Retailers' price war can save you big bucks

20 hrs.

This holiday season, the hottest trend among retailers isn't found on a store shelf. It's taking place at the cash register.

Major retailers, from Best Buy to Toys R Us, are promising to match their competitors' prices. Generally customers just need to bring in an advertisement or printout to prove that the same item is available elsewhere at a lower price. In some cases, shoppers can come back with a receipt and get a refund for the difference if the price of an item they bought fell.

Best Buy, Target, Walmart and Sears offer price matching to customers all year round. But what's different now is that Best Buy and Target are matching online retailers such as Amazon.com for the first time. That's a big deal, since online prices tend to be lower than those at stores.

Shoppers will be able to save some extra money, but they're going to have to read a lot of fine print to do so.

"Price matching sounds good, but there are so many exclusions, it sometimes isn't as good as it sounds," says Edgar Dworsky, the founder of ConsumerWorld.org, which tracks deals for shoppers.

For instance, Target limits the number of online retailers that it will price match against to just five. Best Buy has selected 20, but only matched online prices from Nov. 1 to Nov. 17 and will start again from Nov. 27 to Dec. 24.

Toys R Us is offering price matching for the first time and will only match prices that customers find in other brick-and-mortar stores. Walmart also matches against in-store prices. However, both retailers will match prices found on their own websites if the prices are lower than what you find in their stores. It's not uncommon for retailers to offer steeper discounts online than in their actual stores. (But Toys R Us says it won't match prices on its own website if the item is marked as an "online-only price.")

Even the most experienced bargain hunters can get tripped up by all the rules. But shoppers can save some money if they're diligent.

"It really is a way to save money and shop at the store you want instead of one that's inconvenient," says Dworsky.

Here are five ways to get the most out of price matching offers:

1. Know the policy
If you want to take advantage of a price match offer, read the store's policy closely. You can find the guidelines on the store's website.

Print out the policy and bring it with you. Having a hard copy will be helpful if you need to argue your case.

"Know their policy backwards or you may be bluffed into thinking something doesn't qualify," says Dworsky.

2. Bring proof
Always bring the advertisement or the printed web page for the item you want to price match. Walmart doesn't require bringing the ad because it says cashiers have access to all local advertisements. But Dworsky recommends bringing ads in anyway. If there's any confusion, you'll be better prepared to make your case no matter where you shop.

The cashiers and customer representatives are always looking for a reason not to approve the transaction, says Dworsky.

3. Save receipts
Some retailers will give you money back if you see a lower price after you buy an item. Keep a hold of your receipts and, particularly for big-ticket items, continue to look for lower prices.

Best Buy will issue refunds until the end of January. Toys R Us lets you seek a refund up to seven days after buying an item. Sears customers can get a refund after 14 days. Target is letting customer's price match against brick-and-mortar retailers until Dec. 24 for any item bought after Nov. 1. You can only ask Target to match the price of an online retailer until Dec. 16.

4. Go straight to the customer service desk
Many retailers have hired cashiers specifically for the holiday rush, so the new employees may not be up-to-speed on the store's price-matching policy. Heather Wheeler, who runs savings website TheKrazyCouponLady.com, recommends handling the transaction at the customer service desk instead on the cashier.

"(Those staffers are) trained a little more and are more knowledgeable," says Wheeler.

5. Look beyond retailers
You can also price match depending on how you pay. PayPal, the payment processer, promises to match a lower price if you've already made a purchase using the service. That includes airline tickets. PayPal will match the prices of retailers that don't let customers use PayPal, however. Just fill out a form and upload a receipt when you find a lower price. PayPal will give you back up to $1,000 for all purchases made until Dec. 31.

You should also ask your credit card company to see if it offers price matching. It's rare, but there are a few cards that do.

Citi just launched a program for its credit card holders. Called the Citi Price Rewind program, it promises to do the work for you. Register your purchases made on the Citi credit card online and it will send you a check for the difference if it finds a lower price from an online retailer.

The program is aimed at pricier purchases: It will only issue a discount if the price difference is $25 or more. Citi will give you the amount up to $250 for each item, and up to $1,000 a year. Of course, you're going to need pay your credit card bill in full and not incur interest charges to truly make this a deal.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/retailers-price-war-can-save-shoppers-big-bucks-1C7308451

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    Bersani wins big in Italian centre-left primary

    ROME (Reuters) - Pier Luigi Bersani won a run-off primary by a huge margin on Sunday to become the Italian centre-left candidate for prime minister in national elections early next year.

    Bersani has said repeatedly that in power he would stick to tough budget commitments made by technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti, but seek to soften the impact on workers and the poor and put more emphasis on economic growth.

    Markets have expressed some wariness over an alliance between Bersani, who is head of the center-left Democratic Party and a former communist, and a party called Left, Ecology and Freedom.

    "They won and we did not," Bersani's rival for the center-left candidacy, fellow Democratic Party member Matteo Renzi, said at a rally in his native Florence, where he conceded defeat.

    "Congratulations and we wish you well."

    With some 80 percent of the 9,200 polling places reporting, Bersani had 60.8 percent of votes to 39.1 percent for Renzi. The results were in line with two exit polls.

    Bersani, 61, will now stand in national elections, likely in March, against a still-to-be-chosen center-right candidate to take over from Monti.

    The contrast was strong between the bald, slow speaking professorial Bersani and Renzi, who bounced around platforms at rallies in open shirts and jeans.

    Renzi had painted himself as a Kennedy-esque reformer, saying Italy's largest center-left party needed a big shakeup.

    He had accused the older generation of the Democratic Party of failing to present a credible alternative, allowing former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's center right to govern for so long.

    Monti, favorite of the business community, has said he will not be a candidate next year but might come back if the election does not provide a clear winner.

    Another possible future role for him is as president of the republic and guarantor that austerity reforms agreed with Italy's European partners continue.

    Italy's gross public debt is equivalent to 126 percent of national output, according to the IMF.

    Berlusconi's scandal-plagued right, forced from government by the financial crisis a year ago, is in disarray.

    Berlusconi said on Monday he would wait to see who wins the center-left primary before deciding whether to run himself. He has repeatedly changed his mind in the last few weeks on whether to do so.

    Some analysts said the victory by Bersani might spur Berlusconi to get back into the game.

    "Indeed, a Bersani-led PD is likely to embolden Silvio Berlusconi to form his own party in the hope of keeping the center left out of power and reviving the fortunes of Italy's center right," said Nicholas Spiro, managing director of Spiro Sovereign Strategy in London.

    (Additional reporting by Silvia Ognibene in Florence and James Mackenzie in Rome; Editing by Andrew Roche)

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bersani-seen-winning-italys-centre-left-primary-exit-192649816--spt.html

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    Egypt's Morsi: Dec. 15 referendum on constitution

    AAA??Dec. 1, 2012?2:39 PM ET
    Egypt's Morsi: Dec. 15 referendum on constitution
    AP

    A supporter of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi holds a Quran and a poster of the president at a rally in front of Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. Tens of thousands of people waving Egyptian flags and hoisting large pictures of the president are demonstrating across Egypt Saturday in support of Morsi and Islamic law. The rally, organized by the Muslim Brotherhood, is seen as a test of strength for Islamists seeking to counteract large opposition protests held this past week by liberal and secular groups who the Brotherhood say do not represent the vast majority of Egyptians. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)

    A supporter of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi holds a Quran and a poster of the president at a rally in front of Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. Tens of thousands of people waving Egyptian flags and hoisting large pictures of the president are demonstrating across Egypt Saturday in support of Morsi and Islamic law. The rally, organized by the Muslim Brotherhood, is seen as a test of strength for Islamists seeking to counteract large opposition protests held this past week by liberal and secular groups who the Brotherhood say do not represent the vast majority of Egyptians. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)

    In this image made with a mobile phone camera, supporters of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi march in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. Thousands of people waving Egyptian flags and hoisting large pictures of the president demonsteated across Egypt in support of the president. The Muslim Brotherhood, from which President Morsi hails, hopes for a large turnout at the Saturday rallies to counter opposition protests. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets twice this week opposing Morsi?s decrees last week to grant himself sweeping powers. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)

    In this image made with a mobile phone camera, a supporter of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi holds a Quran at a rally in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. Thousands of people waving Egyptian flags and hoisting large pictures of the president demonsteated across Egypt in support of the president. The Muslim Brotherhood, from which President Morsi hails, hopes for a large turnout at the Saturday rallies to counter opposition protests. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets twice this week opposing Morsi?s decrees last week to grant himself sweeping powers. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)

    A supporter holds a campaign poster depicting Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi at a rally in front of Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. Tens of thousands of people waving Egyptian flags and hoisting large pictures of the president are demonstrating across Egypt Saturday in support of Morsi and Islamic law. The rallies, organized by the Muslim Brotherhood, are seen as a test of strength for Islamists seeking to counteract large opposition protests held this past week by liberal and secular groups who the Brotherhood say do not represent the vast majority of Egyptians. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)

    CAIRO (AP) ? Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has called for a Dec. 15 referendum on a disputed draft constitution.

    Morsi spoke Saturday in a nationally televised speech to the Islamist-led panel that hurriedly approved the draft charter amid widening opposition from secular and Christian groups.

    Morsi urged Egyptians to participate in the referendum and praised the role of the judiciary in observing past elections. He says the referendum will be a brick in Egypt's democratic experience.

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-01-Egypt/id-2814293cb91c4884a769c6298385c199

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    CSN: Raiders suspend McClain two games

    November 30, 2012, 8:32 am


    ALAMEDA -- As suspected, the Raiders have suspended middle linebacker Rolando McClain two games for "conduct detrimental to the team," the team announced in a release Friday morning, rather than cut him. The unpaid suspension will cost McClain two game checks, totaling $114,117.65.

    "I'm not going to get into any of the specifics of anything that happened, that went into the decision," coach Dennis Allen said following Friday's practice. "That's team-related matters. We're going to keep that in the family."

    Asked if he had talked about it with general manager Reggie McKenzie before issuing the suspension, Allen said he had talked it over with him.

    "But at the end of the day," Allen said, "this was my decision to make."

    The longest the team can suspend a player without pay is four weeks. The Raiders have five games remaining on their schedule.

    With a CBSSportsline report saying a "heated" discussion between McClain and coach Dennis Allen ended with the player being sent off the practice field on Wednesday, Allen said Thursday, "There?s going to be consequences to his actions and it?s a team-related issue."

    Allen would not elaborate further.

    But this much is already out there: after allegedly being kicked out of practice, McClain purportedly took to his Facebook page.

    "Officially no longer an Oakland Raider!!" he wrote, before adding, "Well technically I am. But I'm mentally done. Just waiting on my papers."

    Later: "It's out of my hands right now." Then, "I'm gonna weigh my options. Looking forward to playing for an actual 'team.'" His final post: "I'd like to be anywhere besides here."

    McClain, the disappointing No. 8 overall pick of the 2010 draft out of Alabama, probably gets his wish as he's most likely played his final game with the Raiders, because cutting him would actually be rewarding him, in a sense, with an escape and he'd take his "knowledge" of the Raiders' defensive playbook with him.

    [RELATED: Rolando McClain career stats | 2012 game logs]

    The middle linebacker, who played inside in a 3-4 alignment in college, is still technically owed a prorated $285,294.12 of his $970,000 base salary for 2012, though his two-game, unpaid suspension costs him $114,117.65 of that money. McClain is not a vested veteran, so the Raiders would not be on the hook for any "real" money should they simply cut him -- he would then have to go through waivers and if another team signed him, that team would take over the remainder of this year's salary. But if McClain remains on the Raiders roster for the last three weeks, he would be due the remaining $171,176.47.

    Still, McClain has struggled mightily this season, being taken off the field in nickel packages after Week 4 this season and losing the "green sticker" on his helmet and thus, no longer being the playcaller on defense. In his career, McClain has 6 1/2 sacks, one interception, on forced fumble and no fumble recoveries in 41 games.

    Plus, it was one year ago today when McClain was arrested for, and later convicted of, charges of third-degree assault, menacing, discharging a handgun in city limits and reckless endangerment and was sentenced to six months in jail and slapped with a $2,000 fine. Former coach Hue Jackson allowed him to play the following weekend in Miami.

    Since then, the Raiders are 4-12.

    Earlier this month, after he appealed, the charges were dropped.

    "I'm aware of the bad publicity that I've given the Raiders," McClain said in a statement to reporters back in May. "After talking to Coach (Dennis) Allen, I have the support of the Raiders, my teammates, as well as the coaching staff. I apologize for the bad publicity that's been put out there. But it is a legal process and I can't talk much about it, but I think in due time the Raiders and the Raiders fans that are out there will see it all come to an end. It is what it is; I can't really talk much about it but it will be resolved in the near future."

    With a new regime in place at 1220 Harbor Bay Parkway, McClain was given a clean slate by incoming general manager Reggie McKenzie.

    "Since we've been here, he's been great," McKenzie told a group of reporters in a roundtable session following the end of mandatory minicamp in June. "I'm not going to hold anything over his head about what he's done in the past. We're only concerned what he does from here on out."

    McClain is due to make $4.005 million in base salary in 2013 (with a salary cap number of $6.675 million), $5.805 million in 2014 ($8.475 million cap number) and $2.665 million ($5.085 million cap number) in 2015, all per his rookie contract.

    Source: http://www.csnbayarea.com/11/30/12/Raiders-suspend-McClain-/nbcsportsraiders.html?blockID=808119&feedID=2801

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    Changing Landscapes a Story about Living with HIV 30 Years On

    On December the 1st 2012 it is International AIDS Day; it is thirty years since the beginnings of the HIV pandemic.

    In October 1985 at the age of 24 whilst at the beginnings of my career path I was one of the first people in the UK to be diagnosed as being infected with HIV, the virus now known to cause the medical condition AIDS, my doctors gave me a life expectancy of 18 months.

    In 1985 whilst at the beginning of what appeared to be a bright social work career I attended a routine appointment at a leading London hospital sexual health clinic. During my consultation the doctor suggested to my horror that along with the usual blood tests for syphilis and gonorrhoea I should also have as he termed it ?the AIDS test?. He subsequently explained that as I was gay I was likely to have the disease. This was to be the extent of my pre test counselling where upon I was advised to return in two weeks for the test result.

    At this point in my life I had only just begun to hear about this new disease and had never considered that I may be at risk or that I myself could possibly have the virus. I spent the following two weeks in a state of high anxiety; I shared my news with a few close friends and gathered together as much information as possible. The two weeks passed and I returned to the hospital with a friend to receive my results, my doctor sympathetically informed me that my results were positive and that in the absence of a cure I had 18 months to live. I left the hospital in a state of shock and returned home to an awaiting group of friends who shared my state of anxiety. I was initially unable come to terms with this information and was unable to work; I remember feeling completely immobilised, helpless and terrified by new circumstances.

    Eventually a close friend came to me and informed me that she had heard of an organisation called ?Body Positive? and that it was to hold a social evening at a gay venue called ?The Market Tavern? in London. I was extremely anxious on the evening of the social event and along with my supportive friend found myself in a room filled with other gay men who were also HIV positive, this event was to be a turning point in my life and it was on that evening that I met my first partner who was also living with HIV and was to die of AIDS two years later.

    During my journey I have experienced many losses and many inspirational acts of strength and courage, my career and life paths have taken many unexpected turns and I have lived an unimaginable life. From the moment of my diagnosis I refused to accept an impending death sentence, I rejected the possibility that I would die at an early age as a result of HIV and strategically set about creating a vision for my life; a life that would have purpose, meaning and impact.

    The backdrop of this article is set against the medical and social responses and models to HIV/AIDS and a landscape of death, suffering and dying.?

    At the beginning of the 1980s when the first cases of AIDS were reported in the United Kingdom, AIDS was considered to be a gay men?s disease. This assumption within the developed world and the medical profession led to both hysteria and an avert rise in homophobia. The cause and origins of AIDS were as yet unknown, the ?Human Immunodeficiency Virus? had yet to be isolated and the medical world had only just begun to grasp the concept that AIDS was linked to a breakdown of the immune system. Large numbers of gay men began to get sick and die on both sides of the Atlantic and the medical world was impotent in its attempts to explain or cure for this new frightening disease.

    The general population?s response to AIDS was one of blame, fear and ignorance this was reflected in the apocalyptic government health campaign in the UK, we were bombarded with dark images of tombstones, graveyards and the Grim Reaper. Society was frantic in its search to find the origins of this new disease and blame the assumed perpetrators. These assumptions lead to a rise in prejudice and the mistreatment and isolation of the gay community.

    This was also demonstrated by the medical professions response to AIDS by isolating gay men in side wards, the gowning up in space suits by medical and domiciliary staff. Within local communities there was an increase of violence against gay men on the streets and within their homes. Social services departments were refusing to provide services to gay men or anyone suspected as having AIDS.

    As the AIDS epidemic grew other people began to present with symptoms of AIDS, some of whom were also from marginalized groups such as IV drug users and people from the BME communities. In the early 80?s ?the ?Human Immunodeficiency Virus? was isolated and was recognised to be blood born virus and to be the cause of a medical condition called AIDS. Transmission of the virus was identified as being through blood and blood products, vaginal and seminal fluids and from mother to child during pregnancy or child birth.

    AIDS confronted society with all of its taboos and opened a very large can of worms which required the caring professions, local and central governments, the third and public sectors to review their equality policies, staff training, employment practice and client service provision.

    Issues of equality had to be addressed for the groups who were becoming affected by HIV ensuring that people living with HIV received services, which specifically met their needs and enabled and supported their well-being, human dignity and upheld their human rights.?

    Society was being confronted with many issues which ordinarily it choose to ignore such as Death, Dying and Bereavement, Confidentiality, Addiction, Sexuality, Racism, Disability and Illness. For those of us affected or infected by HIV these issues were high on our agenda, we were gaining confidence and becoming proactively involved in developing health and social care programmes and the new HIV third sector which were to empower and meet the needs of people living with the HIV.

    Within weeks of the gay and lesbian community becoming aware of the first cases of AIDS in the UK amongst gay men ?Body Positive? and the ?Terrance Higgins Trust? were formed, soon social groups, counselling and education services began to develop. These groups were being formed and developed by predominantly well educated, relatively affluent, politically aware gay men and lesbians from a broad spectrum of professions who were increasingly confident and effective in getting their voices heard both locally and nationally and were to become the leading force in the development of services for people infected and affected by HIV. The gay community responded with courage and intelligence in the face of this frightening new disease and was able to join forces as a response to stigma and societies prejudiced reaction. ?

    In the hospitals and clinics around the country large numbers of gay men were presenting with symptoms and opportunistic infections associated now with the virus and the medical condition AIDS. In hospital wards gay men were dying and in the absence of a cure symptoms could only be treated as and when they appeared.

    Death was now on the agenda for a group who had spent their lives believing they were immortal, in a society where death and dying is a taboo subject, rarely discussed and explored. Friends, lovers and on occasions families became the primary careers of the sick and dying men both at home and in hospital settings and in the absence of a cure death was seen as inevitable. Gay men began to make decisions about their health care and treatment and supported by their loved ones began to challenge both doctor patient relationships and the manner in which they utilised health care and social care support services.

    I remained in social work until May 1986 where upon I retired on medical grounds as I felt unable to cope with the associated high stress levels and because I wanted to commit my time to supporting and working alongside people? living with HIV. In October of 1987 I moved to Brighton to work closely with a friend and founder of ?The Sussex AIDS Help line? and for the following 18 months helped operate the telephone support service, raise funds and provide one to one mentoring/counselling in this pioneering support service.

    In 1986 Graham Wilkinson founder of the Sussex AIDS Helpline and I were amongst a small group of gay men convened by Christopher Spence OBE to explore a vision of a innovative new centre for people living with HIV, the centre was to become the London Lighthouse and Christopher Spence it?s director.

    Our vision for this innovative project was to establish a unique holistic centre and residential unit offering respite and hospice type terminal care, a place where people living with HIV and AIDS could receive care, support and treatment in an environment where people living with the virus could embark upon a self empowered and dignified journey of recovery or death and dying. When London Lighthouse opened it become the first centre of its kind and though it received initial opposition went onto become a leading campaigning and educational centre, which provided extensive training and awareness to local government, third and medical sectors throughout the UK and Europe.

    Within local authorities, especially the inner cities large numbers of gay men were for the first time requesting services such as domiciliary care, social work input and housing support, yet local authorities had no experience of this new client group and had no policies, guidelines or trained staff to provide services. Staff within local authorities reacted to this new client group and new medical condition with fear and apprehension and many refused to carryout their duties.

    The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is historically home to a large gay community and is of geographical proximity to Earls Court a traditional gay ghetto in London and close to the Chelsea & Westminster hospital a leading medical centre in the research of and the treatment of people with HIV infection. Within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham one of the first local authorities to provide services to people with HIV and AIDS the first local government officer was appointed with responsibility to develop strategies and services that were responsive to this new challenge. I was subsequently appointed as training officer for HIV and AIDS and set about establishing an extensive HIV/AIDS awareness and training programme for all the local authority staff. An HIV unit was established and further officers were appointed with specific responsibility to address issues for women, housing, drug use and the black minority ethnic (BME) communities. The development of the largest HIV training programmes within the UK was developed and established within the borough which addressed all the taboo subjects raised by AIDS such as Death and Dying and Sexuality. This training programme ensured that staff were trained and supported to provide high quality services to people living with HIV and AIDS.?

    Over the next few years I was to experience my own deteriorating health, the dying and the death of hundreds of gay men in the wider community, two partners, my two closest friends and a young child who I mentored for many years.? In the gay and lesbian community everyone knew someone who had died and everyone knew someone who was dying, open expressions of grief within the pubs and clubs were commonplace and attending funerals became a frequent occurrence. At every turn someone was involved with the care of someone with HIV or AIDS and this consequently meant that many of us were involved on some level in the empowerment of someone who was dying of AIDS. The gay and lesbian community had confronted its denial of death and was actively involved in talking openly about death and dying.? The community was challenging the professions ordinarily associated with dealing with death such as doctors; community based nursing services, the church and undertakers. We were now taking a proactive role in the care of the dying and the dead.

    HIV charities were increasingly offering or supporting education and training on Dying, Death and Bereavement, extensive support group and counselling services were being developed for those living with or affected by AIDS and HIV. Counselling services were specifically developed to assist those who were dying or who were in grief or bereavement. ??

    The development of similar counselling and support services was to be reflected across social services departments and within medical services throughout the UK in addition to the development of numerous independent locally based HIV charities and treatment centres across the UK.

    In modern day Britain the extended family was in decline; replaced by the nuclear family it was unable to maintain responsibility for extended family members especially the elderly, sick or dying. People with long term or terminal health conditions were now placed in hospitals and the elderly in residential homes were they were cared for by strangers with whom they often died. Within the UK 58% of us die in hospitals and yet the hospital was intended to be a place of treatment and recovery from illness. The hospice movement in the UK, which is primarily charity funded and organised is only able to provide a small number bed spaces for the terminally ill and dying throughout the UK. The gay and hospice movement began to demonstrate a mutual sharing of values and principles for the care of the terminally ill and dying and included the rights of the dying to be supported by close friends and family, to be pain free, to die with dignity, to have peace and privacy and to have options and choices of treatment and care.?

    The gay community set about establishing its own resources for the sick and dying, these places include ?London Lighthouse?, The Mildmay Mission? and ?The Sussex Beacon?. In hospital settings the introduction of ?Palliative Care Consultants and Teams? began which provided holistic care packages for people dying as a result of HIV.?

    Medical and Scientific advancement throughout 1990?s resulted in the early introduction of antiviral treatments which are able to interrupt virus activity and slow down the progression of HIV, these drugs could not be tolerated by everyone but they did began to change and extend the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS.

    New drugs such as AZT and DDI were both toxic and had a number of unpleasant side effects; I personally had an extremely violent reaction to AZT and so it was at this point in my treatment history that I decided to take a treatment vacation and only consider treatment that would provide me with quality of life as opposed to quantity of life. I have now been on ?Highly Active antiretroviral Therapy? or highly active antiviral therapy (HAART) for eight years and have found a combination of medication which has few side effects and has boosted my immune system and given me a blood count or (CD4) count of 750, an undetectable viral load and a new lease of life.

    Government health and safer sex campaigns declined in the mid 1990s, along with funding to local government and smaller, local HIV charities.

    Within society a misconception that HIV and AIDS treatments were a cure and that HIV remained the problem of the traditionally affected groups led to a perception that HIV and AIDS had ?gone away?.

    In 1997 the respite and residential unit of the London Lighthouse closed and gradually training and education around issues relating to Dying, Death and Bereavement began to full from the agenda of the caring professions.

    Combination therapy is a lifeline to people living with HIV; the numbers of people dying from HIV and AIDS has declined dramatically, many (though not all) people living with HIV are now expected to have an almost normal life expectancy. This raises new challenges; many people like me who are living long term with HIV are confronted with the impact of HIV and the ageing process, as well as the physical, emotional and psychological impact of living with and managing a highly stigmatised complex chronic health condition into the future. There is an increasing group of older people living with HIV who face more uncertainty in the future, many of us have been in long term unemployment, have no financial security, live in isolation, have limited support networks and face a range of complex health issues as we age with HIV. ?

    Recent evidence suggests an increase of syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases not only amongst gay men but also amongst the general population. World Health Organisation statistics report that HIV is now considered a predominantly heterosexual disease with world figures indicating that it is currently estimated that there are 33.3 million people living with HIV worldwide and a calmative total of 114.766 people have been diagnosed with HIV in the UK by the end of 2010 more than 30 million people in the world have died of AIDS.?

    In 2006 I returned to work following a fourteen year period of living with my partner and relying on the benefits system, I enrolled onto a back to work programme with the UKC and was appointed my own life coach who enabled me to develop a business plan and eventually set up my own coaching and training consultancy. To my surprise I quickly realised that there had been a significant shift in focus in the HIV community; people infected with HIV where now living with HIV, there was a new sense of hope and people living with HIV now had a future.?

    Based on my experience of being coached I decide to train and qualify as a coach myself with a view to developing coaching services and projects that would enable people living with HIV. I approached The Coaching Academy Europe?s largest coaching school and was refused my initial request for a free training place on their diploma level coaching course. Not being discouraged I approached the CEO of the academy and explained my vision of utilising coaching to enable people living with HIV and people living with disabilities to achieve their goals. I was offered a scholarship and qualified at distinction level in 2008.

    It was whilst working as a trainer at the United Kingdom Coalition of People Living with HIV (UKC) I picked up a leaflet in the lobby which advertised a leadership programme delivered by the then Disability Rights Commission, I was successful in my application and introduced myself to the then chief executive officer (CEO) Mike Adams who trusted in my vision and skills and was to later appoint me as a leadership coach on subsequent leadership programmes. I have continued to work in partnership with Mike Adams in his current position as CEO of the Essex Coalition of Disabled People (?ecdp?), and amongst other initiatives have been commissioned by Mike to co-design and deliver an innovative leadership programme called ?LeadingAbility ?for people living with long term health conditions, injuries and disabilities (IID) which has included working with veterans of the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

    Parallel to my work with Mike Adams I have worked as a lead coach and advisor to the former Royal Association of Disability and Rights (RADAR) which was recently renamed ?Disability Rights UK? who now provide a range of highly successful leadership programmes for people living with disabilities and long term health conditions across the UK, these programmes have become increasingly inclusive of people living with HIV. Additionally I have continued to work with my former coach in developing coaching projects and successfully sourcing funding through the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) which has enabled us to deliver a number of significant coaching projects in partnership with key HIV organisations in the UK.

    As we remember 30 years of the AIDS epidemic and the many people who have died we see a move towards marginalising HIV and people living with HIV even though the majority of those infected worldwide are heterosexual, we are also experiencing an increase in negative and damaging stories portraying disabled people as scroungers in the media.

    Additionally I am concerned about recent reports and evidence which demonstrates that there has been a significant increase in sexually transmitted diseases and HIV in the general population and highlights the fact that there has been an absence of any significant government HIV or sexual health related campaign over the past 20 years.

    The introduction of the 2010 Equality Act has finally addressed our employment and equality rights yet there is a real danger that the values and principles contained in this essential piece of legislation may full from the agendas of our government in a current climate of recession and uncertainly . Many organisations are experiencing significant cuts in funding or the complete withdrawal of funding as we have witnessed with the disastrous loss of UKC and The Positive Place and other charities across the UK. With radical changes to the benefits system and changes in the way people living with HIV are supported by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) anxiety levels are high and the future uncertain; I am currently proactively supporting the ?Hardest Hit Campaign?

    I believe that the time is right to readdress HIV and its associated issues and place HIV firmly at the forefront of our society?s awareness and our nation?s health and human rights agendas.

    In August 2011 I celebrated my 51st birthday and in October another anniversary, 27 years of living with HIV. As I look to the future and semi-retirement I am sure that I will encounter many potential challenges associated with growing older with HIV.

    I am now live in a landscape of living with HIV and I am determined to continue to contribute to the HIV community to enable people living with HIV to achieve their potential and develop their leadership contributions.

    As an advocate for ?NAT? I am committed to ensuring that I continue to address our rights until people living with HIV experience their human rights as an actualised reality in their everyday lives.

    As for my future I intend to continue to work tirelessly to secure funds for coaching and leadership projects to this end and support organisations such as a National Long Term Survivors Group (NLTSG) for whom I have served as trustee and vice-chair. I have recently decided to join the new Opening Doors London support group for older gay men living with HIV and I hope to be able to offer them some of my skills and experience into the future.

    Whilst I lack the ability to foresee the future I am determined to make some sort of difference otherwise my life would have been without meaning and I would have failed in my own endeavours to inspire at least some of the people that I have meet on my journey. I have become the person that I am because of and in spite of my HIV status; I know that my life has been shaped by HIV and that though it has often been heartbreaking and challenging I also acknowledge that it has also been an amazing and now continuing journey.

    A lot has happened over this time; I have learnt to remember and value many significant dates and the faces of many loved ones who have gone on ahead of me. I dedicate this story to the many friends who have gone before me, they include Graham, Gary, Chris and Mansour and to the friends who have remained by my side and have supported me and encouraged me on my journey these include Carl, Sue, Yvonne, Trish, Mike, Isaac, Kiki, Sanna and Josef..............

    ?

    By Danny West ? Coach, Trainer & Leadership Consultant

    Source: http://disabilityrightsuk.blogspot.com/2012/11/changing-landscapes-story-about-living.html

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    How-to: Picking a desktop environment in Linux

    DNP  Howto Picking a Desktop Environment in Linux

    We've taken you through a tour of Window Managers in Linux, and now it's time to show you the Window Manager's bigger brother: the desktop environment, or DE for short. With a sea of choices out there, we can see where Linux newbies might feel a bit overwhelmed. Catch us after the break and we'll show you some of our favorites, along with a few honorable mentions.

    Continue reading How-to: Picking a desktop environment in Linux

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    Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/OoA7INr9mz4/

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    Is Your Business Using Professional Video Editing ... - muvee Blog

    Do you view video content online? I know I sure do. I watch everything from funny YouTube videos, to favorite TV shows to video tutorials and even advertisements. At the tail end of 2012, it?s agreed that using?professional video editing software?is a great way to reach potential customers, build your brand image and increase your profits.

    Nearly everyone watches video online

    You and I are not alone in our love for online video.

    It is estimated that 90% of consumers watch videos online. If you want to reach consumers, take your advertising where they are and create video marketing content using professional video editing software like muvee Reveal X.

    A recent report by the Content Marketing Institute indicated that one of the primary concerns for markers in 2012 was producing enough content.

    Consumers are hungry for informative and engaging video, and businesses are struggling to fulfill this demand. The powerful and easy to use editing tools of muvee Reveal X can help. Our lightning fast video editor can create a professional quality marketing video in minutes and easily share it across various media channels including YouTube, Facebook and more. If you have an idea, we?ll help you turn it into a muvee.

    Videos rank high for effective marketing

    Videos rank high on the list of effective tactics for content marketing. Videos ranked #5 on the list of most effective tactics in the Content Marketing Institute study. Webinars and webcasts, which could also be created using muvee Reveal X, ranked #3.

    Another recent trend is the move to creating more content in-house, rather than through outsourcing. In 2012 56% of those surveyed indicated that marketing content would be created solely in-house. This is up from 38% only a year before.

    This could mean that companies are looking to have greater control of their marketing messages. ?This is great news for those with a limited advertising budget. Do-it-yourself, save money and still produce amazing content.

    Don?t get left behind!

    This year is the year for video marketing, so create your plan, capture your footage and make your muvee. If 90% of consumers watch video online, you miss out on a valuable marketing opportunity by not creating internet marketing videos of your own.

    For inspiration check out this funny commercial and get a few ideas of your own:

    Source: http://blog.muvee.com/2012/11/29/is-your-business-using-professional-video-editing-software-2/

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    BII REPORT: Mobile Gaming's App Store Success - Business Insider

    mobile gamesGaming is one of the fastest-growing usage categories in mobile, with huge growth seen in Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms.

    In particular,?social?mobile gaming, enabled by always-connected smartphones and?the "freemium" revenue model, is particularly strong.

    In a recent report from?BI Intelligence?on Mobile Gaming,?taking a look at the size of the mobile gaming market, exploring the demographics of mobile gamers, analyzing the successful pricing, business, and monetization strategies of mobile gaming apps, and handicapping the future prospects for mobile gaming developers.

    Access The Full Report By Signing Up For A Free Trial Today >>

    Here's a brief breakdown of current Mobile Gaming dynamics:

    In full, the?report?examines:

    To access BI Intelligence's full report on Mobile Gaming, sign up for a free trial subscription here.

    ?

    Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/bii-report-mobile-gamings-app-store-success-2012-11

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