't reading the papers. It's also very scary when you think of your family and all of your belongings out on the street. Don't worry. Listening to the news it sounds like half the country is in the same boat. Heck, look at Ed McMahon. If he can lose his house, anybody can. He's not the only star in foreclosure either. Just keep your head together and take it one step at a time.

It is a fact that any family can undergo some financial crisis at some point in time that would regrettably cause them not to have the ability to pay their monthly mortgage payments. A home can be an enormous investment and maintaining your home can turn into an even greater expense. Chances are things will break here and there and thanks to Murphy (Murphy's Law), usually when you are at your lowest financially. When this happens, you might feel as though your world is spiraling out of control. You can not seem to get your debts under any type of management and now you need to make repairs to the house. Your mortgage, being the biggest part of those debts, may have just adjusted and all of a sudden your house payment has moved into the "can't pay right now" pile. Foreclosure is something that can happen and when it does, you might feel as though you have no other options.

I am hoping that I can help some of you learn more about the different options that you do have when it comes to saving your home from foreclosure. There are many options for anyone who is struggling with the thought of trying to get caught up on their monthly payments. If you can look in the right places, you are bound to find something that sounds quite reasonable to you. You will find that there are many different websites available to you over the internet that can provide a great deal of helpful information regarding foreclosure. They also provide details about some of the different things that you yourself can do that might potentially prevent having your home taken away from you. If you allow yourself to stress out about it, then chances are you will not be able to think clearly enough to get the appropriate things accomplished. In California you have 120 days from the date the lender files a notice of default until your house is sold on the courthouse steps. It's important that you work in a very timely manner.

Don't bury your head in the sand. Take time to speak with your mortgage lender about the payments you're behind. They could possibly choose to work something out with you. Many lenders have programs that will catch up your back payments a little bit at a time, added to your regular monthly payment. This solution is usually more for someone who has just had a temporary setback. After all, if you could pay more than your regular payment, you probably wouldn't be in trouble, would you?

Ufortunately, times like these bring every con there is out of the woodwork. There are different companies that might claim that they can help you out with your foreclosure threat. Please make sure that you thoroughly investigate them and don't be afraid to ask for references. Many times those guys are totally not legit and will just end up ripping you off, causing you even more problems that you do not want. Be sure to take any contracts to a Real Estate lawyer or your Realtor if someone is offering to pay your back payments. You may just be signing over title to your house and not even realize it.

Lenders will swear they can help you refinance just to find out 30 wasted days down the road they can't really do anything for you at all. Many "hard money" lenders will promise you a refinance even if "you have bad credit". The interest rates on those loans are so high, you just end up burying yourself deeper.

Really, one of the best places to start is by speaking with your own mortgage company today. If you are struggling or getting behind on your monthly payments, they should be able to discuss with you some options for catching things up. They seem to be a little more co-operative these days since they have so many more foreclosures on the books. They can possibly re-write your loan, maybe hold off your adjustable loan adjustment for a few months, etc.

If you are tired of fighting it, you may decide you want to sell. These days many people are living in houses where there is more owed on the property than it's worth. Your lender can also help you with what they call a "short sale", where they will settle for less than is owed to get the property off their "worry list". If you decide to take this option, be sure and speak to your accountant. Even tho you won't be making any cash on the sale, there are usually tax consequences you should be aware of.

I don’t generally write much about politics. I figure “to each his own”. Most the time I figure we are just trying to vote for the lesser of two evils, but being a woman I found the following quite interesting.
According to an article by Bobby Eberle on Welcome to the Loft.com when it comes to "future President" wannabe, Barak Obama, "the more we get to know him, the more we realize that his actions are quite different than his "hope and change" rhetoric.

As an example, take his recent speech about pay discrimination between men and women. Obama told the audience in Albuquerque, NM that he supports "a Senate bill to make it easier to sue an employer for pay discrimination." Yet, upon a review of Obama's payroll, we learn that women are paid less than men. Keep talking Sen. Obama.

As reported by CNSNews.com, "While Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has vowed to make pay equity for women a top priority if elected president, an analysis of his Senate staff shows that women are outnumbered and out-paid by men. That is in contrast to Republican presidential candidate John McCain's Senate office, where women, for the most part, out-rank and are paid more than men."

In his speech, Obama spoke about how his single mom worked to raise her family. He spoke of hardships of his grandmother, and also his wife. He set the stage beautifully by noting the successes of these women... then what did he do? He blasted Sen. John McCain, saying, "But when you look at our records and our plans on issues that matter to working women, the choice could not be clearer. ... It starts with equal pay."
It starts with equal pay? Did he seriously say that with a straight face? As CNSNews.com notes in their analysis, "On average, women working in Obama's Senate office were paid at least $6,000 below the average man working for the Illinois senator." CNSNews.com also points out that "of the five people in Obama's Senate office who were paid $100,000 or more on an annual basis, only one -- Obama's administrative manager -- was a woman."
In contrast, women outnumbered men on McCain's Senate payroll by 30 to 16. The women were paid an average of $3,000 more than the men.

In his speech Obama said, "We can't afford an economy where folks keep working harder for less. We can't let the women in our workforce get paid even less for doing the same work." Oh really? It appears that Obama, as an employer, has no problems doing exactly what he is speaking against. I guess he means "other" employers. Certainly we shouldn't look at what his own hiring practices really are, right? This is just one other part of his record that he'd prefer be kept out of the spotlight.

Near the end of his speech, Obama said, "I want my daughters to grow up in an America where they have opportunities that are even greater than their mother had, or their grandmothers, or their great grandmothers -- an America where our daughters truly have the same opportunities as our sons."

Note to Obama's daughters.... Don't go to work for your dad."

I thought this was hilarious and just points out once again how Obama is just another politician that says one thing and does another.

To see the full article, please visit the link above.

Food poisoning is an acute gastroenteritis caused by the consumption of a food material or a drink which contains pathogenic micro organisms, their toxins, or poisonous chemicals. Food poisoning is common in hostels, hotels, communal feedings, and festival seasons. A group of people will be affected with same type of symptoms, and they give a history of consumption of a common food just a few hours earlier.

Types of food poisoning are:

1. Bacterial food poisoning: Here the micro organisms called bacteria are responsible.The food material may contain the pathogenic bacteria or their toxin, and will be ingested along with the food.
2. Non bacterial food poisoning: Due to the presence of toxic chemicals like fertilizers, insecticides, heavy metals and etc.

Since bacterial food poisoning is most common that is what I'll discuss here.

All bacteria are not harmful. There are some pathogenic bacteria which secrete toxins and cause clinical manifestations. These organisms enter the human body through food articles or drinks. Food poisoning occurs:

1. When there is a presence of bacteria in water.
2. The raw materials for the food may contain toxins.
3. Premises where the food is prepared may contain micro organisms or toxins.
4. Food handlers may have some infectious diseases.
5. Some animals like dogs or rats may contaminate the food.
6. If prepared food is kept at room temperature for a long time and heated again, there's a chance for food poisoning.

Then we've all heard horror stories of what people who prepare your food can do to it. That is why it's good to be aware of how clean the places appear to be where you eat.

Some common bacterial food poisonings are:

1. Salmonella food poisoning. There are actually three different varieties of salmonella bacteria, salmonella typhimurium, salmonella cholera suis, salmonella enteritis. These bacteria are present in milk, milk products and eggs. Symptoms of this food poisoning include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Fever is also common.
2. Botulism. This is the dangerous type of food poisoning caused by clostridium botulinum. The spores of these organisms are seen in the soil and enters the human body through pickles and canned fish, etc. Compared to other food poisonings, here vomiting and diarrhoea are rare. Mainly the nervous system is affected.The symptoms start with double vision, numbness with weakness. Later there will be paralysis with cardiac and respiratory failure ending in death.
3. Staphylococcal food poisoning. It is caused by staphylococcus aureus. These organisms usually cause skin troubles like boils and eruptions. It causes mastitis in the cow. Through milk and milk products it enters the body and causes gastroenteritis. There will be vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhoea.
4. Closteridium food poisoning. This is caused by closteridium perfringens. They are present in stool, soil and water. They enter the body through meat, meat dishes, and eggs. If food articles are cooked and kept at room temperature for a long time and heated again before eating, this kind of food poisoning can be the result. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramps.
5. Bacillus cereus. The spores of these organisms can survive cooking and cause gastroenteritis. Diarrhoea and vomiting is common in this infection.

So how to do you investigate food poisoning? First, examine each and every person affected. Were more in your party sick besides you? Get a water sample and have it tested. Are the kitchen, store room and food samples clean and cared for properly? The cook and food handlers should be questioned and examined to see if they are passing along illnesses to you. When you see a doctor they will take samples of vomit and stool of all victims to be tested for identifying the bacteria.

How can you prevent food poisoning? The truth is you can't always, especially when you're on vacation, but here are a few tips.

1. Only purified water should be used.
2. Hygiene should be maintained by all persons keeping contact with food.
3. Workers should use masks, cap and gloves during cooking and serving.
4. Sick individuals should not come in contact with food materials.
5. Kitchen and premises should be neat and clean.
6. Vessels should be washed with soap and hot water.
7. Should not keep the prepared food for a long time at room temperature.
8. All food materials should be kept in closed containers.
9. Animals like dogs, cats, rats, etc. should not come in contact with food materials.
10. Vegetables should be washed before cooking.
11. Meat should be fresh and should be purchased from a recognised slaughter house.

These are great tips if you are at home, but when you're out they are not always very practical. One of the main things for protecting yourself is to make sure what you eat is fully cooked. We all remember the outbreaks of food poisoning from hamburger and poultry not being cooked enough. Visiting the local hospital for any reason while on vacation usually isn't a pleasant experience.

Once again the FDA appears to be on the side of "Big Pharma" to help doctors sell us more drugs. They suggest physicians combine counseling with medication, and are encouraged to suggest anyone who wants to quit smoking go on some sort of drug. The latest and considered to be the most effective is Chantix, and even tho the FDA for a second time has instructed Pfizer, Inc. to put stronger warnings on the packages, they push us in that direction.

The new warnings will appear in the WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS sections of the Chantix prescribing information. This a stronger form of WARNING that the one set last year. This warning comes after confirming that 39 suicides have occurred in patients taking varenicline (Chantix). Eighty-seven percent of those suicides have occurred in the United States.

If you google Chantix, you can find many message boards with so many comments, good and bad concerning this drug. Many people have had great success with the only side effects being nausea or wild dreams. Unfortunately there are also the stories of:

1) the guitarist, who after taking the drug for one week, mixed it with alcohol, became extremely violent and confused, beat up his girlfriend, kicked in his neighbor's door, to be shot dead by the neighbor
2)Dad-of-two Wayne Marshall, 36, was found hanging shortly after finishing a 13-week course of Chantix.
Wife Emma, 28, said: "He went downhill so quickly. He stopped going out. He closed himself off completely from everybody."
3) TV editor Omer Jama, 39, slashed his wrists at his home in Bolton last October.

A further 62 suicidal-type reactions have been reported to the medicines regulator. ( Lucy Thornton 21/01/2008)

Due to the fact that when you're having a "psychotic episode" you're probably the last one to know it, the directions tell you to advise friends, family, co-workers to bring it to your attention if they notice differences in your behavior such as increased agitation, violence, or depression.

Lois Biener, a researcher of tobacco use and control efforts at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, said most people who quit do so without smoking-cessation drugs.There's little evidence that these drugs are superior in the long run to quitting without help, and while a few studies have shown some benefit, it's "way less than what is claimed" by medication advocates, Biener said.

I found it interesting that the new guidelines for physicians were headed by Dr. Michael Fiore, an expert on smoking and health issues, and was a consultant to the maker of Chantix. Of course he says he has no ties to the drug, but I can't help but feel he may be a little biased. I also found it interesting that three of 24 panelists who wrote the guidelines reported "significant financial interests" in the pharmaceutical industry, including speaking fees and stock ownership. What a coincidence!

God Bless you if you are trying to quit or have quit smoking. God knows, I should quit, but like other drugs that doctors tout for money vs. my well being, this one scares me a little too much.