So, if you are in a situation where you find that accumulated credit card debt is snapping at your financial heels, then it is time for credit card debt elimination. Here are a few practical ways how you can pay off credit card debt:

1. Use your credit card for emergencies only: It is impossible to altogether stop using your credit card. But it is definitely possible to use it strictly only for making emergency payments. So, step one is to stop using your credit card for luxury shopping, traveling, entertainment and eating out, and focusing its use on absolute necessities such as gas, groceries, etc.

2. Pay more than the minimum credit card debt: Credit card companies are tricky guys — they tell you they are making life easier for you by paying only a small percentage (2 to 3%) of your outstanding, and then they charge you a whopping interest on the unpaid balance. The result is disastrous — you keep spending more and paying only the minimum due, and your debt keeps accumulating. Therefore, if you want to get rid of credit card debt, you must pay more than the minimum amount due. Gradually, the interest amount will keep coming down and you will be able to repay the outstanding amount in a phased manner.

3. Take a home loan: Sure, the sub-prime market crash may have made taking a home loan an onerous task, but if you have a home and a whole lot of credit card debts, then mortgage your home, take a low-interest loan, and repay off the high-interest credit card debt. Remember, interest paid on home loans is a deductible expense and that is another benefit you derive with these loans. Of course, the primary advantage is that you are using this cash for repaying that monster credit card debt that is hanging around your neck!

4. Borrow from other sources: if you do not have a home to mortgage, then consider borrowing using your life insurance policy or your 401(k) plan. However, remember this: when you are borrowing to repay off expensive credit card debt, then you must not begin splurging once you square it up. Adopt austerity measures and concentrate on paying off the new loan in your life.

5. Shift balances: Analyze your credit cards and you will find that some of them have a lower rate of interest. If you do have such low interest cards, then shift the outstanding balances from your high-interest cards to these.

6. Negotiate with the credit card companies: If nothing else seems to be working, then it’s time to have a sit-down with your credit card company and place the cards on the table. Tell them that you are unable to pay the outstanding balances, and if they want their money back they will have to restructure the credit card debt. Every credit card company will sacrifice something to get their outstanding back, and nine times out of ten they will plan a good repayment deal for you.

That was how to pay off credit card debt faster. We hope the information was useful. And, good luck to you on finishing off your unwanted credit card debt.

About the Author:

Paul Sarwana offers credit card debt reduction tips to help debtors build confidence in improving their financial situation. Continue reading to get more tips on how to pay off credit card debt plus learn ways to reduce credit card debt and become debt free.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Different Ways to Pay Off Credit Card Debt

Granta Paul Auster Interview

A good piece for reference.  Full list please go:

http://rainbowboat.com/100best.php

Books for All Ages
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Books for Preschoolers
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin, Jr.
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
Corduroy by Don Freeman
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Books for Ages 4-8
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
Strega Nona by Tomie De Paola
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
How the Grinch Stole Christma by Dr. Seuss
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by John Archambault
The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
Are You My Mother? by Philip D. Eastman
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
Curious George by Hans Augusto Rey
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox
Arthur series by Marc Tolon Brown
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
The Art Lesson by Tomie De Paola
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Clifford, the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch

Books for Ages 9-12
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Little House on the Prarie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
The BFG by Roald Dahl
The Giver by Lois Lowry
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Ramona Quimby by Beverly Cleary
The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder – Laura Ingalls Wilder Webquest
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Stuart Little by E. B. White
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

Books for Young Adults
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
The Cay by Theodore Taylor
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

About the Author:

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – 100 Best Children Books

Persistence of Memory by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Obedience is an essential part of everyday life of members of modern society. This word has become a synonym of good work and quality performance in the work place. People who are obedient are more likely to be accepted by the society and comforted by it, because disobedience usually means severe consequences especially when an order or a request comes from someone in direct authority to the object. In today’s world people are becoming more and more distanced from their own understanding of things happening around them and thus are easily involved in matters that might be highly unpleasant for them. This happens because the major responsibility is taken by someone, a usually unseen and remote person who is in charge. The comprehension of the whole matter does not occur to the obedient object and thus for both parties, those who order and those who perform, it is much easier now to do things that would not be done if complete responsibility was taken by a single person.

Stanley Milgram’s experiment is well known as an experiment of human willingness to obey the orders of authority, even if there is no real authority and no necessity to follow the orders. The whole experiment was based on the ‘teachers’ and ‘learners’ functions, one of them being asked questions and the other answered. The ‘learner’ was an actor who pretended to experience pain from shocks that were given to him by the ‘teacher’ in case of a wrong or no answer. The experiment has revealed numerous interesting observations which were not evident about human nature prior to its start. It became clear that people no matter what profession they held, or if they were employed at all were eager to please an authority figure, who in this situation was the experimenter, professor in a white coat. The evidence of a serious experiment proved by the appropriate environment, as in a real scientific laboratory, made ‘teachers’ behave in a determined way and imposed a meaning of high significance of what they were doing. Moreover the presence of the professor made them ‘punish’ a wrong answer severer than when he was talking to them over the phone. It shows that people are more likely to follow orders when the authority figure is in their obvious proximity.

Another side of the experiment carried a social meaning to the ‘teachers’ and even when the person in the electric chair started screaming as if from pain, 65% of them continued increasing the voltage as they were told so by the professor. They were eager to please the authority and also did not want to look impolite or unreliable. This feeling of higher power over them ordering what to do and realization of the importance of the experiment strengthened by white walls of the lab unified into desire to continue obeying.

A few people in the course of the experiment requested to stop it and refused to continue when the screaming from the nest room began. Those people explained their behavior by not willing to be responsible for the lives or health of those under shock. It is clear that those people understood and took consequences of this experiment as their own personal responsibility and were not ready to take it. From that one can make a conclusion that when people feel the weight of the consequences in the future for what they do now, they are not likely to follow orders that can lead to bed results, personally for them. They are thinking from the perspective of their individual life not from the perspective of doing harm and causing pain for others, although that also could be one of the factors.

An interesting notion of people’s self imagine is also an important factor that has to be taken into consideration when investigation obedience to authority. When a person is used to see a certain image of himself/herself it is difficult to make them believe different. Thus when something is ordered that contradicts with their usual self image, people tend to disregard the experience or interpret it in a way that would suit their life. In the Milgram’s experiment ‘teachers’ viewed themselves and what they were doing as an important discovery in the scientific world rather than a pain causing trial. It follows that humans are most likely to obey when they believe in the good and important side of the matter and when they are assured in their goodness. Basically the combination of the authoritative command, respect for the authority, willingness to be a good member of the team, and a feeling of self importance typically contributes to obedience.

About the Author:

Jeff Stats is a staff writer at college essay writing service Mindrelief.net that provides highest quality custom term papers, and research papers.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Obedience to Authority

Four Brothers $2.99 …

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A Home at the End of the World $2.49 A STORY THAT CHRONICLES A DOZEN YEARS IN THE LIVES OF TWO BESTFRIENDS. THE FILM CHARTS A JOURNEY OF TRIALS, TRIUMPHS, LOVES & LOSSES. NOTHE QUESTION IS: CAN THEY NAVIGATE THE UNUSUALTRIANGLE THEY’VE CREATED & HOLD THEIR FRIENDSHIP TOGETHER?…

The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement $13.00 Written in a fast-paced thriller style, The Goal is the gripping novel which is transforming management thinking throughout the Western world. The author has been described by Fortune as a ‘guru to industry’ and by Businessweek as a ‘genius’. It is a book to recommend to your friends in industry – even to your bosses – but not to your competitors. Alex Rogo is a harried plant manager working ever …

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The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity $16.63 For more than three decades, Jeffrey D. Sachs has been at the forefront of international economic problem solving.  But Sachs turns his attention back home in The Price of Civilization, a book that is essential reading for every American. In a forceful, impassioned, and personal voice, he offers not only a searing and incisive diagnosis of our country’s economic ills but also an urgent call…

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Home at the End of the World [VHS] $1.91 Colin Farrell takes a break from action flicks (S.W.A.T., Alexander) to make A Home at the End of the World, an intimate film based on a novel by Michael Cunningham (author of The Hours). As a boy, Bobby (played as an adult by Farrell) loses both parents and his beloved older brother, ending up more-or-less adopted by the family of his best friend, Jonathan (played as an adult by Dallas Roberts). …

As a publicist I get asked by clients and authors about going to the National Publicity Summit in New York.  I’ve attended almost every Summit since Steve Harrison started it and go once or twice a year to create new media relationships, maintain old ones and of course, to pitch my clients to the media.  Through the Summit, I’ve gotten clients booked on Fox News, PBS, CNBC, MSNBC and a number of national magazines.

I represent a lot of authors. Here’s the problem: authors have to do most of the promotion of their books if they want them to sell.  Even if you’ve been picked up by one of the big publishing houses, they only do so much to get you media attention.  This is the reality.

So, let’s say you decide to get media attention yourself.  You plan your trip to New York City, where most of the big media are headquartered. You roll into Manhattan with your strategy all laid out: ‘First, I’m going to try to meet with the producer of Good Morning America, and then I’m going to Fox News, and then I’m going to see the guy at Reuters. After lunch, I’m going to try to talk to the Today Show and then I’m going to stop by and see if I can talk to the producer of 60 Minutes.’

Forget about it.  It’s not going to happen.

Reason #1 why I recommend the Summit for many people is access, one-on-one, to these media gatekeepers in a very efficient and organized event.  But is it for every author?  Depending on your situation, it may or may not make sense to go.  I’d recommend it if you have a consumer-oriented, non-fiction topic.  Does it have broad audience appeal?  Can your book help the average person in their day-to-day lives?  If so, then it makes sense for you to consider attending.

If you have a highly technical topic such as how computers work, or one about a historical event such as WWII, it probably doesn’t make sense to go to the Publicity Summit, unless you can connect your book to current trends.  (In fact, the Summit staff will probably turn down your application if they feel that the media would not be interested in the topic.)   Generally, fiction, poetry and books about localized topics will not do well at the Summit.  For example, a book about the best bars in Chicago would probably not be of interest to the national media who attend the Summit.

Should you go if you feel you’re not ready to meet the media?  Here’s the dirty little secret: no-one feels ready.  Don’t worry about that. If you’re an expert with a decent topic with a unique angle, the Summit can work for you.  Go there to build relationships, yes, but also go to get feedback from the news industry professionals.  I’ve seen people before the Summit starts coming in thinking they’re heading in one direction, then after having interacted with 100 journalists and producers, leaving with all new information or direction: a better book title, the perfect pitch, new business ventures and relationships.

I’m such a fan of Steve Harrison and his National Publicity Summit that I am now an affiliate for the Summit.  If you are interested in attending please check out this link: http://www.nationalpublicitysummit.com/?10373

About the Author:

About the author: Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm which specializes in marketing authors, doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC Nightly News, ESPN, The New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, NPR, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Family Circle, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few. To discuss how Westwind Communications helps its clients get all the publicity they deserve and more visit http://www.westwindcos.com/book or call 734-667-2090 or email scottlorenz@westwindcos.com. For info on the National Publicity Summit visit: http://www.nationalpublicitysummit.com/?10373

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – National Publicity Summit – Should You Go? Article

Saboteur [VHS] Robert Cummings stars as Barry Kane, a patriotic munitions worker who is falsely accused of sabotage, in this wartime thriller from Alfred Hitchcock. Plastered across the front page of every newspaper and hated by the nation, Kane’s only hope of clearing his name is to find the real villain. If this sounds a bit like Hitchcock’s later North by Northwest, it is. There are interesting echoes through…

Reluctant Debutante [VHS] $19.98 …

Cleopatra [VHS] $4.98 This 1963 extravaganza, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, is certainly an epic historical drama with all the elements: elaborate sets, intricate costuming, name actors, a factual basis, and an overlong script (just over four hours). But the acting is well performed and the backdrops are lush, making this a film worth seeing. Elizabeth Taylor is Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen who seduces Julius Caes…

Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine: Volumes 1 and 2, 18th Edition $99.82 The most trusted textbook in medicine — featuring the acclaimed Harrison’s DVD with 57 additional chapters and exclusive video and tutorials Now presented in TWO VOLUMES Extensively revised and expanded by the world’s leading physicians, Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, 18e continues to set the standard as the pinnacle of current medical knowledge and practice, …

Destined to Reign: The Secret to Effortless Success, Wholeness and Victorious Living $9.12 You were destined to reign in every challenge! Learn how to live victoriously in the abundant life that God has already provided for you….

Sky Ashton’s Big Book of Sex: Boxed Set (54 Erotic XXX Stories) $9.99 Sky Ashton’s Big Book of Sex is a boxed set collection including both of Ashton’s #1 Bestselling Series-The Pleasure Diaries and Sexcapades-combined with her newest trilogy, Instant Erotica. This fifty-four story collection combines all nine books into one giant scintillating anthology. At nearly 500 pages, this compilation offers the best of the best-from public sex to the paranormal, handsome hu…

Joseph Abboud Men’s Harrison Slip-on $198.95 The Joseph Abboud men’s Harrison slip-on is the apex of sophisticated style and comfort. Constructed with pebbled leather uppers, this slip-on includes elegant contrast stitching, and a chic metal embellishment across the top strap. The casual day loafer also includes a full leather lining for enhanced comfort, a padded insole, and a segmented rubber sole for a durable, yet flexible, step….

As I Call You Down (Dig) $5.96 20101 debut from this trio featuring Ben Harper, Dhani Harrison (George’s son) and Joseph Arthur. The trio formed in early 2010 and wasted little time before laying down tracks for what would become As I Call You Down. Ben Harper is no stranger to the music world. Having met FOM band-mate Dhani Harrison while skating, the two were unaware of each other’s background in the industry for months. Once…

Psalms of David Complete $99.74 This complete 12-disc survey of The Psalms of David from St. Paul’s Cathedral is both a remarkable historical record of Anglican chant at its finest and an astonishing musical experience. Contained here are all 150 psalms in their traditional English garb from the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, with revised or entirely new musical settings as published in The New St. Paul’s Cathedral Psalter, edited …

Christmas with the Dale Warland Singers $14.50 The Dale Warland Singers make their debut on Gothic with a beautiful new Christmas CD, featuring imaginative arrangements of carols from around the world. The sound is incomparable!…

Good Morning America reported that Christina Applegate, 36, decided on double mastectomy to ensure that she won’t be bothered by breast cancer again in her lifetime. Although doctors do not totally eliminate the possibility of a recurrence, prophylactic mastectomy reduces the risk by about 95%.

How far would you go to ensure your own survival?

Oncologists described Ms. Applegate’s decision as a “courageous act”, while most women her age and stature may have opted otherwise to receive chemotherapy and radiation. Christina did not have much of an option, as the genetic testing which was performed on her, when she had a lumpectomy, showed a grim picture – BRCA1 positive.

The presence of the genetic mutation, BRCA1, indicates a patient is more likely to develop cancer in her lifetime or have a recurrence, even if earlier efforts to halt cancer proved successful. Apparently, Ms. Applegate would not want to put up a comic act when her life is put on the line. A tough decision, it must have been for her, but she decided to tread the unbeaten path for most celebrities.

But she only had cancer in one breast – did she over-react to treatment?

Unfortunately for Christina, the presence of the BRCA1 gene runs in her family as her mother was also stricken with cancer. Perhaps this family history firmed up Christina’s decision not to think twice about a double mastectomy.

Not everyone would have the courage to make this decision in such a short period of time like Christina did, but one thing is certain, there is more to life than having to worry about a pair of breasts. When forced to choose between keeping them or losing one’s life, most would surely – albeit grudgingly – put up a heroic act like Christina’s.

About the Author:

Christiene Bowden invites you to check on iwearitwell, a one-of-a-kind online store that sells head wraps, comfort wear and coordinates for cancer-patients and those suffering from hair loss or alopecia. You may also register to iwearitwell’s newsletter for updates on cancer research, latest news and issues.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Actress Christina Applegate Puts Up a Heroic Act

Favorite Books Review #8: The Andalite Chronicles

Those ideals about peace, love, and understanding are not necessarily Christian–they are part and parcel of all honest beliefs, including freethinkers/atheism. Morality isn’t something that any religion or belief (or lack thereof) has a specific claim to.

Your question confuses three people with “so many hard core atheists.” Most atheists are respectable, moral people who conduct themselves just like you do. The reason these _three particular_ authors may come off as “hard core” is because they may be as reactionary as Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson–they disagree vehemently and they make their vehemence known.

But that has nothing to do with atheism by itself or with basic humanity and moral behavior. By confusing the two, you do yourself a disservice–you refuse to understand, something you’ve stated is quite important to your code of conduct.

Duet $1.99 …

Anastasia [VHS] $3.20 Stomping out their usual cuteness and carbon copying Disney’s grand animation style to a T, directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman (An American Tail) create a successful musical comedy from the story of the lost Russian princess. Adapting the story of imperialism and revolution is tricky, and subsequently the film’s opening is weak. Once Anya (voiced by Meg Ryan, sung by Liz Callaway) is a teenager…

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28 Days Later [UMD for PSP] $5.51 An infirmary patient awakens from a coma to an empty room, in a vacant hospital, in a deserted city. A powerful virus, which locks victims into a permanent state of murderous rage, has transformed the world around him into a seemingly desolate wasteland. Now a handful of survivors must fight to stay alive, unaware that the worst is yet to come? Hailed as the most frightening film since The Exorci…

Blame Hitchens, Dawkins & Harris–Essays of a New Atheist $0.99 A collection of humorous, witty, pro-atheistic essays that entertain as well as inform. (Approximately 10,000 words.)…

Atheism: the Good, the Bad & the Ugly $2.99 Nothing is sacred–not even atheism! G.M. Jackson, an atheist and author of How to Prove God Does Not Exist and The Jesus Delusion, takes an introspective look at atheism and exposes the delusions many atheists have while preserving their most profound insights. The result is “Atheism: the Good, the Bad & the Ugly.” (Approximately 42,000 words.) This book is not for the close-minded nor the faint-…

Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity $9.71 For about two decades John W. Loftus was a devout evangelical Christian, an ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and an ardent apologist for Christianity. With three degrees–in philosophy, theology, and philosophy of religion–he was adept at using rational argumentation to defend the faith. But over the years, as he ministered to various congregations and taught at Christian colleges, doub…

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The Complete Psalms of David (Limited Edition) (Box Set) $168.21 …

Terror & Magnificence $16.98 European Version Featurting a 42 Page Inlay. Features Collaborative Work from Elvis Costello, Sarah Leonard, William Purefoy, and Andy Sheppard….